Smithy

Here's one that may affect a lot of our USA members. Weirs Farm, Inc. which sells produce to Walmart, Aldi, Shop n Save, and other grocery chains has recalled its cucumbers, poblanos, jalapenos, green beans, and a host of other products due to possible contamination from Listeria. No illnesses have been reported. A number of states' stores are included in the distribution list. (I'm happy to report, for selfish reasons, that Minnesota and Wisconsin aren't listed.) For more information, please see this article: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2024/07/wiers-farm-inc-expands-recall-of-produce-sold-at-walmart-aldi-shop-n-save-and-more-over-listeria-concerns/

Even if a ring melts and sticks to the bottom of the pot (and I think that's unlikely) it should peel right off after the pot cools and the silicone resolidifies. I wouldn't worry about the pot at all.

Getting back to the question that so far has gone unanswered: you should be able to use silicone trivets, colanders and the like in the pressure cooker. At 15 psi, if I'm reading the literature correctly, the boiling point of water goes up to 250F at sea level (less if, say, you're in Denver). Serious Eats has a discussion about it, and there are other such discussions as well. Silicone utensils should be good to much hotter temperatures. I've noted a bit of discoloration on my silicone dish covers when roasted in the 400F range, but no melting. Webrestaurantstore says that silicone utensils should be good to 428F. That's a pretty wide safety margin above the pressure cooker temperatures. Edited to add: those temperatures are for the interior of the pot. I don't know how hot the inside bottom of the pot gets, where the surface is in contact with flame. Maybe you'd want a screen or standoff to keep the trivet / bowl / etc. from being in direct contact with that hot bottom surface.

That's a fun read. I've only been to P-Town once, back in the 80's, and I daresay it's become more flamboyant than it was then although it had plenty of vibe at the time. This bit, about the original Sal's, really amuses me:

Just a bit shy of an inch thick. My ruler says the leftover bit is about 7/8".

Part of last night's dinner. I tried again to get the perfect sear on my steak over a charcoal fire without overdoing the interior. I missed again... took the steak out of the freezer too soon, I think. The flavor was good but there wasn't any pink inside. The only time I've gotten the desired doneness and sear over an open flame was cooking a not-quite-thawed steak over a campfire. It was an accident then. When I've tried to plan ahead I've let the steak thaw too much and fluffed the result! Or maybe, as I speculated at the time, it was just dumb luck. 🙂

That's a strange-looking cover photo. Is it really showing bacon draped over a rod, like a pasta drying rod?

What specifically is the "balado" treatment?

Please do report when you try it. Do they say it reduces spattering? And then can you evaporate the water to retrieve the grease?

I tried the griddler in its open position for cooking bacon last night. It turned out to be a nice, low-key way to cook the bacon while I was doing other things as well. Yes, I had to pay attention to the bacon, but it cooked slowly enough that there was minimal spattering. I could have done it in the oven on a baking sheet, but this used less energy. I could also have done the whole thing in the microwave with paper towels, but then I wouldn't have had the liquid gold we call bacon grease. I'll need some of that in the same dish for which I need some of the bacon. The grease dripped neatly into the catch tray below, and the griddle plates were easy to clean after. An even better strategy would have been to use those bacony griddle plates to grill and press a sandwich. As it happened I had the second half of the previous night's sandwich, so it wasn't necessary.

As in so many other parts of this country, food trucks are springing up in the Duluth area and up the North Shore of Lake Superior. I enjoy checking them out and seeing what they have to offer. I'm sure I've written about some, but not where I can find the posts again -- much less where a visitor might look for them! I'll start with The Rambler, which bills itself as a mobile catering unit. I've spotted them around town these past months and enjoyed trying their offerings. A couple of days ago they were at the Bent Paddle Brewing Company, where the courtyard gathering was in full and noisy swing. Bent Paddle offers craft brews but no food, and food trucks take turns filling the void. The Rambler truck was parked next to the sidewalk. This was the menu a couple of months ago. It's changed slightly since then, as you'll see. I've had occasion to try their food two or three times in the past few months. I was unimpressed with their falafel, and if I took pictures I've already deleted them. The patties were starchy and flavorless, and I don't recall thinking much of the sauces either. I'm afraid I also don't recall what other sandwich I might have picked up at the time for my darling. He too was unimpressed. What I do remember from that first visit, and it's repeatable, is their Reuben Fritters. Chunks of corned beef, mixed with shreds of sauerkraut and rolled into balls, then breaded and deep fried. Oh my, these are good! The outside is crisp: crunchy, but not tough. The inside tastes like corned beef and sauerkraut. If there's a binder in play to hold it together, it's unobtrusive. The dipping sauce is a thick version of Thousand Island, and it sets the fritters off nicely. I also indulged in a Shrimp Po'Boy, which doesn't show on that older menu but was available this time. Nice, crispy fried shrimp loaded onto a large sliced bun with tomatoes, lettuce, and their version of remoulade sauce. It was much too messy to eat as a wrap, and I'd already ordered too much food. It was good, though. I think I liked the tomatoes and lettuce with the sauce as much as I liked the shrimp. I split all the food with my four-footed companion and we both had plenty. The only thing left uneaten was the bread itself. Not bad for $22! I'll stop at the truck again sometime. Better still, I hope I can figure out how to make those fritters!

The tag search isn't really effective any more, so as I find the Travel / Foodblogs I'll start listing them here. I'll start with the most recent: A week in Lombok and Jakarta, Indonesia (KennethT)

Do you mean this 6-pack of jarred Tonnino tuna (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)? It looks interesting, but I wonder how I'd like oregano mixed in with it. I'd be more inclined to go without the oregano. Edited to add: my bad, I found the equivalent 6-pack without oregano (eG-friendly Amazon.com link).

That's a very apt temperature comparison, dcarch. Your dinner looks delicious! Very artistic, as usual. 🙂

Hello and welcome, @Kiwiross! Your engineering post and your comments on the food history of New Zealand are fascinating. I too have an engineering background, but I confess I've gotten away from it. I'm glad you posted that YouTube video. Your engineering is impressive for making your own panner. Your comments about how food has changed could have been written by me about growing up in central California at roughly the same time as you were growing up in New Zealand. My mother never used garlic in her cookery until sometime in the late 1960's or early 1970's, and parsley was the only herb to make its way into our pantry before then. She was quite good at the fruit pies you describe. Your comment about seafood and vegetarian fillings in pies makes me wonder: when you were growing up, and for that matter now in the smaller towns, what are the principal protein sources? I'd expect seafood to be readily available, but what types? As @C. sapidus noted above, some of us will be keenly interested to learn more about the food and cookery you enjoy there. C'mon in and make yourself comfortable! If you have any questions about how the forums work or where to post something, feel free to ask a host or ask in the Moderation and Policy Discussion forum.