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Peter the eater

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Posts posted by Peter the eater

  1. It's like having 10 chickens in your mouth at once!

    Now there's a mental image that will be with me for some time!

    Count me in for the "liquid gold test kitchen". I have a giant tray of fresh chicken fragments in the fridge, and a dozen frozen Meat Kings from the farm. Photos and comments to follow . . .

  2. Hmmm . . . I will add that I cook pasta covered. I set my electric stove element to a generous albeit arbitrary "six". This is done once there is a good boil and I know from experience the boil will barely be sustained. I feel as though I can save some energy doing this, so why not? There is no detectable difference to my palate with fresh or dry pasta done this way.

  3. Cheese curd and chocolate?!? Why didn't I think of that . . . I will be in my "test kitchen" later this week.

    Your photos are magnificent - and too I am in awe of the mushroom bounty - foraged no less - by you. Clearly, you have put the fun back in fungus.

    Like lots of North Americans I haven't known or heard much about Estonia, although I am 1/8 Estonian as I mentioned before. I do remember hearing about a bronze soldier statue earlier this year, was that Taalinn? I am thrilled to be seeing such a skilled report on a place that's near the top of my "visit before I die" list. And I am compelled to do some more learning about the "old country" for myself and my kids. If they were to ask me about Estonia (2 yr old twins therefore hypothetically) I'd probably say "Baltic State, small Northern European country across from Finland, bullied by Germany and Russia last century".

    Since I am also 5/8 Scottish I cannot wait to see your dinner!

  4. Wow, that's an impressive skyline. Gothic spires and "onion" domes made me think of Eastern Europe but I did not guess Estonia. I am particularly interested in learning more about your country since my great grandfather came from Kihelkonna, Estonia (250 km SW of Tallinn) to Canada before WWI. I have one photo of him but know very little except his grandfather Peeter Vonalderslaven apparently has a statue in the town square.

    Looking forward to the food!

  5. It's particularly silly given that the company is based in Quebec.

    You are right, I hadn't noticed that. Maybe there is something lost in translation. Montreal and the rest of Quebec, unique place that it is, does have some absurd language laws - but that's a whole other topic.

    I'll bet there are lots of urbanites out there who want fruits and vegetables on demand from their freezer regardless of the season. I get that, I'm just not the target market. Maybe they have sales figures to prove me wrong, but selling frozen Chinese vegetables under the brand name "Europe's Best" . . . to North Americans . . . is just plain stupid. As far as I am concerned eating local produce is even more important than eating organic.

  6. This really bothers me.

    The TV ad shows an upper-middle class North American guy gobbling up his vegetables and ignoring his steak while Vivaldi strings set the mood. Gobbling prepackaged prefrozen well-travelled microwaved veggies, that is.

    I had forgotten about this brand until yesterday when I got "sampled" at the grocery store. The microwaved veggies looked and tasted okay, the same as any other frozen vegetables. I am offended that the makers are suggesting Europe has superior produce.. This is compounded by the fine print on the package: product of China. Are you kidding me?

    I realize "made in China" has been taking it on the chin recently. I have nothing against Chinese produce, only that it is labeled "Europe's Best". And the elitist tone that Europe is better, for me, is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Europe isn't better. Europe is different. Europe is older, and white people have lived there longer.

    In their own words: Our fruit and vegetables come from around the world: we comb the planet to find the very best. This does not sound like a very good idea to me . . .

    Am I alone here?

  7. Has anyone else on here tried roasting coffee? 

    Welcome jclaar, I think you'll get lots of responses but I must say having roasted my own coffee at home exactly once I am extremely stoked to do it again. I used a cheap-o aluminum stove top popcorn maker with a crank, waited for the first crack, and then ran outside to de-chaff with colanders just before they went black. I brewed some right away and then some the next day. The second batch was substantially better.

    I am confident that with a few more iterations I can approach and possibly surpass my local roasters. Plus its a lot of fun.

