AlaMoi

flour is re-known for harboring bug eggs. perhaps not surprising that an idle banneton/basket would turn up with an infestation. as possible, freeze the big stock packages for 4-5 days - generally zaps bug eggs.... but it is one of the reasons I restrict my purchases to 5 lb bags - (the other is 'it's a empty nest') to avoid having it hanging around too long. experienced the bug infestation on a Smokey Mountain hiking trip - lots of bugs/?beetles in our (only) supply . . . this was a situation where 'getting water' meant 'melting some icicles' - - - we ate them, chalked it up to "added protein." everyone survived . . .

it's very true - the cut of meat aka "steak" used for 'the genuine article' is highly debatable. however comma and so forth . . . near froze, sliced thin, salted . . . it's also very difficult to discern 'prime filet' from a well trimmed out 'chuck' . . . . pretty sure Steak-Um's are not . . . . my favorite "Phila Cheesesteak" story . . . Warsaw, Indiana - on the menu - came out as what many would identify as a "breakfast steak" - not sliced, not nothing - just a thin petite chunk of beef . . . . . on a hamburger bun with a slab of cheese . . . people say you have to laugh or cry, I was hungry so I just ate it.

@Norm Matthews (sigh) Norm, you got come east! I was born in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, grew up just outside the city, did college at Ben's Place . . . ate more hoagies, steaks, cheese steaks, grinders than I could ever count . . . converting the brisket to a sandwich - good move - but definitely not a Phila Cheesesteak. the classic Phila Steak is thin sliced beef + very soft onions. sweet green peppers is a 'not-unusual' add. the Phila Cheese Steak is as above plus provolone melted on the hot meat.... the 'cheez whiz' guys use that to avoid having to wait for the cheese to melt . . . some local places do the Phila Steak, add the cheese slices, pop under a broiler / salamander for seconds to melt the cheese. a classic Phila hoagie/steak under the broiler = grinder. sort of....definitions and execution vary wildly . . . the best home-made Phila Steak/Cheesesteak I've come up with is simply the "Steak-Ums" product on a decent roll plus adds. one has to pre-prep/cook the onions and peppers, add that to hot beef piled in a roll. DW then pours the grease/fat from the Steak-Ums prep onto the rolls . . something about 'essential' . . . she's from Bal-mor.... not 'the real thing' - but pretty dang close.

solution:

for many years we used Faust canned sockeye salmon. it disappeared . . . surfing about, seems there's been a shakeup in salmon canning companies - getting bought / sold / closed / merged . . . our local store now carries "Icy Point" - the quality just isn't there . . . so, as with so many things-of-history,,, looks like I'll be ordering on-line. anyone have a recommended/favorite brand? some of them get right pricey! ((I'm talking only sockeye aka red salmon - not pink - pink is fresh only here . . .))

there's a guy on one of the Forums trying to drum up business for his AI app to create recipes . . and apparently there are many internet apps aimed at "I got this . . . make me something" I didn't realize it was 'so big a thing' - but as the BBC points out . . . has big issues. AI doesn't do anything but scrape recipes off the web with 'same' ingredients. wouldn't trust it for a snack.... long while back another computer whiz developed an app / program for baking where you could input the amts/recipe/etc and it would tell you if it was a good recipe. so I input the classic No-Knead Bread recipe, and it said it would fail. as I recall I got banned for bringing that up . . . USER BEWARE!

the 'old style' Apex 'full kit' runs $235 - not cheap.... they have a newer style, but I have not investigate it or what advantages it offers. I set up the Edge-Pro 2x a year, sharpen/touch up any of my knife stable that needs it. a 10x magnifier is (imho) essential - you can see the results and adjust accordingly.

the concept looks interesting - perhaps when you evaluate them you could elaborate a bit on the time/effort it takes to do "100 strokes" plus an additional "200 strokes" per the video. that sounds like a bit of a challenge right there.... also noticed in (the video) the tip of the knife 'bending away' from the roller plate - the tip, like the doohickie part one expects to be 'the sharpest bit' - taking a powder from the prescribed angle . . . I use the Edge-Pro system - and there's no 100/300 strokes of any grit needed to go wicked sharp . . .

muesli and quark - definitely good stuff! I never knew there was any other way to eat it but - bowl, (dairy something), spoon.....

oh,,, it works - within bounds . . . https://www.wikihow.com/Bake-Bread-on-the-Stovetop

the 'baking vessel' has to heat up and stay hot - generally that means something thick - cast iron & ceramics are recommended. you can't just put them on high-blast heat - cast iron may warp, ceramics crack. heat them up slowly, then adjust the flame/heat to keep them hot. there's a reason ovens were invented . . .

it didn't bake. the inside of the pot never reached a temperature to bake. there are a few recipes/techniques to do stove-top bread. not many - and one cannot just 'use anything' you need a heavy pot that can heat up and hold the heat - with a lid - for a long time. ceramic / cast iron - most definitely nothing like stainless steel. you pre-heat the pot&lid on the cooktop, then plunk in the dough, cover, and keep a low heat going. use a flame tamer/heat diffuser - you want steady even heat over the whole pot bottom - 'hot spots' will ruin your day.

disclaimer: I just eat chocolates . . . a thought - if the primary issue is achieving a thicker side ,,, and the sides are so steep they don't like that idea . . . could 2-3 hour stay in the freezer help? the cold shell should cause the liquid to set faster - clearly the heat from the chocolate will quickly 'warm' the shell - but it might just be enough...?

at 8,900 feet the boiling point of water is 195.7'F in a high pressure weather event, slightly higher. low pressure event, slightly lower. bottom line, aside from brewing coffee inside a pressure vessel, there's no way you'll get the 200+'F min 'recommended' brew temp. espresso machines force water under pressure thru the cup . . . that increase in pressure might get better results, but there's a difference between espresso and "coffee" no clue if some mystery coffee bean supplier/roaster produces a 'pre-brewed' product that is intended to work at lower temps.

not a lot of mystery stuff here - to me,,, at least.... any frozen meat shows up with some-lots-extreme amounts of 'defrosting liquid" - aka "water" this is especially true for "ground meats" - the meat cells have all been well busted up by the grinding. then frozen - which tends to rupture cell walls even more 'severely' as the meat thaws - all that trapped-once-frozen liquid comes drizzling out . . . in reality, for me,,, not actually a problem. just use high(er) heat to boil off the water, then lower the burner heat to brown/roast/sear/whatever the beef/pork/chicken/turkey . . .

. . . .ah yes . . . the splendid AI performance . . . gonna' save us all, rightz?

since I cook, and I strive for no left overs . . . the shame here is leaving the last piece . . .

modern days . . . depends on the "non-stick" original types of Teflon, no metal newer "ceramic" types, they can tolerate metal utensils.... the "middle ages" were 'anodized' - you could gently use metal utensils, but they wore out pretty quick

in my experience small shapes - especially anything that may 'nest' - like shells - needs an immediate sitr-up when going into the boiling water. seems the starchiness likes to make it stick together - linguini and fettuccine is also prone to 'let's make a clump' - but stuff like small/medium shells takes some additional attention. heck, even large shells for 'stuffed pasta xxx' like to cuddle up . . .

there is "imitation crab" - it there also "imitation lobster?" we had a semi-local ueber super resto - the (locally famous) owner was close to retirement when covid shut down the whole world. he did not reopen. he produced the absolute superiorest "po boys" in lobster&shrimp - better than anything I got in NOLA.... bought out, reopened by another well know but not especially skilled resto "group" [[ altho a jewel in their collection is the Fells Point, Baltimore "Charleston" - absolute toppie-top place ]] ...so this buy-out and 'continuing failure' is a curious anomaly . . . everything sold off, entire premises redone in stark raving white . . . not an inviting decor. no 'po boys' - good steak, lousy duck, , , , and we're working on it....

takes a lotta' doe to buy venison here . . .

a hand mixer will do the job. not gonna' count all the stuff I did with a hand mixer before DW Xmas'd me a KitchenAid lift bowl.... done it with hand mixers that had 'flat blade' thingies and those with 'wire blade' thingies. just takes more time and arm work. I suppose one could also do it with the hand-crank egg beater gizmo. gonna' need some aspirin following that event tho . . .

that's a good candidate to submit to US Patents & Trademark people about the use of "Ugli"

the oven light brings the temp up to 80+/-F mostly for pizza dough... which is the usual/more common/non-bread affectionado temp for rising. definitely not a favorite temp for cold proofing . . .

@Ann_T thanks! working on '200g / mini-loaves' lent me to the stretch&fold idea - expanding into the cold ferment as an option to 'oven light' or in summer simply on the counter .