andiesenji

My upright freezer has a keyed lock and I lock it. Not that I worry that things are going to go missing but in the '94 earthquake the freezer door opened when stuff inside shifted and hit the door. If yours doesn't have a lock, glue a wide Velcro strap to the DOOR and the base or hook portion on the side. (I did this long ago with a fridge to keep my dogs from opening it.) The strap hanging down will remind you to close and secure the door. This is an inexpensive and easy way to save your food and your money.

I've put my cast iron griddle (12 1/2 inch diameter) on the induction burner and checked the temperature at various spots with my ThermoWorks Combo IR thermometer. (Incidentally this is currently on special for $69., $20. off the regular price. I've had mine for a few years and it works great in both modes.) The temperature of the griddle does not vary more than 5 degrees (F) from the center to within an inch of the outer edge. The far outer edge is cooler by 15 degrees but as I'm not cooking on that rim, it is of no concern to me.

I have some old soda siphons that still work well and as they produce essentially the same product (fizzy water). The cost is usually significantly less. Frankly, I prefer having my seltzer in a glass bottle. This round one is no longer easily found. but I think it looks cool! These glass bottles will hold a charge - keep the water fizzy - for months. I also have a red metal Isi 1 liter and a Stainless steel Liss 2-liter for use at parties.

I'm bumping this topic up because we now have a "Farmers Market" in Lancaster on "The Blvd." and I walked through it yesterday afternoon. (Thursday 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.) I was not impressed and did not buy anything. I thought much of it was overpriced. This morning I'm just back from an early morning excursion to the produce market (just down the street from UPS where I had to ship a box). Tomatoes 2 pounds Apricots 1.3 pounds White corn 4 for 1.00 large plump ears Green grapes seedless 1 pound Red grapes seedless 1.55 pounds Cherries Ranier 1.5 pounds Lettuce 1/ - 1.00 Cabbage 1/- 35 ¢ Cucumbers 2/ - 1.00 Mango 1/- 49¢ jumbo size Gld.Del. Apples 3 pounds Peaches, yellow 2.5 pounds Bananas 5 pounds Strawberries 3-pack 4.50 Total cost: $31.37 The total was 10% more but they gave me a senior discount even though the usual senior discount day is Tuesday. However, I am a regular customer so the owner, who checked me out, extended the courtesy. I can only guess at this point but I am sure I would have spend at least half again as much at the Farmers Market.

I shopped at the local middle eastern store yesterday and noted that they now have a Preethi Nitro and offer spice grinding for customers (it has several containers), and also have a barrel type grinder (I assume is a wet grinder) that has a label Sowbagya (not quite sure of the spelling, I scribbled it rapidly) and I'm not sure how they use it. The lady was quite busy and distracted while answering my question. It looks smaller than the others I have seen in person (Butterfly & Premier). I think she said it was for grinding lentils.

Percyn, Somebody does manufacture and market bacon jam. I bought some last year and mentioned it in a post back then. Can't recall which topic. I purchased mine from ChefShop.com but it is now available at Amazon.com. I have also heard rumors of a Bourbon Bacon Marmalade that is supposed to debut in time for the holiday shopping season.

It just so happened that an email (Recipes) from the California Avocado Commission arrived in today's email. After perusing the new crop of recipes, I found the page with the varieties. In case anyone is interested.

The smooth-skinned ones grown here in So.Cal. are almost always Fuerte during late winter and spring. The rounder Reed variety is in markets now through fall and the Bacon variety shows up in mid-winter. These smooth-skinned varieties don't need as much water as the Hass so are popular with growers where water supplies are a problem. (I have a friend down near San Diego who grows several different varieties so as to have crops all year.) In side-by-side tasting, I don't notice much difference between the Fuerte and the Hass, except the Fuerte is sometimes a little firmer and it keeps well. The Reed has very creamy flesh, has a smaller seed than the others and is very popular with my Mexican friends because it is usually much less expensive, especially in the Mexican markets. I don't have any experience with fruits grown in Florida but my friend tells me that in the El Niño years when her groves got way more water than usual, the fruits that matured in winter and spring grew too large too rapidly and had less flavor and poor texture. A case of too much of a good thing.

I like to remove the white "pith" too. I have been using one of these for several years. There are other types, made of all metal but this one fits my hand better. I tried one of these but it was not comfortable to hold for long periods. However, I do use it for the extra-large strawberries as it cores them better than the other one.

Pattypan squash are ideal for "stuffing" with various combinations of vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc., I steam them for about 4-5 minutes depending on size - 4 inch or so. Then scoop out a hollow on the top (rounder) side leaving at least 1/4 inch base. I saute the chopped core with onions, tomatoes, seasonings of your choice, a little cooked meat or chicken, stuff the squash with this mixture, place in a baking dish, top with grated cheese and bake for about 20-25 minutes. You can add anything to the stuffing mixture, bread crumbs, raisins, olives and so on or use any meatloaf or stuffed pepper mixture. Anything works and is good. I don't eat seafood but a friend makes a stuffing with clams and/or mussels for either pattypan, delicata or zucchini squash and she cooks them on the barbecue grill in one of those perforated grill pans, adding the cheese at the last minute.

To get the ice cream off the dasher, I use a silicone basting brush - reserved for that use only. Years ago, before silicone brushed were available, I used synthetic brushes but they had to be carefully cleaned immediately after use.

You can make a granita or sorbet by allowing the stuff to partially freeze, then scraping it with a sturdy fork, putting back in the freezer and repeating this process several times. It is labor intensive but doesn't require a "machine." I've had an ice cream machine for 35 years - originally a Simac, now I have Lello Gellatos (2). The machine is always ready - turn on and allow it to chill (ten minutes) put the bucket in the machine, fit the dasher and turn it on and it will run for the time you have pre-set. (Usually 25 minutes).

