Banana Bread recipe - WaPo

[Graham]

If I make this, as I well might, I'll cut the amount of baking powder.
It's necessary at this altitude.

3 keys to better banana bread
From an article in the washington Post this morning
https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2023/09/29/how-to-make-banana-bread-moist/

By Aaron Hutcherson

This classic banana bread recipe is wonderfully spiced with cinnamon,
cardamom and cloves. Be sure to use very ripe bananas whose peels are
mostly or all black, which contribute significant sweetness and
moisture. For chocolate lovers, unsweetened or dark chocolate adds a
hint of bitterness that is welcome but not necessary. Enjoy a slice for
breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack or dessert.

Storage: Store tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room
temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

From Voraciously staff writer Aaron Hutcherson.
Story continues below advertisement
Ingredients
measuring cup
Servings: 10-12 (makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf)

3 large very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (1 1/2 cups)
3 large eggs
1 stick (8 tablespoons/113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (110 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup (85 grams) chopped unsweetened or dark chocolate chips or
discs (optional)

Directions
Time Icon Active: 15 mins| Total: 1 hour 35 mins

Step 1

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350
degrees. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving at
least 1 inch of overhang on the long sides.
Step 2

In a large bowl, mix together the bananas, eggs, butter, granulated
sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until evenly combined. In a separate
medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon,
cardamom, cloves and salt until combined.
Step 3

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just enough
to incorporate, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a
rubber spatula and stirring in any streaks. Fold in the chocolate
pieces, if using.
Step 4

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the
top. (If you want a split top, run a wet butter knife down the center of
the loaf pan 1/2 to 1 inch deep.)
Step 5

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted
into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs (wipe it off
and retest if you encounter chocolate) and the top is browned.
Step 6

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then use the
parchment overhang to gently lift it out and transfer it to a wire rack
or serving tray. Serve the slices warm or at room temperature.

[Thomas]

I use both baking powder and soda. It's in the recipe so I do it.
At what elevation does the powder make a difference and why?

[Graham]

I'm at about 3500' and if I use recipe amounts, the cake collapses.
If I make a Victoria Sponge (roughly equivalent to pound cake)
I reduce the rising agent by about 1/3. I found out the hard way and
then experimented to get the mix right.

[Thomas]

Interesting. Some good detail. Are you hands-on or some training to figure that out.
I am a beginner baker.

[Graham]

No training but definitely hands on.
My advice to any beginning baker is to buy a set of digital scales
and follow recipes that use weights. The NYT and WaPo usually quote
both weights an cups but unless you are experienced, cup measure is
too variable and the results cannot be guaranteed.

[Thomas]

Here is 3 days ago making banana muffins.

https://postimg.cc/XZh5dQGt

[Thomas]

Finished and a pic of sugar overload. Frosting has a few drops of coconut extract.
Sprinkles because i was trying to be fancy.
https://postimg.cc/gallery/1ZTDKjg

[Graham]

They look perfect!! Glad they came out that way!!

[dsi1]

I typically won't comment on people's pictures but I'd certainly eat that. Indeed, that's fancy.

[jmcquown]

They look good enough to eat. :)

Jill

[Bruce]

>I typically won't comment on people's [food] pictures

That's strange in a food newsgroup.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 6:39:40 AM UTC-5, Thomas wrote:
>
> Finished and a pic of sugar overload. Frosting has a few drops of coconut extract.
> Sprinkles because i was trying to be fancy.
> https://postimg.cc/gallery/1ZTDKjg
>

Stunning!! I'd scarf one down in a heartbeat!

[songbird]

Bruce wrote:
...

> That's strange in a food newsgroup.

i typically don't look unless it sounds like
something unusual that i might want to cook.

i'm not here to look at foodie pics. that's
too much like FB.


songbird

[Bruce]

On Sat, 30 Sep 2023 16:44:00 -0400, songbird <song...@anthive.com>
wrote:

Ah, you have a FB hangup. Oh well, we all have something. dsi1 never
comments on food pictures, for instance.

