Shel_B

I have made my own sauces in the past, in fact, I had a small business selling some locally. Very familiar with the NC sauces - have created a few recipes that I like and still use. Wanting a commercial sauce that suits the taste of Toots and me is just another option. ...Shel

I prefer the plain matzoh - always have. Over the years I've become accustomed to matzoh imported from Israel. The ones I've tried seem to be a little more crunchy than the more typical US made matzohs, like Streits and Manischewitz. And, if I recall correctly, one of the US made matzoh brands contains ingredients other than the traditional flour and water. In addition, they're more expensive than the imported brands I've tried, and contain fewer matzohs. Plain matzoh seems to be a better choice for making matzoh brei (did I spell that correctly?), which I love making for Toots a couple of times a year. ...Shel

I mostly buy TJ's Greek style yogurt, and prefer the fat free style. The full fat style is too heavy for my taste. I like TJ's because it's easy to come by, there are no additives or fillers, and the price is reasonable. TJ's is now carrying an organic Greek style yogurt, which I've not tried yet. Straus Family Farms produces some nice organic yogurts, although it's probably not available nationally. I just bought a tub of their Greek style non-fat and I like the fullness of the flavor. I think it'll be nice in my panna cotta recipe. I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison with TJ's yogurt. Nancy's has some satisfactory yogurt products as well, but I'venot purchased any for quite a while as TJ's has a good selection and their store is very convenient to me. ...Shel

Which one do you have? There seem to be several models. ...Shel

I'm using a "Betty Crocker" brand vegetable peeler that was given to me by my GF. It's OK, but I'm not very pleased with the way it works. However, I've not tried other brands, so I really don't have a point of comparison. Are all vegetable peelers pretty much the same? Are there some designs (are there other designs?) that work better? What do you use, why do you use it or like it, and have you made any comparisons? Thanks! ...Shel

There's nothing wrong with olive oil, however, it's nice to have options. Cooking with a lot of oil adds calories, calories add body fat. So, as has been posted in this forum many times, "everything in moderation," and let me add "even good things." ...Shel

Plantes Vertes ... Thanks for some great ideas! For health reasons I must cut back on my fat intake, and it's been difficult for me to find low fat or fat free vegetarian recipes and ideas ...Shel

No to GMO, but the apple callus hairs seem like a very real possibility. The apples had a somewhat brownish flesh, which is, according to the articles I read, typical of the problem. The hairs also frequently contain small starch granules. I'd guess that, when heated and cooked, the starch firms up, and prevents the apple pieces from breaking down. ...Shel

This past weekend we bought some Fuji apples from our usual vendor at the local farmers market. We were going to make apple sauce. I prepared the apples in the usual way: peeled them, cut them in various sized chunks from thin slivers to about 1/2-inch. I put them in a pot, added a squeeze of lemon juice, and started cooking. After some time, when the apples usually have broken down a bit, these pieces had not. I increased the heat, added water at Toots' suggestion, continued cooking for a l-o-n-g time, but the apples never broke down, not one bit. Even the thin, thin slices remained firm (and somewhat rubbery). What could the problem have been. In all the years we've been making apple sauce, together and separately, with a variety of pots and on several different stoves, we have never encountered this problem. Parenthetically, we used these cooked apple pieces in our hot cereal the next morning after they spent the night in the fridge. After cooking them again with the cereal, they still didn't break down - not one iota! What could have caused this situation? ...Shel

I don't know what a PID is. I used to have a Rival Crock Pot, maybe 20 years ago, and there was never an issue with boiling, regardless of what temp setting was used or the length of cooking time. I believe that quality control for many contemporary items just plain sucks. ...Shel

You're right in that the taste profile would be more satisfactory to me, but it has plenty of sugar in it even though it's not as sweet as most commercial sauces. ...Shel

I'd like to find a place in the San Francisco Bay Area, preferably in the East Bay, where I might be able to buy this Scotch by the glass. Any suggestions? Thanks! ...Shel http://www.winechateau.com/sku1556627_CHIVAS-REGAL-SCOTCH-ROYAL-SALUTE-38-YEAR-OLD-STONE-OF-DESTINY-750ML

Hi Jaymes ... those Central Texas sauces sound remarkably similar to the Down East and Lexington style sauces of North Carolina. Not quite what I was looking for in my original question, but simple and easy enough to make at home. Thanks for the "reminder." ...Shel

Is there any comercially prepared BBQ sauce that's made without a lot of sugar or high fructose corn syrup, or even sugar free, and preferably one that's medium hot to hot? ...Shel

What's the material of the insert? I couldn't determine that from the Amazon site. Thanks! ...Shel

Not a single good review on BB&B site. One person mentioned it's made in China. I'm not going to underwrite the cost of experimenting with this one. ...Shel

I'd like to buy a slow cooker. There doesn't seem to be any recent threads on the subject, and numerous reviews I've read complain about the quality of many of the current cookers on the market. I don't need anything fancy, nor do I need a large capacity - however, what I do want is quality, a cooker that works properly and that will last. I used to have a Rival Crock Pot (ex-wife took it in the divorce) that worked well. It was simple to use, easy to clean, and convenient. So, what slow cooker today has those attributes? Reviews on the current Crock Pot are mixed. I'm getting tired of buying mediocre, made-in-China, junk. Unfortunately, high prices don't seem to equate to quality. I want good quality and durability. What's out there? Thanks! ...Shel

Well, I do believe you're mistaken. I just had Toots check the ingredients of the box of Morton's kosher salt that she has in her cabinet, and she said "... besides salt it has yellow Prussiate of soda (anti-caking agent)." ...Shel

I generally use only Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. The Morton salt contains additives. For finishing I may use other salts - right now I've got some Himalayan pink salt in the cabinet. ... Shel

A preliminary search indicates that the product is available at Whole Foods here in the US. I'll look for it and maybe give it a try ...Shel

I've been making a fair amount of vegetable soup and broth lately, and I've been wondering what happens to the vegetables and broth, nutritionally, when making soup. I've heard that the broth ends up being rich with vitamins that leach out of the veggies. If that's true, then the vegetables probably loose vitamins and, maybe, minerals too. But then, heat is supposed to destroy vitamins, so wouldn't the heated broth contain few, if any, vitamins? So, what happens to the nutrition in the vegetables when making vegetable soup? Thanks! ... Shel

Glad you posted that. I saw them at the checkstand today and might have purchased a bag had I not read your message. Thanks!

Sizewise, the small Breville is OK. The price is a little more than I'd like to pay for such a tool, but it is workable. The Cuisinart is better WRT price and size, but more than 30% of the reviews were low and at least somewhat negative. I've never had good luck with B&D products, so I tend not to consider them However, I'm in no rush to make a purchase, so there's ample time to do a more complete investigation. I like the idea of being able to toast more tha two "standard" slices of bread as th Breville does, although I usually use more artisnal styles of bread, and some of those produce large slices. It would be great to see more pics of toast. Thanks for all the suggestions ... Shel

I'd like to find a rich, dark, cocoa powder to be used in puddimgs, brownies, and cakes. In the past - quite a few years ago - I used Bensdorf (sp?) and Droste. What's available these days? I made a pudding last night with TJ's cocoa powder because that's what we had on hand, and it was a spur of the moment decision to make it, but the TJ's powder seemed pale in color and lacking the rich chocolate taste we were looking for. Thanks! ... Shel

I've alway brought them something, even if only an empty can or box. I've never tried just telling them about a product I didn't like. ... Shel