SC - RE: Introduction--Reply, Query

[Yeldham, Caroline S]

Dear Aoife

and everyone else who has been so kind - thanks for the welcome.

going back to Aoife's question


> So, my question is this: Although I have been playing with cooking
> practices
> from the Medieval-Rennaisance period (I can now bake almost anything
	[Yeldham, Caroline S]  
	Now that I'm impressed by - I'm hoped to get a testum soon (that's
the latin name and I'm told my supplier has evidence for late medieval
period - but I think of it as a Dutch oven).  At the moment I don't bake
unless there is an oven on site, either modern or brick.  So I rely on
roast, stew and fry,essentially.  Unfortunately I find the demand for
fritters inexhaustable! 

	Having done the occasional event in a modern kitchen - it is very
different cooking over a wood fire (actually I think I prefer the wood
fire!)

> reliably over a fire, in addition to other methods), I am a little stumped
> as to acoutrements---are there any period-type implements out there, and
> where do I get them? Any ideas? 
	[Yeldham, Caroline S]  
	the best evidence I've come across is Bartelomeo Scarpi's drawings -
do you know them?  They cover 'how to lay out a kitchen', 'what you need for
a field kitchen' (which is the best for this situation), kitchen knives and
equipment; other kitchen equipment; how to get food into a Conclave (he
cooked for a Cardinal who became a pope) etc etc.  He is late 16th century
and italian, but a lot of what he shows turns up in earlier drawings - at
least it looks very similar.  Barbara Hentisch's 'Fast and Feast' has 14th
century pictures showing very similar stuff.  Scarpi hasn't been published
(so far as I know), but is used by other cooks for illustrations- and the
best version I've seen is in a Penguin Paperback of Elizabeth David's
Italian Cooking.  

	As for getting hold of it, in the UK we are beginning to get
re-enactment suppliers who are prepared to copy drawings and make things.
As I understand it, anyone doing iron work, swords, armour, etc, should be
able to make these things - whether they are prepared to, or how much it
would cost, I don't know.  

> I have a tripod, hooks and chains, kettles
> (large and small), etc. but need a pot lifter, a trivet, a spit
> (adjustable), and some fire-tiles. 
	[Yeldham, Caroline S]  

	As I recall it, our spit and trivet, which are about 18 months old,
cost about UKP250, by a specialist maker.  The spit has racks on both sides
giving full flexibility, stands about 5' high and about 6' long - the spit
itself is about 7' long - we can comfortably cook two deer legs on it.  Not
sure of the maximum weight it will take - we haven't had the problem so far!
I'm usually feeding about 40 people.  The trivet is about 2' by 3' and
stands 2' high on solid ground - it has parallel bars across it which are
close enough to be able to roast mackeral on without worrying that too much
will fall in the fire (and very good they tasted)

	Pot lifter?  Presumably you don't mean a cloth!  With big pots I
rely on a solid piece of wood and two strong gentlemen (some of the pots I
have to work with are too big for me to lift empty!)

> I'd also like some "hot shot", which a
> local rev-war group uses to heat their dishwater---it's basically a
> gate-weight or small cannonball with an cast iron loop attached. You throw
> it in the fire, and when you're ready to wash dishes, you fish it out with
> a
> fire iron and swirl it in your tub of water---instant hot dishwater!
> 
	[Yeldham, Caroline S]  Gosh!  havn't tried that.  I usually put a
cauldron of hot water on about when we start serving up and by the time the
washer-uppers have finished eating, its warm enough.

> I am delighted you chose to grace us with your knowledge on the list, and
> I
> have to say that I think it would be a great shame if you left this list
> for
> other pastures! Please stay!!!!!
> 
> Aoife
> 
	[Yeldham, Caroline S]  My pleasure.  Hope the above helped! 
	[Yeldham, Caroline S]  
	Caroline
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================