dtremit's Profile
Castelluccio or le puy lentils
Savenor's carries imported French lentils, but according to the website they're "Eric Bur Lentilles vertes du Berry," so not from Puy. I recall them being very good, though.
As for Rancho Gordo beans, the markup at FK is horrific. Rancho Gordo ships flat rate for $12, so if you buy 3-4 pounds you're saving money. Alternately, Baer's Beans are local and quite tasty.
no lobstertail in MA?
It seems more likely they can serve whatever they want (after all, they could always take it out of the shell) -- but that the restaurant can't *buy* frozen lobster tails for their MA stores.
Why did my Pyrex baking dish explode?
That story about old window panes, while romantic, isn't true. Old panes were made using a process that involved spinning blown glass into a disc; it's why you'll also see arc shapes in that glass. The glass panes were cut from the resulting circular glass, and were generally slightly thicker at one end. Window makers put the thick side facing down for stability.
CSA Shoot-out: Siena Farms vs Drumlin Farms
I'm not a Drumlin CSA member, but a good friend is, and he's been very happy with them. I picked up his winter share at the farm once, and found it to be a very pleasant experience; they're really friendly.
They have offered local eggs as an add-on to at least the winter CSA -- a dozen per pick-up, and the prices were pretty reasonable (~$5 a dozen).
Why don't more Americans use induction?
Another factor no one seems to have mentioned is the failed attempts at introducing induction to the US market in the past. Westinghouse marketed an induction cooktop in the '70s; Kenmore in the '80s. Neither saw much success.
European induction hobs are also significantly more affordable and available today than are the models available in the US. A quick look at a major UK housewares site shows 30+ induction cooktops available (versus ~25 non-induction electric) with prices starting at about £350 (or $550). The cheapest four-element all-induction cooktop I can find here is a Summit for about $900, versus about $500 for a name-brand smooth top electric.
I think when prices come down, the percentages will go up pretty quickly.
Discontinued at Trader Joe's - January thru June 2012
There are other HFCS/transfat free creamers out there -- Silk makes a soy-based creamer and So Delicious makes a coconut milk-based one. Both come in plain, vanilla, and hazelnut -- the TJ's product may well have been a rebrand of one of the two.
What to order at Mary Chung's?
Late to this review, but I think you caught the lemon chicken on a bad day. I'll admit I haven't had it in quite some time, but I used to order it semi-regularly and it was always *perfectly* fried and delicate.
Rodizio/Churrascaria: What's best these days?
I'm realizing that I forgot to return here (as I'd intended) to report back and thank everyone for their answers. Itaunas, I ended up going to Braza based on your rec and that of another friend, and enjoying it. Everything we had was very good; the selection of meats seemed a little lacking, but we were there pretty late on a weeknight. I'm planning to go back and check it out on a busier evening sometime. Very friendly service and reasonably priced; with sodas it was $34 for two of us.
Rodizio/Churrascaria: What's best these days?
I have a friend coming to town who loves rodizio-style steakhouses, and I've been trying to search for information on the best options in the Boston area these days. There's a lot of discussion, but I've noticed that they're mostly posts about individual restaurants -- and my mind is boggling at the number of openings, closings, and changes of ownership in this restaurant segment in the last few years! I've been pretty happy with Pampas in the past, and go to Gauchao for takeout from time to time, but I'm acutely aware that my knowledge is limited.
So I thought I'd ask -- as of right now, who does everyone here think has the best:
* quality and selection of meat
* quality and selection of sides
among places with and without table service?
Thanks in advance.
October 2011 Openings and Closings
But their zingers are world famous! They say so themselves!
Wegmans to Open on Sunday, 16 October
I've only been to Pittsford a couple of times, but it feels pretty similar. Interestingly, Northborough is one of four locations (so far) that has the casual seafood/burger restaurant that they prototyped in the old Tastings space at Pittsford (though it's integrated into the Market Cafe).
Wegmans to Open on Sunday, 16 October
It's good for a supermarket but not exceptional. But really, what compares to Russo's?
(Of course, you can move in the aisles at Wegmans.)
Holiday baking brioche
On the meat front, my mind goes to capicola or soppressata.
Not strictly in your bounds, but cheese-and-olive breads might be a nice pairing with the sausage (or an option for veggies).
Survey: Telfon cookwares - Positive or Negative Impact for our culture?
"As the Teflon wears off, they slowly turns into aluminum pans. It responds to heat just fine. It distributes heat just fine. The only difference is that the nonstick ability is getting worse."
Sure, but have you ever tried to cook on a pan in that state in between nonstick and aluminum? I have found that food sticks to nothing more readily than to a scraped-up old nonstick skillet.
Survey: Telfon cookwares - Positive or Negative Impact for our culture?
As rohirette mentions, both Target and Walmart have stainless lines -- exclusive ones, in fact. They are on the pricy side for cookware from those stores, though.
On the other hand, both Target and Walmart carry Lodge cast iron, too. And at $18 for a 12" skillet, it's a hell of a value. (Of course, there's a learning curve -- but before nonstick, I'm guessing a lot more people had that skill.)
Edit -- and I missed the later reply saying the same thing. D'oh. The 20 Walmarts closest to downtown LA report having some 12" Lodge skillets in stock, fwiw.
Is King Arthur Flour worth the price?
