andiesenji

I had one basenji who liked candied ginger. I have had several who would dig up garlic bulbs and consume them, with the unfortunate after effects of pungent gassy emanations that required banishing them to the dog room until it passed. (Garden fencing solved that problem). And I had one basenji that developed a taste for hot peppers and would pick them off the bushes, chew on them a bit and leave the remains here and there around the house. Dogs, like people, can have some very odd eating habits. Yes, ginger is good for motion sickness.

Having an aunt who shuffled between Charleston, SC and Quebec City for many years (owned with her husband, a native of QC, a small hotel and in Charleston a B&B) I had many discussions about the types of pastries, cakes and etc., she either baked at the B&B or supervised baking of at the hotel. She admitted that many things baked in the south used more sugar but she thought it was due to the belt-tightening after WWII that Canadians used less sugar. Her husband said that pre-war pastries, cakes, and etc., were much sweeter than post-war when England was on very tight rationing and it was considered patriotic to cut back on consumption too. My aunt also felt that southerners like cakes that are more moist and one of the ways to insure this is sugar, which retains moisture easily and also retards staling. (One of the complaints about lower sugar bakery products is dryness and rapid staling.) I know several Canadians who routinely drive across the border to shop for certain foods in the US - Niagara for one - because they want a particular brand that is either not sold in Canada or is different in some way. One is a native of Canada who lived in Nashville for some years and developed a taste for cornbread, southern style. She can't get the brand she prefers (Bob's Red Mill) in her town so shops for it in NY. She also has a problem with buying Softasilk cake flour at home. Stores carry SwansDown but she says it doesn't work as well.

I have been given a tip by a friend and am on the hunt for opaque, black or metallic coated vacuum bags, similar to those used by commercial firms but supposedly available in smaller quantities. So far none of the URLs I was sent have been viable, but I still have a long list to explore. When I find a source that is reliable, and try the product, I will post my results.

I'm so glad you noted this. I always use kosher salt and would probably have had a similar result.

No question is ever stupid. A desire for information or enlightenment is an indication of intelligence.

I have a long, long, long list. I am at times impulsive and buy things that I "think" I will like, only to be disappointed and occasionally disgusted. However, I keep on with it. I like caviar - the good stuff - and I don't mind paying a premium price for it. Last year I was suckered into buying some "farm-raised" stuff that was awful and while it cost significantly less than the kind I usually buy, it wasn't exactly cheap. One bite was too much. It was fishy and oily. Terrible stuff and not worth the cost if I had paid only for the shipping (overnight) and I won't be tempted again. I also bought some of the "domestic" truffles - not worth the cost of shipping. I will be ordering my usual spring treat from the same source I have used for years. (Not going to reveal it, I am selfish and the supply is very limited.) Perhaps someday the people who are working hard to develop the fungi in this country will get it right but to date I have not been convinced. I have no regrets about any of the knives I have purchased over the years. I have always been picky and learned from my early mentor that buying the best is cheaper in the long run. Ditto with my pots and pans. Only the best is good enough for me. I have been disappointed in some appliances that failed to perform to my standards. I keep going back to my ancient ones that have been rewired and occasionally helped along by a wizard appliance repair place, because those old standards work better than the new-fangled ones.

I recommend that you take the time (unless you have already done so) to read through the extensive information slkinsey has posted here: Understanding Stovetop Cookware I can't imagine that any question you may have has not been covered in this thread.

Slow and Easy Bread in a Pot was the initial recipe in the episode I watched yesterday. Episode 209 can be watched here. I was impressed by the other recipes too but the bread that was mixed, proofed and baked, all in the same pot, was the star of the show in my opinion. I think the overnight stint in the fridge should develop a very nice flavor. I plan on mixing a batch this evening and baking it off tomorrow morning and will report back with my results. It has also prompted me to order the book!

In your local market, look in the kosher food section for "Sour Salt" it is citric acid.

Just so you don't go to all the trouble of getting your friend to send you White Lily flour, it is not the same as it was. The company was purchased by Smuckers and the production moved to the midwest NY Times article re White Lily flour Instead of self-rising flour, try using pastry flour (not cake flour) and adding your own salt and baking powder. Self-rising flour already has salt in it, for most recipes do not add more.

Toasting in the oven on a sheet pan allows one to toast the top of the bread but the bottom stays just enough less toasted so that it is more absorbable. At least that is the way it works for me.

I posted in this topic early on about the local café where I regularly am served a carafe of near boiling water so I can use my own tea bags. I had a late lunch there yesterday and was joined by the owner and his daughter and asked them if it had ever bothered them that I brought my own tea bags. They both exclaimed that not only did they not resent it, they had both learned some interesting things about the teas I had brought in and shared with them and they had all joined the TeaMail group and had become enthusiastic tea drinkers, especially the owner's wife, who received a gift of one of the automatic tea brewers from Adagio for Christmas. The owner said he would like to offer premium teas but did not have enough tea drinking patrons to make it feasible to stock even a modest selection, particularly in these chancy times. I would never presume to bring my own tea into a shop that sold teas or served other than the no-name stuff that isn't worth drinking. I also have no problem with requesting properly heated water in places that do offer premium teas because there is no point in paying for it unless it can be brewed properly. Servers who fail to appreciate the fact that brewing temperature is critical to the enjoyment of the product should not be serving tea.

I originally bought the heat gun to remove paint from some metal office furniture prior to having it powder coated (cut the cost by 1/3). I then wondered what other uses I could find for it and took it into the kitchen.

