tasterspoon's Profile
| Display Name: | tasterspoon |
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| Member Since: | 4/16/08 |
Latest Comments...
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Yes, my grandmother thought it tasted like soap and both she and my husband can taste a leaf, one part to a million. But my husband hates all green herbs, including mint and basil, which makes me Sad. I make two versions of a lot of things; fortunately they're an element you usually add last. Do You Hate Cilantro? It May Be Genetic. Gizmodo |
5/24/12 5:39 PM |
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In my transition from college to adulthood to family life, I had a blender, then a mini prep food processor (gift), then an immersion blender (hand me down), then a food processor (wedding gift). That progression worked for me and I recommend it, though a multitasker like the immersion blender that also has a blender jar or processor attachment could be a great way to go. I still use my blender more than any of the other items. Should I Buy a Food Processor or an Immersion Blender?Product & Shopping Questions |
5/24/12 5:09 PM |
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I don't want to add to the negative nellies, so let me phrase this as an honest question that is not meant to be a pointed criticism of this family: is it not disrespectful to use a nation's flag to put your butts/feet/dogs on? As much as I'm on board with free speech, I thought there was an understanding, at least in the U.S., that you don't let an American flag fly at night without a light on it, sit out in the rain, slide into disrepair, appear on clothing in 'compromising' locations (e.g. the butt of jeans) or touch the ground (a crafty friend blogged one she had made one into a bag and was flamed because of that likely possibility). Am I just old fashioned and out of touch, and/or does this understanding not apply with respect to the flags of other countries? The Roeders' Modern Life is Beautiful House Tour |
5/24/12 2:42 PM |
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The scented toilet paper holder story is hilarious. So many of mine have been triggered by others' comments. This is such a great thread. What Impressed You About Other Homes As a Kid? |
5/22/12 5:43 PM |
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My memories are somewhat different, and I now realize we must have had a terrible freezer - I remember parties meant my father with an ice pick and hammer, trying to dislodge enough for a drink from the iceberg that had formed in our bucket of accumulated cubes. How to Make Perfect Cocktail Ice with a Pair of Jeans |
5/10/12 1:39 PM |
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I have a jar problem. My husband loves this one kind of pickle (Milwaukee's) that comes in big, 32 oz jars that have a narrow mouth. I've been keeping them because it pains me to throw them away, and by now we have DOZENS, but they're really not very useful. They're not great for stock because the mouth is too narrow for easy fat skimming and because you can't get frozen stock out easily. I put craft supplies in some but they're too big for the small amounts of such items one usually collects and the small mouth, again, makes them impossible to reach into. Ditto spices. They're just so big.
5 Decorative Uses for the Versatile Glass Jar in the Kitchen |
4/23/12 1:21 PM |
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Also, maybe not ESSENTIAL, and a total unitasker, but we got the Baker's Edge pan for our wedding and it's the only way I make brownies any more. (I like the idea of making lasagna in it, but assembly seems too fiddly so I never have.) The Kitchn's Guide to Essential Baking Pans Setting Up a Kitchen |
4/19/12 5:45 PM |
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A silpat/exopat or similar silicone sheet liner. You'll never have to grease a cookie sheet again! To be able to cook things that would ordinarily stick, from meatballs to those lacey shredded cheese things, to anything toffee-ish, oh the freedom! I use my silpats constantly. Relatedly, I suggest a cookie sheet with no edges (I guess the edges technically make it a jelly roll pan anyway?) or at least big enough so that your silpats will lie flat. The Kitchn's Guide to Essential Baking Pans Setting Up a Kitchen |
4/19/12 5:40 PM |
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I do like freezing dough balls so I can bake just 4 or so in the toaster oven. No long wait for preheating and I'm not tempted to eat more than I should. Baking Tip: Freeze Orphaned Cookie Dough for Later |
4/19/12 5:17 PM |
