Toliver

Let us know when you return. That was interesting and I look forward to hearing more. So I guess it's not a big deal that they keep referring, in the show as well on their website, to eGullet.com as opposed to eGullet.org?

Isn't it funny how it's a good candy bar but when that marshmallow-y texture is used in the Reese's Whipps, it doesn't translate as well?

that looks more like a Three Musketeers than a Milky Way to me. (which would account for the textural differences.) ← Thanks for catching this....too late to edit but I enjoyed a laugh at my senior moment. I meant 3 Musketeers, of course.

This reminds me of the scene in "My Fair Lady" where Eliza, amidst the genteel crowd at the horse races, shouts out "C'mon Dover, move your bloomin' arse!" I know you were embarrassed by this incident, but I think in 10 years or so it will be a story that could bring smiles and laughter with the retelling.

Does this work because of the pervasive smokiness of the bacon (the aroma gets absorbed by everything near it in the fridge)? I wonder if you could take a neutral fat, gently heat some herbs or spices in the fat, let it cool and then place the eggs in the fat and see if it absorbs the flavoring in the oil. This could work great for adding flavorings to soft boiled eggs or just boiled eggs. Imagine deviled eggs with bacon flavored egg whites...hmmm...the possibilities.

I always buy my balsamic vinegar at TJ's. I used to buy the "jug-o-balsamic-vinegar" at Costco but when they switched to a Kirkland brand (less product for about the same price ) I switched to TJ's. I don't buy the high-end stuff...just the regular everyday stuff. I also like TJ's jar of julienned sun-dried tomatoes. It's a lot cheaper than what I find in the normal grocery stores.

Again, I find that very intriguing since the lit burner would go unused (unless you like your shrimp toast very well done ). It's like an pu pu Olympic torch.

I'm with you, sister! My mom eats fruit all of the time and I'm just the opposite. Maybe it was the way we were raised and so now I'm rebelling (and won't eat Jello for the same reason ). By the way, they're not called prunes anymore. The plum farmers sued the government so they could call them dried plums to get away from the free-flowing stigma of the old name.

I think it's interesting that they seem to use one dish for all of their appetizer combos. None of the items in the combo you ordered require extra cooking on the mini-grill in the center but, yet, there it is, a beacon of nostalgia. Do you recall if the mini-grill was hot and ready to grill? Or was it cold?

Most recipes seem to use a griddle like you do.

Isn't she pregnant? That would account for having larger breasts. ← I think in the past she was just thin. If you see old shows everything about her is thin. In Newer shows her breasts are bigger, but she is rounder all around. She has mentioned that she doesn't run because of her large breasts and, jokingly, that if you've got them you might as well make the most of it. ← prasantrin is correct. Giada is pregnant.

Welcome to eGullet! My suggestion would be to research the different models on the Foodsaver web site: FoodSaver Home Page Look under Products>Foodsaver Appliances Or try posting your query on either the The Food Saver/Vacuum Sealer Topic discussion or perhaps on the Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment discussion since that is your ultimate goal. I hope this helps!

The polite word is "fawning".

Looking at the menu, I keep being drawn back to the "groovy gorgonzola" on the Smokey Rubbed Filet Mignon.

I'm currently snacking on California Chip's "Earthquake" potato chips. They're a combination of salty and sour (like a salt & vinegar chip) but they also have just a touch of sweetness to them. So it's salty, sweet & sour, all in one chip. Very addicting.

Fifi's mushroom! A rare item to be coveted. My mom gave me what I call her "meatloaf" spatula. It is a large over-sized metal spatula with a definite curve to the blade. It's great for picking up large objects (meatloafs from a pan, corn beef roasts from a slow cooker, etc) in one fell swoop. I'll see if I can take a picture of it and post it later.

A good friend always gets me kitchen stuff, most of which I've never seen before or own. This year was a set of 3 silicone prep bowls with lids which you can see here. They are rigid on the bottom but you can squeeze together the top portions for easier pouring of ingredients. She also gave me two collapsible silicone mixing bowls (one medium and one large bowl) since she knows I don't have much storage space in my kitchen. You can see one of them here. Click on "click image to enlarge / more views" to see a second picture of the bowl collapsed. My 77 year old mother keeps her heavy stack of mixing bowls up in a cupboard and it's always a struggle for her to bring them down or put them away. These collapsible bowls would be ideal for her.

