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While those appliances are certainly ideal for larger restaurants, there are many little places where they wouldn't be ideal so there are a few work-arounds. I read your question earlier this morning, before reading Kerry's answer. I had to do some shopping so, I asked the lady at the local middle eastern market that has a tiny cafe attached (only 4 tables but they do a lot of take out) and she showed me two of the Zojirushi beverage dispensers, one for "regular" tea and one for mint tea and two electric 5-liter hot water dispensers, also Zojirushi. She told me that the commercial tea 'machines' cost too much and take up too much space and there is no room where they would be near the water pipes. The Zo water boilers and accessories and extras, fit on a rolling cart so they can move them to the sink for filling and put them out so customers can add as much hot water as they want to the tea. They also sell tea bags that some people prefer to the brewed tea. 5-liter Zo tea dispensers

I've had tankless water heaters for several years - have written about them before - they save a lot of gas or electricity - mine are gas - because they are not constantly reheating the same water over and over. And best of all, you never run out of hot water. I got mine when the rebate program was very positive so got back nearly half of the cost. Last April one of my friends moved from a townhouse in Sun City to a house in Chandler that has both AC and a swamp cooler. She said her electric bill for the larger house has been less than half what she was paying in the townhouse, just using the swamp cooler most days. She uses the AC only when the monsoon moisture pushed the humidity up. This house also has pergolas all around it so the sun doesn't hit full on the walls all day long and that makes a big difference. The only complaint is that the kitchen is smaller than she wanted but as there is a non-weight-bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room, she has plans to make some changes.

I know exactly what you mean. I have "converted" many people, some by simply giving them one as a gift, but many others by visiting and taking my rice cooker with me to prepare one of my "special" meals. One friend of many years, who is a very talented cook, declared that we would have a contest to see how both types of rice were accepted by her family. Her husband and sons raved about the rice I prepared, a medley of several rices, and were also impressed by how the rice kept at serving temp without drying out. The next time I visited, the newest Zo was on the counter along with three cookbooks about what to do with a rice cooker.

I agree. I have solar panels on the roof and since I live in the desert, I mostly use an evaporative cooler (commonly known as a "swamp" cooler) instead of the AC. This year I've only used the AC four times when both the heat and the humidity were higher than normal. It amazes me that since the cost of swamp coolers is so low, contractors don't offer them in addition to AC in places where the normal humidity is low and summer temps are high. They wouldn't work in east Texas but they should work great in west Texas, not to mention New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada. The cost of operating them is a tiny fraction of operating an AC. There is a water pump and a fan motor. I have two on my house and during the energy crisis in 2000 both ran off a 500 W generator with power to spare.

Depending on your location, if you first sign in to Ebates and then to Groupon or Restaurant.com, you can get cash back as well as the discount. My daughter lives in the bay area and uses this extensively. There is nothing much up here in my area but closer to L.A. and the O.C. there are many ways to save $$$ this way.

What is a "Platinum" pot anyway. This is apparently develops a certain amount of pressure besides just steaming the rice but I don't know how it could produce a better end product than my present Zo - the IH rice cooker. Like others I do know how to prepare rice in a pot on the stove. However there are times when I want to "set it and forget it" as the saying goes and the rice cooker allows me to do that. My first rice cooker, purchased a few decades ago, was small, dinged when the rice was done and that was about it. It worked nicely and I used it for years. I then bought a commercial one from a store selling to Asian restaurants, I think it was a 30-cup model and I used it a great deal when i was catering. I think it may have been a Panasonic. I don't know when I bought my first Zo but I have had several, moving up through the ranks as the technology improved and I wouldn't be without one. I gave the Fuzzy Logic Zo that I owned just prior to getting the IH to my daughter and she uses it almost every day. Say what you will about cooking rice in a pot on the stove. There is nothing like putting the rice and water in the Zo, going off to do something else and coming back a couple of hours later and have the rice cooked and held at the correct temperature. Platinum pot notwithstanding, I don't see any advantage that this cooker has over the lower end Fuzzy Logic cookers.

