Shel_B

A friend sent me THIS LINK describing the new Le Creuset non-stick cookware. Has anyone tried it? Does anyone know anything about the construction or the coating? Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who jumped in with a suggestion. Much appreciated.

Is there some simple way to enrobe lemon curd in chocolate? Perhaps by freezing the curd first? Could it easily be wrapped in a ganache? Maybe injected into balls of ganache? Thanks!

I'm not saying that, just essentially repeating what was told to me. Since the chips hold their shape, and my SO was expecting them to melt into a gooey mass, it's easy to understand why she felt that they didn't melt, or get soft. Thanks for your input.

Sweetie commented to me the other day that the chocolate chips in her brownie mix didn't melt when baked. I have a very vague recollection of reading somewhere (King Arthur catalogue?) that chocolate chips are made so that they don't melt, that they retain their shape in cookies, etc. Is this correct (can't find the info in any of the KA catalogues I have here)? I was thinking that it might just have been the chips in the particular mix she used. Is it true for all chocolate chips, or just some chips? What about white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and other flavors? Thanks!

When following the directions on the box, the crust on all frozen pizza that I've tried leaves something, sometimes a lot, to be desired. However, by playing around with different pizzas over time, I've found the ideal baking technique / time / temp that gives me a very good result. Rarely will following the directions on the box result in an acceptable pizza for me. FWIW, I make the frozen pizzas in the Breville oven. Host's note: click here for the next segment of this extended topic.

I liked it reasonably well, although there are other TJ's frozen pizzas that I like better. I'd buy it again ...

I just found out about this Lebanese soup or stew, and am starting to learn about it. It looks like it will fit perfectly into our style of eating. Does anyone have any tips or techniques, or even a recipe +/-, for this dish that they'd care to share. Thanks!

Local TJ's Does Something Nice A few days ago I stopped by the local TJ's, and on the way out encountered a staff member standing by the door next to piles of boxes filled with various products. These were holiday items, many of which were pumpkin flavored, although some were not. They were being given away to any shopper who wanted them. I didn't care for anything, but grabbed a couple of items to give to some people in my apartment building who I knew would enjoy them. A nice gesture to the community, IMO. I should also point out that this same local TJ's gives away a lot of food to one of the nearby senior centers: prepared salads, breads, vegetables nearing the end of their display life, bakery goods, etc. Again, a nice benefit to the community. While more and more stores are donating food in this manner, this particular TJ's (I cannot speak from experience for other TJ's stores) has been doing these give aways for years, long before it was as common as it is now. I just remembered that, a few years ago, the store would bring seniors in from the local senior centers and give them a tour of the store. On the tour they'd point out where foods that were good for diabetics were, what foods were low salt, low fat, high in fiber, etc. I don't know if they still do that, but it was certainly a nice service to the community.

No! No! No! Don't buy this. Flavorless and poor texture.

Interesting about the amount of coffee required. I suspect it's because of the size of the grinds. I don't mind that it may take a little more time to brew some pour over ... I like taking my time in the morning, and, of course, I have the time to enjoy the process. My companion often buys her coffee pre-ground for a Mr. Coffee setup she has at home, and sometimes she'll buy or bring me some coffee as well. Having the option to brew coffee more than one way, and knowing the best way to do that, is a nice option. Of course, I can always grind my own beans for the finer, pour over grind. I'd like to find a non-plastic cone and a good quality gold filter instead of using compostable paper filters. Any suggestions for an excellent quality gold filter? Is there something other than paper and the gold filters?

What are the benefits and drawbacks to making coffee using the pourover method, especially, but not limited to, using a French press? How might some of the drawbacks be overcome?

Thanks for your comments. Very helpful and motivating. The next visit to TJ's will end up with this item in the shopping cart.

I like the TJ's peanut butter cups. I've tried many brands and only TJ's are an acceptable alternative to Reese's. I prefer the TJ's dark chocolate cups to the Reese's dark chocolate cups, but it's close. The regular Reese's (milk chocolate) cups are still in the mix, though. Been thinking of trying the Mandarin Orange Chicken, so this may push me to make the purchase. Costco has something similar that (I believe) gfweb mentioned once, but it's a much larger package. I've been toying with purchasing one or the other at some time. I've always enjoyed peanut butter filled pretzels, and while Costco has them, one must purchase a big tub (not a good idea for me to have a big tub of any snack item in the apartment), and, IMHO, they are not quite as good as the TJ's variety. I buy the TJ's filled pretzels just a couple-three times a year.

Do you go to the store on High Street? There's no dearth of salsa here. I'm close to three similar markets, as well as three or four more mainstream markets, that sell their own creations, and, like you, I'll often buy salsa at one of them. Between them, there's a choice of about 20 different salsas, maybe more. We are fortunate when it comes to food choices.