I have a pretty good broiler that works fine for a few bowls of FOS. However, I serve it a lot for bigger groups and toast the bread in the oven well ahead of time, allow it to cool and shortly before serving place the cheese on the toast. When ready to serve, I ladle the soup into all the bowls, float the toast on top then melt the cheese with this handy appliance. Works great and very rapidly.

Here are my three favorite coffee mugs, all owned for many years and used regularly. (Owl used every morning.) Owl - 16 oz Hand-thrown purchased at a craft fair in the mid-'70s during my owl-collecting phase. Lion - 14 oz Otigiri purchased in early '80s. Egypt - 12 oz Egyptian Papyrus Series purchased at a museum store in 1988.

I haven't had a problem with pantry moths for quite a while and always store grains and etc., in the freezer for several days after purchase. However I had a nasty surprise in my spice cupboard today when I came across this container of nigella which has never been opened so the insect eggs were in there when received. I have contacted the vendor and am awaiting a response. Not a pretty picture. The grubs are quite large and there is no evidence of winged critters to date.

I remember walking through a neighborhood in San Francisco in the late '50s and being able to accurately guess what was cooking as we passed each home: (Italian, seafood, pot roast, hamburgers, fried liver and onions). The range of aromas today would rigorously test even the most dedicated food fanatic.

I use trays all the time. I have various types including the ubiquitous "cafeteria" trays made by Cambro, that are nearly indestructible and are cheap, clean easily and with a lining of the non-slip shelf liner, make transporting things easy and convenient. I have deeper "tea" trays made of wood, bamboo, rattan, etc., that are handy for transporting a bunch of tumblers, goblets, and things that tend to tip over. Some of my tea trays came with folding stands that are similar to luggage stands and two are part of a tea cart that can be wheeled around when needed. My use of trays is partly due to growing up in a home where trays were constantly in use and it was considered vulgar to hand guests a glass or cup and saucer or plate directly, good manners required such things be offered on a tray. As I recall, things became more relaxed in the '60s and the use of trays never really came back into general use.

While baking cookies for the holidays I reverted to my childhood and prepared a slice of bread spread thinly with soft butter then sprinkled with hundreds of thousands. I can recall with great clarity my grandmother preparing this for me and cutting the "sandwich" into tiny triangles. The crunch was the best part. As a diabetic I must carefully watch my sugar intake but reasoned that a teaspoon of these tiny candies would not cause too much damage and it did keep me from being tempted by the richer cookies I was baking.

Tyler gently reminded me that we polished off the bottle you gave us a few months ago. But its so much more exotic when it comes from Korea ← Too true! I just came back from the local Filipino market and had a brief conversation with the owner about the variety of vinegars he sells - including coconut - and he mentioned that his mother drinks a combination of the coconut vinegar and coconut juice every morning "to keep her veins clean." (She is 91!) I bought a bottle of cane vinegar. My dad is also a devotee of drinking apple cider vinegar (diluted with warm water) on a daily basis. Perhaps there is something to it.

I have the RyuSen Damascus but haven't used it as much as I used its predecessor which had a somewhat broader blade and gave more knuckle room. The RyuSen was a replacement of the other knife which I returned because it developed graininess on the surface that was determined to be a flaw in the metal. I can state that the RyuSen is incredibly sharp and glides through vegetables like nothing else I have used and as far as onions are concerned, the only way I can slice them thinner is on my mandoline. I have not used it enough to require sharpening but I was assured it could be sharpened with my Chef'sChoice Diamond Hone sharpener.

I have never had migraines and rarely have headaches - can't even recall the last one, probably two or three years ago. However I do get severe and debilitating headaches from chocolate, along with chills and weakness and this is only from full fat chocolate. Cocoa does not have the same effect (I only use Dutch process cocoa). The allergist I saw back when I first began having these symptoms, (about 20 years ago) thought it might be related to my severe alcohol allergy but the few tests caused such severe symptoms that they were discontinued and I was cautioned to avoid it entirely. Less than 1/10th of an ounce was enough to trigger the reaction. Unlike migraines, the headaches were on both sides of my head, right behind my eyebrows and felt like I had spikes driven into both temples.

Drinking vinegar is an ancient tradition in Italy, it goes back to the Romans. One of the Roman generals, who wrote memoirs of campaigns in Gaul, mentioned the health benefits of mixing vinegar with the local water. (It's been 50 years since I read this so the name escapes me, but I do recall this bit of trivia - and his sending a special messenger to obtain garum when his supply was running low.) I make my own vinegar and have one red variety that is very tasty when mixed with seltzer. It is sweeter than most vinegars.

I have the LG and love it. The two freezer drawers are very handy and I like the configuration of the fridge. It doesn't have a lot of room for very tall things, with all the shelves installed, but I have a second fridge so it isn't a problem for me and I also have a big separate freezer for long term storage. I have checked the temp in various parts of the fridge and this one keeps stuff in the door much colder than in fridges I have had in the past so it is safe for dairy. (Some units simply do not keep things stored in the door as cold as they should be without having other parts too cold.

Andie, I am having a hard time visualizing these "organizers". When you have time and energy could you post a photo or two, please? ← I bought them at Staples - they are desk and shelf organizers. Very sturdy - I also have shallower ones like the black one in the other fridge as they are ideal for holding cheeses. I also have them in the freezer for holding stuff in bags. Keeps it much neater and makes it easier to find and rotate stuff.