    You must check out an egFoodblog from earlier this summer (name escapes me, index needs updating) but an energetic woman from NYC (the Village?) with a kitchen store showed me how it can be done with a big old iron pan and a fire escape.

  8. Porthos and Tim, you both are right.

    1. well-worn (not by me) butter form

    2. spiral mixer, just push and it turns. hard to clean.

    3. heat diffuser for under the pot on the woodstove. no woodstove here, not sure why I have it.

    4. ceramic hot water bottle. works great, 120 years old.

    5. aluminum segmented pot. haven't found the right three-part meal for it yet.

  9. Here's some weird stuff from my kitchen. I sort of know what they all are but I would love to hear some feedback. I'll post "answers" here soon . . .

    1. used to be very common:

    gallery_42214_4635_111720.jpg

    2. hmmmm:

    gallery_42214_4635_64964.jpg

    3. both sides look the same:

    gallery_42214_4635_40498.jpg

    4. not necessarily for the kitchen:

    gallery_42214_4635_93398.jpg

    5. obviously a stovetop pot, but for what:

    gallery_42214_4635_42582.jpg

    here's the bottom stamp:

    gallery_42214_4635_33815.jpg

  10. Our nearby pots & pans factory is Paderno on Prince Edward Island. They don't seem to use rivets - everything has a spot weld, even on their top-of-the line pro set which they say is aboard Air Force One.

    I am pro-rivet. They are simply more robust mechanically and visually.

    I appreciate the strong and honest expression of a riveted metal-to-metal connection (wow, spot the architect). I doubt any high-end pots with welds are going to fall apart the way I use them, and I agree riveted measuring cups is a little unnecessary given the loads they will likely encounter. Cleaning a riveted pot is just not a big deal for me. So I say rivets rule!

  11. I do drive-through food once every week or two and its almost always Tim's (or the T-Ho as I call it). This behavior goes back twenty years and I can say I have never received a bad cup of coffee nor have I had a great cup. Its always the same medium roast fresh-tasting pretty good brew. And that is why I go back for more coffee.

    I rarely get other stuff these days. It used to be the sourdough glazed donut in university, now its maybe an oatcake. I can't really say how they compare to Krispy Keam or Dunkins because I've never been.

  12. I am trying to get my consulting business formalized. I have done freelance consulting on and off for many years in-between my “real job”. My specialty is menu R&D and recipe development, kitchen design. I know that I need to come up with a great business name, get a logo, letter head etc. In essence, I need to present a more professional first impression. I have been thinking for weeks on a good name for the business and have not come up with any that are worthy.  I don’t (think I) want it to include my name, or have a regional sounding name.  All suggestions are greatly appreciated.

    Why not call yourself The Oracle?

    For me it suggests the pinnacle of knowledge and it is mouth-related.

  13. Diggingoutedness is a fabulous word. Chicken oysters are way up there on the morsel pantheon. Of course turkeys have oysters too. My husband's relatives are either vegetarians or trepidatious white meat eaters, so they never notice when I turn that Thanksgiving bird over and dig them out.

    What/where exactly is a turkey or chicken oyster? I have made ostrich oysters - its a thigh muscle.

    Back to fish heads . . .

  14. Razorfish in black bean sauce, a favourite in our house that never disappoints:

    gallery_52657_4505_845447.jpg

    Wow, that looks spot on! Razor clams are the most under appreciated bivalve around here. And there are lots around - nobody seams to like them except for the gulls. For selfish (shellfish?) reasons I hope it stays that way.

  15. Holy **** I have been crying with laughter catching up with this thread.

    When I was in grade twelve (in the 1980's) and had calculus on a Friday afternoon, my mates and I went for a beer and a Chinese lunch at the mall. For over a year the menu read "Human Beef Special" and "Lucky Family Surprise". Wish I had a photo.

  16. I buy fish heads and other trimmings for chowder once in a while - its a great value, sometimes free. One day, eventually, I am sure it will be very expensive.

    This is a thread worth reviving!

    I am a bit afraid to ask, but what is a Bloviatrix?

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