Martin Fisher

Too bad Wegmans isn't as good as it used to be! I used to be one of Wegmans biggest fans!!! The Corning, NY store opened in June of 1986—that was the first store in our area. It was open 24 hours, we would often visit in the wee hours of the morning when there were few souls there! I loved it!!! After Robert, the patriarch, died in 2006 their business model changed quite a bit. They focused much more on expansion, rather than taking proper care of the stores they already had!!! Shelves were/are often bare. They chose to compete directly with Walmart, Aldi and the like—slapping their once well regarded name on inferior products. Now, the closest Wegmans, the Elmira, NY store, is just 2 miles away. The Corning store is about 17 miles away. And the Ithaca store—32 miles. The Ithaca store is probably the best of the three, but it's usually VERY crowded—I HATE crowds! LOL I still like Wegmans, I shop their more than any grocery store—but I miss the old Wegmans.

1984 It won't be limited to smart microphones and speakers—and, of course, smartphones/tablets. It will be EVERYWHERE there's 'civilization'!!! Edited to add: Let's not forget the most obvious—COMPUTERS!

Smart microphone and speaker would be more accurate.

Even the great Julia did it.

There are several games available for one's next dinner party. You can also play trivia, etc. via Google Home.

Yeah, that's inspired by Edna Lewis' recipe! "For a full-flavored chicken soup recipe that could be made in less than 90 minutes, we borrowed an idea from an Edna Lewis recipe, beginning by sautéing a chicken, minus the breast (which we used later as meat for the soup), hacked into small pieces, rather than by simmering chicken bones, aromatic vegetables, and ..."

Depends on what flavor you prefer. I don't favor cooking chicken or turkey stock for a long time because lengthy cooking sort of imparts an unpleasant sanguine flavor, IMO. Fine with red meat meat/bones, but not white meat, especially from young birds—which most are. Which is why I, generally, prefer Edna Lewis' method of chicken stock making, which is very quick and simple. Edna said, and I agree: "I do not believe in cooking stock for a long period of time; it loses it's good flavor." Even better when combined with Scott Peacock's chicken stock method.

Nice! How about a mirror ball rotator? Inexpensive and easy!

Another trick, useful in some instances, is to use a thick or elevated cutting board—keeping the handle out beyond the edge of the board.

My guess is, to better equalize the salt/sugar/flavor throughout the meat. Having said that, you could opt for an equilibrium brine and pump the bird well—that would ensure faster brining and probably better distribution of flavor. After brining, I dry the skin with a hair dryer that's specifically devoted to culinary purposes.

Yeah, in my experience, a good electric knife works good for baguettes and the like. Edited to add: Placing the loaf on it's side during slicing seems to yield the best result.

I agree with Fat Guy, RIP. I absolutely HATE serrated knives—with the exception of an electric knife in some cases. I think that a chef's knife, butcher knife, cimeter, etc. work best for slicing bread when sharpened with a relatively coarse stone—say, 600 grit.

Low-carbohydrate. High fat.

Probably not as potentially 007 as smartphones—which can also be used as a 'smart' speaker.

I'm looking to make bacon confit via the Joule. I'll likely tightly roll up thick sliced bacon. Suggested time and temperature? Does 70°C for 12H sound good?

By what process, exactly, does corn starch 'velvet' meat? If the corn starch is rinsed off after velveting, will the same softened result be achieved? I'm a LCHF eater—most of the time.

FWIW...

Here's some info that I've post in the past...FWIW... Source: Handbook of Meat and Meat Processing By Y. H. Hui

I bought one, but I haven't tested it yet. If you prefer to sear with oil, try avocado...the smoke point is ~500°. Source: Harbor Freight Tools

Ordered any seeds lately? So far, this year, I've ordered strawberry spinach seeds as suggested by @chromedome. I'll very likely order some seeds from Fedco seeds—and maybe High Mowing Seeds. Bountiful Gardens, in California, closed up shop this year.

Ohhhhhhhh.....I received several 'smart' Christmas gifts. An Eufy Genie, which is an Alexa device similar to an Echo Dot. As with the Dot, the speaker sucks but the sound isn't bad when it's connected to decent PC speakers. I also received a Google Home, Google Home Mini, Chromecast HDMI (for the TV) and two Chromecast Audios—which connect to speakers. The Google Home, Mini and the two Chromecast Audios are connected, via wi-fi, to form an audio group. In other words, they play in sync—when specifically commanded. The Google Home's and the Mini's speakers aren't great, but the Chromecast Audios sound good when connected to good speakers. The Google Home is beside my computer in the living room. The Mini is in the Kitchen, as is a Chromecast Audio. The other Chromecast Audio is in the 'man cave,' as is the Eufy Genie. They're useful in many, MANY ways. In terms of food related stuff, as mentioned above, they're great for easily setting timers—even multiple timers (and reminders.) "A Google Home feature you will find most helpful in the kitchen is the timer function. To set a timer, just say, "OK (or Hey), Google, set a timer for five minutes." Check on the status of a timer with, "OK (or Hey), Google, how much time is left on my timer?" To cancel, pause or resume a timer, just tell the Google Home. You can also be a little more specific by giving a timer a name, such as, "OK (or Hey), Google, set a 20 minute time for pizza." Then you can check on that specific timer by saying, "OK (or Hey), Google, how much time is left on my pizza?" Unfortunately, at the moment, timers only work on the one device that they are set on. Hopefully that'll change in the future. They're great for conversions: "Hey, Google! How many grams are there in 17 ounces?" Nutrition information: "Hey, Google! "How many grams of carbohydrate in 150 grams of broccoli?" Various other cooking and food related questions. I can cast relevant podcasts and such to the audio group—from my Android phone or from Chrome browser. I can cast relevant video to the Chromecast HDMI—connected to the TV. I have a recipe PC (and tablet) in the kitchen so I have no need to use Google Home or Alexa for recipes. They're fun and useful devices. Can you tell that I'm an extremist?

Yeah! That! One of my ancestors—my maternal grandmother's line—came here, to Philadelphia, from the Palatinate of the Rhine, in 1733 via the King of England. As did many Amish (or Pennsylvania Dutch), Many of their food traditions were/are the same.

1/4 cup of avocado oil per two legs. The legs were 'cured' in salt, pepper, thyme, onion and a tiny bit of garlic.

It was quite good.