chromedome

I will point out that British Columbia, where Okanagancook lives, has a large Indo-Canadian population (even by Canadian standards, and Canadians with roots in the subcontinent make up a substantial part of our population). Finding these cool things in secondhand stores is probably a bit more likely in BC than elsewhere, but you never know your luck. I have one in much the same style as Sartoric, but the handle of mine was cast as part of the pan (ie, all in one piece rather than attached separately). I found it in a second-hand shop in a semi-rural area of Nova Scotia, where such things are decidedly less common.

Makes sense. Sriracha mayo's been around for a while now, I guess they're looking for something more novel.

My ex-wife, well into adulthood, was miffed that the dog's name often came out before hers in similar circumstances (despite her being the eldest child).

Some places sell bag openers like this, but with a sharper point (I couldn't find the right image): A former co-worker of mine (a prep cook) used that to "unzip" them quickly.

The recall on this mysterious treat has just been extended to Alberta as well. http://inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/newsroom/food-recall-warnings/complete-listing/2019-06-21/eng/1561158555168/1561158555414

I agree. Perhaps because of a misspent youth, when I hear "chunks" in my mind's ear it is always preceded by the word "blowing."

?? Mayo with peri-peri?

Unless you're on really, REALLY good terms with a local fisherman or fishmonger, you buy the fish heads and cut them off for yourself. At least, that's how it works anywhere I've lived.

Costco here in Canada was selling pickled pork tongues last year. I really, really want to meet the salesman who closed that particular deal. Conversely, I felt very sorry for the listless and discouraged-looking young man who was working the sample table. It made his day when I took two.

Like the seaweed that produces carageenan (ie, "Irish moss"), dulse is widely gathered and used around the UK and other locations. On this side of the pond, because that particular bit of lore didn't seem to translate to the 13 colonies, it's largely identified with Atlantic Canada (and Grand Manan in particular...the gold standard is Dark Harbour dulse, and many here in NB will eat no other). It's salty, and savory, and you can do a number of interesting things with it. I toast it lightly and crumble it over salads and chowders, when I'm not in the mood to just eat it straight from the bag (I *have* seen the odd handful with barnacles or other impedimenta, and make a firm mental note to never buy from that vendor). Somewhere in the PNW, a university is selectively breeding a strain of dulse that tastes especially like bacon for the meat abstaining/reducing/and-or vegan crowd. Many stores now sell dulse flakes in a shaker, as a sort of salt substitute/seasoning you can simply shake onto dishes for a bit of brininess. There are several plants of slightly different taxonomy that share the colloquial "Labrador tea" moniker. Some have more medicinal properties than others, and therefore (they're opposite sides of the same coin) also more potential toxicity. In modest amounts it's not thought to be an issue. The "true" version, recently reclassified as part of the rhododentron family (I had occasion to look this up recently, so it's fresh in my mind) has an interesting if subtle flavor, with minor undertones reminiscent of vanilla. A couple of my older Newfoundland relatives keep some on hand for when the mood strikes. No idea about the other two, though a book of Eastern Canadian wild edibles is sitting currently in my "should I or shouldn't I?" list for Amazon and/or Indigo. One or the other might turn up there.

They *are* sweet, unquestionably, so for me it all comes down to the ratio of crust to filling (I like a little more crust than most, and more raisins). That being said, a cup of strong coffee will correct for any excess of sweetness.

Triscuits are a weakness of mine. I like the roasted garlic, but favor the black pepper variety even more. Usually have the original on hand, too. Bought a box of the cinnamon variety out of morbid curiosity, and the box (minus those first two crackers) remains in my cupboard. I theorized that they might work with a suitable cheese melted onto them and a thin slice of pear (or something like that) but haven't yet bothered to make the experiment.

As do I. One of my proudest moments as a culinary student was walking up to a group of my instructors at school, and hearing one of them say "Hey, there's Fred...Maybe he'll know!" As it turned out, I didn't. It was a question about an obscure Middle Eastern ingredient, so of course I posted about it here and was thrilled beyond measure to get a response from Paula Wolfert, writing from an internet cafe in Istanbul. She didn't know either, but theorized it had to be some sort of local, non-standard name for whatever ingredient it was. So the whole inquiry went nowhere, but it was still quite a memorable moment opening the site and reading "Wolfert quoted you..."

I can assure you, all of my regulars at the cooking class had a long and hearty laugh. As did I. As I've told my classes regularly in varying ways, "The only place chefs never make mistakes is on TV shows. In real life we make *more* mistakes than regular cooks, because we just plain cook more. The more times you do something, the more chances you get to screw it up. The difference is that professionals get to screw things up enough times over the years to learn some really good ways of recovering from just about any blunder." Not that there's really any way to salvage a blenderized silicone spatula, mind you.

I will never again... Forget to remove the spatula from inside the Vitamix, before dumping in soapy water and turning it to High for cleaning purposes. At a cooking class.

As I can currently attest, moving creates a similar scenario in one's own kitchen (for at least a few weeks, until everything settles out).

This article isn't explicitly intended to be humorous, I suppose, but I can't help finding the very idea of Kool-Aid collectors tremendously funny. My apologies if anyone here adheres to the sect. https://thetakeout.com/inside-black-market-vintage-kool-aid-packet-collectors-1835123510?utm_source=pocket-newtab

You piqued my curiosity, so I had to look it up. Very cool and odd little fruit/vegetable.

I couldn't tell you for sure. I've Googled it and gotten a lot of varied results, which I guess is logical because so much would depend on growing conditions, the grower's skill, etc. The range seems to run from 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz for hobby growers, though I'm sure professionals can coax higher yields. Also, like any other crop, I'm sure some cultivars just naturally have higher yields than others.

Oddly, bergamot - at least the concentrated oil - is one of only about two foods I can recall having an adverse reaction to. It brings my tongue up in blisters, every time, which is why I don't drink Earl Grey. Good Earl Grey uses real bergamot and hurts my tongue, and bad Earl Grey is....well, it's bad Earl Grey and why would anyone drink that?

It's four plants per person in Canada, and the same in most - but not all - of the US states that have legalized (I recently had occasion to look it up for an article I was writing).

Seen on a coffee mug (that makes it food/beverage related, right?) in an otherwise nondescript display of Father's Day merchandise: "Dad puns...because that's how eye roll."

Not to worry. Even if they were available in my neck of the woods, I'd have been at little risk.

Exactly. And given that the kernels are naturally quite variable in their cyanide content, even speaking in terms of "dosage" is a stretch. On an unrelated note, anyone in Ontario or Quebec who bought something called a "choco-raspberry crunchy" (to which I wonder...crunhy what?) made by France-Delices should return it, as the raspberries used in the product may have been contaminated with norovirus. http://inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/newsroom/food-recall-warnings/complete-listing/2019-06-04/eng/1559699123737/1559699125864

Go figure, right? Everyone else: "Dude, your poisonous seeds are full of poison-y poison. Don't eat them." Dude: "But they're supposed to be, like...good for you or something...?"