kayb

Based on dcarch and Anna N's recommendations, I went with the 7-inch Concord Cookware one, for just over $20, cited in the link Paul Bacino sent. If I want to step up later, well, I haven't invested much in it. I don't think I'll use it enough to warrant buying a Dexter. Thanks, all, for your input!

I want a cleaver. It doesn't have to be a many-bells-and-whistles one; chiefly, I want one I can whack through chicken bones with. I found this one in Amazon's warehouse deals for a little more than 50 bucks, which I thought was pretty reasonable for a forged Japanese blade. I am not familiar with the brand. Any users/reviews/knowledge of it out there? Any recommendations on a different one? I don't want a huge big thing, but obviously, I want one big enough to do the job. I doubt it will be used for much of anything but disjointing meat. Amazon Warehouse Deals also has an 8-inch Zhen cleaver for $66. Which is preferable? Also, recommendations on a reasonably priced boning knife would be appreciated. My workhorse everyday knives are Misonos, but I'm not tied to that, though I do prefer Japanese blades. Thanks in advance!

Bota Box, my box wine of choice (love their old vine zin) has a respectable Pinot Grigio that isn't bad for drinking or cooking. Bota also makes "little" boxes, .500 ml, as I recall, in size. The normal size is 3L, which you'd have to keep for a LONG time to use in cooking. Like Lisa, I've found wine in a bag-and-box keeps 4-6 weeks.

Here, we had the "blizzard that wasn't" -- 4-8 inches predicted (that's a blizzard in the South), and we got maybe an inch of sleet. Bah, humbug. Nevertheless, the grocery looked like Rome after the sack by the Visigoths about 4 yesterday afternoon. Prepared for snowy weekend cookery, I made vegetable beef soup last night. Surprisingly, I haven't cooked today; not enough precipitation to inspire me, I guess. Generally, I want to bake, and I need to make King cakes for some friends, but it just hasn't been a King cake day, for some reason.

I had the beginnings of a BP problem, to the point that my doctor put me on the "beginner" dosage of a basic maintenance med. The single thing I did that dropped my BP to a level that makes the meds just about unnecessary? Quit drinking diet soda. The amount of sodium in those things is unconscionable. Learning to drink water is tough; I found it hard to get past W.C. Fields' admonition against it. But I'm getting there! I second the upthread recommendation for Mrs. Dash. Another good salt-free seasoning, from a tiny regional company in my area, can be found at this site. (They also make a kick-ass barbecue seasoning and good steak and pork seasonings, too.) And I use more lemon pepper than I used to.

Wanted a switch from my usual Cooks Illustrated white sandwich bread, so I tried Rose Levy Beranbaum's Classic Soft White Sandwich bread. Takes a full 24 hours (overnight ferment for the sponge, another 4-hour ferment with the flour/yeast/dry milk atop the sponge, 2 1/2 hour rise, fold, another 1-hour rise, loaves formed, another hour and a half rise in the pans. My kitchen was cold). Very, very good sandwich bread; since I work from home, it's relatively easy for me to work around its schedule. I like the "yeastier" taste, vs. the CI loaf. Very good rise, very soft and flexible; makes wonderful toast and grilled cheese sandwiches (my only usages so far).

Yes. Exactly. And if I know I'm fixing that for a big crowd, I can even pre-bread, and chill or freeze on a baking sheet. If I freeze it, I can then re-bag it and keep it indefinitely, and just take them out and toss them in a hot skillet.

The IP triumphs again. Vegetable beef soup. Stew beef, sauteed, onions added and cooked until soft, red wine. High pressure for 45 minutes. Quick release. Added tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato juice, diced potatoes, frozen mixed veggies. Another 25 minutes at high pressure. Regular release while I grilled cheese sandwiches (good butterkase on homemade sandwich bread). Perfect for a cold, wet night with the blizzard approaching. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

@rotuts, I used to quite often take chicken tenderloins, pound them flat, blot them dry, spread with a mixture of cream cheese and pesto, roll up and bake, before I got my SV. You can chill those, slice them, and layer them with fresh tomato and mozzarella and drizzle with a good olive oil and balsamic for a quite lovely little luncheon entree. It would be even easier with SV. Must put that on my list for next summer when it's caprese season.

Yes. If I'm going to pound it thinner, I do that, as well. I tend to leave it thicker if I'm going to SV it and then chicken-fry, since the pounding/thinness is mostly a tenderness thing anyway. I haven't tried chicken cutlets, nor pork, but I'll bet both would be excellent that way as well. H'mmm. I may be seeing pork katsu in my future soon.....

