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Scallion pancakes (frozen from the Asian market), pork nappa dumplings and sweet and sour nappa stir fry

@Honkman your points about micro-pastics are timely . N.B. : timely . they do not have anything to do with a discussion on how one might cook pasta .

In today’s world where we have more and more data on the impact of microplastics on our health, I would avoid anything unnecessary which will increase your exposure to such microplastics at home significantly. I doubt you will find any reasonable serious cookbook using it

When I make some kind of traditional chicken curry for a dinner party, I make the chicken curry traditionally - usually at least the week before if not even more, then once finished, I transfer everything to a zip lock bag, then hold in the waterbath at like 160F until pasteurized. Then, I quick chill and put the bag in the fridge where it can safely keep for at least 3 weeks. Then, I'll reheat in the waterbath at like 140F or sometimes I'll set the bath to 130 and leave it in there longer so I don't have to worry whether it's fully reheated or not. This way, the curry is at the texture I'd want traditionally, the chicken is fully but not overcooked, and it was all done long ago so no stress.... I'm actually planning to do some of that this weekend as we're having people over on the 25th....

@Norm Matthews I'm glad that you enjoyed the video. His other videos are well worth watching. I subscribed to his channel years ago and I have learned a lot from watching them. He keeps things simple and explains why something works in language that isn't so technical that it goes right over the head of most home Cooks. It's good to pay particular attention to his videos on shaping bread and slashing. I've learned that there is a small window when the bread has risen enough to slash. You don't want it to rise too much because you wanted to have enough to give it oven spring so that your slash opens deeply in the oven. I found giving it a good mist of water when I first put it in the oven and maybe 5 minutes later keeps the crust soft enough that it will continue to open up. What I got from the article on preferment was that almost all the methods, biga, poolish, Masa Madre and sourdough combinations are all preferments. I think that I have used them all with varying results and success. Now, I prefer to just keep it simple and mix up flour, water, and a little yeast and leave it overnight. The next day when I make my bread I subtract the amount of those ingredients from the total amount of ingredients in the recipe. It hasn't failed me yet.

@Tropicalsenior I enjoyed the first video a lot. What I liked the most was number 7 "Sourdough should" Like people telling you what sour should be or else it isn't "real" sourdough. I think @MaryIsobel should watch it too as it addresses "my sourdough died" as probably a mistaken diagnosis of the reality of the sourdough condition. The one on preferments left me more confused about what it is and if it ever isn't something, if you know what I mean. I want to keep the bake wth Jack so I can watch the other episodes..

I use a smallish volume of water. Enough so the pasta can swim and swell but no more. A small volume concentrates the starch so that sauce addition is more effective and doesn't dilute it too much.

Faster than the Fasta?

@Duvel Insightful . That is , however a good idea Soooo @Duvel you are now Charged w AnyThing MC has said about the Various , New ?? So old , its just as good for the Pasta , On my plate Soon .

I thought this was an interesting video comparing different chicken breeds with the same cooking method. One caveat is that they are based in the UK so the availability of different breeds there is prob different if you are based in a different country.

it's cute when the publisher insists on including volume measures to by-weight recipes . . . to all - appreciate the tips / info / etc - this project could be a bit easier than I initially thought!

https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2025/10/justin-woodward-portlands-premier-fine-dining-chef-of-past-decade-dies-at-43.html

Are you making a pitch for Modernist Pasta ?!

Maybe this video, 50 Ways to Kill Your Starter will give you some inspiration. Seems that it's a lot tougher than we think it is. I found this when I cleaned my freezer today. It looks like I might be back in business. I thought that I had tucked some in there as a backup when my starter was going good but until now I couldn't find it.

My original thought was that a book , that understands Pasta , should understand all and newer methods of cooking said pasta . no more , no less.

@weinoo after two pieces of American Junk ( Jeep , Jimmy ) which both decomposed @ 40,000 miles I got a Hylander ( made in Indiana ) and I gave it away to a mechanic where i took it 16 y.o. just needed a little work.

I tried the microwave pasta gadget in two (admittedly feeble) microwaves and they took way longer than the guidelines suggested so I didn’t keep it. In a mild defense of McFadden's gallon of water for 8 oz pasta, he uses that water in the sauce, not just after the pasta is cooked, but sometimes a good bit earlier. He also recommends @weinoo's method of bringing the water to a boil as his first step in most recipes, then backing off on the heat if more time is needed for the sauce so he’s allowing for a little evaporation. I also agree with @weinoo that shapes like rigatoni can be pan hogs, especially when they’re still quite firm so I don’t think 4 qts is a gross excess. Also, McFadden spends a good bit of time explaining how to taste the pasta for doneness, much easier on the stovetop. That said, reducing the amount of water used to increase its starchiness and save boiling time isn’t a bad thing at all. If I’m cooking 1-2 servings of long pasta, I routinely use a 12-inch skillet with an inch or two of water. Boils fast and the pasta all gets submerged at once. Maybe as fast as the Fasta!

@Tropicalsenior Thank you. I will look at the videos later today

If only; I did get my father's 1995 Camry, but that wasn't until 2005.

I do like the Prima Taste laksa a lot - for a convenience product it’s really really tasty. When living in HK I had their Singapore curry paste (pretty much the one from the instant noddles) as a staple in my pantry - for me the best available commercial SE asian curry paste available (and in HK everything is available 😉) …

The epi shape is very forgiving. I made it from a plethora of doughs, e.g. this one from left-over pizza dough. Due to the shape the sharp „ears“ brown faster than the bulky parts, which - at least in my experience - makes epis a bit unevenly crunchy.

@weinoo Ill look for it. Al Bronzo @ Walmart , believe it or not , is $ 3.65 DelCecco is $ 2.00 , on sale , and I buy 20 - 30 cases your after the TrustFund .

I gotta hand it to you @rotuts - you'd make a good millennial or Gen Zer! Oh come on - it's not that expensive. Per portion, quite reasonable as a matter of fact. Believe me - I've got DeCecco and Barilla in the pantry as well - depends on the sauce and how old school I wanna get. Actually, Barilla is now making an upgraded pasta that's quite good...

@weinoo I agree : ' not every new ... " but some do . This does. I plan to make Marcella's ' sauce ' soon . no kale , thank you and get some rigatoni . hopefully DelCecco Ill pass on your generous offer of sending me a bag or two of you're favorite Ill probably like it , Im sure . then have to tap the Trust Fund .One thing for sure : weight gain is much fasta w the Fasta.

Also, let me submit to you that I believe stovetop is safer for making pasta. I don't have to deal with a boiling hot item and removing it from the microwave, along with its accompanying steam, etc. All I do is use tongs or a spider to remove the pasta from the water and it goes right into the pan directly adjacent to get incorporated with whatever sauce I'm making. Then, after dinner, the pot of water has cooled down enough to be simply emptied into the sink.