FistFullaRoux

So you don't use garbage bags or toilet tissue? Actually, I don't have a real problem with paper disposables. If anything I have a bigger problem with garbage bags. The plastic does not degrade well, and nearly every bit of garbage we produce is encased in plastic now. If disposable diapers were so much of a problem, we should have one hell of a time with garbage bags, yet you never hear about it. Not that I have a better option, mind you. But the idea of paying good money for something that can only be thrown away bothers me somehow. At least you get some use out of the paper disposables, and you can find other uses for them (like fireplace starters as mentioned earlier).

Drug resistant bacteria and eColi aside, Think of it this way - What did your grandmother use? Did you ever once get sick eating her food? Did her house ever look or smell grimy? Hot water, diswashing liquid, and the occasional bit of Ajax or Comet for stubborn spots did everything in the kitchen. Maybe Pledge for the picture frames. But the dishes were washed immediately after a meal, plates were cleared as soon as possible, leftovers were dealt with, and the garbage was taken out without delay. There's the difference, I think. People are too paranoid. I grew up on a farm. I'm not allergic to anything - maybe a little sensitive to aspirin, but that's it. One of my nephews who plays outside and with other kids is allergic to nothing. Another nephew who lives in an urban environment, and has very little contact with kids has an allergy list a mile long.

Didn't I share an apartment with you in the late 80's? And this same guy made Kool Aid by halving the amount of water, and doubling tha amount of sugar. The stuff stained the pitcher. Same guy scored a box of 500 mustard packets. Then volunteered us to make potato salad for a big BBQ. Wanna know how many little mustard packets it take to make dressing for 6 pounds of spuds?

Ice cream (usually vanilla) topped with one of two sauces 1) Canned fruit (peaches or pineapple), warmed in a saucepan with a bit of cornstarch slurry to thicken, seasoned with cinnamon 2) Brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, all melted in a pan, then spooned over. Add bananas to it and you have Bananas Foster. This covers me for when there are no bananas...

Not quite. More like dusting a funnel cake with cayenne. That would be a hoot... And not too bad an idea, now that I think of it...

OK, I'll share mine - 20% fat ground chuck, toasted bun (standard hamburger type), dressed with mayo and mustard, and tomato, but only if said tomato is worth the trouble. Side of properly twice fried fries, Fritos if not available. Ice cold, and I mean as cold as possible cola (Coke, Pepsi, RC, whatever) I like wax paper wrapping. Foil will do in a pinch, but it scratches my glasses....

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/21466.htm Evidently, Rocco managed to shoot himself in the foot by dropping a F bomb on the air. He's a putz, but he's entertaining to watch.... Anyone hear it? What does this mean for SelfDestructo DiSpirito?

There was an extensive discussion of this earlier in the Heartland board, but let's throw one out for the general population. Describe the perfect burger - condiments, cooking methods, choice of meat, type of bun, preferred wrapping, stuff on the side, perfect beverage...

And I really do suggest Abbeville - 20 miles south of Lafayette on US 167. Three world class oyster bars right near the Vermilion River and the big Catholic church. Shucks, Black's, and Dupuy's. Pick one. Can't miss. Dupuy's is the more "local" place.

The good ones aren't "a big ass cinamon roll". humpph. The dough is made with egg, then kneaded like a bread, to develop some of the gluten. The dough is split into three sections, flattened and filled, then rolled into ropes. Those ropes are braided, then formed into a circle. The only thing this has in common with a cinnamon roll is the cinnamon. If you don't like the colored sugar, you can just use colored icing instead. I wouldn't do that in the city limits of New Orleans - or most of the surrounding countryside - but in Ohio, go for it. It's not traditional, but what the hell. Big ass cinnamon roll. sheeze...

At a certain place in Mississippi, red Jello (not cherry, not strawberry, red) is considered a vegetable. I really have to dig up that menu...

If you use the metal ones, you can try a magnetic sheet. Not sure if they will stick to the magnet, so your mileage may vary... And the styrofoam bit is good as well. If you get the flower foam they sell at Michael's or something similar, you can avoid the toothpicks all together and just jam the wide end into the foam. They should hold in place, at least well enough for a drawer, and the end with the shape on it is facing up, so you can see what you are grabbing.

I agree wholeheartedly - the only thing those are good for is that "flipping" game where you hit one edge with a finger & see how many times you can get it to flip & still land right side up. I've also gotta agree with the seasoning gripes - look - I go to a restaurant to have someone cook for me - if you screw up the seasoning, that's your fault - don't leave it ENTIRELY up to me - if I want to add more, fine - but for God's sake - salt was considered a measure of currency for a reason - use some! ← These also make for a great party trick, when you pretend to stab yourself in the eye, and stab the little container instead... Yeah, fun. And try doing it at 3:30 am at Waffle House with 20 people in makeup, covered with gore and spider webs from the haunted house that just wrapped up. That's one helluva first impression. Makes grown drunks cry like little girls.

