What I learned today

[Jenise]

I learned that Better Than Boullion makes a chipotle version whose jar looks pretty much must like the beef one. Guess how I figured this out.

Ouch!

[Jenise]

It's actually very good; I'll make use of it. But thank god I stuck my finger in it to taste before scooping heaping spoonfuls into the four quarts of stock I'd just spent 12 hours reducing.

I learned recently that my favorite brand of wonton skin works just as well when bought frozen as when bought fresh. I've had mixed experience in the past with trying to freeze raw pasta and noodle products. I was worried that freezing might harm the texture of the wonton skins or that the whole package might stick together after defrosting. I needn't have worried. The wonton skin packages defrost readily, the wrappers stay separate, and I could see no difference between them and ones purchased fresh. This is good news for me as all the local Asian groceries only carry frozen wonton and spring roll wrappers. I can only get fresh ones in Boston's Chinatown and that's a very inconvenient trip.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I've seen wonton skins frozen, usually suffering from freezer burn. Would avoid those but yes, they do freeze nicely if they're managed correctly.

Pretty much always have frozen wonton wrappers on hand. As long as packaging intact hold up very well.

So I previously wrote about my new love of radicchio- especially varieties beyond Treviso and Chiogga - Bel fiore, Castelfranco, and my new fave Sugarloaf . Few weeks ago the stand where I get them had a vegetable I'd never seen before - puntarelle. Looked like a weird cross between chicory, asparagus, anise, and romanesco. I had so much stuff I skipped, not having any idea what to do with it. So later at market ran into an Italian friend who was super excited that the market had puntarelle. Went back, sold out. Then at white truffle dinner the friend Tito was there regaling Betsy with tales of puntarelle. So I made sure to get some. Betsy made last night, I'm in vegetable love.

https://www.seriouseats.com/puntarelle- ... pe-7091445

Yes, puntarelle is great stuff. To me, it's pretty much just long-limb chicory but with better flavor. I've only ever seen it at Italian restaurants, not my local greenmarket.

Nice to see the vegetable love. I could be wrong, but I think Campo Rosso at Union Square grows puntarelle. Super high-quality stuff, although their prices are so "aggressive", they pass the threshold even for vegetable-loving me.

One of the best farmers in the Chapel Hill market used to grow puntarelle, which was always divine. But, am not sure I have super strong preferences for the different chicories/radicchios. I'm probably more swayed by the quality of the specific specimen.

[Jenise]

I love spray-on fats and recently purchased a brand called Chosen at Costco. Made of avocado oil, which I thought I'd prefer to the Canola in the Spectrum Organic that has been my favorite. As well, two canisters of the Chosen were about the same price as one same-sized Spectrum. I have this to share:

DO NOT BUY CHOSEN AVOCADO OIL SPRAY.

Where the Spectrum has a typical nozzle all women will recognize from the hair spray of our teenage years, the Chosen has a nozzle more like a fire extinguisher. You cannot target a single item--anything you point it at will broadcast a wide spray a foot either side of your target. It's absolutely ridiculous, and therefore unusable. I plan to return them.

[Jenise]

So last weekend I shopped at Costco and decided that a few Costco lasagnas ($18 for a pair of 3 lb casseroles) sounded like a good idea. Bob's health issues have become extremely complicated and I thought it might be a good idea to have something in the freezer that would produce a good meal with low effort on my behalf especially if we got stuck inside for days on end with the record-breaking cold temps coming.

Cooked one last night. BARF! Absolutely terrible. Lousy depth of flavor, poor textures (basically it consists of only two extra fat noodles) and very sweet. Neither of us finished our plate and I threw the remainder out.

That is awful and too bad that it was not edible. Years ago, one of the volunteers at RPD used to bring a Stoffer's Lasagne to special events. It was huge and was awesome. He proudly told me that he added extra sauce and cheese. I cannot say how many times we had it and everyone loved it. I still see it in grocery stores and have often wondered if it is still that good.

Just for fun, I checked out the reviews for Costco Lasagne, it seems there are a few varieties Many said they loved it, while others said Stoffers and Rao's are better. They also have a ravioli lasagne. You have a very sophisticated palate Jenise, why not make your own one rainy day and freeze them? Yes, that does not serve the purpose you were after, but it will satisfy your palate.

[Jenise]

Karen, I just don't have the freezer space for making/storing things like lasagna. If I did I'd probably fill it immediately and still wouldn't have room for a lasagna. I haven't had either of the others you mention. I am aware of Stauffers by brand name but haven't had that, nor did I realize that Rao's makes frozen food. I'd be interested in that, their jarred roasted garlic sauce is the first jarred spag sauce I've ever liked.

