Stephanie Barlow's Profile

@ AlisonCJ - I agree. Take a few extra seconds to peel bananas and wrap them in plastic before throwing in the freezer. For some reason, that extra step keeps me from freezing bananas immediately, so I just suffer through the peeling process when I have enough time to use them.

Tip on peeling frozen bananas: Chop off both ends and make a shallow cut down one side. Then, use the knife to cut right below the skin as you peel -- sort of like how you would cut the skin off a fish. This is much faster than attempting to peel a frozen banana as you would a fresh one.

@ Fondue - Sparkling cider sounds great over ice cream, I'll have to try that!

@ Elsa Macbebkin - I love this idea - much better than plain berries alone!

Dana, I had the same revelation during my last move. I realized I could count the number of times I ventured into my Gourmet archives in the 18 months I had lived in that apartment: zero! I let myself keep 5 or 6 and donated the rest. In my new apartment, besides my digital subscription to Gourmet Live, I'm cooking magazine free. Now, as far as cookbooks go, that's another story :-)

@fippss - Yes! Actually my egg cutter is from WMF as well. Love that shop! However, it doesn't look like this version is sold online.

@Christine M. - If cilantro is not your thing, try this with just the scallions. The lemon juice adds enough flavor to keep the vinaigrette tasty. Let us know how it is!

@JulesBeth - Absolutely!

@Brooklynnina - Yes, in the case of pot pies, I always freeze in aluminum tins or oven safe ceramic bowls. When I freeze in plastic, I let the food defrost for as long as I can either in the fridge (if I have more than an hour or two) or out on the counter if I'm pressed for time. If I'm really in a rush, I'll run lukewarm water over the outside of the container until the frozen food melts slightly and I can slide it out into a pan or glass microwave dish. And in a pinch, letting frozen meat sit in a pan of lukewarm (not hot) water will defrost it in no time. I use that method over microwave defrosting all the time!

I agree, it's pretty overwhelming to attempt to remove all plastic from your life. Like I said, plastic baggies and sport water bottles (even if they are BPA free) are pretty essential in my life. But I do think it's smart to limit my use of other plastics like food storage containers when glass containers are a fairly easy substitute. As for recommendations for glass containers that don't have plastic lids, I'm at a loss. I'd avoid filling them to the brim and not worry about the lids. Does anyone have any glass storage container favorites?

Sara, love this! I miss seeing Sara and tasting all of the test kitchen mishaps (an extra pound cake, an experimental batch of fresh potato chips or ice cream) in the office at Gourmet. Never failed to brighten my day!

@ Mid-C Frank - True, LA isn't quite a "traditional" city, but many more residents have cars, and easier means of transporting groceries, than people who live in NYC. I think it's far more traditional in the US for people to drive to the local grocery store, buy items for the week, and load them into their car. More power to those of you who walk to your local store - I have a routine of grocery shopping at a few specialty stores in my neighborhood but in inclement weather and when I'm buying a large number of items, I turn to delivery.

@ happycamper2168 - Oh, I feel your pain. I used to live in a 5th floor walk-up and those extra stairs at the end of a shopping trip really kill you!

@ifrozeup - The plate was a gift from Anthropologie a few years ago. Check their site for similar designs!