Eggs the easy way

My friend encouraged me to stop by Mervyn's the other day, and all those big markdowns proved too much to resist for something(s) I normally wouldn't buy. Case in point, the Cuisinart Egg Cooker. It was so deeply discounted, and I recalled that my little niece Collette only likes poached eggs. And also that my poached egg efforts generally turn into egg drop soup, less the flavored broth.

So I tried it this morning, and found it makes perfect poached eggs, if rather triangularly shaped. Now, to figure out how to get Collette up from Long Beach again...

A Different Kind of Cooking

Well, I got a new gadget. I consider it a gift to the environment. I think most of you choose your dinner ingredients carefully whether home grown, farmer's market or the best of the regular market. Then these are prepared carefully, considering the pleasure and life giving healthy qualities that the meal imparts. But how many of us think of the rest of the cycle? Are our food scraps handled in a way that nourishes the earth too?

I've been reading lately about how methane is 72 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period. 85% of America's waste stream is organic waste, which is what produces this gas. In fact, the decomposition of these wastes is the #1 producer of methane gas in the U.S. Some landfills are in fact capturing and selling this gas.

One solution is composting, but I thought composting impractical in a condo setting - imagine vermin attracted to rotting piles on your deck? However, I came across an indoor composter that is automatic, easy to use, and has filtered the air released in the process to eliminate the odor!

It's called the NatureMill (Pro version) and it 'cooks' most of your tablescraps and trimmings into a good-for-the-soil compost. This not only eliminates the methane gas making, it also saves water if you would have sent the things down the garbage disposal, and so too saves gas from the trucks hauling it away if put into your garbage. The compost can be used on indoor plants (with a longer cure), and outdoor plants whether potted or in the ground. My initial mix to start it up included dried flowers, bananas, lettuce that had bolted and browned, egg shells and tea bags to mention a few. I'm looking forward to the first batch a week from Saturday, to return nourishment to the soil without fouling the sky!

Cool find of a gadget. I've been trying out a cute little white and green-trimmed gadget in my kitchen for a month or so, the Frisper. It works as well as advertised, keeping my foods fresher by squeezing the air out. It's also small, and regretfully - noisy. It sounds about like a hair blow-dryer, but the noise is brief, just while it takes out the air. I suppose anything that 'vacuums' has to make some sound. The reusable bags are nifty too and come in two sizes. I have noticed a positive difference in the shelf life of food in my fridge. I've been frisping my cold cereals too to preserve their crunch. At the time I bought it, The Sharper Image had the best deal.

Last night I didn't take photos, but I made a really good meal if you like beef... organic, grass-fed beef rib eye steaks cooked on the grill outside (now that the rain has stopped). The health benefits as well as the environmental benefits have me sold on this type of meat. And after dinner was done, a good friend dropped by unexpectedly who had spent all day mushrooming and had more porcini's than he could use, so I have an awesome gift...

Fresh Food. Since my post about eating fresh foods, a friend lent me "Keeping Food Fresh" a book I've been falling asleep into every night since. It is a great guide for how to prep for storage and store food as well as ascertaining the quality/freshness of various foods. Then I noticed this little beauty of a gadget, the SensorfreshQ, pictured above. For those truly worried about food safety, and scientific accuracy, this is the gadget for you! Its sophisticated micro-processor takes over 2,000 readings in under one minute and through complex algorithms, determines the food's safety — a green LED means it is safe; yellow means okay but eat within a day; and red signals that freshness is no longer assured. As for me, I'll save the $90 and go with my mother's folk wisdom: "When in doubt, throw it out!".