But yuck on Costco food. Typical of Costco, though, (and Trader Joe's, can't let them off the hook) to aim at the diabetic American palate for extra sugar (and salt and fat). We should all move to France where preservatives are outlawed.

Sorry that the Costco lasagna was so bad. To clarify, there are some food additives that are banned in EU but not US, and a couple of them (BHA and BHT) are preservatives. But EU certainly doesn't ban preservatives, especially salt!

[Jenise]

Sorry that the Costco lasagna was so bad. To clarify, there are some food additives that are banned in EU but not US, and a couple of them (BHA and BHT) are preservatives. But EU certainly doesn't ban preservatives, especially salt!

Well, no on salt, I knew that. I was mixing things a bit. But my French friends (I'm on a French cooking website where most of the others live in France, including some expats) all say that preservatives are banned. One mentioned one of their sons who came to the U.S. for college and whose health went downhill after getting here, which they blame on fast food, prepared food and preservatives. Probably partially right.

Then I think they are just wrong. Sorbates, sulfites, nisin, etc - all of the most common preservatives are legal (and common) in EU. There are a few additives that were banned a few years ago, but they aren't the most popular preservatives AFAIK. They were banned as possible carcinogens, not as general health risks.
I'm not defending the US diet, in general it is dreary. But I doubt the shit in French frozen sections is really significantly healhier than the US frozen shit.

I'm not defending the US diet, in general it is dreary. But I doubt the shit in French frozen sections is really significantly healhier than the US frozen shit.

Indeed. It's a common trope among Europeans to complain about getting sick from the food in America.

But my take is that the issue is the distribution of availability of crap vs. real food. They have plenty of crap in Europe, but real food is more widely available and easier to eat/find. In the US, you often have to go out of your way to eat a proper diet of real food, and they may not be prepared to do that/know how to do it when they first arrive in the US.

Probably particularly true of college students!

[Jenise]

But my take is that the issue is the distribution of availability of crap vs. real food. They have plenty of crap in Europe, but real food is more widely available and easier to eat/find. In the US, you often have to go out of your way to eat a proper diet of real food, and they may not be prepared to do that/know how to do it when they first arrive in the US.

Exactly. Add to that what a pleasure-seeking 18 year old college student might be living on and not admitting to Mom--hence me saying that blaming American food might only be "partially right".

When I was working I had a couple new to the US come into my office to inquire about being volunteers in our police volunteer program. They were a fascinating couple and I can't recall where they originated. The female told me they were loving their life in the US however she told me the buildings here in Redding were making her sick. I asked a few questions and she told me that during construction, materials here in the US are not used in her country. During the background check our sources were not able to confirm anything good or bad, and we could not bring them on board because of insurance and confidential issues. I did use them once for a public event, to assist with serving and seating, and was told that the issues with the wife had improved and her doctor said she was adapting to our area.
There was an out-of-state clothing store that came to Redding decades ago. It was a large, two-story newly constructed building. I was in there for about ten minutes when I suddenly felt ill and everything became very bright. I only knew I needed to get out into the fresh air. I called the store when I got home and the manager told me they had experienced the same issues with several customers. I never went back into that store and the store closed and left the area after 6 months.

[Jenise]

Yesterday I learned that Celtuce is the best vegetable none of us are using! It's been nagging at me at the Chinese groceries, they're attractive, long conical shaped stalks that you peel (heavily). Nutty in flavor, I julienned mine and simply dressed it with lemon juice and olive oil. You can cook with them but I went raw, making a composed salad with a nest of that to one side and some pickled beets I'd just made next to it, then sprinkled more olive oil, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds over the top. The sunflower seeds and the nutty taste really sang together. One stalk only made two modest servings.

Many of Fuchsia Dunlop's Sichuan recipes call for celtuce. Apparently it's very popular there as a crunchy vegetable. I've always used a substitute (celery, usually). I'll have to look out for celtuce next time I'm at our local Asian market.

-Paul W.

I love spray-on fats and recently purchased a brand called Chosen at Costco. Made of avocado oil, which I thought I'd prefer to the Canola in the Spectrum Organic that has been my favorite.

I prefer spray coconut oil over canola. Maybe a consideration.

[Jenise]

Haven't tried any spray coconut oils, Larry, haven't seen them to even consider it. I'll look for one now, though as I said the Spectrum Organic is a great product. It's flavorless, for a start. What a long way we've come from that horrible PAM stuff, that used to be the only option.

Pam was an awful product, I don't know how it was approved to be marketed. I use a spray on coconut oil by Field Day. It has a good sprayer and plays nice with non-stick pans. I recently bought a stainless steel small sprayer for olive oil but it is not what I had hoped. It squirts out rather than a nice fine spray like Field Day has.