Smithy

To elaborate on Mjx's answer: they're very smooth and somewhat flexible, so they "stick" just a bit to the rim of any sufficiently smooth object. Glass, plastic, metal: if the rim is smooth, there's a good enough fit that if you pull up on the handle of the lid, air can't get in to break the seal. On the other hand, if you simply life an edge, the lid releases. If gas pressure builds up under the lid, that gas can escape because the contact between the rim and the lid isn't sticky enough to trap gases in. My sister and I established that it will hold against a small liquid pressure - sloshing gently - but I wouldn't trust it for transport as much as, say, a fitted snap-on lid.

Earlier this year, or maybe last year, I started picking up these great silicone toppers, marketed under the name of Charles Viancin - Paris. (I later read a label and realized they're actually made in China. Let the buyer beware.) These things are great. They're oven-proof to 400F or so, they're microwave-proof, unlike an earlier iteration given to me as a wonderful present, they're refrigerator-proof. They make a very tight one-way seal with any other smooth surface: I can put a lily pad on a Pyrex bowl and lift the bowl by the lilypad's knob...although there are limits (the small lid in the photo can't pick up the jar of kraut in the photo), and the manufacturer does NOT recommend using the lid to carry a load. The one thing absolutely prohibited is to cut on these with a sharp object, and it makes sense: surely some knife will ruin the smooth surface, and then you won't have a good seal. Most of my lids are in the shape of lily pads - very whimsical - but there are also sunflower shapes and banana leaf shapes. The banana leaves are squarish or rectangularish, and intended for thing like casserole dishes. Aside from the fact that these can't be biodegradable and are likely to be around even after the cockroaches all die off, I think these are a wonderful innovation. Is anyone else around here using them?

Do you have a picture of the lid?I've been meaning to post about this on the Kitchen Consumer topic, but here's a great intro. I've been quite taken with the Charles Viancin silicon lids. Mine are shaped like lily pads, but they now come in sunflower and banana leaf shapes as well, and in various sizes. The bottoms are so smooth that they make a very tight seal with any other smooth surface, so air can escape but not return. The lily pad I used was slightly larger than the jar opening. I've included another photo with different sizes.

Intracoastal waterway. Judiu?

I'm so glad to see this topic come back to life! (Sorry, I couldn't resist the theme. I know you've both been busy.) I'm very taken with the imagery of a beating masa by hand until fluffy and light. Strength, indeed! I have to resort to electricity to whip cream, for heaven's sake, much less masa. The corundas sound tasty. Thanks to Heidi for adding a video, I'm still eager to hear more, after y'all catch your breath! Like Nancy in Mexico, I want to know why it's called difuntos in Ecuador. Anything else you can add will be welcome. If it isn't too far off-topic, I'd like to know whether people *feel* the presence of loved ones' returns, or simply try to recognize that they might be there? The flowers and recognition of babies lost particularly haunts me. I hope the parents find some comfort.

Hmm. Could it instead be somewhere on the Gulf Coast, or along an Intracoastal Waterway? The two shores look pretty close together, if I'm looking at the photo properly.

OK, now I want a Caja China box. And an excuse to use it. This looks a lot like a commercially-prepared version of a box Mayhaw Man used, way back when, for roasting large chunks of meat. I think he called the topic "Contraption Cooking". If I can find it, I'll post a link...very entertaining, as I recall. I never got around to building one of those, either; I just drooled and admired. As I will on this topic, no doubt. Edited to add: the topic is called "The boy ain't right in the head" and it's at http://forums.egullet.org/topic/67441-the-boy-aint-right-in-the-head The reference to Contraption Cooking is a bit further down, referring to book that was then in progress.

Lancaster/Palmdale area, perhaps? I get the impression Andie can grow just about anything.

Infested? In Palm Springs?! What pest, do you know? There should be an ag extension advisor to help, even if you have to reach across the pass to UC Riverside. Have you tried them for advice? You should be able to find someone who can give solid guidance, given your location. At any rate, good luck with the ordered olives!

Well. Sometime long about mid-October I was given a large head of cabbage from a friend's garden. I washed, shredded in the food processor, and packed it into a 1-gallon glass canning jar. I followed the instructions above regarding the amount of salt - overall, I think that head of cabbage got 3 - 4 Tbsp of salt packed into the leaves at the outset. I used some of the large outer leaves to hold the rest down, and filled up the rest of the space with a Ziplock ™ storage bag full of water. In order to make sure there was enough liquid to cover the shredded kraut I added some water, and then in order to ensure that the brine was salty enough I added more salt. (In other words, the salt/water/cabbage ratio wasn't very scientific, but it leaned toward salt overkill.) I didn't seal the jar, but instead topped it with a silicone lid that makes a nice tight seal for things trying to enter but allows gases to escape. Somewhere after 2 weeks I lifted the lid and sniffed. It smelled like kraut. I let it continue. Sometime after that I had to seal the lid for transport. So far, no explosions. Tonight we had our first dinner of sauerkraut and potatoes, with some pork chops. How gratifying! The flavor was excellent, and we have half a gallon left. I'm very glad I got around to trying this!

