Tropicalsenior

Thank you for posting the recipe. I was wondering which one you used. I do have a question. I don't have a Spaetzle maker and I don't intend to buy one. What did you use? And if one were to use a colander or a grater is the dough thick enough that it doesn't run all over?

What, no cougar, no bear? I always eagerly click on your post just to see what the heck you're eating tonight.

I did get a little off topic. Your original question was what do you think of canned beans. If I just need a few beans for something I do use the canned beans. We have a choice down here of black beans or white beans and one brand of Mexican pinto beans that I get for refried beans. The brand that I buy is Goya. There is one specialty store down here that sells about 10 varieties of Goya beans that are all excellent but it takes me about an hour to get there so I'm not going just for beans. However when I do go there I stock up.

I'm glad you started this topic. I was reading several threads just yesterday and sitting here Green With Envy at all the varieties that you can get up there. I would love to have a source like Rancho Gordo but unfortunately I don't. All I can get down here are little white ones, medium sized black ones and pretty big red ones. And yes you are right. Old beans just do not cook up well. I have cooked some of these suckers for over 5 hours and still wound up with hard little bullets. I do believe that cooking them on the stove results in a better flavored Bean but I have finally resorted to cooking them only in the instant pot. And even then, the different types that I get here all seem to soften at a different time so I'm constantly opening the pot and adding more time. I can buy something called Frijoles tiernos which are just tender or fresh beans. These cook up in just a matter of minutes in the instant pot. I got these yesterday and they are awaiting the ham bone from the ham that I scored yesterday.

When I cook chicken in the instant pot for broth. I cook it first for 18 minutes. (My instant pot is a knockoff so your timing may be a little more or a little less.) I then let them cool a bit and take off the meat while it is still viable. It's great in chicken salad or chicken and dumplings. Then I return all of bones to the pot and cook them for a longer time to enhance the broth. That way I wind up with flavorful broth and still have the meat.

Thank you. That is a very informative thread. I really learned a lot from @Dave the Cook's post about beef broth. The fact that he doesn't use any vegetables intrigues me. There are a lot of ideas in the instant pot thread but it would take forever to wade through and find them. I like the instant pot for making chicken broth but to make a beef broth I still like to put a big pot on the stove and use the slow simmer method. I imagine that the pork broth would also be better this way. However, @Shel_B is talking about a combination broth with the chicken and pork. So the instant pot is still the way that I would choose for that. Myself, I would use wings and legs or a chicken carcass and probably pigs feet or hocks. I would also leave out any aromatics because those can be added in the final dish.

One thing that is as scarce as hens teeth down here is good him and you almost never see a whole ham. Today at the grocery store I found some spiral cut Smithfield ham. I'm looking forward to the ham but more anxious to get that ham bone to make stock for a good pot of beans.

I love the flavor of red onion but it can be pretty overpowering. I found that if you soak it in ice water with just a touch of sugar for about half an hour before you use it it mellows it out and it is really good.

I made @Dejah's 1-2-3-4-5 ribs and they were delicious. I had to cook them about an hour and 10 minutes to get them tender. I think the pig that I got was a little longer in the tooth than what you buy up there. I made a double batch for the three of us and there were only about four little ribs left. Of course my grandson, Michael, ate about 3/4 of them.

Carlos bought me one for Christmas that was chocolate and caramel from Italy. It was delicious.

Sorry, I was probably thinking more in the line of Costa Rican prices. They still are cheap down here. That is, if you can find one.

If you could score a pig's head that would be ideal but you would have to have them cut it up for you. It wouldn't quite fit in the instant pot.

You might try some pigs knuckles or pigs feet. Do you have an Asian market near you? They might have something in the cheap pork section.

That really sounds great. My housemate, Carlos, can't eat ice cream because of the lactose in it and I would love to be able to make it with non lactose milk. However... I just priced it at our KA supplier here and it is about $170 compared to $99 up there. I won't be going there very soon. So, when you live in a third world country sometimes you have to be happy with the little things. My grandson came down yesterday and brought me quite a few things that I needed and the things that I am happiest with are some spices that he brought me. These are yellow mustard seeds, black mustard seeds, and mustard powder. He also brought me some curing salt and smoked paprika that I can no longer find here. Then today he went into San Jose and while he was there he went to our local kitchen and restaurant supply and bought me some things that I needed. An instant thermometer, an oven thermometer and a marinade syringe. I'm really happy with the syringe because now I can go back to making corned beef and Ham. I guess I'm just a cheap date because little things make me happy.

Just another Quiche Lorraine. My grandson, Michael, is visiting from Seattle. He had some dental work done before he came down and needed to eat something soft. I let him choose what he wanted first and this is what he chose. Thankfully, no mother-in-law crust.

I guess this is the place that I need to post my question. What is the shelf life of curing salt and how should I store it if I don't use it that often. Cupboard Shelf, refrigerator or freezer.

It also has a definite laxative effect. I can vouch for that personally. My husband bought a large quantity of green tea and then decided that he didn't like it. Rather than waste it, I made a big picture of green tea. It was delicious and I drank it all myself. The next day I was confined to one room of the house. The bathroom.

@Shel_B I am back in business. My grandson just got here from Seattle and brought me some spices from Market Spice. Yellow and dark mustard seed and mustard powder. I've been buying from them for over 40 years and if you are ever in Seattle, it's definitely worth a trip. He brought me several other spices that I can't get down here. It was like Christmas all over.

The one thing that I don't understand is that it says you can only keep it 8 hours. I regularly make a gallon of tea to last me several days. I guess I'm dead.

Hmmm, perhaps that accounts for Scottish longevity.

That sounds delicious so I looked it up and found this recipe. I won't be making it because it seems that it is something that you have to plan ahead because they recommend that you let it cure for at least 6 weeks. I'm planning just a simple dinner but we are going to share a bottle of non-alcoholic bubbly. In Costa Rica they bring in the New Year's with lots of fireworks so there's no chance of sleeping while they ring (or drag) in the New Year. "Wishing you laughter to outshout the sorrow, a dash of Irish luck, and a bright, golden tomorrow."

We are currently working our way through the fifth one of the year. It was a gift from Carlos and it is from Italy. It's Carmel and chocolate and delicious. At the supermarket yesterday, the ones that I have been buying for $14 were reduced to $8. I bought two. In talking to our friend in the bakery section I found out that they are made by the supermarket chain's own Bakery. The supermarket chain itself is owned by Walmart. I was impressed because although they're not the best panettone that I have ever had they were the best that I have had this year.

Absolutely gorgeous!