After a little more training I learned that Whole Foods IS trying to carry cured meats like pancetta or proscuitto - but they will not be cured with nitrates - just "naturally" cured - except for Whole Foods in Canada where it's illegal to sell cured meats without nitrates....

Sorry, can't yet waltz around the store to see what they have, we're still on offsite training (not to mention lots of product not in yet).

Nancy

I have heard that TJ's has butter-based pie crusts, and am not sure if WF does, so that might be something. OTOH, the last two times I went to TJ's, I couldn't find it! Has anyone else seen this? It may have just been a rumor.

To judge by the other "naturally cured" stuff they sell, effectively naturally cured=uncured.

I don't know if they have it at TJ's or not, but I just learned today that my Whole Foods (Peterson & Cicero) doesn't carry duck (fresh, frozen, smoked, or otherwise processed).

I asked the butcher counter about duck or just duck breasts. I was told to check the freezer. The freezer had whole pheasant, organic fake turkey, bison burgers, ground ostrich, but not a piece of duck to be found. I asked another guy and he said, "I don't think we ever have duck."

Of course, why would your carry such an odd meat that happens to be on the menus of probably 75% of the restaurants in the city?

Best,
Michael

75% of upscale restaurants in the city Plus hot doug's.

My whole foods (Canal and Roosevelt) has whole frozen ducks in the freezer, but nothing else.

I can't figure out why they don't carry fresh duck. Is there really just not enough demand?

gleam wrote:I can't figure out why they don't carry fresh duck. Is there really just not enough demand?

I asked a few butchers at the Gold Coast WF the same question and got the same response from all: Duck doesn't "travel well."

The only place I've ever seen duck (breasts) fresh is at Fox & Obel.

I vaguely remember getting fresh duck breasts at Harrison's, but that would have been years ago - not sure they still have them.


Harrison's Poultry Farm Inc
201 Waukegan Rd
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 724-0132

nr706 wrote:I vaguely remember getting fresh duck breasts at Harrison's, but that would have been years ago - not sure they still have them.

Thanks,

I know where to find duck normally. It's just that I was at WF and wanted to pick up some while I was there.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:I know where to find duck normally. It's just that I was at WF and wanted to pick up some while I was there.

Michael,

What it your regular source for duck? I'm with Steve Z on Can't Buy a Duck in this Cow Town. (Not literally, but it's a heck of a lot harder to buy fresh duck in Chicago than it should be

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

eatchicago wrote:I know where to find duck normally. It's just that I was at WF and wanted to pick up some while I was there.

What it your regular source for duck? I'm with Steve Z on Can't Buy a Duck in this Cow Town. (Not literally, but it's a heck of a lot harder to buy fresh duck in Chicago than it should be

Fox and Obel. Fresh, reliable, and excellent quality.

Since the first time I smoked a duck on the WSM (direct method) I've been addicted.

Whole 5-spice smoked duck and butterflied smoked duck


Best,
Michael

This flip side of this issue is that (per my visit to TJ's on Ontario this am) TJ's has discontinued carrying both their regular Irish AND English breakfast tea bags. Decaf, not a problem, green tea ditto, various chais & tisanes, BUT you can't buy regular bog-standard plain black tea bags there any more (not enough demand, they claim) :face palm:

How long can Trader Joes pizza dough last in the fridge?

Saint Pizza wrote:How long can Trader Joes pizza dough last in the fridge?

I think there's an expiration date on it. (Which I take with a huge grain of salt at Trader Joe's.) But I would use it after only a couple of days because it's a really moist dough and more prone to decay, as a result.

eatchicago wrote:
Since the first time I smoked a duck on the WSM (direct method) I've been addicted.

Whole 5-spice smoked duck and butterflied smoked duck


Best,
Michael

Those ducks look amazing. Care to share the recipe.
Thanks.

Jyoti

jygach wrote:Those ducks look amazing. Care to share the recipe.

Thanks Jyoti. There's not so much of a recipe as a collection of things that I did. There's a little more info in this old post.

I'm not sure what else I can add to that thread other than "I cooked 'em until they were done." If I recall, the whole duck (with waterpan) took somewhere around 2.5 hours. The direct, butterflied one took less around 90 minutes or so.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

jygach wrote:Those ducks look amazing. Care to share the recipe.

Thanks Jyoti. There's not so much of a recipe as a collection of things that I did. There's a little more info in this old post.

I'm not sure what else I can add to that thread other than "I cooked 'em until they were done." If I recall, the whole duck (with waterpan) took somewhere around 2.5 hours. The direct, butterflied one took less around 90 minutes or so.

Best,
Michael

Thanks Michael,

Will keep it in mind for my sixth or seventh smoking venture. Ready to start with Step 1 pretty soon. Will see how it goes.

Jyoti

Saint Pizza wrote:How long can Trader Joes pizza dough last in the fridge?

They freeze and thaw quite well.

At Whole Foods you can also buy the pizza dough they use to make pizzas there. I believe it comes out to around 2.50 and you get enough dough to make 2 good sized pizzas.

