Goldendog's Profile
Is there anyway to tell when an egg has 2 yolks?
There must be some way to determine yolk content because a "semi" commercial egg farmer near me in Millington, Mich ( meaning he raises enough to supply small markets in a 3 or 4 county area). He has a factory outlet of sorts where he sells eggs to motorists. In his coolers he has cartons of all doubles (about $1 extra over jumbos) down to little eggs that essentially have no yolks at all.
I agree, if you're looking for doubles, see a farm market or yellow pages for egg producers. If you're looking to avoid them because of minute changes in a recipe I don't think if you tossed the one in a thousand you might get by chance that it would break the bank.
What is "American food"?
Take samples of food from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, South America, and China. Put in a huge tumbler with a liberal seasoning of foods from Africa, Japan, and the rest of Asia. Mix thoroughly and cook using every method known to man (or serve raw) and you have "American" food. Best to avoid most types from the freezer section of your local supermart.
I'm going to be making it/them from scratch!
Tamales. Fell in love them as a kid in the city where many of my neighbors were from Mexico. Now I can only get frozen or worse yet, canned in my part of the country. Nearest Mexican family/restaurant is about 200 miles away. Always thought there was some mystery as to what went in them and prep.
Couple of weeks ago, with the help of a bunch of YouTubes and many online tutorials I went for it! Woo Hoo!--turned out fantastic, just like the ones I always had 40 years ago.
Chilidog question
Check out my recipe in the Chowhound recipes section under "Michigan Coney Sauce".
Food Network Star - Episode 1 (formerly "The Next Food Network Star") [spoilers]
Getting a chef who can both cook and has the camera presence to be entertaining is evidently as easy as we might think. Juba can really cook but looses it when the little red camera light comes on. Many of the others are comfortable on stage but are not cooking stars.
I was feeling sorry for Vic when both his dishes crashed and burned but man did he loose my sympathy in that final judging when he might have been sent home. I think he was ready to go postal if he was eliminated. Talk about pissy attitude!
I think if they keep Penny for long I'll stop watching. To so openly taunt, tease, insult and pick on a single competitor! This lady oozes bad attitude and spoiled rotten little princess.
Food loves & hates of your parents, maybe passed on to you.
I recently had a freak craving for a sardine & onion sandwich. It hit me how disgusting and weird this must be to my kids, their friends, and maybe most other folks. (canned sardines on rye, thick slab of Spanish onion, mustard...Mmmm). The concoction brought back many vivid memories of eating these with my father in Northern Michigan as a kid through the 60's. To his tastes food just didn't get any better.
He and his twin were born in 1921 ( both still in great health!! ) into an immigrant Polish family of 9 kids in a 3 room shack. The only meat he had until he was drafted in 1942 was something you caught yourself. Whether it was pheasant, deer, turtles, or frogs. Growing up in the 30's he had never tasted citrus or bananas until he was in his 20's.
Flash forward to the his 3 baby boomers and life in the 60's. We were raised with his ideals of gourmet ecstasy...sardines sandwiches, canned mushrooms-simply drained and eaten from the can, blue cheese--hard to find then and pretty poor stuff compared to what you find even in a 7-11 today, fried balogna was saved for weekend treats, and the kids favorite, sliced dill pickles sprinkled with extra salt only to be eaten during Disney on Sunday nights. (Don't call the sodium police!! ) And while in boot camp in Louisiana he somehow developed a taste for menudo...something he has spent 60 years tracking down for the best bowl.
Passed on to me is a hatred of orange marmalade. Why? While on the transport to England in 1943, the land loving soldiers were puking up everything down to their toenails during the 2 week trip (his words--I'm sure the constant threat of being torpedoed didn't help). The only food they were given was crackers and marmalade. He left the service in 1946 with such a hatred of the stuff I don't think at 54 yrs old I've even tasted it and probably never will.
I'd love to hear other stories of tastes passed on to chow hounders that you might hold dear but other readers might find strange.
Foods too Hard to eat?
Corn Nuts Their development was underwritten by the Dental Association to drum up business.
only once a year
My wife's family (grandparents, parents, and 8 adult aunts and uncles) emigrated to the U.S. the year she was born, 1956, from the Hamburg area. To this day they make 'heringsalat' every year for the holidays. It is a mix of salted herring, apples, beets, onions, hard boiled eggs, cucumbers, all finely diced and mixed in some sort of sweet and sour vinegarette dressing. They claim they were raised on this as a once a year 'treat' and the tradition went back generations.
