Judy, it's not so much the higher wattage on the medium burners that you need as on the big one. You should be able to use a flat bottomed wok on that and get plenty of power. I understand shy, but they really are there to help you. The Miele showroom in Beverly Hills is an especially friendly space, and considering its location I have to think that that's corporate policy! Hm... above statement was made without thinking through your way of cooking. The wattage on the mediums is important if you have a really big pan that you're transferring from the wok into, so want to wok on one of the smaller burners. If you're not ready to cook something yourself in the showroom, ask for a personal demonstration. Even boiling water should give you a good idea about the heat and responsiveness. Could you work up the courage to make an appointment and go watch the salesman or chef use the unit? Or get a pushy friend to come along and speak for you? It's important for you to be happy with your choices, and one of the best ways to do that is to actually see the appliances in action. Re gas, yes, you can use the wok burner with a grill plate, but there are single sided ones that you can easily use on induction. Also, some of the double sided ones with shallower edges work okay as well, at least on some cooktops. I have always roasted eggplants and peppers on the gas flame to get them charred on the outside and not overcooked on the inside (a distinction which may just show up my lacks as a cook in not being able to do this in an oven). I have a little barbecue grate that's made for the purpose. It's a trick that's not for the faint of cleaning, however. Nolamom, the magnet test is a great way to assess whether the pots you have will work with induction, but if you're buying new it's probably worth your while to get pots that are known to work particularly well. Since I already have a lot of Le Creuset (works great with '60's coils, gas and induction all and I love the enamel), I don't know the specifics. Do a search here and you'll find recommendations. Some steel cookware has different amounts of steel in the sides of the pan and the bottom, so it cooks a little differently than one that's all the same. Some have more steel than others. Etc. Cast iron is pretty much cast iron, though weight and thickness will effect the way a particular pan works in comparison to another. Enamel shouldn't matter (it's an insulator but I haven't heard that it impedes magnetism). I have a little Turkish coffee pot which is stainless but doesn't attract a magnet at all. I can't remember if I tested it on Mr. Induction (all this stuff is packed for demo), but I'm pretty sure it won't work. :) Anyway, what I'm trying to say is if you're buying something new, make sure it will work well rather than just work.

Prices have gone up on milk and dairy products a lot in Annie's part of the world, but I'm not going to begrudge the farmer any part of it. The real cost is not in the bio-fuel industry, although a lot of non-farmers with acreage got dollar signs in their eyes and planted corn. We promptly got 7 weeks without a drop of rain and the corn crop went kaput and the non-farmers got a taste of farming reality. The real problem for farmers is the cost of fuel. It's way, way up, of course, and those tractors don't run on air. The more fuel costs, the more it costs to plant corn, cut and bale hay, whatever. The more it costs the farmer, the more he has to charge. Fertilizer has gone up, so has the price of seeds. Sigh. I'll also point out that much of that increase goes to the middle man, the one trucking stuff from one side of the country to the other. And there's the cost of fuel for that too.... I agree with LindaC, maybe the answer is to make less expensive goodies, substitute like Booberry is, make do with less. (shrug) I could do with a bit less butter and a few less cookies anyway, a dozen spectacular cookies on a nice platter would be greatly appreciated in my house, I can tell you that. Annie

I quit buying plants at Walmart, they are root bound ALWAYS and overpriced. I love to grow a great deal of my plants now from seed - it's fun and it takes away some of the dreariness of late winter - life begins right in front of your eyes. I hope some of you will do a little research and try it, just annuals to start. It's a LOT of fun and very rewarding and very cheap to do. I don't do a lot, just a few flats - love it. There were a couple of sad looking plants at Walmart priced at full price. I asked to see the manager, showed her how root bound they were and how they were dying. I told her that if she would let me have them for 1/4 the price, I would take the chance and try to get them to survive. She told me it was against the corp policies of Wal Mart to do this, I was so surprised! I know those plants were going to be thrown away. I guess they make a better profit to keep the prices up there, they must sell enough even if the plant is dying - rather than to drastically reduce the plant to get rid of it. Then, they just throw away the dead ones. It seems so sad and wasteful to me anyway.

