Making Pesach For The First Time

[SSLPhD]

I use my food processor to whip the eggs and a hand mixer for the rest of the batter and then combine.  I don't have a Pesach stand mixer.  Although a simple one is not too expenseive.

My daughter makes a chocolate mousse cake that is absolutely divine with just a hand mixer, separated eggs and all.  We don't even own a food processor for year round.  (We *had* one, but gave it away after it sat mostly unused for the better part of a decade.)

General advice:  at the end of Pesach, when you are putting everything away, make a list of THINGS YOU NEED and THINGS YOU DON'T NEED for the following Pesach, and hang it up just inside your Pesach cabinet/bin.  We usually put away some consumables, so those we would include on the DON'T NEED list, but if we ran out of something, or there is something we see we can't live without, it goes on the NEED list.  The next Pesach, we can do our shopping before we are ready to unpack everything.

[skyguy918]

Just think through everything in order (the idea of making menus would be included in that). First step is going to be kashering, so figure out what you'll need to accomplish that. Depending on what you want to kasher, and what your minhagim/shitos are in this realm, that can mean getting materials to cover countertops, refrigerator shelves, cabinet shelves, etc; sink inserts; steam machine (if you hold of kashering with steam) or even m'luban (if you hold that's required), etc,; and more. Then you can move on to things you'll need to prepare food - that's obviously dependent on whether you're home for everything (sedarim, other yom tov/shabbos meals, chol hamoed, etc), minhagim and/or personal taste of what you like to eat on pesach, etc. Same goes for buying the food itself. If you're making sedarim, add on all the foods and special items you'll need for that (kosos, something for a seder plate, enough matza and wine/grape juice, hagadas, etc.).

[skyguy918]

My daughter makes a chocolate mousse cake that is absolutely divine with just a hand mixer, separated eggs and all.  We don't even own a food processor for year round.  (We *had* one, but gave it away after it sat mostly unused for the better part of a decade.)

General advice:  at the end of Pesach, when you are putting everything away, make a list of THINGS YOU NEED and THINGS YOU DON'T NEED for the following Pesach, and hang it up just inside your Pesach cabinet/bin.  We usually put away some consumables, so those we would include on the DON'T NEED list, but if we ran out of something, or there is something we see we can't live without, it goes on the NEED list.  The next Pesach, we can do our shopping before we are ready to unpack everything.

+1 to the hand mixer. Same for the lists after Pesach. I made a list of everything I put away, and started to add what I think we might need to buy before next pesach.

[yitzgar]

My daughter makes a chocolate mousse cake that is absolutely divine with just a hand mixer, separated eggs and all.  We don't even own a food processor for year round.  (We *had* one, but gave it away after it sat mostly unused for the better part of a decade.)

Most people don't like grating hundreds of potatoes by hand

[ExGingi]

Most people don't like grating hundreds of potatoes by hand

+1

Also griding the Chrein is much easier with a good food processor.

I guess when it comes to equipment, it makes a huge difference as to what your Pesach menu looks like. For example, I can't imagine any use for a mixer in our Pesach kitchen. But definitely have use for a good food processor, a good manual citrus juice squeezer, and can make good use of a blender (for fruit smoothies).

[Yehudaa]

Most people don't like grating hundreds of potatoes by hand

True, but if someone is making Pesach for their first time they might not need hundreds. When we first made Pesach we were 2 people.

[yitzgar]

+1

Also griding the Chrein is much easier with a very very very good food processor.

Ftfy

[yitzgar]

True, but if someone is making Pesach for their first time they might not need hundreds. When we first made Pesach we were 2 people.

True. A cheap food processor just for potatoes and the like doesn't cost very much

[ExGingi]

True. A cheap food processor just for potatoes and the like doesn't cost very much

BTDT. Total waste of money.

Ftfy

Refer to my original reference regarding food processors:

Get a good heavy duty food processor.

