Margaret Pilgrim

T'ain't no such thing.

Good point. The answer is yes and no. In the past I frequently cooked for 3 generations and this size was excellent. But, honest confession, I am an all-clad junky and own multiple sizes of several shapes. Today, without a spouse and cooking less often for son and sprogs, I seldom get to use this size pan. I also totally agree with @weinoo on the utility and user-friendliness of Staub's comparable pieces.

An outlier vote for the all clad pan. It is often my go-to. I use it for sautéing, braising, making sauces to which I’ll add pasta. I love that it facilitates a superb fond that is easily incorporated into a sauce while being friendly with an acid (wine). Easy clean up with no precautionary routine.

As I have written often, any rejected/on hold protein gets tossed into the food processor, chopped coarsely and turned into ragu Bolognese. Frozen in portions and always a welcome "nothing to eat" supper.

Agree 100% on the quality of TJ rack of lamb. I will only buy New Zealand lamb. They harvest younger than we do, resulting in lovely mild flavor, tender meat. IMHO, American lamb frequently approaches gamey. The grandkids frequently request "lamb lollipops" and they hoover these.

Milkman!! Fabulous! I remember in winter finding the milk had frozen, shot it lid and created a three inch column of frozen cream out the top! Today the closest I have is Instacart!

Jacques offers a shortcut.

No. I use Amora, Maille and Edmond Fallot. IMHO, Amora has among the best flavor. All of these brands hold up well over time, assuming refrigeration and non-contamination. Fallot's Walnut mustard is a lovely accent.

I go through Lowensenf like crazy, mostly on Bavarian style sausage.

My pint jar of Amora dijon-style has lived in the fridge for maybe 5 years. Still clears the sinuses.

Good luck with your taxes. i was on the phone, either waiting or on hold by the agent, with IRS today for over an hour. Received a letter that I had a large credit balance that needed to be addressed. After much back and forth and holds, I convinced her that they were estimates that should have been applied. She agreed and said I should file an amended return and include them. "They are listed on the current return, line 33!" "Ah, so they are. You can disregard this letter." I decided it was time to take a nap!

I totally understand. My recipe came with the same caveat which explains the effort I took to find the aji called for. And I agree that it's always smart to follow good instructions at least the first time. (After that, I usually wing it.)

Pssst! Shhhhhh! Just between the two of us, I, granted a Hun and without taste credentials, did not find the imported aji paste that singular in flavor or, indeed, worth the trouble of tracking it down. When we did, and at that only had to cross town to buy it, husband insisted I buy two so I'd have it on hand, and the recipe called for half a cup. As I wrote on another thread, I used little more than 2 tablespoons so have 90% of opened jar left as well as full jar. Unless there is a very special reason besides "authenticity" for using this product, I would rather substitute an on-hand pepper.

It is my sense that Driscoll, like Sysco, has a menu of products that differ by quality and price, so that while berries shipped to different locales can be branded, they may indeed be of different quality. But in the end, time from picking to sale is the biggest determinant/detriment. Having grown up in strawberry country, I was brought up on berries literally hours from the field. Even now, I am reluctant to buy from farm stands because they often pick too ripe, resulting in a fruit lacking that burst of fresh flavor.

A neighbor brought me this soup that blew my mind. The recipe for this fresh pea soup reads ordinary but the result is anything but. Super flavorful, extraordinarily satisfying. Smooth as silk.