Wha?? Please explain. I haven't seen this, or at least I don't think I have. I'm having a hard time imagining canned raisin bread. ← Like this. I haven't had that since I was a kid--make my own now. ← OK, so how does that bread work, exactly? Do you open the can and pop out a cylinder of ready-to-eat bread? Is it already baked, or does it need to be cooked somehow? In the can, or can it be transfered to another container? Someone mentioned steaming - how does that work? Curious about this, and surprised that a can of the stuff costs that much.

Mandarin oranges were mentioned above, but that was the only mention of fruit so far. I like canned peaches and pineapple, when the available fresh ones aren't worth a dern. And there was an earlier thread in which I expounded on the virtue of canned fruit, heated and seasoned, as a terrif ice cream topping...

My guess is that you may have been regifted.....

I was just sort of cruising through here, and this stopped me in my tracks. This is quite possibly one of the coolest things ever. A use for an egg that hadn't even crossed my mind. They're beautiful - But I am the biggest kitchen gadget freak I know... Thanks for this thread. Very informative. Just as nice to know there is a Japanese equivelant of a "dollar store".

Now that's a visual.

Apparently, it's just very finely-cut oatmeal. ← Actually, if I understood Alton Brown correctly, it's partially cooked by steaming, then pressed flat, and then cut. But they also add flavorings/sugar even to the plain flavor.

Try it as a binder for ground beef in meatloaf or something similar. Or mix it with water and a little concrete for an effective driveway patching compound....

I got not one, but TWO of these. I actually tried them. They're fine if you aren't tring to lift anything over a couple of grams in weight. When the lock mechanism breaks, and they will, they become useless and take up a lot of room, since they are stuck in the open postition. I threw them away.

I won a Cub Scout merit badge for blue cinnamon rolls... I used a Pillsbury bake-off recipe and added blue food coloring because we were studying the senses in school at the time. At the "public" tasting afterward, it was informative to see everyone pass up a perfectly good baked item just because the color was wrong. And I almost made it onto The Weakest Link on the strength of a food question. (What 1970's New York Yankees star had a candy bar named after him?) I was told to be ready to travel during September. This was in 2001.

Oi. You had to go and invoke Cooter Brown's. One of my old haunts. (Also Jimmy's, The Boot, and The Metro) Also reminds me one one lost night when I realized where I was at 8:30am, drinking at a place I don't want to remember in the 9th ward. Luckily, I must have been amusing to the regulars. Now I remember why I'm sober...

When I make etouffee, I have to buy 4# of the peeled tails -- $40 PLUS. One time I even got bad crawfish and the store was closed when I got them home. Since then, I make them open a pack for me to smell and taste. One buffoon wouldn't let me. I just said, "Look, I'm going to buy 4# of the things (and they may have even been $12; it's not unheard of), and I am NOT going to buy them unless I open a bag. So, if you open it and it's good, you have a sale. If you don't open it, then you are potentially selling seafood that shouldn't be sold. If it's fresh -- what's the problem?" He opened them, and they were good. And with the little cardboard-tasting Chinese crawfish on the market for much less money, I'm always advocating BUY LOUISIANA CRAWFISH. Really, if you just look at the plump, sweet La crawfish -- they can't be compaired to the counterfeit ones. And if you cook something with cardboard and don't like it, well then don't blame it on Louisiana food, because you didn't eat Louisiana food in the first place. Sorry. It's a sore subject. Rhonda ← Well, the fact is, I hadn't bought any in 10 years or so. I had a connection with a crawfish pond. No need to go to the store, just open the deep freeze at mom's house and take what I needed. He always had 30-40 lbs worth in the freezer. Because there's always leftovers from a boil, at least the way he does them. The leftovers get peeled and dropped into ziplock bags for future use. Maybe a couple of gallons of crawfish stock too. When you get out of the habit of buying them, it's real hard to justify those kind of prices. I'd just as soon have shrimp. And multiple dittos on the Louisiana crawfish. but you have to be careful. Some unscrupulous vendors are out there repackaging the Chinese ones. Always buy a brand you know. We won't go into the politics of the Chinese crawfish, but from a food safety standpoint, I'll take my chances with the Atchafalaya Basin...

I'm from Vermilion Parish, so I'm used to paying quite a bit less, I guess. That I we hardly ever bought them peeled. I'm getting upset again.