[SSLPhD]

Most people don't like grating hundreds of potatoes by hand

We use a grinder.  :-)  Much better texture.

[SSLPhD]

Someone asked for the recipe.  It's from America's Test Kitchen.  We leave out the flour for Pesach, use margarine instead of butter.

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Cake
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Edited...Deleted as it really doesn't belong.  Can PM me, or I'll post in a better place.

[stooges44]

Someone asked for the recipe.  It's from America's Test Kitchen.  We leave out the flour for Pesach, use margarine instead of butter.

Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Cake

Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 12 to 16
Because it is available in most supermarkets and has scored highly in past tastings, Hershey's Special Dark is the chocolate of choice in this recipe. Other bittersweet chocolates will work, but because the amounts of sugar and cocoa butter differ from brand to brand, they will produce cakes with slightly different textures and flavors. When crumbling the brown sugar to remove lumps, make sure that your fingers are clean and grease-free; any residual fat from butter or chocolate might hinder the whipping of the whites. If you like, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar just before serving or top slices with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream. To make slicing easier, freeze the cake for 30 minutes just before serving.

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces, plus 1 teaspoon softened butter for greasing pan
Flour for dusting pan
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (such as Hershey's Special Dark), chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 large eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (4 ½ ounces) packed light brown sugar, crumbled with fingers to remove lumps (see note)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter the sides of a 9-inch springform pan; flour the sides and tap out the excess. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment or waxed paper round. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with a large sheet of foil.
2. Melt 12 tablespoons butter and the chocolates in a large bowl over a large saucepan containing about 2 quarts barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate mixture is smooth. Cool the mixture slightly, then whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks. Set the chocolate mixture aside, reserving the hot water, covered, in the saucepan.
3. In the clean bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds; add half of the crumbled brown sugar, beat at high speed until combined, about 30 seconds, then add the remaining brown sugar and continue to beat at high speed until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted (see photo on page 334), about 2 minutes longer. Using a whisk, stir about one third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites in 2 additions, using the whisk. Gently scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan, set the springform pan in a large roasting pan, then pour the hot water from the saucepan into the roasting pan to a depth of 1 inch. Carefully slide the roasting pan into the oven; bake until the cake has risen, is firm around the edges, the center has just set, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 170 degrees, 45 to 55 minutes.
4. Remove the springform pan from the water bath, discard the foil, and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin-bladed paring knife between the sides of the pan and cake to loosen; cool the cake in the springform pan on a wire rack until barely warm, about 3 hours, then wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 8 hours. (The cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
5. To unmold the cake, remove the sides of the pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the cake and pan bottom to loosen, then invert the cake onto a large plate, peel off the parchment, and re-invert onto a serving platter. To serve, use a sharp, thin-bladed knife, dipping the knife in a pitcher of hot water and wiping the blade before each cut.

Oh boy, here it comes the "DDF Recipe Master Thread"

[ExGingi]

Oh boy, here it comes the "DDF Recipe Master Thread"

Though for Pesach there should be two threads. One for those who's ingredients include only Potatoes, Eggs, Beets, Onions, Schmaltz and Chrein, and a separate one for those with a different variety of ingredients.

[SSLPhD]

Oh boy, here it comes the "DDF Recipe Master Thread"

Yeah, it probably doesn't belong here.  Is there already a Pesach recipes thread it could be moved to?

[Yehuda57]

Lubavitch Pesach Starter Kit

18 peelers
72 consol Mason jars
9 peeling knives
9 kitchen knives
9 knives that look similar to the other two kinds to confuse the Satan
Set of pots and pans
Seperate egg pot
Seperate beets pot
Brown paper bags for the wine
Tomato peeler that is never used
4 football field lengths of foil
3 football field lengths of clear plastic wrap
4 types of Lemon Juicers, each one that is finally gonna be *the one*
165,000 zip lock bags in Assorted sizes
4800 deli containers in Assorted sizes
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