Smithy

That would be the least interesting flavor of the three for me also, as I'm not crazy about milk chocolate vs. the dark chocolates. However, I thiknk the pattern / picture on this one is the most distinct; it's charming!

What a fun time for her, and an interesting list! I recognized a few, not many; shows how much I still have to learn! Thanks for posting.

Big ol' dinner salad last night. We used to do this at least once a week, but got out of the habit for some reason. I've been doing more salads lately, and decided to do this for dinner. I have a sous vide tri-tip that I was going to sear and add, but ran out of steam...so it was salami to the rescue for the meat portion. The greens are a mix of baby spinach, baby spring greens and baby arugula -- all purchased in clamshells at a preposterous price, but convenient and tasty. Before tossing, and after. We have different dressing preferences, so it wasn't dressed until serving. I made too much anyway, so it's as well the entire batch wasn't dressed. The leftovers are in a container, and the only thing amiss will be soggy croutons.

Those look beautiful! Please be sure to report the difference in texture, moistness and taste, if any, between the brisket that took 20 hours at 200F and the brisket that took 12 hours at 225.

I think it was last fall that this topic inspired me to buy sardines. It's been a long time since I've done so, probably because the last few times I tried to feed sardines to someone I ended up eating them all myself. This time, eating them all myself hasn't seemed a difficulty. I opened the tin last night and added a couple of filets to my dinner salad. Just now I did the same for a lunch salad. Anyone who claims sardines are "fishy" hasn't had good ones. These are good: firm, meaty, not bony that I can tell. The bottom photos shows what's left after today's lunch. I think I got these at Walmart, of all places.

@liuzhou, thanks for the taste test and report. That paper-cut picture is exquisite. I hope you'll find a good place or home for it!

I don't associate "bitter" with "milk chocolate" as a rule, but that may simply show my lack of experience. I'm very fond of "bittersweet chocolate" and "semisweet chocolate" but I consider them to be dark chocolate, not milk chocolate.

Beautiful (and expensive, no doubt) packaging - and interesting flavor combinations. I suspect that "roasted pine nuts with bitter milk chocolate" lost something in the translation, but it sounds lilke something I'd like to try.

Wow. That is...tempting.

Is there any chance this "high pitch sound" is a simple 60-cycle hum from being plugged in? Our Keurig coffeemaker has such a hum any time it's plugged in, even though it's turned off. My husband can't hear it, but it annoys me enough that I leave the darned coffeemaker unplugged except when in use.

That's pretty close to what my best friends do. One dinner (chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and a salad), then the rest of the meat gets pulled off and put into containers to be used in other meals. The skin and bones all go into the broth pot. I think they've said 5 meals also, all told.

@KennethT, that's a great story and a heckofa good hotel! I loved your suggested renaming: "unobtanium". 😄

Word has come down that @marlena spieler, an early and prolific contributor to the forums, passed away earlier this month. I didn't know her personally, but remember reading her posts in my first years here. If you'd like to revisit her contributions, please visit her profile for an easy search. Marlena was a talented food writer who went on to help others write their books, and judging from the Facebook posts about her she was immensely entertaining. Three posts written in her memory follow; they were accompanied with photos but I'm not going to try to include them. From eG member @Carolyn Tillie: From Amy Sherman: I'll finish with this note from her daughter, Leah: Rest in peace, Marlena.

My husband says when he was a boy he loved carrots and would yank them out of the garden plot, barely swipe the dirt off, and scarf them down until his mother took him to task for it. He stopped (a miracle, that) but she kept yelling at him about the stolen carrots. Then one day she spotted their dog stealing carrots from the garden! She was gracious enough to apologize to her son for the wrongful accusation.

That sounds very familiar. I had a hotpot like that, but the best I did with it was Cup-a-Soup or whatever that stuff was called. My best friend sneaked an electric skillet into her dorm room, and thanks to her we had lasagna more than once.

Remind us please about this side dish? My searches under @Mmmpomps' name don't turn up anything that looks like this. Also, how do you do your potato salad? I'm on a potato salad binge right now. It might be time to revive the Potato Salad Cook-Off!

The trivet has handles that I set upright before putting the egg bite tray in, like this: When the cooking is done, I pull the trivet up with the bite pan cradled between the handles. I don't think the handles are long enough to grab if I have 2 silicone pans stacked, though. I'll have to come up with something to grab them by. Maybe a couple of wire loops made from coat hangers, or picture wire, or even twist ties?

Yes, you put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pot, and set the egg bite mold (lidded) atop the trivet. Let us know how yours works out poach-wise! Photos too!

Thanks for this review. I had no trouble getting the eggs to release from the mold, and I didn't use any butter or oil to assist with release. The bites popped right out, but each pocket can be pushed from the bottom if necessary. I appreciate the comment about not using the dishwasher. The molds are supposed to be dishwasher-safe, but I've seen my dishwasher leave powdery residues on silicone sometimes. May as well play it safe.

I was working from a recipe in @JAZ's 5-Ingredient Instant Pot Cookbook (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). Based on the results, I won't stray far from the proportions or timing! The recipe is 6 large eggs, 1/4c milk, 1/3c cheese, then seasonings and vegetables (I omitted the vegetables and used dried herbs). I used my stick blender to whip the eggs thoroughly, and I suspect the extra incorporated air helped lighten the texture. Timing: 8 minutes on high pressure; 5 minutes natural release, then quick release. Note that the egg bite pan lid should be on the pan during the cooking process. The texture is perfect, in my opinion: firm enough to pick up with fingers, but still tender. I cut one in half so you can see the interior bubbles. You can also see that the dried herbs (not part of the recipe) rose to the top of the bite. I don't know how that would have changed if I'd used the chopped chives and asparagus in the original recipe. I don't know about poaching the eggs -- that is, what settings would be needed for a particular texture -- but yes, each pocket in the egg bite pan would easily hold one chicken egg. I think the pockets are large enough to accommodate duck eggs, but since I don't have any I can't be sure. I guess I'll have to try some egg-poaching experiments! And maybe I can get some duck eggs locally.

Instant Pot makes an "official" egg bite mold that fits the 6-quart (or larger) Instant Pots. They're 50% off right now! And very, very useful. Instant Pot Egg Bite Mold (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

I think I got this "egg bite" mold last year, but I've only just now gotten round to using it. Must get another! It works beautifully for egg bites, and I suspect it's also going to be my flan mold, so I can make individual flans and try different flavorings. Instant Pot Official Egg Bite Mold (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Incidentally, it's 50% off right now. Must go over to the Current Sales and Deals topic to announce it!

What makes it "eternal"? Does it seem to take forever to get through a batch? 😉

That looks like a good recipe, whether or not it's the one @liuzhou had in mind. I have some rhubarb begging to be used, and I'd like to try this recipe. One question, however: what is "stem ginger"?

Thank to @blue_dolphin's enabling over here in the Trader Joe's topic, I am now the proud owner of two beautiful silicone turners. This is the one: GIR: Get It Right Premium Silicone Ultimate Turner - Non-Stick Heat Resistant Turner (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). I got two because I wanted one for the house and one for our trailer. I've already used both in the house, because one was already in the dishwasher and I was too lazy to fish it out and clean it. I tell you, these are heavy and well-constructed and well-balanced. As blue_dolphin noted the leading edges are thin (the better to flip one's crepes, my dear) but the paddle itself is quite sturdy, and so is the handle. It's a new favorite tool. I hope it holds up well.