MokaPot

Everything looks good, @Steve Irby . What's that breaded & fried stuff on the right side? Calamari strips?

I eat steel-cut oats a lot. I never wash/rinse those. Brown rice seems a lot "cleaner" than white rice. When lazy, I have cooked brown rice without washing. Seems OK to me (unwashed brown rice).

@Eatmywords , I like that you're already actually slicing sashimi and making rolls. IMO, hardly anybody really does that (at home). I grew up eating homemade sashimi & sushi (maybe about as often as you seem to be doing). My mom made both (at home). She did a decent job and never had a special knife.

Not much of a baker, but how about increasing your oven temperature (from 275 F degrees)?

@Jacksoup A friend let me borrow her Food Saver. I tested it out on cheese only (Kerrygold Dubliner, which is sort of a hybrid of cheddar & Parmesan). (The cheese exuded some liquid within the bag, though, which is supposedly a common thing.) Anyway, the point is that the suction was good, the seal was solid / secure, & the Food Saver was easy to use. IMO, the price is reasonable, too.

@Kataoka "Buri" is hamachi? Saba (mackerel) is a separate piece of fish that you want to cook? The 3-day marinade was maybe too long. All that salt (shio miso) maybe drew out too much moisture from your fish. Fish is sometimes sold, frozen, with a miso marinade (thick) already on it. So, I'm assuming it's OK to store it like that. I would defrost it before cooking. Personally, I would eat the hamachi raw, all of it. Edited to add: Actually, maybe the 3-day marinade should have been OK. Try Googling "misoyaki butterfish". The recipes call for a long marinade. Not sure whether buri and butterfish are exactly comparable, though. Hamachi seems more delicate.

@haresfur , which Noilly Prat do you have? Looks like they have extra dry, original dry, rouge, and amber. I would start with martini proportions with the two products. I.e., mostly tequila with less vermouth. On the rocks or, if you wanted to be fancy, you could shake it and serve it up in a chilled glass. Maybe some bitters and lemon twist as well.

Maybe soaked in water plus milk like baccala / bacalao (salted fish)?

@Kim Shook, I have an over-stove microwave, too. (That's the one that broke. My new one is on the counter. When I can get the over-stove one replaced, I'll move the "new" one off the counter.) Anyway, I don't mean to doubt you, but are you sure there's no separate plug for your microwave? My over-stove microwave has a separate plug / outlet hidden in the cabinet that sits right above the microwave (hole drilled through bottom of cabinet). Also, if you look at your fuse / switch "box," you might get an idea if there's a separate outlet. I recently found out that a microwave is considered a major appliance. (Had to buy an extension cord for it.) Who knew. Good luck.

I would say you can use that microwave oven. I would not leave the oven plugged in and unattended, though. My microwave broke at the beginning of the pandemic. Replaced it with something else immediately, not very expensive. Is that microwave over your stovetop? That might be more involved to replace. I'm not an electrician or an electrical engineer.

These extracts seem like they're basically high-proof alcohol, like vodka is. Maybe put the bottle in the freezer and see if it gets thick and syrupy like a bottle of "frozen" vodka. An old friend (kind of a hoarder) gave me a super old bottle of rum. I put it in my freezer and it actually formed ice crystals. I forgot what it tasted like, but I threw it out.

I worked in restaurants / bars for 5 years. I don't have experience in the numbers side of the business. I do know that staffing issues always seemed to be a problem. Restaurant work involves some quirky people, to say the least: drama, flakes, stealing, drug users, etc. @VTChef Is the price still negotiable? Maybe you can now negotiate a lower price.

I think the labels are upside down so that you store it in your pantry that way (upside-down). For example, a can of beans, stored upside-down. When you open the can of beans (cutting the top of the can), it will pour out easily. Like storing a bottle of ketchup upside-down. Ease of pour.

@JoNorvelleWalker I think I know what you're talking about. I have a "Good Cooks" brand side-cut can opener. (IMO the edge is not completely smooth; there will be a sharp point on the lid, where the cuts don't exactly meet.) I think you have to open the can on the old up side, i.e., the label will be upside-down when you open your can.

What form(s) are everybody's recipes in? I'm guessing Microsoft Word-type documents (and PDF files) and internet / web bookmarks. How about just taking a look at the table of contents of a general-type cookbook (e.g., Betty Crocker) and make folders: (1) appetizers, (2) soups, etc. Then drop your recipe files into the correct folder. From there, you can make sub-folders (cream soups, clear soups, whatever). I don't have many recipes and I've had to reorganize my files a few times. I have maybe odd-sounding folders: "bean dishes," "breakfast," "one-pot-pan," etc. As long as it makes sense to me, I'm happy.

I remember liking the Doubletree cookie. I would have considered it a chocolate chip cookie. I don't remember the oats element, but the recipe that @Kim Shook posted calls for 1/2 cup. I remember the cookie being large with both soft and crispy elements. There's a generous feel to the size of the cookie. Would probably be good heated up or fresh from the oven.

Maybe look at lavosh recipes?

Maybe put the slab meat in the freezer for a while, then slice thin in different directions, like how you would dice an onion (to the extent possible). Then, start whacking it with the cleaver or whatever.

Thank you, @heidih and @Katie Meadow . Heidh, the fishcake I'm talking about is raw (not cooked), somewhat gelatinous and malleable (can form into balls). Katie Meadow, not a stupid question. I actually do like tofu. I plan to shop tomorrow, so I'll get some cornstarch and try that.

Thank you, @heidih I'm okay with crimping (nothing fancy). I'm mainly trying to get a "meatball" type of situation with my filling. Right now, it's like cottage cheese. I'm thinking that fishcake (uncooked) would help. (I realize the topic is vegetarian fillings.)

I want to make gyoza (with premade wrappers). I've made them before, but had the problem of the filling (mainly tofu) not being cohesive and falling out of the wrapper into the dipping sauce bowl (after taking a bite & then double-dipping). (Talking about a small, personal dipping bowl.) My stuffing is: firmest tofu available, canned water chestnuts (chopped up), lots of green onions (scallions) or chives, and garlic. I do try to minimize the moisture in the stuffing. I've experimented with freezing tofu and I really disliked the spongy texture. I see the recommendation for cornstarch. It's not in my pantry, but I think I can find some (Corona virus time). Does anybody have any further ideas and/or good results with making the stuffing not crumbly? Thank you!

@Smithy Shrimp ceviche & corn chips are one of my favorite kinds of meals. Your ceviche looks good to me with the avocado added in there. What was wrong with it ("unexciting")? Not enough lime juice and chile pepper (I don't see any jalapeno in there)? Not enough salt? How, how can ceviche be unexciting?

Or, Amazon is making so much money right now that they don't need to create a giant sale (discount period). I've ordered a couple of things from Amazon recently and the shipping dates are longer than normal. They're busy. I feel sorry for the employees.

Not everything at Whole Foods is expensive and/or overpriced. The produce prices seem comparable to other stores (for organic). The dried pasta (365 brand, organic) is good (IMO) and reasonably priced. There are bulk bins (I don't know how people feel about using these now). Stuff like balsamic vinegar also seems normally-priced (compared to other stores). I think people like to buy the prepared foods (at Whole Foods). I don't buy the prepared foods, but I imagine it might be a budget-buster.

Lime-flavored Tostitos (tortilla chips/crisps). I can eat the whole bag. Hershey Symphony bars (milk chocolate with toffee chips & almonds). Sorry, chocolate connoisseurs. If I could find my brand of ramen (Nongshim Black), I'd buy some right now. Sold out, currently. Diet Coke in the plastic bottles.