Katie Meadow

I always thought that prunes were specifically dried "Italian plums" aka "prune plums," those small egg-shaped plums. So if you dry any other kind of plum it really would be more appropriate to call it a "dried plum" and not a prune. And I agree, those super moist Sunsweet prunes barely resemble dried fruit, they are so hydrated. I find bulk prunes are often way better, and appear more naturally dried so they are chewy the way other dried stone fruits are without that slimy quality. If I remember my tangled threads, there is a long one on eG about currants, dried currants, champaign grapes, etc. In my book raisins and dried currants are no way the same. Lots of dried grapes are reliably known as raisins, but not all are Sultanas, as far as I am aware.

Fish and cheese has always seemed like a very unappetizing combination to me. When shellfish pasta dishes are served I don't sprinkle any cheese on. Shellfish risotto has always seemed bizarre to me. The only exception, at least according to my own tastebuds, is when it comes to shrimp in Mexican food. A little melty cheese in a crispy shrimp taco isn't bad.

Perfect, we got a pack of two square ones. Now I can get rid of the giant glass jar I've been using for 40 years and that has a large shard missing from the rim on which I risk my life every time I dip in for a cup of flour. Isn't it absurd what completely nonsensical things we put up with or even get attached to? Yes, once upon a time-- so long ago I can't remember-- it was a very nice jar.

Okay, a question for Cambro fanatics: What size container is perfect for a 5 lb bag of King Arthur flour? My husband is on a bread-baking kick (so lucky I am!) and we need to neaten up and maximize our storage. He's going to Smart and Final later. Thanks!

Shain, Did you double the recipe for the long loaf pan? And what are the dimensions of your loaf pan? Thanks.

I much prefer the taste of gold-filtered coffee to paper. I have a terrific gold filter that we've been using for years, so it has paid for itself many times over, I'm sure. Sadly it is fraying from old age. I keep using it because two other gold filters I have purchased have been disappointing. My trusty one seems to have a finer mesh, so the coffee goes through slowly. The newer ones just drain through too fast, no matter how fine I grind the coffee. They are useless. So be warned. If anyone knows of a good brand with a fine mesh to recommend I'm all ears.

I have one freezer, vertical, as part of the fridge. It isn't really large, but it is certainly larger than a top or bottom freezer section in most appliances. Just as a guess, I would say about half the volume is usually stock: chicken, turkey or ham. If I cook a pot of beans or soup I try to freeze a quart, but usually we just eat the leftovers the next day. Every September and October, when fresh hot chiles are available, I roast them and pack them in usable portions in the freezer; a habit I picked up when living in New Mexico. I send away for stone-ground grits and freeze it in portion bags. Typically there are at least a couple of frozen skinned and boned chicken breast that I defrost for stir-fry or chicken salad but I don't keep other meats in the freezer, since we don't eat a lot of meat anyway. When I make a pasta or pizza sauce I try to freeze a few containers of that, but they get used pretty quickly. My husband has started making more bread, so sometimes we freeze a loaf. But generally there isn't a wide variety of stuff in our freezer. No vegetables get in there, so I would be hard put to make a meal just from the freezer. Sometimes I dream about having another freezer, like in the basement to free up room for more stock. The older I get the more I want soup.

Yes, I'm very fond of the High Street Mi Pueblo; their cheese selection is great, and their jalapeños and poblanos are more reliably hot than any other big markets. They sell an unsalted crema in bulk that's really excellent. And they sell fresh masa which is a treat if you are ever making your own corn tortillas. Their in-house chips are good, if you like that style, and they carry a few things I can't find anywhere else. I agree we are pretty spoiled here, and I know many people probably don't have a Mexican deli counter with six different salsas made on the premises.

Today we had variation on a theme of latkes with apple sauce. I made Smitten Kitchen's potato kugel and served it with southern fried apples adapted from a recipe by Ronni Lundy. For my apples I used a bit of something called "Burnt Sugar Syrup" which I sent away for and totally love.

