FauxPas

Shelby, I just used macaroni because I had some that had been languishing in the cupboard though I did think of getting something more interesting! And the beans were some frozen pinto beans that I had initially cooked a month or two ago. I think a white bean would have looked nicer, though. Simply Recipes got me started on it, with this suggestion.

I did receive a reply from the Director of Client Services (Regional Advertising) in Hong Kong, and he says: So, maybe someone in Asia could get further? Or maybe it would be worthwhile for someone else to try to contact Nat Geo US? I haven't found a good contact list for US programming yet. Anyone else willing to give it a shot?

It was served as a warm soup, but I like your idea too!

This was both lunch and dinner, because I made too much for one meal and we both enjoyed it. Summer Minestrone soup with fresh tomatoes, green and yellow pattypan squash, green beans. Pasta and dried beans, of course. I had a nice piece of Parm rind that simmered in the stock. We've had a couple of cooler days, so it was nice to have soup. Served with a bit of grated cheese and fresh basil.

My fave was probably cheesecloth for jelly-making, but cheesecloth seems to vary a lot in quality (weave). It always needed to be doubled (or tripled at times) and I had to make sure i had a starting piece that was big enough to do that and still tie it at the top. Some are sold as long narrow pieces that are awkward to work with. And unless you shopped at the right place, it could be kind of expensive. I did try a pillow case a couple of times also - one with a lower thread count.

How did the currant jamly turn out? (jamly = 1/2 jam, 1/2 jelly) If you don't like it as a jam or jelly, maybe a glaze for meat?

Very interesting! I'd never heard of this before. Shelby, will be interested to see what you do with it. (And I love any picture that has Newman in it.)

As to the induction burner, in the comments Dave Arnold mentions that they did the test on a "cheapie Mr Induction" countertop induction unit. It's a 1650W countertop unit with limited power control and a small burner size. And again: I don't know what we are being told other than it is best to match pan to element size. And as Shel_B says, pretty much everyone already knows that. Edited to clean up formatting.

I looked at the link for the Kenji comment and it was some tweeted comments from April, 2015. He did initially say it could be a game changer, but then said: Then the cinder people say they will get him a test unit soon. From here: https://twitter.com/thefoodlab/status/583409927668031489

I think it did. Same cofounder posted on both threads. See also: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/150863-another-new-toy-cinder/

I'ts available for pre-order now for $249 US. Not that I am interested in buying one, but just thought I would pass the info along. https://cindercooks.com/ Top Right, click on Pre-order. I'd be interested in reading a real review, once it's in production.

I know that Canada is not the only country. I just posted a quick YouTube Video link that was about Canada using bagged milk. But I'm pretty sure I had milk in bags when I lived in Norway some years ago. I just looked at Wiki for 'milk bags' and I see other countries listed also. And even within Canada, it varies. You don't see a lot of bagged milk here in BC.

Milk in bags - it's a Canadian thing.

I also think it looks fabulous. I fired off a few emails to various people involved with Fox Int'l Channels Asia and also National Geo People, based on contact info on the sites. I am not sure that I will even get a reply let alone info about being able to view, but at least they will know there is some interest in the show outside of the viewing region. But because of broadcast restrictions, it may not be possible to rebroadcast. Still, I will remain hopeful. I could not see any other way of viewing it. although someone at Chefsteps said this: https://www.chefsteps.com/forum/posts/new-tv-show-the-worlds-best-chefs

Thanks for the stepstool advice, mine may bite me yet! I will be careful. I seem to recall that Canadian Tire did try to enter the US market a few years back but it did not work out well. Still, their odd business model seems to work here. It's a bit like London Drugs in Western Canada - it's a place you go to find almost anything, but if you don't find it you aren't usually disappointed because you find so many odd and interesting things along the way plus a few really well-priced necessities that you end up spending some money anyway.

We've got too much fresh fruit in the house so I made a little bit of cherry butter. Maybe it should be called jam, but it was mostly fruit with a bit of sugar and cooked down for almost an hour, so I think I would call it a fruit butter. I've never done that with sweet cherries before, but we really liked the result. We had a little bit with some bread and cheese but also added it to ice cream and fresh peaches and that was really tasty. I think it would also be good with pork or chicken. I started with about 4 cups of pitted cherries and added 1/2 cup sugar and a bit of lemon juice and lemon zest, so we're definitely not talking about big batches here! Refrigerator storage only, though of course it could be modified for longer term storage.

It was a warm evening and we didn't really want to cook much. We had some bread and cheese and dessert became the focus. Home-made cherry butter with fresh peaches and ice cream. So good!

Beautiful photos! That spicy beef woke me up.

Very simple dinner, but some nice local produce. And very tasty little pork sausages, made by a local grocery. We were surprised how much we enjoyed this meal.

I have exactly the same folding stepstool, I think. But I adore mine and don't think I have ever been bitten. Not sure what you mean, Smithy? I keep mine at the end of a counter run where there is a bit of space before the patio door. It fits there perfectly and doesn't actually need to be folded most of the time, so maybe it doesn't get many opportunities to bite me. Also, Kerry and Anna - I love Canadian Tire. I think they could use the motto "keep Canadian Tire weird." Because they really are a bit weird. But it works. I can never stay away from there for long. And I often find stuff there that I really like. Their store here is the smallest square footage in the whole country or something and they are crazily creative when it comes to stacking merchandise. They are supposed to take over the defunct Target store and I hope that happens because I get a serious kink in my neck every time I shop in their current store.

Fresh wild salmon, caught by our neighbour. Cooked sous vide. Roasted new potatoes and roasted green and yellow pattypan squash with gremolata (with orange and lime zest as well as lemon) and some snow peas. Topped with some citrus slices and toasted pine nuts. The veggies. And the local farm corn is here. This is Fastlane, a bicolour and it's pretty darn tasty. A bit early.

Ha, no it wasn't quite the same - for me, anyway. Though I think I liked cold, icy things more than usual. I was diagnosed in late February and people did find it weird that I wanted icy cold drinks all the time and would be chewing on the ice, asking for more, etc and all in the middle of winter.

Some pretty significant parts of the world generate electricity via hydro-electric. It's not all coal-burning plants.

Also, I am interested in this because a few years back I developed a real yen for munching on ice. It was definitely odd for me, but apparently it's fairly common in folks with anemia. I didn't know I had an issue until some blood tests came back and my doctor freaked a bit and said I might need an immediate blood transfusion. I had a treatable issue, but ice was my friend and foe before the diagnosis. Friend because it really helped me feel better and foe because it can be tough on your teeth. Chewable or nugget ice would have been much kinder. But then, I don't have the same problem anymore and don't crave ice that way anymore. Still, I like a lot of ice and have a tendency to munch at times. Now I see that the ice munching may counteract the effects of anemia: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2014/11/08/9591b4c0-6770-11e4-9fdc-d43b053ecb4d_story.html Very interesting.

I know, but I think I get it! More here at: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120165510390727145