dcarch

Thailand did not invent slavery. Many countries exploit slavery to advance themselves. It's human nature, and it's part of civilization maturing. I see milder forms of slavery today in the USA, but that's off topic. If you stop buying their shrimps altogether instantly, their slavery practice will just move to other industries, and the shrimps in the oceans will be extinct from over fishing. Now that we have digital communication, we should educate them, pressure them, provide assistance to them to transition into more universal humane ways of global economic participation and growth. As for myself, nothing much I can do. I don't buy frozen packaged shrimps, they are tasteless. dcarch

Don't discount the fact that kids (and adults) are picky with food is because of nature, not nurture. dcarch

Done in my oven on a cast iron griddle. dcarch

Sorry to say this, but you can't win. There is no way. You are trying to fight the opposition, who is putting billions and billions of dollars in research and advertisement to seduce your kids into eating junk. dcarch

Some rice cookers can bake bread, and some bread makers can cook rice. My Panasonic bread maker can make rice. I even use it to make risotto! It does all the stirring. There is a bread maker, I have read, that can turn uncooked rice into bread. I like wild rice (real, not farmed) cooked in a PC. A little better texture. dcarch

I have a box of 100 surgical disposable gloves which are very big. May be you can consider using those? They are not expensive. dcarch

A little off topic. For the longest time, I thought Madonna was singing, "'Cuz everybody's living in a Cheerio world And I am a Cheerio girl.----" dcarch

Still, the whole appliance has only one compressor to cool both compartments. Having two temp control helps, but not completely. dcarch

What does the Chinese/Korean character on your radish soup say? dcarch

The best temperature testing device for the freezer is a box of ice cream. dcarch

You don't really have to calibrate all surfaces unless they are drastically different in reflective. I have found in this test, by using cooking oil in the freezer and water in the refrigerator, using a regular thermometer, the IR thermometer is very good by comparision (and of course quick). Using a thermometer measuring one single location, you can be off by 15F +-. I am very particular about the freezer, because I need very cold temperature for sanitizing my cold smoked salmon. dcarch

I don't like freezer and refrigerator thermometers. The inside environment of a home refrigerator is dynamic, there is no way you can get a good understanding of what is going on with temperatures in the freezer and refrigerator with thermometers. 1. Where are the food placed? 2. How often doors are opened. 3. When is the frost -free heater cycles on? 4. How much food? 5. How hot was the food when you put it in? Instead, a remote read IR non-contact thermometer ($30 to $300) is what I use. Just aim the laser beam at various spots, very quickly, you will get a very good idea the thermal characteristics of your entire refrigerator. dcarch

"---My question: can rice makers prepare a small, single person, quantity of rice? I'd like some rice right now.---" With a PC, you can make one spoon of rice. dcarch

I also cook rice with a PC. The nice thing about using a PC is that is is quicker (energy saving) and you can cook again if you find the rice is too firm. Also you will not burn the rice if you have the fire too high. The donabe way is purely aesthetic. The rice knows only heat, it does not know what gives it the heat. It can be stainless steel. clay, aluminum, or any material. I tend to doubt the clay donabe can make rice in 15 minutes, it being a very poor heat conductor. I don't know what's the purpose of the double covers. You will have one more thing to carry, to break and to clean. dcarch

I don't remember where I was one time I was traveling in China. On a sunny day, people would take out bushels of chilli pepper from storage to sun dry so they wouldn't go moldy. Man! it was like some one had dropped teargas bombs in the neighborhood. dcarch

It seems to me that many office building rooftops in Calgary are not just for mechanical equipment. For an outsider like myself, I would be interested in good rooftop eating establishments. dcarch

A tipping experience, in a very good restaurant (NYC) I often take clients to: I had a table with 7 clients for lunch. Food and drinks came to a good amount. The bill came with my credit card printout. As I was working out the numbers, I was distracted by one of the funny jokes told. Must also be the drinks, I signed the bill and neglected to add the tip. Moments later, the server came, "Sir, how was the food?" Me, "Great! Everyone enjoyed everything." Server, "How was my service?" Me, "You are the best. My complements." Server, Loudly, "Then why are you so cheap and decided not to give me my tip?" In front of my clients, I was stunted. I called the manager over, who I knew very well for being a regular customer, asked him to explain that it was a mistake on my part, because he knew that I had always been a good tipper. I also firmly told the manager that I sincerely did not blame the server for getting pissed. Life is tough being a server, if he fired the server I would never return again. I hate the tipping practice!!! dcarch

It has nothing to do with the server's attitude. It has to do a bad practice which does not take into consideration of human nature. I will be very surprised if you can find a server who will serve a bad tipper the same as a good tipper. I have been to restaurants where the server said to me," Sir, thank you for your generosity. I didn't add the dessert to your bill." dcarch

I was there in the winter. I was curious why they had electric outlets near every parking stall in parking lots. I found out later why. :-( dcarch

I have been to Calgary. How can one operate a food truck in the winter? dcarch

Tipping practice, by it's very nature, is the worst cultural practice by civilized societies. I am a good tipper, but I have been neglected by servers because the other table is a better tipper. How about let's start tipping doctors? dcarch

"------ Almost everything we do with food is based on preferences, not requirements. ----" Except when it comes to food safety. The perfect control of temperature offered by the SV method makes it much simpler. As a matter of fact, throw away your thermometer, it does not matter how thick or how cold your meat is when you cook SV. dcarch

A valve is not a wear item. Tires are wear items in a car, but valves in the engine's cylinders are not. dcarch

Not trying to be an egghead about this ( ), in the tests, it would be nice to know what is sticking to the shell, the membrane or the egg white. dcarch