[Thomas]

Thank you all for the encouraging comments.
I have some piping tips in my Amz shopping cart. They look better then a cut baggie.
Debating on a regular set from weston and a russian set that is way fancier doing flowers.
I am no artist.

[Leonard Blaisdell]

On 2023-09-30, Thomas <cano...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Here is 3 days ago making banana muffins.

> https://postimg.cc/XZh5dQGt

I have looked at your following post, and everything looks great.
My wife makes banana muffins. She would have let the bananas go
black before using them.
As awful as that sounds, the muffins taste really good with strong
banana flavor. I'm sure yours do to.

[dsi1]

That's just one of my rules. Occasionally, I'll break them but that's rare. What's strange in a food newsgroup is people making war on other people, persons getting into other people business on financing, their home, their jobs, and assorted topics that's none of their business. People here are so focused on asses that the "r" in rfc must stand for "rectum." It's a pretty perverse, mentally ill, group.

I've been in Montana for almost a day and I have not been beaten up once. That's always nice. OTOH, the day is not over. I did insult the locals a few minutes after landing. While posing next to a wooden, carved, bison, I called it a "cow." Pro travel tip: don't make jokes about bison in Montana.

Mostly, I find Montana is the pits - one huge giant pit that can been seen from space. It looks like a lake but that's just because the Berkeley Pit copper mine no longer in operation i.e., they no longer pump the water out of the pit.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/186ZAb8hQTnjiDbj9

[Bruce]

On Sat, 30 Sep 2023 15:53:29 -0700 (PDT), dsi1

That's true.

>I've been in Montana for almost a day and I have not been beaten up once.

Hmm, white people aren't what they used to be.

>That's always nice. OTOH, the day is not over. I did insult the
>locals a few minutes after landing. While posing next to a wooden,
>carved, bison, I called it a "cow." Pro travel tip: don't make jokes
>about bison in Montana.

And they still didn't beat you up. Bunch of whimps.

>Mostly, I find Montana is the pits - one huge giant pit that can been
>seen from space. It looks like a lake but that's just because the
>Berkeley Pit copper mine no longer in operation i.e., they no longer
>pump the water out of the pit.
>
>https://photos.app.goo.gl/186ZAb8hQTnjiDbj9

Humans are good at raping the land for a bunch of $$$. Want more of
that? Vote Trump.

Isn't Montana where Yellowstone's set? It looked good in that show.
Maybe a bit barren and with a strong hint of redneck, but nice in
spring and summer. Avoid during the cold season, I'd say.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 4:38:24 PM UTC-5, Thomas wrote:
>
> Thank you all for the encouraging comments.
> I have some piping tips in my Amz shopping cart. They look better then a cut baggie.
> Debating on a regular set from weston and a russian set that is way fancier doing flowers.
> I am no artist.
>

I peeled my speckles bananas a while ago and put them in a bowl with about a half
teaspoon of Fruit Fresh dissolved in the water so they won't turn brown. Another
bowl a bit smaller and filled with plain water was set on top of them to keep them
submerged until I make banana bread Sunday or Monday. Mine will just be the mini
loaves that I've posted a picture of in the past. Nothing as prize worthy as yours.

[itsjoan...@webtv.net]

On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 5:53:33 PM UTC-5, dsi1 wrote:
>
> I've been in Montana for almost a day and I have not been beaten up once.
> That's always nice. OTOH, the day is not over.
>

You're probably rather safe from getting beat up while there. The population
compared with other states is rather sparce. But you'd be far safer in North
Dakota with the population being under 800,000 for the whole state.

[Bruce]

But if he walks into an aggressive Montana racist redneck, there will
be nobody around to help him!

[Hank Rogers]

Ive been all through that area.

Tojo will be fine, unless he goes looking for trouble and
shooting off his big asian mouth like he does here.

