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@Duvel You've probably found a solution by now, but on the off-chance that you haven't, I've noticed that the empanada dough I've developed over time (I wanted a flexible crust, rather than a flaky one) doesn't shrink or expand, and it holds its shape (i.e. the crimping at the edge changes very little, even though it's not in a mould that would support it during baking), once baked. I usually use half a kilo of flour at a time, but this recipe may be multiplied and divided without any adjustments to the ratios. In a bowl, combine 500g flour and a teaspoon of salt; In something with a pouring lip, combine 250ml water and 60ml oil Add liquids to dry ingredients, and knead until smooth. Ideally, let rest in a cool area or the refriegerator, but I tend to be impatient and use it immediately, and the results are still fine. I vary the amount of salt depending on the empanada filling I'm using, and choose the flour and oil on the same basis; depending on the flour you're using, you may need more or less water. I usually bake empanadas in a 200C oven (with convection) for a quarter of an hour; time and temperature may need some adjustment for meat pies cooked in a mould, particularly if the filling is uncooked. ETA I think that any dough that fits yor requirements would need to contain a decent amount of fat (to minimize/avoid shrinkage: water/water-based liquids evaporate), no leavening (to avoid puffing up), and be relatively firm (so it keeps its shape).

I have a recipe for a traditional Tuscan kale and bean soup that is delicious, and has a LOT of kale in it (it keeps and reheats well, too😞 let me know if you'd like the recipe.

The owner of ckbk is an eGullet member, @mjcockerill and I'm hoping he'll weigh in, because I'm certain the feedback here would be useful to him, and contribute to offering a stronger product.

If you're sourcing ingredients from Germany, @Duvel may be able to offer helpful suggestions; there must be online shops that have more specialized selections than this supermarket.

Thank you! I'm sort of wavering on the tapioca, now: I can easily get tapioca starch, but it can go slimy/stringy, and and I haven't worked with it much. Oh, and kickoff is at 16.00 today.

So far, I've downloaded a few free cookbooks and guides (e.g. from sites such as Project Gutenberg), but haven't bought any. If I can get a print version of a book, I'd rather have that, because the damage from a fall or spill tends to be less catastrophic.

I promised to make a strawberry pie, and the recipe I'm using is from Cook's Illustrated (because their recipes have reliably delivered what they promise, every time I've used them) and calls for thickening 1.25 cups of pureed strawberries with 'a tablespoon of powdered pectin for lower sugar recipes (such as Sure Jell)'. I'm in Denmark, and neither Sure Jell nor a reasonable equivalent is available (I\ve spen tthe day looking); I do have pure apple pectin, but am having difficulty figuring out how much of this pectin, sugar, and acid to use, to get something with equivalent setting power to Sure Jell. Anyone have experience of this? This is the recipe, and the pectin, I'm working with: Thanks!

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had lobster. No idea why.

@Red Owl The recipe sounds as though it's not well-designed, it reads more like a pâte à choux recipe than one for a light quenelle.

The Cosori appeals to me because of the Thaw and Cancel functions, but I don't know whther I'd actually use them. If you decided to replace your current air fryer (and let's say it lasted exactly as long as you Ninja unit), would you go with the Cosori Dual Blaze again, or a Ninja Foodi?

Thank you! I know...I mentioned the thing about the programs only to indicate that their absence wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me. Sorry about the Danish, I wanted to link to the model numbers and images, and this was quickest. I don't care that much about being able to roast a chicken whole, halved would be just fine! It looks good, but I'd prefer the kind of air fryer with a drawer. My oven is okay, I just hate roasting anything with any significant amount of fat in it, such as skin-on chicken, because cleanup is horrendous, but since it's part of the flat I'm renting, I have to return it in pristine condition.

Thoughts about the Ninja airfryer AF400EU vs. the Philips Avance Collection Airfryer XXL HD9650/90? I know nothing about the overall quality and results of either brand's food-prep units, but one or the other appears to be on the horizon for me. Mostly, I'm interested in getting good results with roast chicken and something approximating fried fish, for one or two people at a time. I prefer a fair amount of control over my devices, and don't much care about preprogrammed settings. Longevity and reliability matter, and...is one easier to clean than the other? Anyone care to weigh in on one or both these units? Thanks!

