Shel_B

Another vote in favor of TJ's Greek Yogurt, although that's not the only yogurt we buy. Toots likes TJ's goat milk yogurt, and I enjoy it as well with our morning fruit. Nancy's organic is another favorite of mine.

Has anyone tried Molly Wizenberg's Coffee Crunch Bars? How'd they turn out?

I was just told that March 25th is Aretha Franklin's birthday. As it happens, I've been requested to bring a dessert to a potluck that day, and I was going to make a blood orange panna cotta, as that's one of Toots' favorite desserts. Now I'd like to make something that will celebrate Aretha's b'day. Any suggestions?

OK! That's the result I'm striving for, but only get about 1/2 the time. Thanks. You've given me a couple of ideas about why my results are inconsistent.

When you make the DdeL in this manner, how thick does it get? Can it be poured, or is it nice and firm

I don't know if you can, but I have done so frequently.

Toots and I love dark chocolate. This weekend is her birthday party and I'd like to make something interesting and different that will be robed in dark chocolate. Any suggestions ... besides strawberries and nuts?

The Cooks Illustrated equipment reviews really help out with this. Are you suggesting that the CI reviews are sxomehow favoring the All Clad products? If you trust CI, and many people seem to, then there might be something to their favorable reviews. Maybe All Clad pans really are better. FWIW, I bought three All Clad pans in 1979, and they are still going strong. Every other pan that I bought between then and 1990 or so, has found the trash heap. I now have a couple of smaller Calphalon pans, and they seem to be doing well.

Toots likes that a lot, and, we buy it frequently. I find it pretty mild but sometimes that's exactly what I want. The price, as I recall, is pretty good, too.

We can speculate all we want on her motives, but we may never know what went through her mind. However, it's likely (to my way of thinking) that she held off on her announcement, at least partly, for business reasons. And, FWIW, I'm not a fan, either.

That's just the answer I needed. Thank you so much. I could probably use a lab beaker for larger measurements, such as cups.

OK, so what if I get a scale, and a recipe calls for a specific measured amount of an ingredient. How do I know what it's supposed to weigh?

This afternoon I bought a new set of measuring spoons which got me to wondering how accurate they are. What's the best way to determine their accuracy? Also, how important is it that they be precise? I'd imagine that for some situations consistancy is important, but in what circumstances should the measure be completely accurate? How much deviation from the actual measurement might be acceptable? Thanks!

The Argentineans usually prefer cow's milk, but we have some excellent goat milk here, and I'm tempted to give it a try, although not for the upcoming birthday party. Toots likes goat milk cheese, and it would be interesting to see how she'd like a goat milk dulce de leche. She's never tried the local goat milk. Higher humidity as a possible cause for my problem ... hmm. This bears looking into. Now, what about heat? It's possible that there may be temperature variations depending on which burner or stove I'm using. I don't always use the same ones (burners or stove) even though everything else is the same. And what about stirring? Could more or less stirring affect the result? In what way?

No, I've not. The issue is that when I make the ddl, using the same ingredients and (seemingly) the same technique, there are times when the result does not firm up. I have achieved excellent results without cream, meeting the standards of the fussy Argentinean contingent

I've seen the recipe. Lebovitz uses condensed milk. Not something I want to do ...

Some egg substitutes may contain gluten. AFAIK, real eggs are gluten free.

I make it on the stove top, however, I will start recording environmental variations. This batch is for Toots' birthday, and it's got to be perfect. The place will be rife with Argentineans and other relatives. I'll make another batch tomorrow.

Yes. My GF is Argentinean, and I have come to know what good dulce de leche tastes and feels like. Half the time I make it, I get accolades, other times I am banished to a dark corner in the kitchen and hang my head in shame. We don't use cans of condensed milk now, although I tried it early on and my GF did many years ago. That stuff does not taste very good.

I've made dulce de leche several times, and about every other time it does not get thick, and a couple of times it gets too dark (probably as a result of trying to cook it down to thicken it). I use the same milk (i.e., from the same dairy, treated at the same plant), the same sugar, and the same amount of sugar. Also use the same baking soda and vanilla extract. What should I be looking at in order to get consistent good results? I am stumped. I must be doing something different, but I cannot figure out what it is.

The TJ's here has a pretty nice cilantro-jalapeno hummus. I love it!

At what point in the process do you add the cream?

Over the past yearI've been experimenting with making Dulce de Leche. Several recipes, and one or two folks here at eGullet, suggest "shocking" the mixture by immersing the pot with the hot caramel into cold water and stirring for a while. It's been said that this intensifies the flavor. I've made DdeL using this technique, and without using the technique, and really haven't noticed much, if any, flavor difference. I wonder if it's really necessary, or if I may be doing something wrong. Any comments / suggestions on using this "shocking" technique? Thanks!

Maybe this will help: How to Store and Ripen Avocados

I agree. I've taken things back - moldy berries mostly but also a box of frozen stuff that was full of ice and dried up product, and been given an refund without questions. The manager at our local TJ's told us that they want customers to try new items, and that they recognize that not everyone will like every item, so they offer a no questions asked refund or credit policy. If for any reason you are not happy with a purchase, return it. I have returned empty package wrappers or cans and gotten a refund. Some things, once opened, can't really be transported back to the store.