Food questions you have been wondering about

really? well, we weren't sober folk, but the morning champ didn't go further that one of those whatchacallits, flumes? fleurs? flames? y'know, the slim glasses. But that's interesting, that athletes went there.

I was dealing more with an irish playwright husband (no aspersions, I'm irish) and his older friends, that is, my age, who would come to the house with irish whisky and so on, but later, later, not in the morning, say 8 pm, and they would settle in until the night wore on.

Some here know about my touchiness about Theater. I don't care how wonderful it is, I don't want to hear one more word.

That is slightly after the fact. I was perhaps too supportive, certainly with money, and with letting our home be the talk den. But partly I loved it.
I just wish it wasn't a series of soliloquies instead of great conversations.

hell, I was just a bum in graduate school, with an overabundance of knowledge about ethanol.

We cross posted, farmerman.

I bring this up since I liked my last line...

Great observation - but playwrights = ego trippers!

Directors, worse that playwrights. Actors..... don't get me started.

In truth, I am sure many of these folk are fine people and I speak partly in jest. My playwright husband was actually a fairly quiet guy. But the actors, lordloveaduck.

I took garlic supplements and tried to peel garlic one day and it gave me burns on my skin. I had to discontinued taking garlic supplements. Now I just keep my garlic intake at a reasonable level.

Not sure if the garlic peels have an actual taste but they would change the texture of something. I prefer garlic peeled I guess for most culinary applications. I used to years ago have to peel a whole bag of garlic at this restaurant I worked at. I would take this bag of garlic home at night and bring the peeled garlic in the next morning. Fun fun fun...

Since the earlier time of this thread I've since tried to cook garlic peels separately and they remain something I'd pick out of the soup. On the other hand, my old business partner ate shrimp shells, something I can't imagine, so people may differ.

Rex, I peel garlic almost every day, no big deal. It really burned your skin?

On the value of peels, I wonder. I think much has been said somewhere about the peel holding a bunch of nutrients in various plants.

On peeling garlic; if the skin is stuck and being a pain, put the cloves in a microwave for ten to twenty seconds only. The skin literally falls off.

Builder, hmmm.

Me, I have no problem getting rid of garlic skin, was more wondering if it could be edible, or, at best, delicious. Hmmmm, panfried garlic skins... to what avail? Possibly good?

Your microwave suggestion would probably work for those garlic I planted back in north north California, the ones with the hard to peel skins.

Thinking of fried artichoke flower in Rome. I've a photo somewhere...

beats any potato chip..

so, going from there, what about fried/sauteed garlic skins?

The skins just look papery and too thin to hold any flavour.

Garlic that is imported from China often has skins that are stuck and hard to peel. I used to squash them to peel them, but a chef friend told me about the microwave trick.

Ever eaten pepitas? If you like any kind of nuts, you'll love these. Lightly pan-fried in olive oil, with vege salt, yummeeeeeeeeeeee.

Sure, I like pepitas, well, of course....

My step-dad was actually told by his doctor to eat them for his prostate troubles. Not sure if raw is better, but I think you could live on pepitas if you had to.

I'm going through an adjustment, builder. Have moved in the last, oh, seven years, from the Los Angeles coastal area, to the extreme north of California by the coast (redwood country with fog) to New Mexico, a land of vast beauty but much less bounty. The southern california area - which is what I really know - is not all that much different from some areas in Australia (which I gather you are from.)

I misspeak, in that my area now does have bounty, of sorts. Not a hell of a lot of fresh stuff locally, though.

I'm on the Sunshine Coast, in the hinterland. Very green and bountiful.



The local markets have produce that is not found in the stores. I like that. Trying new foods is cool. Like Papinos, and there's loads of Rambutans and even a few Jackfriuts.

btw garlic may do nothing to reduce cholestorol new study says ...

GARLIC USE SHOWS NO EFFECT ON CHOLESTEROL LEVELS

as i've found out the hard way , garlic doesn't seem to like me very much ... so i'll probably live out the rest of my life without the benefit of garlic ...
hbg

Try placing a sliver or two in your shoes under your socks. I used this method on my son when he was in nappies and had a head cold.

Garlic is a natural anti-biotic. So is honey. :wink:

The bonus with the sock trick is, people will only come up to you if they really need to talk.

I wasn't around when this thread made the first rounds. But I do know the answer to the original mushroom question.

I don't know who started the whole "don't wash, just brush" thing about mushrooms (probably Starfrit or one of them gadget manufacturers) because obviously all produce should be washed before preparing. Ever been at the market and watched someone cough, delicately covering their mouth, and then use the same hand to root through the bin for the perfect mushroom? Damn right, I'm washing them.

But -- mushrooms are very porous and will absorb water. So wash just before using. Soaked mushrooms will have an unpleasant texture and washed-out flavour. The growing medium, which may or may not be manure but is probably sterilized, can help keep stored mushrooms fresher by reducing moisture loss -- which is why you shouldn't clean them until you're ready to use them.

As for dried mushrooms: I don't know how their grown, but probably the same way as fresh mushrooms. Since I've never noticed any grittiness with them, I suspect they're well-cleaned before the drying process. Processing (air, heat) would also kill many pathogens. I'd rather have fresh any day, but dried and refreshed are still better than canned >yuck< The best method that I've found for reconstituting dried mushrooms is to place them in a bowl, and cover with wine, sherry, broth or whatever suits the recipe, and place on top of the stove or someplace where they can be gently warmed for several hours. Plain water just doesn't do it IMHO. They'll absorb all the liquid, so top it up every once in a while. You know their ready when you can easily break a piece with a fork.

I had a friend who thought you were supposed to eat the tail on shrimp appetizer. I watched him eat one and I was appalled.

Oh and the thin stuff on the outside of cheese is wax, don't eat it...