I thought those were nuts - cashews maybe. And you have a point about the lake - the mustard and such - could be Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota. The sliced cheese in one photo looks like provolone. (or it does the way I slice it!

Gee, that looks like a view of Cape Cod.

How did you make the cake? I was thinking of baking a 9 x 13 and then using two stainless bowls to make the boobs. I was going to attach the boobs to the body, and frost it with flesh colored frosting. What kind of cake did you bake I made dozens of these back when I was catering. I started with a 1/2 sheet pan cake but a 9x13 is good for a smaller cake. I used two SS pudding basins as they have rounded bottoms, some mixing bowls work too and for one smaller cake I used cappuccino cups - either one fill 1/3 full of batter to get the best proportions. The bottom cake has to be fairly dense to avoid it collapsing under the weight of the "boobs" (a mistake I made with my first one). I just used one of the Bundt cake recipes as they tend to be firmer than regular layer cakes. You need to carve the base cake to imply shoulders and a narrower waist but that isn't difficult. Most of the ones I made were actually bikini cakes rather than "naked lady" cakes.

It certainly sound like it was anything but "bland" with those spices. I would certainly agree that ginger would give it more of a "spark" or lift. Ginger is one of my favorite ways to make dishes that are a bit on the blah more emphatic. As I always have some growing, or simply "stored" in sandy soil in pots, I don't have to run out to buy it. I also always have a goodly supply of candied ginger that can work in a pinch.

Yes, the rice and spinach were leftover. I was going to make a quiche with a rice crust( a recipe from a Culinary Mystery Novel), but I didnt get to it. The rice is nutty and chewy. Similar to brown, but with a bit stronger flavor. I cant remember the last time I used it. I was looking for brown in the pantry and I came across that. Make sure you use a 20% off coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond. Those cups range in price from 14.00-19.00. That quiche with rice crust sounds lovely. Which culinary mystery? I love them. I'm certainly enjoying your blog. It is reminding me of all the things I miss since moving up here. It was so easy to jaunt over the hill to Santa Monica and West L.A. (and points further south and east) when I lived in the valley. Now it takes most of a day for a round trip. Sigh!

If you smash the fresh ginger into a paste and saute it in ghee (or melted butter) with the spices and then add the lime or lemon juice (and a bit of grated peel, the flavors will "bloom" and then you add them to the soup.

I like my ice maker but I also have several of the Tovolo Ice cube trays, both the JUMBO and the Perfect. I use them for freezing juices, purees, herbs, concentrated soup stock and whatever else takes my fancy. I have them in different colors because even with a double pass through the dishwasher they retain a faint hint of garlic if the stuff includes it. The jumbo ones are really nice if you want to freeze a piece of fruit in an ice cube. I used to line the plastic ones with plastic wrap but don't bother with the silicone just because they do come in different colors so are easy to identify. You can buy the lever-action ice cube trays made of SS from several online vendors.

That's the way I cook sausage and thin ham slices/Canadian bacon but never with streaky bacon.

I like squash and cook it often, usually prepare soup with chicken stock. For the blander types I add ginger (fresh if possible), lime or lemon juice and a few blades of mace (1/2 teaspoon of ground to 2 quarts of soup as well as pepper. Sometimes I add curry paste - I am fairly sparing with salt, if I use it at all, because I prefer to enhance the flavor instead of mask it. I only add the seasonings after the soup has been cooked a bit - and add a little, cook for several minutes and taste, then add more if desired. There is no set amount because the strength or "bite" of ginger can vary widely so you have to go by taste. (I think it is more fun this way.) I serve it with a dollop of sour cream and an generous spoonful of Sweet Chili Sauce - Mae Ploy is my favorite brand. Here's a recipe that is somewhat like my preparation. Here's another idea.

