[Where do I get crunch for sushi roll? (USA based)]

1 minute ago, BeeZee said:

I believe they fry the panko briefly to take some of the “raw” flavor off, but not so long as to brown it. You might just want to try toasting some briefly in a sautee pan?

This is what I do, for just as much as I need at a time.  The stuff appears to have an astonishingly long shelf life.

[Fried Dill Pickle toppers]

I succumbed to the temptation of a Costco closeout price on these several months ago.  Thrown in a skillet to brown for a few minutes, they make a slightly interesting sandwich topper.  I have yet to conjure another use for them.  

[Milling and Baking with Heritage and Ancient Grains: Bread and Beyond]

18 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

The general guidance the Roan Mills people gave me when adapting a white flour recipe to whole grain was to increase the liquid by 15%.  Of course, I don't have enough experience to know anything myself 🙃

 

15% matches my experience with locally grown and milled whole wheat flour.  Unfortunately, the farm I was buying from has folded.  Makes this thread all too tempting!

[eG Foodblog: Panaderia Canadiense 2019 - EAT! Empanadas, Arepas, Tortillas and Other Ambato Food On the Go]

6 hours ago, catdaddy said:

Hello Baby Boomers.......

Hey now!  I just barely escape being a mellenial and I thought the same!

[Am I a plebeian or are black tomatoes a thing?]

We have grown ( or attempted to grow) Black Krims for several years.  My wife insists they are her favorite tomato.  However, we have yet to see better than two tomatoes from a plant.  A month ago, my wife insisted she was finally swearing them off.  So when I went to pick up her plants from the plant sale yesterday, what do you think I saw?  

[Crazy Good e-Book Bargains]

Here is another.  I ran across it the other day and was considering a hard copy.  I deferred in order to research it more.  1.99 for me on Kindle as a prime member.

Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes

[Best Liqueurs for Flavoring Chocolates]

3 hours ago, teonzo said:

 

Have you tried looking for some local producers? With all the food craze of the last 20 years, there must be some US artisans for sure.

Jim, I know that this is not what this thread is about, but I have run across some local producers (though I have not sampled the products myself).  Here is one that has some interesting sounding production https://www.vitaespirits.com/

[Lasagna baked in bainmarie style ?]

Teo, 

I find the above to be one of the best reflections on how tradition could be considered that I have ever read.

 

Thank you!

[Trader Joe’s has ruby chocolate]

Thank you to both of you.  That it was not being called chocolate in the US was what felt out of step with the marketing I had read from Callebaut.  And now it makes sense to me.  And I am afraid that I will have to say that the marketing is out of step with the product.  Of course, I guess that is what marketing is often all about...

 

[Trader Joe’s has ruby chocolate]

2 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I thought Ruby did contain milk. Which made me wonder how it would taste without the milk component?

 

Here's the ingredient list - 

 

Sugar 35.5%, cocoa butter 29.5%, skimmed milk powder, whole milk powder, cocoa mass 4.5%, emulsifier; soya lecithin, citric acid, natural vanilla flavouring.

 

That is a whole lot less cocoa mass than I thought would be in there.

 

 

This is what I have been wondering about all along.  The packaging on the Trader Joe's product stops short of calling it's contents chocolate.  I believe (I do not have a package handy) I says it is made with Ruby cocoa.  The package says it contains a confectionery.

 

Is this really Ruby chocolate?  Or is it really a product maid with Ruby chocolate?  I am waiting for an authoritative answer. 

[Creaming butter with honey]

10 hours ago, Darienne said:

I believe that much cheap honey is not honey at all....????

Cheap is always relative.  Around the Mid-Atlantic, $10 seems to be the going rate for small scale local honey.  (This is what members of the local beekeeping clubs will charge). There are always much more expensive varietal honeys available, and I can usually find a beekeeper I trust who will part with a quart for as low as $5/lb.  

 

Any cheaper than that, and I would absolutely be suspicious, at least where I live.

[Creaming butter with honey]

Honey is also hygroscopic.  Keep it sealed, it will last forever.  Leave it open, it will slowly absorb more moisture until it ferments.

[FoodLion]

FlL is pretty dominant around me.  They definitely aim for the lower end market, though some renovations I have seen recently suggest they are starting to aim higher.  And they are not entirely bottom of the market.  I have a local grocery near me that has a few good highlights, and local character going for it.  When I want more, like a chance at decently fresh fruit, I spend 20 more minutes on the road to go to Food Lion.  When I want good fruit, I spend 40 more minutes on the road to go to Martin's (Giant).

