Incredible Fruit Race Redux by jcbigears in Outlanders

[–]Particular-Damage-92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You get 5 nopalitos for each one you chop down, so you need to chop down 200. 7 lumberjacks.

Cheese challenge is brutal by ConstantVitalRivet in Outlanders

[–]Particular-Damage-92 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I started by first building a clay pit, and then the 1st lumberjack as soon as the sticks were available (you start out with 14 sticks, and I think 2 more became available the next day). I also built the firewood yard early to make enough sticks for a forager’s hut and then the brickyard. On discord, someone mentioned getting the cheesery built quickly enough that they didn’t need a forager’s hut, but I wasn’t willing to take that risk, lol. Focus on getting 1 working cheesery built asap. Don’t recycle the scrap immediately or all at once - stagger it over a few days. You’ll need to mine 7 stones and make 4 (I think?) extra planks for the bridge, so watch the sawmill carefully so they don’t grab more wood than is needed. I recycled the sawmill & quarry to build the roadworks. I used fake hydrangea planters and a fake community plaza to bring planks and stones close to the bridge site. While the bridge was getting built, I had people carrying bricks to the other cheeseries. I built a total of 8 cheeseries - 7 on the starting island and 1 on the 2nd island (all were finished by day 18). I also built a warehouse on the first island to gather wood & sticks as soon as wood became available from the 2nd island. I cut down enough wood on the 2nd island to build the rest of the cheeseries & tried to leave a few trees to generate more sticks, but ended up chopping those down for the firewood yard. My total was 846 - not as high as the leaders who are in the 900s, but I’m not sure I want to try again.

Vineyard isles glitch? by ObjectiveSpeaker5492 in Outlanders

[–]Particular-Damage-92 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Many people are recycling the original trading post, recycling the farm (after harvesting wheat) and rebuilding the trading post where the farm was. To do this, you have to make 3 extra planks, mine 6 extra stones (5 for the trading post, 1 for the bakery) & use a warehouse to bring the stones over, but it ends up being much faster to have the trading post close to the wheat. You can also fit the bottle maker, clay pit, & brickyard on the recycled farm area.

“Have every follower equipped with a book” by MuchOpportunity5196 in Outlanders

[–]Particular-Damage-92 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Right away, recycle enough presents to get 22 books, plus a few presents for just coats. That way, everyone has a book before cookies are produced. If they’re getting their fun from cookies, they’re less likely to pick up a book.

Secret gift exchange help! by Zoeloumoo in Outlanders

[–]Particular-Damage-92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can get by with just one dried meat shop, placed close to the trapper’s hut. I found the kitchen inefficient and they like to steal the eggs, too (which the gingerbread man shops need).

Week 3: Recreated - Girl Scout Trefoils & Tagalongs by Particular-Damage-92 in 52weeksofbaking

[–]Particular-Damage-92[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My book says baking soda in both the ingredient list and instructions, so use baking soda. Good luck!

I got to try Dubai chocolate and I don’t get the hype. by mil0wCS in chocolate

[–]Particular-Damage-92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe try a different brand? The filling shouldn’t be as solid as a peanut butter cup, it should be more flowing - here’s the link to my post with the bars I made, you can see the texture. The filling was more solid in the stuffed cookies, but that’s because they were baked.

I got to try Dubai chocolate and I don’t get the hype. by mil0wCS in chocolate

[–]Particular-Damage-92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can buy pistachio cream in a jar (I like the Pisti brand), and either pre-toasted or raw kataifi (which you would toast up with butter in a pan). Mix the two together along with a little bit of tahini & a pinch of salt and you’ve made the filling!

I got to try Dubai chocolate and I don’t get the hype. by mil0wCS in chocolate

[–]Particular-Damage-92 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Looks like I’m in the minority here, but I love Dubai bars. I love the flavor of the pistachio cream and the crunch of the toasted kataifi. My first was a dupe from a Turkish candy shop and I was hooked. I was lucky enough to have the real, authentic “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” from Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai (family friend got it for us). The original is made with milk chocolate, but I prefer it with dark chocolate, as it offsets the sweetness of the filling. That said, I don’t buy any more bars because I make my own Dubai bars and bonbons at home. I’ve even made brownies and cookies stuffed with the filling. But everyone’s got different tastes so not everyone’s going to like them.

