Fat Guy

I'd like to start utilizing the microwave oven for popcorn making but I don't particularly like commercially packaged microwave popcorn. It's expensive, it often has weird flavors and it typically uses more fat than I'd like to use. Who had done well with popping in brown-paper bags, or in those microwave-popcorn bowl contraptions, or with other methods?

We got a Russell-Hobbs electric kettle aa a wedding gift in 1994. Due to limited counter space and free gas we virtually never used it in our old apartment. Now there's a corner where it fits nicely, and our gas is separately metered, so all of a sudden an electric kettle seems workable. I love the thing and have used it a couple of times a day for about a week now. Has this story happened to you?

This sounded convincing, so I put the board in the sink in hot water and let it sit for a while. I then put it on the counter with some weight on it. Worked great.

There are many things to love about Sweden -- Swedish meatballs, IKEA, Swedish Erotica -- but for me Swedish fish overshadow all else. I think it's about time we expressed some love of Swedish fish here. I'm assuming Swedish fish actually exist in Sweden, but I guess you never know. In addition, my wife and son noticed today a new product from the makers of Swedish Fish: Swedish Fish Aqua Life -- assorted sea creature shapes made from the same stuff as Swedish Fish: http://www.swedishfish.com/products.html

Do you have any sort of mat or pad on your kitchen floor, particularly in front of the sink?

I have a few things like that in the kitchen but I'm considering a bigger, dedicated clock that doesn't require focusing on a small, incidental digital readout on an appliance.

Do you keep a clock in your kitchen?

We've had kids of various ages come through the gathering in past years and it has never been an issue. It's not like there are ever a lot of kids but one or two attached to a group of dozens of adults had never made it feel like a kids' birthday party or anything like that.

My brother in law Michael was in town today and suggested that since the damage is in the center of the table where the table splits to add leaves we could peel up the veneer a little, reinforce it with wood glue, clamp and weight it, and then go over it with Old English. The repair was more effective than I would have predicted. You don't really see the damage now unless you go looking for it. Here's the operation in progress:

I have made some progress with 409. In order to judge the outcome it's necessary to let the thing dry overnight so I may need to go a few cycles before I can say whether it can be converted to keeper status. I'll keep you all posted.

Is there a consensus among serious tea people as to whether decaffeinated tea (actual decaf tea, as opposed to herbal infusions) can be legit?

Despite all the stern warnings not to, I ran mine through the dishwasher last night. It is now horribly warped. How do I fix it?

I don't know when my educational session will occur, but for now what I'm trying to do is make and drink a cup of tea every day. From the tea bags in my cabinet. I think this will help my palate become more aware of tea flavors.

Over-wha?

It so happens that a friend works with Harney & Sons and has offered to make a connection. So I'm hoping to get down to the SoHo store one day soon for a tasting with one of the Harneys. I will of course report in full if and when that happens.

In the past few months, on multiple occasions, I've been served ice cream without knowing the brand. I've said hey, this is pretty good, and it has turned out to be Breyer's. In this age of super-premium and artisanal ice creams and gelatos, I thought Breyer's would be totally outclassed. But I think it's quite good. Any other Breyer's lovers out there? (Or haters).

Yes. Vaporized grease that has collected. Plus dust. I'll try 409. Posted from my handheld using the Tapatalk app. Want to use eG Forums on your iPhone, Android or Blackberry? Get started at http://egullet.org/tapatalk

I've tried everything. I'm giving up.

I think there may be a declining curve of effectiveness for increased power.

What would you call this thing? For many years in my old kitchen it hung on the wall and held garlic and shallots. After all that use and a year in storage in the Bronx, it is now too dirty to use and I can't find a good way to clean it. So I'm thinking I'll try to replace it. But I can't even figure out what to search for.

How many watts does yours have? I think I'm at 900.

In looking at thrift/antique/consignment shops I've found that the counter stools of old are pretty impressive, heft-wise and sturdiness-wise. I haven't seen any good adjustable ones but I may have to give on that point. In any event I'm currently resolved to get some older counter stools. As a temporary solution, since the search could take months, I got three of these $18 counter stools from IKEA.

I found a product called Happeez, which claimed to stick to stainless and also be removable and reusable. I ordered a three pack. They seem to work really well as clips to hold things like photos. I don't think they hold much weight but they seem great. I may get a few more, even though they're painfully expensive ($15 for a three pack). They also make a memo pad and a small white board using the same adhesive technology.

I don't think of a sink as an appliance, however I agree that for sinks stainless is the way to go because it gives. For refrigerators, microwaves and dishwashers there is no pragmatic advantage to stainless that I can think of. Ranges in stainless seem to make more sense but I can't put my finger on why.

For many years my fantasy, like that of countless home cooks, has been to have a kitchen full of stainless-steel appliances. Now I do, and I'm miserable. Stainless sucks. It takes fingerprints and marks up if you look at it funny. I feel like all I do is clean it. And it's not magnetic. No place to affix a kitchen timer, no less photos of or art projects by our son. Is there any good argument for stainless? And is there any way to care for it that won't ruin me?