Shel_B

@Katie Meadow and @Alex ...Lundgren? I'm sure you meant Lundberg rice. I've been using various Lundberg rice products occasionally for many years, and while their standard white and brown rice offerings are acceptable, their basmati and jasmine rice choices are down at the bottom of my list. FWIW, a really nice brown rice, if you're inclined that way, is that from Massa Organics, available at the Berkeley and possibly Oakland farmers' markets. https://massaorganics.com/product/organic-brown-rice I also recommend Koda Farms Organic Kukuho Rose Whole Grain Brown Rice https://www.kodafarms.com/our-branded-products/

For quite some time I've been looking for an excellent basmati rice. I've tried some Tilda versions, a Daawat variety, Royal, and a couple-three others. They have all been recommended by one source or another, including my Indian tenants, and they have all been disappointing in one way or another. Flavor and texture were lacking in most, aroma was scant or non-existent, the grains were short, and so on. One was recommended by the Indian grocery near me and was so bad that I returned it. I am looking for an outstanding, organic, aged, long-grain basmati. Any suggestions?

I've had good results by letting the tart defrost before cooking in the countertop oven. YMMV

I'll see if my Costco carries it. Thank you. Added later: A number of local stores other than Costco carry this item. 👏

Very helpful ... thank you. I'll look for it ... nice to have some convenience foods around.

@Maison Rustique Can you provide details about the rice.... sounds interesting and it might be nice to have in the pantry.

Sorry, Charlie (obscure tuna fish reference) ... this is not AI. Very far from it, actually. Quite a few years ago I owned and operated a printing and graphic arts business, and that's when I encountered Lorem ipsum for the first time. Lorem ipsum is a placeholder text commonly used in publishing and graphic design to demonstrate the visual form of a document or a typeface before the content is finalized. It may be used as a placeholder before the final copy is available as well. In other words, it's simply a dummy text that has been used by the printing and graphics industry since the 1500's. But it's not just random text. It's roots stem from a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. A Latin scholar researched some obscure Latin words from a Lorem ipsum passage, and discovered that Lorem ipsum comes from sections of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil, had to look that up as Mr. Memory has left the building) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. It's used because a reader may be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.

Sorry for the delayed response. I've been involved in a small, time consuming project here. Thanks for all the replies to my question. Some suggestions I tried prior to my post, and the results were poor. Other things I may try later, although my inclination is to just spend the additional $$ and buy the meat from the two butchers I use ... at least when cooking for guests. For my "Tuesday night" meals I can put up with the problem as I'm usually looking for quick and inexpensive, and I'm flexible about the results when just cooking for myself. The butcher meat is about twice the price of TJ's.

Beautiful ... lovely.

There are a number of times I'll cook with ground turkey, beef, or pork that has been frozen. When defrosted, the ground meat is pretty wet. What's a good way to reduce or, ideally, eliminate that excess moisture. I have at times let the meat sit in the fridge, uncovered, for a while, and that helps somewhat, but not enough and doing that has its downsides. Sometimes I'll buy the meat already frozen, but more often I'll freeze it myself. In either case, I've got wet meat, and the turkey seems to be wetter than beef or pork. The meat I buy at the butcher, that's ground by the butcher, is drier by by far compared to the ground packaged meat from places like TJ's or other markets like Costco. Is the commercially ground meat treated differently than butcher ground meat?

I've been enjoying puttanesca for many years. It's essentially a dish of convenience. Use what's handy. Each ingredient imparts a certain characteristic, none of which are a poor choice or unacceptable (IMO). For example, at times I'll add capers and/or olives, and other times not. I've made it with oil packed anchovies, salt packed anchovies, and anchovy paste ... all good. I've used dried Calabrian chilies, fresh Thai chilies, serrano chilies, ground Kashmiri chilies, and Aleppo chili flakes ... all good. Sometimes I'll use pancetta fat instead of or as an addition to olive oil. The fat from pancetta affumicato is an interesting choice, worth playing with. A mixture of fresh cherry tomatoes and tinned whole tomatoes imparts a nice flavor and texture. Don't forget the garlic. I prefer a small amount, and sometimes I'll use fresh and dried roasted garlic together. Your mom always told you not to play with your food. Puttanesca is a great choice to play with. As you say, it's a simple rustic dish. Don't overthink it, cook with feeling and follow your mood, and the results will always be interesting.

@Katie Meadow ... you're mistaken about my desire to own a stand mixer. I passed on a free one a couple of years ago when Sweetie gave hers away. There are many things I think about having, but never have I thought about a stand mixer.

The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of a good hand mixer! I suppose if I really wanted one, I'd have one by now. I'm still undecided. However, I've looked at the KitchenAid before, and at this point that would be my first consideration. I think there's a 5-speed version as well.

Allow me to preface my question(s) by saying I know very little about baking. Over the years here I have learned a few things, but I'm still very much in the shallow end of the pool. My new friend likes cheesecake and I'd like to try this America's Test Kitchen no-bake (key) lime cheesecake as a treat for us somewhere down the line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Iz475ygAEM Julia uses a stand mixer when making the cheesecake. I don't have such a machine. I do have a very old and poorly designed electric hand mixer and one of these: Is it possible to make Julia's cheesecake with only the egg beater and by hand, with a mixing spoon, whisk, or something similar? I am not even considering using the electric hand mixer that I have as past experiences with it (two attempts) were awful. I am, however, considering buying a good electric hand mixer, maybe in time for the cheesecake, maybe not. So, could the recipe be made with an electric hand mixer? What would I need to do, or be aware of, if I went fully manual (egg beater, mixing spoons)? What would I lose, or gain, by making the recipe totally by hand? Tangentially, I like mixing things by hand even if it takes longer or is harder work.

