Cathy Commiserations by Cathy Guisewite for February 06, 2021

Misos do, LOL.

I do. But then I live in Japan. Got some red paste too.

And what is it?! How many misos did they have to kill to make it?

My greatest pride in the kitchen, is that I never tried to use baking powder as a substitute for baking soda (or vise-verse).

I do.

A bowl of miso soup is amazingly filling.

I would have said the same thing Cathy, but used stronger language.

The same thing for me. I’ve looked at amazing recipes in my local paper or online and get to that last ingredient and I either don’t have it, or had it – until yesterday.

Or, that one ingredient that the recipe requires only 1/4 teaspoon. I can’t tell whether or not it is in the recipe and the rest of the ingredient sits on the shelf or nether reaches of the frig until, I can’t remember what it is, didn’t like it, or have lost the recipe.

Or you have it in the cabinet, but it’s been there so long the expiration date was in Roman numerals.

That’s funny. I could say the same thing about my toolbox. Wrenches for every size nut except the one I’m dealing with.

I’m in the midwest and at this very moment, I do not have any eggs, milk, or fresh fruits or vegetables in my fridge, but I do have white miso paste.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

Miso paste is a thick mixture made from fermented soybeans, salt, and fungi known as koji.

There are a few different types of miso paste, depending on the amount of soybeans used, other ingredients like rice or barley, and the time spent fermenting. White miso is fermented with rice (also known as shiro) has the mildest taste, making it the most versatile option. The darker the paste — like yellow (shinsu), red (aka), or barley (mugi) — the stronger the flavor will be. These types of miso can easily overpower the other ingredients in a dish, so use carefully.

There are substitutions: soy sauce, tahini, vegetable stock, or fish sauce depending on the recipe. Miso paste can have a very high sodium content.

I do.

I once saw a recipe for pickle ice cream. One of the ingredients was candied pickle chips, which I have never seen.

(I don’t even want to make pickle ice cream, I just want to see the chips.)

I have white miso paste, and red miso paste. What I don’t have for a tasty looking recipe I saw yesterday is oyster sauce. I’m wondering if a bit of miso would sub for the ‘umami’ hit that the oyster sauce would provide.

Always one ingredient short.

So close, and yet so far …

Bah. One useful skill I honed during the pandemic was learning to cook without recipes. After a while, you just learn what works.