Lovely flapjacks! I no longer get down to the Valley very often but the last time I visited friends in Tarzana, they took me to Red Dragon Chinese restaurant in Woodland Hills, 22919 Ventura. I was very impressed with their food and with the prices as I have paid twice as much for less quality at some of the "upscale" Chinese restaurant. I had the Tomato Beef and it was an eye-opener. Never had it before. I shared an order of Vegetable Chow Fun and assorted appetizers.

Here's a link to an article where the usage is break-fast.

The Orthodox Jews that I know call it the Break Fast Meal. So I would say it's two words. At one time I knew the Yiddish term but it has been many years since I heard or used it. When I was young, prior to my marriage, I lived with an Orthodox family for almost two years. I was their "Shabbos Goy" and was treated like one of their daughters. I turned on the lights, lit the stove, opened and closed the fridge, did some cooking, ran errands delivered messages. I learned a great deal and enjoyed it immensely and when I got married they gave me a pile of gifts.

Right. 中国, or 中國 (simplified vs. traditional characters) is "China" (zhōngguó in pinyin) in Chinese. I think in the US, country of origin is supposed to be specified somewhere on the product (in English). The label with English language ingredients is usually applied by the importer, not the shop, so it's possible that the shop is acting as an importer in this context. You are correct. Country of origin must be on the label in English. Provenance is not usually used as a term for foods - except for wine. Sourcing is the usual term "to obtain from a particular source."

There are a few good things to be found locally that you wouldn't find in Ontario. Blum Ranch in Acton has the new crop of almonds in. I'll be making a trek down there in a few days to pick up my supply for holiday baking. 31880 Aliso Canyon Rd Acton, CA 93510 Open 8 am to 6 pm every day. I haven't been down there yet but they usually have some wonderful winter squash.

While reading the current email bulletin from The Vanilla Company I saw the heading: Mars goes Fairtrade, not the planet, the company. So I followed the links to This article. The interesting part is that Mars broke the code for the gene sequencing of cacao as a way to create cacao that will adapt to the changing climate in 2010 but did not patent it and it will remain in public domain. For chocolate growers, importers, processors and simply lovers of all things chocolate, this is big news.

I think you would have more trouble with heat transference into the space between the inner and outer walls. The glass is made to control transfer of the heat it absorbs into the surrounding metal - or so I have been told by an aerospace engineer who deals with windows on vehicles that go from hot to cold rapidly. He says that the aluminum will RADIATE heat into the space between it and the outer glass and will probably blow the outer glass out. He just mumbled something about understanding convective heat transfer coefficients in a confined space before one tries to re-engineer an oven. (I have a book club meeting shortly, he's a member.) Think about replacing the door, it's safer.

I'm with you on the topping and shearing of celery. I like the flavor of celery leaves in salads, without the crunch of the celery stalk so I grow lovage. Lovage is an herb that will grow almost anywhere - even as a houseplant in a sunny window if pinched back to keep it from growing too tall. It does have stems but not in a clump like celery but the flavor is exactly the same. The stems are pretty tough so are not useful raw but can be blanched to make them a bit more tender. I dry the leaves and crush them for inclusion in soups and stews during the winter. The dried leaves retain their flavor for a few months if tightly sealed in a glass jar away from the light. It is also a pretty plant and the cut stems and leaves look nice in a flower arrangement.

I don't have the "Dutch Baby" pan. I just use an "Everyday pan"made by Calphalon - the set of two pans, 10" & 12" were offered at a discount price a few years ago. The original recipe is actually German, or rather from German immigrants and I think is in the first Settlement cookbook from about 1910. There are also Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch (also of German descent) versions and serving with stewed apples was the usual topping. I first came across it when I lived in Wisconsin for a few years in the mid 1950s. My stepfather was of German descent and his sister used to make these. Years later, when I was a fairly new bride, I was given an Amish cookbook that had the same recipe. I have my old recipe on a file card, faded and stained but I did find this one online that is exactly like the one I make from scratch.

I'm bumping up this topic to add a link to a recipe for Dutch Baby Pancakes converted by one of the members of ForumThermomix, complete with lovely photos.