KennethT

I liked @JoNorvelleWalker's idea of mapo tofu. I'd also consider various spicing methods to either make an Indian sikh kabob or maybe a middle eastern kabob... or go the Indonesian route with a sate lilit.

This is a slightly different thing - no fruit, heritage or not, will taste good if not picked ripe. Plus, among the thousands of "heritage" strains of tomatoes, lots of them are just plain blah - even when picked perfectly ripe. I think most people buy the heritage or heirloom tomatoes in the grocery store because of how they look, and just imagine that they taste better.

huh, you would think that a block of tuna that size (the "small" one) would need a lot more than 5 minutes when starting from -60C. I would've assumed that the salted water would initially form a glaze on it once removed from the water bath and that it would need hours in the refrigerator to completely defrost. I'd also assume that the fish from Alaska is super frozen - especially after traveling on top of a block of dry ice. But after it's been off teh dry ice and in a normal freezer for a while, it's no longer super frozen.

I don't know if heritage or heirloom are terms defined by the USDA. If not defined, anyone is free to use them on anything so they're practically worthless. Lots of official sounding terms are used in food marketing but actually are unregulated and mean nothing, i.e. "all natural" etc...

I have a great memory of getting a pineapple like this - peeled and de-eyed but on a stick from a vendor roaming the beach in Thailand. Wish I took a photo of it.

I've seen people in Thailand peel and de-eye them so fast - with a cleaver! This was definitely the best pineapple I've had in the continental US. (I remember having some fantastic pineapple in Hawaii - but that was many years ago). I'm so happy I stumbled on to this Facebook group about buying/selling fruit. The quality is so much better than I can get locally - it's too bad shipping is so expensive.

I just got a box of these Phulae pineapples (a Thai variety) grown in Guatemala and picked ripe (not picked green). I have strong memories of going crazy over the pineapples in Thailand and Vietnam... They're much smaller than the pineapples we get here but they have such a strong flavor and aroma and are ridiculously sweet and juicy. While carving this one, I had to stop a few times to remove the juice off the board so it wouldn't spill onto the counter. Don't want to waste it! My mediocre carving job to remove the eye Finally!!!! This plate lasted about 1-1/2 minutes between me and my wife.

that's fascinating. Are the peanuts pickled raw or are they boiled or roasted first?

It looks likethe scallops were IQF - like shrimp usually are. Then they're just placed in a sealed bag - no vacuum.

Yes, that's what I'm talking about - phak kat dong. It was never neon when I saw it in Thailand (or in Vietnam for that matter) but the only stuff I can find in the stores here is extremely neon.

wow - you've trained them really well!

I can find Thai preserved mustard greens in my local Asian store - they're always a neon yellow/green color - although I've never seen that color anywhere in Asia. I'm curious if your locally packaged preserved mustard looks similarly or if it is an export thing that they add extra preservatives or something.

Absolutely gorgeous... and that hotel balcony for breakfast is worth any price - even if the bed was made out of straw!

This just shows the value of sarcasm on the internet... at least without something to make it exceedingly obvious - like a hehe or an emoji the kids like using nowadays... hehe...

When they live in the water, they don't have any exposed flesh - skin is a moisture barrier.

They probably recommend it for concerns of bacterial growth and being very conservative. Reduced Oxygen Packaging has botulism concerns at temps over refrigerator temp. So, as the package is defrosting in the water bath, you have potential for the bacteria to grow on the warmer parts (the outside) while you're waiting for the inside to thaw. 15-20 minutes is fine, but you wouldn't want to let it sit for a few hours. And botulism toxin isn't destroyed by heat, so cooking it thoroughly post-defrost won't help.

I've never used frozen fish (yet) either, and like @Margaret Pilgrim, in the past, I've always defrosted shrimp in a bowl of cold water and never had any problems. Part of me can't believe I've been putting in so much research into the best way to defrost the fish, but I think I'm doing it just because it's so expensive compared to fish I usually buy in the supermarket.

Interesting. I haven't thawed any fish yet - I think I'm going to do one set tonight - maybe the cod. They have a blog on their website, and one of the posts talks about how to thaw. They recommend taking the fish out of the vacuum bag and thawing on a rack in the refrigerator - that way, the fish won't be sitting in a puddle of salt water melted glaze. There's also a video showing a bunch of different defrosting methods. I think that I would only thaw in salt water if I wanted to do it in a hurry - then I would use salted cold tap water and leave it on the counter - possibly changing the water once it starts to feel really cold.

Back to an old favorite tonight , Cafe Mogador. First time in a year and a half. We've gotten delivery but it's definitely not the same. Fresh squeezed lemonade with mint Various mezze to start - sauteed shrimp with a lot of garlic, homemade tabouli, and babaganoush - served with just baked pita. 2 lamb tagines - lamb charmoulla and lamb with preserved lemon and olives, served with their fantastic couscous.

I'm no professional, but I've eaten the tops of the baby leeks I get in my local Hmart - htey're like big scallions.

I used my first package of spot prawns yesterday. After all the hemming and hawing, I decided to do something with them that I've done with my normal shrimp supply, so better compare them. Singapore style bak kut teh - the healthy version (no pork ribs). I make my broth with a lot of pork bones, and then completely defat it. The stock is then infused with a lot of garlic and a special black peppercorn from Sarawak (Malaysia) which is not as strong as most other peppercorns and maybe has a fruitiness to it? Anyway, the spot prawns were fantastic - sweet, wonderful texture.

It's odd eating good food on disposable plates. Even though NYC has largely opened up, some restaurants are still serving the outdoor tables in the takeout containers, with disposable plates and cutlery.

I agree with @rotuts - please give us your thoughts!

This place popped up on my facebook feed - has anyone tried them? https://wildforkfoods.com/ The quality and prices look too good to be true, and they ship with dry ice.

@ShelbyI wanted to like and sad face simultaneously....