Meridian

I think I could distinguish between wild & farmed salmon, also organic fresh carrots and bagged carrots. The one thing I am confident I can distinguish more or less flavour in, is organic vs non-organic celery. I will pay a premium price for almost any organic celery to obtain what I think of as that 'old fashioned flavour'. Has anyone else noticed this?

I am not much of a sauce maker so I leave the saucing technique to you. Two flavours that are great with pork are cranberry or cherry (sour if available). I'll bet you will find a method for creation on Google but also in eGForums.

One "secret" way of getting a soft dough is to add 1/2 cup or so of mashed potatoes to the dough. These will keep the dough soft. Some people like the dough rubbery and some more delicate. Your pierogies (also Pyrohy or Varenyky) look pretty good for your first effort.

In my neighbourhood I am known as the Pizza Queen. I have been using Teti pizza bases which are only available in Toronto. I'm sure most folks would be horrified by my use of preformed bases but if the oven is set to 500 degrees these are pretty good. Pizza dough, either my own or purchased has always driven me crazy. I can never get them to stretch enough or with any control. I will certainly use your method now. I like the idea of leaving dough in the fridge and the rest periods between pizza dough stretching. This will work for me and the dough. I wish I had a hint to give you but I think you covered all the bases very well. The only thing I would mention is keep the sauce and toppings to a minimum. You also mentioned that but it is worth repeating. Many thanks for your efforts and on to bigger, better and more consistent pizza!

You can use grape seed oil but it can be expensive. It is also supposed to be very good for you fresh ie on salads etc. All I know is that they use it alot in Europe and it has a high smoke point. If anyone knows more I'd love to know.

I've just been told about this. I put some romas in a plastic ziplock bag and put them in the freezer. As I needed tomatoes (for cooking only) I took out them out, washed them under warm water which made the skins loosen then I squeezed the guts into the pot. It works really well and I'm quite enthused with this approach. You could also just defrost a batch, wash and put everything through a fine food mill. This is a great tool.

I would add some tomato juice, enough to satisfy "the look". Taste it after warming again, then add flavourings as you did earlier until it pleases your taste. What kind of pot did you use? I cook my beans in the oven, in a bean crock. The oven produces much better baked beans than the slow cooker in my opinion. When I start to cook I have just enough liquid (water is fine) to cover the beans. As they cook at a low temp in the oven, I add more liquid to keep them just covered. Toward the last 2 hours of cooking, I add acidic stuff like tomato juice. If you use anything acidic at first the beans may not soften properly as they cook. I'm no expert but my beans are good and reliable.

I would like to know if anyone out there has ever pickled garlic. Can you give me your technique or point me in the right direction. Thanks

so, what's the purpose of storing food in plastic bags with perforations? seems like by storing the food in such a way it would defeat the purpose of even putting them in plastic bag in the first place. ← It is about getting the right amount of humidity. The perforated plastic bag just gives a little more control. This may not be necessary depending on the quality of your fridge. The paper towelling idea works well too.

I use plastic bags with perforations in them. You can purchase these. Most stores have them. When I don' t have any, I make some holes in solid bags to tide me over until I can buy veggie bags. In the crisper you may find you don't need bags at all. This will depend on the fridge quality.

Did you choose to buy the oven? If so, what was it like?

I happened upon a macaroon recipe that required Creamed Coconut. This is distinct from coconut milk which is runny. This is in a solid block, which, depending on it's use, you may thin with water. I found it in a grocery store. Look in the drink mix section. You may get lucky.

My 89 year old father has a memory of dill pickles his mother used to make which had no vinegar. I think the Ruhlman recipe with the appropriate dill, may fit the bill but I need to know how to keep them over the winter. Can anyone help me go from the pickles left in brine for 5 days to an actual jar of pickles available at Christmas?

I place a 10 quart basket of blueberries, unwashed in the freezer overnight, then bag them in the morning in useable quantities. I wash them and defrost them simultaneously when I'm ready to use some.

If you are looking for tender, I would recommend breading with Panko (japanese bread crumbs). Cooking chicken or fish breaded in Panko yields a very tender and juicy result. Although I haven't tried it, you may wish to first coat with cornstarch marinade for flavouring. I have heard that cornstarch is a tenderizer. As far as fat is concerned, start out with parts from a good bird. Using the panko technique will keep the fat in.

I have had a home-made lemon liquor mellowed by the addition of a couple of peppercorns. This may be something to experiment with for the limoncello crowd. Since I do not like sweet drinks, I just add lemon peels and 2 peppercorns to a bottle of vodka and let it sit in the sun for months or until I can't stand it anymore. It is smooth going down. I will also try Katie's recipe with the addition of peppercorns to see what happens.