Shel_B

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

How about some pics? Living in a small space, I love seeing how folks solve their storage problems.

My Easter Bunny Memory ...

@Smithy That's quite a rabbit hole ... more like a warren, I'd say.

After my last purchase of Pasilla de Oaxaca peppers, which was unsatisfactory because the chilies I received were old, brittle, and dried out, I searched for another supplier of these often-hard-to-obtain peppers. I was very pleasantly surprised to find my local spice shop (Oaktown Spice Shop) had them in stock. I grabbed a bag and was very happy with the quality of the peppers. They were supple, fragrant, and of a good size. And here's the bonus: the price was lower than I've found anywhere, $14.25 for two ounces. Every place I've checked online was about $11.00 or more for an ounce or so. I got excellent quality, supported a local business, got a great price, and saved quite a bit on shipping.

Boiling water is not usually needed. I say that because there may be a situation that I've not encountered in which the extra heated water would be helpful, but ... in more than seven years of using the Vitamix, with several sized and designed containers, I've never used anything but hot tap water. The tap here produces 120 to 130 degree hot water. Tip: when making some nut butters, especially almond and cashew butter, I clean the container with refrigerated, filtered water (add water, start the machine, whirr around, pour out results) and use the resultant mixture just as I would when making nut milk. Sometimes it's thin, sometimes not, but in any case, I don't waste the liquid.

I've ground spices in the Vitamix. Vitamix has a container and blade assembly designed for pulverizing grains. Note the upward angle of the blade: The blades are designed to push dry ingredients away from the blades to prevent packing. I've also used it to "grate" hard cheese, like pecorino romano, reggiano, etc. I've had the container for about six years and, thus far, have not observed any "clouding." Maybe it's yet to come, but thus far the container looks almost like new.

This morning, I came across two recipes from Texas in which smoked brisket was used. In one, burnt ends was the only meat. In the other, smoked brisket was used with other meats. It's not a big deal but FWIW, it's nice to know that others have used an idea similar to what I posted.

An acquaintance recently purchased a new VW and claimed she discovered a sausage wrapper in the glovebox.

@Maison Rustique @Katie Meadow Since my original post, I've given more thought to the idea and moved toward using the BBQ as an additional flavor element while making the chili using more conventional techniques. Seems like we're all on the same page. Now I've got to decide on the meat. Brisket or center-cut chuck seem to be good choices. I've already started gathering other ingredients, such as the peppers. Thanks for jumping in.

After a long absence, TJ's Colombian instant coffee is back on the shelf. In the past, I used it in my chocolate desserts. I hope it's as good as I remember it.

That is correct ...

Thank you for the history lesson. I'm quite familiar with the Chili Queens of San Antonio. Not being in or from Texas, it's of little consequence to me if Texans would find my idea a sacrilege. To confess, I got the idea from a Texan, albeit indirectly and through a circuitous route.

First, let's look at your comment that the BB sauce is probably about 50% sugar! That is a ridiculous statement on its face. That would mean 8 ounces of sugar in a pint of sauce. I stand by my comment that your remark was hyperbolic. I double dare you (couldn't help it, you gave me that one) to show me a commercial sauce that's about 50% sugar. I'd like to be educated. Here's the ingredient label from the sauce I used for the kids. Their mom recommended the sauce, although I've known about it for years and have used it for myself in the past..

A new project here is to develop a "Texas Red" chili recipe, and I'd like to run this idea by you. I was thinking about going to one of the local bbq places and buying some already cooked and smoked brisket to use in the chili. Since moving to an apartment, I no longer have my smoker, so using an outside source is a good option. Buying the cooked meat would save time and cleanup, which, in my dotage, is a nice bonus. Any thoughts on using already cooked and smoked brisket for the chili? I suspect that some modifications to time and technique would be required, such as adding the meat later in the cooking cycle. What do you think about this?

@ElsieD I think it's because kids almost universally like the meals you mention. Parents usually want their young children to eat without complaining or making a fuss. That enhances the parents' dining experience. That said, when our family would go out to eat we kids would eat what mom and dad would eat (and make our own choices} not from a special kids menu. I don't recall seeing a kids' menu until fast food became a more common dining choice, especially for families.

I started with what was handy and have evolved, and am continuing to evolve. You know nothing of the BBQ sauce I used, so to comment that it was "probably about 50% sugar!" was disingenuous and hyperbolic. Thanks for your sauce suggestion. It's appreciated.

Thanks. I've made a variation of the tonkatsu sauce before and the yum yum sauce is new to me. Thanks for providing some "food for thought."

My research, such that it was, indicates that's not the case. Allow me to clarify. With but two exceptions, I looked only at recipes to make duck sauce at home. Those recipes were far from "mostly sugar." I didn't dwell on commercial recipes, but those that I did look at seemed to have a greater percentage of sugar than the recipes, but far from "mostly."

They're 6 and 8. I've not yet tapped into their sense of adventure ... but soon.

@TdeV @Smithy This is the duck sauce recipe I'll try first. There are others, and some commercial products, I'd like to look at as well. https://thewoksoflife.com/duck-sauce-recipe/

I'd make my own and try to control the sugar. Also, it was suggested elsewhere that I try duck sauce. My sister was visiting from NYC and brought some duck sauce with her. I'm going to try that on the chicken tonight and see how it works out. I found what appears to be a good recipe for making the sauce at home, so I'll give that a try as well.

Thanks @FauxPas ... the ranch idea sounds great. EZ to make and I'm sure the girls would enjoy it. There are. Many peanut sauce recipes in my files and some, I'm sure could have their heat toned down. Maybe they'd like such a dressing. ill look at the link you posted after returning from errands. maybe an orange or lemon sauce would be nice?