The end of the crumby holiday: notes for next Pesach

[magid]

• I already have salt, cinnamon, and black pepper for Pesach.
  
• A new flexible cutting board would be in order. Other items to consider include: a big soup pot, an apple corer (if I want to make baked apples), and (if I'm making charoset) something to shred apples with (minced apples are not ideal for charoset).
  
• Walnuts can be bitter; if I'm making charoset, consider using half walnuts, half pecans.
  
• I kashered the microwave this year and never used it.
  
• A 5-pack of machine matza is *plenty*.
  
• One kind of jam would be enough.
  
• Mayo can be useful, though certainly not necessary.
  
• There are plastic plates, bowls, and silverware packed away. Any silverware not in the original bags must be considered fleishig. If I want to get some sturdy disposable stuff for milchigs next year, don't use blue, green, or purple.
  
• Potato starch and matza meal seem to be superfluous to my cooking (or at least, this year I used neither, and I've always had matza meal left over before, while this is the first year buying potato starch at all).
  
• A pareve spatula would be a good thing; get either white or dark green.
  
• If hosting a seder again, get small plain clear glass bowls for the seder plate. Also, consider a matza cover.
  
• People eat less than my capacity to cook for them; there will be plenty of food; don't panic.
  
• Some haggadot are laid out better for beginners; think about that before starting the seder.
  
• I don't care for parsley, so there's no reason to use it for karpas (as long as I don't forget about karpas entirely :-).
  
• Eggplant spreads are a good thing, while whitefish salad is a bit dry on matza.
  
• Butter and cream cheese are not necessary.
  
• OTOH, good olive oil is.
  
• It's nice to have a cabinet for Pesach, but I tend to forget about whatever food I put away there.
  
• It is worth finding hand cream and lip balm that are kosher l'Pesach.
  
• It is also worth getting water bottles for Pesach; I think I was chronically under-hydrated this week.
  
• The Elite brand bittersweet chocolate is far better than the other brand.

Comments

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Isn't it just the 'skin' on the walnut which is bitter? Mind you, they can be fiddly to peel - but not at all bitter once that's done?

[magid.livejournal.com]

That could be. I'd never thought to peel walnuts before; I'm lazy enough that I wonder what would be left after I tried :-).

I also didn't have a way of getting them cut up as finely as I would've liked (I put them in a bag and rolled a wine bottle over them until I couldn't get the pieces smaller).

Basically, the problem is limited equipment: if I want to get the skins off, I have to find a place that sells them skinned, or figure out what one-purpose implement to buy, for using one week/year...
(side note: this was the first time I've made charoset outside my mom's kitchen, since it's the first time I've made a seder.)

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

You don't need a special tool, just good fingernails and something good on the radio :-) As for cutting them fine - rolling with a wine bottle sound good to me: did you really need them any finer?

[magid.livejournal.com]

I have good fingernails, but I had a distinct lack of time before Pesach to peel walnuts; I didn't get my kitchen changed over completely until the night before, so started cooking the morning before the first seder (and still had some shopping to do, too). I know I should try to get the kitchen changed over earlier, but it never seems to happen...

Possibly I don't need the walnuts finer, once they've been peeled :-).

Btw, how did you find my post?

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes - the six-or-more-P's principle :-)

Our common Friend is rosefox - whilst I'm mooching around alone at home, supposed to be job-hunting, I check my friendsfriends list now and then :-)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Good luck on the job hunt; what kind of job are you hunting?

(I'd be checking my friends (and friendsfriends) page far too much if I were at home....)

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Difficult to classify - my background is in academic research, and I'm trying to take my transferable research-IT-numeracy-teaching skills into 'the non-profit sector'. Meanwhile, I've been volunteering with Oxfam, doing campaigns research in international trade etc. (www.maketradefair.com)

[magid.livejournal.com]

That sounds like it could be tricky to find jobs, but interesting once you find something that fits.

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

I've been hunting for 18 months. Helps having well paid, supportive family...

[magid.livejournal.com]

Ack! 18 months! That sucks. I hope you find something soon.
Glad you have a supportive family.

Still, it must be frustrating. Unless you're one of those people who can manage to get things done when you have a bunch of time (I tend to find myself lazing around until I have very little time left to get whatever-it-is done, then rushing. Not a good system.), who manages to make lemonade out of the situation, making art, doing research, volunteering, stuff like that.