Shel_B

Over the next year I'll be buying a few new pieces of cookware. In the past I've purchased multi-layered clad cookware with two exceptions. My question, mainly because of budgetary conerns, is this: when is clad cookware preferred to cookware with a disk bottom? Would results be better with a clad stockpot than with a disk-bottomed pot? What about with a sauté pan or a skillet, assuming that the disk was thick enough and extended close enough to the edge of the cooking surface, and that the clad cookware was also of good quality? Thanks for your opinions and input, Shel

The doctor wants me to cut way back on meat and the fat that goes along with some meats. Greens are a favorite of mine, and they are eaten frequently. How might I get a "meaty" taste in my greens, perhaps akin to using bacon or other animal fats, without using meat? The taste needn't be a duplicate of the taste of meat, but something that will give a more robust, smokey flavor to the leaves. I tried chipotle peppers and some smoked paprika - the chipotles were nice but I don't always want the heat from the pepper. Smoked paprika was only so-so for my taste. So, any other suggestions? Thanks! Shel

Recently I heard mention of "saba" vinegar, but have not been able tofind out much about it. Anyone know what it is or have some suggestions for its use? Has anyone used it? hanks! Shel

Well, gang, I'm gonna have to try that toasting technique. Thanks! Shel

There's no chance of mixing up grains - oats are the only grains in the house. Shel

As you may have surmised from my original post, I was thinking along the same lines as you, so I made the oatmeal by adding the butter at the end - a definite improvement! Thanks! Shel

When I make oatmeal, I add butter to the water and oartmeal, and then cook for awhile. Recently there have been some whitish clumps in the finished product, and I was wondering what they might be and what causes them. Perhaps they are clumps of milk fat ... maybe the heat is too high, or the cooking time too long? Any thoughts on what the clumps are and how to prevent them. Thanks! Shel

Thanks for all the replies. From what I read here and elsewhere, there are a few cocoa powders that I'll try, including Pernigotti and Sharffen Berger (sp?) Kind regards,

Hi, I am looking for a very high qualty, rich, cocoa powder to use for baking, sauce making, and hot chocolate drinks. Any tried and true suggestions? I really want to move up from Hersheys-Ghiradeli powders. I've tried Dagoba, and it was OK.

I was thinking of making a cheddar cheese sauce to drizzle over some broccoli, however, the recipes that I have for the sauce all include flour (to make the base) and milk. Any cooks out there that might have a suggestion or two to make the sauce low or no carb? Calories are not an issue. I was thinking of using heavy cream instead of milk, but was concerned that the sauce might be too thick or rich.

Hi, I've got some ground turkey in the fridge and will use it to make a turkey-bean chili. Plans have changed and I won't make the chili for a couple of days. Can I brown the turkey and then hold it until it's time to use it or would it be better to freeze the meat?

Hi, Our CSA delivered a big bunch of mizuma, and I've never used it before. Anybody have suggestions for using it?

I have a few wooden spoons, but the one I like best is the one I got in 1979. I've used it just about every day since it came to live with me. It's bamboo, and it has held up very well. It's visited the dishwasher a few times with no ill effects. It's worn down quite a bit, but that adds to the charm and its desireability.

What does "bougie" mean?

GRANDMA BESSIE'S WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP WITH DILL 2 1/2 TBS unsalted butter 2 medium leeks, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups) 2 medium kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled and coarsely diced (about 4 cups) dice and reserve any small, tender leaves. 1 small turnip, well trimmed, peeled and coarsely diced (about 3/4 cup) 1 small carrot, quartered and diced 2 1/2 TBS all purpose flour 5 cups rich, home made chicken stock 1 small - med shallot clove, peeled and diced (optional) 1/4 cup chopped, fresh dill 3/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (about 1 1/4 cups) 2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature fresh dill sprigs Additional sour cream Melt butter in 3 - 4 qt saucepan over medium high heat. Add leaks and optional shallot and saute~ until leeks are limp, 4 - 5 minutes. DO NOT BROWN. Add kohlrabi and turnip, reduce heat to med-low, and cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and mix thoroughly. Gradually blend in chicken stock. Stir in chopped dill, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 - 12 minutes. Add potato and carrot to soup. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 - 12 minutes. Combine sour cream with about 1/2 cup of soup broth in a small bowl, blend until smooth. Gradually add sour cream mixture back to soup, stirring constantly. Do not let soup return to boil. Add salt if desired (I don't use any salt in this recipe). Serve by ladling soup into heated bowls. Garnish with dill and sour cream.

