Shel_B

@dscheidt ... thanks for the webrestaurantstore link. I found the price spread between lower-priced and higher-priced ovens pretty remarkable. I was surprised to find some below $300.00. What may account for such a spread? I'd be hesitant to purchase a lower-priced model. You seem fairly knowledgeable about these ovens. Do you have some background with them?

That sings to me ...

Yeah, I've not seen any 1/4 pan ovens, although I may have seen two or three that had propritary-sized trays sized between 1/4 and 1/2 ... might be confusing this with another similarly-designed oven, though. I just found this 1/4-sized oven: (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

Does this type of oven come in 1/4 pan size?

This is an interesting oven. I had to do a GGLE search to find the dimensions. They are reported to be 22 inches (H) x 31 inches (W) x 21.5 inches (D) and the interior dimensions measure 16.5 inches (H) x 21.5 inches (W) x 15.25 inches (D). 1/2 sheet pans should fit with enough room to allow good airflow. I'm starting to look for a replacement for my decade+ years old Breville, and ovens with this general configuration have piqued my interest. I wonder, though, if it might be overkill for home use.

This morning I made my first batch of Teriyaki sauce, and since I had never made it before, and so many of the recipes and techniques I read varied, I just went with the standard proportions and used what was on hand. 1/2 cup Ozeki saki 1/2 cup Kikkoman Aji Mirin 1/2 cup Kikkoman mild (lower sodium) soy sauce 1/4 cup granulated sugar Into a saucepan, brought to a mild boil, simmered for 10-12 minutes until slightly thickened, and poured the whole thing into a waiting Mason jar. The first thing that I noticed was that the sauce became more mellow after heating, flavors more homogenous, sharp edges softened, and the sweetness, while still there, seemed, for lack of better phraseology, gentler. I didn't want to add any additional flavors to the sauce, although I next want to try the same recipe and add some ginger juice to it. It's also time to start looking at ingredient choices. The Ozeki sake was recommended by a good Japanese cook, but the other ingredients were bought for convenience, off the shelf in a local market. If you make Teriyaki sauce at home, what do you use for the mirin, sake, and soy sauce? By how much do you reduce the sauce? One brief comment: even though this was a first attempt, the results were more than acceptable and beter than the (few) prepared sauces I've tried. I'm really looking forward to trying different ingredients and experimenting with technique.

Source, please.

Did anyone suggest that LKK was an artisan or high end product? Did I miss it somehow?[8

Useful to know, not to suggest that it may not be a valid comparison. Thanks for the info.

It's interesting to me that they mention Megachef as an alternative to their sauce, although they claim it to have a somewhat different flavor profile.

Fridge? I've always understood that to have started as a shortened way of saying Frigidaire, which for many years was almost ubiquitous as the refrigerator of choice. It was invented, or first produced, around 1916, and then a few short years later was purchased and marketed by General Motors. Growing up, most families I knew owned a Frigidaire, although we had a Crosley Shelvador, which I believe was the first refrigerator with shelves in the door. Nonetheless, we called it a fridge just as Frigidaire owners called their refrigerators a fridge. Think of Jeep, which was a specific brand of vehicle which later became synonymous with a type of vehicle. Kleenex was another such item. Old names are sometimes slow to die. They become part of the lexicon. How many people still call aluminum foil tin foil, which fell out of favor after WWII? That said, many folks called their refrigerator an ice box because, before (and during) the transition to electric powered refrigerators, one used an insulated box that was cooled with big blocks of ice. My mom's parents used such a device until almost 1949, long after the advent of the more modern refrigerator, and after we moved into our home and purchased the Crosley. I still know some folks who call their "fridge" an ice box.

I enjoy oyster sauce. For years, Lee Kum Kee Premium was my goto choice. And then I discovered Megachef, the third bottle of which I just received. When I first experienced Megachef I was stunned as it was so different, so much more oyster-like in flavor (based on my memory of oysters), that it didn't even seem to be the same product as the LKK. Yesterday, I was introduced to a couple of other sauce varieties from Japan. I'll order one or two soon and report back. They were compared to Megachef as Megachef was to LKK. We'll see ...

I tried this today, straight from the container and crumbled into a salad: I was very pleased with the choice. It's a good, everyday feta, not overly sharp and nice for its neutrality. It's got some character, and is fine for an everyday feta. Great in the salad and nice for eating straight. Saves me a trip across town where there is a greater selection of more interesting, and expensive, cheeses. Glad you mentioned it, @blue_dolphin It'll be in my fridge frequently.

Bingo! Great rice.

Farmers' Market organic blackberries, organic, full-fat Greek yogurt, Ethiopian coffee. I can't recall the last time I had full-fat yogurt, much less Greek yogurt, and this was such a treat. Creamy and smooth, and defintely more flavorful than the 2% I usually get.😍

Staff Note: This post and responses to it were split from the "Ever suffer from Culinary Ennui? If so, what do you do?" topic. @Katie Meadow where do you get your rice? I've started looking into getting some, but I'm a bt confused about the offerings' quality and authenticity.