I'm traveling now and disinclined to pass up the interesting local foods that pop up where we are, so I can't participate much in this topic at present...at least not until I start running low on staples and need to find substitutes from the traveling pantry. However, I'm cheering you all on! I'm very impressed with the creativity I'm seeing here. @Michaela, I've used whole milk powder in bread recipes, but I suppose that doesn't help you on several counts. Meanwhile, I laughed out loud at your description of the chocolate cake recipe and its potential uses. Coma, violent children, indeed. :-)

What Annabelle said. Meredith, the one piece of advice I can give you - because your wedding party already sounds lovely - is to remember that this is YOUR party - that is, you and your new mate - and you should please, please have an excellent time yourself! Everyone else is there to celebrate with you and help you launch happily into a new life together. Bringing that around full circle to the original topic: do make sure you have time to eat!

I'm amazed and amused at the website...even without watching the video, I can just hear the excited voices! How can I not buy this to try it out!? Actually, for 20 bucks I'd be tempted to try it out...except that I'm not fussed about the carbs and calories in standard pasta, and I'm happy doing the occasional shred or julienne with what I already have, and I'm busy unloading stuff instead of adding. Still...I'm tempted. Let us know how it works out, Shel. :-)

That's exactly the advice included with my most recent Rancho Gordo purchase: "eat more beans". DH swears by soaking the beans in water with baking soda for some hours before cooking. We can both see bubbles generated during the soak. We haven't agreed on whether it influences the final digestive, er, outcome.

I think this topic falls squarely in the realm of First World Problems. Having said that, I'll say that we always cut grilled cheese sandwiches on the diagonal, nongrilled sandwiches crosswise, and - in DH's case - road sandwiches not at all.

Given that I have to stand on tiptoe to get the right angle and slam my weight down, I suspect you have a point. Nonetheless...if I ever meet Shel_B, I don't plan to challenge him to an arm-wrestling match!

Hmm. The books I've offered to Amazon have been worth peanuts compared to what I paid, and their "small cut" has been rather large. I wonder what I've done differently than you, JAZ? Ah well, I console myself with the donation to the "Friends of the Library" booksale, or to friends' collections, and the knowledge that I enjoyed the books until I decided to find them another home. (But still...what did you do differently? )

Soy sauce? A mild mustard? Grapes or grape juice or another fruit juice, to compare with the mandarin?

I keep checking back for more photos, comments on the celebrations, comparisons of the traditions in Mexico and Ecuador....and we've passed through the dark of the moon and celebrated our ancestors, with no further posts that I can see. Did I miss some announcement?

The reviews look great. Think I might have to get one of these. My wife bought one. It is a PITA to get clean. I won't use it. I've not found it to be at all difficult to clean ... just some hot, soapy water and a good faucet stream, and Bob's your uncle. Well, I've ordered it. I love onions but hate chopping them, so I'm looking forward to getting it. As for cleaning, I'm hopeful I can just stick it in the dishwasher. My parents gave me one as a stocking stuffer one year, and I use it fairly often. Yes, it goes into the dishwasher and comes out clean. I suspect that the dishwasher isn't doing the cutting blades any favors - any more than it would any sharp knife - but that hasn't stopped me. On the other hand, if I'm handwashing other items I'll just handwash it - my experience is the same as Shel's with regard to easy cleaning. The one drawback I've seen is that I have to cut the onions into quarters or eights to get them to fit the grid, and for me to get enough leverage. It's still less knife work, and a fairly even dice, and it controls the pieces and tear-inducing juices.

My mother had a Pur system on her faucet, and we all thought it was fine. The one funky thing about it was that the "filter life" light seemed to be intermittent. As a rule my sister or I just changed it on a regular basis, and everyone was happy. What have been the issues, either from reading or from experience?

Good for you, Vlcatko! Do keep at it, and keep us posted! You may help some of us other impulse-buyers to work our way down through the stock. I had a good start at it late this summer: after my sister and I spent weeks emptying our mother's apartment and throwing away or giving away (as appropriate) food, I came home inspired to do the same at my house. It worked for a while. I had the small chest freezer about half-empty, with the goal of emptying it before the year was out... ... then I went to the local farmer's market and realized I was running out of chances to buy the good locally-grown chickens, since they'd all been slaughtered and were soon to be sold out. There are now 6 large chickens occupying that newly-made space!

I am terribly sorry to hear the news. I thoroughly enjoyed Dave's voice, wit and thoughtful posts on eGullet. His last food blog gave a glimpse of an interesting life, very well-lived, with good family and friends. I know that he'll be keenly missed in our virtual world, and I know that the loss will be even keener for those in his real world. Linda, it was very gracious of you to tell us what happened. Thank you for taking the time to think of us. I take a lot of comfort in knowing that he lived a full life, right up to the end, and died peacefully without pain. Godspeed and comfort to Dave. Condolences and comfort and blessings to Linda, Rupert, and your extended circle of friends and family.

I generally buy my wild rice from one of the local stands (and I'm sorry I'm not in a position to just bundle and ship some to those of you looking!) but I don't know which of the bands harvests it. I do see, however, that some of the listings in rotuts' link provide hand-parched wild rice. I'd select that over the not-parched rice; in my experience it cooks up a bit more quickly and comes out more fluffy.

Sylvia's onto something. I'd add lamb: kebabs, stew, roast. Oregano and mint both go well with that meat.