I have had great success in the realm of chicken-fried steak by SV'ing beef round steak or sirloin tip, at about 125 for 4-5 hours, and then carrying on with breading and frying as usual. Really great way to prepare it -- fork tender, but still nice and juicy.

Some days, you just need to get back to where you came from. Clockwise from 12 o'clock, potato salad, meat loaf, "jail slaw," and purple hulled peas with tomato relish. Cornbread would have been good, but I waited too late to to think of it.

I do the same, and I, too, find the key step to be the cracking all over and then letting the cracked eggs sit in the ice water to chill. For good measure, I generally peel them under running water. I find it works with almost all eggs.

Must have been the not doing the quick release thing, I guess. Will try again tomorrow. Thanks.

Egg question: I made my first attempt at poaching eggs in the IP today. According to something I found online, it would work perfectly if you gave it three minutes on steam, quick release. I thought that sounded a bit long, so I went two minutes, and probably waited three or four minutes before I released the pressure because I was in the middle of something of which I could not turn loose. Poached the eggs in silicone cups, set in turn in small ramekins, to make it easy to use my canning jar lifter to fetch them out of the pot; ramekins on the trivet. I was pleased with the cups-and-ramekins setup, but the time is way off; these were the equivalent of hard-boiled. Advice on egg poaching in the IP for a runny yellow and a set white? I wound up crumbling the egg yolk over my grits cakes, which are a thing that is more trouble than it's worth, and it tasted respectable. Sure would have liked a "yellowy egg," as my youngest daughter used to refer to runny yolks, though. Note overcooked eggs. Loved the silicone pods, though, about which I learned from @Anna N. Thanks!

Second night in a row for a "meh" dinner. I had a recipe I'd found somewhere for vegetarian chili with butternut squash. Wasn't bad, just wasn't good. Meh. Hurts even worse because it was a poor use of Rancho Gordo beans. Tomorrow night, I'm cooking meat loaf. I KNOW I can nail that one.

The majority of my travel is domestic, and not, unfortunately, international, so my guidelines are a bit different. 1. NO chain restaurants, except Cracker Barrel for breakfast if there is absolutely nothing else that looks fit to walk in. 2. In a small town in the South, the place with the most pickup trucks parked out front at lunch. 3. Places that focus on local produce/meat/fish On a trip anywhere, if there for several meals, I'll always try to hit places that specialize in local cuisine at least a couple of times. But, that's not always a must; I had the best Indian food I ever ate in an Indian restaurant in Tokyo.

I finally attempted the stroganoff, with the SV top sirloin I'd cooked and then frozen when I didn't use it a week or so ago. I was completely underwhelmed. Use this recip, and while the meat itself was perfect (salt and pepper, paprika, SV 5 hours at 130), the sauce was bland, and too thin. I didn't eat mine, and pitched the remains. Sigh. Some nights you're the windshield, some nights you're the bug. Last night was a bug night.

If I can't find curry leaves, is there an acceptable substitute? Also, how hard is Shaoshing wine to find? I live within striking distance of several excellent Asian groceries.

Those things are a creation of Satan. I know this. I can testify, though, to the chicken egg rolls, too. Now I've spent 15 minutes looking at their site, and about to have to order some scallops and cod. Since there's no getting good fresh seafood here in the middle of the continent, I've found Schwan's frozen makes an acceptable sub. And I've been jonesing to try some scallops, which I love but have never cooked. As best I recall, my daughter used to be enamoured of the breakfast pizzas. I seem to recall the lasagna was respectable, as were the tamales, when I lived somewhere I didn't have a good local source for them. The frozen fruit is all pretty good; I never bought much of the frozen veggies. And I used to get the hamburger patties; handy for tossing on the grill in a hurry. Looks like Schwans and I are back in business. And of course, I have to get a box of those damned mini dogs.

@Shelby, I'm thinking in terms of using this brine for wild duck breasts, which are, of course, a very different animal from domestic duck breasts. Can I assume Canada goose breasts are similar to wild duck, but bigger? If I get lucky, some of the hunters in my world will bring me some wild turkey breasts, as well.

With honey mustard. Don't forget the honey mustard! Ahhh, another convert to the cause...

Shelby, will you please share that recipe for the sweet brine you like so much? I'm interested in trying it. How long did you brine the goose?

@liamsaunt, a very fancy feast for a football gathering, and I agree with @IowaDee about your serving pieces. My only quarrel is with your football allegiance.

Some vaquero beans will make their appearance in my Instant Pot as a major ingredient in vegetarian chili with butternut squash later this week. New convert to RG, and I'm sold. Will never buy another kind of bean.