If he does that, someone will beat him to a pulp, then piss on
him, and order another beer.

I would do the same.

[Thomas]

I remember your mini loaves. I have a circulon mini pan for 6 loaves. I use it for meatloaf.
Gonna pull it out and try your way.

[Thomas]

Wilton, Weston...

[Michael Trew]

I have an old aluminum icing piper with different size tips. Probably
from the 60's. It's rare that it gets used, but I usually bake Sophia's
birthday cake.

[songbird]

Bruce wrote:
...

> But if he walks into an aggressive Montana racist redneck, there will
> be nobody around to help him!

does he not know Kung Fu?


songbird

[songbird]

Bruce wrote:
...

> Isn't Montana where Yellowstone's set? It looked good in that show.
> Maybe a bit barren and with a strong hint of redneck, but nice in
> spring and summer. Avoid during the cold season, I'd say.

funny, Mom happens to be watching that right now.
it probably has little resemblence to Montana other
than the obvious ranch, horse and cattle stuff but
otherwise i'm pretty sure they don't have shootings
and such all the time. they always have to
exaggerate for TeeVee! i can hear it but i'm not
watching it.


songbird

[Bruce]

On Sun, 1 Oct 2023 00:15:19 -0400, songbird <song...@anthive.com>
wrote:

The constant animal abuse is a bit much, but otherwise it's good.

[Bruce]

On Sun, 1 Oct 2023 00:16:20 -0400, songbird <song...@anthive.com>
wrote:

Of course, I forgot!

[Leonard Blaisdell]

On 2023-09-30, dsi1 <dsi...@hawaiiantel.net> wrote:

> Mostly, I find Montana is the pits - one huge giant pit that can been seen from space. It looks like a lake but that's just because the Berkeley Pit copper mine no longer in operation i.e., they no longer pump the water out of the pit.

> https://photos.app.goo.gl/186ZAb8hQTnjiDbj9

My wife grew up at an Anaconda copper mine. When the mine closed down in
the Eighties, and the pit they dug was abandoned, the result looks
similar to that.
Another pit, where I live, was created by Helms Construction for gravel
on the eastern edge of Sparks. When it was abandoned, it filled up and
is now called the Sparks Marina. Now, there's a casino, shops and
housing all around it; even a dog park. It used to be only a pit.
Ain't progress great?

[Bruce]

On 1 Oct 2023 06:17:26 GMT, Leonard Blaisdell

<leobla...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

>On 2023-09-30, dsi1 <dsi...@hawaiiantel.net> wrote:
>
>> Mostly, I find Montana is the pits - one huge giant pit that can been seen from space. It looks like a lake but that's just because the Berkeley Pit copper mine no longer in operation i.e., they no longer pump the water out of the pit.
>
>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/186ZAb8hQTnjiDbj9
>
>
>My wife grew up at an Anaconda copper mine.

That could be the start of a country song.

[dsi1]

I used to work for Fluor Mining and Metals. The Anaconda Copper Mine was one of their projects. All I did was print their project reports. I don't know a thing about mining but I remember the name "Anaconda." One of the big deals at Fluor at the time was the visitation of the Chinese. They were kind of funny looking people that wore suits one might get at JC Penny's. My guess is that these days, the Chinese are much snazzer dressers.
Last night we ate at what's been called the oldest Chinese restaurant in America. It was certainly different from the Chinese food I'm used to. My guess is that the Chinese food in Montana was made for Americans and the workers imported from Europe. The Chinese food in Hawaii was mostly eaten by workers imported from China. Well that's my guess anyway. I always wanted to try some Chinese-American food. Now I know - it's kind of weird.
The Pekin Noodle Parlor was claimed to be a former brothel/opium den. It is a history that the current owners call "ridiculous," That may be so but I've never seen a Chinese restaurant that was mostly a series of small booths/rooms. It's quite cosy in there for 6 diners. This makes for quite a unique dining experience.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JB7rrQWRsWPCPUjc7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irpNCUWpvdE

[GM]

Yeah, but wot was the GRUB like...???

