FauxPas

I just ordered some through Amazon also. It doesn't cost much at all and I keep forgetting to check in the stores.

But it does say "For Beef Dishes - Pour Plats au Boeuf" right under SAUCE INSTANTANÉE....

I need to try this stuff!

Hmm, I'm wondering also. When I look around, I do some discussions of powder vs granules. I don't know the difference really. I see it argued different ways. Here's one example: https://www.amazon.com/ask/questions/Tx34CE9KO4WGUEQ?_encoding=UTF8&sort=helpful But I have seen people show preferences one way or another and sometimes for the same reasons. And that's just a quick search!

@boilsover, I think people may be asking you to be more precise and I think they are being fair. It's no more than what you have demanded of others in various discussions here. Also, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to say that I baked something my way and it seemed better to me and therefore it must be better than what others are doing. You would (and do) ask for objectivity and precision. An independent third party doing taste-testing, a cross-section photo, some more info or details is what I think people are asking for before they agree that one tool will completely change the way that people make a certain item. But feel free to ignore me, I am a nothing when it comes to some baking.

More details on the upcoming MAX model here (and in the links in this article): https://www.hippressurecooking.com/instant-pot-max-peek/

For whatever reason, these ones hang on there really nicely and never fall off.

I have a few things on the fridge in this house. I love the K-Cup holder, it's up above the counter and out of the way, but still really handy. And the small Charles Viancin silicon lids adhere nicely, so get stored here. My favourite magnet is Jasper the Bear. Other than that, pretty boring stuff. Actually, wondering if anyone can recommend magnets for the back of another K-Cup holder for our other house. The fridge there is stainless steel and although the sides are magnetic, it doesn't seem like quite enough to hold that holder in place. I was thinking of adding some magnets, either glue them on or find some single-side adhesive ones. This is what the back looks like.

I'm certainly not an expert, but my rule is to to use a decent (100% agave) blanco for margaritas, along with Cointreau. The last two basic margarita tequilas I bought were Herradura Silver and Plata Hornitos and we were pretty happy with the results. I've paid more for tequila and tried other brands, but there are many to choose from and it can be a matter of personal taste. Next bottle I might try something different. I like a bright citrus-forward margarita and think the blanco supports that best. With a reposado tequila margarita, I am more likely to balance that flavour with Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau. I often add a small splash of fresh orange juice along with the lime juice. And I like Prickly Pear Margaritas but I only use the prickly pear juice or nectar, never the prickly pear syrup which I think tastes awful.

Me too. But at the same time, I'm excited and I HAVE to look! I don't always admit it, but I do buy books based on this thread.....

While this topic overlaps with some others (tipping culture, being a line cook in Vegas) I don't know if it should be relegate to one of those? Anyway, it's some details about a line cook working at Le Coucou. Has anyone here eaten there? I wish they had gone into more detail about the actual workstation work, though I still found the article interesting. And yeah, it's crazy that these high-end restaurants are effectively paying their waitstaff so much more than the people actually cooking the food. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/line-cook-nycs-fanciest-restaurants?mbid=nl_nl20180305fig_trendingrecipes&CNDID=34168170

I ran across this before but some of you may get a giggle out of it if you haven't already seen it yourselves: How to Make Wine in an Instant Pot

I'm sorry but I laughed out loud when I read that, because it's EXACTLY the sort of thing I would do. You can buy a replacement one at the Instant Pot site, but they are currently sold out (though they will email you when available). The one for the 8 qt is $9.95 which seems quite pricey but the smaller one may cost less and shipping is usually free. https://store.instantpot.com/collections/parts/small-parts I suspect you can live without one, though. Just be a bit careful when you lift the lid off.

With the inner (cooking pot) in or not? The cooking (liner) pot extends higher than the outer pot alone. It's close to 9 3/4 inches for my 6 quart DUO with the liner pot inside.

I'm sure that someone else will be a better source of information than I am, but I have purchased verjus (and some lovely balsamic vinegar) from Venturi-Schulze winery on Vancouver Island in BC though this hardly helps you as it is a long way from you and even though they do ship to the US, their verjus is currently unavailable. But I did see a NY Times article from 2010 on verjus and they recommended a Long Island vineyard that still produces and sells verjus. Wölffer Estate Vineyard. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/dining/27power.html

Pretty similar, anyway.

But first let us know if that even makes any difference, because I still had a hard time!

