lindag

Where I live the Cracker Barrel is actually pretty darned good. Of course we don't have many of the restaurants in big cities to compare it with. I like good comfort food and can find it there.

Have you never had a rotisserie chicken from Costco? The ones I get here at my store are amazingly good, no other can compare. And, yes, refrigeration does take its toll. When served still warm the flavor is infinitely better. Of course that is not always possible. Good to know KerryB's trick to reheat.

My 7-in-1 IP is arriving this afternoon. I need to go to the store and pick up a few items. I'd like my first venture to be Borscht but I don't have a tried and true recipe on me. Is there anyone who still makes this dish? I haven't had it in years but used to be able to get it a wonderful deli near my work.

I own the Breville Smart Oven XL and have used for several years. It's really a great addition to any kitchen as it does many things so much faster than a standard oven. I replaced my BSO with a Cuisinart Steam Oven only because of the toast, the Breville does not do toast well. I also wanted to have the steam function. If you don't care much about toast, the BSO is great to have.

I did cave in and order the IP (latest version without Bluetooth - $119 at Amazon US). The next morning I woke up to no water in the house! The pump for my well had died in the night -$1500 for a replacement! My IP should be here tomorrow morning and will all the commotion haven't had time to decide yet what my first recipe will be. Someone mentioned a KFC knock-off but I can't find a recipe. Anyone?

Yes, I agree. But I also find that it's easy to go from underdone to overcooked in no time.

I am being sorely tempted to buy one of these hot pots! Do I want the Bluetooth version? Or is there one model that is most useful?

I went to the Dinner Bell recently (an Amish family farm run restaurant). Everything was memorable: a fantastic salad, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, homemade jam, peach pie, coconut cream pie and homemade vanilla ice cream, coffee. The food is just amazingly good! It's about an hour and a half trip from where I live but so worth it. The family members (young adults) serve dinner in their hall every Thursday evening. First Thursday of the month it's meat loaf, then the rest of the time it's fried chicken. And, while all the food was really good, my friends and I couldn't figure out how they made the mashed potatoes taste so good - slightly different, like a slight gravy flavor was infused into them. Don't know but I'd like to. They have published their own cookbook, so I really should look into that to see if I can find their secret. BTW, the cost of the dinner is $13.50, what a bargain in today's world. Approximately 240 people attended.

I ran across this recipe for corn chowder in my email the other day. I must try it while the wonderful fresh corn is still available. Fresh Corn Chowder in the Pressure Cooker 6 ears fresh corn 4 Tbs butter 1-½ cups chopped onion 3 cups water 2 medium potatoes, diced 2 Tbs cornstarch 2 Tbs water 3 cups half-and-half or milk* 1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne) 4 slices bacon, cooked and diced 2 Tbs fresh parsley (can substitute dried) Salt and freshly ground black pepper Shuck the corn. Use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels. Select Sauté and add the butter to the pressure cooker pot. When butter is melted, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the 3 cups water and corncobs to the pressure cooking pot. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure and 10 minutes cook time and start. When timer beeps, turn off pressure cooker, and do a quick pressure release. Carefully remove corncobs and discard them. Leave the corncob broth in the pressure cooking pot. Put the steamer basket in the pressure cooker pot. Add the diced potatoes and corn kernels. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time and press start. When timer beeps, turn off pressure cooker, and do a quick pressure release. Carefully remove steamer basket, potatoes and corn from the pressure cooking pot. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water. Select Simmer and add cornstarch mixture to the pot stirring constantly until soup thickens. Stir in milk, cayenne pepper, corn kernels, diced potatoes, bacon, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through but do not bring to a boil. Yield: 6 - 8 servings Source: Pressure Cooking Today

But most 'experts' say you must rice the potatoes to get the very best texture. I don't because it's just an extra step to get out the damned ricer and it seems unnecessary.

Jaz, I think you're absolutely right! it does not have any smoky flavor at all that I can distinguish. And the friend's smoked salmon was completely different; it was thicker and darker in color with a definite smoky taste. I'm so disappointed. I suppose for $20 I should return it to Costco, I don't see how I can eat it.

Cooks Illustrated recommends steaming for the best results. I've tried it and it really works! East Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs Be sure to use large eggs that have no cracks and are cold from the refrigerator. If you don’t have a steamer basket, use a spoon or tongs to gently place the eggs in the water. It does not matter if the eggs are above the water or partially submerged. You can use this method for fewer than six eggs without altering the timing. You can also double this recipe as long as you use a pot and steamer basket large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer. There’s no need to peel the eggs right away. They can be stored in their shells and peeled when needed. 6 large eggs Bring 1 inch water to rolling boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Place eggs in steamer basket. Transfer basket to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook eggs for 13 minutes. When eggs are almost finished cooking, combine 2 cups ice cubes and 2 cups cold water in medium bowl. Using tongs or spoon, transfer eggs to ice bath; let sit for 15 minutes. Peel before using.

I'd been wanting to pick up some smoked salmon so when I was at Costco last week I grabbed a package of their Norwegian salmon. It was not what I expected. I don't much like the texture which feels a little slimy. Also the flavor isn't what I expected either. We used to have a friend (a Seattle-ite) who made his own SS that was really, really wonderful and that's what I was looking for. We also used to be gifted with packs of it at Christmastime that was also quite good. Now I'm wondering what to do with this salmon that I have (in a Costco size quantity). I'd love suggestions. I'd also love to know where I can get some good smoked salmon.

I have a set of three sizes of plastic cutting boards. The largest is often used when slicing homemade bread so it has a few nicks but nothing major. I clean all of mine routinely in the d/w. They come out sterilized and nicely cleaned. I've had these for many years (more than ten) and they are in very good condition and I expect they will last me forever. I had a Boos type board years ago and ended up donating it because it was suck a PITA to get and keep clean, as well as to keep oiled. I never felt like it was clean enough.

KAF has a combo product which is the powdered milk along with an acrylic storage container. A nice addition to the pantry. Just doing a little enabling here.

Well, watch the item on Amazon as the price will fluctuate greatly (like almost everything else!)

I often order from King Arthur Flour so I get my powdered milk from them. I like their specialty flours which I can't get locally so I place an order every few months.

Saw this in use of America's Test Kitchen and thought it the best tool ever. It is so handy for any kind of jar. The paddle is just flexible to be able to scrape out anything but not so soft as to fold over. I had to buy both the skinny and the mini! Not to Andie! You must have one of these!

I have the Breville and replaced it with the CSO. indeed, the toast is remarkably better. The BSO bakes the toast (as Rotuts had told me). the CSO toast retains moisture resulting in a much better product.

Amazon has the Instant Pot on sale today.

I cannot believe there was any intent on the behalf of the waiter which I assume is the main issue. He was simply incompetent. I hope the restaurant was heavily insured.

the breast (white) meat always cooks faster. BTW, don't make the mistake I did and bread the chicken for use with the air fryer. The flour mixture just turns gummy and does not crisp. Next time I attempt chicken air-fried I'll just use some type of marinade, I'm sure that would be an improvement in the final product.

I hate it when work interferes with my cocktail hour!