The funny thing is that although they wax nostalgic about this stuff and claim it's not Christmas without it, not one of them will eat more that the tiniest nibble. To look at, mixed in the bowl, it's one of the most obnoxious looking foods you've ever seen in your life.
what do you call a big wad of apricots? and where can I get one?
I've been eating this as a tasty snack for 40 years. Every Mid Eastern store carries it and the fresh one I'm holding now is simply called apricot paste product of Syria. The greatest thing is price--a 7 oz. piece is $1.00 and 1 pound usually under $2. It's every bit as tasty as those crazy priced fruit roll ups that cost about a buck for 1 oz. (it can be tough to cut into snack sized pieces.)
Next Iron chef [spoiler]
These are my first impressions on the contestants so far and I realize they're based only on the short snippets we've gotten to see so far:
Ming Tsai--He is not just "the one to beat" because he has done so much in front of the camera but he's also one helluva chef.
Marco Canora--looks like really good Iron chef material but oozes ego and attitude.
Maneet Chauhan--I liked her cooking but wonder if cuisine so focused in the tastes of India could make Iron Chef. We're getting more and more used to Indian food in America but it's still where sushi was 15-20 years ago.
Duskie Estes-- Nice lady but her cuisine is WAY too plain jane--not IC material. She only stayed last night because the other guy was worse by a hair.
Celina Tio-- This lady really, really needs to lighten up. She looks like a deer in headlights, but not because of fear. She's so intense and serious you'd think her winning or losing meant she could or couldn't keep her children. Evidently an occasional smile is not in her repratoire.
Marc Fargione-- My personal favorite. I think he has a good balance between skill, personality, camera presence, and creativity. He's good, he knows it, but doesn't have the snobbery of Marco.
The other 3 didn't get enough camera time for me to make much of an assessment.
White Pistachio's?
I got my order from Bob's--I ordered white pistachios, peanuts, and cashews. The peanut bag had broken open in transit and was all over the box--all 3 were stale as though from way too much humidity. I put all 3 in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes and BINGO!! Fabulous nuts including the old salt encrusted white pistachios from my youth. These "white" pistachios are nothing like plain or natural...they're much more like old fashioned pumpkin seeds. Very salty, crappy for your heart, and absolutely impossible to eat eat just one!
what do you prefer that most foodies would scoff at?
French's yellow mustard and Tabasco brand hot sauce. For 30+ years I would have 15-20 bottles of each of various "gourmet " and small batch mustards and hot sauces. I've probably tried hundreds of each, yet now I rarely use anything other than these two. I much prefer Tabasco to in house mixes at Mexican restaurants and my favorite snack--pork rinds--just aren't right without the vinegar/heat kick of lots of Tabasco. And I've seen many posts over the years that kinda amount to mustard snobbery. Just because it's American made and popular across every known demographic doesn't mean it's not good eats.
Pickles of the Great Lakes!
Vlasic had a HUGE pickle and sauerkraut plant in Bridgeport (Saginaw). When the kraut was curing you could smell it for miles and miles around town. They had the annual kraut festival and queen--a big tourist draw. Also, all of the the nations Open Pit barbecue sauce was made there. After many mergers and shutdowns in the 80's Vlasic and Open Pit have left Bridgeport and are now headquartered somewhere in New Jersey.
Pickles of the Great Lakes!
I love the "new pickles" from Topor's of Detroit, sold at Meijers among other places. But you have to eat them quick--they go from "new" to half sour to full sour in a matter of 2 -3 weeks, even in the coldest part of your fridge. They also make a great pickle called "Goldens"---sorta like a half sour but with a touch of vinegar in them---but they are really hard to find. I've only found 3-4 times at Salvaggios in the last couple of years.
They are not really local, but if they still carry them Trader Joes sells a fabulous half sour.
Bessinger pickles of Aus Gres and Hausbecks of Saginaw make fantastic products but I don't know how far south their distribution goes. I've tried the 2 McClures a couple of times and even with cost aside, I really didn't like them. Although I don't think they add sugar I find they have a weird sweet flavor.
Making your own sea salt?
