Category Archives: Forking Thoughts

Random Forking Items of Interest

KitchenAid Spiralizer Attachment Verses The Padero Spiral Vegetable Slicer

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The KitchenAid Spiralizer Attachment cost between $75.00 (Kohls) up to $149.00 (Macy’s) depending on where you shop and averages at $129.00 (almost everywhere). The Padero Spiral Vegetable Slicer cost around $30.00. (I’ve seen look-a-likes that cost less and might not work as well?)

The Pros

1- It’s a KichenAid Product that mostly metal with some plastic parts -Padero is mostly plastic with some metal.

2- It’s easy to clean – As is the Padero.

3-It has a peeler attachment – The Padero does not peal.

4-It makes a nice shape spiral for frying. – The Padero makes slightly thinner spirals.

The Cons

1-It cost more than the Padero Spiral Vegetable Slicer

2- It doesn’t do angel hair strands like the Padero

3-Odd shape potatoes don’t spiralize unlike the when using the Padero

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Potato that I couldn't Spiral cut from KitchenAid I could use in the Padero

Potato that I couldn’t Spiral cut from KitchenAid I could use in the Padero

4-Potatoes that are medium/large and larger need to be cut down because they don’t fit in. The Padero  can slide to do a larger potato or squash.

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5- I wasted some potatoes that I tried to spiralize and the waste splattered all over my counter.

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Well the forking truth is that the Padero doesn’t look as cool as the KichenAid Attachment and how long it will last against the KitchenAid Attachment I don’t know. It also doesn’t peal but for me it works better and more efficient.

So I already Forking Returned the KitchenAid Spiralizer Attachment.

I can’t say it’s not worth a fork because it can spiralize nicely under the right conditions.

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 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

MORE-Does Fecal Material Matter 2-U in Your Food

 

Fecal Contamination

Fecal Contamination

Does Forking Fecal Material matter to you in your food?

I was deeply bothered about the recent Consumer Reports Story.

Actual from Consumer Reports

Actual from Consumer Reports

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In short they said that every sample of ground beef they tested contained some fecal matter.

Some of the ways fecal matter gets spread to the beef are……

At the Slaughter house from a number of ways

Removing the hides (cutting threw everything)

Breaking the gastrointestinal tract (splashing all over)

Simply from the tools not being cleaned after feces contact.

I don’t know if kosher beef was tasted. I know kosher beef is only the front quarter of the cow so chances of fecal material getting on that meat would be more difficult.

I was surprised to learn that Sardinian People enjoy cheese with maggot poop.

Casu Marzu Cheese

Casu Marzu Cheese

The cheese called case marzu is banned but is still made anyway. The cheese starts out as a pecorino that they leave out and cut the crust off attracting maggots to lay eggs. The eggs hatch and turn to larvae and then the larvae poop and that becomes the unique flavor of this cheese. It’s said that when you eat this cheese you have to chew and kill the maggots or they will chew threw your intestines. I read this from the Huffington Post.

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According to infowars.com if you eat fish from China it’s likely the fish were raised eating pig poop. Most of China’s poultry are raised eating pig poop too according to infowers.com.

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The FORKING SAD thing is……

The FDA rejected thousands of food shipments from Asia due to FECAL contamination and the FORKING kicker is that only 3% of the food gets inspected.

A study from the International Journal of Food Microbiology states that Fecal Contamination often happens at soda fountains.

I don’t even want to know how the fork that happens.

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The DailyTech.com posted that the Japanese are already experimenting with growing steak from FORKING POOP.

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What the fork would you have with that?????? A side of Pees?

Now that is FORKED up!

Now that is FORKED up!

Does fecal material matter to you in your food?

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

The Lemon Cucumber is totally WORTH A FORK!

Lemon Cucumber

Lemon Cucumber

I see these little cucumbers at the Farmer’s Market and I’m glad I picked some up. These are the BEST FORKING cucumbers I ever tried. They are very sweet with a good cucumber taste and crisp like an apple. the skin is thin and edible. They happen to also be burp free and lack any bitter taste.

These are delicious.

Made Lemon Verbena Lemon Pickles with Apple. Recipe to Follow.

Lemon Verbena Lemon Pickles with Apple

Lemon Verbena Lemon Pickles with Apple

The Lemon Cucumber is the BEST FORKING CUCUMBER I ever had in my life!

Worth a Fork! These are Forking Great!

Worth a Fork! These are Forking Great!

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

 

Baking Soda has More Culinary Uses Than You Forking Know

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Baking soda has many culinary uses in the kitchen that you might not forking know about.

A small amount of baking soda is added to popsicles to prevent them from getting forking rock hard.

Home made yogurt taste less tangy with a little added baking soda.

Although baking soda tends to make canned tomatoes to taste flat sometimes baking soda is added to neutralize acid.

Some cooks add baking soda to boiled vegetables to keep their color….however the vegetables do tend to get soggy.

I haven’t tried it but I read in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine that baking soda is used to help caramelize meat.

