Shel_B

Comparison of Diamond Crystal salt crystals Sorry for the slight delay in getting this posted ... The top grouping is from a commercial box that was purchased almost a year ago. The lower grouping is from a commercial box that was purchased about 8 days ago.

This is for the Corningware aficionados here. I'm a fan also, and have found this information to be useful: https://www.corningware411.com/p/welcome-to-consolidated-patterns-page.html

Don't your stores offer compostable bags for produce and other items? Plastic bags have pretty much disappeared from the markets here. The markets here offer ASTMD6400-certified bags like these (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) at no charge. In addition, a great majority of shoppers use reusable shopping bags instead of plastic or paper bags provided by the market.

The "problem" didn't exist until Cargill decided to move DC to a more consumer-oriented product. For many years the salt was marketed towards professionals, and the product was found frequently in many restaurant kitchens. It was often difficult to find in supermarkets and even in some geographic areas of the country. There was a brief period where I could not find the product in any local supermarket, and resorted to having my sister send me some from NYC. Cargill expects to increase sales of DC substantially. Due in great part to the "rebranding," Cargill is looking to boost annual revenue from $3 million to $50 million. It should also be noted that at one point a few years ago, Cargill was thinking of doing away with the ubiquitous 3-lb package altogether. Samin Nosrat, the cookbook author, expressed her concern about this on social media, and a lot of customers unhappy with the news created a brouhaha about the possibility, and some (many?) have said that the protestations of these loyal DC customers influenced Cargill to keep the package size. Cargill wanted to change their market strategy and increase sales. Be happy that the 3-lb box is still available and that the market for a well-loved and special product has expanded, making it easier for those who want to use the product to obtain it. FWIW, I prefer the older package design, but more so, I like the idea of being able to easily find and get hold of the product. Cargill could package it in a burlap sack as long as I can get my fingers around those lovely, pyramid-shaped crystals.

You are correct, to a point, IMO. You don't know how well this teapot was treated, how many heat and cool cycles it's gone through, or how many shocks going from cold to hot and reverse. Were it my pot, I'd not put it directly on a burner, but if you insist on using it on the stovetop, then use it with a diffuser of some sort.

Definitely!

I'd like to explore making this mustard. Does anyone have a recipe, technique, or ingredient list that they can share?

Mutti Merriment: My friend Barbara gifted me these four tubes of triple-concentrated tomato paste this morning. She knew my supply was at zero and, since she happened to be across town at the Berkeley Bowl market, she grabbed a few tubes for me. Mutti has become my preferred tomato paste and, unless there's a tomato paste emergency, it's the only paste I'll buy. Recently such an emergency fell upon Casa de Shel, and a tube of the Whole Foods branded paste was called to fill in. It was insipid and uninspiring. My deepest thanks to Barbara. Anyone want half a tube of Whole Foods tomato paste?

What temperature does that translate to on the stovetop?

The novelty of this type of show has worn off. I'm more interested in straight cooking shows in which the host presents a recipe, or a series of similar recipes, and goes into the details of ingredient choice and technique. Something I can rewind and watch several times, and learn from. A video accompanied by a written recipe and a host explaining everything works for me.

DC started producing its salt in 1886 (I understand you were just being silly or hyperbolic since you may not have known when DC started producing its salt). Cargill is producing the salt in its original (although updated) facilities. Diamond Crystal uses the Alberger Process to produce its "crystal flakes." In the business, DC is sometimes referred to as Alberger salt. The process creates hollow, pyramid-shaped grains which account for the salt’s lightness and thin walls, and that form and wall thickness contribute to its crushability.

That won't work. Think about why we weigh ingredients ... I doubt it's possible to get volumes precise enough to make such a comparison.

According to a N.Y. Times article titled "What Happened to Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt?" dated August 1, 2023, "While the makeover has landed Diamond Crystal national distribution at retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, the salt inside the boxes is unchanged. The three-pound box is $12.99 on Amazon (compared with $8 five years ago) $8.99 at Trader Joe’s, $10.29 at Whole Foods and $6.99 (before shipping) at the online restaurant supplier WebstaurantStore." https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/dining/diamond-crystal-kosher-salt.html?

Based on what I read here, I bought some recently in part to see if the salt had changed, . I purchased the old-style, brown box marked as being for "Food Service Packaging." I opened the box and checked the salt crystals, maybe it was just the power of suggestion, but the individual salt grains felt smaller. I want to examine them more carefully, and in direct comparison to my older stash, but it'll be a few days before that can be done. Any suggestions on how to best compare individual salt crystals? I thought I'd lay a few out from each box, alongside one another, photograph them with my high-quality camera and lenses, and compare the images.

I found another supplier for the Pasilla de Oaxaca chilies, and am very happy with their product. A two-ounce package was ordered, larger than what I'd generally been getting. More importantly, they are well-sized, supple, and fragrant, with a nice, but not overpowering, smokey aroma. I was surprised to see them shipped from Nashville, TN, a place I'd not expect to find a well-stocked spice shop. They have a varied assortment of chile peppers, and their prices look pretty good ... worth a look, IMO. The price was $8.00 an ounce and shipping was $5.25, one of the two best prices I've found for this pepper. I'm a very pleased pepper purchaser and now have enough of these peppers to last a while. https://www.surajspicesteas.com/collections/spices-chiles