In my case, the only bugs in the kitchen were in the HVR mix and since it was in a plastic jar with a firmly-closed lid, rather than a packet or cardboard box, I am sure of the source.
I once heard a comic (Charles Nelson Reilly, perhaps?) tell an anecdote about an infested box of some mix like Rice-a-Roni or Hamburger Helper. He was expecting a friend for supper, arriving shortly. He dumped the mix into boiling water, noticed a couple of bugs (ants?) on his hand, then saw scores of them in the pot. He had no other starch option on hand (no pun intended) , but ended his tail with a helpful hint: they all float to the top.
I buy a good bit of stuff at international markets, so it’s always a bit of a gamble on what will end up with bugs depending on whether it was irradiated, when it was packed, and so on.
Re the story, I’ve certainly rinsed raw rice with a few bugs floating off
Btw — a way to prevent / kill them is to freeze whatever it is for 2-3 days. Starting doing that with small packets of stuff I’m wary of, but some of my family does it with all grains and lentils.
I almost always make my own, but i do like Brianna’s poppyseed on fruit salad (mango, orange, banana, and strawberry), Cardini’s Caesar (dress very lightly and add a squeeze of lemon and some Pec Rom), and Martinique vinaigrette (regular and blue cheese).
I still basically make my own every. single. day. Maybe I should just make larger batches of my dressings/vinaigrettes to at least cover 2-3 salads at a time?
It may even be easier. When I make dressing, I pour the oil into a jar, pour in vinegar, add a scant spoon of Dijon for flavor and emulsification, put on the top, and shake. It can be hard to get the amount of oil, and therefore the proportions, right because of the thickness and curvature of the bottom of the jar. Making a larger batch could be done with greater accuracy, given that I never bother to dirty a tablespoon when performing the task.
It isn’t as if such a dressing will go bad in the fridge. One could even add minced garlic or sliced onion to macerate in it.
I always add finely diced shallot to my vinaigrette & some of the creamy dressings. A smashed garlic clove on occasion, always fresh herbs (parsley, dill, chives), and then the oils, vinegars, mustards, etc. I add depend on the desired end product.
Shaking it all up in a bottle or jar would be the thing to do.