I really appreciate your descriptions and images of Chinese food. Compared to what I've been exposed to, the food you present has far more interesting ingredients and is much more vibrant. Thanks for taking the time to post about your meals.

Expected to arrive in a few days: I've been thinking about getting a Bialetti moka pot for quite some time, and have been reluctant to click the "buy" button because it's not something I really need. But when I saw this one, the colors just grabbed me and I popped for it unhesitatingly ... my kitchen needs more color - I need more color in my life - and this will sit quite visibly next to the coffee grinder and small tea containers. I'm also pleased to have finally made the decision.

I pretty much agree with you on all points, although I've not looked into the details about adding vinegar. I've not noticed any difference in taste or the results with and without vinegar, although I've used a very small amount of it. I love the pressure cooker for making stock and broth ... quick, easy, efficient, and it frees up my time considerably.

... does it go by any other name? I've seen certain cuts go by different names in different geographical (and social) areas.

A few months ago I was introduced to Shoyu Chicken, soy-sauce marinated chicken thighs. It was this video that got me interested in the dish: https://youtu.be/J7ip778ulqo I was intrigued by its simplicity and potentially flavorful marinade. The first chance I got, I made the recipe. I was unhappy with the result, but saw the potential the recipe offered. I decided to experiment with it. The second attempt added an overnight marinade, additional brown sugar, adding Japanese brown rice vinegar (which I had overlooked the previous time I made the recipe), and paying attention to, and noting the amounts of, the aromatics being used. This was much improved, but the marinade was too astringent and sharp. I wanted something mellower. The next attempt was much better. I used the soy sauce mentioned in the video, and the ingredients told an interesting story. As a soy sauce that I'd use in stir fry and other cooking, the quality and ingredients would keep it on the sideline. But as a marinade for this dish, it definitely had potential. The sauce contains sugar, and is formulated to be, at least to my taste, mild and somewhat smooth. My spidey senses were on full alert. The "typical" soy sauce used in Hawaiian versions, Aloha brand, also includes sugar. I'll try the Aloha brand at some point. It's easy to come by as it's sold in a close-by market. I mixed the marinade a little differently. I used my home made chicken stock instead of water on the second try, and this time I went back to plain water. I also increased the soy sauce to 1 2/3 cups and the water to two cups. I added 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of the 1/4 called for in the initial recipe. Unfortunately, I had no chicken thighs in stock, but I'd recently picked up a big package of Costco drumsticks, and decided to use six of them for this dish today. I will go back to the thighs when I next make the dish. They look better and they cook better. Chicken was marinated overnight, and was cooked at a somewhat slower than the previous simmer for about 45 minutes. Afterwards, I let them sit in the marinade for 45 minutes before final preparation. Some of the chicken went under the broiler for five minutes and some were plated without that additional step. Both were good in their own way, and were I serving this to guests, I'd offer both choices. In all instances, the cooking liquid was strained and thickened with corn starch. I may decide to cook it down a little more before thickening, perhaps increase the flavor somewhat. Thus far, this dish shows great promise. It's simple to prepare, inexpensive to procure, and pleasant to partake. I shall continue working on this dish ... I'm getting close to what I'm seeking.

This os the container that came with my Vitamix. Over the years I've used it very little, perhaps a couple of dozen times. I bought other containers that were more useful to me, so I'd like to find a good home for this one. I plan to replace it with the taller, original 64-oz container. This container is in excellent condition. The blade is like new, the lid fits well and doesn't leak, and the Vitamix tamper is included. It's compatible with Classic G-Series machines, the Vitamix 5200, 5300, 6500, 750, and 7500. $100.00 + shipping, or make an offer. It sells for $170.00 thru Vitamix and Amazon. I'd consider the tall 64-oz container as a trade. https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/shop/low-profile-64-ounce-container

Great idea! Great friend! Thanks so much for posting. 👍👍

This popped up when I was watching some YouTube videos. Some of these things look like they may be useful for some folks at some time. I like the carrot slicer and the hand pie maker ... anything appeal to you, even if just for curiosity's sake? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3lRrkJfnfM8?feature=share

TJ's has some decent cheeses and some good deals. I sometimes purchase Reggiano there both for convenience and the smaller size pieces which are easier to grate in some situations. Mostly I buy Stravecchio at Costco (it's always available) as it's only $12.99 per lb. Gotta buy a big chunk, though, about 1.5 lbs. Some years back, our local Whole Foods had a wheel of 54-month-old Reggiano and was selling chunks at a very good price ... Mr. Plastic did his job well that day. Reggiano Trivia: The oldest wheel ever opened was 23 years old. It was opened at a charity event in Barcelona in November of 2023.

That's nice. I've been looking for some variety in my sandos, and this is inspiring, esp. with the beans as I've just recently started exploring and experimenting with them. Did you use actual Parmesan cheese or a Reggiano. The crystallization suggests to me Reggiano, but maybe an older Parmesan?