What I learned today

[Jenise]

I'm sure it was but you said "diets don't work" and I couldn't let that all-inclusive statement stand. Never joined WW because the whole points-counting thing just wasn't for me--I cook, and I had a social life--and neither, technically, is "joining" anything. Meetings? Spare me. I also disagreed with their approach that made a fresh apple was evil as a candy bar. But I know it worked for many as it worked for you. And from afar it seems they've corrected their system to reward healthy choices--no points, and now apples are free but candy bars are not. That's as it should be.

Sur La Table is having a good sale on premium cookware (and a bunch of other things): https://www.surlatable.com/sale/

Of course, my eye was immediately drawn to... https://www.surlatable.com/staub-burnt- ... cat2211269

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Sur La Table is having a good sale on premium cookware (and a bunch of : other things): https://www.surlatable.com/sale/

Of course, my eye was immediately drawn to... https://www.surlatable.com/staub-burnt- ... cat2211269

[Jenise]

What I learned today--read it, but not tried it!--is that soaking uncooked dry noodles in cold water for 20 minutes is an excellent way to build a lasagna.

A particular source on IG occasionally makes and rates 4-6 recipes from established sources for a common dish. In the article I read last night, it was Ina Garten vs. Giada vs. Martha vs. someone on AllRecipes.com. The winner? Ina, for two reasons apart from the fact that it just tasted great: the use of turkey sausage as the meat, and the cold soak of the noodles. Apparently Martha's recipe used the dry noodles straight out of the box and it didn't work out as well as Ina's for very little extra time and effort. If I weren't dieting, I'd be on that tomorrow.

You can still make it while dieting, tweak it up, use zucchini slabs for the noodles, a low sodium sauce, ground turkey, or chicken, just spice it up. Use a low-fat cheese. I used to buy a low-fat. cheddar that was darn good, and also a Jack. Cannot find them in the store I shop in anymore. Not what you want to cook because you want to try that soaking thing, but a good substitute for your diet needs, and with your expertise in cooking it will be great.

This is one I used, very good and has good reviews, as well
https://www.dakinfarm.com/Cabot-Sharp-E ... ,3247.html

[Jenise]

Karen, your heart's in the right place but much as I like zucchini there just ain't no way I want to eat lasagna without real noodles. I'm a carbaholic and it's gotta be real pasta or none. Btw, I've never tasted a low-fat cheese I liked. Once upon a time when Bob and I were dating my soon-to-be MIL showed up from Texas and decided to make dinner for us--her macaroni and cheese which she swore Bob loved. It was one of the worst things I ever ate. She used low-fat cheese which didn't didn't melt or meld, it just turned into hard little loogies that floated about and provided no authentic cheese flavor. It was, in a word, disgusting. Another friend later made something similar with a similar disgusting result. There's just no point and both experiences underscore my belief in eating what you love, just in moderation. But some substitutes just don't cut it.

Sorry about your experience, I used the Kraft brand of extra sharp cheddar, and their Jack cheese, which is the same as the full fat but uses 2% milk. It tasted great and melted beautifully. I have never used poor quality foods for my foods and never will. Maybe, over the past years, they have changed their ingredients, like many companies have done. I have not been able to find it or the Colby, low fat. So now I cut back on the amount of cheese or use another cheese that is lower in calories. I see them available online but it is still too warm in Redding for me to order shipped.
Also, I substituted zucchini slabs in our family lasagne recipe and it was great. I also make a delicious beef pho soup and have substituted the rice noodles with spiralized zucchini, very tasty, we loved it.

I have not had good experiences with spiral zucc or spiral butternut but zucchini lasagna is just fine. Like moussaka, you need to dehydrate the zucc strips before using. They don't chew like pasta but they're good in a different way.

I think the troubles I've had with the spiral-cut stuff is that I just cannot get it fresh enough in my stores.

You are right Jeff, it has to be fresh and usually, the ones that are smaller with fewer seeds do best. I really like it and have used it in place of pasta several times. It is a pain to pull it out of the pantry and get it set up, or I would use it more. I still like to cook, but not fuss as much as I once did.

What I learned yesterday, because of a conversation Jenise and I had regarding low-fat cheeses, and because I have NEVER used pre-shredded cheese of any kind, I learned that the pre-shredded has ingredients in it to prevent clumping and also prevents the cheese from melting properly. I wonder if that is the issue with the cheeses Jenise experienced. I also learned a lot about cheeses that are very high in calories and those that are suitable for those of us who need to watch our weight. I was delighted to find out that feta is on that list as it is a cheese I use a lot. I also learned about cheeses which are toxic, most had French names and I had never heard of them. Swiss cheese is also good for us calorie watchers and I do love that cheese as well. Fun reading and learning.

[Jenise]

Karen, no in this case: the experiences I mentioned pre-date the invention of pre-shredded cheese, which is an abomination. The lack of freshness and the anti-clumping agents on what was lousy cheese to begin with make them terrible products if you care about texture and flavor. But, toxic French cheeses? Can 80 million Frenchmen be wrong? The U.S. government doesn't allow the importation of unpasteurized cheeses which disallows a majority of young French cheeses--sadly. But that doesn't actually mean they're unsafe. I've often wondered if that wasn't just something trumped up to prevent competition for American cheese.

Interesting reading...I'm no cheese expert so cannot speak to any of this, but I am sure someone can.
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/franc ... r-dare-try

The U.S. government doesn't allow the importation of unpasteurized cheeses which disallows a majority of young French cheeses--sadly. But that doesn't actually mean they're unsafe. I've often wondered if that wasn't just something trumped up to prevent competition for American cheese.

