blue_dolphin

April 5

I have tried the original TJ's Crunchy Chili Onion, the Crunchy Jalapeño Lime and the Crunchy Chili Cranberry Orange Onion. The last 2 were limited and haven’t been around for a while.
I haven’t seen a corn version yet but will look.

April 4

Overreach. Let the best of these small businesses succeed or not on their own merits rather than going after them for the use of a descriptive term.
Trader Joe's might be fair game but they use CRUNCHY on their similar products, not crunch.

April 4

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

This may sound like a stupid question, but are your self-check outs "manned"? My local supermarket has six self-check stations and there is always one member of staff standing there, 90% of the time looking bored and 10% helping out the clueless like me.

Yes, there is usually a staff member loitering in the vicinity of the self-checkouts at the grocery stores in my area. There might even be 2, gossiping and ignoring the persistent beeping from a machine needing their attention. I can't blame them for being bored, if I were in their shoes, I'd much rather be manning a register than monitoring the likes of us, trying to do their job in the most bumbling way.

April 4

I cook quinoa in my Instant Pot using the same time/pressure setting that I use for white rice.
I rinse the quinoa as usual and use 1.5 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. That’s a little less than the 1.75 cups I’d use on the stovetop since the Instant Pot is closed so there’s less evaporation. I use the same ratio and time for any color quinoa.

Not the same thing as you asked but might get you started if no one else chimes in.

April 3

On 4/2/2024 at 1:04 PM, Wampa said:

All this new-fangled technology....

@Wampa, if your oven is like mine, there are some nice features, too. The bread-proof setting can be handy, though in mine, which has halogen lights, it can get a bit too hot if the light is left on. The light alone warms it up pretty nicely.

The other handy feature I've used is the dehydrator function. The temp can be set between 100°F and 200°F (38°C and 93°C). I won't be setting up a beef jerky factory any time soon but I've used it to make excellent onion powder and a few other things. You can fit quite a lot of stuff on 3 full oven racks. The downside is that you can only set it to run for 12 hrs so for stuff that needs more time, you need to choose a wise start time. Anywhere between 6 and 11 is my preferred window but YMMV.

April 3

There’s a topic about it here: Cuisinart Recall

April 3

Petrale sole from my fish share with Meyer lemon confit relish and a lemony orzo cooked with kale

April 2

@Wampa, I have a KitchenAid electric double wall oven with similar features. Mine have convection and traditional Bake and Broil and convection Roast (no traditional Roast as you have).

Per my manual and my particular ovens, the difference between Convection Bake and Convection Roast is the use of the upper heating element during cook time with the Roast setting but NOT with the Bake setting so you should choose based on whether you want heat from that upper element or not. In general, you can use Bake with trays of cookies or cakes on multiple racks in the oven but when you're using Roast, you want to stick with one rack, usually in the middle of the oven. If you use Roast with multiple racks, the stuff closer to the broil element is going to get a lot more heat and even rotating them isn't going to give you the most even bake.

On convection bake, during preheat, the lower heating element (under the oven floor), the broil element and the rear element (behind the back wall of the oven, near the fan) all operate but once it's heated up, only the lower element and the rear fan element cycle to maintain temp during cook time. No broiler element during convection baking.

On convection roast, all three elements (lower, broil and rear fan elements) operate during preheat and all three cycle to maintain temp during the cooking time. So there will be heat from the broiler element during convection roasting.

I always use a convection setting during preheat as it will get to temp a lot faster and I use convection for most things. If I'm worried about a baked item drying out due to the fan, I switch to traditional bake after it's up to temp.

My ovens do not automatically reduce the temperatures when choosing Convection as @TdeV's does, though there is a "convection conversion" feature called "Easy Convect" on my ovens that's available to do that. I have never used it.

I do always monitor the temp inside the oven with a digital thermometer probe (Thermoworks Dot or Square Dot).

Oddly, when using convection, the temp probe in the oven always reads about 25 °F HIGHER than the temp set and displayed on the oven panel so I do usually set the temp 25°F lower when using convection and check for doneness earlier. I don't see that increased oven probe temp on traditional bake.

