Toliver

Word. I completely agree with you. Fiber is a good thing in my veggies or anywhere else I can get it.

When I come home from grocery shopping and I've bought celery, one of the first things I do is cut and trim the celery into usable stalks (my mom would keep the inner leaves for added flavor in stews and soups). I fill a small vertical pitcher with water and place the cut and trimmed stalks vertically (on end) in the water so they're completely covered. I store it in the refrigerator. Every 3 days, I take the pitcher out and change the water (the old water can be used to water your indoor/outdoor houseplants). The celery is always ready to use and seems to last longer then when I used a Tupperware celery crisper.Eventually, yes, the celery will only last so long before it gets "water-logged". But usually by then I've used it up. Some folks here on eGullet swear by aluminum foil. They wrap their celery in it and store it in the veggie drawers of the refrigerator. I've never experimented with foil so I don't know how it compares to my method.

I'm a suspicious sort and figure these convenient veggies-paks or meat-paks contain items that were on their last legs, so to speak, and this is the store's way of trying to eke out a few cents more from something that might go in the trash the next day. If you have faith in the business owners/managers, then all the more power to you. I'm usually an optimist (or at least I hope I am! ) but when it comes to grocery stores, I enter the store assuming is being run by PT Barnum and his ilk which makes me a wary customer whose money won't be parted with easily. Regarding the Veggie Butchers, is the fee based on weight? I can see a situation where if I was making a couple hundred lumpia or egg rolls for a huge family gathering, having someone else do the prep work on the veggies would be a positive thing. And for that veggie butcher fee do I get to critique their work? "You trimmed too much off of my beets. I'm paying you less money because of that." As if I would ever buy beets...

Host's note: this topic grew too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so it has been split into more manageable segments. The previous segment is here. Today I was surfing on eGullet and snacking on Keebler Town House Focaccia Tuscan Cheese crackers (leftover from a Super Bowl party). They're a thick cracker and have a nice subtle flavor. The bad thing is that they made me wish I had some cheese or dip to go with them. DOH! [/Homer Simpson]

Okay, I confess: I buy pre-trimmed radishes from my Walmart Neighborhood Grocery store. They come about 30-36 in a bag. No greens, no roots. Just the radishes. I do wash them again when I get home and I do re-trim the cut ends before consuming them. They cost about $1.50US a bag and I thought they were worth that price. But paying someone else to prep an onion or a bunch of celery? Uh, no thanks. I'm a grown-ass adult and can do it myself.

Try eating it with some dressing on the side. Then you can add it to the wedge as you make your way through it. No more "dry" bites of naked lettuce.

Yes. This. Thank you, Anna. My apologies for not explaining the infamous eG acronym (actually, it's an initialism). Except that they CAN be gluten free if the company doesn't use wheat starch in their "modified food starch". It's just that Green Giant, in this case, is either using wheat starch/products in their ingredients or the product might be processed in a factory/processing plant where other products containing wheat may be manufactured (guilt by association). In the latter example, the declaration of gluten in the ingredient list is just a wise CYA (cover your ass) move by the company. So eliminate potatoes but turn around and add starch to the veggies? Kinda counter-intuitive logic. I got the "heebie jeebies" back when companies started added cellulose to processed foods (like in a McDonald's Filet o' Fish sandwich). The SSB's at the time basically said "Relax, you may call cellulose "wood pulp", but it's a benign ingredient when added to food. There's nothing to see here...move along". The issue I am having with the possibility of GMO ingredients (see the Modern Farmer's quote above) is that once a GMO product is processed and used to make something else, it sounds like companies aren't being held to claim its presence any longer. And as for the added "modified food starch", I'm guessing it's the "glue" to help shape the product into a "tot". Except they could have used another binder like egg whites, right? Or is "modified food starch" the most cost-effective way of making tots out of the ingredients?

