AlaMoi

fascinating.... I think it's a whole lot like 'which soft boiled egg is best' unless one has all the 'candidates' available on the table . . . to evaluate . . . there's 'good stuff' and 'not so good stuff' like, Dude . . . how "good" is "good?" how "good" is "best?" I'm on the side of "artisan" is always better that "mass production" - which actually provides an easy way to differentiate 'so-so/bad' from 'good' to 'superb'

"Classico" is our current fav. they have a multitude of 'vaiants' - and one cannot even think of the local supermarket having some - and certainly not 'all' - of the brand offerings supermarkets / stores want to know what they are 'failing?' they don't have the stuff people actually want. reality: "highest margin" is actually not what people want / buy . . . .

search on 'NY knish' - that produces bunches of "authentic" recipes. . . . rather a lot use the phyllo dough approach . . . more of a pie dough recipe - alt: use vodka instead of water - less gluten... https://italianchef.org/new-york-knish-yo-a-step-by-step-guide-to-delicious-homemade-knishes/ the phyllo method.... https://www.food.com/recipe/new-york-city-knish-34043

yup / / /

my method is utterly heretical . . . but they sure do disappear right quick... make your filling - typically mashed potato, onion, (++++) use phyllo dough - cut, rolled/wrapped around the filling. bake or deep fried. much less "doughy" - which is a plus or a minus - depending on personal experience/preference.

I suspect another factor may be 'freshness' - it takes us a while to go thru a pack, so I keep them in the (frost free) fridge. that sucks the moisture out of them - even if in a plastic wrapper/bag. did you get big bubbles forming? no bubbles = no moisture , , , could be a clue. I use a hot pan - it only takes 30 seconds or so for the bubbles to start expanding - flip for another 20-30 seconds. in cases where I bobble something and left them too long, they get over browned/burnt and also crisper.

the maintenance manual is here https://tomric.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/RS200-ENG-Ed-20190201.pdf but it does not specify how often / conditions under which the filter should be changed. which . . . obviously depends on hours of use, general cleanliness of 'environment' / etc. from the pix, if that's two years(+) - I start with replace&check every year....

tonight was the "famous" Senate Bean Soup - we're in the temp F teens . . . it's a very simple recipe - Navy beans, smoke ham hock, onion . . . S&P but it is a 4-5 hour cooking time dish.

I 'toast' the tortilla in a cast iron / black iron pan . . . pre-heated, toast, get bubbles, flip.... wrap while warm....

some of the absolute most spectacular "treats" I have ever had were at Christmas markets & Fisch Fests . . . small time vendors with heirloom secrets , , ,

my trick: lop off some of the round - then the straight edge wraps neater . . . and there's not so much 'dough' in the burrito.

when Michelin is rating cheese steak fats food joins, definitely time to tune them out.

it seems that "crab croquette" is not classes with "crab cake" some leads that turned up searching on 'crab croquette bechamel' https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/crab-croquettas-7608060 https://japanesetaste.com/blogs/japanese-taste-blog/how-to-make-creamy-crab-croquettes https://myrecipeify.com/crab-croquettes/ https://sudachirecipes.com/crab-cream-croquette/ we're a bit on the "purist" side when it comes to crab cakes . . .

first question came to me . . . is it real crab or imitation?

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) . . . . sounded like a good idea, but as it has been 'fleshed out' companies/organizations/governments have risen to utterly insane detail levels for 'protecting' the 'name' long time ago, the US bowed to France re: Champaign - for USA products, it's 'sparkling wine' every name/description/type has been seized and 'protected' fortunately, the US has told the EU to take a hike on all that nonsense.

searches for Anko only turns up AU stores/souces . . . the design looks very similar to others available in USA tho . . .

I'd like some input on which brands do the 'screaming on pan removal issue. interested in free standing units. absolutely not interested in any thing that screams/beeps/howls if I should dare to remove the pot. . .

we have crocheted table cloths, "smaller" things, . . . from DW's great grand-mother, my great grand-mother . . . as our children have zero point zip interest in 'old family stuff' - most everything not in the 'omg!' category has been passed onto 'people who value' the items. yes. it's sad. but it is 'reality' - like or lump it - new generations have not-so-much appreciation for "that old stuff" . . . . they may come to regret their opinion . . . .

a ten second search: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/roasted-turkey-recipe-1941883 https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/56348/a-simply-perfect-roast-turkey/ https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015474-simple-roast-turkey

one of the popular tv experts theories is . . . if trussed, the bird cooks more evenly . . . of course . . . dark meat aka legs/thighs needs a higher finish temp . . . so let them hang out helps as they heat from all sides . . . but then . . . the thermometer is supposed to go in the thickest part of the breast, which is not covered/protected on the trussed bird . . . however . . . the rib cage part that is covered/protected on trussed bird doesn't have a lot of white meat on it . . . reality: likely does not matter corollary: pop-up timers don't matter either - they're always 'wrong'

that is why I am so 'reluctant' to used mail order sources. #1 - they lie a lot . . . one cannot take their marketing / web hype for truth - when put to a legal challenge it's always an 'oh gosh - it was, but it changed and so sorry we forgot'

@blue_dolphin BINGO!

somewhere in one of the cooking forums, , , was a video of as bloke 'evaluating' various readily available panettone in USA. he opined that Maina topped the list. I got mine off Amazon, arrived last week . . . the Maina brand sells out quickly on Amazon - no can say if that's marketing or 'really good stuff' . . .

imho, , , two items that are (usually) difficult to obtain . . . heritage pork lamb commercially, the hugest lamb supply is imported from NZ/Australia. but for good stuff, one has to find a local well operated supplier. don't know where you're located - but the little 'luck' I've had is simply internet searching on stuff like 'fresh lamb (insert town here)' 'heritage pork (insert town here)' you may have to drive a bit . . . we had a local breeder for heritage pork - about 30 miles.... they closed. and I've never found another within reasonable driving. so, it is a challenge

apparently not every McD's uses the same method. this is an egg cracking speed contest - but you can see it's a big ole' flattop with many more egg pockets....