Ah, see -- that's the exact reason that AP flour is the only one I don't prefer KA for. Most of my AP goes into sweet baked goods, and the higher protein isn't as desirable there. I typically have bread flour on hand for bread.
I'm surprised to see you say that the bread flour is more expensive, though -- both KA flours are almost always the same price here (MA). Or are you buying the AP in larger bags that the bread isn't available in?
Why does my home-made whipped cream for salted caramel pie taste horrible?
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that there's a very high correlation between "creams with carrageenan" and "ultra-pasteurized creams." I can't find any UHT heavy creams that don't have it, and Organic Valley notes the following in response to a comment on their website:
"Organic Valley offers its heavy whipping cream in two versions: HTST pasteurized, which has no carrageenan, and ultra-pasteurized, which contains carrageenan. The ultra-pasteurized version has a longer shelf life, so carrageenan is added to help keep the cream from separating."
UHT dairy often has a slightly "toasted" or "cooked" flavor to my palate -- I don't find it unpleasant, but it's definitely different. More importantly, though, UHT dairy is *much* less likely to spoil due to poor handling. So I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it's UHT vs HTST that you're reacting to, not the carrageenan itself.
Wegmans to Open on Sunday, 16 October
Looks like they may not need an initiative:
http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/10/compromise-means-more-grocery-stores-will-sell-beer/ebZxIiZ76zfCLh6UOsempL/index.html
Tacos Lupita now under a new name - What is the scoop?
Went in for some tacos and a mulita last night -- totally different staff, and they seemed swamped and confused. Nothing was substantively different about the food, but it wasn't made with the same care and attention and balance as it used to be. The al pastor seemed kind of undercrisped, the mulita filling wasn't well distributed, and the tacos were a bit sloppy. Also, the mix of onions and cilantro was way heavy on the onions and too light on the cilantro.
I'm hoping they're just having some struggles transitioning to new staff -- but I am already missing the familiar (unsmiling) faces.
New Trader Joe's Yea/Nay Thread - 2nd Quarter 2011 [old]
A few recent observations:
YEA: the refrigerated section chicken enchiladas. Had these the other night and enjoyed them. Would probably top them with some salsa verde or something next time around, since the cheese is pretty heavy.
YEA: the frozen macaroni & cheese. Not a new product, but the sauce is super generous, which lends it really well to mix-ins. I've even been known to mix in additional pasta to stretch the thing a bit.
YEA: the vanilla meringue cookies. Tasty with a good vanilla flavor, and four big cookies for about 100 calories.
No specific NAYs lately -- though does anyone else find that cheese from TJ's goes moldy faster than from anywhere else?
New Trader Joe's Yea/Nay Thread - 2nd Quarter 2011 [old]
Agree that the Tarte aux Champignons isn't as good as the Tarte d'Alsace -- it was OK, but tasted a little flat to me. The Tarte d'Alsace is one of my favorite TJ's products, not only because it's delicious, but also because it's about the lowest-calorie pizza-like thing in the store. So don't feel too bad about eating the whole thing on occasion!
Cuisinart Griddler--how well does the griddle part work
It appears they *do* now make a set of waffle plates for it:
http://www.cuisinart.com/products/grills/gr-wafp.html
Turducken availability?
Probably too late to be useful, but I saw them at Shaw's (Rte 28 in Somerville) the other day. It was in the meat case alongside the Wild Harvest stuff.
What discontinued products do you miss?
Popsicle is making Pudding Pops again, though not in the same shape.
I actually liked the non-pudding Jell-O pops better -- something about that thin ice crust over the sherbet interior. Sadly, those haven't been resurrected.
Refrigerator Purchase Anyone have a Samsung, an LG, a Kenmore, or a Whirlpool Gold French Door Refrigerator?
I have (I think) the exact Samsung in your picture, and I've been quite happy with it. Purchased in September 2008, no problems at all.
My only complaints are that the ice dispenser is *loud* when it drops ice into the hopper, and the water filter cartridges are expensive. However, the filter is bypassed when you remove it, so a cheaper inline filter would be an option.
Can I make induction work in my kitchen?
You already have a vent under the counter -- my guess is it already goes into that external wall behind the cooktop. I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I suspect you could tie an over-the-range vent into it without much fuss.
You'd lose a bit of space inside your cabinet to the duct, but a slim slide-out hood like this would probably retrofit without much visual distraction:
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=JV960SCBR
I love my Sodastream fizzy water machine
Probably worth noting that Bed Bath and Beyond is now carrying new and exchange canisters, as well as soda mix.
Quite happy with my unit, though I don't use it constantly. For me the motivator was the hassle of lugging home bottles of water and not having them on hand when I wanted them, more than the cost.
When I experiment with syrups and whatnot, I tend to decant into glass bottles with Grolsch-style closures, acquired from Ikea at very low cost.
Pho n' rice tonight - meh.
I'm a pretty frequent patron of Pho'n'Rice, and while they do seem to have off days, they are the exception. I haven't noticed a useful pattern, except that the fresh rolls with shrimp are usually pre-made, but if you order 'em with pork, they're made up fresh.
the "Mi Hoanh Thanh" -- pronounce it -- is pork wonton soup. Usually it has really substantial slices of pork, plus those crunchy skin bits. So definitely something off.
