Despite all of Amazon’s bad practices, the company makes some fantastic e-readers, especially when it comes to the Kindle Paperwhite. However, if the Paperwhite is a little too small for you, or you want something that can take notes, too, the larger, more expensive Kindle Scribe might be worth looking into. It may be more expensive than the Paperwhite, but that price tag is worth it, especially if you like to read comics, manga, or write.

A Kindle by any other name

If you put the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Scribe side-by-side, you’re going to see a lot of similarities. The two devices are almost identical, in fact, aside from the larger size of the Scribe’s display. Both devices offer a fantastic e-ink display, which makes reading in any brightness exceptionally easy and enjoyable. 

So, what makes the Kindle Scribe so special? If you’re looking for something to read normal books with, then the Paperwhite is everything you need to do that, at an exceptional price. However, the Scribe is there for people like me, who want to read things like comics—something that will be appreciated by many once Amazon completes the merging of the Kindle Store and Comixology app. 

The 10.2-inch display is great at rendering both the e-ink of the books, as well as the pages of various comics and manga. While the Scribe might be a bit more unwieldy compared to the smaller Paperwhite, the extra size makes it feel more like a book to me. It also allows me to have more text on-screen, without having to move the font down to something almost illegible.

Add in a stylus and everything is better

The Scribe takes some pointers from other big-screen e-readers like the ReMarkable 2 by adding in a stylus or “pen” that you can use with it. When you’re done reading, you can create Notebooks, which you can then write in. 

It’s perfect for easily jotting down anything that comes to mind, such as notes about a story you’re working on, or things you want to remember from specific books. You can also draw using the notebook system, though it isn’t nearly as good as an actual drawing tablet, so I wouldn’t recommend buying it just for that purpose.

The “pen,” as Amazon calls it, is just a stylus with replaceable tips, but the company offers both a Basic and a Premium option—the latter of which comes with a clickable button to trigger certain actions. I wasn’t really expecting a lot from the pen, to be honest, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to write with it. It made taking notes on the Scribe exceptionally easy and enjoyable, and it’s quickly helped the device become my main note-taking option, saving me money on paper and sticky notes.

The system also allows some more advanced tools beyond just writing and jotting things down, though. You can also convert any handwritten notes to text, and then easily share them via email to various contacts. There’s also a lasso tool, which allows you to resize, move, and copy or paste the notes from the notebook or books you’re working in. You can make notes within the various notebooks, or if you want to jot something important down while reading a book, you can create notes within your books at any point, and revisit them later. You can also easily organize all of your notes into folders and subfolders for future reference.

When you reading in landscape mode, you can see two pages of a book side by side, creating the illusion that the Scribe is a real book. It’s a nice feature that makes my reading time each day feel even more immersive, and I’m happy with the decision to move from the smaller Paperwhite to the Scribe.

An expensive upgrade

But all of these pros don’t change the fact that the Kindle Scribe is a very expensive upgrade, especially if you already have a Kindle Paperwhite from the past few years. Not only are the newer Paperwhites cheaper, but they also have something going for them that the Scribe doesn’t: They’re waterproof. As such, it’s hard to recommend the Scribe over the Paperwhite for every individual.

Still, that doesn’t change that the Scribe is a fantastic way to read, and easily one of the best Kindle revisions that Amazon has released thus far. There is a lot going for the device that justifies the baseline $339.99 price point (for the cheapest 16GB option), and you can often find it on sale. In fact, it’s on sale right now: Amazon has it 29% off for Black Friday, making it just $239.99 for the 16GB Kindle Scribe.

If you’re looking for a great e-reader with more screen real estate, while offering the same readability and access to Amazon’s Kindle store to the Paperwhite, then the Scribe is an option well worth checking out.

Source: LifeHacker – The Kindle Scribe Is One of the Best E-Readers You Can Buy

Paramount+’s December lineup includes the streaming premiere of the crime thriller Finestkind starring Jenna Ortega, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tommy Lee Jones. The film, coming Dec. 15, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and follows two brothers’ involvement with a Boston crime syndicate. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is the animated, kid-friendly film Baby Shark’s Big Movie (doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo) coming Dec. 8, starring voice acting from Ashley Tisdale, Cardi B, and Lance Bass.

I’m just here to disrupt your traditional turkey holiday, and today I bring you the refreshing idea of throwing some kraut on that turkey sammo. Sure, it feels natural if you’ve made the turkey pastrami we recommended early this month, but you’re going to have turkey long after the stuffing and taters are gone, and some bright, umami rich kraut is going to make that turkey feel fresh and new. Packed with texture and a little spice, it can turn a a so-so sandwich into a winner. The added probiotics are a nice side benefit after a few days of cream, butter, pie, and more pie. 

Have you even had real sauerkraut?

