chromedome

LOL I guess some things are universal...

(shrug) There's being pretty sure, and there's having empirical proof. The whole "cavemen lived on meat" thing was always a risible fallacy, but - being so solidly entrenched - difficult to overturn without evidence.

Inventive researchers have found ways to identify grain residues and grain-processing tools at early Neolithic sites, giving us a more balanced picture of the early human diet (they're still working on the whole green-vegetable thing). An excellent read for anyone who's interested in such things. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01681-w

I've been thinking about it for a while, and the only thing I can come up with is flour tortillas. Lunch on work days (ie, 350-odd days/year) is often whatever's left over in the fridge, rolled up in a tortilla. It may or may not be heated, depending on the contents (and the weather). Not directly related to the pandemic, I guess, but I'm fortunate in that my life has been minimally affected by it (I live in relatively-unscathed Atlantic Canada, and was already a work-from-home introvert, so...).

Plain halva, al-Rabih brand, for possible salmonella contamination. Currently affects Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, but "possibly national." https://inspection.canada.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2021-06-25/eng/1624661149420/1624661155154?utm_source=r_listserv

There's a recall in Canada of Dole brand blueberrries, for cyclospora contamination. At present it's only for certain batches sold at Save-On-Foods, but it could expand to other retailers and a national footprint in future: https://inspection.canada.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2021-06-25/eng/1624661149420/1624661155154?utm_source=r_listserv

This one's been updated. https://inspection.canada.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2021-06-23/eng/1624485891136/1624485896648?utm_source=r_listserv

I haven't found it to be an issue with my elderly-but-stalwart Cuise. YMMV. My butter is always straight from the fridge, if that matters (I typically only do this for biscuits and piecrust). If I'm using warmed/softened butter in anything (cakes, cookies, what have you), I'll be using my stand mixer instead.

I frequently do. If *some* larger bits are required for flakiness, I'll add those separately and then just pulse a bit.

...annnnnd, for everyone who's been participating in the fussy/picky eaters discussion...

In my home this is gender-swapped, but it's still funny.

Cultivated burdock, or is it as prevalent a weed in your area as it is in mine?

I'm struck by how much is packed into that deceptively simple, six-word expression of incredulity. First, it implies a lucid alternative definition of the phrase "empty calories," to wit: "eating something you don't like just because you can't bear to throw it out." Second, it provides an admirable illustration of the sunk cost fallacy, in its culinary expression, which also boils down to "eating something you don't like just because you can't bear to throw it out." Speaking as a writer, I can only tip my hat in awe at the marvelous economy and efficiency of your prose.

Al-Rabih brand tahini, possibly national (for sure, Ontario and Quebec) for salmonella. https://inspection.canada.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2021-06-14/eng/1623717905250/1623717911599?utm_source=r_listserv

When my daughter was little she hit on the notion of adding rhubarb to butter tarts (for those of you unfamiliar with this Canadian pastry, you can think of it as broadly similar to a pecan pie but without the pecans). The butter tart itself is tooth-achingly sweet and rhubarb (of course) is very tart, and the two components play very well together. You just have to slice the rhubarb finely, otherwise you get a "two solitudes" thing happening on your palate as opposed to a balanced partnership.

Pushing back the "known" date for animal husbandry... https://www.pnas.org/content/118/25/e2100901118

I don't have the manual one yet, but I was pricing them a few days ago.

We always have grapes in the freezer. They're one of my GF's favorite summer snacks, and the grandkids love 'em as well.

Yes, I'd intended to mention that in my post as well. I tried it because it sounded interesting, and then tried it again in case the first recipe was just a dud. Nope. Weird and unpleasant texture, every time.

As one of those writers...yes, exactly. In this case a lot of the items singled out are ones I do use consistently. My coffee grinder gets exercised every day, sometimes more than once, and I use my bread machine every week (I don't bake in it, I just use it as a "fill and forget" mixer for the dough). My waffle irons get used infrequently but consistently, ditto my pasta roller. The spiralizer, well...that was always going to be a limited-use item and I bought it knowing this to be the case. My ice cream machine gets used in summer and ignored in winter (go figure). The rationale for not grinding one's own coffee seems pretty thin, to me. Yes, I can buy it ground. I can buy most things prepared for me these days, but that's not the point. I like my coffee fresh-ground, and vacuum-sealing a bag of coffee after every use to keep it fresh would be a bigger PITA than grinding my coffee (and uses a bigger kitchen gadget, for that matter).