Most any kind of processed food has loads of sodium in it, especially the instant-type meals you're talking about. Sodium acts as not only a flavor enhancer but also a preservative. So to make food that has had all the natural flavor processed out of it palatable and extend shelf life, it needs ridiculous amounts of salt. This is where Americans get most the massive excess of sodium in their diets that you hear about.

Now food that is more-or-less home cooked is going to have a far lower sodium content because it's only going to have the salt that you add to it. Using your example of spaghetti: the noodles will have a pretty low sodium content and the jar of sauce you buy will be higher, depending of what type , but probably not in the range of an instant meal (unless you get a jarred alfredo, that shit is crazy salty). The jarred sauce is obviously processed but much less so than a Lean Cuisine. If you were to make your own sauce from canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, ect., you'd not only have a far superior tasting meal, but also a much healthier one. I'm not going to go on a rant about how great learning to cook is - you get the point.

On sodium and health: If you're a basically healthy person eating large amounts of sodium isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world for you. Your kidneys do a fine job of regulating sodium and fluid content in your body and you should be able to deal with salty meals just fine. OTOH if you have issues with your health, namely high blood pressure, kidney problems, excess weight, etc., you'd be much better off without the high sodium food. I'd also recommend a lower salt intake so your palate isn't blown out by salt. If you're eating high sodium foods all the time, "real" food isn't going to taste salty enough for you. Once your palate is adjusted away from the processed stuff, you'll find that it really does taste like shit and you'll wonder how you choked it down!

There is lots and lots of stuff out there to consult to answer your questions.
Most packaged or canned foods will also have a manufacturer's toll-free phone answer line to field any questions you have about their products. When in doubt on a packaged food, call and ask.

"Best if consumed by" or "best before" dates are often ways that manufactures are stating that for best taste and consumer satisfaction the food should be eaten before that date, not that it is not safe to eat after that date. Expiration dates are something with which you should pay more careful attention.

Eggs present a great growth medium for all sorts of things so proper storage and using within printed expiration dates is pretty important. To test your eggs for freshness here are a couple of recommendations:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/quicktips/qt/testingeggs.htm
http://southernfood.about.com/cs/eggrecipes/ht/fresh_eggs_ht.htm
There are lots of others.

As far as mold on hard cheese goes, I have usually just shaved off the edge and kept eating, but why not read from an expert good enough to be posted on the Mayo Clinic site:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01024
There are some pretty simple guidelines.

When in doubt on a fresh food that presents a contamination, bacterial growth or other safety risk - it is ALWAYS better to toss it than to be SORRY that you ate it!

I have a grain mill that I inherited from my grandma which I LOVE - but then again I bake all my own bread and live in a wheat producing area. It's pretty incredible to get local wheat, mill it yourself, and bake delicious, wholesome bread from the resulting flour.

Baking bread is easier than many people think; I would suggest that you try baking a loaf or two of homemade bread. Also, if you ever make pancakes, waffles or quick breads (like banana bread) freshly ground whole wheat flour is fantastic for anything that calls for flour. Who knows, this grain mill could turn you into a baker!

You can also grind flax seeds in a grain mill; they're extremely nutritious and high in Omega-3's but need to be ground for you to get the benefits. Try keeping a jar of flax meal in the fridge and eat it sprinkled over cereal, in yogurt or in a smoothie. I also put flax in all my baked goods: they add a subtle, delicious nutty element to chocolate chip cookies and magically turn them into a healthy food!

I am with Sphinx 100% on this one! Bread and crust never fare well in the fridge. The moisture is pulled out of the flour and changes the texture.

I also NEVER put bread/dough/flour items in the microwave as it modifies the texture in an undesirable way.

Re-heat in the oven is your best option...or eat within two days left on the counter...I'm not afraid of a little bacterial growth, it's not meat after all!

But Kristin's answer is my favorite!

Something like your frozen entree (meal) is designed to heat and cook effectively and thoroughly over a specified time when placed in an environment at an identified temperature. Ovens will vary as to the amount of time they require to preheat to that temperature and with size of the space, the distance to the heating element may vary. These variables make it hard for the manufacturer to define how long to prescribe heating from a cold oven state. There is the possibility that you can develop hotspots on the container when heating from cold as the elements typically come on full blast until the desired temperature range is approached (and thereafter they just cycle to maintain the temperature setting). If you are cooking one that is in a non-metallic container (paper or plastic) the hotspot effect could create a fire hazard or release of compounds from the container into the food that you do not want.

