AlaMoi

I have a multitude of sizes, including medium and also large stockpots. bunch of copper pots couple Zwilling Aurora get some copper flame tamer sheets - they turn a gas burner into a "hot plate" incredible useful for anything viscous or for super low simmering. extremely useful for stews, chili, thick soups, etc I have BellaCopper plates - there are others - I paid two arms and 1.5 legs for them years ago - their prices have come down considerable with (I presume) more volume/competition. I don't recommend laminated disk designs.... they tend to come apart as life goes on.

supply chains have been severely disrupted. first problem just about everything now comes from China. then a shortage of shipping containers developed (how hard can it be to weld up new containers....ah, all the steel comes from....) then covid took out factory workers, port/ dock workers, warehouse workers, truck drivers . . . this has impacted anything coming from the Orient - not only from China. the lesson that should be learned, but will not be learned, is that China can crash the US economy anytime it wants. China does not need to fire a shot - just prohibit shipping stuff to USA. 'off shore' / made for the lowest cost / etc . . . . has it's drawbacks.

I enjoy a nice beef tartare - with raw egg in the well.... I am however _exceedingly_ picky about where I order it. I ask a lot of 'funny' questions, , , any stumbles/mumbles/I thinks . . . or any remote hint that it's pre-prepared and keep cold ready for service is an order killer...

the round bit works for bacon strips in the pan - 3/4 in 10" - note: I cut full length strips in half 3-4-5 hamburgers 5-6 sausage patties grilled cheese thin / mini steaks chicken breast sliced to half thickness I also use it on the griddle - pancakes are often preceded by bacon,,, typical bacon strips are longer than it covers but with a little attention to detail one can manage to get the full lengths flat and 'equally' cooked/fried. however it 'shines' in a 10" frying pan - pan's round, it's round . . . . more I've forgotten, I'm sure. it's a neat tool - it not only provides the 'flattening' effect but also is an effective 'no spatter' shield.

I have a 10" one of these - fits the pan nicely.... https://www.amazon.com/Bellemain-Grill-Heavy-duty-Handle-8-75-Inch/dp/B077PJDPP3 now, if you're making square burgers . . .

how to make a white sauce is a topic similar to how to peel hard boiled eggs. one should expect multiple opinions.

veddy confuzed here..... for a white sauce, I melt the butter, add equal by volume AP flour, stir - cook until slightly brown.... add cold milk and whisk in. second dose of cold milk, whisk in... no lumps, no problems....

I use a spatter shield for things I expect to be popping & hopping. ps: don't buy the cheap ones, they rust.

not necessarily. but the celebrity price far exceeds that of similar quality in the open market.

baked cod over barley / carrot-raisin salad / red thingies. the look better than they taste - very early hot house tomatoes....

grilled cheese sandwich & tomato soup.

I have an age-old recipe that uses 20 ounces of pineapple (drained) + cubed dried-out bread, butter, eggs . . . etc etc - specifies 1 cup of sugar (200g) - I use 1/3 (30g) and we like it much better same for a pineapple stuffing we use - sugar cut in half with note: still too sweet

lobster had an interesting history in the food scene.

... making Flammenkuchen tonight if it's an unleavened dough, the time is much less critical. unleavened is a hallmark of Flammkuchen - - - - personally I don't do in in advance - unleavened, mix, give it a hour - covered, room temp - to hydrate, commence the build.... done with yeast, if it starts rising you wind up squishing all the bubbles out when shaping.... so warm-up time would be more critical.

bag them up in one pound bags and keep in the freezer.

since it does not cool anything, basically according to thou-wilt-die safety twits, one is limited to "loading up" the device to maximum two hours prior to cooking. if one is able to control / act / modify one's behavior prior to two hours+cook time before eating, might work. seems similar to the gadget that read the item's bar code to know how to cook it. 20,000+ bar codes in the US grocery store, bar codes recognized: 3,000. didn't fly very high or far . . . .

I give them a 10 minute boil, cool, cut in half, sear the open face.

@gfweb mucho merci for finding that - the OP attracted my taste buds immediately and it's nice to see how it's 'done'

letter opener

nope. salmon is very low fat.

not so lotta' fat in cured salmon.

I've found one thing Nova won't do . . . come apart. did eggs Benedict for breakfast today - slab of Nova on the muffin. it comes in a vacuum pack - and getting the slices apart is some kind of trick! anyone got a trick for that? colder / warmer . . . . this AM I simply gave up and used a biscuit cutter for the diameter of the muffin....

tonight was beer battered/Tempura butterflied shrimp . . . the batter is slightly involved - one cup flour + salt + pinch red pepper + Old Bay into one cup of beer, whisk two egg yolks - reserve whites split the shrimp and pat dry when ready to start the deep fry (375'F).... whip the two egg whites to stiff peak add beer liquid to dry ingredients fold in whipped egg whites. for this excursion I used 1/2 cup AP + 1/2 cup rice flour - I like it! the batter is on the thin side: results:

doable, but requires some checking. if the stuff on the second rack absorbs so much heat that the elements can't keep up..... soggy, not crisp....

the boil route has the advantage of doing the pickle along with the cook.