Tropicalsenior

Okay, you've got me on this one. How do you get that beautiful char on those shrimp and still have them perfectly cooked and juicy?

The bad news is it already had roots and branches?

Great idea. Fried cheese is a big thing in Costa Rica and they have several varieties that are good. Living in Houston you should be able to find a good Mexican market that would have something similar.

I accidentally picked up a block of vegan Monterey Jack awhile back. You couldn't have melted it with a blowtorch. I wouldn't recommend it for anything, but if you want a cheese that won't melt, vegan cheese might be something to check into.

I can understand what you're going through. Couple of years ago I smashed all the tendons, ligaments, and muscles in my upper left arm. I was cooking one armed for about 4 months and it never did completely recover but recover it did. When you're in pain time passes much slower than it does at other times. You just have to look at each small gain as milestone. Your first meal is a big one. I can remember when my biggest joy was being able to pull up my pants two handed.

If I could get the takeout that you do at the price that you get, I don't know that I would ever cook again. Where I am it is extremely expensive and I have my choice of fried chicken, fried chicken, or fried chicken.

Thank you. Much better Source than mine. I can go ahead and make this and forget about what they say about using potato starch only.

It says that they can be used interchangeably as thickeners although potato starch will give a more transparent sauce then cornstarch and potato starch is better used with high heat and cornstarch with low heat. According to that, potatoes starch would be much better in Chinese food. I guess that I just didn't state it very well. I just don't see why there would be a difference using them also in a breading or in the velveting procedure.

According to Mr Google, Tog Potato starch vs potato flour: what's the difference? Potato starch and potato flour are not interchangeable as they are distinct products with unique properties. The fine, white powder of potato starch is obtained solely from potatoes, whereas potato flour includes the entire potato, including the skin. Potato starch is highly effective as a natural thickener, while potato flour can be used as an alternative to wheat flour in baking. The entire article is here From everything that I read, cornstarch and potato starch are interchangeable when used as a breading. Not so much when used as a thickener. With that in mind, I looked up some recipes for these and one of the recipes stated definitely that you could not use cornstarch. Doesn't that let out a whole lot of the recipe seekers that don't have access to potato starch? I couldn't find it here if my life depended on it.

The type that we have here is more like this one. The interesting thing is that they call them mamones. Just don't ask for them that by that name anywhere else because in some Latin countries that is the word for women's breasts. I found out the hard way in Mexico. Rather embarrassing.

You won't be sorry you did and yes that is the very best type of ginger to make this with. Once you have it made, make Sparkling Gingerbread Cake. I've made it both ways, with stem ginger and with @liuzhou's homemade crystallized ginger.

Somebody had too much time on their hands!

No just pop it on a tray or in a plastic bag and just for a couple hours. You don't want it frozen all the way through. When I say bite-size they can be all different sizes just nothing bigger than an inch long. If they are too big they won't cook through in that length of time.

Done

Stem Ginger in Syrup I'm a sucker for fresh ginger. Whenever I see it in the store I just have to buy a pound or so. Whatever I don't use immediately I save by making stem ginger. It is great to have on hand for baking. I much prefer it to crystallize ginger. The syrup is an added bonus. It is good in all types of beverages. It makes a great ginger tea and is delicious stirred into a glass of carbonated water. I even use it as part of the liquid in recipes to give an added ginger kick. 12 oz young ginger (if you can find it)* 4 cups water 1 cup sugar Peel the ginger and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the peeled ginger into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes (the liquid will be reduced by about half). Drain the ginger and reserve the liquid. Mix two cups of reserved liquid (add more water if necessary) and one cup of sugar in the saucepan. Dissolve the sugar over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Add the ginger and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Place the ginger in sterilized jars and cover with the ginger syrup. Store in the refrigerator. Notes: I like to make this with the fresh young ginger. To make peeling easier, you can put it in the freezer for a couple hours. You can peel it with the tip of a teaspoon and the skin will slide off better. The original recipe said that you can keep this for a year in the refrigerator. I prefer to keep most of it in the freezer and take out what I will use in a month or so. * if you can't find young ginger, get ginger that is firm and not wrinkled.

Stem Ginger is Ginger that has been cooked and preserved in a sugar syrup. It's easy to make and wonderful to have on hand. I make a big batch and keep some in the freezer and pull out just enough to use. They say that it keeps a long time in the refrigerator but I prefer to have just enough to use up in a short time. I have a great recipe for it if you would like it.

Is it anything like this Rhubarb and Ginger Jam?

I can't say that I entirely agree with that. Cookbooks are only a blueprint, it takes a real artist to bring them to life.

I agree with you there. Got to have lots of light in my kitchen. First thing I did in every house that I moved into was upgrade the lighting

It reminds me of a Costa Rican friend whose Canadian husband bought her an expensive set of Teflon lined pots and pans years ago. She thought the Teflon was some sort of coating put on for shipping and scrubbed it all off before she used it. He was Furious.

Your plates are always a work of art. I'm constantly amazed at your repertoire. Just curious, is lunch your main meal of the day?

Sounds plausible to me. I worked four summers in the cornfields detasseling corn* when I was a teenager. For 30 years I couldn't stand corn or anything made with corn. I couldn't even stand the smell of corn. * The procedure by which hybrid corn is produced.

I've been lucky that I can buy these fruit concentrates here. They used to be available all over the country but now I can only find them in one store. The one on the left is passion fruit and the one on the right is a type of BlackBerry. They come in about six different flavors including strawberry. I've used them in cakes, dessert sauces, and quick breads. Do you have anything similar in frozen fruit concentrates?

I hate it when people claim to be allergic to foods that they don't like. My daughter has decided that she is allergic to just about every food group on the planet. I can't imagine what she actually is eating. I used to dread trying to find something to feed her when she came to visit but at least I don't have to worry anymore. She's decided that she's allergic to airports and airplanes.

@Kim Shook something to think about when you are back on your feet. I found this recipe for Apricot Curd. I would love to try it but I can't get apricots, however, she has several other recipes that I will try. We can get passion fruit here quite easily and I love passion fruit. I think that @MaryIsobel and @Shelby have also had pretty good success with the lemon curd recipe and might like to try something different. Just one thing that I noticed about her recipe is that she starts stirring at 2 minutes. I would always start stirring at 1 minute and continue at one minute intervals.