Shel_B

I was astounded to learn of the amount of chicken this company processes, and of the debris that was found in the chicken. How could such a thing happen on so great a scale and over so long a period of time? Perhaps this food processing company is too big. What kind of inspection or oversight are they subject to? BTW, I liked the site and information, and signed up to receive their emails.

Allow me to suggest one that has not been mentioned: the pot in which the eggs are cooked. I cook my eggs by bringing them to a boil and removing them from the heat, and allow them to sit for ten minutes in order to get a hard cooked egg to my liking. However, when cooking at my GF's place, using her thinner pots, the results are substantially different, and I need two minutes more to get the eggs cooked to the same degree.

I believe I found a place that will sharpen the cleaver. I've known of this place for years, but I didn't think they worked with knives. It's a Japanese tool company just a few minutes from my front door. https://www.hidatool.com/

I'm glad you brought up the issue of sharpening, as I was curious about the best way to sharpen this puppy. To start with, at what angle should it be sharpened? How do I know the pro will do it right? Thanks!

This past weekend I was at a garage sale where I picked up this nice-looking cleaver. It's quite comfortable in my hand, and has what seems to be a good weight. I'm looking forward to trying it. $2.00! ETA: I just checked prices for this cleaver and found it to be a pretty spendy item. It's a better find than I guessed ...

Perhaps here is as good a place as any to post this. This morning I came across an item that said, "It may seem as if Dunkin Donuts makes all of their donuts fresh, but any employee will let you know that it is not true. The sad truth is they make all of their donuts in a factory somewhere, freeze them, and them ship them across the country. Next time you crave a fresh donut, Dunkin Donuts should be your last thought." Any truth to this? Just curious ...

About how many people does this recipe serve? My cheesecake (lemon goat cheese, based on a Food & Wine recipe - no water bath), made with 11-oz of cheese and six eggs, serves about 8 people, maybe more ... it's been a while since I made it for a crowd.

And that's the coffee used by the woman who suggested salting the coffee ...

In this case the mold is white ... Thanks to all for your input. Very helpful and appreciated. Considering all factors, including my age and health, and the points made by Lisa, I'll toss the preserves. Apricots are coming into season and it's simple and cheap to make more preserves.

There's a jar of home made apricot preserves that has been in the refrigerator several months, and today I noticed a small, circular patch of mold on the surface. The patch is about one centimeter in diameter. Would it be safe to remove the mold, plus a fair amount around the patch, and eat the rest of the preserves. I'm not sure I want to do it, but I am curious about the safety of doing such a thing. Thanks!

Thanks for the link ... I never thought about adding vinegar to the cooking water ... it certainly seems to make sense. I never knew why the potatoes should be added to cold water, and the article made that clear.

First of all, and to my happiness, the potato salad was well-liked - I received a few very positive comments and not a bit was left over. The weather was great, so we set up some tables outside and enjoyed good conversation as well as Oscar's famous grilled chicken. Deryn, I only use organic potatoes, and they are from one of three farms, so I know what I'm getting. I don't like the skin on Yukon Gold potatoes in salad, although I don't mind the skin on some other methods of preparation, and have no quibble with the skin on red potatoes. Lisa, Cyalexa, Heidi ... I will definitely try cooking the potatoes with the skin on, and see how that works for me. One concern that I have is the seasoning ... I cook the peeled potatoes in well salted water, and that seems to add flavor that goes deep into the potatoes. If cooked with the skin on, will salt permeate the skin and add flavor throughout the potatoes? From what has been said here, I suspect not. Can this point be clarified? Oh, one more thing, I also use pickle juice (and pickles) in the salad. This time I used Bubbies kosher dills and their juice. I highly recommend the product! Thanks! Hope you all had a good weekend.

The salad has been made, so it's too late to consider cooking the potatoes in their skins for this batch. However, I may try the technique when making my next batch. I've never heard of this technique, or at least I don't recall hearing about it. My concern is about handling hot potatoes. What's the procedure for slipping the skins off? Thanks heidh and cyalexa. Can either of you provide additional info for using this technique? Thanks!

Thanks so much Deryn and TFTC. I appreciate your help, suggestions, and kind words very much. I'll be doing the cooking and final prep today. It should be an interesting and fun day.

I don't know what a "long time" is, but it could be as much as 10 to 12 hours +/-. It just depends on my pain and comfort level. I am working with about 10-lbs of potatoes, more than I've ever done. When I make the salad for parties and dinners, I've never made more than 4-lbs, and even when I'm feeling well, I work slowly and have to stand a while. Sometimes I'll sit at the dining room table and work sitting down. That's a big help, but, unfortunately, that won't work so well under the circumstances. The bed idea won't work in this situation. I have enough big pots, space in the fridge, and big mixing/storage bowls to get everything done at once. I hadn't thought about keeping the potatoes cold. Since you've done that, and for the time I'll probably need for my project, that's what I'll do, unless someone says that the idea is not workable, and then I'll investigate further. The event is Sunday, and I plan to start preparation this afternoon and, hopefully, start cooking this evening, but definitely by tomorrow morning. I want everything done tomorrow so I don't have to fuss on the day of the party. Thanks so much for your input.

I am making a huge batch of potato salad for our Mothers Day BBQ. I recently injured my knee, and cannot stand very long, and sitting is quite uncomfortable since I have to bend my leg and, even with pain medication, it's painful and the knee gets stiff. I may have to peel and dice the potatoes in stages, taking a rest every now and then. I don't want to leave the spuds exposed to the air for an undetermined amount of time, and thought that covering them with water for a while, before cooking, would be a good idea. How long can the potatoes be left soaking before they get waterlogged or in some way suffer? Or would they even get waterlogged or suffer from a long-term soaking? Is this something I have to be concerned about? Thanks!

Thanks!

A couple of weeks ago we had an event here at my apartment building. The woman who made the coffee told me that she added a small amount of salt to the freshly brewed coffee. I was stunned ... never heard of such a thing! A few days ago I was watching an old episode of Good Eats, and there was Alton adding a pinch of salt to his fresh-brewed French press coffee, saying that the salt reduces bitterness. Once again I was surprised. So, what's the story behind adding salt to fresh-brewed coffee? Is it done if the beans are mediocre or poorly roasted? Or when certain methods are used for brewing? Or is it just something people do because they heard about it and don't know better ... like how searing a steak seals in juices? Do you put salt in your coffee? Thanks!

How do you know it's "the real deal?" Not only 100% olive oil, but meeting the standards of a true extra virgin oil?

I couldn't see myself doing that. There are several very good olive oils in my cupboard as well as some excellent vegetable oils. It's much simpler to make my own blend both because there's no need to store another bottle/can of oil here (especially one of unknown quality and provenance) and the amount of blended oil I'd use in a year would be very small.

Thanks for confirming that. I'd make my own blend with oils of my choosing.

Earlier this month I spent about a week in Scottsdale, AZ, and we went to a few very nice restaurants. One had a dish I particularly liked, and I asked for, and received, the recipe, which was emailed to me a few days ago. One of the ingredients was described as "olive oil blend." Anybody have an idea what that might be? I'm thinking olive oil plus some other vegetable oil, yes?

How about a recipe? FWIW, I'm a big fan of the Massa brown rice. Been using it almost exclusively for several years.

2 cups cream + 2/3 cup sugar reduced to 2 cups.

This should help you ... http://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/173-introducing-lemon-posset