Best Find from Trader Joes?
Chicken Tamales. Dang easy to make.
Serious Eater Profile
Get to Know a Serious Eater.
helenjane's Profile
The Ten Most Recent Comments By helenjane
How often do you sharpen your knives?
I hone 'em several times a week on this ceramic sharpening tool that came with the knives (http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-2900-W%C3%BCsthof-Ceramic-Sharpener/dp/B000066SYP) and bring them to the hardware store here in town to be sharpened once a year -- sometimes I've brought the more-used ones in at the six months. [Having sharp knives is rad.]
Responses to Comments by helenjane
Best Find from Trader Joes?
The chocolate!! I can't go back to the grainy, cloyingly sweet Hersheys stuff anymore; I can't afford to buy only high-quality imported European brand names, what's a girl to do? TJ's has some of the best store-branded chocolate, most coming from Belgium, for only a bit more than generic American chocolate. :) Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!
Best Find from Trader Joes?
I must add to the post I made previously. Yesterday, I bought a container of Trader Joe's "Gourmet Chicken Salad": white meat chicken, almonds, and currants. I just polished the last of it while sitting here. Straight out of the container. It's sooooo good.
Best Find from Trader Joes?
I like their creamy tomato soup, black-pepper cashews, goat cheese, korma sauce, frozen pizzas, pound-plus chocolate w/ almonds bar, chocolate ganache torte, and lime cheesecake. I also like their ham which has more flavor than the usual supermarket brands.
I miss the raspberry salsa and the citrus blend marmalade and some of the cookies they don't sell anymore.
The best thing about TJs is the combination of dependably tasty products (they are great about taking things back if you don't like them, which almost never happens) and excellent prices, especially for dried fruit (love the cherries) and nuts.
Best Find from Trader Joes?
They have a maple rosemary mariande that is out of this world on a pork tenderloin
Best Find from Trader Joes?
raw nuts
tamari-roasted almonds
dried fruit
fage yogurt (considerably cheaper than elsewhere)
cereal
How often do you sharpen your knives?
What a great explanation - understandable, informative, descriptive. It is exactly what I was looking for when I "asked" how often to sharpen knives. Thanks!!
How often do you sharpen your knives?
First of all, there is a difference between sharpening and honing; second, you do them at different intervals. :)
1. Sharpening = grinding a sharp "v" where the two sides of the blade meet. Over the time, this point gets worn down to a nub. Sharpening makes the knife thinner and should only be done 1x/year or so, assuming you use the knives regularly. Go to a professional for this.
2. Honing = creating micro-serrations along the blade of your knife. This makes the blade "feel sharp" and you should do this every time you use the knife. If you are cooking a huge meal, you may even want to hone multiple times during prep. You can hone yourself at home, using the steel that came with the knife set. Just make sure to hold the knife at a 20 degree angle away from the steel, and pull it towards you in a smooth sweeping motion. It's easy to tell you are at a 20 degree angle with the knife by holding the steel so it stabs straight down into your cutting board - hard to screw up this way. :)
How often do you sharpen your knives?
Every time I use 'em. I'm way too clumsy to work with dull knives!
Website: http://www.helenjane.com
Location:
About:
Favorite foods: Bacon, Cheddar, Proscuitto, Smoked Salmon, Oysters, Bacon and Bacon.
Last bite on earth: