IndyRob

Looks like sfogliatelle.

We have a Catholic church near us that has a "French Market" event every year. We also have a Greek Orthodox church that hosts a greek festival annually. One of the perks of living in a multicultural society is being able to pile onto/into ethnic events.

I think the way that food has helped in this regard is sort of the opposite -- How can we extend this family feeling (that we find in this particular village) to the rest of the country. When it's done from the top down, you get something like Mussolini trying to promote rice over pasta for Italians. It doesn't work. But (in a U.S.A. oriented example) when you get people in Minnesota eating southern barbecue, or tex-mex food, you've made a strength of diversity.

Well, speaking of chemistry, what does baking soda do for meat moisture/tenderness? I've had some really good results adding a tiny bit to a pork marinade destined to become sweet and sour pork. I've also seen it recommended in cooking ground beef.

Hellman's contains sugar whereas Duke's doesn't. That's the main differentiator for me.

I wonder if it might be torched after it's completed.

I found a couple of videos on Youtube. The second links to a recipe but is from Bruno Albouze 'inspired' by Cedric Grolet.

They all have their pros and cons. It depends what you're looking for at any given time. IMHO, if you're not shopping at multiple places, you're not being smart shopper. Some that you've characterized as 'meh' are definite 'go to' places for me. ETA: there are already dedicated topics for ALDI and Trader Joes where I think you'll find many useful opinions.

Been making a lot of bagels lately - and buying cream cheese often. My wife swears by the Philadelphia brand and will not be fooled. I've tried all the store brands for half the price and am not convinced that there's much difference. But I do like the Philadelphia brand as well and think there might be an edge in flavor. What do you think? Are there other respected brands? Do homemade versions stack up?

Searching for Sous Vide on the internet brought me to the epic topic here.

A couple I enjoy... French Baker Julien Picamil from Saveurs in Dartmouth, UK. Italia Squisita - All in Italian but you can turn on English captions

You don't say why. I think that a toaster works best when the heating elements are as close as practical to the surface of the bread. That way it can toast the surface quickly without drying out the middle. A toaster oven's elements are relatively far from the surface of the bread, requiring more time in a dry oven atmosphere.

I've found that Glad Press'n Seal is great to wrap up (demi) baguettes before going into the freezer. It sticks to itself but not the bread and seems to be an airtight seal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa

Crispy skin can separate from the meat too. That's in the eatin'

After years of being beaten by fried chicken, I saw a video of Anthony Bourdain going to Willie Mae's Scotch House in NOLA. Seeing that they battered fried their chicken I searched for 'Batter Fried Chicken; and found this recipe. It appears to originally come from Cooks Illustrated. IMHO, THIS is the way to do it. I keep a container of the premixed dry ingredients on hand so I just need to add water. After a simple brine, the batter is made and the brined chicken is dipped into it and fried. You just need one bowl - none of this messy assembly line of flour -- egg -- flour/breading. But if you'd like to go even more crispy - after battering, dredge in some crushed Corn Flakes. I'm very pleased with the results (Note: I double the salt in the batter recipe). But am now experimenting with the brine to include vinegar or pickle juice. [Edit to Add] Also, if you don't add the Corn Flake variation, the batter is very kind to your oil. There is virtually no flour dispersion to wind up burning and fouling your oil.

I've been told (by some credible sources) that commercial yeast does not reproduce. So you may need to start with the indigenous yeasts of your own home.

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2020/03/24/562277.htm Apparently, there is no exclusion for pandemics in the policy, so the question is whether the presence of the virus constitutes physical damage to the property.

I think they're okay if you approach them with the same sort of dismissive attitude they were posted with. In the seriouseats eggplant link above, clearly this is some sort of compilation post recycling past content. But if I liked eggplant, and I had some eggplant, and was looking to do something new with it, I might be happy to scroll through it.

This idea has intrigued me for a while now. But after viewing various manifold cooking videos on Youtube and the like, I don't think I've seen anything that I'd call successful. A (surprisingly cheap) butane burner seems like a better path to mobile cuisine. [edit] Make some Spaghetti Aglio olio e Pepperoncino. There's nothing there that even requires refrigeration.

nathanm?

Brined Round Steak? That would be evil. But profitable.

Yay, Heywood Banks. We saw him do that live. IMHO, the toaster that tries to do more than it was conceived for is a poser. Toaster ovens are the worst (for toast). The best toast is crispy on the outside and soft and yielding on the inside. That means having the heating elements close to the slice so that the outsides can get browned before the inside gets dry. Even a wide-slot model that accommodates a bagel slice is a compromise. My toaster has some movable grates that move in to grasp the slice when you push the plunger down. I'd like to see a toaster that moves the heating elements in as well to accommodate the width of the slice.

I think you've hit it on the head here. Focus on that. Since we've lived in our house we've gutted the kitchen and upgraded everything. But there are some things that can't be fixed or worked around. You need good ventilation, light (preferably natural), enough room, access to utilities, a good flow to the dining area. You can change appliances. You can replace the cabinets. But without the right space you'll be limited in your options.

I looked at a cruffin recipe and they don't appear to be very similar. Pastizzi dough is more like phyllo. There's just flour, water and a little oil. It's about 57% hydration.