Here we are again with how conditions can always be modified and best procedures determined with some experimentation. Expect some good and maybe some not as great results until you figure it out for your particular equipment and what product you are using. You can certainly come up with some alternative ways of heating these frozen meals.

I know my results with frozen pizzas (in the past) and even in dealing with U-bake pizzas like those available from take-out chains have caused me to modify cooking procedures to get better results than the regular instructions.

One method to preserve them for cooking would be to simply freeze them. Wash and pat them dry and put them in a zip lock baggie, then put them in your freezer. Be sure to use them up in a reasonably short time for best flavor. You can chop or shred them before freezing if that is the form you will use to add them to a soup, or dish you are cooking.

For having fresh basil on hand I have a suggestion for you. Buy one or two basil plants at a local nursery or store with a plant department to grow on a window sill, garden window or deck. Nothing is as good as picking your own fresh basil leaves to put in what your are fixing for that meal.

Hey, I am a bit of a lazy cook myself and buy the prepared pancake mix, but then I doctor it up a bit.

I buy the big 10 pound bag of Krusteaz Buttermilk complete mix at a big box club store. What is interesting to note is that they have changed the proportions of mix to liquid recently (it is now 2/3 cup water to 1 cup mix, lowered from 3/4 cup liquid) which would apparently not help your situation with the batter being too thick.

First I would suggest you fluff up the mix in a bowl before measuring out your one cup. The mix may be getting a bit too compacted and dense to work well with the measured amount of water you are using. Second point is to use as much water as you need to make the batter pour appropriately. Adding more water will not harm anything. Also, be sure to do the final mix up of your batter (wet and dry ingredients) when your pan and everything is heated and prepared to cook in. Then get pancaking!

I actually only use a half measure of the mix itself and substitute a variable mix of three from the choices of medium grind cornmeal, sorghum flour, garbanzo and fava bean flour, teff flour, whole wheat pastry flour to make up the other half. For liquid I usually use a half and half mixture of orange juice and water (sometimes other fruit juices, some need to be diluted so it isn't too thick). The end product is a much more interesting tasty pancake. Teff flour makes the batter a nice milk chocolate color and produces a hearty flavor (if teff is used alone, don't go half and half as it makes too stiff a batter). The orange juice gives it a nice tang.

My recommendations:

- A couple of giant pots of stew, soup, chili, or curry, portioned into small plastic containers
- Bean or meat burritos, without the cheese (you can put cheese on top when you heat them up), wrapped individually
- Shepherd's pie
- Bags of frozen vegetables and fruit
- Meat or tempeh cut into cubes before freezing, for easy stir-fry
- Bagels, sliced before freezing so they can be warmed up in a toaster

I spent the extra money on a kitchenaid toaster and have never regretted it. The slots are wide enough for thicker slices, and there is a good range of timing on it. It has a little light that comes on when you turn it on, and a single penetrating beep when done. If it is not on at the wall the turn on switch let's you know rather than having the sad experience of waiting waiting waiting but no toast.... There is an easily removable crumb tray for cleaning.

The best thing about it though, is that it does not work by a pop up spring, but rather a lever that raises the toast when done. This is brilliant, you can adjust the height of the bread in the slot, and when it is done, you can leave it in there where it stays warmer, rather than it popping up and cooling while you find the butter.

And it is a nice red retro looking beast. Love it.

Shell eggs are rife with salmonella. Not washing your hands could cross contaminate the other food with salmonella from the shell. So yeah you should wash your hands. And when you crack the egg the egg could pick up the salmonella so that's partly why eating raw eggs (as in ice cream or mousse or caesar dressing) can be dicey. I know the rationale (I've heard it a million times) - people have been eating ice cream forever and no one's gotten sick yet. It's a lame argument. People get sick all the time- they just don't think it was the ice cream. BTW organic does help a bit- the chickens are healthier- but not enough to discount the possibility of contamination. After all, think about where an egg comes from (sorry). And the argument of home versus commercial kitchen is also not logical- your home just as friendly to pathogens as a commercial kitchen. So my advice is to follow the processes you learned in the restaurant.

PCC Cooks has sushi-making classes pretty regularly. E.g., http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/pcccooks/classes/detail.php?id=1505

It's a huge pain in the neck, but I separate the pulp and seeds anytime I cook a squash (or carve a pumpkin). I don't like cleaning the little stringy things out of my collander so I generally just pick the seeds out with my hands. They don't need to be totally separated, because a little bit of pulp will more or less cook away.
However, by far the best way I've found to get this job done is to hand it over as soon as someone says "hey, can I help you with anything?". Why yes, yes you can.

