I'm Legal! Well, almost.

This morning I was visited by Inspector Hank Kimball (not his real name) from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. He was here to make me a licensed home baker. It seemed all too easy. Most of the time spent was related to a new software program he had on his laptop. Once he made a couple of phone calls to figure out how to enter data for a home bakery (that boosted my confidence!) he was almost done. Just a quick check of the lower cabinets with a flashlight (for rodent droppings?), a peek into the oven and a temperature check of the refrigerator and I was legal! Here are a few pearls of wisdom that I gleaned during the “inspection”:

• Your refrigerator should be kept at approximately 41degrees, but no higher than 45 degrees. It was recommended that I get a refrigerator thermometer to measure the temperature.


• Hank’s mother makes the best raspberry pie ever. You take 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 cup of sugar…… ok I won’t bore you with the rest of the recipe. Seriously, he recited the entire recipe from memory for me.


• If I ever sell to a business I need to prepare an ingredients label for the product which needs to include all sub-ingredients. For example, if I use peanut butter I have to list all of the ingredients in the peanut butter. Can’t just list “peanut butter”. Also have to list the net weight of the product both as a whole, and the individual portions.


• Hank is a handy guy. Not only did he subcontract his own home but he bought a HUD home and rehabbed it himself. No small fete, considering the previous owner had 11 dogs.


• Flour should be kept for no longer than 3 months, and the container should be washed between fillings.


• Hank is a single father whose ex-wife is from Chicago. He’s spent a lot of time there and particularly enjoyed Comisky Park, Navy Pier and Ed Debevics.
• Hank recently had an embarrassing laundry incident. His socks are bleached out because of his hot tub. Apparently bromide, which is used in hot tubs, is a form of bleach. Let that be a lesson to all of us - do not intermingle beach towels and wet bathing suits with the rest of your laundry.

As you might imagine, it was a tedious inspection process.

At the end of it all, I handed him a check for $10 and should receive the official license (which will be appropriately framed and displayed) in two weeks. I feel better knowing I can hold myself out as a licensed baker. The requirements aren’t as rigorous as I would like, but I think it still says something that I took the time to get this done. After all, I'm sure few people can tolerate the ramblings of a Hank Kimball.

Side Dish

Another exciting happening today: The sharpening lady is here! She’s got a dozen or so knives, scissors, etc. out in her handy mobile sharpening workshop right now and is going to town on those blades. What a neat idea! All serious cooks love a good sharp knife. I will definitely be a slicin’ fool! No Ginsu necessary in this household.