In my oven, on traditional Bake, it will be hottest at the rear, opposite the door. On convection Bake, it will be hottest near the door, opposite the fan. Either way, I rotate pans of cookies, etc. for even baking whether I'm using convection or not.

Check your manual to see if this matches and monitor the temps in the oven with a good thermometer.

April 2

Big potato pancake with quick-pickled apple salad from Hetty McKinnon's Tenderheart. Hetty's pancake is a lot bigger than mine. The recipe calls for a full kilo of potatoes (2.25 lbs) cooked in an 8.5" skillet.

Nice twist on the usual potato pancakes and applesauce. She recommends adding an optional dollop of sour cream to the pickled apple salad. I was afraid it would look curdled so I put it on the side.

Indeed it does look that way, but it tastes quite delicious so I'd probably go with it in the future.

April 2

I think your substitution of a longer time at lower temp is a good one. You could even do overnight in the fridge. B if you want to try the heat, go ahead. I'd keep it below 190°F. If it curdles, it's easy enough to see and you're just out a bit of buttermilk and cornmeal.

April 1

Stunning meals, @BonVivant, it all looks amazing.

These little breads are adorable!

5 hours ago, BonVivant said:

Bread for the fondue

And I'm ever so pleased you clarified that this was a one-item meal so didn't need to imagine an oyster:chocolate combo!

5 hours ago, BonVivant said:

Sometimes a meal consists of just one thing. These are flat oysters (Ostrea edulis).

April 1

Hoisin-Glazed Cauliflower with Mixed Grains and Cashews from Tenderheart by Hetty Lui McKinnon. Clearly a very unpopular vegetable in these parts!

This was a win and something I'll happily repeat. It includes a recipe for homemade hoisin that's very tasty.
I cooked the mixed grains in the Instant Pot using the timing I usually do for the Massa Organics brown rice that made up the bulk of the mix. I thought the white rice would surely turn to mush, but it did not and the quinoa was a nice addition. I'm looking forward to mixing up other grains in the future.

April 1

On 3/31/2024 at 2:33 AM, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

I've never heard of flowering cauliflower and it does sound interesting. I am not a fan of cauliflower and really just consider it bland tasteless mush 🙃.

Have you ever tried roasted cauliflower? Should one of these dread veg happen into your kitchen, I highly recommend trying it. It's pretty much the opposite of mush and I find it quite tasty. I'm happy to gobble it up right off the sheet pan but I also like use in other ways. We have a Roasted Cauliflower topic with over 400 comments and at least one recipe: Roasted Cauliflower (aka Jim Dixon's Roasted Cauliflower, no wait,

March 31

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

Yank Sing...

I still miss the chili pepper sauce they used to sell by the jar!

Great trip - thanks for sharing!

March 31

5 minutes ago, Susanwusan said:

How long can you keep it once opened?

From the article I linked to above:

Quote

Typically, an unopened bottle of soy sauce can last from 18 months to three years when stored in a cool, dry place. However, its peak flavor is best enjoyed within the first year of its production date. Once opened, the clock starts ticking faster. To enjoy the freshest taste and aroma, it’s advisable to use up an opened bottle of regular soy sauce within three to six months. Storing it in the refrigerator after opening can help retain its quality for a bit longer. When fresh soy sauce has been properly refrigerated, it’s ideal to replace it after using it for 2 or 3 years at the maximum

March 31

Soy sauce isn’t going to grow any pathogens that would cause a safety issue.
Quality wise, the shelf life depends on how you store it. Well-sealed in the fridge? Sitting on a restaurant table in a sunny window with the cap ajar?
I had a bottle with a flip cap that stopped sealing well so there was more evaporation and oxidation which had a noticeable effect on the flavor.

Here's an article from Pearl River Bridge, a company that makes decent quality products: Does Soy Sauce Go Bad? All About Soy Sauce Shelf Life

A bottle I purchased ~ 3 months ago has a best by date of July 2025.

March 31

The Kindle version of Joe Yonan's Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Protein with 125 Recipes (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) is currently $2.99 on Amazon in the US and Canada, £1.49 in the UK. Same prices on Apple Books.

I have the hardcover and think it's a good book.