You're right. The idea was just one of curiousity--I have no illusions of turning out my own Fleur de sel and certainly not trying for the economics of it. Just the satisfaction of knowing it could be done. Just like home brewing beer, making my own pasta, churning my own butter, shredding/fermenting/canning my own winter kraut, trying to blacken my own fish on home equipment. I get my jolly's out of making them myself but is it better tasting, cheaper, and wort the labor? I often don't think so--can get better from the pros at my local super mart at a great price but I still get a charge of doing it myself. My best home endevors which better than any store bought brand are my pickles and canned tomatoes. Mostly grown myself, cost next to nothing, and a days work lasts my family all winter.
Making your own sea salt?
My wife and I will be making our annual snow bird trip to Florida from Michigan for the month of January. I've never heard of anyone with access to salt water making their own salt. Could I just keep a slow simmer pot going for a few days to get salt? Would the process screw up the taste? Cookie sheets in a very low oven? I've never seen mention of the practice.....
Best teas for making iced tea
For the last 40 years I've been a heavy iced tea drinker. My usual brand of tea has been Red Rose although I am happy with regular Lipton, Luzianne, and once in a while Bigelow Earl Grey.
Last summer I was having lunch at a nicer restaurant in the downtown Cleveland mall with a large group of friends. Many of us ordered what the menu called Caribbean Iced. We were all wowed by the unusual flavor of the tea. Looking around you could see the place was selling a ton of the stuff. When we asked the waiter what was in it he confided it was a cheap mango flavored black tea. When I got home to Michigan I found a few places that carried mango flavored tea. I bought a few different brands (it really is pretty cheap), went home, brewed up, and yup, same fantastic iced tea.
That got me experimenting with other teas. My favorite is one I get in Asian markets called Golden Sail Brand Lichee black tea. At $5 for a 1/2 pound red tin can it's inexpensive and utterly delicious.
I'm curious about other teas to try and would appreciate your input!
Best time for picking kraut cabbage in the Seattle area?
I live in mid-Michigan and have made my own sauerkraut for years. The rule of thumb for the best cabbage here is to use cabbage picked just before the first threat of frost--around Oct. 1--because the sugar content is at it's highest and the fermentation process turns out the best product.
My brother has lived in Snohomish for the last 30 years and now wants to try making his own for the first time. When I mentioned waiting another month or more he answered that he's thinks a: That the cabbage in his area won't get any better than it is now and b: Come late September the weather would be too cool to allow fermentation (he doesn't turn on his heat until it hits the low 50's).
Does anyone have canning experience with this up your way?
Thanks!!
What are the best cookbooks for aspiring cooks
As a cook with dozens and dozens of books, all read cover to cover (I'm weird that way) I'd suggest the books by Mario Batali. As one of the best winning chefs on Iron Chef, he would repeatedly say show after show that the key is "Keep it simple" and he follows that philosophy in his books. Nothing over complicated, every recipe with minimal ingredients, and every one gives outstanding results.
Deep Fried Tacos
When my parents emigrated from Poland in the 50's they settled into a largely Mexican/American neighborhood. (Since my dad had black hair and a dark complexion from years of working outdoors and spoke some Spanish he fit right in). As a kid I remember our favorite treats were tacos from both local mom n pop restaurants and family friends who just moved here from Mexico. They were corn tortillas, deep fried with stuffing that had diced potatoes, ground beef, onions, and some odd spice mix. Unbelievably greasy and unbelievably good.
Now years later the restaurants are gone and my siblings and I have lost contact with my parents old friends. In a night reminiscing we talked about those tacos. Google searches haven't helped a lot. I tried making my own but couldn't get the taste just right and my tortillas keep cracking t the fold. Do I use raw or cooked potatoes, raw or cooked beef, and how do I stop the cracking?
I'd appreciate any tips on techniques and any ratios of ingredients since I was just winging it.
Thanks!
Can you freeze olives?
I believe adding my own brine (salt & water) would leech out the flavorings that make each olive unique. Some I get are flavored with different curries. Others are in dill and oregano or a huge mix of Mediterranean spices. Some are quite hot and spicy and my wife's favorites are the huge, crisp cerignolas that are hardly brined at all--sorta like half sour pickles. Also, I afraid fresh brine might ruin the flavors of all the various stuffed olives I get.
Can you freeze olives?