I had a heck of a time getting mine on, too! And then I saw something in the instructions somewhere that showed a diagram of bending it a certain way. Wait, here's a photo from p 12 of the manual, which suggested to me that I had to pinch the top of the cup together before pushing it into place. Even so, it was awkward. But I got it on there. Did anyone else have this problem?

The meal kits in the local Fry's (Kroger) were near the produce and deli sections and close to one of the entrances. Beside produce and in front of deli as you come into the store, basically. Looks like they introduce some new ones each week.

Here is our second experience with the Fry's/Kroger Prep+Pared meal kits. It's a vegan one, Black Bean Street Cakes with sautéed squash and verde rice. These patties were really good! I think even most non-vegans would enjoy this meal. And it was nice to dress up the rice with the salsa verde. The corn grits base for the patties was tasty and held together well and the spices were fun. It was a fast, easy and fun meal. I would absolutely try a similar one.

At the end of the day, we were pleasantly surprised by this meal. It's a very simple one and it all depended on a couple of simple ingredients, We both loved the shrimp and the pre-cooked pasta. We were really surprised by how tasty it was. Would it compete with a good restaurant, maybe not. But it was surprisingly decent. And really fast to make. And reasonably priced. My husband loved the shrimp and we thought it was a very generous amount. We had a hard time finishing it all. Not the best photo, I just don't have any more time tonight. The meal was good.

I assume you are talking about plastic shopping bags? I live in BC for half of my life and while you can potentially recycle plastic bags, most of us on Vancouver Island don't use them at all anymore. I don't. My grocery store doesn't use them at all and hasn't for years. And I almost never use them here either. However, that doesn't mean that there is no plastic packaging. But if you want to compare plastic waste, I will measure the components in any way you wish and compare them to any other packaging. But maybe this should be a whole other category.

The recipe card for the Shrimp Scampi says 8 oz of shrimp, but the shrimp packaging says 10 oz. I will try and weigh the shrimp before cooking. The Black Bean cakes were $14, the shrimp dinner was $18. A bit pricey in some ways, but they really do make it easy for people. The meal kits are in a special cooler near the front of the store, so very easy to grab and go. And you can preview them online first and presumably order them through ClickList if you want to do a drive-thru pick-up. There are lots of people who visit here (or other areas) for a week or a month and many of them have kitchen facilities but may not want to spend a lot of time shopping or ending up with unused ingredients. These could be perfect for nights when they want to cook at home, but without much fuss and yet go beyond the basic ready-to-go options. And no subscription required.

I didn't want to get into the packaging issue right now. I think I have commented on it previously when we used to get kits from Sunizona farms. Sometimes it does seem like a lot. Edited to say: But feel free to discuss this packaging part of the whole meal kit product, I understand it's important. I did still plan on talking about it, just not before I made dinner. I am unlikely to use these kits often and don't really feel a need to defend them. But these aren't subscription kits, they don't need the extra packaging to travel through delivery systems and various weather. Those ones need protection from temperature change and handling. So I suspect these fare better in terms of packaging than those. But I will say that the packaging is somewhat proportional - if you are buying a bag of uncooked black beans (bulk or not), you are probably buying more plastic than what is used for the beans in this meal kit. Same with rice, butter, etc. I have more plastic in my package of beans from Rancho Gordo than what is contained in this kit for the beans. Will my RG beans go further? Absolutely, but they do not come without waste. And yes, you could buy an onion or garlic without packaging, but I see people using the plastic produce bags for even single bits of produce all the time. And certainly for damp parsley, etc. I think the packaging in these kits is not too bad compared to others I have seen. The boxes are recyclable. I think they have tried to minimize the plastic. But what if we compare this to take-out food? How does it compare? Is it preferable at times? What about to some of the other packaging in the grocery stores? The Uncle Ben's pre-cooked rice, or the Trader Joe's mirepoix in plastic tubs? But yes, it would be nice if the world used less plastic, created less waste, etc.

Just found a Fry's page with all the current menu offerings: https://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/prep_pared/?banner=Frys&origin=mealkit#kits I think you should be able to see the current offerings as well as the previous ones. Spicy lemongrass pork and pork chili verde, chicken enchiladas rojas are some of the previous ones. That mushroom stroganoff over cauliflower hash cakes sounded interesting, too. They look really simple and fast, but the meals also look fairly appealing.