I’m a gadet freak, if that hasn’t become obvious. I’ve lived in four countries and made about move a year since 1997. No only does that mean I’m a bit broke, but it means I’ve amassed a lot of stuff. Well I did at a couple of points in my life, until I figured out that moving all that shite means $$$.
So, last move I finally got the clue that I should go to the 2nd hand store for all my stuff, especially kitchenware. Lo and behold, I started discovering some awesome stuff. George Foreman grills for $3. A single sandwich press(similar to panni makers but circa 1980s) for $1, and a mini Cuisinart for $2(half-off Mondays 
) My next mission is to find a pressure cooker under $10.
It didn’t stop at the 2nd hand stores. It grew to late-night lurking on eBay. A distraction that would whisk me away from having to call that next source for an article due at 9 am the next day. I found page upon page of Japanese gadgets to make my bentos a la Julie Andrews in the “Sounds of Music” Oh soo pretty!
On my last post, I talked a bit about the Japanese mandolin I found. And does that baby slice. I made some Japanese potato salad and for that you need paper-thin cucumber. Well, I got it and probably a thicker waist, as I ate all of it.
To compliment my mandolin, I found on Amazon.com a pickle press, another gadget I’ve been drooling over for about a year but never just got around to getting it. Well, I was hoping to find one in the city or at Mitsuwa, a Japanese grocery store outside of Chicago. No such luck and had to order online. Well, it came and I was finally able to make those pickles I’ve been reading about in my macrobiotic book.
However as luck would have it, I would hit the “buy” button, navigate to another page and find out that I could make the darn things with two large salad bowls. Oh such is life–full of irony.
When I got it was amazed by it’s size. I believe it’s about gallon size. I never bothered to really measure the weight on it as, I was too happy, like a diabetic kid in a candy store. So I got to pressin’.
I decided to make some Chinese pickles since I had a craving for them.
You just slice up your veggies and place them in with the brine…
And screw you way to pickle heaven.
And there you have it folks, within 24 hours you’ve got yourself some homemade pickles. Easier ones I made were with salt. Just slice up the veggie you want, layer and then add sea salt in between the layers. As the liquid rises, pour it off. If it’s too salty, then just rinse before you eat.
Bento うU as in “Who“
I did something simple this time around.
A bento with Turkey patties, rice with fukikare, and edamae mixed with miso, dashi maki and stir-fried snow peas.
Nothing special here. I used a regular hamburger recipe for the patties. The rice was just re-warmed to mix in the furikake, mixed boiled edamae (soy beans) with miso and stir-fried the peas in sesame oil.
I guess the edamae with miso was my macrobiotic dish.
