Smithy

So, my sorrel leaves are pretty stiff. Do you blanch them first for flexibility, or leave them uncooked for the best color? Any hints would be appreciated; I think I'll try it this weekend.

I frequent several forums, depending on available time and what interests me right then. At what level are you defining "forum? For instance, are you counting Wine separately from Ministry of Rum? I often wander into a new area based on an interesting-looking topic. For instance, this is my first time into Ministry of Rum because your post name intrigued me. Now I'll have to see what else happens here.

Sorrel! STUFFED SORREL LEAVES! <insert light bulb emoticon here> I've been looking for new ways to use my surplus before it freezes! Thank you!

I tried the Zyliss recently and kept having problems with the slices jamming at the deepest part of the V. It seems as though the V makes a pinch point, right at what's usually the thickest part of the object to be sliced. After messing with trying to slice potatoes and eggplant, I gave up on it. Anyone else have that problem, or did I have a bad V-cutter? Surely it wasn't operator error!

Well, I dunno. If you liked the house otherwise, you could probably sell that stove and get one you liked. Some people like glass stovetops very much because of the sleek look and the ease in cleaning, and I'd guess some such person would be pleased to purchase a used glass-top stove in good condition. I wouldn't be such a buyer, however. I personally wouldn't want a glass stovetop because of maintenance issues and limitations on use: * It's "easy" to clean IF you do it right away, but I'm not always a clean-right-away kind of person, and I am prone to spilling. An acquaintance had a sugar syrup fuse to her stovetop almost immediately, and it's there to stay. My cousin, who is an excellent cook, has the glass stovetop and has cleaned up such spills. He had to do it IMMEDIATELY, though. * I just know I'd drop something and break the top, or drag something across and scratch the top, or take a hot pan off the heat and set it elsewhere on the glass top where hot things aren't supposed to go. If I didn't, a guest would. I don't want a major appliance to be so fragile that I worry when company is visiting; I get weekend houseguests who pitch in with the cooking, bless 'em. * The burners are too small to allow canning in a large kettle. I could get around that by using a propane stove outside or by buying a special small canning kettle, but why accept the limitation? * IIRC they don't get as hot as standard coil electric stoves.

I generally hold the jar upside down and bang the lid flat on the counter instead of banging on the rim. If that doesn't work I have the rubber thingy to fall back on. However, my best jar opener is cute AND works. No, you can't borrow him.

Ah. Maybe I've found your thread here. This link takes you to a specific post that mentions Sanelli knives. If you go up-and down-thread from there you'll find reference to other knives, and links to knife shops, and even a link to a photo of a snappy Sanelli Japanese knife with a red-and-green handle. Thread started by a guy who wanted to spend $30 - $40 on a knife. Sound right this time?

"Lifestyle wines"? "Luxury wines"? "Lifestyle wines"??? Is this some weird Mondavi PR corporatespeak, or is it some common label I've been fortunate enough never to have heard before now? (Where's the nauseated smilie when I need it)

Are you thinking of the "When Cheaper is Just Fine" Thread? If so, try this post and see whether it puts you on the right track. There were a lot of posts about knives (and thongs ) in this thread, so your particular knife discussion may be elsewhere in there.

I have some All-Clad Stainless saute pans, sauce pans and a braiser. I love the stuff, although I agree there may be better values for the money out there. I like the way it looks and handles, and cleanup has been easy - well, except for the poor pan in which I boiled the shallots-and-wine down until there was no wine and only bits of charcoal where the shallots used to be. That was a murder cleanup. That's what I get for trying to use the hot tub and cook at the same time. I absolutely agree: don't get a set. Pick up pieces as you need them. I'll add: if you do, after all this discussion, decide to go against the professional opinions and go with All-Clad, go to Outlets Online and follow the links to the All-Clad outlet store. You'll save major bucks and the stuff is still good. I once ordered a piece that came, well, too factory-secondish for me and they cheerfully exchanged it.

Why would a use permit set a limit on a winery's production? Is there a water consumption issue involved? Truck traffic? What's the deal?

Speaking of recidivism, I've added at least 10 cookbooks to my collection since my last post. Offhand I can only remember 5, but they are Bistro Cooking at Home The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen The Balthazar Cookbook The French Chef (guess when I ordered that one? *sniff*) some Turkish thing whose name escapes me at the moment You'd think, judging by the way I pack 'em in, that I have loads of time on my hands for cooking. It's more like "occupying my weekends between playing with the puppy and kittens" but...well, they're so much fun! And have such great ideas! And when I do get into them, the results are glorious.

Wow! How exciting! (I know, that's what guajolote said, too ) I'm fired up to try this; it looks beautiful and tasty! I would like some elaboration, though, especially on the photo that's half shredded cabbage and half whole leaves. (Just try to write that bit clearly.)