They sound quite Homer Simpson-esque. As for how it could be used, think where you use bacon or where you use brown sugar... Crumble some of your bacon candy on a spinach salad (or would that be too redundant with a hot bacon dressing?). I'm also imagining them added to steamed or roasted carrots (cumin on roasting carrots smells divine). Bacon candy would be a natural pairing with yams or sweet potatoes, too. I'm wondering if it would go well with sauteed or roasted brussell sprouts, too. Let us know what you come up with...

The gingerbread cookies Andie linked to (a couple years ago in this discussion!) turned out very well. They are slightly crisp along the edges but are soft and chewy even after a week. I forgot some of the tips in the recipe's reviews but remembered about refrigerating the dough before rolling onto balls. I didn't expect them to flatten out as much as they did but will know better next time. I'll probably increase the spices, too. Prior to baking, I rolled the dough balls in red sugar crystals instead of raw sugar to look more festive for the holiday. I also made Dorie Greenspan's World Peace cookies which were a huge hit with my family. We made Butterballs (like Mexican Wedding cakes or Russian Teacakes...but much better) and Jams (Made with a cookie press star pattern, the cookies are a tight spiral and have a dollop of apricot jam in their center. After baking, finely chopped walnuts are sprinkled over the centers of the cookies). Both recipes came from a 20 cent Pillsbury cookie book my mom bought deacades ago and are a Christmas tradition for our family. My niece and I always make sugar cookie cut-outs. We keep it simple by using Pillsbury refrigerated dough (we add some mace and dried orange peel to the dough before rolling it out) and concentrate our efforts on icing and decorating the cookies after baking while listening to Christmas music.

Ham freezes well. It's just me and when I get a hankering for ham, I cook the ham and then cut it up into portions. I keep a portion for the fridge and the rest go in the freezer to be taken out when the need or yen for ham arises. The bone, and the ham remnants stubbornly clinging to it, end up in the freezer to eventually become the start of a pot of Navy Bean soup.

Contact your waste disposal agency in your area to find out proper cooking oil disposal methods. Where my mom lives, residents can put the oil into a container with a tight lid and place it in their regular garabge bins. I don't think pouring it down your sink is a good idea.

We deep fried a turkey for Thanksgiving on a propane burner and used the "overshoot" trick but not to such an extreme. Our goal temp was 375 (below that you risk getting a greasy bird). So we cranked the burner til we hit 400 and lowered the turkey in which dropped the oil temp to 350 (not too bad of a drop). Because the propane burner was like a freakin' jet engine, we got it quickly back to the optimum 375. We used peanut oil so we didn't worry about a flash point in our temp ranges. Because we used such a vast quantity of oil, one problem we ran into was that there was a delay between flame adjustment and temperature reaction. We'd get it back to 375 only to watch it continue to creep up even after turning the burner down. Live and learn (and eat your mistakes).

I suggest looking through more grocery stores. The SaveMart grocery stores (which have since closed here in my town) used to sell small, clear plastic containers (tall and flat) with a small amount of herbs in them. It often turned out to be just the right amount that I would need for my cooking. Another nice thing about the containers is since they were clear plastic you could see if the herb looked healthy or not before you bought it. I wish I could recall the brand name of the herb supplier. The plastic containers would be lined up in a row in the produce section, usually with a wide range of mainstream herbs. Of course, you tend to respond a little bit differently when you see the containers. "You're charging me $1.79 for a chiffonade of basil?!"

The Red Envelope website is selling a modern gingerbread house. While it's an interesting spin off the usual gingerbread house, the paucity of candy decorations makes me think these modern gingerbread house makers don't have kids. That expansive roof could use a nice layer of Necco wafers.

Google is your friend: Moose Cookie Cutter: Fifth column, 4th row down. There were quite a few sites that sold them when I Googled "moose cookie cutter".