You can slice the zucchini and pickle with a sweet-sour pickling liquid as for "bread and butter" pickles. These are great in salads, on sandwiches, chopped to add to tuna, chicken or egg salad, etc.

You can see some crank-type barrel sifters here. I've got a large one purchased at a restaurant supply place many years ago, double screen, fine. I have a 5 cup crank sifter with medium mesh that is about half the size of the other.

There are a number of restaurants that offer senior discounts if one asks. Others do have a "seniors" menu and there are others who actually encourage seniors to identify themselves so they can get a discount. Here's a site with recent posts about such places that are all over the U.S. Some of the chains offer discounts on a store by store basis, depending on the management. The Elephant Bar restaurants - there is one in Valencia - have a Seniors Explorer card. This is especially nice when a party of seniors get together - my book club drives down there once a year. For those who really like to put on the feed bag, the HomeTown Buffet restaurants have a Seniors Club card that is popular with a lot of folks I know. I seldom go because I simply can't eat that much but I have friends who visit at least twice a week. One of my neighbors is a frequent visitor to Denny's where she gets a 20% discount with her AARP card. This is not always advertised and one has to ask if the particular store offers it, but most do.

The traditional recipe for lakhoum did not contain corn starch because it was not available in the middle east until fairly recent times. The other gelling agents produce a clearer, more stable candy that is less subject to breakdown in warm conditions.

I keep tomatoes in a wire basket so the air can circulate freely around them. Of course most supermarket tomatoes have already been stored in refrigeration so not much more can be done to them but if you spend money on heirloom tomatoes there is definitely a loss in flavor if they are stored in the fridge for more than a few hours. I have tried side-by-side tasting of cherry tomatoes, picked from my garden, some refrigerated to chill them prior to adding to a molded salad and the remainder left in their basket on the counter. The chilled ones had less flavor and were not as sweet and to me the difference was significant.

I love eggplant in just about every way it can be prepared. That being said, I do know many folks can't stand it. This Saveur article and the side links might help. Last year I had a surfeit of eggplants of all shapes, sizes and colors and was directed by a friend to this site: Ashbury's Aubergines Where there are hundreds of recipes utilizing eggplant. Select a letter and look at the list. I selected this page because I have tried the marinated eggplants, pickled eggplant and the Mince and Eggplant casserole on just this one page. Oh! Also tried the Mock Oyster Casserole - used the small white eggplants just cut in half - it was delicious. I didn't peel them because with this variety the skin is very tender and not at all bitter.

You might check the U.S. Pharmacopeia. Ingested nicotine is not rapidly metabolized and the residual effects can be dangerous even when very small amounts are taken. This is compounded because alcohol actually speeds the absorption into the affected organs. Handling it is also problematic because it can readily be absorbed through the skin. Read this before you proceed. sixteen years ago we had this case that created a stir in the OC. And last December this was in the news. It's not just in mystery novels. If you absolutely must try it, do so with the tobacco that is intended for chewing - it has a sweetening agent in it. Snuff is also probably easier to measure so you know exactly how much you are getting.

America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Country did this a couple of weeks ago. I've done something similar in the past and they work beautifully - very nice topped with sour cream.

As noted above, there are several candies popular in the middle east that are made with gum arabic. A few years ago I posted this recipe for Lakhoum which lists gelatin/agar agar or guar gum and you can substitute gum arabic. You can use it in any of the "gummi" type candies, substituting it for other thickening agents. It is used to make vegan marshmallows where neither eggs nor animal-based gelatin is desired. Detailed instructions for candied flowers. Years ago I used to buy a lot of it for artwork as it can be used to produce a thick paint from powdered pigments, that retains its shine after drying and it is an excellent base for gold leaf in paintings.

She planted her seeds in pots in her "sun room" and set the plants out at the beginning of April. There are all kinds of barrier "fences" that fold up to store for the winter but which can protect plants from dogs. I string the lines with the fluttery ribbons that also deter birds along the tops and that discourages the dogs from jumping over the little fences.

I'm in the U.S. so my only option was buying the machine from Canada without a demo but I had seen one in action and I also spent a long time watching YouTube videos and read everything I could find on the subject, reviewing several sites with extensive recipes lists. I don't use it as much as many folks do because I have a plethora of other appliances but for some applications it does a superior job so I do use it for those procedures that used to require more time and effort on my part. I have recommended it to a few people with unique needs who have purchased it (also without demos) and have found it to be a great solution to the problem of a tiny kitchen (galley on a boat in one instance) living full time in a motorhome, and living in a senior facility where the only cooking appliances allowed in the individual units are those without an exposed heat element. (Microwaves are okay, rice cookers are okay, hot plates are NOT.) Being able to cook nutritious meals with fresh vegetables and fruits is a huge boon to people who don't want to live on prepared/frozen/instant foods and don't want to have to take all their meals in the center's cafeteria. Forumthermomix has an impressive list of recipes in every category and more are being added every day. There is also a section for the TM21. If there is ANY question you need to have answered about Thermomix, ask it there and you will get the answers you need - and then some.

Last year I sent some seeds to a friend in England (in a village east of Lincoln) who planted some seedlings against a south-facing wall in her kitchen garden and says they are growing like weeds. She has harvested a few liters already and picks more every day. She finds they keep in a basket with plenty of air circulation, in her "larder" for at least a week. She thinks they got a kick start because of the residual warmth of the wall keeping them warmer at night than they would have in a more exposed area.

You can begin picking and using them as soon as they are close to an inch in diameter. The husks will grow first and the fruit will then begin to "fill" it but I just pick them when I need them and allow the remainder to keep growing. In my experience, they produce more flowers and more fruit as the earlier ones are picked.