Toliver

It's been 12 years for me, as well, as of June 27th. A search for European butter brought me here.

Baby Swiss has teeny tiny holes but that's because it's a young cheese. I suppose if they let it age as long as, say, an emmantaler, then the holes would be much larger. I've had soft cheeses that don't have holes, per se, but definitely have a spongee-ish see-through texture. I'm not talking soft like the Brie and Camembert but softer-than-firm cheeses like Farmers. I've had a Longhorn Colby Cheddar that when served at room temperature was deliciously buttery and had that spongee texture, not smooth like most Cheddars. But I don't think that kind of texture is a result of particulates. Thanks to the posters who've mentioned holey cheeses from non-Swiss countries.

I love all kinds of Swiss cheese. Swiss cheese is known, of course, for its holes (called "eyes" in the industry). But according to this article (click) today's Swiss cheese is becoming far less "hole-y" than your grandfather's Swiss cheese. "Particulate matter" sounds more friendly than "dirt" but who knew they'd discover why the holes are formed in the first place? So will holes in Swiss cheese ever become a thing of the past? Or will they figure out a way to intentionally "contaminate" their cheese so the "hole-y" tradition will continue? And does it have to be hay to make the holes? Why don't other cultures/countries make cheeses with holes in them? Don't they have some sort of particulate matter where they make their cheese? You'd think holes in cheese would be more commonplace around the world. Or are the Swiss just extra sloppy?

I think this is the key comment. The initial poster of this discussion said something to the effect that roasted cauliflower is just like french fries...except it's really not. You won't get a true crispy piece of cauliflower. It will be browned, there can be crisp bits, it can also be golden, but it won't ever really be crisp, not like a french fry. Sorry if you were misled...

I've recently tried all four of this year's flavors. I've never tasted truffles before so the Truffle Fries were an unknown flavor to me. They were okay but didn't "wow" me. Also, the Truffle Fries chips were wavy/ridged, where the other three flavors were regular potato chips. The Reuben chips were odd tasting. I could discern a faint caraway flavor and a tartness which could have been either the sauerkraut or mustard. I'm not a fan of mustard on chips (they reminded me of Doritos Hamburger flavored chips from a couple of years ago which I didn't like either). The Southern Biscuits and Gravy were a surprise. I could taste the sage from the "sausage" and they had a creaminess/mild cheesiness. They were different enough from other potato chip flavors that I would consider buying them again. The last flavor I tried was the Greektown Gyro. The flavor that stood out for me with these chips was the Tzatziki flavor. I could discern dill (it wasn't strong) and an almost faint cucumber-ish flavor. I would consider buying them again, because they tasted different from other flavored chips. I could not taste any fake "meat" flavors in any of the chips.

I've posted this before but I made the same cookies for a 4th of July BBQ party and used lemon rind instead of the orange. They were quite the hit at the party... very "summery". I am awed, though, that you made them with lime. I've been thinking about doing the same but all I can find in my local grocery stores are tiny little limes and could only think about how many limes I'd have to grate to get the 2 tablespoons needed for the recipe. Given your success, I may try at least a half lime/half lemon mixture to see how that would turn out. Thanks for posting your experience. They look delicious!

Shelby, Your tomatoes look wonderful! I imagine they taste great. My mom decided to forgo planting tomatoes (in containers) this year due to the California drought. Perhaps she'll have them next year if the El Niño happens like it's supposed to this autumn. edited for the heck of it.

Perhaps an SSB will weigh in on this issue, but if I use olive oil on my cut up cauliflower before roasting it, won't it displace the water? I'm not talking about broccoli since it's bound to get into every crevice of the florets, but cauliflower is a little more streamlined, so to speak, with less places for the water to hide and cling. I'm just curious.

This may be premature but Kerry and Anna, thank you for taking us on your journey and for taking the time to post all of the pictures of your delicious beverages and food. I've had a great time reading about your adventures.

You can also try storing the tightly-capped bottle in your fridge upside down (on the door). I think eGullet member Jaymes or PamR (sorry I can't remember which) suggested this storage so any gasses in the carbonated beverage wouldn't escape.

It's not just Bojangles. Half of the KFC's in my area closed and were replaced by Popeye's. The last time I went to my local Popeye's, the thighs I got with my order were embarrassingly small. I thought they had given me wings by mistake! I wonder if there's some chicken parts salesman making the rounds and selling smaller birds to the chicken chains so they'll save money.

I am sure I've posted this before in this discussion, but when I first started roasting cauliflower, I would take a large chef's knife (about 8 to 10 inches long) and slice the cauliflower. The slices would usually be no thinner than a quarter of an inch or so. Visually, it looked like slices/cross sections of a brain. The problem with this method is that even though you get maximum surface contact with the baking sheet with the slices (so nice browning), you lose out on baking sheet "real estate". Only so many slices of cauliflower will fit on a baking sheet using this method...which is why I would sometimes use two baking sheets for roasting the slices. Looking back, I should have cut the "brain" slices into strips, thus making "french fry"-type pieces. The little bits of brown roasted cauliflower were dubbed "kibbles" by eGullet member Fifi, may she rest in peace and they are delicious. So don't worry about your cauliflower crumbling...they're future "kibble bits"! What you will find with this "recipe" (and all of its variations) is that with the higher roasting temps (400°F for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces at the 10 minute mark), you'll get more of the browned bits. But if you use a slower oven (350°F for a half hour or even longer, flipping the pieces at the 15 or 20 minute mark), your roasting time will increase a short bit but you will get a lovely golden roasted cauliflower which may not have the browned bits a hotter oven will give you but is still quite delicious. I enjoy both methods.

