Ask the A2K cooks!

Yes, that makes a lot of sense for a one person household, osso. The number of times you cook way more than what's needed for just one meal for one person, but don't want to have to eat minestrone all week .......

I wouldn't mind one myself. But I'd have to get onto the labeling thing a lot more diligently, though! Lots of very mysterious things in that small freezer of mine!

I gave a pair of the smaller knives on the spectrum in that link as a wedding present, since when the bride and another friend visited me and we all wandered around Ferndale for a day, she admired the knives - plus she is something of a long time foodie (not as long in the tooth as I am, dammit) and was marrying a (pretentious son of a bitch) foodie. They were of course dumbfounded, knives as a gift. But the gourmet brother of the groom said, "Yes!, best of the gifts", she told me, so I was absolved.

She's the one who told me later she couldn't relate to her friends any more, we all led such small lives.

So, I might enjoy ordering the tiniest of the knives for myself, since I liked them in the first place. But no, I've enough bills.

Back to what I might like to have in the kitchen, after some more thought - a meat grinder. I hung on to my mother's for quite a while but finally gave it away. Now I'd like to have one again.

You mean one of those old fashioned ones that you attach to the bench & turn the handle, osso?

We have 2 small freezers, one in the pantyry and one in the basement. We had a huuge mother that was never full after the kids grew up and out. We got one small one and kept it full and the other one is mostly off except in peak veggie and fruit pie filling seasons.

Now we are doing apple filling and , IOHO (In our humble opinions) if you cook up the pie filling and then freeze it for a while, the pie is more "appley". I cant describe it but the pie filling has got a homemade flavor that is superior to fresh apples. Its sorta the same thing with tomato sauces made from fresh tomatoes v that made from jarred tomatoes. (Jarred is better in a sauce except for sweetening when you can add several fresh tomatoes)

Am I making sense here?

Makes sense to me. I know that in the tomato example, you end up sort of pre-concentrating the flavour intensity a bit. I think that's what would make the apple pie filling that's been briefly frozen be more "appley".

we tried it with chopped clams , whew!! that was vile and pastey.
(We love corn clam pie)

EWvery year (cept this one) I have enough tomatoes to put in a dehydrator.These I cover with a K salt and some garlic powder. They make what we call "T'mater Chips"
I strobgly endorse em, and they are full of that good stuff that the TV guys are always hocking.

Dehydrators tempt me now and again. I'd make dehydrated green bean "chips". I spend too much money on those at the bulk barn.

They are easily made, but I got mine from Sears about 20 years ago and I replaced a fan a few years ago. These things are great.

Exactly..

Canadian Tire is carrying a dehydrator by Salton. It's @ $50. The low price makes me a little leery actually. I hear good things about the Excaliber but it's more expensive and I've never seen one in Canada.

I am getting a dehydrator before next years garden yields.

Do you know what brand you're getting Alex?

Hello Tai Chi. How are you?
This is the one I want.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/ProductDisplay?sid=IDx20070921x00003h&vName=Appliances&screenName=&mergeStatus=false&relogonURL=LogonForm%3fstoreId%3d10153%26catalogId%3d12605&catalogId=12605&sName=Specialty&errorCode=&cName=SmallKitchenAppliances&storeId=10153&psid=PRICEGRABBER01&partNumber=00884660000P

Wow, that's really nice -- makes the Salton look even more of a toy. Thanks alex. (I obviously have to do some research.)

(And I'm well, thanks, in spite of the spirit-dampening weather. Are you seeing any sunshine?)

nice, but I could buy a LOT of green beans for that kind of change

hmmm, it is nice

You dont need a dehydrator that requires a mortgage. The thing is nothing but a small heater circuit with a humidity /temp controller (about 1.49$ at radio Shack), and many of them just use a IR bulb for the heat source. Mine has a small computer style fan and the whole thing is in an enameled metal case with several metal screen shelves.

I think mine cost like 39.95 twenty years ago and it works fine to this day. Wwe just bag it up and put it on its own shelf in the basement when were done making veggie and dried fruit.

A cheap one works as well as an expensive one. The only differences is that the makers try to prey on your sense of "Style"

Ive made moose or salmon jerky in ours and it would be running for a week or more.

,.....it is a ducks world here today (pitter patter rain all day long),....no complaints, the fish are biting, and the snow isn't flying yet,...no no complaints.

Plus. Rain over ruled alarm clock.

mmmmmm duuck.

Not so long ago, osso, those old meat grinders could be found (unused, of course) in just about every home. Where are they all now, I wonder?

As for dehydrators, we are getting into very sophisticated territory here! I'm out of my depth, I'm afraid.