I am an olive fanatic. Love all types, green, black, oil cured, stuffed with anything, fresh bright green to very spicy. Problem is I live in northern Michigan where their idea of an olive bar is three vats--green with pimento, canned black, and Kalamata. Because of this my wife and I make trips 2 or 3 times a year to various stores around the Detroit metro area--Salvagios, Papa Joes, Whole Foods, etc. and once a year to my olive mecca--Jungle Jims in Cinnci to load up.
Problem is if I fill my tubs with drained olives many varieties grow fuzzy in the fridge after 6-8 weeks. And it grinds me to pay $8-12/pound to fill the tubs with brine. (I use some brine for dressings and marinades but always throw out a lot). I was wondering if I can freeze drained olives Do you think they would hold their firmness and flavor? I go through 4-5 pounds a month (no lectures about sodium intake please :-)
TOP MICHIGAN HOT DOGS
If you do a CH search for "Michigan coney" you should get just one answer under the recipe button--one I posted a ways back. If you read my intro to the recipe it might be what you're looking for.
What's The One Thing You Can't Eat, even for money.
My in-laws--born and bred in the Hamburg area of Germany, came to Michigan in the mid-50's. A Christmas tradition they made every year and took great pride in was "Herring Salat" It was a mix of finely chopped salted herring, apples,, raisins,hard boiled eggs, cranberries, and some sort of sweet & sour sauce they always kept secret. The concoction--especially when it was heavy with the chopped raw fish--was the most disgusting looking thing I've ever seen. I tried it a couple of years just to fit in and it was disgusting....& I'm a foodie who likes about anything but you can't pay me enough to scarf down a bowl of this crap.
What's the furthest North you have ever found grits?
I was a power specialist for AT&T in Michigan and spent several years on the road working in literally every city in the lower peninsula. Always had a rule to search out the local mom n pop places to eat. Over the years I might have seen grits in only about half a dozen places and every one had a clientel with lots of southern roots, usually all African American.
Bubble and Squeak
As a chef & foodie this one passed completely under my radar until I saw it on a 2 Fat Ladies episode & then printed in their book. I consider theirs the final word in Bubble & Squeak. Their 3 rules---
1. Use a very heavy cast iron pan.
2. "There is no substitute for lard-if you object, eat something else."
3. The potatoes must be cold.
Their recipe calls for a little diced onion, cooked cabbage or Brussels sprouts. They make no mention of spinach
Will "Pick" salami ever come back to US?
I eat pretty healthy but have a weakness for cured meats, my favorite being Pick Salami from Hungary. Over the last 10 years its availability seems to have come and gone repeatedly but I haven't seen it for the last couple of years. I had even seen a note on a different board about people smuggling them back to the U.S. on recent trips. Is its absence temporary or has it disappeared for good like the bacon in a can that Kmart used to sell long ago?
Deep-fried bacon?
At Tony's Restaurant in Birch Run, Michigan--about 75 miles north of Detroit--if you order the BLT you get a sandwich on thick Italian bread with 1 & 1/2 pounds of bacon that has has been deep fried, plain, till crispy. One sandwich is enough to feed four--giving 3 out of 4 some sort of coronary problem.
Michigan hot dogs and potato chips
After 50 years of eating a LOT of both Koegels and Kowalski dogs, I give a slight edge to Koegels. The taste is pretty much the same with the Koegels having a grind I like better--can't really explain the difference. Made Rite chips were made in Bay City, but even though I'm just in Saginaw, Made Rites are hard to find. I don't know if they went out of business or just a poor distributorship.
One thing I wanted to add...I travel a lot and love hot dogs so I've eaten them from coast to coast. It's really sad what most of the country calls a hot dog after having Michigan dogs. I'd once heard that we have the highest quality standards in the country. And you can really get some pretty scary dogs (pun intended) when you see what other states serve as "brats".
Why is "no cheese" on a burger so weird?
First off--I love cheese...all types. Cheddars, Blues, Stiltons, Parmesans, etc, etc. But I DO NOT like cheese on my burger! Lately I've been getting more and more strange looks from every place I go to from local eateries to Ruby Tuesdays to Macs and Wendies when I order a burger with the works but no cheese. Maybe it's because it's a huge profit item for them to push "cheeseburgers". I don't know. But am I in such a minority?