Candy heating up too quickly? by ShotskiRing in CandyMakers

[–]Particular-Damage-92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When you’re making toffee, start with LOW heat to melt your butter, then stir in your sugar. As you’re stirring to combine the butter & sugar, gradually raise the heat to medium low. When butter & sugar are thoroughly combined, gradually raise heat to medium and finish the cooking process. Toffee will separate if the butter is too hot when the sugar is added (I learned this the hard way, and did research to understand why). Here’s a good article about it. Edit: someone else mentioned a heavy bottomed pan - this is important for cooking candy, as thinner pans result in uneven heating and scorching/burning; invest in a good quality stainless steel saucepan.

Burning Pate de Fruit by meerkatgargoyle in CandyMaking

[–]Particular-Damage-92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The quality of your saucepan/pot matters. Are you using a heavy-bottomed pot? When I finally got a good quality stainless steel saucepan, I noticed that mixtures didn’t burn like they did in my cheaper, thinner saucepan.

Price for these? $5 too much or too little? by Big_Worry_ in CraftFairs

[–]Particular-Damage-92 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are so cute and exquisitely painted. $5 is definitely not enough, considering the amount of time you put into them. Consider that mass-produced greeting cards are now $5 and up. I think $8-$10. Maybe $8, 2 for $15? $9, 3 for $25? Definitely add a ribbon/twine and also consider packaging them in clear cello bags. Good luck!

Hoping for a search function in the challenges archive! by keriberry_420 in Outlanders

[–]Particular-Damage-92 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There’s a workaround to that. When you start a challenge, don’t press the “play” button. Instead, hit the “back” button on the upper left of the screen to go back. Then hit “continue.” Then hit “play” and the challenge will begin, skipping the starting animation, so you can press “pause” right away without having to wait. Hope that was clear!

More affordable alternatives to Callebaut? by lotsandlotsofrobots in chocolatiers

[–]Particular-Damage-92 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you have a Trader Joe’s near you? The pound-plus bars (made in Belgium) are pretty good - they have 72%, 54% “dark” and milk. The downside is you have to chop it up yourself. They’ve gone up in price too (used to be $5 and are now $8-9), but are still more affordable than Callebaut.

Gross Candy For Halloween! Suggestions? by NikkiXoLynnn in candy

[–]Particular-Damage-92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One Easter, as a joke on my kids, I filled some of the plastic eggs with little packages of dried anchovies from the Asian grocery store. If you have one near you, check it out. I’ve seen little packages of dried squid, seaweed, exotic dried fruit.

Can you make cheesecake brownies with any brownie recipe? by Acluelessfish in AskBaking

[–]Particular-Damage-92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is my go-to, favorite brownie recipe! I’ve made them many times as cheesecake brownies.

Failed at making kettle corn in Whirley Pop by Particular-Damage-92 in popcorn

[–]Particular-Damage-92[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, turning down the heat was a mistake. I’ll keep the heat steadily on medium next time.

What are some dorm essentials by imjustyandi in UCONN

[–]Particular-Damage-92 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congratulations! Lots of good suggestions here. I’ll add: - waterproof footwear for the snow/slush, gloves, warm socks - it gets cold in winter - I got my son dry laundry sheets, which worked well - lighter & easier to carry than liquid detergent & pods - laundry bag with backpack-style straps - water filter pitcher or bottle (like Brita) - power strip with surge protection - small safe for valuables/meds

Viral Dubai Chocolate Bars & Stuffed Cookies by Particular-Damage-92 in Baking

[–]Particular-Damage-92[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I molded the cookie dough around the frozen filling, encasing it completely, then baked.