Fat Guy

What's the brand name on the orange one?

Well, whatever it's called, the zester is the tool I've always used for it. Every zester I've had has had two things on it: a set of little holes at the end for finely shredded whatever (which I use when making mojitos, but that could just be me), and a larger channel on the side for the ones you use as garnishes (like what you're calling a twist). I guess I could be losing my mind, though.

Yes, number one, that's all there is to it.

How the heck are you supposed to make mojitos without zest?

Shocking new study finds that people on diets are likely to be fat.

From the department of too much time on our hands: an ode to Frigid Midget.

Those are the right trays, Dave, though the ones I own have the advantage of the brand name "Frigid Midget."

Presumably, Soup and johnder don't have the induction models, because those are relatively new. Like me, they probably have the "fuzzy logic" cookers. I have a Zo, and it is now maybe 11 years old. So I can certainly say that Zo made good products as of the mid-1990s. Whether the current models are as good, and whether the induction models are worthwhile, I couldn't say. Certainly, the induction model should shave a couple of minutes off the cooking cycle, primarily because it will get everything up to temperature quicker. I've also heard, at least anecdotally, that the new units are better at cooking brown rice than the older ones -- and they have this new GABA setting that will supposedly make you live to be 120 years old.

Yep. The hinge snapped in half maybe the third time I used it. Now there are a few chips in the enamel around the holes as well. ← Okay, you know you're supposed to squeeze it with your hand, not sit on it, right?

Right, a blender like the Waring sucks at crushing ice, whereas a Cuisinart or Krups blender will crush 6-8 ice cubes very well in just a few pulses (although sometimes you get lucky and don't even need to pulse). Like I said, it's not worth hauling a Cuisinart blender with you just to crush ice, but if you've got one sitting on the counter it's more convenient to crush ice in it half a tray at a time than it is to do it with a hammer. You don't even have to clean the thing afterwards. A decent alternative to crushing ice is mini ice cubes. I always have two types of ice cube trays in my freezer: normal and mini. When you need to get something really cold really fast, the mini ice cubes do a great job -- probably not fully as effective as crushed ice, but very effective nonetheless. On the rare occasion that I actually make cocktails, I use the minis. Dogs also prefer them for snacking, and they're better at conforming to your body if you need to ice down your knee or whatever. So, if you're going to bring extra ice cube trays, you may as well make them mini ones. And if you're shopping for them, I suggest you get the "sheets" rather than the trays -- the sheets are bigger, like 15"x9" -- and make a lot more cubes than the standard ones. I'm sure there are pedagogical reasons to acclimate to the metal shakers, but for me -- again speaking as a bona fide neophyte without the confidence to pour liquor into the abyss of an opaque container -- the glass ones are superior. Even without gradations, I just prefer to see what has gone in the glass. Did I put the lime juice in yet? And with the gradations, you can do shortcuts on the items you often repeat. So, for example, you may always make the same drink for four people and so you can establish the routine: fill it with X to 6 oz, then with Y to 8 oz, then with Z to wherever. The gradations are also helpful as a backup reality check, like when somebody interrupts you in the middle of your count of 6 jiggers of gin. And when you're shaking you get to do a visual check on the frothiness of your product. Since the glass ones are so cheap, I'd suggest starting with them and then weaning yourself later, when you acquire greater cocktail-making experience and confidence.

I think I'm posting on the wrong thread. Woops.

If there are going to be kids there, non-alcoholic blender drinks can be a big hit.

You might want to add a basic bar manual to your equipment list. You never know when somebody is going to ask for a drink that you don't know how to make, but which can easily be assembled from your vacation bar. If you're not going to make any blender drinks, it's certainly not worth bringing a blender just to crush ice. However, if you're bringing a high-quality blender anyway, you'll find that a good blender crushes ice very well. If you pulse it you will get actual crushed ice, not a slush. Speaking from one neophyte to another, I strongly suggest you do use the glass version of the Boston shaker. It's especially convenient if you can get one with the ounces marked on the outside. But either way, being able to see what you're doing is very helpful for beginners. I have also never managed to break or even chip one. Those things are made of extremely thick, durable glass. You'd probably dent a metal one before you broke a glass one.

Sam, is yours the Amco brand?

Got it.

Can you go into more detail here?

I've been there probably fifty times. They make excellent deli sandwiches and some pretty good non-sandwich prepared foods, and they have a good selection of Italian food products. Almost anything that DiPalo's and IFC both carry is going to be better at DiPalo's, but IFC is good too.

My standard stop in that area is The Super Duper Weenie in nearby Fairfield. They're extremely serious about hot dogs. It's very casual.

If I offended you or anybody else, I apologize. I hope it was clear that I was kidding around, but if it wasn't then that's my fault. And if the planning is all taken care of, that's great -- I can relax with the best of them, though letting go of my cynicism is simply impossible. Without a hint of cynicism, however, I can say I'm very much looking forward to the event and to meeting all of you!

Okay so by rough count that's a minimum of 30 people and if all the extra people come it will be more like 40. So don't we need to do an inventory of the service ware in the sharing-and-caring co-kitchen in order to figure out what menu items can be supported? For example, if there are 50 soup bowls, we don't want to do two courses that require soup bowls; but if there are 400 soup bowls and no plates, we have to do 10 courses of bowl food. Or am I missing something?

How many people are coming to this thing, and what is the kitchen facility like at the Peace On Earth Housing Commune?

This is easily explained by science: Corks absorb moisture. Ice cubes are made of moisture. Therefore, corks absorb ice cubes. Once the ice cubes are absorbed by the corks, they will not stick together. The necessary ratio is 103 corks to 1 ice cube.

I was just shopping for refrigerators with my sister, and we had to special order one without a stupid ice maker/water dispenser. It's like sunroofs on nice cars. You can't get a good option package on most cars anymore without a stupid sunroof. My friend just had to order a Volkswagen specially from the factory without a sunroof but with the good stereo, etc. He waited 12 weeks and when it came it had the sunroof. "But we won't charge you!" they said. That's not the point. He didn't want it.

Here you go: http://www.bigtray.com/productdetails.asp?...&s=martini&rn=1 They have lots of other barware cheap too.

Strainer: I'm not talking about a strainer like you use for sauce. I'm talking about the spring-loaded stainless strainer that you put over the top of a Boston cocktail shaker to pour the drinks. Martini glasses: You should be able to get a dozen of the cool looking Z stem glasses for about $35. Check BigTray and InstaWares or call the local distributors.