The tom yam rice crackers TJ just started selling are extremely tasty! They're topped with whole cashews, kaffir lime zest, and even a bit of spice. Beats the pants off of potato chips, that's for sure. Everybody needs to start buying these so I can be assured of getting my fix.

cilantro wrote:The tom yam rice crackers TJ just started selling are extremely tasty! They're topped with whole cashews, kaffir lime zest, and even a bit of spice. Beats the pants off of potato chips, that's for sure. Everybody needs to start buying these so I can be assured of getting my fix.

Friggin' love these, and the individual packaging (while overkill) assures freshness even if you leave, say, four packages of them in your desk at work, eat three, and accidentally leave half of an open package in your drawer for three months, only to find them when you need a salt and sweet kick the most, not that that's ever actually happened. [crunch, crunch]

Yep, and the tom yam cashews are also quite excellent -- hotter and fishier than the crackers, and just as addictive. Messy to eat, though.

My cats have asked me to type that TJ's "Tuna for Cats" is unparalleled in feline culinary history.

Chicago Expat wrote:My cats have asked me to type that TJ's "Tuna for Cats" is unparalleled in feline culinary history.

Is this a cat treat or a tinned dinner? My cat Katie is dying to know.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

Chicago Expat wrote:My cats have asked me to type that TJ's "Tuna for Cats" is unparalleled in feline culinary history.

Is this a cat treat or a tinned dinner? My cat Katie is dying to know.

Regards,

It's a 5.5oz cat-dinner-sized portion...the same size as those little wet cat food cans or one of those little single-serving tuna (for humans) cans that you wish you had two of, because one isn't enough (you know, the ones that come in in that molded plastic "Starkist tuna salad kit" box, packaged with four sad Ritz crackers and a packet of questionable mayo).

I like to look at all the neighborhood pet pictures/info on the pillar in the pet food aisle (at the River North location) while waiting for my wife to decide which cereal to buy (which is funny, because she always ends up going with Kashi Good Friends...but I digress), and 4 out of 5 cats' info sheets list the Tuna for Cats as their favorite food, so I guess it's quite popular.

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to check it out.

A friend's cat recently died. She brought over the leftover food and treats. I never buy treats, though they seem to have some strong scent desirable to cats. I can't believe how quickly Katie was clued into treats. All I have to do is move the container, she is instantly alert and eager for her reward.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I can't believe how quickly Katie was clued into treats. All I have to do is move the container, she is instantly alert and eager for her reward.

Now if your cat wrote this, it would be something like: "I can't believe how easy it was to train my human to give me all the treats I want. All I have to do is look expectantly at her for service and move near where she keeps the new treats, and she opens a can. If she stops buying the treats, I just whine continuously until she rushes out to purchase more at my bidding. Humans are inferior but I must admit they are both useful and cute."

grits wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:I can't believe how quickly Katie was clued into treats. All I have to do is move the container, she is instantly alert and eager for her reward.

Now if your cat wrote this, it would be something like: "I can't believe how easy it was to train my human to give me all the treats I want. All I have to do is look expectantly at her for service and move near where she keeps the new treats, and she opens a can. If she stops buying the treats, I just whine continuously until she rushes out to purchase more at my bidding. Humans are inferior but I must admit they are both useful and cute."

You're likely right. She has been known to grab my leg with her claws when I didn't understand her cue. I do get a sense somedays she just puts up with me.

I'll be you have one at home, too.

Regards,

Something they *had* at TJs, but not at WF:

A rectangular rice cake (not puffed rice a la mainstream rice cakes, but something more akin to the cake of rice that's used in sizzling rice soup) seasoned with tamarind, I think (or something else mildly sweet). No sooner did I discover these than they disappeared! Anyone know if something comparable exists at any of the Asian markets?

I just read the beginning of this thread for the first time. I experienced the exact same conversation as Dmnklydid, but with black pepper. My mother had asked me to pick up a box of ground black pepper. Not whole peppercorns; a box of ground black pepper. I was shopping for a few things at WF anyways, so thought I'd pick the pepper up there. Couldn't find it. I asked a sales guy and, rather than tell me where the pepper is or tell me that they don't carry it, he began to explain that I should grind pepper when I need it. Yeah, thanks for the tip, buddy.

Cathy2 wrote:

grits wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:I can't believe how quickly Katie was clued into treats. All I have to do is move the container, she is instantly alert and eager for her reward.

Now if your cat wrote this, it would be something like: "I can't believe how easy it was to train my human to give me all the treats I want. All I have to do is look expectantly at her for service and move near where she keeps the new treats, and she opens a can. If she stops buying the treats, I just whine continuously until she rushes out to purchase more at my bidding. Humans are inferior but I must admit they are both useful and cute."

You're likely right. She has been known to grab my leg with her claws when I didn't understand her cue. I do get a sense somedays she just puts up with me.

I'll be you have one at home, too.

I have two, and they keep me hopping. A friend of mine says that owning anything greater than one cat is automatic crazy cat lady status.