Shel_B

Thanks! It has the same sodium content as the table salt I've been using recently, no additives, and it comes in a nice, easy-handling box. This looks like a good place to start while I experiment further with the recipe and look at the other salt possibilities.

GREAT IDEA! and I'm over there every now and then anyway. Thanks!

Thanks for the great suggestion. Maybe after the weekend I'll have a chance to chase down some bulk salt.

In this case, while weight may be more accurate, volume will be fine. Most likely, I won't be using different salts once I find one that meets my preferences. And whether by weight or volume, I'll still be playing around a bit to get the salinity of the water just right.

In regular grocery stores, or specialty shops? I've never seen anything like that here, but then I've never looked. I suspect that it would be more available in rural areas than in the city.

Thanks for the tip about pickling salt. Seems like it's along the lines of what I want. The link to the web page was useful as well, and the site seems like it will be one I'll visit again. Slight variations won't matter much, if at all. I've made the recipe twice with different salt levels as I'm still figuring out just how much is needed for my own taste.

Wow! I didn't know that. It's definitely worth looking into. Thanks!

There's a new recipe that I'm using that requires a substantial amount of salt to be dissolved in cooking water (1.25 cups per 2-quarts water). I intend to make this recipe a few times per month, therefore, I expect to go through a fair amount of salt. I'm hoping to find salt that's available in boxes of up to around 5-lbs and that has either an easy pour spout or a top that will allow dipping a measuring cup into the box. I don't necessarily want Diamond Crystal for this purpose, rather, a salt with a sodium content of a more typical table salt will do. I don't want additives, iodine, or anticaking agents. Just a simple, plain salt. Suggestions?

There's a little left in my last bottle of cask strength Glendullan 23yo, distilled in 1972. This will be a good time to raise my glass to Steven and finish the bottle. Here's to you, Fat Guy!

If you're referring to this one, yes: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/09/gefilte-fish-pate-appetizer-joan-nathan-recipe.html

Does either the large- or medium-sized oven have a light inside? Couldn't find anything about that.

OMG! ... my grandmas would turn over in their graves if they read that ... MUSH!?

I'd disagree ... there seem to be a few good ones on the local PBS stations, at least IMO.

This morning I saw a video about baking potatoes and a question about using salt crossed my mind. I have seen potatoes baked encased - actually buried - in salt, baked resting on a bed of salt, and baked crusted with salt. What do these techniques bring to the table? Are the results using these techniques similar enough that they can be used interchangeably?

Is that the case with all vegetables?

I stumbled on that video a month or so back .... LMAO

A friend recommended Crosse and Blackwell, and after checking I could see the ingredient list was right - no caramel color, additives, etc. There's a couple of local markets that carry it, so today I'll buy a bottle. It will be interesting to compare it to Sarson's.

Thanks! Sarson's popped up a few times in my search, and I found a UK specialty shop on line that has it for a good price and reasonable shipping, and I bought a bottle. MUCH less expensive than Amazon - about 50% less.

I'm looking for a nice, richly flavored, smooth malt vinegar, preferably produced in the traditional manner. Any suggestions?

I came across info that suggests Ed Currie's "Carolina Reaper" is the world's hottest pepper, but I seem to recall others that were mentioned as being hotter. What's hotter than the Carolina Reaper? Here's a video of two idiots eating a Carolina Reaper. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD65inj7KGQ and another of one of the same guys drinking Carolina Reaper infused vodka: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfPTigPk-Oc

One convenience food that is almost always in the freezer is TJ's masala burgers. I always buy a few at a time ... http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144746-trader-joes-products-2012/page-6?hl=%2Bmasala+%2Bburger#entry1928679

I am concerned that soaking dried cherries in water might dilute their flavor. I guess I'll have to try that with the next batch of brownies I make. Don't really care for sugar soaked cherries of the type you mention, but I've never tried them in brownies, so they maybe they'd be OK. Do you think some almond extract might be a good option with the cherries? The glaze idea sounds promising ... my ex-wife used to make Kahlua brownies, mixing the Kahlua into the batter and adding some on top as well. Maybe something like that with cherry juice or the syrup you mentioned.

I bought some TJ's dried, unsweetened cherries a few days ago, and ate a few along with a piece of the brownies that I make. Can't say for sure if that's a reasonable test, but the texture combination seemed to be just fine to my taste. Chocolate chips, which are quite hard by comparison, work nicely in the soft brownie. I'll just have to bake a batch and see what happens.

Yes,I have.

The dried cherries I'm describing are similar in texture and moisture to raisins ... I'm assuming that NZ raisins are similar in that way to US raisins.