Confit is a "T&T" method of food preservation, but Harold McGee talks about a "small but real risk that botulism could grow." He says the risk traditionally is reduced (not eliminated) by 1) placing the salted, slow-cooked meat in a sterile container over an additional layer of salt, 2) using nitrates in the salt 3) storing at a temperature less than 40 degrees 4) reheating "periodically to extend its useful life." I'm guessing that's critical. Of course, McGee says over time the meat will go rancid but that "a slight rancidity is part of the flavor of a traditional confit." For me personally a short preservation without nitrates (or the rancidity) is more appealing. Carol

No one should be eating ANY tuna to excess: Excerpted from the EPA website (URL: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm): "By following these three recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury. 1.Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury. 2.Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. ◦Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. ◦Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week. ....6. The advice about canned tuna is in the advisory, but what's the advice about tuna steaks? Because tuna steak generally contains higher levels of mercury than canned light tuna, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of tuna steak per week. 7. What if I eat more than the recommended amount of fish and shellfish in a week? One week's consumption of fish does not change the level of methylmercury in the body much at all. If you eat a lot of fish one week, you can cut back for the next week or two. Just make sure you average the recommended amount per week." From Consumer Rpts (URL: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/january/food/mercury-in-tuna/overview/index.htm) "Results from our tuna tests (canned, all kinds), conducted at an outside lab, underscore the longheld concern for those people. We found: Every sample contained measurable levels of mercury, ranging from 0.018 to 0.774 parts per million. The Food and Drug Administration can take legal action to pull products containing 1 ppm or more from the market. (It never has, according to an FDA spokesman.) The EPA compiles fish advisories when state and local governments have found high contaminant levels in certain locally caught fish. Samples of white tuna had 0.217 to 0.774 ppm of mercury and averaged 0.427 ppm. By eating 2.5 ounces of any of the tested samples, a woman of childbearing age would exceed the daily mercury intake that the EPA considers safe. Samples of light tuna had 0.018 to 0.176 ppm and averaged 0.071 ppm. At that average, a woman of childbearing age eating 2.5 ounces would get less than the EPA's limit, but for about half the tested samples, eating 5 ounces would exceed the limit. In 2006 we scrutinized the results of the FDA's tests in 2002 to 2004 of mercury levels in hundreds of samples of canned tuna. The agency's white-tuna samples averaged 0.353 ppm; light tuna, 0.118 ppm. But we found that as much as 6 percent of the FDA's light-tuna samples had at least as much mercury as the average in white tuna - in some cases more than twice as much. Given the uncertainties about the impact of occasional fetal exposure to such high levels, we urged the FDA to warn consumers about occasional spikes in mercury levels in canned light tuna. More than four years later, the FDA still hasn't issued such a warning. When we asked why, an FDA spokesman indicated that the agency had already taken the spikes into account when formulating its mercury advice. " ******************* ******************* BTW, if you think these guidelines ONLY apply to children or pregnant/nursing women, that's not true. A few years ago there was a report of an NFL football player who was trying to move to a healthier diet of less meat and lower cholesterol. As he didn't really like fish as a rule, he switched to canned tunafish. He was eating a can of tuna almost every day. After a few months he started to have numbness in his limbs (parethesia) and muscle weakness. A doctor finally diagnosed his illness, and got him on a natural detox diet. Extreme? Yes. But mercury poisoning is just as real a threat as lead poisoning. Heavy metals toxicity is something to always be aware of.

Horrible experience with Omega cabinets. I'm currently in the process of remodeling my kitchen and bar. We originally ordered my cabinets in october 2021 and were told that there was a 4 months lead time and we had to order right away because Omega was going to raise prices within a week. We were comfortable with ordering Omega as they were the top brand in semi custom cabinets and came highly recommended. So we didn't shop around and just decided to go with the "best". Although we were happy with our Diamond brand cabinets for our bathrooms. We received our cabinets in February as promised and due to things running long, they sat in my garage until we were ready to install. We opened up the cabinets in March and to our surprise 50% of the cabinets had major defects that I could not accept the product. We immediately ordered replacements and were told that we would have them in 4 weeks. Well, it's May 27 2022 today and I recieved my replacements 8 weeks later. I cannot believe the quality of the product from Omega. The new cabinets still have dings, missing paint, chips along the shelves and doors, scratches and smears all along the top. I'm beyond frustrated with the experience of my cabinets and this is what I paid nearly $40k for! In addition to putting my entire remodeling project on hold for months and costing me extra stress and money from not having a kitchen and having to order out every meal, paying for storage of my entire 1st floor just because it's waiting for cabinets. This is probably one of the worst products that I've received in my remodeling. DO NOT BUY FROM OMEGA.

I am writing to clarify some of my previous comments which were not entirely accurate and Houzz does not allow me to edit/correct my posts. I put an order through today with a walnut-veneered slab door. This thread got me thinking and in order to give my customer accurate information, I called to speak with Omega customer service. The original poster's door is outsourced. It arrives at the Omega factory already veneered but unfinished. Other parts of this kitchen ( veneered plywood cabinet sides and panels) come from a different supplier. To add to the issue, there are solid walnut pieces such as crown. Therefore, in any one walnut kitchen, you have the potential of three different finish aesthetics. Everything is stained at the Omega factory, but the veneers on the doors (minimal sap wood) differ from the veneers on the plywood (up to 20% sap wood), which will differ still from solid wood. This can result in slight color differences. I have sold several walnut slab kitchens without issues. The kitchen in this original post obviously has some! Knowing Omega like I do, I know anything that needs replacement will be taken care of.