Shel_B

I accidentally made a batch with half & half and it was quite acceptable. The group of people to which I served the dessert were all happy. Thanks for your comments.

Yes, I know that sounds odd, but it's an experiment I'd like to try. My thought was to substituted milk for the cream. Anly thoughts on how that might best be done to maintain, or at least approach, the richer taste and mouth feel of a traditional panna cotta? Thanks! ... Shel

I've been looking through the no salt items at Penzys - a couple of them are of interest. Thanks for the tip!

Been looking to reduce my salt intake, and a few days ago I discovered TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute. Yesterday I tried it in a cauliflower soup I made and really liked it. The only other similar product I've tried was from Mrs. Dash, and I like the TJ's product a lot more. If you're looking for something like this, TJ's is definitely worth a try. It's got a nice little bite to it. http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=539

I use a fair amount of frozen vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. I was wondering if such vegetables can be roasted with good results, and, if so, might there be some special techniques to use? Thanks! ... Shel

For what uses may each of these be best? What are some pros and cons of these items? Silpat is a brand, yes? Are there other brands of silicon pads? Any that may be better than another? Thanks! ... Shel

Olivetto, in the Rockridge section of Oakland, right by the Rockridge BART station.

They sure are, and the flavor range has been extended to include coffee, mint, and chocolate ice cream. http://www.itsiticecream.com/faq/

Thanks! Seems like a lot of fruit can be ripened in a paper bagwith a banana or an apple. ... Shel

I've not read anything about the lighter-colored board coming apart. In any case, I didn't ask about this type of board nor do I know enough about them to want one ...

I want to love my Epicurian boards. However, with good Japanese knives kept sharp on water stones (who cuts the barber? kept flat on a diamond stone), if I mince garlic on my black Epicurian board I see bits of black in with the garlic.My favorite setup is a working butcher block counter ... Totally irrelevant for Toots ... her knives are junk, she never sharpens them or uses the steel, tosses them into the sink, soaks 'em with other items, etc. However, other reviewers have also mentioned the black bits ... best not to even consider a black board, which, for Toots, is a no-brainer: she hates anything black.

Why not a inexpensive maple board? Size, weight, ease of maintenance, space requirements. Toots needs inexpensive, no-brainer stuff in her kitchen. .... Shel

I'd like to replace the old plastic cutting board that lives in my GF's kitchen, and I was thinking of getting a bamboo board. What are the pros and cons, benefits and drawbacks, of bamboo vs plastic? Thanks! ...Shel

What's the best way to ripen kiwi fruit? Thanks! Shel

Thanksfor all the suggestions. I've sure learned a few things about soy sauce. Shel

I used to like Hydrox sandwich cookies frozen, some candies, like Milky Way or Kit Kat, and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Trader Joe's soy sauce has 460mg of sodium per Tbsp, which I believe is fairly low for a soy sauce, but which is just fine for my needs and taste. Anything under 700mg per Tbsp would be just fine. Thanks!

I used to be satisfied with Trader Joe's soy sauce ... it was lower in salt and acceptably flavorful for a low salt product. However, they changed the ingredients of the soy sauce - it now contains vinegar - and I don't care for it very much. Any suggestions for a flavorful, low sodium soy sauce? Thanks!

Lots of choices here: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=bodum+french+press+stainless&tag=googhydr-20&index =aps&hvadid=7281049928&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=654721422229264020&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_4k8czke9k7_b

If you're a newbie, as am I, and you can get over to San Francisco, there's a great caviar bar in the Ferry Building. They offer sampler plates, tastings, and some education. I've only been a couple of times, but enjoyed it both times. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/tsar_nicoulai_caviar.php

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II think the size and weight of a leg might give a good indication of the strength. Plus, comparing it to a more typical chicken, perhaps it's possible to determine if the big-breasted leg is in similar proportion. More curiosity at this point than anything "scientific."

.Well, I've seen the legs from these birds, and they look to be rather large as well. The next time I go to the market, I'll check the weight of the full legs. Do you have a link to information about these big birds? Where have you read about them? Thanks!

Entire breast ... I poached one last night and it barely fit into the pot I usually use for the purpose. It was very tasty, however.

This morning I grabbed a couple of chicken breasts from the nearby Latino market. Apart from being priced well, they were huge, a little more than 2 1/2-lbs each. At least they seemed pretty large considering a typical fryer weighs in at 3.5- 4.0 lbs. So, would you consider these to by unusually large breasts? Also, since they are so big, I'm assuming they are from chickens that are a little older than typical barnyard cluckers. Does that seem reasonable to assume? And, if the chix are older, might they be more flavorful? What about less tender? Thanks!