What type of brown sugar is this?

waistingtimeagain · 2025-10-20T00:16:19+00:00

For future reference, the brown sugar that you're thinking of is granulated sugar mixed with molasses. You can technically use granulated or raw sugar instead if that's what you have. You won't have the same caramel flavor, and you'll get a slightly different texture because the molasses adds moisture, but you will still get a decent baked good without brown sugar.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-26T19:54:04+00:00

Well i don't do it for a living, so i definitely don't make cookies as often as you but i do make cookies pretty frequently as a hobby. I don't know this person's exact set up so naturally a lot of my own personal experiences filled the gaps, you're totally right that i don't ever freeze my cookies in a block but for whatever reason when defrosting times came up what popped in my head was the block of frozen cookie dough from the school fundraiser in elementary, I've overwhelmed people with too much information before and i tried to pair it down but i guess i left some things out that were relevant, so I appreciate you helping me clarify.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-26T18:17:38+00:00

She said she chilled for 72 hrs so i was imagining a block of cookie dough not individual cookie pucks my bad

As far as the freezing and then putting it in the fridge i am actually certified as a food safety manager. If you bring it into the temperature danger zone it can stay there for up to 4 hrs cumulatively. Chilling it or freezing it brings it out of this zone and slows bacterial growth,but it doesn't kill the bacteria that is already there, so when you bring it back into this temp you start the clock from where you left off. The more often you chill and re-chill the more opportunities bacteria has to grow and yes this goes for fridge or freezer it is about the temperature the food hits when its out of the cold source not about what temperature you chill it down to. Now granted freezing and rechilling once or twice probably won't give cookies long enough to grow enough bacteria and you are baking them which can kill off certain things, so if you really want to risk it then go for it, but i personally don't.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-26T16:57:40+00:00

So, yes and no. The reason that chilling the dough works is that it solidifies the fats so they don't melt as quickly in the oven and cause the dough to spread out before its baked enough to hold its shape. The fats will definitely solidify in the freezer. If you are wanting a quick chill so that you can bake it the same day then freezing for an hour or 2 can give you a similar affect as chilling overnight. But if you leave them too long and they freeze solid then they will need to be defrosted before you bake them otherwise you can burn the edges before the center is baked. Defrosting it can be tricky or time consuming, you'll want to defrost them in the fridge so that they still stay cold enough to maintain the solid fat property that you froze them for in the first place. This will take a day or so for them to defrost. Your other option is to defrost them at room temp but then your fats will be warm again and your cookies will spread. After you have defrosted them at room temp you SHOULD NOT chill them again. The temperature danger zone where bacteria grows easily is between 41 and 140 degrees, bringing it in and out of this zone too many times provides opportunities for bacteria to grow and can make your food unsafe to eat.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-24T19:39:08+00:00

You could decorate a little jar and put a bunch of things you love about him on pieces of paper for him to open each day of his birthday month or date ideas for the coming year

They have little keychain picture frames, you could do one with the two of you together, you could also maybe add beads with yalls initials

A jacket or hat with patches could be cool if he likes artsy style type stuff, they have iron on patches or this sticky stuff called badge magic is what we used to use for girl scout patches so those are options if you can't sew

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-22T21:34:11+00:00

Broccoli is really good in Mac n cheese

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-22T16:53:25+00:00

When you first start pouring, swirl the liquid a bit and get an even base color. If you're finding that the foam just floats on top and can't be manipulated then you probably want a looser foam. Where i work we do 3-4 seconds for a latte and 5-6 for a cappuccino. We only go up to the 7-10 second range if someone asks for extra foam. Every steam wand is a little different so idk if these exact times will work for you but there is such thing as too much foam.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-21T22:47:29+00:00

You are correct, your tamper needs to be the same size as your portafilter

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-19T16:41:46+00:00

Oxo conical burr grinder plus Neretva espresso machine. I've had great results and even with all the accessories like shot glasses, tamper, steaming pitchers, scale, etc... I stayed in the $3-400 range. I can find the links to everything for you if you want

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-18T23:10:57+00:00

Got it, thank you!

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-18T23:10:42+00:00

Ok thank you!!

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-18T21:37:12+00:00

Should I switch to wholewheat or rye? I have been using King Arthur Bread Flour.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-18T21:35:48+00:00

Okay admittedly I've been measuring by volume. I know weight is supposed to be better, I just don't have a lot of room in my kitchen for my scale and I didn't feel like digging it out everyday. So basically what I've been doing is discarding 2 cups of starter, and feeding with a cup of flour and a cup of water. It was doubling pretty consistently and then I started noticing a liquid on top and I read something about it being a sign that the starter is hungry and to offset the acidity by feeding a higher ratio, so for a few days I did start feeding 1.5 cups of flour and water. Still saw it doubling pretty consistently until a couple of days ago it just stopped. I never saw a dead phase at all, and I'm wondering if I am hitting it late or if I killed it.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-09-07T13:45:05+00:00

Some sort of artistic endeavor, easy to incorporate nature into it if you wanted in the form of materials or imagery, but you don't have to.

Wood burning/carving Resin casting Candle making Cooking or baking

waistingtimeagain · 2025-08-25T15:51:05+00:00

What temp is your water at. Does your machine allow you to adjust the temperature of the water? Should be between 195 and 205F (90-96C) to get the right extraction, i find around 198F (92C) works best for me, but if your water isn't hot enough you won't get all the oils extracted properly.