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Question: how much do you really have to plant to have real salads? I've tried this in the past with maybe one or two windowboxes' worth of seeds and have only been able to pick five or six leaves at a time, which does not a salad make. Maybe I'm not waiting long enough? Urban Farming Tip: Plant a Cut-and-Come-Again Salad Mix Windowbox |
4/19/12 4:28 PM |
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Lovely meditation and handsome table! The (lack of) finish is so inviting. I also get frustrated by wide tables, but worry that something smaller won't fit all the food (not to mention all the crapola we push aside when we're too lazy to clean before eating). We have a pretty small dining room that is round-ish and walk-through room and a hand-me-down round table that fits and has leaves for Thanksgiving purposes but doesn't look so hot - scratches and stains and burn marks and a homely varnish. Finding something custom is a brilliant solution. Telling Stories, Solving Puzzles: A Table to Gather Around |
4/19/12 4:23 PM |
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I agree with those who see it as a fun challenge as a cook. My finest hour was planning a New Year's Eve dinner party a few years ago - we had a couple of omnivores, a couple of vegans, a raw foodist (vegan), a raw meatist (only raw meat/dairy/eggs) and a celiac (gluten free). And someone who didn't like mushrooms! I wanted to make sure everyone could eat at least two dishes and that no one felt singled out with a specialty dinner. The raw meatist was the toughest; I got stuck after carpaccio but fortunately she traveled with her own stash of ground beef. It was a lot of dishes, but a LOT of fun. The Most Difficult Dinner Guest Ever: And 5 Delicious Meals To Feed Them |
4/11/12 1:21 PM |
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Sorry for the third post, but had to correct misinformation in my last one, the Foscam security camera "FI8910W", if you're interested, DOES convey sound. (If you don't want to scroll up, I was praising the fact that you can control it with your iPhone.) Nursery Nevers: Products You'd Never Purchase Again Nesting a Nursery |
4/5/12 4:01 PM |
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Practical question for those with bunk beds: how tall do your ceilings have to be? These rooms all look pretty tall, but it's hard to tell. I have a dream of future bunk beds, but we have eight foot ceilings and I want both kids to be able to sit up comfortably with a little headroom. Is there a rule of thumb for how much vertical space is good for a non-claustrophobic bunk bed? Three's Company: Tips for Creating Rooms for 3 Or More Kids |
4/5/12 3:48 PM |
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@Mandervince - as a growbag! That's genius! People seem to love their growbags but they're so expensive. 5 (Non-Furniture) Must-Haves the Next Time You Go to IKEA |
4/5/12 3:35 PM |
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Good tip on the fabric. I've been thinking I need oilcloth for some summer projects but am unenthused by the patterns online or the ones that are pretty are wicked expensive. My Latest List of 5 More (Non-Furniture) IKEA Must Haves |
4/5/12 3:30 PM |
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@Merilynch, that's the first thing I thought of! Dealing With the Unexpected in Furnished Rentals Well-Designed Travel |
4/5/12 3:20 PM |
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I was all hot to trot about getting chickens as soon as we bought a house with a yard - I even signed up for a local chicken email list, attended council meetings and signed petitions when I learned the house we wanted was in an area with chicken laws in flux...but now that we've settled, I just don't know. Home-Raised Eggs: Raising Chickens and Putting an Egg on Everything |
4/5/12 2:34 PM |
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Yeah, I thought the beef (ha) with boiling was that a lot of the vitamins in veggies (such as C) are water soluble, so that boiling leaches vitamins (as well, potentially, as flavor). But I do have much better luck boiling a big head of broccoli in a centimeter or so of water than I do steaming it, and it seems way quicker, even though it's not fully immersed, I don't know why. Bonus: no steamer basket to scrub! Vegetables, Rejoice: Boiling is Back! |
4/5/12 2:14 PM |
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I am going to file this away. We do try to leave something for our babysitter, but it stresses me out because I'm always rushing to get ready to leave (and part of the perk of going out is that I'm NOT supposed to be cooking that night)...and then she always leaves a pile of dishes in the sink, which I don't understand, since I never would have done that back in my day. But we'll keep having her since she lives just down the block. *sigh* What to Feed the Babysitter: 7 Ideas |
4/5/12 1:58 PM |