--
GM

[GM]

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/history-first-chinese-restaurant-in-america-180980552/

The First Chinese Restaurant in America Has a Savory—and Unsavory—History

Venture into the Montana eatery, once a gambling den and opium repository, that still draws a crowd

"The oldest continuously operated Chinese restaurant in America is not in San Francisco or New York, but in Butte, Montana, where 47-year-old Jerry Tam, the great-great-grandson of the original owner, presides over the Pekin Noodle Parlor. Standing on South Main Street outside the weathered two-story brick building, with its display window of antique Chinese cooking equipment, Tam describes the Pekin as a “walk back in time”—one that illuminates the often-overlooked history of the Chinese population in Montana...

Apart from the Mai Wah Museum of Chinese-Montana culture around the corner, the Pekin is all that remains of the city’s once-bustling Chinatown. The copper mines have closed, the Richest Hill on Earth is now a toxic Superfund site, Butte’s population has shrunk to 34,000, and vacant lots and boarded-up buildings surround the Pekin. But the restaurant is going strong, with a line of people extending into the street on most weekend nights...

Climbing out of the basement, Tam walks into the kitchen, which still features the original wood-lined walk-in cooler and a working 1914 refrigerator, while an old-fashioned rope-and-pulley system hoists the food up to the second-story dining area...

Next to the dining area is a small lounge with a bar and slot machines—drinking and gambling remain popular among customers, and the atmosphere can get very lively on a busy Saturday night. The menu is still dominated by chow mein and chop suey but also contains Szechuan and Cantonese specialties. “We still cook everything from scratch with fresh ingredients, just like always,” says Tam. The Pekin’s signature dish, encapsulating its bi-cultural history, is the tomato beef chow mein. “It’s stir-fried beef with green peppers and tomatoes in a sweet sauce over chow mein noodles,” says Tam. “Chinese American comfort food.”

The menu:

https://postimg.cc/Wt4BqGMc

</>

[Michael Trew]

On 10/1/2023 10:07 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>
> The Pekin
> Noodle Parlor was claimed to be a former brothel/opium den. It is a
> history that the current owners call "ridiculous," That may be so
> but I've never seen a Chinese restaurant that was mostly a series of
> small booths/rooms.

"Chinese massage"?

[dsi1]

I've never heard of a Chinese massage parlor. That's just plain weird - nobody wants a Chinese massage.
Yesterday we threw some ashes and flowers off a bridge. It was quite moving.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dRrRsi1xidCkkMA58

[Bruce]

On Mon, 2 Oct 2023 21:54:59 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi...@hawaiiantel.net>
wrote:

>On Monday, October 2, 2023 at 9:39:27 AM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
>> On 10/1/2023 10:07 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>> >
>> > The Pekin
>> > Noodle Parlor was claimed to be a former brothel/opium den. It is a
>> > history that the current owners call "ridiculous," That may be so
>> > but I've never seen a Chinese restaurant that was mostly a series of
>> > small booths/rooms.
>> "Chinese massage"?
>> > It's quite cosy in there for 6 diners. This makes
>> > for quite a unique dining experience.
>> >
>> > https://photos.app.goo.gl/JB7rrQWRsWPCPUjc7
>
>I've never heard of a Chinese massage parlor. That's just plain weird - nobody wants a Chinese massage.

Well, it won't be expensive at least!

[Ed P]

On 10/3/2023 12:54 AM, dsi1 wrote:
> On Monday, October 2, 2023 at 9:39:27 AM UTC-10, Michael Trew wrote:
>> On 10/1/2023 10:07 PM, dsi1 wrote:
>>>
>>> The Pekin
>>> Noodle Parlor was claimed to be a former brothel/opium den. It is a
>>> history that the current owners call "ridiculous," That may be so
>>> but I've never seen a Chinese restaurant that was mostly a series of
>>> small booths/rooms.
>> "Chinese massage"?
>>> It's quite cosy in there for 6 diners. This makes
>>> for quite a unique dining experience.
>>>
>>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/JB7rrQWRsWPCPUjc7
>
> I've never heard of a Chinese massage parlor. That's just plain weird - nobody wants a Chinese massage.

