Martin Fisher

I don't think anyone knows where the term cottage ham originated. I first heard the term in New Jersey. "The Stehlins and other butchers carve cottage hams, weighing about 2 to 3 pounds, from the upper part of the Boston butt, which is from the pork shoulder. Before they are cured and smoked, cottage hams are about the size and shape of a large, rectangular brick. The Ohio Dept. of Agriculture labels the cuts “smoked pork shoulder butts,” but in Cincinnati many butchers and customers have always called them “cottage hams.” No one — including the Stehlins — know where the “cottage” term comes from — except that the name is indigenous and limited to the Cincinnati area, [not correct] and has been used for at least a century. “I'm sure they sell shoulder butts in other parts of the country,” says Werneth Avril, retired owner of Avril's Meats, downtown. “But if you ask for a cottage ham anywhere else, they'll say "huh?”' The name “cottage cheese,” used to describe moist, soft, white cheese, entered the language by the middle of the 19th century, says John Mariani in his Dictionary of American Food and Drink (Hearst; $19.95). But he doesn't explain why “cottage” was used, and he doesn't mention “cottage ham.” A reasonable theory on the term's origins might be that a Cincinnati butcher dubbed them “cottage hams” a long time ago because they are small, like a “cottage” home — the right size for cooking in a pot of beans. At the very least, “cottage hams” sound more appetizing than “smoked shoulder butts.” Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer Meanwhile, in New Jersey.... https://pulaskimeats.com/product/cottage-ham/ https://schmalzs.com/collections/frontpage/products/smoked-cottage-ham http://www.foodmenuprice.com/menu/piast-meats-and-provisions/new-jersey/garfield/500115/ Also and FWIW, from the book: The Modern Packing House: A Complete Treatise on the Designing, Construction ... By Fred William Wilder, Copyright 1905

I guess you'll have to ask them. My opinion is that sanitizing the thermometer — especially before returning it to the holder (to avoid contaminating the wall mounted holder) and sanitizing it again after removing it from the holder — is good practice. I don't need so-called 'experts' to confirm that.

Yeah, this is one of the reasons why I very rarely eat out. Anyway, I think keeping thermometers well cleaned and sanitized is good practice. http://www.mda.state.mn.us/Global/MDADocs/food/foodsafety/mod-materials/sanitizethermoms.aspx

This is, specifically, what I'm talking about: I cut them out of almost all Boston butts. It ups the percentage of fat in the remaining shoulder to what I prefer for sausage making.

If the wipe isn't too nasty I put in back in the foil packet so the alcohol doesn't evaporate.

Whatever you can live with. My biggest fear is cross-contamination . I use a thermometer a LOT so I've trained myself to sanitize it almost every time I pick it up or set it down.

Yeah, it doesn't bend like the Thermapen. I tend to use a thermometer in a jar or cup quite often...the pocket thermometer is great for that.

Cheap and convenient. I find an alcohol wipe the least tedious way to sanitize (when necessary) and keep stuff cleaned off the tip of the thermometer. I'm talking smoked foods, greasy foods, cooking oil, etc. A single wipe can be used multiple times in one cooking session.

[alcohol wipe] Same. I'm an extremist OCD germophobe....I wipe done the entire thermometer with an alcohol pad. I sometimes use the Thermapen but in some ways I hate the design. I use the Thermoworks RT600C Super-Fast® pocket thermometer most of the time.

It's actually a cottage (or daisy) ham cut from the shoulder. The name is locally colloquial.

I'm still buying heavy cream at Aldi. I bought 12 pints yesterday. Still $1.69 per pint. Still packed by Byrne Dairy/Ultra Dairy (Plant #36-8580.) I also bought two pounds of Kerrygold Butter at $2.99 per 8 ounce package. That's $1.00 per pound less than Wegman's price. Unfortunately, there's no sign of Kerrygold Dubliner and other cheeses yet this season. Edited to add: SO asked me to bake date-nut bread so I picked up some chopped dates at Aldi — I didn't try the bread, but SO loved it.

USDA's FSIS response to Applegate here.

It's not false advertising or sneaky marketing tactics, they're doing what the 'rulers' at the almighty USDA tell them to do as far as labeling goes. From USDA materials..... "Bacon can be manufactured without the use of nitrite, but must be labeled "Uncured Bacon, No Nitrates or Nitrites added" and bear the statement "Not Preserved, Keep Refrigerated Below 40 °F At All Times" — unless the final product has been dried according to USDA regulations, or if the product contains an amount of salt sufficient to achieve an internal brine concentration of 10% or more, the label does not have to carry the handle statement of "Not Preserved, Keep Refrigerated below ___" etc. Recent research studies have shown for products labeled as uncured, certain ingredients added during formulation can naturally produce small amounts of nitrates in bacon and, therefore, have to be labeled with the explanatory statement "no nitrates or nitrites added except for those naturally occurring in ingredients such as celery juice powder, parsley, cherry powder, beet powder, spinach, sea salt etc." Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/bacon-and-food-safety/ct_index Applegate has actually petitioned the USDA to have the labeling laws changed.... http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/16cf683e-7b58-4872-88c0-d800d58c6aef/Petition_Applegate_110311.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Source: Vocabulary Dictionary and Workbook: 2,856 Words You Must Know, By Mark Phillips. There's a Hardscrabble Road not far from where I grew up in Tioga County, PA Cured with pink salt [salt and sodium nitrite (6.25%)], etc. Yes. I add onions.

The same question was asked previously — here.

Closest Pizza Hut closed 2-3 weeks ago but there's a Popeyes due to open very soon — not too far away.

"Tradition" here the past few years has been: Scratch-cured and hickory smoked hardscrabble (cottage) ham with bourbon glaze. Charcoal-grilled, dry-brined and spatchcocked broad-breasted bronze turkey. Cast iron skillet baked onion bagel, hickory nut and apple dressing. Savory oyster bread pudding. Stuffed baked sweet potatoes topped with maple hickory nut crumble. Mashed taters and turkey jus gras. Creamed Monnopa spinach. Blue cheese broccoli casserole. Cranberry-Chipotle sauce. Butter and egg cloverleaf rolls. Pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust...topped with a dollop of bourbon whipped cream. Finger Lakes Riesling.

I was afraid someone would ask! LOL It's been a long time —25+ years! I can't remember exactly how I made it. I didn't follow a recipe but I know I used canned whole cranberries, some dried cranberries, red wine — something like this. HTH

FWIW, One year I made cranberry 'marinara' , turkey meatballs, etc. It was a BIG hit, the crowd loved it!

Quite the opposite here, unfortunately.

So far, I think the Paderno pate pan comes the closest to what I'm looking for. I don't think the bread tubes will work well as I've read "Bread tube is not recommended for use with brownie, quick bread or cake batters, cookie dough or gelatin mixtures." I'm baking a low-carb quick bread. Base recipe: fine almond flour, dry-cottage or farmer cheese, butter and eggs.

I may go with something like that if i can't find a square one.

Thanks. Yeah, that does appear to have a trapezoidal profile. Thanks. There are a lot of silicone molds and, unfortunately, a lot of complaints about uneven baking and lack of browning.

Any idea where I can find square bottomed cocktail loaf pans? I prefer a loaf size of about 2.5 inches wide x 10 inches long. Thanks!

OCD germaphobe that I am — Dr. O. Peter Snyder's 'Safe Hands' hand washing program. In a nutshell — he recommends double hand washing and use of a nail brush. SafeHands PDF (32 Pages). Why gloves are not the solution to the fingertip washing problem.