Hi Again,
It's nearly mid July and the days are flying by, the book deadline is zooming closer and closer, yet it seems like everything is, somehow, coming together. The latest round of recipe respones has been very encouraging and I'm now incorporating the best of recipe the testers' suggestions into the instructions.
The purpose of this post is to remind you that when you create steam in the oven, whether with a mister or by pouring water into a hot steam pan, remember to cover you oven window (if you have one) with a towel. "Splash-back," usually caused by water droplets popping out of the pan like jumping beans, or by water dripping from your pourer, can crack the glass if it it hits it. Kind of like that sickening windshield effect when a pebble hits it on the highway and a little spider vein appears and then creeps throughout the whole window. I'd hate for that to happen to anyone, and unfortunately, one of our stalwart testers, Paul in Canada, just had it happen to his oven. Ouch!!! So, please, protect your oven and your hands (I always wear an oven mitt when I pour, in addition to the towel on the window).
Incidentally, I've been using a plastic watering can with a long, small spout. Works pretty good. One of our testers told me she uses a long piece of aluminum foil, formed into a V-shaped trough, that she can direct deep into the oven and through which she can pour water, like a down spout, into the steam pan. Ingenuity! That's what I love about this process, hearing about your tricks and tips.
Gotta get back to the manuscript--I hear that clock ticking and it's getting scary....
May your bread always rise!
Peter
PS Testers, another round of recipes coming in a few days, probably this weekend.