[aaronatthedoublef]

This is very sad. There are many people involved in the production of something like this and to shut it down because of the bad actions of one host is terrible.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Interesting. We get big (50lb+) cuts. No sides of beef that I've seen but we also do not have the room to store them or break them down. But we will get an entire rib cage. They offered to teach me how to use the band saw and break things down but I have to admit to being a little intimidated. It's also incredibly loud and no one wears ear protection. If you were using the same thing in a wood shop you'd have your ears covered.

We have shanks every week if not every day. Usually beef and lamb and sometimes pork. We always have bones in the freezer from the meet we cut. Yesterday we even had pork jowl which I have never seen except on a living pig.

We're far from perfect but the thing I like about the place I work and the store where I shopped before I started working is that there are people who are passionate about what they do. It's a mission for them and they take pride in what they do. There are not a lot of grocery stores around here like that.

And there are some folks in grocery who know nothing about what is in the baking aisle and tell customers that there is no real difference between cake flour and AP flour but I am working on that. 😉

[aaronatthedoublef]

I cannot speak to all Whole Foods but as much as we try to have them consistent they vary from store to store. Even in my town we have two WFMs within a mile of each other and they still have differences because of size of store and staff. I was listening to my butchers yesterday and they said the former manager used to rush the meat of the dry-aged case before it was ready. Our current boss insists it sit there at least 21 days which the butchers there say is the minimum amount of time necessary to properly dry age beef (I haven't done any research into it). So one person can make a big difference.

It's surprising that a town in Nebraska would not have fantastic meat counters.

Len, my grandfather worked for years in the Stockyards hauling those sides of beef around. It was not easy on him and he died young.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I watched the two hours and the very end of the last episode annoyed me. I've become disenchanted with the "Survivor" method of someone leaving at the end of each show. A NASCAR type scoring system would be different and might be an improvement. At the end of the second hour Johnny was talking about the person who was sent home (I won't spoil it) and said that the person came onto the show to become a better baker but "never got his feet underneath him". The person was only on the show for two weeks. Of course he "never got his feet underneath him".

If it's about becoming a better baker then let everyone stay the entire show and compete against each other for the run of the series. There would be better character development and more story lines and it would be better for everyone.

Paul Hollywood has toned down his personality some now that he is not playing off Mary Berry. I do miss her.

And I love the football player host. He just loves to eat and does not worry about how much or how fattening things are. It's great to see someone just enjoy the food these folks make each week.

[aaronatthedoublef]

For some reason the link keeps taking me to "Reply to Swiss Chard".

[aaronatthedoublef]

Interesting... I've been working behind the meat counter at Whole Foods for about a month. For some cuts - NY strip, ribeyes, porterhouse, we generally cut thicker. I put some in the cooler that were about two inches the other day.

We will also cut to order and when people ask for something they usually ask for an inch.

Some of our beef is from grass fed cattle but most of it is not.

[aaronatthedoublef]

BA - Thanks for all the tips. I used disposable aluminum pie tins. I have so Pyrex ones that I may try but I started the disposable tins when I was taking pie to other people and I've just stuck with it. my dough was a little wetter than normal this year and I rolled it out on parchment then flipped it from the parchment into the tin. Like you I am a crust fan. Both of my crusts were the softest I remember them being. I also placed the tins on sheet pans. That will slow the browning of the crust and, as the blind bake article points out, it makes it easier to put the tin into and take it out of the oven.

I did try the sugar though I agree it is wasteful I was a little desperate. In the past I've used beans and pennies (which probably heat up too fast) and I've used parchment, foil, and even a second tin. A second tin is okay so long as you do not care about a nice, crimped edge which I really want for a Thanksgiving pie.

I have new things to try next time.

As for the turkey it was good. I just needed to follow my own advice about when to take it out next time. But my sis-in-law who was very kind to help is a chickenologist (poultry scientist actually) and has cooked more turkeys than I so I followed her advice. Next time I will keep my own counsel. One good thing I read online was that if you do not have a rack to place the turkey on but want a crisp bottom cut up some vegetables, place them on the bottom of the pan, and place the turkey on the vegetables. We used carrots, potatoes, and onions and they tasted EXCELLENT!