By sterilization, I mean properly and thoroughly sterilizing all the tools and containers that will be used, good hand hygiene, making sure that the recipe/instructions you're using are from a reliable source, and following the instructions to the letter. It's only a bit tedious the first time, when you have to think about it. And never as tedious as botulism. Not all cases of botulism are diagnosed/reported, as food poisoning is often misdiagnosed by the patient as 'stomach' flu (not a real illness: flu attacks the respiratory system), and why take chances on something very unpleasant, when avoiding it isn't that difficult? You deserve better protection than 'fingers crossed'. Please remember that neither C. botulinum nor its toxin is perceivable by taste, scent, or appearance.

https://www.cdc.gov/botulism/prevention.html https://fermentationassociation.org/the-safety-of-fermented-food/ https://www.wildfermentationforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3654 If you follow sterilization and pH guidelines carefully, you should be fine, but this is definitely not something to be casual about, as food poisining is unpleasant, even if you recover from it. ETA, C. botulinum and its toxin cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted.

Caffeine is an important flavour element in coffee, if you remove it, you lose some of the bitterness that gives it structure. Being able to edit out allergens would be brilliant, especially for crops that are used on a vast scale, given that things like peanut oil show up all over the place.

My objection to this particular form of gene editing is essentially the one that was discussed earlier: it seems kind of pointless. If someone dislikes some quality of some kind of produce, why eat it? There are so many varieties of produce, pick one you like, instead. I mean, I find bananas revolting, so I just don't eat them. If someone offered me bananas that had the texture/flavour of strawberries, I still wouldn't eat them, because actual strawberries exist. Then again, I also think decaffeinated coffee is silly; if I want something without caffeine, I have water or madeira or something, not a sad version of coffee.

@scott123 Any chance of going halves on the Costo block with someone?

Can anyone recommend places in the centre of Edinburgh with reliably good, preferably unpretentious, full breakfasts? I've been there a few times, and found one place that was good, though not open every day (The Square), many that were poor to mediocre, and one that was laughably bad (Southern Cross Cafe: slow, surly service, tepid coffee, cold toast, rubbery eggs, rubbery bacon, clammy baked beans, mushrooms that suggested poorly-preserved slugs, fried tomatoes that looked like open sores). There must be better! I'm specifying the centre, because I'm travelling with someone who needs breakfast more or less as soon as he gets up, and we'll be staying in the centre. Thanks!

Quick heads-up for those encountering inconclusive low-FODMAP-diet results: if you're in the elimination period, and your results are inconsistent/confusing, check the labels of every medication and supplement you take for FODMAP, especially for the sugar alcohols, because they're frequently used as bulking agents in pills. My doctor recommended I look into the possibility of FODMAP being the cause of various inconvenient symptoms, but didn't offer anything in the way of detail, just told me to look it up, which I did, but not as thoroughly as I should have done. The results were inconsistent, except when I was travelling, and tended to forget to take my nutritional supplements; in these cases, my GI problems subsided completely. I'd love to say I put two and two together out quickly, but I only figured it out when I was looking at the ingredient list on my calcium supplement, and noticed maltitol in the list. Then I looked at the rest of my nutritional supplements, and every damn mineral supplement contained maltitol (not the vitamins, for some reaason). I switched to FODMAP-free supplements, and things have been just fine since then. Most supplements and medications seem to be available in FODMAP-free versions, but if you're taking something that does not offer that option, taking a spoonful of psyllium husk seems to mitigate the worst of the consequences (I did this while I was using up the last of the maltitol-containing supplements: I couldn't afford to just throw them away). ETA I know that a well-informed doctor will discuss the possibility of this problem (also, thorough discussions of this online address it), but many doctors don't think to mention it.

But that wouldn't be just below the upper half of the bun, and doesn't resemble a persimmon at all.

I think that's the egg.

Perhaps restaurants and catering firms could begin building in the option of taking home leftovers by marketing it as a part of their sustainable/environmentally responsible stance; they could even make a profit on it, if it was carefully thought out ('Our portions/spread are/is generous, bring containers to prevent food waste, or we sell elegant, reusable containers for this purpose!'). It may sound cynical, but if the end result is reduced waste and an increased awareness of this problem, it'd be worth it. Besides, I know plenty of people would like to ask to take away leftovers, but feel too embarrassed to do this (I do). This would just mean making people feel a bit smug about it.

I often add winter squash or sweet potato puree to tomato-based dishes, especially when I'm using traditional Mexican herbs and spices. It adds an earthiness that I really like.

Could you use one of those containers intended to hold kitchen utensils? Many are shorter than you want, but I'm fairly certain I've seen ones that have roughly the dimensions you need, and they come in a variety of materials that would last mor or less forever.

Laab moo with a dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, roasted peanuts, dried shrimp, chillies and palm sugar over a bunch of lettuce, because I couldn't find a green papaya for the originally-planned salad (pre-ground toasted rice powder in the laab, because the one time I made it myself I over-estimated what 'low heat' meant, and after one hour the rice was was barely darker, but I decided to grind it anyway, and it seems to have been too hard...all in all, it took two hours).