chromedome

https://www.eater.com/22315684/vegan-cheese-history-ingredients-process-grocery-brands

Several years ago I futzed around with microwaved eggs for a while, and got to the point of separating them, starting the whites only, stirring them, doing the whites for another brief increment, stirring them again, adding the yolk, cooking for a brief interval, leaving it sit for a carefully measured minute or two for the temperature to equalize, then finishing it for juuuuust a few more anxious seconds.... And then, just as I was close to getting the whole rigmarole dialed in perfectly, I gave my head a shake and went back to doing them in water. Now I only nuke 'em on the infrequent occasions when I want a hard-cooked egg quickly for a breakfast sandwich or similar usage.

There's a Holodomor memorial in Edmonton, where I used to live, just outside City hall. Winnipeg and Toronto have their own monuments as well (there are a LOT of Ukrainian-Canadians).

I was not previously aware of that tradition. Another rabbit hole yawns before me... (ETA: I guess real rabbit holes are probably too small to "yawn" impressively, but Easter is after all a time of rather unnatural rabbits)

This Commonwealth country uses the "tartar" spelling, though only on the English half of the label of course. The exception that proves the rule, I guess.

I've not had it happen with par-cooked potatoes (pretty sure it inactivates the enzymes responsible for browning) and I expect being covered in sauce (ie, not in contact with the air) would furnish additional protection.

I've just had something arrive from North Carolina that I'd ordered in early October. In fairness, this was the third attempt and it only actually took 17 days.

Now there's a phrase I never expected to read:

My parents always netted their blueberries. Enough branches grew through the netting each year to give the birds a fair share, but my parents got to harvest most of them. Just about the last thing we did before she left the country place for the last time was to pick another couple pounds of blueberries. There were still lots for the new owner, of course. On an unrelated note, the young 'un who bought the house mailed her a letter recently inviting her to come out some day this summer at her convenience (COVID permitting) and see the changes he's made with the place. We both felt that was rather nice of him.

I actually splurged on a genuine, authentic germination mat just a few days ago. I expect the seed tray fits the mat better than it would my IP...

Anywhere she damn well chooses.

I used to buy their lobster-flavored potato chips as a novelty for visitors from out-of-province. Haven't seen them for a while, though, so they may have stopped making them.

In Nova Scotia you'll see three distinct styles of blood sausage/pudding from three separate waves of European arrivals. One is Acadian-French, one is Scots-style, and the third is German. The French and Scots parts of our history are well known, the German bit perhaps less so...the crown wanted white, Protestant European settlers, so ol' King George just shuffled a few of his German subjects to his New World holdings (more or less as a modern CEO would transfer a few hundred employees to or from a newly-acquired subsidiary after a merger). The town of Lunenburg, otherwise best known as the home of the Bluenose, was a center of German settlement and still produces the region's best sauerkraut (M. A. Hatt & Sons, of Tancook Island) and a German-style blood sausage, aka "Lunenburg pudding."

Yeah, what you're remembering is "creamed coconut," which is something entirely other.

It probably would have been A Good Thing to take an actual temperature when it arrived, but that ship has sailed. I'd screenshot the tracking info, tell 'em it was at or barely below room temperature, and then direct them to the USDA's 2-hour guidance. If that doesn't work, MAKE THE NEXT EMAIL IN ALL CAPS!!!! One a more practical note, you might direct them to this article at Food Safety Magazine, and ask them pointedly how they determined that a single gel pack was sufficient for the quantity of food packed, and the anticipated delivery time. Did they test this? In real-world conditions? More than once? Are they confident enough in their packing and preparations (and insurance) to accept liability in the event of illness, and/or face an audit from their state's health authorities? The onus is absolutely on the vendor to have the *right* answers to those questions (and clearly, in this case, they did not).

Oh, don't think for a moment that the potential for comedic malfunction hasn't occurred to me...

This one's Ontario only, but it's botulism: Kolapore Springs brand smoked trout products. https://inspection.canada.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2021-03-26/eng/1616817283977/1616817313215?utm_source=r_listserv

A cancelled order, perhaps? Who knows...but I'm sure all that food will be deeply appreciated.

I don't have room for mine to sit out, but at present it's not an issue for me to haul it out on an as-needed basis. Long-term, well...my GF and I have been discussing various options we've seen on home-reno shows. There are platforms that raise and lower, and suchlike, and keep the appliance in question out of sight until it's needed. We hope to tailor our still-hypothetical next home for aging in place, and that's a definite consideration. In this regard her esthetic appreciation of a clean, uncluttered countertop and my practical desire for an unencumbered workspace dovetail nicely.

It seems to be brand-independent. When my GF and I got together I had a 70s-vintage Sunbeam (five finely differentiated shades of too slow), and we each had one modern hand mixer, mine a Black & Decker and hers a Hamilton Beach ( each with 5 finely differentiated shades of super-fast). I passed along my B&D to one of our daughters but we still have the HB and the Sunbeam. I mostly use my stand mixer, instead.

This needs a bit of context. For those of you who have worked in retail at the management level, or have worked in logistics, you'll know that big retailers are rather fond of chargebacks. If a product arrives late, they'll charge you back part of its value. If it's mislabeled, or incomplete, or has a higher-than-normal percentage of breakage...you get the idea. Basically the retailer gets to say "I'm not paying full price for that," and the supplier - typically a much smaller company - has the traditional options of "like it or lump it." Last spring, as the pandemic hit, Walmart and homegrown grocery giant Loblaws earned some unwelcome press when suppliers groused (usually anonymously, for fear of retribution) that those two companies had used COVID as leverage against them. At a time when shortages and supply-chain disruptions were the order of the day, the two companies doubled down on chargebacks for late and incomplete shipments, raising fees at a time when it was all but impossible to not have delayed or incomplete shipments. Now the #2 chain in the country, Empire (owner of Sobeys, Safeway and a number of other brands) has collaborated with the federal regulatory agency overseeing the grocery industry to create a new (proposed) code of conduct, modeled on one introduced previously in the UK. It's a major shift in attitude for the company, which has a long history of resisting regulation and oversight. https://financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/sobeys-parent-company-teams-up-with-manufacturers-to-draft-code-of-conduct-for-embattled-grocery-sector

Nice. In my neck of the woods it's ADL/Dairy Isle in the flyer this week. Still good butter, but not quite as desirable.

My brain went to the band Little Feat and their song "Dixie Chicken," but was unable to complete the dad joke due to lack of caffeine. ...or maybe a suspicion that it wouldn't be worth the effort.

My grow light has just arrived...last year's seedlings were leggy and pathetic, because my lights weren't up to the task, but this year I should be in good shape. To my delight I discovered a local purveyor of pepper seeds that grow well here in Atlantic Canada, and have ordered - among other things - seeds for piments d'Espelette, which was a pleasant surprise. Going to start a few melons shortly, and the peppers once they arrive, and I already have some summer squash (pattypan, yellow, and heirloom green) planted but not yet germinated. My windowsill lettuces are coming along fine, and contributing a few leaves at a time to my lunchtime salads now (there'll be more later). I also had some onions and garlic that were sprouting in my cupboard, so I stuck them into a couple of planters. I have all the scallions I'll need for the next while, and will soon have new garlic to harvest and use (my own garlic is out in mulched beds at my two plots).