 

I am eagerly waiting for for the day that Wegmans or Trader Joe's is less than an hour away.

[Trader Joe's Products (2017–)]

I found the "confectionery" label on the package suspicious as well.  I would love to hear the tasting opinion of someone who has sample Callebaut's Ruby elsewhere.

[Cooking with light]

4 hours ago, MelissaH said:

When someone talks about cooking with light, the first thing that comes to my mind is the old Easy-Bake ovens, the kind I coveted when I was a kid and never got, where the heat came from an incandescent light bulb of a wattage that can no longer easily be bought!

My first thought was that the Easy bake patent must have expired...  Now, someone, please put me in my place and explain why I should take this seriously!

[Edward Lee @ The Shack in Staunton, Va - Missed it.]

Hmmmph!

[The AeroPress Coffee Machine]

I would say that experimentation and record keeping is the way to go.  I have been trying to "decode" coffee brewing for a while.  I had a friend train with as a roaster for a very accomplished local roaster (Lexingtoncoffee.com) and experimentation was his encouragement.  With lighter roasts, I often use a coarser grind, but that is only my personal call.  I think it highlights the more citrusy flavors better.  My standard grind is pretty fine, though.  I use the inverted method, and one other thing that has improved my cup is letting it steep longer than I used to.  I now use 2 minutes as my standard.

[The Final Table on Netflix]

In my opinion, more worth watching than any other show of the genre recently.  Is it stretching to say that a Victor in this competition is as qualified as those at the judges table.  I would say certainly, if the competitors were not already so qualified.  I will likely not sit at any of their tables, so I will have to let others judge.  Not a bad show for a casual watch, though, and I found myself rewinding to try to catch a description I missed many times.

 

 

[Crazy Good e-Book Bargains]

Not sure how to post the link from my Amazon app, but I just bought Momofuku (Kindle, with Prime) for 3.99.

[Chocdoc and eG friends in LaLa Land]

5 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Easy enough to fix one should think.

 

Diagnosis is probably on point, but I wonder about her acumen when it comes to treatment...😁

[When did Ranch dressing take over the world?]

26 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Ok, I'm outing myself on this one, but there are two restaurants that serve a ranch dressing that I would go out of my way to have.  One of them is Libby Hill Seafood - a NC chain.  The food is fine - typical fried stuff - but whatever prepared or mix ranch dressing they use is fantastic.  The other is GOLDEN CORRAL.   Crap.  I didn't want that to come out.  So, we occasionally crave a whole country spread - fried chicken, meat loaf, creamed chicken, mashed potatoes, collards, butter beans, sweet potatoes, etc.  Around here, the only place that has that is Golden Corral.  They also have that fantastic ranch dressing.  I will slink off now.

Golden Corral....  My father used to take us there when I was a kid.  I cannot help but slip in there every once in a while still.  I always leave feeling worse for the experience.  And that pretty well sums up my relationship to Ranch, too.

[Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 5)]

On 9/14/2018 at 8:42 PM, FauxPas said:

Walmart is selling a Pioneer Woman Instant Pot. It looks like this:

 

 

I have to admit that it's definitely not my style. 

 

What do others think? 

 

I could definitely see my mother buying it.

[Corned Beef At Home: Recipes, Tips, etc.]

I will not dispute you on theory.  All I know is the results!

 

Editing to say that I know the results of the 28 day brine.  I cannot testify that a briefer brine would not be just as good.

 

[Corned Beef At Home: Recipes, Tips, etc.]

The other evening I borrowed an Anova from a friend and cooked up a beef tongue prepared according to Thomas Kellers Corned Beef Tongue Pain Perdu from Under Pressure.  I skipped the whole pain perdu part, sliced it chilled, and warmed it in a non-stick skillet before placing on a baguette with some mayo and mustard.  Amazing!  The recipe called for 28 days of brining, so don't delay too long!

[Great hard-to-find condiments]

5 hours ago, Pan said:

By the way, would you all suggest that we start with only spicy products such as hot sauces, or with both spicy products and savory ones that are unspicy or only very slightly spicy? This is one of the planning questions under consideration, and your input as people who purchase these kinds of products could help us.

A quick google of "hot sauce online"  shows quite a few established competitors in that niche.  How would you be able to differentiate yourself?  I think a broader array of offerings would be a good idea.  I cannot think of any other retailer with the focus that you have named in this thread, and I would look forward to browsing such a site, just to see what has been curated.