If you live within a reasonable distance of a "supermercado" or a large store that caters to a hispanic population you may find they make their own salsas, and often a good variety. Mi Pueblo, near me, has at least six different salsas that they make and sell in bulk; definitely better than the jarred stuff. Just saying; obviously not everyone lives in a place with a latino population large enough to support that kind of store. If your town has a good taco truck they might sell their salsa to you if you bring a container.

Andiesenji, I have to say my curiosity knows no bounds. I have pantry envy of course, but my imagination is getting the better of me. You must live in some kind of farm/palace. Do you have a cow named Betsy who milks herself and then drops off a bucket to the dutch doors on her way out to graze in the orchards? Love seeing your pix. Wish I was your neighbor!

For me, the important thing about the chicken is that it not be overcooked. I like to use kosher or brined chicken. I slice the breast, cook the slices quickly in oil or butter and drain on paper towels, making sure to remove them from the pan just before they are absolutely cooked through; it will be cooked through by the time it cools. Then I don't see much difference whether I shred or dice the chicken coarsely, since it is tender either way. My chicken salad is of the sandwich variety, but pretty plain: mixed with celery, a restrained amount of mayo and/or creme fraiche, a little dijon or fresh dill, salt and pepper. Or I might go in another direction and add a little curry powder. Actually curry and dill are not bad together, a combo that can be found in some Vietnamese foods. Right before eating I stir in some chopped walnuts. My latest favorite way to eat chicken salad is with some kind of chutney, whether in a sandwich or just a scoop. Right now I'm big on mango pickle. Leftover roast chicken isn't my favorite thing, but I have a husband who loves it, so it doesn't go to waste.

This is a peculiar thread. At first when I saw it several years ago I thought the intention was simply to identify locales in the world where it was common to eat brown rice, but I see no one else thought about it like that. I grew up eating Uncle Ben's. In the late sixties and into the seventies I ate plenty of brown rice and so did everyone I knew. There were a few years of gloppy casseroles and god know's what. Whatever was good for us about brown rice was drowned in cheese and zucchini and tofu. I can't remember the last time I ate brown rice. It must have been 25 or 30 years now that I've eaten exclusively white rice. I just don't like brown rice at all any more, and honestly I don't know if I ever did. When I go out for Asian food it's always white rice. At Thai restaurants I love to order sticky rice. At home I cook rice almost every day, and it is always white basmati; with chicken, fish, stir-fry, curry, etc. I'm an addict. I can be happy with just a bowl of white rice and a little butter and salt. If I want a change, and something heartier and more rustic I switch to bulgur wheat or farro, but that's mostly in soups. I eat white rice with just about everything.

My favorite East Bay liquor store recommended the following for a a gift, which I gave to my husband for xmas: Traverse City Whiskey Co. North Coast Rye. That would be Michigan, but the north coast of which lake escapes me, since I'm geographically challenged. I told him Bulleit was our house rye, which I mostly sip, and that we liked a smooth rye, not too raw, not too spicy. It is delicious. 90 proof. Have no idea where this is available; there are so many ryes I hear about that are simply not available here. I never heard of it before, but if it makes its way to the left coast, maybe it can be found on other coasts. I often read alluring tidbits about Pikesville but have never seen it in these parts.

Pepin's pear example highlights the fact that ingredients vary, even when following a recipe, and adjustments made by experienced cooks are often required. Some recipes for newbies often do warn about variables like that--unripe fruit, the difference that large chunks vs small chunks of any ingredient can make as far as timing, etc. Some might appreciate those warnings, but as Pepin implies, you can't anticipate everything. Other problems might arise as the inexperienced cook tries to interpret instructions such as mince, slice thinly, chop coarsely, etc. These are not really examples of bad recipes as Pepin makes clear. Bad recipes would include omitting ingredients and measurement confusions as noted above; these are often just proofreading mistakes, but they can wreak havoc. To my mind the worst kind of bad recipe is one that makes blatant errors in technique, and I'm sure everyone can think of certain instructions that bug them the most. For me the single most common bad instruction is when to add garlic. If followed to the letter, many recipes would have you saute garlic until it is burnt to a crisp and smells awful, simply because they don't add the garlic at a reasonable time.

