Shel_B

Thanks! I've seen some videos but somehow disappeared the link. I'll save it more better this time. I liked the videos I saw and will certainly visit more of them now.

Great! Thank you so much.

Any recommendations for YouTube cooking shows that focus on Italian cooking? They can originate from places other than Italy such as, for example, Not Another Cooking Show. or Pasta Grammar. Thanks ...

Recent Hot Sauce Order: Most are new to me although I've been using Marie's sauces since the very early 1990s. The Mango Habanero sauce is excellent ... I'm getting a bigger bottle on my next order.

Cool! Thanks for posting the link.

The stove in my kitchen is electric and far from ideal for using the Moka Pot. I want a small hotplate to keep on or close to the stove for the Moka Pot, maybe my little 1-quart pan, butter warmer, and the like. I've never owned a hotplate before, so my request is a blend of desire and ignorance. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'd like a flat plate rather than coils for the element; Small size is a big concern. If the plate diameter is about 6 inches and the unit's footprint is not much greater, I'll be in Hotplate Heaven. Do you know of anything that may come close to fitting the bill? Induction won't work. I'd like to keep the price to a maximum of around $50.00 and will consider spending more for something exceptional.

Homemade carrot/celery juice, lightly toasted, seeded, whole wheat toast spread with roasted, homemade peanut butter, French press Ethiopian coffee, black.

Instead of wasting good food, one could regift them or donate to a food pantry ...

I'm not dead. Made a chicken bog with the stock yesterday ... mmmm! No intestinal distress either. Thanks for your input, folks.

@gfweb I'd like some clarification on the highlighted points, please. By "stay[ing] sealed" do you mean that the cooker isn't opened when cooking is done until such time as the mixture is transferred to storage containers? If left for several hours, such as overnight, wouldn't the sealed vent open naturally and break whatever seal the cooker might have? How would that effect the concept of a sealed cooker? Is the 15 minutes you mentioned additional time to reheat the contents after they have cooled down for several hours after cooking, essentially just reheating at pressure cooker temperatures?

Thanks for linking the article. Based on the article and my own experiences, I'll not be concerned about the safety of this batch of stock. The article did mention flavor degradation as a possible side effect of leaving the stock/sauce/etc. out too long and then reheating. A test of that idea may be worthwhile.

I made a batch of chicken stock in the Instant Pot yesterday, got distracted, and left it sitting in the pot overnight. This morning I cleaned and drained the stock, put it into storge containers and then into the fridge. Since the stock was left out at room temp for so long, do I need to be concerned about bacteria growth, botulism, or whatever can happen to stock left uncooled and unrefrigerated for 8 hours or so? Would reheating it and bringing it to a boil reduce or eliminate any such problems?

The company, after struggling for years, has declared bankruptcy. https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/18/business/tupperware-files-bankruptcy/index.html I've never used the product in great part because of their marketing approach. I was never invited to a Tupperware Party, and in our family's circle I don't believe there were any Tupperware representatives. Additionally, as an adult, I eschewed plastic containers as much as possible, much preferring glass and various metals. That said, I've always felt that I missed out on a small piece of Americana.

I like them only for the purpose described above. As part of "spaghetti & meatballs" not so much. That's, in part, why I am looking for alternative recommendations.

Trader Joe's meatballs ... well, they've been in my rotation for years, although perhaps in an unconventional way. They are dressed in one of several sauces, either homemade or commercial, and then baked in the Breville until such time as they're basted again with the sauce followed by a blast under the broiler and, often, a final basting with warm but uncooked sauce. I've used them that way as appetizers, a side dish for potatoes, and as backyard-bbq fare, placed right next to the potato salad. Makes me happy.

@gfweb ... your post came through as blank. If you don't mind, please try again, I'm interested in what you have to say. BTW, since my last post, I found the ingredient list for the frozen meatballs.

Why Costco? Price? Ingredients? Taste? Thus far, I've not found much information about them online.

In about a week, I'm cooking a dish for a large crowd, and to save time and my sanity, I'd like to use prepared frozen meatballs instead of making my own. Are there any such meatballs that you'd recommend? I'm located in the San Francisco area, so something that can be purchased in the general area would be ideal.

My sister asked me this question about nutritional yeast. I don't have an answer for.her Can anyone help ============ I've been using nutritional yeast powder for my tofu egg salad. I'm having trouble finding it. Can I use flakes instead of powder or will it change the texture? If so, for the better? Equivalent amount? Thanks.

I like the way you set up that shot 👍

Something very simple tonight: Chickpea and Yam Soup, inspired by a recipe posted by Michael Pollan about ten years ago. Garbanzos, garnet yam, onion, raw and dry roasted garlic, a few lemon slices, rind and all, water and remnants of homemade chicken stock, S&P. After cooking on the stovetop, everything was whirred around in the Vitamix, using my new container for the first time. I love that container. It does a better job and provides smoother results than the other containers I have. Overall, a simple, quick dinner with plenty of leftovers. Oh, poop! I forgot to add the greens. I picked up some red chard to add to the dish after whirring ... oh, well, it'll go into the next bowl(s).

That's neat. How much space does it take up, what's it's footprint? How does it work? Where's the heat and how is it circulated?

... cook naked.

https://www.gourmetclassic.com/about-us/ From the link above, seems like they are producing the product, but it could just be marketing-speak.: About Gourmet Classic Buy British Manufactured Goods Part of our growth strategy was to always be able to ensure ultimate control of our production processes and to that end we built our own food processing plant in 2015. Based in Ringwood, Hampshire, our facility has been awarded BRC AA accreditation. You are correct about fortified wines, of course. I should have been more specific in my comment to avoid misunderstandings. Have a good day/evening, my friend.

I read the article you linked and found no comments from renowned chefs, just a series of "experiments" from Daniel Gritzer from Serious Eats. Over the years, I've found a number of such tests and comparisons from Gritzer to be flawed in some way. One example was a test he did on the Vitamix blender. He attempted to warm/heat a liquid in the blender, didn't follow Vitamix's instructions, and concluded that the machine was not capable in that regard. I followed his instructions for a particular tomato sauce and was very disappointed in the result, but that could just be me. The wine that @Susanwusan mentioned in her original post is from the UK. As you noted, it was made to be undrinkable. Reading the ingredient list of the wines showed it to be a very poor choice for cooking, especially for the dish Susanwusan was planning to make. When people say to only use wine that you'd drink, it means, at least in part, that salted, fortified, or adulterated wines might best be left out of your recipes. Even Gritzer, the renowned chef and food professional, says: The "wine product" is disgusting stuff, and, as you can probably imagine, made a rendition of coq au vin that couldn't be less appealing, creating a braise with a fake fruity flavor that didn't even hint of tasting like wine. Gritzer also says: Bad wine can be good to cook with: At least sometimes, flawed wines can produce good results through the transformational power of cooking, but proceed at your own risk because good results aren't guaranteed. You pays your money and you takes your choice ... Mark Twain taking his cue from Punch magazine.