Shel_B

I love these hash brown patties. The price is great, only $2.79 for a package of ten. Safeway has an almost identical item - curiously called TJ Farms - for $4.79. These are WAY better than the MacDonald's patties. I cook mine in the Breville Smart Oven. They're very popular at the local TJ's. Last week I saw a woman with a dozen packages in her cart.

They are magnetic shelves. I have two styles as I wanted two different sizes. There are plenty of choices on Amazon. This is one of my sets: (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Perhaps I should mention that the shelves are very firmly attached to the fridge.

@mgaretz, I called them this morning and got an answering machine. I left a brief and direct message describing my interest. Now we wait. If I don't hear back from them by mid-week, I'll try again through their online contact form.

Just above the link that you clicked on to get to the site, I wrote: At this point I don't even know if such a visit would be acceptable to the growers but that should be easy to find out.

Yummy ...

Let's not get too ahead of ourselves ...

@FrogPrincesse, A drive to Half Moon Bay is pleasant and filled with nice scenery and enjoyable side trips. I could even make an overnight trip out of it and stay at one or another nice B&Bs. Plus, I can enjoy the company of one or another companions for a drive to HMB, not so easily accomplished for a run into San Francisco to a grocery store. A trip to San Francisco is not so enjoyable. The traffic is often annoying and unpleasant, parking is difficult or expensive, and the scenery offers little that is uplifting to the senses. To avoid the unpleasantness of taking a car into SF, more than likely I'd take public transit, a less than stellar experience and one for which finding a companion would be unlikely.

I'm just starting my investigation into how wasabi is grown here in the US and Canada. Thus far, and in part with suggestions here, I've found five US and Canadian growers, one of which is a short drive south of me. It's an easy day trip and the farm is located in a scenic area with some nice restaurants and other amenities. I'm starting to read some articles and blog posts to get a better understanding of how wasabi is cultivated and what to look for and consider when buying and using wasabi, including, perhaps, uses and recipes beyond just as an accompaniment to raw fish. After reading these articles, I'd like to drive down to purchase some rhizomes, leaves, and stems, and start experimenting a bit. At this point I don't even know if such a visit would be acceptable to the growers but that should be easy to find out. https://californiagrown.org/blog/learn-how-real-wasabi-is-grown/

What are the dimensions of your grater? I have big hands and want a grater that's comfortable to hold and use. Any advice?

To experiment with and explore new-to-me flavors, textures, and techniques. Thinking about tradition and how it's changed over time, and to use traditional flavors and techniques in my cooking. To offer my guests something they've not tried before.

Not yet, but soon.

I looked at every wasabi-labeled product at Nijiya that I could call up, and there was nothing but fake wasabi items or items that was said to contain real wasabi but which was adulterated with numerous other, often polysyllabic-named, ingredients. Instacart wasn't much better. although I did find one product made by Sushi Sonic that was 100% freeze-dried wasabi. It seems to be widely available, both online and in some local markets. If someone is looking for this, be careful, as they have another product, in an almost identical container, that's only 51% wasabi, with the balance being horseradish and mustard.

Excellent! 👍 I'll have time to read through their site later today.

I'll check Nijiya. Thanks! I've never used instacart. Sounds like it might be another search resource. I'll look into it.

That's good information. While more expensive than Pacific Coast Wasabi on a per ounce basis, it's inexpensive enough to purchase as a sample. I suspect that it's the same powder sold by https://wasabia.com/ , Pacific Coast Wasabi Ltd. Might be nice to know for sure, though. Thanks for the link!

It doesn't, already checked. Maybe in San Francisco's Japanese neighborhood, but driving or public transit to the area would be a last resort.

Thank you! I believe that's the place I've heard about but was unable to find ... I have encountered dubious quality and questionable authenticity ... 😞

Looking for real wasabi root, either prepared or whole root. Any ideas where it can be obtained? I've looked at several products that claim to be wasabi, but they all, at best, contain only a small amount of the root. Here's a typical ingredient list from a product described as real: HORSERADISH 40.0 % WASABI 15.0 % IODIZED SALT 8.0 % SOYBEAN OIL 7.0 % CORN STARCH 5.0 % MUSTARD POWDER 1.0 %

I've a need for a simple beef stock but I want better quality than boxed, commercial broth. I don't want to make a full-tilt stock in which bones are roasted, etc., nor do I need anything like that. I'd like to try using ground beef and the appropriate aromatics and additions. Any thoughts on the idea or suggestions to enhance the flavor? I'm familiar with, but haven't used, Better than Bullion and More than Gourmet, and I may consider using one of those or another similar product, but for the moment I'd like to explore the idea of using ground beef.

What is a "blast freezer?" And, I hope you don't mind my asking, why do you have freezers in your dining and living rooms?

This is quite good, although it's not the higher quality gelato one would find in a dedicated gelato shop. I love the combination of vanilla and chocolate - always a favorite - and the fudgy swirl is not at all overpowering. The dessert maintains an easy-to-scoop texture right from the freezer, and it's not overly sweet ... this, I think, will be my go-to ice cream for a while. Try it ... nice for the summer months. .

👍

Now that you mention it, I've used it on a table as well, primarily because counter space was at a premium in the kitchens I used, especially when making large batches of goulash and chili. It sure makes quick work of 10lbs of onions.

@ElsieD,I found that butternut squash was easy for me although it didn't dice as nicely as onions. Haven't tried potatoes. However, in the next few days - maybe a week or so - I'll need to dice up some orange sweet potatoes. I'll dig out the chopper and see how it does and get back to you. In the meanwhile, this video may be useful: Even though I've tried it with a few items, as @liuzhou suggests, its strong suit for me seems to be onions and the like, although I've had great results with peppers. I've not used it much, and the things I've tried it with, other than onions, were more out of curiosity than to use the items in my regular cooking.