The air around Oscar's smells great, however their meat burgers are, at best, of medium quality. There are far better places, IMO, in the East Bay.

Another vote for Val's ....

Just curious - what did you think of Bill's? I was very disappointed when I ate there recently. They used pre-formed burgers that were of mediocre quality meat. Nothing like I remembered their burgers to be when I lived in SF many years back.

I like the Hippy Gourmet as well.

Just curious - do you have a rheumatologist handling your case? Robyn ← I've got some good doctors on the case, and apart from a flare-up in May, I've been free of any serious gout problems. One of the problems I had resulted from the number of medications I'm taking for other issues, and it took a while to find the right balance so that all the meds would work together. It was, for example, determined that one of my blood pressure meds was a contributor to episodes of gout.

My bouts with gout have been horrendous. I've been hospitalized once, been to the emergency room several times ... I get it throughout my body - no joint seems to be immune. There have been times that I not only couldn't get out of bed, but couldn't move while in bed. Turning over was impossible - and on good day I could turn over in bed but it might take as uch as 30 minutes to do so. I'm now on Allopurinol daily and take an anti-inflamatory should there be the slightest sign of a flareup. I just read today that aspirin can contribute to or exacerbate gout

I suspected that might be the case. I am not 100% sure that maltitol has that laxative effect (but I'm pretty sure - I don't have some of my reference material handy right now), but I know that sorbitol does. Generally, I stay away from such products and prefer to use other sugar substitutes or, as mentioned earlier, real sugar (in moderation). Edit: OK, I took a moment to look up the subject: "All authorities recommend using caution and definitely moderation is key. Because they are not completely absorbed in the bowel, they have a nasty reputation of holding onto water, and promoting diarrhea, gas and bloating. This is politely termed the "laxative effect". Sorbitol and mannitol are the worst offenders, maltitol and lactitol less so. The label should indicate the serving size. This is the amount considered safe to eat before the laxative effect takes over. So beware that overeating these foods can have serious effects. Especially for children, who of course will experience the effect from an even smaller amount. Many low carbers enjoy an occasional chocolate bar or candy sweetened with one of the sugar alcohols, and find there is no effect on their weight loss or ketosis. Some do find it will put them in a stall. Others find they definitely experience a blood sugar "rush" from eating even a small amount. For a few, the laxative effect is pronounced, and even a small amount will trigger unpleasant symptoms. This is definitely a case of YMMV (your mileage may vary). For some low carbers, planning for one of these treats now and then helps to stave off cravings for serious carb binges. Indeed, even at full count, a 40 gram chocolate bar sweetened with maltitol has an average of 12 carb grams, as opposed to regular plain chocolate with 25 carbs in a similar sized bar. Just beware that they can also trigger the sweet cravings you hope to avoid. "

I am a diabetic, and while I can understand your friend's reluctance to eat lots of sugar-laden foods, there is - for most type 2 diabetics - I cannot speak directly to type 1 diabetics - no reason to avoid sugar of any sort. Sugar is nothing more than another carbohydrate, and if eaten with that in mind, usually in moderation and in the context of other foods (i.e., as part of a properly planned diet and medication plan) there is no reason to avoid sugar, although it's a good idea to limit sugar and carbohydrate intake in many situations. Strangely enough, many diabetic diets suggest a fair amount of carbohydrates - more than may be necessary or wise in some cases. Before preparing these bon-bons for your friend, it might be wise to get more detailed information about her condition and the medication she's taking. Why do you want to avoid maltitol? What about sorbitol and the other similar sugar substitutes? FWIW, my condition allows me to eat sugar, which I do in moderation and in conjunction with other foods. OTOH, brown rice and many breads will shoot my blood sugar level up considerably. When planning to eat a meal with a fair amount of carbs, I adjust my medication accordingly.

Recently we had a family-type dinner with friends and family. A young lady (24 yo), who was the caretaker for the old, infirm matriarch of the family, spent most of dinner time on her cell phone using very "rough" language and speaking very loudly. It was not my place to say anything, but I was very angry, as were some of the other guests. This woman made seven phone calls during dinner, and her conversation was liberally peppered with some of the foulest language I've ever heard - and I've heard some pretty foul language in my 60+ years.

Lidia Bastianich has a recipe in which she separates the leaves and then cooks them with oilve oil, garlic, sea or kosher salt, some red chile flakes and a little red wine vinegar. The results were quite good.