[aaronatthedoublef]

This was my p-week. I made pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and pizza... The big problem I ran into was shrinkage! My pumpkin pie is the classic pumpmkin pie from the KAF big baking book. It's crust was not blind baked and the pie actually looked nice. I had good crimped edges that held up. I cover it with foil after about 30 minutes so it did not overly brown and I was not embarrassed to serve it.

The pecan pie was another story. This is also from the KAF Big Baking Book. I cannot figure out how to properly blind bake for the life of me. I eve followed the six tips on Serious Eats HERE and my crust was still an embarrassment. I did chill both crusts before putting them in the oven but maybe I need to do it longer.

The other problem was that pumpkin pie definitely and pecan pie to a lesser degree need to bake at least a day ahead of when they are served. But since my wife decided to use the kitchen as her office and has non-stop conference calls it is very hard to find a a time to make them. So I was up early Thanksgiving morning and had them done by 11. They tasted good but not as good as they tasted Friday.

I also cooked my first turkey. I kept it simple and it was a small 9.5 lb bird. I listened to my wife and sister-in-law about when to take it out and I should have trusted my own instincts. The white meat was a little dry but the skin was crisp and it only took about 2.5 hours.

[aaronatthedoublef]

BA, you are lucky you only have to worry about chocolate in plan site. The scavengers in my house ferret it out wherever it is!

[aaronatthedoublef]

Len is right, aluminum is reactive so acid or high enough heat may cause changes in the foil.

I have 18 & 12 inch wide aluminum. I use the 18 inch to cover pans to make clean up easier. I will still put parchment on the foil on the pans to make things stick less.

Aluminum used to be thought to contribute to Alzheimer's but that research was faulty and has been discredited. It still seems to be floating around the internet. Not sure if there is any other health hazard that has been pointed out but I'll do some research.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Friday I made my mom's molasses cookies. She always called them ginger snaps and they have always been one of my favorite cookies. I am not sure why I only make them this time of year.

This morning (Saturday) I made biscuits. My wife is out of town and she is not a big biscuit fan which is one of the reasons I made them. I also haven't made them in a while. My kids were happy.

I want to try to make meringues this afternoon but I'm not sure I will get to the store and to the meringues.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I made chicken nuggets (or chicken maggots as my 4 year old calls them). This time I used BBQ sauce (it was a Kansas City sauce which may have been part of the problem) and panko bread crumbs.

I will try buttermilk and mayonnaise in separate batches. My oldest liked them, my middle did not, at least partly because of the BBQ sauce. My 4 year old would not eat them but can you blame her for not wanting to eat "chicken maggots"?

Thanks for the suggestions on quickening these up.

[aaronatthedoublef]

We've had a couple bats. The first one hid in the house for a week before we saw it again and caught it. We all went through a round of rabies shots which are inconvenient and expensive.

The second time we saw it I snagged it in a towel - apparently its claws get hooked in the terry cloth loops. I then put it outside for animal control.

We've had all sorts of creatures through our yard - coyotes, foxes, wolves, bobcats, and something that left major claw marks in my trash bins (I'm guessing raccoons). Some of my neighbors have seen bear. And we live in a fairly urban area. So it doesn't take being in the woods.

Reading about geckos, I had friends in Boston who had salamanders or chameleons (can't remember which) running loose in their apartment because they kept out the cockroaches better than any other trap.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by aaronatthedoublef.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Sorry IC, for not responding and thanks, Mike for following up. The vanilla Mike described is what I have from Costco and it is good. I think I have a couple more pints but wish I'd bought more. Still, as Len says, compared to other places it's a pretty good price right now.

I may buy some of the Walmart cheap stuff just to test and if it's good I'll let everyone know.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Len, I did find vanilla for $16/pint at Walmart. I cannot vouch for the quality but it is real vanilla.

Costco is $24-25 and it is pretty good.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by aaronatthedoublef.

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