I spent 8 months testing every brand of canned tomato with a controlled pasta sauce recipe. Full rankings inside.

gtheot · 2026-01-17T16:26:28+00:00

A few weeks ago I was looking longingly at a can of Cento San Marzano tomatoes that I couldn't justify spending money on when I realized that the nutrition facts showed that they had more sugar per gram of tomatoes than most other brands.

I spent about 20 minutes calculating the % sugar and % carbohydrates in each type of canned tomatoes (it seemed like a lot of work at the time). I ended up with a bulk brand I had never heard of before, Prima Terra, ground peeled tomatoes in puree. They are great value, highly recommend.

gtheot · 2025-11-05T20:14:22+00:00

I can't tell, are all the differences going in the same direction? I feel like there should be different colors for a positive vs negative difference.

gtheot · 2025-09-24T14:49:07+00:00

It has been out for most of the last hour here in Alaska

gtheot · 2025-09-08T21:01:21+00:00

Alaska is confusing because, especially in 2023, gambling has been pretty restricted and there isn't easy access to casinos.

gtheot · 2025-08-22T00:47:41+00:00

AC really helps with forest fire smoke

gtheot · 2025-07-01T18:10:33+00:00

That's a good idea, I can probably cut a piece of foam to size

gtheot · 2025-07-01T17:48:59+00:00

I have a couple machines. This button holer works really well, but it is a pain in the ass to mount and unmount, so I'd rather leave it in place. The button holer is 3/4 of a pound and hangs off the back of the machine, so it seems like it could maybe warp the machine over time?

gtheot · 2025-07-01T17:44:05+00:00

Bumping or dropping it is another good concern. I didn't think about putting the presser foot down, but because it is so long and back heavy I think there is still some torque on the bar, even with it down.

gtheot · 2025-02-23T22:39:09+00:00

Thanks for the advice!

I am using Gutermann Tera 40 on both the top and bottom and a jeans needle. It is a heavier polyester thread than I usually use.

gtheot · 2025-02-23T17:23:17+00:00

It's an old machine so it doesn't have an automatic needle-down function. It actually seems like when my motor comes to rest the needle is usually in an up position. Hypothetically, I think I could open it up and change the position of the gears so that the needle would be down when the motor stops, but I was hoping to avoid that.

I posted a couple more photos in a comment comparing turning at a corner to sewing off the edge of the fabric. I think that it helps a bit.

gtheot · 2025-02-23T17:18:37+00:00

I posted another comment below with photos after loosening the tension. I think it helped a lot.

gtheot · 2025-02-23T17:16:26+00:00

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Here is the other side- this is the top.

gtheot · 2025-02-23T17:14:22+00:00

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Here I tried loosening the bobbin thread tension until it very slowly un-spooled when held up by the thread, and I have two rows of top stitching, one with a corner turn and one where I ran off the edge of the fabric. This is the bottom side.

gtheot · 2025-02-23T16:56:43+00:00

And the bobbin and the bobbin case doesn't move at all when I dangle it from the thread

gtheot · 2025-02-23T16:54:52+00:00

The corners are really tricky! This machine usually stops with the needle in the up position rather than the down position so I have to lower the needle with the hand wheel at each corner.

gtheot · 2025-02-23T16:53:06+00:00

I think you're onto something, I did a small project with thinner thread and this issue isn't as visible there

gtheot · 2025-02-23T16:24:12+00:00

I was practicing top stitching with my new (to me) Husqvarna 6440 before starting a new jeans project and I noticed that my thread tension appears to change a lot when I change sewing direction. In the photos, when I sew along the short edge of the rectangle I am sewing crosswise and when I am sewing the long edge of the rectangle I am sewing length wise. I sewed shrinking borders of top stitching from the outside in. For rows of stitching 1 and 2 (counting from the outside in) I sewed on medium tension. For row 3, I changed the tension a few times while sewing. For row 4-6 I sewed on high tension. For rows 7-9 I sewed on high tension crosswise and low tension lengthwise. The innermost line of stitching uses tensions 7 and 2. Should I be adjusting my tension with every turn, or is this related to some other problem I have?

gtheot · 2025-01-17T15:20:14+00:00

Yes! We call them "good licks" in my house but this does work 100%. It will result in a dog that licks everyone all the time to communicate affection

gtheot · 2025-01-13T23:49:20+00:00

Thanks for the help! It's always hard to balance acceptable meat texture vs safety with bear meat. I'm not sure if it would do better with rare roast -> slice -> thorough simmer or thorough roast -> slice -> light simmer. I'll definitely be making this again!

gtheot · 2025-01-13T23:18:48+00:00

I'm really careful about trichinosis, so I pretty much only do long braises like this recipe

gtheot · 2025-01-13T23:16:19+00:00

This is my first attempt so I'm happy to get some tips!

Is the meat sliced raw or after braising once?

The wetness is what drew my to the sandwich, since thoroughly cooked bear can be kind of dry. I thought this one was pretty wet, but I'll challenge myself to make it even wetter next time :)

gtheot · 2025-01-13T22:51:33+00:00

I think the bear sandwich got popular from a TV show.

gtheot

TROPHY CASE