I have tried the Cook’s magazine recipe that uses baking soda to make better tasting browned potatoes.

When boiling eggs a little baking soda added to the water helps to make the shells peal off easily.

To make the best creamiest hummus add baking soda to the boiling garbanzo beans.

Bring to slow boil cream and add some baking soda to make cream cheese.

Perhaps these are more Uses for Baking Soda than you Forking Knew About?

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

References

incredible egg.org

chowhound.com

Cook’s Illustrated Magazine

The Forking Truth is that Sometimes a Very Good Restaurant will SCREW UP

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The Forking Truth is that sometimes a Very Good Restaurant WILL SCREW UP. I was at this well known usually very good restaurant recently in Carefree Arizona. This is a restaurant that has a James Beard Nominated Chef/owner. I love nearly all the food I’ve tried at this Chef’s Restaurants. The food is always highest quality, mostly locally sourced, very creative and masterfully prepared. The food is always forking good and sometimes it’s so good it’s mind-blowing. I’ve been here several times before so I was looking forward to an amazing lunch. I have blogged about all the Chef’s other restaurants and was hoping for a new “Worth a Fork” story to tell. Sadly what happened to me here I wouldn’t want to happen to you so I don’t feel like writing a “Worth a Fork” story. Instead I have to just tell The Forking Truth about what happened kind of forking story.

We arrived and a server told us to pick any table we wanted so I picked a table facing the scenic mountains instead of the other direction with a table facing the parking lot. The server takes our beverage order and I soon receive an iced tea. I was looking forward to starting with a creative vegetable plate prepared with interesting ingredients I’d never think of paring together. Then a lunch plate of some sort and if I had room maybe dessert.

It wasn’t too busy yet in the restaurant and only a few tables were seated behind me.

Then the forking unthinkable happens.

Nobody forking comes back to wait on us……

We wait……

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We forking wait some more……

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We notice the three tables behind us were all waited on and those people are eating but we didn’t get any FORKING service.

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Why?

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

What am I Forking Chopped Liver?

Forking Chopped Liver

Forking Chopped Liver

A forking Leper?

A Forking Leper

A Forking Leper

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Twenty five or more minutes go by so we decided to have lunch some forking place else.

Against my husband’s wishes I left $4.00 on the table. Not as a tip but I wanted to pay for the forking iced tea I hardly drank.

I wrote my story on one review site and the same day someone who identified themselves to me as the waitress from that restaurant contacted me to let me know that they apologized for bad service and wanted to buy me lunch. To me not getting waited on is the worst thing that can happen (besides forking food poisoning). It’s not like you got any food to rave or complain about. It’s like going to the amusement park and they won’t let you on any rides.

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I would have thought the owner would have apologized on this one because it’s a biggy…I think.

I was very unhappy about making the trip to this restaurant and not getting waited on. I traveled maybe 30-45 forking minutes to dine here. It’s not terribly far but it’s not in my forking back yard either.

I also feel really forking weird about the offer to come back because if I come back to take them up on the free lunch offer they might just artificially kiss up to me.

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I’m just very unhappy that this happened…….

I guess I should be happy that they want to fix this and I should take them up on their offer.

I do note that you will usually get service from this particular restaurant and the food is usually very good but, on my last visit THEY DID FORKING SCREW UP.

As a forking update…..Nothing has happened so far…………

The Forking Truth is that Sometimes A Very Good Restaurant WILL SCREW UP and if they are a very good restaurant they will try to fix it.

The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

I got a Dog who Forking LOVES Romaine Lettuce

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Normally this cute Aussie looks like this, with a squeaky ball in her mouth ready to play catch. But something forking weird happens every forking time I start washing the romaine.

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My little buddy sits behind my feet and taps my leg letting me know she wants forking lettuce. She gives me this cute doggie smile and I have to give her forking lettuce.

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So then I forking give her some.

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I give her several pieces.

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She doesn’t behave this way for any other food.  I have noticed she is also oddly found of BEANS and inhales them. She sucks them up like a vacuum. But Romaine lettuce is the only food that makes her give me leg taps.

I think she’s forking unusual but very cute!

"I FORKING love romaine lettuce"

“I FORKING love romaine lettuce”

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth

The Healthiest Cheapest and Best Snack Food can be made in your Forking Microwave Oven

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Carrot Chips- carrots are cheap about $2.99 for 5 lbs. Just slice them thin place in a microwave safe plate for about 3 minutes. Wipe the plate dry add a light coating of nonstick spray to your plate turn the carrots over and they only need 1-2 minutes more and you have chips. Finish with some fresh ground sea salt.

 

Potato Chips

Potato Chips- Potatoes are forking cheap. You can usually buy a ten pound bag of spuds for less than $3.00. Potato chips cook up faster than carrots in the microwave. Just slice them thin and try 3 minutes in the microwave. Wipe out plate or bowl and potato that isn’t done put back and microwave 30 seconds at a time till done. Finish with sea salt

 

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Pop corn not from a store bought bag with that yucky chemical goo but using dried kernels. Just 1/4 cup of kernels in a brown paper lunch bag that is folded close. Let the microwave go about 2 minutes (or when you hear the popping almost stopping) and you have cheap healthy pop corn. No fat is needed. Loose pop corn is very cheap and a 10 lb. bag will last you a year and it only cost about $1.00 a lb. I do note for the best tasting and textured pop corn you need to use the BIG kernels.

These are Good and that's The Forking Truth

These are Good, Healthy, Forking Cheap  and that’s The Forking Truth

Thanksgiving 2015 Got Forking Stuffed

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

Not many people can say they cooked a forking 500 turkey dinners all by themselves. But that was a long time ago. I think I worked harder on serving just 10 people than the 500 I did once. This year I cooked for only 10 people but made enough food for maybe 20. I prepared over 20 items. My husband prepared the mashed potatoes.  I know I didn’t have to prepare so many different dishes but I wanted too. To me Thanksgiving is an abundance of turkey, stuffing and potatoes that you share with who ever you forking can so you should offer all you can of those items and then some. Here’s what I forking served this year.

Fennel Fava Radish and Walnut Salad in Lemon Dijon Dressing

Fennel Fava Radish and Walnut Salad in Lemon Dijon Dressing

Thanksgiving Style Individual Turkey Meatloaf

Thanksgiving Style Individual Turkey Meatloaves

I prepared turkey four forking ways!

Sous Vide Turkey Breast with Oven Crisp Turkey Skin

Comments I got were..”.How did you cook this?” …..”This turkey is forking moist”……

Oven Fried Crisp Turkey Wings (425 degrees F for about one hour) (just drizzle them with evoo s&p garlic and paprika)

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Oven Roasted Turkey Legs

Herbed Turkey Gravy

Herbed Turkey Gravy

Traditional Stuffing and Rosemary Herb Stuffing

Traditional Stuffing and Rosemary Herb Stuffing

Leek Pudding

Leek Pudding

Cornbread Stuffing

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Mashed Potatoes

Potato Casserole

Potato Casserole

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Dates and some Brown Sugar

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Dates and some Brown Sugar

Sweet Potatoes with Cherry peppers, Figs, Green Onions and Balsamic Drizzle

Sweet Potatoes with Cherry peppers, Figs, Green Onions and Balsamic Drizzle

Some people really enjoyed the non-traditional Sweet Potatoes with Figs, Green Onions, Chiles and Balsamic Drizzle (add s&p drizzle evoo roast potatoes at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes vegetables for about 15 min)

Italian Style Beans

Italian Style Beans

Macaroni and Cheese

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Cranberry Sauce with Hibiscus

Cranberry Sauce with Hibiscus

Rainbow Carrots

Vegetable Essence Spinach with onion

Sweet Corn off the Cob

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Soaked Semolina Limequat Cakes with Sumac Citrus Mascarpone

Bouchons (Bouchon Bakery Recipe – very chocolate very moist individual cakes)

A few Chocolate Pots de Creme

Cinnamon Brown Sugared Chestnuts in Crispy Wontons (served with honey)

Cinnamon Brown Sugared Chestnuts in Crispy Wontons (served with honey)

Cinnamon Brown Sugared Chestnuts in Crispy Won Tons served with honey

Cinnamon Crumb Bars with Apple

Lots of wine

Guest brought the pumpkin pie

Hope you also had Thanksgiving Dinner too and got Forking stuffed too!

This was Forking Good and that's The Forking Truth

This was Forking Great and that’s The Forking Truth

 

WTFork AUTOMATED GELATO MACHINES

 

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I never have seen a forking automated gelato machine before.  It’s very hard to find TASTY gelato where I live. I do have the option of purchasing forking not so good gelato from my local supermarket or traveling about a forking forty minutes to a good gelato shop so this gelato machine wetted my appetite for a delicious refreshing gelato.

I looked at the machine and saw it takes credit cards or cash and offers gelato in twelve forking flavors of mostly gelato and a couple of frozen fruit confections. I picked banana cheese cake gelato because that sounded interesting and I didn’t want to get disappointed with a flavor I know and love. I thought the gelato would squirt out of a forking hose I saw. But no then a door opened up and I saw lots of little four ounce tubs of gelato.

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The hose lowered itself.

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And then lifts up my forking gelato.

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Then drops it down and I pick it up from a door.

The gelato is packed with a little wooden spoon and the gelato is hard as a forking rock so I walk around the mall with it for a bit until my hand hurt similar to frost bite.

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By banana cheese cake flavor did have a creamy banana taste and little chunks of store bought like cheese cake in it. Not the worst and not the best gelato as it was ok. My husband’s pistachio was less creamy and had an abundance of almonds in it and was way more almond than forking pistachio. I think a forking quarter of a cup of almonds were in his tiny cup. Maybe it was an off batch.

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Worth a try if your at Arrowhead Mall in AZ. Although this gelato might not win any prizes for being the best it also not the worst out there either. The Forking Truth is that I’ve paid much more than the $3.75  for worst.

 The Forking Truth

The Forking Truth