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, but if you’ve only ever had the stuff in the jars at the store, you’ve never really had sauerkraut—not the stuff purists approve of, that is. The real thing still has some bite left in it, with a fizzy, deep taste, slightly salty but never overpowering, and a lot of spice. It’s a live ferment, unlike what you can buy from a store.

Core the cabbage

This is a fast sauerkraut, and we’re not making a ton of it, so it’ll come together fast. Take your head of cabbage and slice it in half, bisecting the core (the white stump you’ll see somewhere on the head).  Now use your knife to cut a v-shaped notch out of the cabbage halves, just to remove that tough core. All that’s left is the cabbage. Place the flat side of the cabbage half on a cutting board and now make slices the short way (perpendicular to the core), never thicker than ¼ inch. This is a fine chiffonade, so to speak, that’s going to make a light but crunchy sauerkraut. 

Now for the brine

Put an empty bowl on a scale and press the tare button so the scale zeros out. Now add your cabbage and take note of how much it weighs. We’re going to add 2% salt to it, so take that number, and multiply it by .02. That’s how much salt you need. Weigh out the salt and then sprinkle it onto the cabbage. Now, here’s the most important part: massage it into the leaves. Get in there with your clean hands and really make sure the salt is mixed through the cabbage and actually rub it into those leaves. Let the bowl sit on the counter for an hour, covered by a tea towel. I also like to add some caraway seed to my sauerkraut, but fennel seed, celery seed, and coriander are also popular. 

Pack it in

When you uncover the bowl, you’re going to notice that the cabbage has released a lot of water, which is exactly what we want. Now we need to find a vessel to ferment in. Jars are ideal for this, but a covered glass storage container will do. Make sure that the vessel is very clean; straight out of the dishwasher is always a good way to go. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can hand-wash the vessel, then swirl some vinegar inside it for good measure. Alternatively, you can use a vacuum bag for this purpose, since it will pull out all the oxygen.

Using your clean hands, start packing the cabbage in. You want to place it in the vessel and actually pack it down, making sure there are no air bubbles. Use your fist to smash it in there, if you have to. Even as you’re doing this, the cabbage will release more liquid, which we want! At the end, take all the liquid from the bowl and pour it over the cabbage in the vessel. 

An important note: so long as every piece of cabbage is under the brine (the liquid), you’re good. But cabbage floats, which is why some people use fermentation weights. If you don’t have those, you can place a zippered plastic back into the vessel (make sure this, too, is super clean). Use your hands to make sure the bottom of the bag fills up the empty space in the jar, with the top of the bag extending over the top of the jar. Close the bag’s zipper most of the way, leaving an inch or two open. Pour water into the bag’s top opening, which should fill the leftover space in the jar and push the cabbage beneath the brine. Close the zipper. Et voila, a homemade fermentation weight.

Go to a dark place

Now place the vessel in a dark place between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Check your new creation daily; you’re looking for some bubbling to take place and for the brine to get cloudy. This can happen in as soon as three to four days, but it can take longer in colder climates. If you are using a covered vessel, it is important to “burp” the vessel every day. (To do this, just open it and close it back up again so it can release any carbon dioxide.) If you’re using a vacuum bag, the bag will inflate. When the bag inflates to the point you’re worried about it popping, cut the end, release the air inside, and reseal.

The final kraut-down

You decide when the sauerkraut is ready. That may sound intimidating, but it’s not. Simply taste the sauerkraut with a clean fork (never double dipping) and when you think the sauerkraut is ready, it is. There is no perfect amount of doneness. Sauerkraut continues to ferment unless it is placed in the fridge, which will slow fermentation down. Some people enjoy a more fermented sauerkraut and some people enjoy a less fermented version. This is about what you like. 

Layer that sauerkraut on your sandwich, add some cranberry sauce or Russian dressing, and enjoy!

Fast Cabbage Sauerkraut Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cabbage

• 2% of the cabbage’s weight in salt

• 1 tablespoon of seeds (fennel, caraway, celery, or coriander)

1. Core the cabbage and then slice into 1/4″ slices the short way, resulting in lots of long, thin strands of cabbage.

2. Weigh the cabbage, and multiply the weight by .02 to get the salt measurement.

3. Weigh out that calculated amount of salt and then add it to the cabbage. Spend 10 minutes massaging the salt into the cabbage.

4. Cover the cabbage with a tea towel and leave for an hour.

5. Add seasonings to the cabbage, including any seeds like fennel, coriander, caraway, or celery seed. Use one tablespoon per head of cabbage of any seed you enjoy, and then mix into the cabbage.

6. Pack the cabbage into a clean glass container.

7. Burp the sauerkraut, checking it daily for fermentation. Taste every day starting on day five, and when ready, place in refrigerator.

Source: LifeHacker – Use This Sauerkraut Recipe for Your Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwiches