tazia's Profile
Faux Meat - Recommendations
TJ's recently released multi-chicken tenders, which are frozen and awesome. They go especially well with the Sweet & Hot mustard from TJs.
I am pretty sure that these tenders are the same ones as the Gardein seven-grain tenders. Same directions, same taste, much cheaper.
Diva Indian Bistro
Masala is officially by far the best Indian food in the Davis area nowadays. They are consistently great, especially compared to Diva.
Discontinued at Trader Joe's - January thru June 2012
Veggie pakora, big nay. BLERG. Very little taste, especially not of the chickpea flour variety. Pakora are some of our favorite foods, and we couldn't finish them.
Yay on the Almondictive Bits. They're the right combination of salty, crunchy, and sweet. The dark chocolate is great.
Help! Tonight, Wednesday, at The Burren
I have enjoyed their potato skins as a snack--fair warning, they are vegetarian, so if you're attached to bacon, you will disappointed.
Why Use Open Table?
This pretty much sums it up! And we really don't care about what table we get, so that factor is eliminated.
I am not particularly fond of talking on the phone, and there's no ambiguity with the OpenTable interface. I have a confirmation of date, time, and location in my email. Miscommunication is a lot more difficult when OpenTable is involved.
Dining-In vs Take-Out
Convenience and environment. Some days, you just don't want to deal with talking to waiters, wearing decent clothes, waiting for checks, etc. It's nice to just pick something up or have it delivered and just sit on the couch. If we order food, we don't have to worry about coming up with a menu or balanced meal ourselves, even if it would likely be cheaper or quicker.
We'll often eat takeout/delivery while watching some DVDs or catching up on Hulu shows. We can make sure we always have a full water glass, some of our awesome tea, and our cute bunnies to keep us company.
Knife sharpening for Japanese knives
I have a number of Shun knives that are woefully dull. I've been putting off getting them sharpened by sending them in the mail because of things like packaging and going to the post office, so I'm hoping there might be somewhere local that would make the whole process less of a pain.
I read some reviews of local knife sharpeners, but I noticed some people complaining that the Japanese knives were not being sharpened properly. Are there any local sharpeners who are good at handling the harder steel of the Japanese knives? (preferably T-accessible)
I will probably learn to sharpen myself eventually, but for now, I need my knives back to working well.
Cheap Eats [Davis/Teele Square]
It really is absolutely fantastic. The best local indian we've had. We used to alternate between places because they all were similarly mediocre and inconsistent, but every time we want indian now, we get Masala. The dishes are complex and layered, and we haven't ever been disappointed.
I also love that the do delivery locally and accept orders online. Takeout is super-quick and fresh.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay Thread - 1st quarter 2012 [old]
Super happy yay to the new Mandarin Orange Chickenless Morsels, at least based on trying it at the store. They fulfill this vegetarian's longing for orange chicken. I heard a number of meat eaters at the store actually exclaiming how good they were.
I have a couple of bags, but haven't cooked them up yet, so I'm not sure how they'll turn out at home, but if it's anything like the sample, I can see it becoming a lazy dinner staple for us.
Keep or sell? Kitchenaid blender and food processor
So I just happened to be on one of those flash sale sites and lucked into an absurd deal for KitchenAid appliances ($7.33 each, brand new). I already am going to be selling the stand mixer I got, since I have a better one, but I'm vacillating on what to do with the food processor and the blender.
The food processor: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-Precise-Processor-Contour-Silver/dp/B005MMNBO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1328373154&sr=1-1
The blender: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSB465ER-Countertop-48-Ounce-Polycarbonate/dp/B001AS6YKQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1328373130&sr=8-6
I don't have a full-size food processor now, so I'd LOVE to have one on hand, especially for making pie dough. I like the fact that this model comes with a mini-processor attachment, since I know we often are making smaller amounts of things. I also know, however, that the KitchenAid FP has some mixed reviews and a lot of people prefer Cusinart or something else. Should I sell this and use the proceeds for another model?
We have a random Hamilton Beach blender that I don't use very often, but is pretty lame when I do. It gets the job done, but usually involves a lot of stirring and poking on my part. Once again, the KitchenAid gets some mixed reviews. Not sure if I should keep it or not.
Thanks for any input!
Salvaging frozen root veggies?
Unfortunately, our fridge has decided to throw a bit of a fit and froze the vegetables we were keeping in our crisper drawers. The bottom drawer was packed with a bunch of root vegetables--parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, jerusalem artichokes, beets--and I'm wondering if they are likely to be salvageable or if they need to chucked. If they're still good, what sorts of recipes are likely to be good for previously frozen root vegetables, since I'm guessing their texture will have changed?
Finally Renovated My Kitchen -- What are the Essentials?
I LOVE these bowls and use them all the time. It's really helpful to have the smaller prep bowls too...it keeps things much more organized when you're working on cooking.
Advice on Le Creuset pan choice - gratin or something else?
Thanks for all the advice everyone! I ended up going with the 3.5 qt braiser, which I got for $160 new on Ebay (black onyx...picking colors is difficult!). I'm still waiting for it to arrive, but I'm really excited to use it. I compared and handled it in Williams Sonoma, and really like the wide, flat surface compared to the wide dutch oven.
Now, I have $40 for Williams Sonoma, but that will be more than easy to spend on something else.
Casual, affordable, vegetarian friendly
The dan dan noodles at Myers & Chang are vegetarian. Myers and Chang is actually a great vegetarian option...they'll provide you with a veggie menu if you ask. It's also definitely in the affordable category.
