ElsieD

We are thinking of going down this way the weekend of May 2 and wondered if anyone knows if this is a worthwhile event to attend? We have in the past attended Food and Wine Fests in Ottawa but eventually gave up on them because the crowds were horrendous. If not this event, is there another event in the general area that we should consider going to instead? As far as timing goes, it could be any time this summer, not just that weekend. Thank you.

Yesterday I decided to make the Paulpegg recipe for easy focaccia. I do believe it is the least fussiest bread I have ever made. Total hands on time was maybe 5 minutes. I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a quarter sheet pan. Paul, thanks for sharing. It went nicely with the chili we had for supper.

I think I'll try this. Is that a half sheet pan you used?

We have the Breville die-cast 2 slice Smart Toaster and are very happy with it. It toasts evenly and has a bagel setting, "lift and look" feature and a "just a little more" feature, all of which I have used. I don't know how it rates in terms of speed, but it is quick enough for us. Also, I don't know the wattage.

Looks terrific. I assume you mix this in a stand mixer?

Thanks, kayb. If I make it again I will skip that step as well unless someone chimes in with a reason why it should be done. We haven't had any yet. Once the buns cooled, I wrapped them and froze them.

Btbyrd, thanks for the info. I'll skip that boullion stuff. Thanks too for the link to More Than Gourmet. They sure have a lot of good sounding things. I am about to place an order for some of their items including their concentrated mushroom stock. Thanks again.

Thank you but if I had wanted to know about MSG content I would have asked. I am specifically interested in the salt content.

I see that the powdered mushrooms you refer to is labeled as boullion. What is the salt content like?

I made the Cubano rolls today, as shown. I had trouble shaping them and I think one of the reasons is because the instructions say to do a stretch and fold 30 minutes into the first rising. The dough is made with 4 cups (482grams) of flour, 1/4 cup butter and 1 1/4 cups water. I am used to the stretch and fold method as I do it with bread I have made using recipes from The Baker's Apprentice. However, this dough has a much lower hydration than what I am used to and in this instance, the stretch and fold turned my nice smooth ball of dough into a lumpy one that made shaping tricky. Or, perhaps more accurately, tricky for me. Any comments?

Kayb, thanks for the link. I shall give these a go. We were at the Columbia just the one time for lunch and there were no dancers of any description. At night maybe?

Rotuts, that just sounds so sad. That said, I only ever found one item at a thrift store but it was a pretty good find, a really nice leather jacket for $10. I've probably had it for about 15 years now and it's still in great shape.

Yes, Flammekuchen is good stuff. I have never made it with anything other than creme fraiche. Maybe I should try to. Speaking of which, I have some in my refrigerator and I think I'll make it for dinner tonight. Thanks for the reminder!

Btbyrd, I've never heard of smoked lard. Is this something you can buy?

Kayb, I'd like to try making the Cubano rolls. We had Cuban sandwiches at the Columbia Restauranr in Tampa a couple of years ago and loved them so much we have been making them ever since as per the recipe on their web site. It would be nice to have a roll better suited to the sandwich. Besides which, I love making bread and trying new bread recipes.

Speklap is pork belly.

I just signed up for one of these. I'll let you know in a year's time what I think of it.

I realize SV is in the title and my question is not about SV but rather, the appliance in general so I hope it is okay to ask this question. (If not, mods please remove.). Given the temperature range, I wonder if one could successfully temper chocolate with it? I can also see it being useful for deep frying.

I wonder if the SAQ in Quebec carries it? I did a search on their web site but didn't come up with anything but then my French is pretty much nonexistent. I'll maybe check them out unless someone already knows.

Our new fridge has arrived and I have just finished turfing almost everything that I had in the fridge. I kept the pickles and mustards, maple syrup and honey. Who knew one could pack that much in a fridge and that's not counting what is waiting to be transferred into the big fridge from the bar fridge. Dave W I did not get your message in time or I would have kept my sweet Chili sauce which was a big Costco bottle minus about a tablespoon. I just figured it was better to be safe than sorry. Sadly my sourdough starter smelled nasty so that went too. There is one item that I am sitting on the fence about and that is Ketjap Manis. I went to the Conimex site and the ingredient list states " sugar, soya sauce, water, soya bean, salt, wheat, molasses, invert sugar syrup, preservative, potassium sorbat, flavour. The Dutch label, translated says "keep cool and dark" but does not say to keep it refrigerated. So if anyone has specific knowledge as to whether this is still good please chime in. I'll repeat that the temperature in the fridge was about 58 degrees. I'm guessing that it is okay to use. Thanks again for all your help. I made a list of everything that I need to replace but it is amazing how much will not be. Elsie

Thanks but the freezer is no longer the problem. Our main freezer, which is a stand up, has a built in alarm. Our fridge freezer holds mostly leftovers and what I call "little stuff" like crumpets, leftovers, English muffins, ginger, berries, and the like. The stuff I threw out that was in the freezer was completely defrosted. I didn't have to think twice about throwing it out. What I am interested in is knowing what I can keep and what I must throw out from the fridge part, and I will follow all suggestions here. Now, when I said I felt like having a little cry was not because of the cost involved but just the sheer waste. That is what makes me sad. So, tomorrow morning I will empty the fridge, make a list of what I am throwing out and temporarily put everything else on the balcony making sure to watch it like a hawk so it doesn't freeze as it will be minus 18 Celcius tomorrow morning. Thanks all, you have been very helpful.

Think I'm gonna cry.

How about stuff like ghee, asian sauces, hot sauces? Fridge officially died Wednesday.

Our fridge died this week and a new one is coming tomorrow. I have already thrown out everything that was in the freezer and the " must keep refrigerated stuff -e.g. Cheese, yogurt, eggs etc." moved to a bar fridge. There is still stuff in the fridge, mainly sauces, pickles, juices, horseradish and the like. That stuff stayed there as the bar fridge had no more room. I am about to make a list of what is in there so I know what I have to replace. Will some of this stuff still be good or should it all be pitched? Are there any general guidelines? I don't want to risk getting sick but it seems to me that some of it should be all right. The temperature in the fridge is 58F. Thanks in advance.