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I was about to say the a rice cooker is the way to go but I guess that depends on how often you eat rice and available storage space. Everyone has one here, but the do eat rice at least twice a day. You don't need an expensive one - even a basic one does the job perfectly well. I have two: a small one for when it's just me and I large one for when I, now rarely, entertain.

So in one brush stroke are you using more than one colour on the brush (if that makes sense)?

The user presses down firmly as he/she paints from one side of a dome to the other. The pressure forces the colored cocoa butter to the outside edges of the brush stroke, leaving the middle section somewhat translucent. A stroke with another color fills in that translucent section and also deposits two more lines of color. The curve of the dome makes the outer brush strokes quite difficult to get right (as is obvious from my example above). Tine Forst has a keen eye for complementary colors. I wish she would produce a video (rather than just the ebook) showing this technique. I think it's all in the texture of the brush and the force used in moving the brush. Almost worth a trip to Denmark to watch the process. Ordering the fan brushes online is not terribly useful; purchasing them in an art store would be much better--if only one could find an art store these days.

I wonder if snipping out some of the bristles would be helpful? (by creating a small gap between the bristles) Did you use the brush like this \ / in the mold? Would it be different if you turned the brush 90 degrees so it was more "narrow" as you swiped the brush in the mold? I use a fan brush for painting on some of my cake designs. I'll sometimes flip the fan brush from "wide" to "narrow" to get the look I want because a round or flat angled brush is too much for a thin vein. this might not translate to chocolate work though....

Over here I reported getting a 5-gallon bucket of russet potatoes. Today was a good day to try one of several casseroles I've had my eye on: mimicking stuffed baked potatoes, and mimicking a store-bought casserole I had enjoyed (see here) from Miiller's in Llano, TX. So, today I tried the first of several recipes: Fully Loaded Twice-Baked Potato casserole, from afeastfortheeyes.net. Delicious. It was easy, and a good excuse to cook up a lot of bacon ends and pieces I bought recently. I don't think the texture is the same as the Miiller's dish, but this has far fewer ingredients and is delicious. I can only show the "as baked" photo this time; the plated dinner portion is blurry. No matter; I should have lots of chances to show this again. The sauce is a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream; the rest of the ingredients are roasted potatoes, grated sharp cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions. The only liberty I knowingly took was substituting Lawry's Seasoned Salt, which I had, for the specified Montreal Seasoning, which I didn't. No regrets. This recipe is a winner!

Two old stand-bys tonight: Keema matar: Ground lamb with sauteed onion, ginger, and garlic, seasoned with cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala, simmered with crushed tomato and yogurt, and then finished with peas, lemon juice, serrano chile, and cilantro. Microwave cilantro rice to go with. Stir-fried peppers with black beans and garlic: Seared orange and yellow bell pepper squares, stir-fried garlic and fermented black beans, and finishing splashes of rice vinegar, chicken stock, and sesame oil.

I haven't tried my Instapot for rice. I cook big amounts of white or brown rice using the pasta method.I then freeze it in 1 cup portions flattened in freezer bags.

I thought the same, and was very happy to see them still available.

Okay, you Bamix fans: are you talking about the cordless version? If so, how do I choose among them? Are there any attachments / blades that you don't use, or that you simply wouldn't go without?

A long standing conumdrum. Home made sandwiches vs. eating out of dumpsters? When trying to donate birthday cake kits to our local food bank, I reached out to two local ones with the question; "can I repckage bulk sprinkles into baggies?" One said yes, one said no.

In the past I tried using the IP for rice and followed directions from various sites on the internet re time and water proportions. Couldn't get a decent result. This was kind of a long shot before buying a cooker. It's worth experimenting with. IMO. I used less water than the pkg directions.

I appreciate this Shel_B. I've wondered about using my IP for rice since i really only use it for pressure cooking.

They split the difference, here, when it comes to farmer's market vendors. Food doesn't have to be prepared in a commercial kitchen, but you do need to successfully pass a recognized food safety training course.

My farmers' market has many vendors of baked goods with a label affixed stating that the product was made in a home kitchen. That label also says there may be residue of foods which are common allergens (peanuts, flour, soy, etc.) Course I don't know if those home kitchens had a site visit by the Health Department before they were allowed to sell goods at the market.

It is a shame. But hot food has to be kept hot at 56C etc etc. Cooks need Serv-Safe certificates etc.

I thought these had been discontinued. It's great to hear that they're being made again (or still). We have two but the older one is showing its age -- the grind isn't very consistent. We just ordered a new one.

Where did you get this, Yvonne?

Over the last year+, I've been eating white rice more frequently than before, mostly Jasmine, Basmatti, and Mahatma long grain rice. Been cooking in a pot on the stove top and the results have been quite good overall. However, thoughts of a rice cooker have been dancing thru my head. For some reason I searched for.making rice in the Instant Pot and discovered there's a rice setting on my model, and I tried it this afternoon with some fussy Basmatti. I added the rinsed and drained rice to the IP with water, salt, Abit of ghee buttened 'er up and pushed the RICE button, and let the mess rest for 10-11 minutes before venting. The results were about on par with my stove top technique. I'm a happy fellow, a little fine tuning should improve the results.

Me too!

https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/various-pistachios-and-pistachio-containing-products-recalled-due-salmonella-5 ETA: Yes, I'd just posted that one on Tuesday, but it's been updated.

Actually, Bamix has 4 cordless machines! https://bamix.us/products/bamix-cordless-plus https://bamix.us/products/bamix-cordless https://bamix.us/products/bamix-cordless-pro https://bamix.us/collections/bamix®-cordless

You'd have to prise my cold dead hands off my Bamix.

@Deephaven, are you in the US? https://bamix.us/ An amazing machine Actually, just search for Bamix on eGullet.

Dukes. All the way. That said, the idea of sending my mother, who is in her late 80’s, stubbornly attached to Hellmans and deeply addicted to mayo, a 4 gallon bucket of extra heavy Hellman’s for Christmas, bring a smile to my face