Attention Foodies!

[celticdragonfly]

I know I have Foodies on my list.

Anybody want to recommend their favorite recipe for a glaze for baked ham? It'd have to be quick, as I'm making it this afternoon. I hope. Never done this before. The cookbook talks about removing the rind, I hope I can figure out what that means. Also I don't have a meat thermometer, so I'm just going to go with the maximum time per pound and then round up a bit.

Interestingly, the charts in the (somewhat old) cookbook talk about times for a whole ham (10-15 lbs) and for a half ham (5-6 lbs). My half ham is 11 lbs. I guess they grow pigs bigger these days.

Also, has anyone had experience with silicon baking pans? I've been seeing them recently, and am intrigued, since I am getting back to baking regularly, and the old metal getting-rusty pans are not things I love. How well do they work? How do they wash? Pros and cons?

Thanks!

Comments

I might qualify as a foodie.

[aeddie.livejournal.com]

The rind is all the fat that they left on.

One of the favorites that I learned lo these many years ago is simple. Cut a bunch of lines across the top of the ham in a diamond pattern. Slather it with your favorite mustard, but please not the glow in the dark yellow stuff. Cover it all with brown sugar.

Re: I might qualify as a foodie.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

My favorite mustard *is* the glow in the dark yellow stuff.

I'm too far away for you to throw things at me.

Re: I might qualify as a foodie.

[aeddie.livejournal.com]

Lobbing a virtual tomato(e) your way.

mustard

[jenna-thorn.livejournal.com]

Hee, in our house there are two mustards: kid mustard and Daddy mustard.

Kid mustard is the traditional yellow French's; Daddy mustard is the coarseground Dijon.

I, on the other hand, like Mayo. 8-)

[jazz007.livejournal.com]

My mother used to do the "slice the top of the ham" thing mentioned above, then cover it with a light layer of brown sugar and douse it with OJ. I used to love that, but it was in a rather shallow pan, so I hope it would work for you.

[khavrinen.livejournal.com]

Well, the "tradional" ham glaze for my family has always been just to use apricot jam ( sometimes apricot & pineapple ) and add a bit of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon, which about as simple as it gets. Not really a recipe that's written down anywhere; I'd guess about 1/2 tsp each of the cloves & nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup jam? Stir it up and brush/spoon on about 15-20 minutes before the ham is done.

I haven't tried the silicone pans myself, but
America's Test Kitchen (http://www.americastestkitchen.com/) did a review on them and weren't too impressed. They said that while they were easier to clean, and cooked slightly faster, they didn't brown things very well on the bottom, and are kind of "floppy", meaning you have to be very carefull about picking them up when full.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

The old cookbook's reference to the "rind" is probably not applicable, they probably mean the fat and SKIN usually kept on the outside. Better than plastic wrap when you were storing it in a smokehouse outdoors, but they usually remove the skin nowadays.

Do yourself a favor and get a meat thermometer at the supermarket, they are not expensive and really help when you need to cook something to a precise done-ness, like a turkey. Not quite as essential for a modern ham, which is probably pre-cooked anyway. Check the label.

Easiest glaze: a jar of honey. Or a jar of orange marmalade. Stick cloves in it if you want to but that's a bit hard of the tender fingers.

I'm liking silicone bakeware so far. It's a bit floppy so you might want to have a cookie sheet handy to take things in and out of the oven without flopping and dropping.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

No, it's not pre-cooked, I checked the label. I'm twitchy about thermometers - I feel like I don't have a clue where to stick it, and I always have had problems reading the thing. Can't go get anything today, I have no car.

[patgund.livejournal.com]

I know this is going to sound strange, but it really works quite well.

DR PEPPER GLAZED HAM

3 cups Dr Pepper
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
whole cloves

Cook a tenderized ham according to the directions on the wrap.

Glazes are usually applied about one or 1 to 1 1/4 hour before the ham is done.

At that time, skin the ham, remove the surplus fat, score as desired, insert the whole cloves. Sprinkle and pat the brown sugar over the surface and gently pour the Dr Pepper over ham.

At frequent intervals in the remaining baking time, baste with the liquid in the pan.

The oven temperature for baking is 325 to 350 F, depending on browning desired.

[jenna-thorn.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, I was about to suggest my family's solution which is clove the ham, then baste with 7-Up (or in our case, not so much baste as pour over and occasionally slosh. We are all klutzes, yes, and basting brushes tend to get used as paintbrushes.) What can I say? Great minds think alike.

I like my silicon bakeware, but cleanability and non-stickfulness is more important to me than browning, so I'm not surprised that other's don't like it as much. I use a cookie sheet under all my cakes and muffins anyway, because if I do, I have not problems, but if I don't, that's when the cake pan/pie/muffins overflow and pour over the edge into the oven and I really really hate cleaning my oven. So even though one of my two pans has the harder edge that is supposed to keep you from having to use a cookie sheet, I do anyway. And they do seem to be truly nonstick (as opposed to teflon) and I think they are easier to clean.

[sraun]

re: silicon baking Pans

I've got a bunch, I mostly like them. They're dish-washer safe. They bulge! This doesn't matter so much for muffins, but is going to make a difference when I start making something in the loaf or cake pans.

[callibr8]

I have a friend who has a silicon cake pan; he uses it to make a flourless French chocolate cake. The pan certainly works well for that application, and doesn't seem to affect the taste any. I find it a bit weird and floppy to handle, but easy to clean.

[kattelyn.livejournal.com]

Okay, you asked for an opinion yesterday, and while I was too busy being industrious when I should be sleeping, I'm still full of 'em today.

I gave you my recipe without really paying attention to it yesterday, and I hope you don't mind if I steal your modification. That was absolutely DIVINE. .... ham-tacular! Hammy-riffic!

*clears throat* nooo. I'm not opinionated at all, and I only tolerate ham too.

Opinion on meat thermometers:
DO NOT get a thermometer that reads like the thing your mom used to shove under your tongue. Nobody can read those right, they're a pain in the ass, and they don't beep at you. Go get a digital thermometer that'll scream bloody murder when the turkey is done.

Where do ya stick it? .... in the hunk of meat .... to make sure its done cooking? (not enough caffiene in my system yet.... editors are still partially on the way for coffee and donuts)
Well, the thickest part of the meat, furthest away from the edge makes sense.
... and I'm getting away from this subject before I condemn myself even further ;)

Silicon baking pans.

Pros:
Entirely non-stick. No cooking spray needed.
flexible for easy storage
never greasy.
Rather tough... can be thrown in the dishwasher and under the broiler. Nothing phases the stuff.

Cons:
Remember our science classes when we were younger? Silicon is an insulator. Forget the nicely browned edges, and if you're looking for crispy, really forget it. Its even heating, but it won't give you the crusts you're used to. For that, get glass or metal.

Flexible. It'll distort if you put heavy batter in it. That same flexibility that makes the pan sooo cool also makes it a pain in the butt to get from the kitchen counter to the oven.

Expensive... which is the entire reason I don't have any right now.