March 31

I was going to make pancakes and sausage for Easter breakfast but it's cold and pouring rain so Eric Kim's Buttered Gochujang Noodles with baby bok choy did a good job of warming me up.

March 30

My Anova is relatively newer, purchased in early 2015, and the cord is fixed, not detachable.

March 30

Stir-Fried Cauliflower with Capers, Chile and Parsley from Tenderheart by Hetty McKinnon topped with a fried egg

My first time cooking flowering cauliflower, which sounds like an oxymoron, for sure 🙃. I see it at the farmers market and always thought it would turn limp more quickly compared with regular cauliflower but Hetty said it would stay quite crisp and indeed it did. The recipe is an interesting mash-up of an Asian ingredient and cooking method with a more Mediterranean flavor grouping (capers, parsley, red onion, olive oil, lemon) and works well. She suggests tossing this with pasta, adding chickpeas and feta for a salad, serving over rice or topped with a fried egg, as I did here. Looking forward to playing around with this recipe and flowering cauliflower in general.

March 29

I generally buy honey at my local farmers market. Most of the honey vendors at our markets will let you taste and compare their honeys and are usually quite happy to tell you about them.

Orange blossom honey is my default for a mildly flavored honey. I buy cherry blossom honey at a cherry orchard and save that for "special" since I can only get it once a year when they are open for cherry picking. Its flavor is mild and quite delicate. I like to keep buckwheat and/or avocado honey around for their stronger flavors.

Edited to add that if the market is a certified California farmers market, the rules are pretty strict about about requiring vendors to verify that they grow or make what they sell so you shouldn't have to worry about imported honey. Some markets have space for ancillary vendors but they should be clearly marked. And then there are farmers markets that aren't certified and people can sell or re-sell all sorts of stuff. I don't go to that type of market.

March 29

15 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Yes, that was me - but even better is pears sauteed in butter with black pepper and tarragon, then add a bit of cognac and flambe.

Noted! Not sure a breakfast flambé is going to happen, but you never know!

March 29

Somewhere or other, @KennethT mentioned that he liked pear slices browned in butter with lots of black pepper so that's what I made. Maybe a little more caramelized than I intended but still quite excellent.

The left half of the toast got gorgonzola and the right was Mt. Tam, both excellent with the pear which I will remember as they would be great in a salad or dessert or alongside a nice piece of pork.

March 28

On 3/6/2024 at 10:17 AM, lindag said:

I have a lot of countertop kitchen appliances and my cleaning woman comes in she has to move them all to wipe the counters (she's very thorough). I just found these and these which will be helpful for both of us.

Also, these freeze dried herbs eG-friendly Amazon.com link)are really worth buying.

I only have my CSO and Kitchen Aid mixer on the counter so I didn't need the sliders*. All my other "countertop" appliances live in cabinets and I sometimes manage to inadvertently lasso an unsuspecting appliance with the cord of the one I'm pulling out to use so I ordered the little adhesive cord organizers (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) that you mentioned.

I put them on my coffee grinder, food processor, immersion blender, Philips indoor grill and Paragon induction burner. The grill has a very wide, flat cord that doesn't quite slip under the loop to fasten it at the end but, other than that, they're all working quite nicely. I use the coffee grinder every day and thought it might be annoying to have to unwind and rewind the cord each time but it's not a problem and worth the effort to avoid having the cord drag the citrus juicer out of the cabinet and on to the floor and they're much easier than zip ties, twisties or Velcro straps.

I think I'll put the last one on the Instant Pot.

Thanks for the tip!

* Edited to add that I am the cleaning woman and I'm not all that thorough 🙃

March 28

Spicy Cauliflower Ragu with Lemony Breadcrumbs from The Cook You Want to Be by Andy Baraghani:

I thought this was OK, not great. The cauliflower gets blitzed in the food processor and, in the header notes, he describes the smaller pieces as becoming "velvety" like long-cooked meat in a ragu. Perhaps I should have cooked it longer but they were just cauliflower particles, not velvet. Good flavor from onion, garlic tomato paste and lots of anchovies. Using the tangy, crunchy breadcrumbs instead of cheese is a nice touch.

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