The Perfect Pantry

Eggs (Recipe: corn, green chile, egg and cheese casserole)

From time to time, I like to try new ways of bringing you information about some of the ingredients in The Perfect Pantry. This is one of those times. Please let me know in the comments what you think of this format (too much, too little, nice change of pace?).

A fun thing to know about eggs:

Size matters! Extra-large eggs weigh in at 27 ounces per dozen; large eggs, 24 ounces; medium eggs, 21 ounces.

When you're baking, if the recipe calls for large eggs and you only have extra-large, be sure to adjust the number of eggs to end up with the correct volume of egg. In most other cooking, you can substitute one-for-one with any size eggs, without making a noticeable difference in the outcome.

Housekeeping: Technical difficulties

I'm sorry to report that The Perfect Pantry is having a less than perfect day. All of the searchable categories seem to have vanished into the interworld, along with parts of the lovely background of this blog. I do hope that what Typepad taketh away, they can restore, but while their engineers are working on it, searches by category won't be available.

Please send good wishes for a speedy recovery.

Homemade chicken stock (Recipe: smashed potato and leek soup with bacon and thyme)

Every week I make homemade chicken stock in my slow cooker, with the carcass of a rotisserie chicken or a chicken I've roasted at home.

It couldn't be easier: toss what's left of the chicken carcass into a four-quart slow cooker; add one onion, cut in half, skin and all; add one stalk of celery, with the leaves, and one carrot, cut in half; add a bay leaf and half a dozen peppercorns, and water. Set the cooker on high for three hours, or on low for six hours. Walk away, read a book, check your email, take a nap.

Done!

Strain the stock into a freezer-safe container, and let it cool to room temperature on the counter top. Then, store for up to one week in the refrigerator or six months in the freezer, and make soup to your heart's content.

Onions (Recipe: clam, bacon and caramelized onion pita pizza)

Years ago, I met a woman who was allergic to onions.

Perhaps she thought me terribly rude, but I never invited her for a meal, because I couldn't imagine what I might be able to cook for her.

Back then I wasn't much of a cook, but even today, I'd have to work hard to put together a meal that tastes just as good without onions as with them. Every soup base and every stew begins with onions. Cajun recipes start with "the trinity" (onions, celery and bell pepper); French dishes open with a mirepoix (onions, celery and carrots).

I don't eat raw onions, but roast, grill, sauté or -- be still my heart -- caramelize an onion, and I'm there.

Other People's Pantries #132

From Janet (The Gardeners Cottage), in Redlands, California:

Our house is old and small so storage is an issue. I'm a vegan so I don't eat many canned or processed foods. I also don't like a lot of clutter. I was a professional chef for many years and learned to work in small, tight spaces.