Restaurant Websites - At this point they should pretty much be mandatory [moved from General Topics]
I think there should be the following 3 items SOMEWHERE easily accessible on the web....whether that is a Facebook page, Yelp, or whatever. All these items should be together, preferably, since it's a pain to dig around on multiple pages for small pieces of information.
-Address
-Hours
-Menu with prices (without prices is just frustrating)
If I'm going to go out of my way to try a new place, I want to know that the place will have a decent vegetarian option or two, and I've been burned one too many times to have faith that these options will be available. If the menu changes seasonally, it doesn't have to be perfectly up to date, but a general idea would be lovely.
My thoughts? It is unlikely, unless your website is truly awful, that anyone is going to be turned off from going to your establishment. On the other hand, as time passes, more and more people are going to be relying on web-based information to make their dining choices. It would be a better bet for a restauranteur to have something available for those who do care, rather than have nothing and lose the business of those people who do rely on the web.
Where to buy Fresh Soy Bean Milk in Waltham and Watertown?
We like the Earth Balance chilled soy milk. They carry it at the local Whole Foods and has been on sale for quite some time now.
Advice on Le Creuset pan choice - gratin or something else?
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I'm definitely not going to get the stoneware gratin.
It looks like something like the 3.5 braiser/casserole makes sense. I think one of these two options:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/le-creuset-signature-braiser/?pkey=ccookware-le-creuset
or
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/le-creuset-signature-round-wide-dutch-oven/?pkey=ccookware-le-creuset
Both are 3.5q--the main difference being in the weight and dimensions. The braiser is wider, shallower and heavier, but also currently $80 more expensive. Is it worth the extra investment for the braiser over the wide dutch?
When I was returning my pan yesterday, I saw Williams Sonoma has 20% off select colors, so I might try to take advantage of that.
Where to buy Paneer in Cambridge/Somerville?
Any updates on where to get paneer in the Cambridge/Somerville area? Russo's doesn't stock it regularly and the version at Whole Foods I found was $9 for a relatively small amount. Looks like Shalimar might be the best option, but I'm hoping there might be a few more options now.
Advice on Le Creuset pan choice - gratin or something else?
I was initially thrilled to get a Le Creuset oval gratin pan for Xmas, but became concerned that it's stoneware rather than cast iron. I know this is going to be a pan that will see a lot of heavy use, and it would be great if I could use it on the stovetop as well. The color wasn't what we wanted anyway, so I returned it to Williams-Sonoma and now have a gift card for $40 or so. The most economical option is to just get the stoneware in a different color, but I think I'd like to apply the store credit to one of the more versatile enameled cast iron pans.
My question is, if I'm going to slap down some extra cash, which pan should I be investing my money in? The most obvious choice is the au gratin baker, but part of me wonders if we'd be better served by another pan, like the wide round or oval dutch oven.
My husband and I are both vegetarian, so no meat cooking, but we roast a lot of veggies, and the pan should ideally be good to send under the broiler (hence the initial request of a gratin pan). We have some great All-Clad pans for the stovetop, but this would really be our first high-quality oven-friendly pan, so I want to make the right choice. It's unlikely that we'll be getting a second Le Creuset anytime soon.
December 2011 Openings and Closings
As a Davis Square resident, this is some of the most exciting news I've heard in a long time. Amsterdam is deeply beloved in DC, with good reason. Anyone have an idea on the time frame for opening if they get through the red tape?
Trader Joe's Holiday Items - 2011
That sounds insane and amazing. Great thought. I'm having trouble not just finishing mine spoonful by spoonful.
Grocery store pet peeve. Is it just me?
I don't remember where I read it, but someone did research and express lines don't actually save much time overall, even when you have few items. Apparently the vast majority of time for most transactions come from things like paying, the duration of which doesn't decrease in the express line. Obviously, if you get behind someone with 100 items vs. 2 there's going to be a significant difference, but apparently not as much as one would think. I always thought that was interesting and find myself less likely to go to express lines because of it.
Grocery store pet peeve. Is it just me?
Normally I hate small chit-chat...I always can't help but feel like the cashiers at Trader Joe's must be judging all of the frozen/junk food we get there (we go there for treats mostly and do our legitimate shopping elsewhere), but I actually don't mind the comments I get at the produce store we go to (Russo's for Bostonians). We have pet bunnies and thus buy enormous quantities of greens...like a full grocery cart full at a time. I've gotten many the incredulous comments from cashiers about how many veggies we eat, but when I point out that they're for our buns, they always get really interested and ask questions. I get to tell them that yes, rabbits are great pets and they can live inside like a cat or dog and they eat just about any veggie you can imagine. I always feel good when I can educate people.
Restaurants with fantastic condiments/sauces/dips
Saus has quite the array of condiments. They even have rotating sauce specials each week. I think they might make their own mayo. The Vampire Slayer (garlic mayo) is fantastic on their fries.
Trader Joe's Holiday Items - 2011
I can confirm that it's fantastic in oatmeal. I'm eating steel cut oats with just the cookie butter and it's awesome.
Marzipan stollen
I have a loaf of this on the counter. It's quite good. The whole hazlenuts are lovely. I unfortunately don't get a super strong almond taste, so if you're really looking for a marzipan explosion, this won't fit the bill. It's delicious though.
Side note: I got a sample of the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl when I was picking up the Jingle Loaf, and it was amazing. If you love cinnamon, this bread is heaven.
Your Fav Unusual Fruits, and Boston Vendors of Them?
I've definitely purchased them at Russo's a couple of years ago around Feb.