I recently saw the television commercials for these new frozen veggies and couldn't figure out what they were. It turns out that Green Giant has created a new kind of frozen vegetable "tot". You can see more of their products listed on their web site (click here). (Look! They have variations on mashed cauliflower and even have riced veggies as well as roasted veggies.) The "magic" ingredient that makes the "tot-ified" veggies possible is modified food starch. As for what the hell is "modified food starch", you can read a simple description on the Bob's Red Mill web site (click here). Some modified food starch can contain wheat so these new veggie products may not be gluten-free. The other big question is are there GMO veggies in these products? Once a GMO product gets refined/processed, according to current U.S. labeling laws, the manufacturer may or may not reveal that their product contains GMO ingredients. The FDA seems to be currently leaving the question of GMO labeling up to the manufacturers. From the Modern Farmer web site (click): So now my amazement over these new frozen vegetables has been tempered by wondering what the hell is in them and should I really be eating them? And please don't say "Just eat fresh vegetables and you won't have to worry" (and I won't bring up country-of-origin issues and foreign pesticide usage). I posted this in the Ready to Eat forum because these are a product of convenience. It used to be that frozen veggies were considered just as "good for you" as fresh vegetables but now there are new questions to consider. I would love any SSB's to weigh in with your opinions on these products. Let the discussion begin...

Same Penzey's free shipping deal (spend $20US to qualify) through this Sunday, Feb. 5th. In addition, they're giving away a 1/2 cup jar of their high fat Natural Cocoa if you spend $5US. Here's the instructions/disclaimer from the email: edited for spelking

The last time I was at an Indian Casino near San Diego, I noticed they changed their music depending upon the time of day. Lunch-ish and early afternoon the music was from the 50's, 60's and 70's. As the day progressed into evening, the music tended to turn more recent. It was obvious they were playing to their audience...older customers during the day and younger customers coming in at night.

Regarding planting, my brother bought a plot in a community garden and has already tried planting seeds. The master gardener who oversees multiple community gardens warned him that it was too early but he did it anyway. My other brother still has potted tomato plants (that he he planted late last year) bearing many ripe fruit...in January! Go figure.

The anticipatory "schadenfreude" from leaving the little sugar-high tots behind for their parents to deal with makes this all the more fun. edited to add: Beautiful cupcakes, by the way!

I'm a fan of balsamic vinegar on Brussels sprouts, too, though I use Trader Joe's "Jug o' Balsamic", not the expensive stuff. It sounds delicious!

Just got an email from them...Today through this Sunday, 1/29, Penzey's has free shipping if you spend $20 (U.S.). Normally, you have to order/spend $30 to get free shipping.

Such BS from the Ex. What if he had a mid-life crisis and suddenly decided to chuck it all and work as a burger flipper at McDonald's? She's going to sue him for not earning a higher wage? Really...

I know, right? It should have been Bazooka, at least!

I posted before about this, but my mom does the vinegar-on-the-top-rack trick, as well. Works great.

I used to own a ricer like the one liuzhou pictured. I learned the hard way that hot potato squishing out onto your fingers from the side of the ricer as you press the handles together is not a fun experience. I ending up giving it away and buying a ricer like the ones that JoNorvelleWalker and andiesenji mentioned. Better safe than sorry! edited for emphasis

"New cookie dough shop opens in NYC to be your best friend" Here's a link to their web site: Dō Thankfully, it's on the other coast, or I'd be camped there. Have any eGullet New Yorkers tried it yet?

Sorry to resurrect an ancient discussion but I didn't want to start a new thread just for this article: "Twinkies ice cream has arrived on a planet that might not be ready for it" Further down in the brief article it mentions that Hostess Cupcake ice cream is rumored to be coming soon, as well. Has anyone spotted these new flavors yet?

I have a tuna can/can strainer thingy that achieves the same end: Can Strainer (click)

The pictures say it all: "Instagram is obsessing over these delicate flower-shaped gelato cones" My question is, do the flowers melt quicker than scoops? As a consumer, would I have to increase my "lick factor" 2x or 3x to make sure it just didn't melt all over my hand and down onto the pavement? These are important issues, people!

"Restaurant Wars" returns in tonight's episode.

Were you able to try their Pecan Pie in a Jar when it was in stock? My sister-in-law says it's very good. It's a seasonal item and there is some work involved (baking it in a pie shell). My SIL bought out two TJ's stores-worth of the jars this past holiday season. And I agree about their tiny desserts. Sometimes I think they're almost not worth it.

As if there's such a thing. Bah!