Almonds stuffed in prunes stuffed (not too tightly) into a bird cavity is good. So is wild rice and sausage stuffing--with this, though, use hot stuffing in the cold bird right before cooking so everything comes out done, food safe, and moist all at the same time.

I am a HUGE fan of Braised Meats...supper east to feed a large group, economical and gets better with time so you can make ahead and just re-heat the day of! Think Short Ribs, Lamb Shanks, Goulash (That is also fun to say!)

If not an entree style dish, I like things like Braised Fennel Gratin....any gratin dish for that matter is a hit! Again, make ahead and re-heat for the event.

I hate loosing my summer fruits but Bacon Bruleed Brussel Sprouts will make you the hit of ANY party! Garnish with Pomegranate seeds for a nice tart burst and beautiful contrast. 

Caramelization should be the theme of ALL foods for the fall. It adds layers of flavors to otherwise mundane veggies. Especially true for all root vegetables!

Panzanella's are also a nice fall salad option for a twist on the standard green...oh so many variations on this idea. Really, just have fun and taste as you go!

Dehydrate. They shrink nicely and are nearly weightless. I dump dried chantrelles in my quiches and they rehydrate nicely as they bake. No extra fuss!

Also, JEALOUS.

Everything! We've thrown all manner of goodness into our smoker. It's worth experimenting even if you think a particular food item might not work. Here's a not-at-all comprehensive list of Things To Smoke:

1)Scallops. Really, seafood in general (shrimp turn out quite well, too), but scallops in a smoker filled with hickory chips are about as amazing as it gets. For seafood, if you are going to brine first, don't let it sit too long or use too much salt. A little goes a long way with shellfish.

2)Marshmallows. Our smoker is not especially hot (~150 degrees), so smoking marshmallows for smoked s'mores worked quite well. Placed on a skewer, they get somewhat droopy, but that crackly cooked marshmallow skin forms and droooool.

3)Brisket. Homemade pastrami and/or corned beef takes patience, but it's so worth it. Well, not if you dislike meat, but otherwise, here's how you do it: get a brisket, trim off most of the fat (separating the point from the flat if your brisket comes with both parts), place into brining bag with water, sea salt, molasses and pickling salt, and let the brisket hang out in your fridge for at least a week. After much waiting, dump the entire contents of the brining bag into a stewpot and boil for about 30 minutes. Remove brisket from pot and let it sit for about an hour, during which time you preheat your smoker. Rub the brisket down with pepper/spices/extra seasoning of choice. Place brisket in the smoker, and smoke for two rounds of about 45 minutes to an hour each. And you're finished. Cut that awesome up and throw it on a Reuben. Oh, and use your boiled leavings as a stock. We make ours into curries.

4)Salmon. Smoked salmon is a classic, and there's a reason for that. It's amazing. Apple or hickory chips with this one.

5)Cheese. Again, a lower temp smoker can do this even though the cheese gets melty. If your smoker has a cold smoke option, that would be ideal for cheese.

To answer your chip question, chips are sold many places. If you want finer chip shavings, go to Ace and Big 5. If you want big chip chunks, Home Depot or Lowe's. I prefer hickory for most things and apple chips for chicken thighs. I haven't tried cherry yet, but that's coming. Mesquite is strong and the flavor is very distinct, so I'd save that for chicken breasts, etc. Alder, as far as I can tell, tastes like nothing, though your experience may differ. After some initial alder-only smoking, I've only used alder to stretch my other chip supplies.

I also recommend trolling the interwebs for brine recipes. Brines are myriad, so find an ingredient combo and soaking time that works for you and your smoking foods of choice.

I made this last week and it was awesome. I skipped the chili-sage butter because it was late and I was tired, but I imagine that it would be good. I served it with some cheesy polenta (using this recipe) and I tossed some bacon in because bacon is f'ing delicious. Also, I used cremini and shitake mushrooms instead of boring white button mushrooms. Yum. You can use about twice as much chard as the recipe calls for, because it cooks down and wilts more than kale does. 

Note: the eggs take a while to set, so I toss in a tablespoon or two of water and slap a lid on the pan to create some steam to help them cook more quickly. 

Yay kimchee! As Michael said, Firefly Kimchee is rad. But I also buy all the fresh stuff at Uwajimaya.

Here's stuff I like to do:
1) grab an egg or three and mix it with a little water and then do a slow soft scramble (preferably with a little Cholula in there). Top with kimchee (either cold or warmed). Eat constantly.