Too bad about the photos; I'd love to have seen them. Thanks for the blog pointer, anyway! Where do people get ceramic crocks that don't cost a fortune? I can get good antique Redwing Pottery crocks at the local flea markets, but I don't really want to spend that kind of money. Is a ceramic crock necessary? Will a 5-gallon plastic bucket work instead?

That's typical. I once brought a roasted red pepper salad to an office potlock, and it went completely untouched except by me. The gloppy meatballs in the crock pot were the success. I've learned to stick with something like buffalo wing dip or a salad unless I want leftovers. Is there some personality test that goes with the preference for mayo vs. Miracle Whip? I can't stand Miracle Whip and haven't liked it since I was, oh, 12. It's way too sweet for my tastes. My husband, an otherwise lovely and intelligent man, dislikes mayonnaise because it isn't sweet enough. When we bought a new refrigerator we made sure it was big enough to allow for our culinary differences.

Very interesting indeed! Thank you!

Wellp, I'm going to try pulling this back up to the top and see if I can get an answer. Would someone please point me to a resource, if there is one, that will help me find out about the use of copper in particular wines, or by particular wineries? I'm not talking about a label that says "Warning: contains 3ppm copper", although a list that said "X particular wine, Y vintage, has relatively high copper and the next year had none" would be ideal. I'd be interested in relative information, even - frequency of use and whether a lot is dumped in or a penny is waved over the vat. Unless this is strictly insider information, there should be a place to find out. This is the first lead I've had on something that might (or might not) correlate to my headaches, and I'd like to pursue. Enquiring minds and all that - I suppose, as an alternative, I can try dropping old pennies into a beloved and safe wine and see what happens. That would be an interesting taste test.

That stuff is sooo good. Last winter my friends from the Twin Cities came up for the usual winter camping/river skiing/see how much you can damage your liver weekend, and one of them brought a bottle of Shakers. I don't think it lasted the first night. There's something about being out under the northern lights, in the hot tub, long past midnight, that just...well...dried us out. Had to rehydrate, ya know.

Hey, can you larb venison sausage?

Lessee, ideas for underwhelming but edible sausage, from someone whose deer was hijacked by the rest of the party with that precise result: * slice some into little coins and throw them into spaghetti sauce and serve with noodles * slice some more and cook them up with tomatoes, red peppers, mushrooms, olives, whatever, and mix with little pasta butterflies and turn it into a creamy tomatoey pasta skillet dish * slice up yet more, scramble with eggs and some good spicy salsa * try white beans and venison sausage, maybe with a touch of sage? * chop up yet more and throw it into a kale soup or stew, or some other leafy green stew, maybe with some garbanzos thrown in * throw it into the grinder or food processor, regrind, and use in place of fresh ground meat in, oh, moussaka I admire your restraint at the farmer's market! I always come away with bags and bushels of stuff and having to do something with it! Nancy

Uhmm, if I've been reading this thread correctly, sulfites are very likely not the culprit. As noted above, and in the "Copper Headaches" thread, more likely culprits for migraine headaches are tannins in the red wines and coppers (particularly in some white wines). As to caffeine in wine: I've sure never gotten a caffeine jag from it, and it sure seems more likely to put me to sleep than wake me up. However, I like the excuse for a good cuppa wine in the morning!

What a great strategy! It beats heck out of knocking the glass over!

I think it would be relatively easy to test for copper. Hmm. Something to talk about with the lab! Thanks for the reassurance about the gullet gaffes, too - every community is a bit different and I'm still trying to get a feel for when a forum host will say, quietly, "not here" vs. shouting "Outta the pool!" Not that I've seen any evidence of Trumpesque ogreism so far...

This is very, very interesting. Do you suppose copper compounds are the source of my headache? I just finished posting this question on the sulfites thread. If it's copper, how could I find out (before drinking) who was using it and in which wines? And by the way - if I done bad naming names in the other post, I hope someone will let me know.

Since we're on the topic of allergic reactions to wine, I'll ask my question here. I've been trying to pin down the substance in certain wines that gives me a headache, partly out of chemical curiosity but mostly so I can predict which wines to avoid. I don't mean the predictable headache that comes with overindulgence; I mean a real back-of-the-eyeballs head-banger that lasts the entire next day after only one glass of wine at dinner, with no other alcohol in the evening. Rosemount Shiraz (the black diamond label) is one of them, and unfortunately I learned it after my husband and I had bought a bunch because we liked its taste for the price. I haven't found a rule. Some reds do it, some whites do it. The reds seem most likely to be shiraz (most notably Australian), but I can drink many other shiraz/syrah with impunity and I've gotten the same reaction from some other reds - cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel. Some cheap sauvignon blancs give me the same reaction. Any ideas? I know it isn't sulfites. I'm tempted to have a lab run a series of tests to see if the demon compound can be isolated, but it would be an expensive proposition because I wouldn't know what to tell them to look for. Besides that, I don't know of any wine purveyor who lists, say, the level of ethylhexylketomethylheadbanger on their labels, so I'm not sure how helpful the analyses would be.