Turkey soup is the ultimate in comfort food. This doesn't sound comforting. I'm with Anna, buy another Turkey. Or, easier, buy some turkey parts like wings and necks, roast them for an hour, then dump them in a soup pot and bask in the knowledge that it will be GOOD for you as well as delicious. Unless, of course, you are trying to put yourself in a coma before the inauguration.

Nothing bad about sour cream or creme fraiche with fried or roasted potatoes, but if you are serving a brisket with your latkes you most likely wouldn't do dairy with that, you would do applesauce. That's always been my own preference: home made applesauce with a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of cinnamon. If I'm serving potato pancakes with a vegetarian meal, I might serve both apple sauce and a dairy topping on the side. For New Years Day tomorrow I'm going French Hanukah by way of the Carolinas: Duck fat roasted potatoes with a side of apples sautéed in butter and a drizzle of Steen's cane syrup. And I will make some simple vegetable potage, just because I have some chard and misc vegetables rolling around the crisper and a quart of turkey stock in the freezer. So that would be French Catfish Pie Soup.

I've never heard of using sorrel in borscht, or spinach for that matter. Traditionally sorrel or sorrel combined with other greens was used for "grass soup" as my dad used to call it, otherwise known as Tchav. I'm not saying it wouldn't be tasty, but it is a very different flavor profile. The borscht my family ate didn't have potatoes in it, which I think is more typical of Belarus borscht. I'm no authority, though! Beet greens sounds like a smart addition.

Didn't there used to be a popular thread on eG where you named three ingredients that are incompatible if not revolting together?. For me the Elvis would be at the top of the list: banana, peanut butter and bacon. Nothing appeals no matter how it's combined, two elements or all three. Yech. As my dad would say, with an emphasis on his inability to pronounce anything French, "Chacun a son gout." That's hilarious! The right bread would be a cinnamon raisin bagel. Something else that should be abolished.

Okay, pan fry it is. You say with oil. I thought it just fries in a little of its own duck fat, no?

Build it and I will come.

Road Ragu is pretty definitive. My husband, after seeing what happened to a very unfortunate small dog, coined the term "Bichon Fricassee." Okay, I apologize to the lovers of the breed. Question about prepping duck confit for a sandwich: I'm going to make confit banh mi for a little Boxing Day party, now that it's in my head. I've eaten it, but never made it. Nor have I ever made confit. I'm going to buy prepared confit. Looks like opinions are divided between the oven method to crisp and warm vs the stove top cast iron method. What are the pros and cons?

We had catfish pie for lunch. If you have been keeping up with your breakfast thread you know that catfish pie has no catfish in it. We had leftover yams with butter and salt and the small remains of curried cauliflower, cleverly scrambled into eggs. Dispatched the two carrots and one lonely apple as sides and the fridge looks pretty sparse. Berkeley Bowl, usually our major shopping expedition now carries a yam called "Red Diane." It is better, at least to me, than Garnet, Jewel or Beauregard yams. (Not true yams of course, but the orangey more squashily varieties of sweet potatoes.) Anyway, if you come across Red Dianes don't hesitate. Just as good the second day reheated.

Shredded duck confit banh mi. Crispy duck confit tacos.

Sadly I have never found a way to successfully reduce the salt in a dish--soup or otherwise--after the damage is done. Diluting the broth seems like a recipe for ruining a soup. Faced with salty soup I might try adding a pre-cooked unsalted starch such as rice to change the balance a little and amortize the salt. I don't salt my broth or stock when making it, nor do I put much salt in the soup as it cooks. I will taste it at the end, and add some, but prefer to err on the side of not salty and then add some tasty finishing salt on a bowl by bowl basis, to taste. Also over time I have learned to be very wary of any and all ingredients lists; most recipes are heavy on salt, at least for me, and that goes for famous restaurant cook books especially.