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Actually, it can lose its temper, as in become untempered, if it's tempered glass. The newer Pyrex is now made out of tempered glass, not borosilicate glass, at least in the USA. In Europe, you can still get borosilicate Pyrex. Tracy

I have had a couple of my silicone spatulas discolor with tomato products, but that's it. But others that I've used with tomato products have not discolored, so I'm not sure what the deal is. Tracy

Oh, I'm so sorry. I guess it's much better to have differences in what we like to eat than to have to deal with someone who doesn't like to eat at all, and just does it 'cause he HAS to. Tracy

Oh, and while he likes oatmeal, he refuses to eat oatmeal cookies. Go figure... And sorry for bumping an old thread. I swear I thought I read that the last post was Feb 18 2009. Tracy

He won't eat beans (because of the gas, and says he doesn't like the taste, but if he doesn't eat them, how does he know?) or eggs (says they're slimy and they're a "chicken's period!" <roll eyes>. He complains when I use whole wheat pasta. He says it tastes nasty. He won't eat crusty bread, toast or croutons. "Crunchy bread is stale." Oh, and EVERY dinner has to include meat, or it's "just starch and vegetables, and we need protein." He doesn't cook. He doesn't help with the dishes. It's a good thing there are many other wonderful things about him. Tracy

I don't have a problem if other people use rubber/silicone spatulas to stir with. I typically use them in the manner you describe, but if they have something on them from cleaning out a pot or can, then they do get dipped and stirred into whatever I'm making, ostensibly to clean them off. Out of curiosity, why is there a prohibition on using wooden utensils (I'm guessing for public consumption) in Spain? This prohibition doesn't extend to home kitchens, does it? Tracy

I can't tell a difference, to tell the truth, between the instant and active dry. I was hoping to see a difference, so I could tell what was in the mystery container, but... Thanks, though! Tracy

Ok, I have active dry yeast (Red Star) and instant (Fleischman's) in my freezer. A bunch of it. I've been using the instant more than the active dry, because I'm using my bread machine at least once a week. Well, my little in-current-use jar of instant (actually a recycled bread machine yeast jar) was getting low, so I wanted to replenish it from my frozen stocks. However, I have one container of yeast that I failed to label, so I'm not at all sure whether it's instant or active dry. Is there any sure way to tell the difference, maybe by proofing a small amount of each? I do have labeled active dry and labeled instant to compare. Thanks! Tracy

No, but there's a Yahoo group called Pantry Challenge. It's been around for a while. I only really do a big shop once a month. The only thing I buy more frequently is fresh produce, and even then, I'll buy a lot of green peppers at once, then wash, slice, dice, freeze and use as needed. Same with celery. I've got a BIG pantry (practically the whole basement), as I subscribe to the idea that it's better to be prepared than not, so I have lots of staples. The only canned stuff I have is canned tomato products, canned peaches and pineapple, etc. Tracy

Well, experiment one is done, and it seems to have worked! I took one of the packages out of the freezer and stuck it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks (can't remember how long). We cooked the steaks the other night, and they tasted better and weren't tough. My SO grilled them, this time, instead of pan searing and finishing in the oven, and mine was rare. It tasted pretty good! Of course, I'm still anxious to try the other experiments. Tracy

I have a lot of wooden spoons and spatulas. I got a bunch of Frugal Gourmet olivewood utensils at Big Lots, oh, about 10-12 years ago, and although I haven't brought them all out to use, I do love the ones I have in use. I also have a slotted and a solid wooden spatula that I've been using for about 20 years (wow, I didn't realize!) that I love, too, and some cheapo spoons that I've had about that long, too. I also have some cheapo ones that are a lot younger, but those seem to snap easily, and the handles are thinner. Hmmm, maybe I need to break out some more of my "new" olivewood Frugal Gourmet stuff... The cheaper stuff I've had to sand the heck out of before I started using them. I also sand the whole lot down every once in a while, because whacking the edge (especially of the spatulas) against my cast iron skillet (that I love and use every day) beats them up. And I hand wash all my wood. I have a set of wooden utensils that were lacquered when I bought them. I have yet to finish sanding them down to get the lacquer off, because who wants that in their food? That set has a spoon, a spatula, a fork and a spoonula (kind of a spoon with one squared-off corner). They're fairly heavy-duty, so I need to just finish sanding, already, and start using them. Tracy

Thanks, everyone! I think I'll try a little of everything, one steak at a time. I have a whole strip loin, minus two 3/4" steaks, so I have a lot to experiment with. I'll try and post back here on the results, but it will take a while to get through all that meat, I think. I like the idea of aging it in the fridge. I also like the idea of stir-fry. I have a recipe for pepper steak (steak with peppers) that it would probably be good in. I don't have the ability, I don't think, to cook sous-vide, so I'll take that one under advisement. I wish I had kept the package sticker with the dates on it. That'll teach me. But I will make an effort to pay more attention in the future. Again, thanks! Tracy

Hello, everyone, I'm new to posting here, though I've been lurking for a few years. I've learned a lot, and now I'm hoping to learn some more...about my strip steaks, to begin with... I bought a strip loin at the local Price Chopper (supermarket in metro KC area, where I live) in early December. It was cryovac, and they cut it into steaks for me. I brought it home and vac packed it with my FoodSaver, stuck it in the deep freeze and forgot about it until the day before yesterday. I usually buy the cryovac stuff from Costco, but this was cheaper, so I thought I'd try it out. I took two steaks out of the freezer and defrosted them overnight in the fridge, in the bag. I took them out of the fridge about an hour before dinnertime, then seared them in a hot cast iron skillet, put pepper on them, then stuck them in the oven at 450 for 3-4 minutes a side. They turned out about medium-rare. We put some salt on the steaks and dug in. They were TOUGH. Very tough. And pretty tasteless, too. I went back to that store, today, and talked with the butcher. He remembered the sale they'd had back in December and when I told him what the problem was, he said it was probably select, rather than choice. I hadn't noticed that they had both in the case, but sure enough, they do. So, my question is, is there anything I can do to make these edible, or should I resign myself to grinding them into burger meat? They weren't particularly expensive for strip, at $3.99/lb, but that's a bit pricey for burger, in my opinion, and I'm guessing I'd have to add fat to the grind to make them better. Add that to the fact that I don't have a good grinder, and, well...other options would be welcome. I'm sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere, before, but I searched, and couldn't find any topics that seemed appropriate for this question. Thanks in advance! Tracy