AlaMoi

in the pasta/chicken/egg/potato/tuna salad area, we're pretty 'usual' - but what it get served with . . . that's a different story. I see all the nice pix of various "plates" - but they seem to more represent 'things served around' the salad, not in the salad....or?

absolutely - members all have different 'expertise / experience' in diverse areas so put the up topic/question - most likely someone has "been there/done that"

for fun, I like to use (Pepperidge Farm) puff pastry - sold in a frozen roll-up. takes a little coaxing to keep it from sliding down the pan on pre-bake, but makes for whimsical presentation

if you've ever 'seen' electric arc welding, , , this is an offshoot. the 'electric arc' creates 'plasma' from air&nothing. this appears to create the plasma and blow it 'upward' through 'tubes' to 'heat' the pot. the arc cannot use the cooking pot/pan as anode/cathode for the arc creation - the pot/pan would be 'consumed' at some 'rate' the 3,000 watt input , , , you'll need a 240v high amp service line to use it. not the typical 15/20 amp 120v kitchen plug.... and . . . whatever anode/cathode they are using to create the arc . . . will need to be replaced on a regular basis. the 'arc-creation' process is destructive.

try 'tapered plugs' on Amazon. the silicone types are good for high temps. you can't buy just one . . . but the smaller sizes in a small pack are not too expensive - and consider, you'll likely lose one, or two . . .

a two-fer . . . veddy interestink . . . I remember the SwingAway types from long ago - they had to be screw-mounted to something vertical & sturdy. my kitchen simply has no such reasonable 'vertical' surface to do that . . . are new types 'free standing' / handheld?

this is about as big as I can handle 'as a sandwich' - the Stage Deli in MGM Grand/LV - the menu said the import the pastrami from NYC - totally believable - it was delicious

. . . .aaahh . . ooops . . . . "what" precisely is the "thing" that "open source" enables? for a induction source - one can control on-off, temperature ramp/up down rate, prolly a few more parameters. for the proposed hot-coil design, there is absolutely nothing but "on" or "off" - unless the device has 'heat level control via binary on/off - or at max control . . . voltage applied at the 'on-off' cycle. which, btw, is the same technology/approach used in induction "control" - seconds on, seconds off. uhmmm, sorta' many induction plates incorporate 'wattage' control,,, so . . ' low' is a less 'aggressive' setting . . . . given that 'none of the above' is governed by any standard , , , it is strictly a "in my experience" issue.

the ueber-mongus sandwich is nothing new. a search on "NYC corned beef / pastrami style sandwich" turns up hundreds of 6-8-10 inch "thick" examples . . .

. . . . and . . . Smithfield Foods is majority owned by a Chinese company . . .

the miracles of modern chemistry to retard sprouting can be found here: https://www.simplehomecookedrecipes.com/cooking/what-chemical-is-used-to-stop-potatoes-from-sprouting old school storing potatoes (and lots of other root crops . . . ) in a root cellar is a homestead topic of its own.... humidity/moist medium/temperature/freeze protection . . . it gets 'complicated' real fast, homesteaders had it mastered a century ago. curiously, ethylene retards potato sprouting . . . . home available of ethylene is duck soup simple: bananas (and other fruits, but bananas are king of the ethylene heap....)

seems they have been having some success - https://dm.cms.aldi.cx/is/content/prod1amer/ALDI_2026 Growth Press Release_FINAL 1.5.26pdf """. . . . In 2026, the company’s 50th anniversary in the U.S., ALDI will open more than 180 new stores across 31 states...""" we have a new one two stones throw from Giant and Weis - when they first opened it was glorious. later visits showed gaping holes in inventory. like, , , no onions . . . huh?

actually: 'The USDA defines "lean ground beef" as containing less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams (3.5 ounces) serving.' basically also labelled as 90/10 - which is the meat/fat, by weight. USDA also has rules about "retained water" in ground beef (and others . . .) because "grinding beef" generates heat, without 'extra cooling' the fat in the grind will melt. ice was popular once, but more stringent & better 'inspections' have resulted in producers using 'dry ice' for cooling, as the CO2 evaporates and doesn't make a mess of the 'retained water' issue. none of which applies to Canada.

in the cooler months, I use a "butter bell" on the table, at room temp. it has a water seal to keep butter 'fresh' dates back to my 1960's experience in Europe. eggs on the counter, butter in the bell..... does not work for me in the warm months - the ambient temp is high enough that the butter sags and falls out of the inverted bell . . .

" . . . in place of . . ." malted powder and diastatic malt powder are not the same thing . . . that said, I use it all the time. so 'in place of' I suppose there maybe a difference - per some 'experts' diastatic malt powder gives the same/similar flavor boost, but also helps the yeast do its thing.