Something I read online recently... Pepsi has announced that they're replacing the aspartame from their Diet Pepsi with sucralose. However, if you really like the aspartame version, it can be ordered online only. If you need a source cited for this, please see "Google".

Sam, you should PM Kerry Beal about this. She has one and even started a discussion about the BGE here. It seems to be able to do both styles (low/high) of cooking.

Thanks for posting this Heidi. I'm a big fan of his work with Mexican farmers and of his beans, of course.

Decades ago I was working a graveyard shift for a short period of time. When I awoke late in the day, I'd eat dinner then go to work. When I got home in the morning I would eat breakfast and after a short period of time, I'd go to bed to sleep. I think that helped me ease better into the transition into the graveyard shift and then later, transition out of it.

Yikes! I saw on the label that the amount of sugar per serving is 30 grams. That's 7 & 1/2 teaspoons per serving. Granted, they're dehydrated so the sugar is more condensed per serving but then why add sugar on top of that? I may break down and buy them, sugar be damned, during my next trip to the store just to taste them.

Thanks for taking the time to post the picture. It looks delicious and I am so sorry that it's not available in my area!

There was a recent article online about a new Nugget Ice machine that is in development: "Opal Nugget Ice makes chewable ice at home" There's a link at the bottom of the article to the product's home page: Opel Nugget Ice It's "soft" ice so it's supposedly not as bad on your teeth as regular ice chips. It doesn't have to be plumbed to a water source. It uses six cups of water from a reservoir in the machine to make the ice. I can't believe they have a clear plastic drawer so you can see the ice. In hot regions, I could see the plastic getting hot and the ice melting upon contact. It does look double-walled, though, so it may prevent quick melting. I would have thought some sort of sealed insulated front door would keep the ice longer. It is pricey but whether you buy it or not I guess depends on how much you have a hankering for "crushed" ice from a counter-top machine. Any takers?

I was fooled recently by those smirky little Keebler Elves. I bought Keebler Club crackers, Cornbread flavor, to eat with some Jarlsberg Swiss cheese I had recently purchased at Trader Joe's. The crackers are not even pictured on the Keebler/Kellogg's website which should tell you something. They're not salty crackers at all but are sweet like little cookies. The little bastards! They should have labeled the box "Northerner's Cornbread cookies" they're so sweet. Here I was hankering for something salty and got hornswaggled into something sweet by those damn elves. Grrr...Of course, they might go well with Trader Joe's Cookie Butter but that's a post for another thread...

I just returned from a week's vacation staying with my mom in the San Diego area. At my mom's local Von's grocery store, a dozen eggs (not Eggland's Best) would set you back about $4.50 or so. As an aside, my mom used them to make deviled eggs, defying the unwritten rule that old eggs are best for boiling/deviling. I can't explain it...I don't know what she did differently but the yolks on her boiled eggs were perfect and bright yellow...no green exterior! Color me shocked. Regarding the bird flu and fowls...I've previously posted about this but millions of turkeys were slaughtered earlier this year because of the bird flu. The turkey farmers didn't know if they could raise a new crop of birds in time for Thanksgiving this year so that may translate into higher prices at Thanksgiving.

You can Google what it means to assume... It's nice to share my lack of uniqueness and "specialness" with you. Getting back to the general discussion/topic... McD's current campaign for their Sirloin Burgers has me stumped. They say that if a commercial or promotion has you confused over its merit, then the commercial isn't aimed at you. So it makes me wonder who the commercial is aimed at. Generally, Carl's Jr/Hardees's campaigns (woman in bikini eating a burger) are aimed at a specific (18-ish+) male market, Jack-in-the-Box seems to go for the 3AM male out from the clubs/partying market and Taco Bell for the male high schooler (or younger) market. This Sirloin Burger campaign (featuring Max Greenfield from Fox TV's "new Girl") is just so bland even though he's supposed to represent the "Hipster Market". It's funny but as I get older, "hipster" is taking on a different meaning. Has anyone tried the Sirloin Burgers at McD's and is it really that different than their usual burger?

Just a yearly reminder that tomorrow (7/11) is Free Slurpee day at 7-Eleven. Granted, it's a small one (allegedly 7.11 ounces). They're supposed to have deals all week and they have an app/club you can join that may get you more deals if you're into that sort of thing.

It's called "Google", Shel_B. You should try it some time. Here's one article (you can search for the others): "Americans’ Shifting Tastes are Rattling the Food Industry"

There's a new breakfast sandwich at Carl's Jr: Grilled Pork Chop Biscuit It comes with egg and cheese, of course. It's surprisingly good. The "pork chop" is more like a slice of pork tenderloin. The slice I had was thicker than the usual slice of Canadian bacon (ham) that you find in a general Fast Food morning biscuit/sandwich. The exterior of the pork is heavily seasoned with black pepper (which is not spicy hot) which adds to the overall flavor of the sandwich. I recommend this new sandwich.