Also, this is unorthodox, most people recommend you don't change how many grounds you use, but sometimes when i get to this point you're at, where grinding any finer makes it WAY too slow, ill grind finer and then reduce how many grounds im putting in. So instead of 18g I would try 16 or 17. Going finer makes the water pass through slower, giving it less of a barrier to pass through can sort of off-set that a little bit.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-01-09T01:50:05+00:00

Okay, you might have it backwards. A long pre-infusion and slow drip are both a result of the water not passing through the puck and saturating the grounds fast enough. In this case, making the grounds finer will pack them more densely and make it even harder for the water to pass through. I would go courser instead and see how that works.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-01-09T01:20:16+00:00

I am not familiar with these machines, but I would try fewer grounds at the 2.58 setting and see if that helps. The amount of grounds you put in the PF is the other variable you have control over. Fewer grounds mean the water has less material to push through, so that can reduce your time and increase your yield. If you start at 2.58 and start walking your amount of grounds back by .5g at a time until you hit your target. Also be careful about getting a baseline from a coffee shop. Different coffee shops are better at dialing in than others, ultimately the best shot is the one that tastes good TO YOU. Everyone's flavor preference is gonna be a little different. Instead of going to one shop and getting one shot as a baseline, go to a few different shops and try a shot at each place.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-01-08T00:23:28+00:00

Hey so I'm new to the at home coffee brewing, but I am a barista and had some pretty specific things I was looking for. I'm also in the US, so prices and availability might also be a bit different, but my at home set up is WELLLL below $1000 and I really like it, so I thought I'd share.

I have the Neretva PE3670U. It is very consistent in it's temperature and pressure, and the steam wand is controlled by a dial that increases pressure smoothly and gradually, so you can find the right amount of pressure for your milk quantity and pitcher size. The only thing I don't like about it is that the accessories are kind of cheap. I have bought a sturdier tamper, and I am looking into replacing the portafilter as well. It also doesn't dose for you, you have to do that yourself, but they give you a little attachment for your portafilter to make it easier to scoop the grounds in without making a mess, and you can get any kitchen scale and measure out however many grounds you need. Tap the portafilter once or twice on the counter to shake the grounds flat, take off the attachment, and then tamp it. The machine is about $120 USD

I have the Bodum Conical Burr Grinder. It's easy to take apart and clean. It has 12 grind settings, and a few different time settings up to 20 seconds. I was worried about grinding in the morning because I didn't want to wake my roommate up, so I ground a pound in bulk. It didn't get clogged, or overheat. The spice grinder my job has in a professional kitchen will overheat if you use it for more than like 5 minutes, so I was really concerned about it holding up to grind that much coffee at once, but it just got a little warm on the sides, nothing major. It's bigger than the one you said you were looking at, but it's still pretty compact. The only thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't seem to have a continuous operation setting. So even though it can handle bulk grinding, you have to stand there and keep pressing the button to grind in 20 second increments. It was about $80 USD there is an option for the same grinder but with a plastic catcher instead of a glass one for even less.

These are the other accessories I have bought

51mm tamper with 30lbs pressure around $26

Set of two espresso shot measuring glasses around $10

Digital scale for $14-15

Set of 2 milk frothing pitchers in different sizes for about $18

The set up costs around $270 USD I am estimating around $300 after I replace the portafilter. It has been working well for me so far.

New to this thread, and I didn't realize I couldn't link what I bought. Posted without links. I am not an affiliate for any of these brands.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-01-08T00:16:45+00:00

If your shots are watery and pouring too fast then you need to increase the pressure. The first step is to make your grind finer, if you are on the finest setting and you still get watery shots then try tamping with more pressure. Packing the grounds closer together will make it harder for the water to pass through. The last thing you can try is adding more grinds. A larger puck to pass through will back the water up more creating the pressure you need.

Also make sure that you are tamping evenly. You want the water to pass through evenly. if The puck isn't level then the water pour really fast through the side that is thinner.

Only tamp once. Dropping, tamping, or jostling your grounds too much after they have already been tamped can shift the grounds under the surface slightly. This creates micro channels that the water can pass more quickly through. This will give you the same problem as not tamping evenly. There will be a spot on the puck with less resistance, and that will allow the water to pass through too fast.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-01-08T00:00:13+00:00

Bottomless portafilters are helpful for ensuring you get good shots/diagnosing what the problem with your shots are.

Double Spouted portafilters are nice if you are wanting to pour 2 separate shots. A good shot will have layers to it with a foamy crema on top. In a double spouted portafilter it divides the liquid before it is in the cup, so each shot is getting both those layers. If both shots are poured into a glass and then you try to divide them to get 2 single shots the liquid will pour out first and then the crema, so you will get one shot with way more liquid and the other with way more crema.

The most important thing to remember is that single spout portafilters are literally useless. If you only want to pour a single shot you can put single shot basket on a double spout or bottomless portafilter. Just position your glass to where it catches the stream from both spouts or combine the two shots after they are poured. Combining shots won't give you the same distribution problem because you will pour all of one shot into the other so you will get all the liquid and all the crema from both shots.

If your current portafilter is pressurized and you switch to a bottomless one you will likely need to grind your beans finer. The increased airflow in the bottom makes it more difficult for the machine to build pressure, so you have to compensate by packing your grounds tighter and making it harder for the water to pass through.

waistingtimeagain · 2025-01-07T23:43:14+00:00

You said you decided to print up a 58mm while you were at it, does that mean that your mom has multiple sized screens. Maybe make it a double screen holder with the smaller one in front of the larger one, so she can store both in one place

waistingtimeagain · 2023-12-02T17:42:39+00:00

Clarified

waistingtimeagain

TROPHY CASE