This is very good cheese. I liked the depth of flavor, although it seems a little one note to me. I'll need to taste some more. Still, very enjoyable. I had it cold from the fridge, at room temp, and melted on an English muffin. In all cases I was saisfied, although it's not at its best melted. Perfect on a cheese platter, IMO, and a good addition to a charcuterie platter. A nice, and perhaps a better, alternative to many cheddars.

Pretty durned good ... Perhaps a bit sweet for my taste, but not by much, so they fell into the acceptable range in that regard. They cooked up nice and soft, although a few of the sprouts had somewhat hard stems on them, but they were easy to eat around. I wouldn't put them as a top-rated entrée, but I'd certainly buy 'em again. I'll have to compare them to the regular frozen Brussels sprouts

I grabbed a wedge of the 1000 day Gouda this afternoon and am looking forward to trying it. Maybe with breakfast ...

Yesterday we had donuts at a community gathering, and I had a couple. First donuts since September, 2024.

Baked, smashed, and charred Yukon Gold potatoes served with Chinese-style sauced Brussels sprouts. Cool Himalayan black tea was todays beverage.

Thus far, I've played with several spice blends and even tried one on a chicken thigh. I tend to progress slowly. I may try a bottled sauce to use as a reference point. Nando has come up as a good choice. The site Chili Pepper Madness has a recipe that I'd like to look into further. I've only superficially looked at it. I agree that Brian's recipe appears to be a good choice, and just on the surface I prefer it to the other. The paprika issue is one thing in Brian's favor and the other is how he salted the bird: heavily and early. I like mixing pepper types, and generally do regardless of what a recipe may suggest. I treat dried and fresh peppers as separate ingredients, IOW, I may use a dried and fresh version of the same pepper in a recipe. The dried may get added along with the soffrito and get bloomed in the cooking oil while the fresh can also be used in the soffrito, but just as often in a marinade or sauce. I don't remember what brand of paprika That Dude Can Cook used, but over the years I've developed my own preferences and have learned (but not yet tried) how to make my own. Rachel Cooks With Love has provided some ideas on how to work with chili powder, and her videos are peaceul and easy going, quite different than those from TDCC. She's mostly Tex-Mex oriented, and she's provided ideas for shortcuts and prepared ingredients. I like some of your ideas. Instead of vinegar I've also used the liquid from various hot sauces in its place. I use pickled jalapanos frequently, and when the pepper slices are gone there's usually a lot of juice left. I'll sometimes use that instead of another acid in various recipes. I like it in tuna salad instead of the more "traditional" lemon juice. https://www.mezzetta.com/products/deli-sliced-hot-jalapea-o-peppers? They offer a milder version and a diced version, which works great as a substitute for relish in some situations. Thanks for your comments. Useful and entertaining

A Bowl of Blackberries and a Cuppa Joe

Trader Joe's pitas ruined my lunch I wanted to make arayes for a while, and recently bought some ingredients from TJ's, including the pita bread. You might be able to see from the image how the bread came apart during the prep and cooking process. Here's the story. The pitas open to form a pocket, and one side (let's call it the bottom) was substantially thicker than the other, the top. The bottom was, by observation, about four times thicker than the top That made the top weaker, and you can see that it didn't take well to being stuffed with a light mixture of seasoned ground beef. It tore and pulled away from the bottom in several places, some of which are visible and highlighted. I felt that I could live with the imperfections, at least as far as lunch was concerned, but the situation got worse. The bottom cooked beautifully, and developed a nice, firm crust. However, when flipping the pita, the top, being much thinner, got soggy from the oil and meat juices, and became flacid and started to disintegrate in a few spots. The bottom also absorbed the juices, but being thicker could handle the additional moisture. I tried making another one, taking greater care in the stuffing process and cooked with substantially less oil in the nonstick pan (I added no additional oil to the pan), and the results were the same. Clearly, at least for this and similar purposes, the TJ's pita is an inferior product. It was a shame as the dish has great potential, and in this instance was diminished by a poor quality ingredient.

Years ago, when I was going through a period of self-doubt because of a couple of personal and business disappointments, a wiser man than me said that I should cut back on my big ideas and look for smaller things to accomplish, and those would give me some successes. IOW, little victories. Little victories allow for a rebuilding of self esteem, shows you that you can accomplish things, and form the building blocks, the foundation, for greater challenges and achievements. Years later, after Sweetie died, I was talking with my doctor and telling her that I've not been accomplishing much, procrastinating, and in general feeling poorly. She suggested taking on one or two small tasks a day, things that I'd usually do anyway and that I'd been avoiding, and not concern myself with bigger things. So, for example, instead of getting the car washed "tomorrow," I'd do it today, right now. Again, little victories. You set yourself up to succeed. You find that there's something positive to look forward to ... it's easier to look forward to something if you know you'll be successful. Doing this will help to assure here's "no cabbage left behind."