Well, on Wednesday evening, I made pastitsio on my current radiant smoothtop to try to gauge just how much pot jockeying I do for certain recipes. For this dish, I need 3 saucepans and a saute pan. At some points in the process, I am using 3 hobs simultaneously. Also, onions are sweated & ground meat is browned (on MED/MED-HI)& then the contents are put on a low simmer while I make the Bechamel component. I would prefer to not have to reach over a simmering saute pan to whisk the Bechamel on a small back hob. I tried very hard to keep a mental record of what I was doing so I could transfer that time-motion set to the hob layout of induction cooktops I've considered. I also imagined doing it for a full or double size recipe which would require bigger pans. Then, I pondered on it over two night's sleep. In the end, I don't think an induction cooktop is right for me and the type of cooking I do and aspire to, at this time. I felt like I was twisting myself in a pretzel to try to make induction work when I want an indoor grill and have to worry about a backup generator. However, I want to offer my sincere thanks to all of you who took the time to post on this thread in order to help me out. Jo Ann

Roasting peppers really is easy. I find blackening them on a grill easiest especially if I'm doing a large quantity for freezing. But you can also blacken peppers on top of your gas stove. Just place peppers right on grid, turn on burner and turn occasionally until blackened. I take them off the grill and place in either a paper bag or a plastic bag and leave to steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle the blackened skin just rubs off. If freezing just core pepper and cut into strips and freeze on a cookie sheet. When frozen, package in freezer bags or containers. If using immediately or within a few days, I drizzle with olive oil and fresh minced garlic, salt and pepper. A little fresh lemon juice and some fresh chopped herbs is also an option. Because of the danger of botulism, I prefer to take peppers out of the freezer and dress them with oil and fresh garlic as needed rather than keep them stored in the fridge in oil. Ann

My husband saved everything! He would save boxes, we have two places, one being a property and cabin. He would take stuff to the dump and come back with more than he left with, this place, I managed to keep relatively clutter free, but found a horde in the shed yesterday, and I still have to clean up the basement horde. We had pizza, and I went out to the cabin to find mummified MICE in the pizza boxes, he was going to use them to light the stove he said--they were still in the woodbox six months later!!! Granted, I suspected a hording issue, but I never truly saw how bad it was until he was literally on his death bed from cancer! I hadn't, at that time been to the cabin in years because he would invite strangers to come and live with us when I lived out there with two small children. One stranger committed suicide. He always put his friends and strangers before the safety of his own family. There were a couple that had a cabin close to us, the fellow died of leukemia, but before he died, my husband made sure that their place was sold so that the widow wouldn't have to look after that. WHY???? They had three kids in town, that was not HIS responsibility! Me, he left with a major hording issue at the cabin, over acres and acres! I walked thru the property for eight hours and didn't get thru a quarter of the stuff. I bawled for entire time, and then screamed for two!!! He didn't care that he died and left me with that mess to clean up. Also, our other property he left a mess too. He never repaired anything at all, now I have to try and sell things off for what I can get out of them just so that I can move to be with my special needs son. Why didn't I leave, because I had a severely disabled child and financially could not have afforded to do so, then he got cancer and I had to take care of him. I put up with all this for 26 years. So, to your husband, does he want you to be left with a mess to clean up when he dies? I should be mourning for hubby, but believe me, sad as this may sound, I am thrilled to be free to clean up the mess he left me to deal with. I feel nothing for him but anger, bitterness and resentment. It is very embarrassing to have to get people to clean up his messes. He horded probably 40 vehicles, scrap metal, over 100 propane tanks, he built shops and sheds to store more and more, he had old motorcycle parts, snow mobile parts, coleman campstoves, generators, welders, you name it. His dying wish was to have more friends visit and to see if he could find parts for two of his clunkers, not getting someone in to clean up the stuff, he didn't care that I had to clean it up, but he expected me to bring him meals in the hospital because NOW he finally liked MY cooking ha ha ha. He knew he was dying for seven years, all he did was collect more stuff. Granted, it exploded when he found out he was dying, but still. How can a person do this to a loved one???? My family wants me to start dating and meet someone else ha ha ha ha ha---as if I want to deal with THIS again!!!! I just wanted to share so that you and your husband can do something about this NOW before you end up like me!!!

Shoot- just wrote a long comment/question and it seems to have lost it. I just read this whole thread. I have cooked loads of turkeys but this will be first on convection. I have an almost 21# bird in the freezer (moving to frig tomorrow -Sunday). I usually brine but wanted to use less this year to be able to use the broth/drippings. I usually start breast-side down. I just read Pioneer Woman's article on trussing, so I am planning on doing that. I don't stuff but am open to the idea of putting butter and/or stuffing under the skin. (If it was going to be stuffed under the skin right before roasting, wouldn't it be okay to use my own stuffing recipe with eggs?) I have a digital probe thermometer that will beep when the set temp is reached. Question- How much salt is enough in brine solution and yet not too much to make the broth overly salty? I like MOIST flavorful turkey- I love gravy. I cannot stand the chokingly dry white meat my in-laws served years ago. ugh. That's what I really want to avoid.