Shel_B

Miso soup from homemade dashi with daikon, Negi onion rings, soft tofu chunks, bok choy, 2 types of fish cakes.

Well, Mr. Rotuts, thanks for that reminder. My memory can be poor at times, and it's certainly spotty. Nice to know that I was correct about reading the info in Molly Stevens' book. In any case, I appreciate your taking the time to check up on my contributions and posting history. Keep up the diligence, and feel free (I think you already do) to remind me of my errors, omissions, and carelessness. It's nice to know that you're there as a good backup for my poor memory.

What benefit, if any, can be had from using a "dedicated" braisier, like the style shown below, over a Dutch oven, sauté pan, or other style pot. I vaguely recall Molly Stevens commenting on this in her book, All About Braising, but the book is not here now, so what do the braising gurus say?

Leftover Shoyu Chicken and Rice: 1½ thighs were left over from dinner last night. Heated them in the sauce, used the sauce to refresh the rice, had a glass of tea with the meal.

That package was puchased at Yaoya-San, a Japanese market in El Cerrito. I purchased the replacement kombu at Tokyo. Didn't think to save the kombu and have the folks at Tokyo look at it. The folks at Yaoya-San cheerfully refunded my $$$, though.

@Tempest63 What is a "stand and stir" cooking show? Can you provide any examples?

Shoyu Chicken over Ginger-Garlic Rice with Bok Choy This turned out to be very flavorful and the closest yet to what I want out of this dish. I used low-sodium San-J Tamari and the result was nicer that previous results with various soy sauces. The Thai Hom Mali Jasmine rice was cooked in a store-bought chicken broth with homemade ginger-garlic paste added. I was going to make the sauce with chicken stock, but at the last moment decided water would be the choice at a 1:1 ratio with the tamari. Light brown sugar was added, although the intent was to use dark brown. None was available, so light brown it was. Definitely want to try dark brown, and maybe even turbinado, going forward. Brown rice vinegar was added, although I went back and forth between it and a really nice, traditionally aged but young, balsamic. TJ's has one that's a good couple of steps above standard supermarket fare and would be the first choice should balsamic be used. Next time, maybe some dark soy sauce mixed with the tamari with the intent of making the sauce darker. Gotta play with that. The chicken was marinated in the braising liquid over night in the fridge, and it rested in the sauce for about 40-minutes after cooking before removing it to the broiler to crisp up the skin. It got five minutes under the heat, and another minute or maybe two might have been nice. The sauce was strained, cooked down, and thickened with cornstarch. 'Twas an enjoyable dinner ... This was the fourth or fifth time I've made the dish. It's a work in progress. The internet recipes are all similar to one another, but there are many adjustments and tweaks that can be made. It's been fun trying to improve the dish and make it more my own.

While perusing the bins and the shelves this morning at the Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley, where groceries and produce are sold alongside the fish, a bin with a vaiety of unknown-to-me Japanese onions caught my attention. I'd not seen them before, but it's not often that I look through the produce section of this store. I grabbed a package of Negi onions. There are several varieties of these onions, and I believe these are the Naganegi variety. There's a page that describes these onions, but have only quickly scanned it, perhaps read more tonight: https://sudachirecipes.com/negi/#Types_of_Negi_Used_in_Japan The plan for this weekend is to make Shoyu Chicken, and perhaps these onions will be used.

I'm going to return it. Unhealthy to me. Like I said, I'm far from an expert on kombu and even further from being a mycologist. I've never seen that type of growth on kombu, so naturally I'm curious. I've seen similar looking mold on food, and experts made it clear that it was unhealthy (to humans). I read that if kombu shows signs of bad mold, such as a fuzzy, dry texture, it should be discarded. I have no conclusion; my caution prevails. Until such time as I know this is safe, I'll pass on ingesting it. I choose not to underwrite the experiment in any way.

We're closer on that point than you might think.

The highlighted, round blotchy area is my main concern. That doesn't look like mannitol to me, but I've only bought and used kombu about half a dozen times and my experience is limited. Have you seen that sort of thing before? You don't think it's mold or something perhaps unhealthy?

I'll try bumping this old thread and see if there's any action. I bought some kombu yesterday and when the package was opened I saw this: This looks like an unhealthy mold. I've never seen anything like it on past kombu purchases. What do the kombu mavens think?

They are progressing well and all appears to be normal.

Do you make your stock in an Instant Pot (or similar) or on the stovetop in a more traditional way?

Perhaps you already know this, but others may not: What you've done - using a weak(er) stock or broth as a base for making something stronger - is somewhat of a standard technique used when making stock. It's referred to as a double stock, fortified stock, or remouillage. Some folks I know make their chicken stock by using a boxed stock as a base instead of plain water.

@Maison Rustique Do you remember how well or poorly the gripper worked? Did you use it on a typical 1/2 sheet? I hope things become less chaotic for you ...

Sometimes it's helpful to have a handle or gripper to move or remove the pan from the oven. I've been using a set of groove joint pliers for this task. They are somewhat suited to the task, but sometimes their grip and stability are poor. A friend made me aware of the existance of pan grippers. (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) The shape of the head is designed to grip the rim of sheet pans and the like in a more secure manner than pliers. At least that's the intent. Has anyone used these things? Do they work as advertised?

Simple, quick lunch: Fresh-made apple, carrot, spinach juice. Wasn't going to snap a pic, but the simple setup on my desk was appealing.

Saw a couple of great Heirloom tomatoes at the local Farmers Market yesterday. Tonight they were dinner. (Not my pic but nonetheless accurate)

I was about to post something similar. My experience is pretty much what you describe using a small sample of a particular brand of pickled jalapeños that I've been using for more than a decade. The jars that I've used all lasted well more than a year - only because I finished the contents, not because of quality issues - and the most recent jar, purchased about 8 months ago, has an expiry date as mid-2027. @AlaMoi There may be some factual basis for your belief, but at the least, I don't think it's the only answer.

Your link and comments filled in some blanks for me and provided food for thought. Thanks!

Pickled red onions are on the to-do list and I am curious about their longevity in the refrigerator. Various recipes that I've seen suggest that they'd be good for about two to four-five weeks. In the past, I've made 'em in small batches to be used over a short time frame, and have not been concerned about longevity. Now I want to make a bigger batch for both longer-term storage and to distribute to some friends, and there's no knowing how long they may keep them. What happens to the onions when they go bad? Do they lose flavor, texture, color, or become inedible and perhaps unhealthy? Are there cooking or storage techniques that will preserve their goodness for a longer period, perhaps for six months, or even longer? Might vacuum sealing, such as used when jarring preserves be helpful?

Looks interesting. You'll have to tell us how you like them.

When I ate HD more frequently (can't recall when I last had some), the pints of vanilla with chocolate covered almonds were a favorite. There was almost always a pint or two in the freezer. Devouring a pint with my sweetie was a ritual-like weekly event. We'd sit in the back yard looking out over The Bay, San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge and pass the container between us like Chinese takeout at a study session, feeling lucky and content. The NY Fudge Chunk came quite a bit later, and was equally enjoyed.

The Apple Cider Donuts are great! I buy 'em every year ...