The ban on import of unpasteurized cheese was instigated by the US dairy lobby. The excuse for the ban is to prevent bacterial disease (brucellosis, IIRC). No such ban exists on domestically-produced unpasteurized cheeses. It's pure protectionism.

There is a grey market for unpasteurized French cheeses. One aspect of French culture is their contempt for silly government regulations, of which they have many. I was in an area cheese shop some years ago when I saw epoisses for sale that wasn't from Berthaut--one of the only producers willing to make pasteurized epoisses for the US market. I asked the shopkeeper if the cheese was unpasteurized and he said yes. I asked how he had managed to get it imported. He said that once the producer realized that he was not being asked to make pasteurized epoisses, but merely to say that on the export application form in order to get around a silly government rule, he was willing to do that.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Karen, that website you found is a ridiculous hit job! Such hystrionics! Epoisses is a favorite among cheese connisseurs including me. The idea of it being illegal to travel with in France is absurd and not supported by any other website about it, including Wikipedia and in fact the cheesemakers in Burgundy where I myself have bought the cheese. (I also adore Muenster.)

What I learned yesterday, because of a conversation Jenise and I had regarding low-fat cheeses, and because I have NEVER used pre-shredded cheese of any kind, I learned that the pre-shredded has ingredients in it to prevent clumping and also prevents the cheese from melting properly.

As I recall, mfrs use cellulose, potato starch, etc. to prevent clumping.

Good to know Jenise, I shall stop posting sites I find on the Internet with wrong information. As I said I am not an expert on cheese, only know what I love and what works for me.

[Jenise]

Good to know Jenise, I shall stop posting sites I find on the Internet with wrong information. As I said I am not an expert on cheese, only know what I love and what works for me.

Well, you got unlucky. That one was particularly not just false, but inflammatory. Can't imagine what her purpose was in posting such drivel. I would think googling Epoisses you'd hear from all kinds of people who love stinky cheeses and hold Epoisses in the highest esteem. Btw, when I first met Bob, these cheeses just about made him pass out with revulsion. He called them, categorically, "Jenise's mummy cheese". Now he loves them too.

[Jenise]

Today I learned that there's something called a French Taco. Here's the story (from Eater.com):

Before you get too excited, it’s important to understand: This is not the delicate, sophisticated cuisine Americans normally associate with France. It consists of French fries, cheddar cheese, cheese sauce, chipotle sauce, caramelized onions, and meat (or meats) wrapped in a big flour tortilla and cooked on a panini press. It’s the kind of thing a Taco Time employee would make after having four beers, or a college kid would consume after having six beers. It’s called a French tacos (even one is a “tacos”), and it has basically nothing to do with actual tacos, or Mexico.

French tacos, according to an exhaustive New Yorker story from 2021, probably originated in the suburbs of Lyon and were probably invented by people of North African descent. Its origins are murky, but in the last two decades the dish has become a bona fide craze in France and surrounding countries — it’s the kind of carb-and-meat-heavy, grab-and-go item that appeals to a diner’s lizard brain — and also attracted controversy; some Mexicans in France have accused the whole phenomenon of being a case of cultural appropriation.

A pair of Frenchmen in Seattle are trying to bring the phenomenon to America (via a ghost kitchen).

[Jenise]

Another thing, even more useless, that I learned today is that rapper Eminem has launched a bottled spaghetti sauce, supposedly his mother's recipe and what, per the comments I read on line, he's apparently famous for vomiting during performances.

French tacos, according to an exhaustive New Yorker story from 2021, probably originated in the suburbs of Lyon and were probably invented by people of North African descent. Its origins are murky, but in the last two decades the dish has become a bona fide craze in France and surrounding countries — it’s the kind of carb-and-meat-heavy, grab-and-go item that appeals to a diner’s lizard brain — and also attracted controversy; some Mexicans in France have accused the whole phenomenon of being a case of cultural appropriation.[/i]

And the French worry about whether I call my fizzy wine "champagne", eh?

Another thing, even more useless, that I learned today is that rapper Eminem has launched a bottled spaghetti sauce, supposedly his mother's recipe and what, per the comments I read on line, he's apparently famous for vomiting during performances.

Well he has a song 'Puke' where he sometimes pretends to vomit into a toilet as part of his stage performance. The spaghetti sauce relates to one of his most famous lines - from another song - where he talks about an aspiring rapper vomiting on himself with mom's spaghetti: "His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti..." That was from the movie 8 Mile.

Charming. Don't think I'll be looking for this product= from their website:
For the most legitimate Mom's Spaghetti pasta, pull some pre-cooked spaghetti from the fridge and reheat in a frying pan while adding your Mom's Spaghetti sauce ... It’s ready when the noodles have a bit of a snap and the sauce is heated to taste ... That's how you get a great leftover taste the first time around! Add powdered parm ...

I've certainly carried Epoisse on the Metro. Agree that non-pasteurized domestic cheeses are not somehow "less dangerous" that imported, it's just protectionism. Some Parisian fromageries have food-saver vacuumsealers to prepare for your flight.

I like French food, I like tacos, I like fries.....but I have never understood the idea of fries inside a wrap or sandwich.

One-hit wonder and genuinely weird person Tiny Tim's diet consisted mainly of spaghetti sauce.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Rahsaan, you are so cool. You could even quote the lyrics!