JetSmooth's Profile

Le Creuset is one of those things I totally lust after in the kitchen. I have a spatula form them, but it's not the same. :)

We just recently made homemade mayo (with pastured local eggs, unpasturized cider vinegr and some great olive oil). The recipe had us mix in a half-teaspoon of sauerkraut brine, and sit it out for 6 hours before putting in the fridge. Supposedly extends the refrigerated live from 1-3 weeks to upwards of 6.

While I can appreciate that the "pulp" goes back into compost or feeding cattle (what about the chlorine?), it seems like a waste to me. Carrots have become basically another uneccessarily processed food. (Don't get me started on pre-peeled bananas.)

We get our carrots from a local farm, soil and all. Plus, we get the bonus of carrot tops, which are great for soups!

My wife makes spinach, banana, orange smoothies in our Blendtec (YES! It blends!). Leftovers are put into "take and toss" cups and frozen.

We thaw them slightly and chop up with a fork before giving them to my two-year-old. For the longest time, his favorite "ice cream" flavor was spinach. ;)

I've had a pretty decent chai at a buffet place in downtown Baltimore. Can't recall the name. It was VERY peppery. My Indian friend told me--for what it's worth--she thought it was lychee.

Shouldn't a site called "unpluggd" include a non-electric coffe maker like a Moka Pot. Or, if you MUST focus on the gadgetry, the aeropress?

As a general rule, I'm generally not a fan of fruity beers. Boston Beer Co.'s Samual Adams Blackberry Witbeir comes across like cough syrup to me.

On the other hand, there are some good and restrained examples and I think they have their place. Hell or high Watermelon, which you listed, was extremely refreshing this past weekend when I fired up my BBQ smoker for some ribs and chicken. (BBQ-law mandates that a beer shall be opened upon first setting flame to charcoal.)

I wasn't clear on your opinion. However, for me, as the first beer of a long day outside tending the Big Green Egg, the slight watermelon flavor and moderate alcohol was perfect in setting the mood.(http://smokebubbles.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/i-had-to-get-one-smoke-on-the-egg-in-july/)

I also use fruited beers in my cooking frequently. Our Thanksgiving turkey this year, aside from also being done on the Big Green Egg (noticing a pattern here?), was basted with Spoetzl Brewery's Shiner Cheer, an “Old world dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and roasted pecans”. This complimented the apple glaze perfectly! We also used it in the gravy instead of white wine. (http://smokebubbles.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/beer-it-makes-for-one-smokin-turkey-2/)

Some brewers just get how to gently introduce fruit (like you mention) to support or enhance the base beers while others get heavy-handed and try to make the fruit the feature of the beer (I'm looking at you Jim Koch.)

I was going to echo the galvanized steel warning. As a homebrewer and BBQ tinkerer, I always avoid galvanized hardware when building equipment.

Definitely check the food-grade safety of anything you pick up at the hardware store prior to using in food prep.

I trust everyone is okay after this one party, though.

As a homebrewer, I often struggle with storage options for my completed beers. My last batch was a Belgian ale traditionally bottled in 750 ML bottles with corks. I had about 70 bottles. I sure could have used these to help store them on unused shelves in my basement. As it was, I squirrelled bottles all over the house, wherever they would fit.

My wife and I bought a Blendtec blender (YES! It BLENDS!) and have done all sorts of things in it. One of the best has been fresh peanut butter. Not this recipe (no cocoa, sugar, etc), and it was rather thin. One thing we're oging to try with our next bathc is add a little coconut oil, which is solid at room temp and should stiffen up the butter somewhat. If I remember, I'll report back on how it works.