2) mix ground beef or a beef-lamb mix with chopped kimchee and red onion. Roll out between Saran wrap with a rolling pin. Cut into tiny squares and grill them up. Cut some taro bread or King's Hawaiian or pan de leche into slider size and toast in same pan. Throw the grilled meat on the bread with some coldish kimchee. Mix some mayo with a little sriracha and throw that on there too, if you want.

3) throw it in a bloody mary. Yay alcohol and spice!

I like burrito bar for get togethers. If people want veggies/fish/meat it's easy to have all 3 options, its great for food allgeries for the same reason, alot can be prepared ahead of time, or pot-lucked so you don't have a ton of too many cooks in the kitchen and if you have a small kitchen it's not a nightmare. Have bowls of salsa(s) cilantro, fresh tomatoes, rice, beans, grilled veggies, grilled fish, whatever meats and some tortillas and you have an easy meal that people can have exactly what they want. It's also pretty cheap if you have to do alot of people and your guests can bring some of the items. This was the go-to meal when I was in grad school because it was cheap and everyones wacky preferences could get covered. Throw in some jicama salad or other interesting textures for a side or just a bag of chips. If you do beans from scratch you can do Em a day ahead so there's less in the kitchen and it's super cheap. Have some different degrees of spicy so the squeamish and the insane are satisfied. Plus there are usually leftovers. Also works good for brunch if you do some eggs and potatoes

I just purchased a lodge cast iron pizza pan. It does the same job as a pizza stone, but cleaning it is easier, it's less likely to crack, and it's more versatile. You can use the thing as a griddle on top of the stove. It was about $30 from Amazon.

Firstly, I'm going to try to convince you to stick with the cast iron. Properly seasoned and maintained, cast iron is the greatest "non-stick" pan material.

You didn't say what's going wrong in your cleaning cycle, but I hope you're not using soap on it. Never, ever use soap on cast iron. As soon as your food comes out, and with the pan still hot, put a little hot water in the bottom. That will help release the food. It should be easy to then wipe it out with a sponge (I keep a sponge just for that purpose), then give it a quick re-heat and a wipe with a high-heat oil such as avocado. That's it.

As for commercial "non-stick" pans, stay away from anything with a coating... that stuff is proven to be cancer-causing. I mean, just look at it... would you want to lick that? Ick.

Better to use a simple, high-quality stainless steel frying pan. That's as close to non-stick as you're going to get if you don't want to use the cast iron. Experiment with temperature and oil in the pan until you get the desired result with your eggs.

Ask the folks downtown at City Kitchens for a recommendation; their big annual sale goes through September 30. Another great option is Seattle Premium Outlets up in Tulalip; I got a couple of great S/S pans from Calphalon and Le Crueset for dirt cheap.

Good luck. 

I have bought Bob's Red Mill blue corn meal from PCC locally; a great producer and a great source. Win-Win. Your corn bread will be DELISH !!

I've been trying to figure out summer crock pot recipes too - we have a little crock pot cookbook with a "hearty sandwiches" section that looks good for warm weather. Here are a few of the sandwich recipes:

pulled pork sandwich
bahn mi sandwich
gyro sandwich
jamaican jerk chicken sandwich
barbecue lentil sandwich

I think the pulled pork recipe in particular would hold up well, since you're supposed to cook it low & slow anyways. When your friends get there, mix in the barbecue sauce and pile it on buns with coleslaw. The lentil sandwich also sounds good but the lentils might get too mushy sitting in the crock pot too long.

You can find recipes like these online - look for slow cooker (sandwich name) recipe and see what looks good and has good reviews. If I had actually tried any I would post the recipe and/or a link, but my crock pot is sadly underused.

One answer: Big Johns PFI. It's the best. Bring your own containers if you can. It's one 6th and Dearborn down a parking lot. Lots of spice options and as an added bonus. largest cheese counter in the city. If you need mass vinegars just hit the cash and carry. You can buy by the gallons

Put it on a burger!

You, my friend, have a little piece of New Mexico heaven ready to turn your average afternoon bbq into an out-of-this-world treat.

Here's what you do:

Get a couple of paper sacks. The kind that you use to take a sack lunch in works best, but a paper grocery sack will work in a pinch.

Preheat your oven to it's lowest possible setting (150 to 200 Fahrenheit will work, the lower the better).

Get a set of tongs, and a source of flame or open heat (this can be a gas range with the grate thingy removed, a gas bbq with the grill plate taken off, or a charcoal bbq with the grill off).

