TicTac

Ya I have a mat too where I cook, but its more to prevent splatter near the range than for comfort. I find the soft'ish maple floors quite fine. Glad I didnt drop another $10K on floors. Eventually however wood floors in a kitchen will need to either be resurfaced or eventually replaced due to the high traffic/stress, but thats many years down the road. I cant say how envious I am of your fireplace in the kitchen, my dream (and next) kitchen will have a large one where I can cook in it and have a cauldron of bubbling goodness simmering away.

Tried it last night, did the gongfu style (sort of), but a larger amount of water - came out nice, very funky (see; horse barn) aromas, nice flavour.

The argument for stone was when you are standing cooking in a kitchen, some texture is better for your feet and back (we were considering some type of slate) - or so he said... Also easier to heat a stone floor.

Great looking floors. Love that fireplace!!! Curious, our designer tried to convince us to go with stone, especially for the kitchen - as to why you moved away from it.

btbyrd - That's the beaut I got as well. Wasn't pleased with my first attempt at seasoning (I do not like the salt/oil/potato method, nor the oven method) so I did further research and stumbled upon a stove top method - Heat briefly, remove, apply thin layer of flax - wipe off, put back on high heat till oil smokes, wait a few seconds, let cool completely - repeat 8-15 times. A laborious process but thus far I am far more pleased with the result. Would love to see pics of your MB after seasoning.

Chris, What method would you suggest for a Pu-erh? I have two, one a 'Mini tao cha' version, the other 'loose'. The loose is what I will try first...

Interesting, Chris. I will have to try brewing some of these samples at longer temps and see if any discernible difference is noted.

When not able to make my own, one (with a little doctoring) that is suitable is: http://www.gardenfreshgourmet.com/jacks-special-medium-salsa/

Sandpaper also works

So I brew like you in a larger mug as well - Does that mean I should throw these brewing times out the window? So much to learn.....

Tell me more about this 3 minute steep. My 'instructions' said 5 - 10 - 20 - 60 second infusions for the green tea.

Oh these posts make me green with envy! When any family member goes to France (or Italy, or Spain for that matter); a large tupperware container is always taken in order to haul back as much fantastic cheese as possible. While Canada does some great cheeses (Quebec leading the pack) we still cant touch the amazing cheeses that France produces (don't get me started on how much I miss a good Tomme or some funky unpasteurized goat cheese!).

Seconded & Third'd!! I have made ravioli with a similar filling before, the idea of a bechemel (curious to hear your method) on top of it, oh so decadent!

The key, clearly - are the tomatoes. By far the best tomato soups I have ever had are from my own grown heirloom tomatoes. Simply cook with onions and garlic, put through a food mill to remove seeds/skin and reduce a bit if desired. It is so sweet and unreal - my best tomato risotto's are also made from said liquid.

I figured as much, but I noted you mentioned that you decided to brew it at a higher temp, which prompted the question - how would one know which oolong's are suitable for such prep methods? Furthermore, I was lead to believe (my knowledge is extremely limited - so take that with a few grains of salt!) that oolong's are brewed with water right off the boil. Whereas white/green/yellow tea's the water should be left to sit 5 or so minutes post boil before brewing.

Currently onto some Green Snail Spring green tea. Enjoyable; certainly one of the nicer examples of Green tea's I have tried, but not as profoundly unique as the 2 aforementioned samples. Curious, what makes an oolong 'milk'able' (for lack of a better term)? Excited to try some of the other Oolong's and the Pu-erh's!

Perhaps I should have clarified.... I do not 'shred' mine in any machinery - I believe the more appropriate term for what I do is 'pulled' (as often it is white meat - we eat the dark meat and usually save the white for other uses) and can easily be pulled into long strings. I agree, I do not like the idea of a processed pulp!

My grandmother always made chicken salad for us as kids and I try to recreate it when I have a chance - typical ingredients included: - Diced pickles - Hard boiled egg chopped - Often Capers - Mayo - Sometimes dill - Little vinegar and a touch of sugar. It's amazing how taste is so closely tied to (fond) memories.

Both dishes look great. Would like to hear more about your method for the Chicken.

Onto some Oolong... Red Heart Oolong (one of 3 Oolong's in my taste test pack) to be exact - A nice mild overall aroma and flavour - somewhat earthy, but subdued, a slight bit of background sweetness but not near as much as the aforementioned white. I am thinking that a longer brew (5 seconds was suggested for the first) might help with this. Very enjoyable none the less.

Contrary to Anna, I believe the best chicken salads are shredded (which also takes the most time and effort, but the texture is ultimately superior). Though in a time crunch, diced salads suffice.

Good to know. Finally hooked up with the owner of Chinese Tea Canada and got a fantastic variety of samples. Currently enjoying some Peony White tea - on it's second brew, very floral and perfumed, with some definite sweetness. Oh this is going to become an expensive hobby!

Within Canada there should be limited to no taxes - in terms of 'import duties' - I will check out teatrader.com; thanks.

Thank you for the most detailed response, Chris. Prior to your response I perused amazon.ca (Living in Toronto, Canada) for 'Loose tea' and stumbled upon a few which sounded somewhat interesting to my fairly uneducated tea-mind; any thoughts on: https://www.amazon.ca/Goddess-Mercy-Oolong-Loose-Organic/dp/B01B0CJ0J8/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1484087877&sr=8-7&keywords=loose+tea https://www.amazon.ca/Leaves-HARVEST-Shipped-Ethical-16-ounce/dp/B00VFYPIDO/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1484087877&sr=8-14&keywords=loose+tea https://www.amazon.ca/Darjeeling-Himalayas-Certified-Unblended-Plantations/dp/B00VFYPG1S/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1484087877&sr=8-22-spons&keywords=loose+tea&psc=1 https://www.amazon.ca/Organic-White-Silver-Needle-Loose/dp/B00LOGFLUI/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&qid=1484088113&sr=8-39&keywords=loose+tea Just to name a few - As you suggested however; I am going to venture out to a tea house (there are many in this city as we have an amazingly diverse population and a huge Asian community) and perhaps sample some first hand - at the same time also get a lesson on how to best brew said teas. Thanks again.

I hope I am not 'hijacking' this thread - but clearly, Chris, you have a vast knowledge of tea and perhaps you can offer a few suggestions - I have always grown many herbs for tea (Lemon verbena, lemon grass, mints, bergamot, etc) and enjoy White, Green and Black teas - but I do not have much experience with the latter three, besides packaged teas available from the store. Would you be able to perhaps offer some suggestions that one might be able to acquire via amazon (unless you believe far better can be found elsewhere)? Many thanks in advance.