Thanks everyone ... I appreciate your help.

What is the best way, or at least some good ways, to store whole, recently roasted, coffee beans? I've gotten the beans home and put them into ball jars, and stored them in a cabinet near the coffee grinder. I've also just put the beans into the same cabinet in the bag that they were purchased in. I usually buy 1/2-lb of each type of bean at a time, usually buying two or three varieties per trip to the seller (usually Peet's, but other local roasters as well). Are there better ways to store the beans?

Yawn! Not bad, just sort of mediocre.

Click Here for interesting story about Pirate Joe's

Just curious, why do you dislike Symon? I remember when he was competing against John Besh in the Next Hottest Chef contest, or whatever it's called, I was definitely favoring Besh, but I could see how Symon's personality would be a better fit with FN.

What more needs to be said ...

Trader Joe's Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup Many of us, at least here in the US, enjoyed Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup as kids, and, I'm sure, many people still enjoy it as adults. It's considered by many to be a "comfort food," especially when served alongside a grilled cheese sandwich. I've been enjoying a more interesting version of tomato soup over the years, compliments of our good friends at Trader Joe's. I usually buy the organic, low sodium version, but TJ's also has an organic version with more salt, if that's your preference, and perhaps a non-organic version as well. I always add some red pepper flakes, usually Aleppo pepper flakes, and sometimes add a diced jarred roasted red pepper to it as well. Now that's a bowl of comfort for me, along with a grilled cheese sandwich made with some Chipotle Jack from the Winters Cheese Company in Northern California.

Keeping whole grains refrigerated or in the freezer and stored in tightly sealed containers (I use Mason jars) prevents rancidity for a very long time. Koda brown rice is available in 1-lb vacuum sealed packages which also helps to keep the rice fresh.

From an older Washington Post interview: I’m happy that people don’t seem to harass you for not being totally vegetarian, something you’re very upfront about. In fact, I noticed that there was just one review on Amazon complaining about that, and dozens of other reviewers jumped to your defense to say that, of course, it doesn’t matter. I did have 20 years of hands-on experience, so it’s not like I’m jumping on the bandwagon and discovering my inner vegetarian. I’m doing a book signing this weekend in Santa Fe, at a butcher shop, with Joseph Shuldiner, who wrote “Pure Vegan.” He sent it to me and I thought, “You can’t possibly be vegan, this is way too much fun.” We’re both coming from the same point of view. We’re not interested in fundamental lifestyles of vegetarianism and veganism. We’re interested in integrity, which is the same as the person who started the butcher shop. The meat is local, it’s grass-fed, it’s from here. And we admire that. It’s not about saying no to this or no to that. It can be if you want, or it can be that you simply want to eat some vegetables. And from another interview: Q: Tell us about your background and how you became interested in vegetarian cooking. A: I grew up in Northern California, in Davis. Meat was not very important in my mother's kitchen, but we weren't vegetarians. We just didn't have a lot of meat. When I lived in a Buddhist community in the 1970s and 1980s and we decided to be vegetarian, it wasn't really an issue for me. I just wanted to cook. I cooked in that community in different capacities for about 18 years, including starting Greens restaurant in San Francisco. But outside of that time, I've never considered myself a vegetarian – more of a 90 percent-er. I wanted to be able to work on improving conditions for animals, not just ignoring them...

For the past year or so I've been enjoying Koda brown rice. I find it superior in some ways to the Massa, although both are excellent and I use them interchangeably. Proprietary Conventional and Certified Organic Heirloom Whole Grain Brown Kokuho Rose® brand – medium grain – rice grown exclusively on Koda Farms since the 1950s. Unlike modern varieties, Kokuho Rose is a true heirloom, possessing hallmarks that stand in stark contrast to those considered desirable in industrial scale farming. In essence, Kokuho Rose is slow to mature, low in yield, and tall in stature – adding significant effort to its production. Preserving this proprietary strain of rice requires a three year commitment merely to produce the seed, which Koda Farms fulfills by maintaining their private seed nurseries. A perfect expression of the land it was specifically bred to thrive upon, we consider our rice to be “au terroir”. Whole grain with bran layer intact, our genmai (Japanese for “brown rice”) is complex and subtle, light floral flavor with a naturally slightly sweet afternote. Tender texture, but more substantial than our white KR. . Perfect for table rice, sushi, as well as other traditional medium grain preparations which depend on a similar starch profile such as Italian risotto and Spanish paella. Again, our product averages less than 2% broken kernels. (USDA industry standard allows up to 4% broken kernels.) Versions: Conventional and Certified Organic by CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), certified Kosher by KSA, GMO free (Non-GMO Project Verified), Gluten free. No additives of any sort, pure, unadulterated rice. Package formats: 50Lbs, 15Lbs, 10Lbs, 5Lbs, & 1Lb