Grasp a chile in the tongs, and put it up to the flame, and slowly burn the shit out of it. I'm not kidding. You wanna make it crispy critters, turn that skin black. Rotate to burn evenly, and then quickly throw it in the paper sack.

Fold up the sack and throw it in the oven. Repeat with a a handful of chiles, and let them sit there for 10 to 15 minutes. (I usually measure this part in terms of beverages. Let them sit for 1 beverage, be it 1 glass of wine, 1 beer or 1 cocktail. The point is, let it sit in the warm oven for a lil bit. This causes steam to build up inside the paper sack, and separate the charred skin from the yummy flesh).

Next, remove the chiles from the sacks in the oven, and fillet them. Cut them straight down the middle, discarding the seeds and innards, and then slice open so they lie flat like little fillets. Then, take a knife and scrape off the blackened charred exterior of the chile fillets, revealing that roasted oily chile goodness. This is where a good flexible fisherman's fillet knife really comes in handy, if you've got one, use it.

Put the chile fillets on a burger, and you've got a tasty southwest treat.

If you don't have a fillet knife, you can use a paring knife. But a good sharp fisherman's fillet knife works best in my experience; call me and I'll bring mine over and do it for you if you let me eat one of these little New Mexico beauties.

You're better off just making your own. Experiment with different things until you get a flavor profile you like and then make it in fairly small batches to keep it fresh.

Most ground spices are only good for 6 months, and there's no telling how old that Lawry's or Johnny's was before it got to you.

I'd start with a 2:1 ratio of salt to spices. So if you wanted to make 100g of end product you'd have 66g of salt and 33g of your spices. I'd probably use some combination of Aleppo Pepper, smoked paprika, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and either lemon or sumac for a bit of acid. I'd probably also throw in MSG, but most people are scared of it (In that example I'd add like 7g of MSG).

Some other things to try would be cayenne or any other hot red pepper, Worcestershire powder, sugar, mustard powder, cumin, fennel seed, fennel pollen, porcini powder, celery seed, or any herb you like.

A good place to start would be going to World Spice in the market. They have about 10 different pre-made seasoned salts. Taste/smell what they have, and look at the ingredients for making your own.

If you go your own route, make sure you write exactly what you did down. You are going to want to change things, and if you don't know exactly what you did, you won't be able to. Also invest in a scale that does metric, it will be your best friend in making blends.

I love them too! Have you ever tried pureeing them into a sauce? Add some cayenne and touch of your favorite vinegar and voila, you have just made a wonderful play off BBQ sauce that can be used as a spread as well. Think fried egg sandwiches, sausage anything, It's corn season, how about a fresh corn succotash with a caramelized onion vinaigrette. I love them with a sharp cheddar or goat cheese and sliced apple grilled cheese, that is pretty much heaven in my book!

I tried a basic recipe I found online, and instead of corn syrup used mostly golden syrup (Lyles) and a little homemade ginger syrup. They were insane.

It really helps to have a stand mixer so your arm doesn't fall off or the motor on your hand mixer doesn't go out.

Be careful with your gelatin and make sure you don't have any lumps.

Make sure your thermometer is calibrated before getting too far into the process and worrying about messing up your sugars.

Powdered sugar and parchment paper will be your very best friends.

And they really do toast and melt like you'd expect. I brought mine to a friends birthday party and people were roasting them on the gas range. Not sure if that was the smartest thing, but they were delicious.

I've seen frozen ones at a seemingly random selection of grocery stores--like, Viet Wah, Whole Foods, once at the Seward Park PCC, and the Beacon Hill Red Apple. It's unpredictable.
But pie cherries will be in fresh at the farmers market likely around late July this year--everything is running late. The stands I know that carry them: Little Wing (sells at Columbia City); Tonnemakers (sells at many markets); Mair Taki (U District, quite expensive).
There are also two kinds: Morellos and Montmorenceys. The latter are considered the best, but I strongly prefer the former. Morellos have a beautiful deep red color all the way through and taste sort of like cloves and allspice have been added.
Best of all, coerce a friend with a yard to plant a Surefire cherry tree. They produce quickly, are disease resistant for Western WA, and are Morello-types. And no, you can't have the ones on my tree.

What he's getting at is the transition from traditional french sauces thickened with a roux (flour and butter) to pan sauces made a la minute with the delicious stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan, together with usually a bit of stock or wine, and other lighter sauces. When nouvelle cuisine came in, roux-thickened sauces fell out of favor. That doesn't mean they don't still have a place, just that we don't blindly look to them as the base of most dishes anymore.