I like to freeze each portion individually. In this manner if I want something and Jan or a guest wants something else, we can each get what we want without having any leftover waste. When I first began this process I did not have a Seal-a-Meal so I used Saran Wrap and forsome items like the twice baked potatoes I still use Saran Wrap because my Seal-a-Mael has a small vacuum pump that pulls the air out of the package. The problem here is that it also sucks the packaging down and flattens the appearance to much. Just make sure you cut the Saran Wrap large enough that you can wrap two layers. Rice & Pasta is simple. Just measure out a portion, drop it in a freezer bag, let it cool to room temp and pop in the freezer. You can then heat it in the microwave in seconds, open the pack and dump it on the plate. When making spaghetti you can put a portion of pasta in one bag and a portion of sauce in another. Heat them both in the microwave, dump the pasta on a plate, open the sauce pack, dump that on top and serve. Make a little side salad with a vinegarette, put a container of breadsticks on the table and perhaps a glass of wine, and dinner is served. Meatloaf is super easy. First make the meatloaf, then let it rest & cool. Even overnite in the fridge is fine. Once its cool and firm you can cut 1/2" thick slices, then put one or two slices in a bag & freeze. Later reheat in the bag to retain moisture, then dump it on a plate. Careful here. At my house the meatloaf seems to dissapear. I think its the midnight fairies robbing the freezer to make sandwiches.....LOL. Now before I give you my recipee for stuffed/baked chicken breast I have one small bone to pick with most ladies. Over the years I have had opportunity to cook in many ladies kitchens and invariably I find three essential items missing; a good meat tenderizing hammer, Commercial Salt Free Soup Base and corn starch. Notice, I said a "good" meat tenderizing hammer. A good meat tenderizing hammer has two pointed waffle faces. A course face on one end and a finer face on the opposite end, but what is even more important, it should have a smooth surface on the sides. The weights vary from about 2oz to nearly 10oz, but I find that a 3 to 4oz head works best. STUFFED BAKED CHICKEN BREAST- I buy my chicken breasts in bulk packs when they are on sale, and when I cook them I usually make about 12 to 18 portions at the same time. (I usually buy skinless & boneless, but if I find a good deal on breasts with bone & skin I can easily remove the skin and debone them). Lay a skinless/ boneless chicken breast on your cutting board with the skin side down, cover with a layer of Saran Wrap, then beginning in the middle of the breast and working outward around the breast, pound lightly with the smooth side of your meat tenderizing hammer. The idea is to pound it down to about 1/4" thick and spread out to about an 8" diameter. Make up a small pot of Stove Top stuffing and put a scoop of the stuffing in the center of the flattened chicken breast. Now fold all the sides up and place in a shallow 10x18 baking dish with the open sides down, and continue making the breasts until you have the dish full. Fill the dish about 1/2 full of chicken broth then sprinkle the smooth round tops of the breasts with a bit of Paparika & parsley flakes to add color, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a moderate oven (350degF) for about 30min then remove the foil and back a bit more until you get a light browning on the top of the breasts. Allow the breasts to cool to room temp then lift out and individually wrap for the freezer. And now a word about "Soup Base". Soup base is a product that appears like boulian but I find boulian way too salty for my taste. Soup base is made in Chicken, Beef, Pork & Ham flavoring and is primarily used as the base to make cooking stock or gravy. To make the chicken broth make a small pan of boiling water and add the soup base until you get the desired strenght of broth. (I just do it by eye, but I would guess its about 3tablespoons per pint of water.) To make a quick gravy, begin by making the soup base, then mix a couple tablespoons of cornstarch in 4 to 5oz of cold water (NOTE-cornstarch does not blend well in hot water, it will instantly form nasty lumps) With the broth still at a low simmer slowly add some of the corn starch water and wish briskly. The broth will begin to thichen into a gravy. Continue adding the cornstarch and wisking until you get the desired thickness in your gravy. When I serve the chicken breasts I serve with a baked potatoe and drizzle a bit of the chicken gravy over both the breast and the potatoe. I will tell you ahead of time, it is becoming very difficult to find the soup base. You may find it in some of the high end grocery stores, and on rare occassions they may have it at a walmart super store, but don't count on that. One good place to look for it is in a meat market that has retail sales and also supplies meats to local restaruants. The last time I bought it I had the chef at a local motel/conention center get it for me from his commercial purveyor. The soup base comes in a small glass or plastic jar about 3" in diameter and about 3-4" high.