Right. They go to get a hand job. Plenty of Oriental Massage Parlors
around.

[dsi1]

On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 8:17:32 PM UTC-10, Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

We drove through Anaconda town the other day. It looks like a nice enough town. It's called a "speed trap" town by the drivers that have to slow down from 70, then 45, then 35, and then 25. We had a lot of those towns in Washington state. Of course, most towns aren't speed traps - mostly having a bunch of gawking, idiot, tourists blowing through your little town at 70 MPH just ain't practical.

I've heard that a large deposit of lithium rich ore had been found near the Nevada/Idaho border. It could be the largest ever - well, that's what they say. I can't say if the batteries in the future will still be using lithium.

We went to an Italian restaurant last night. It's a nice family place. Good food. Everybody minds his business. It's perfect.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/X4kXB24vbTj4vcDWA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3g2DLUYkmYGyBBe47

[Dave Smith]

On 2023-10-05 12:18 p.m., dsi1 wrote:
> On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 8:17:32 PM UTC-10, Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
>> On 2023-09-30, dsi1 <dsi...@hawaiiantel.net> wrote:

>> My wife grew up at an Anaconda copper mine. When the mine closed down in
>> the Eighties, and the pit they dug was abandoned, the result looks
>> similar to that.
>> Another pit, where I live, was created by Helms Construction for gravel
>> on the eastern edge of Sparks. When it was abandoned, it filled up and
>> is now called the Sparks Marina. Now, there's a casino, shops and
>> housing all around it; even a dog park. It used to be only a pit.
>> Ain't progress great?
>
> We drove through Anaconda town the other day. It looks like a nice enough town. It's called a "speed trap" town by the drivers that have to slow down from 70, then 45, then 35, and then 25. We had a lot of those towns in Washington state. Of course, most towns aren't speed traps - mostly having a bunch of gawking, idiot, tourists blowing through your little town at 70 MPH just ain't practical.

My wife would be interested in seeing Anaconda. He father worked for
them for a long time. Along the way he transferred to their Buffalo
operation and then we was transferred to Toronto when they bought out a
local company and it became Anaconda Canada and he ended up as president.

[Bruce]

On Thu, 5 Oct 2023 12:28:39 -0400, Dave Smith
<adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>On 2023-10-05 12:18 p.m., dsi1 wrote:
>> On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 8:17:32 PM UTC-10, Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
>>> On 2023-09-30, dsi1 <dsi...@hawaiiantel.net> wrote:
>
>>> My wife grew up at an Anaconda copper mine. When the mine closed down in
>>> the Eighties, and the pit they dug was abandoned, the result looks
>>> similar to that.
>>> Another pit, where I live, was created by Helms Construction for gravel
>>> on the eastern edge of Sparks. When it was abandoned, it filled up and
>>> is now called the Sparks Marina. Now, there's a casino, shops and
>>> housing all around it; even a dog park. It used to be only a pit.
>>> Ain't progress great?
>>
>> We drove through Anaconda town the other day. It looks like a nice enough town. It's called a "speed trap" town by the drivers that have to slow down from 70, then 45, then 35, and then 25. We had a lot of those towns in Washington state. Of course, most towns aren't speed traps - mostly having a bunch of gawking, idiot, tourists blowing through your little town at 70 MPH just ain't practical.
>
>My wife would be interested in seeing Anaconda.

I remember that. That's the snake that tries to take a bite out of
Jennifer Lopez' butt.

[bruce bowser]

Yep. My girl friend is from Pennsylvania. There are a lot of coal mines, pits and small towns there, too.