Alex

Based on what I see on Amazon (US$98.91 today), this looks like an improved (?) version of a model that came out in 2007. Any thoughts on that? Dejah, are you using the optional accessories kit or just improvising from what you already own? BTW, you (well, the fryer) had me at "naan."

Fun article -- thanks. It could fit right in to a delightful book I've been reading: A History of Food in 100 Recipes, by William Sitwell. In fact, thinking about it, the book could use its own thread.

Alex, I was so focused on the stabilizers in the recipe, I completely overlooked the other ingredients. 1 cup lowfat milk to 1/2 cup cream is, imo, way too little milkfat for ice cream- hence the ice milk texture. That makes a lot of sense. The original recipe was for cow's milk blue cheese, which has a much higher percentage of fat than goat cheese. Next time I'll try reversing the amounts of milk and cream and see what happens.

Thanks in advance for some advice; this will be my first time using stabilizers in ice cream (or anything else). So, let's say a recipe for what looks like a little over a pint -- like this one -- calls for 1/2 teaspoon of guar. If I use xanthan + guar, how much xanthan should I use, and should I decrease the amount of guar? Also, what amounts should I use if I increase the recipe by 50% in order to make something closer to a quart? That's a tough question. I know there's a synergistic boost, but I haven't spent much time tracking it. I would definitely say that 1/4 teaspoon of each is too much, but I think 1/8 might be a little too ambitious. If it were me, I'd probably split the difference and go with 3/16 which is probably in the realm of a round 1/8th t. Btw, are you 100% cetain that the recipe you linked to actually works? When you get into savory ice cream, you lose the freezing point suppression effects of the sugar which introduces greater textural concerns. The expensive ice cream makers that have a built in compressor freeze the ice cream faster and create smaller ice crystals/a superior texture with less stabilizers. I can't help thinking, based on the wealth/professional affiliation of the people involved, that equipment plays a part in this recipe and that your typical sub $100 ice cream maker may not give you the right texture, even with two gums. Thanks for the suggestions. I have no idea yet if the recipe works. I was planning to do a test run before Sunday's dinner. I'll post my results. I'm going to substitute goat's cheese for the blue cheese and leave out the hot sauce. If it doesn't work in my non-compressor Cuisinart, I guess it's back to the custard base method. Or maybe it'll be a good excuse (well, an excuse, anyway) to go out and buy a compressor unit. For the goat cheese variation, just under 1/4 teaspoon of each stabilizer worked well in my Cuisinart bowl, frozen to -5F, then ripened for 15-20 minutes after freezing. However, after sitting overnight, the texture was more like ice milk than ice cream. Taste-wise, I preferred it w/o the salt and with 3-4 Tablespoons of honey instead of the recipe's 2 (and with no hot sauce). I served it with peaches macerated in cognac and vanilla, and garnished with raspberries and blueberries.

I'd also probably opt to not broil them but, as rotus said, maybe you can try one that way and see how it turns out. I'd be more likely to bring the steaks to room temp, preheat my B to the desired internal temperature (or just below), then cook the steaks until done, followed by a very quick sear on each side in a very hot pan. (I have a rectangular cooling rack that, serendipitously, fit perfectly above the B's roasting tray. Just for the heck of it, I did a Google search for "Costco strip loin" (w/o the quotation marks), and found this pleasant and helpful video:

Thanks in advance for some advice; this will be my first time using stabilizers in ice cream (or anything else). So, let's say a recipe for what looks like a little over a pint -- like this one -- calls for 1/2 teaspoon of guar. If I use xanthan + guar, how much xanthan should I use, and should I decrease the amount of guar? Also, what amounts should I use if I increase the recipe by 50% in order to make something closer to a quart? That's a tough question. I know there's a synergistic boost, but I haven't spent much time tracking it. I would definitely say that 1/4 teaspoon of each is too much, but I think 1/8 might be a little too ambitious. If it were me, I'd probably split the difference and go with 3/16 which is probably in the realm of a round 1/8th t. Btw, are you 100% cetain that the recipe you linked to actually works? When you get into savory ice cream, you lose the freezing point suppression effects of the sugar which introduces greater textural concerns. The expensive ice cream makers that have a built in compressor freeze the ice cream faster and create smaller ice crystals/a superior texture with less stabilizers. I can't help thinking, based on the wealth/professional affiliation of the people involved, that equipment plays a part in this recipe and that your typical sub $100 ice cream maker may not give you the right texture, even with two gums. Thanks for the suggestions. I have no idea yet if the recipe works. I was planning to do a test run before Sunday's dinner. I'll post my results. I'm going to substitute goat's cheese for the blue cheese and leave out the hot sauce. If it doesn't work in my non-compressor Cuisinart, I guess it's back to the custard base method. Or maybe it'll be a good excuse (well, an excuse, anyway) to go out and buy a compressor unit.

Thanks in advance for some advice; this will be my first time using stabilizers in ice cream (or anything else). So, let's say a recipe for what looks like a little over a pint -- like this one -- calls for 1/2 teaspoon of guar. If I use xanthan + guar, how much xanthan should I use, and should I decrease the amount of guar? Also, what amounts should I use if I increase the recipe by 50% in order to make something closer to a quart?

Ick is right. As much as I like Groupons, I figured that that was their kiss of death.

I've used Broil only for melting cheese or top browing, which it does just fine.

I just re-read this thread. I have a Krups that while adequate, I am not entirely happy with. Can you tell me in what ways the Breville beats out the Krups? I am already sold on the idea that a quarter sheet pan will fit into it as I use those a lot, and also that it will fit a pizza. My problem is the Krups is not all that old so I am having trouble justifying the purchase of a Breville. I ran into the same dilemma. I eventually decided to take the plunge based on the reviews (and floor model pricing from Williams-Sonoma), and figuring that because the Krups was still relatively new, I could recoup some of the purchase price by selling it on Craigslist. Also, I mentally amortized the cost over its expected 15-year (I hoped) life span; after deducting the expected selling price of the Krups, about four cents a day seemed like a good investment. The Breville's capacity is a huge advantage for me, too. That, in and of itself, would have been sufficient. (Just the other day I baked banana bread in two 9" x 5" loaf pans at the same time.) It also does a better job of toasting frozen bagels (the ones we cut in half and freeze, not the frozen ones from the store); baking more evenly; and, for Ms. Alex, toasting Pop-Tarts to the proper degree. I hope this helps.

I've never eaten in New Buffalo, but the best place there is supposed to be Bentwood Tavern, in the Marina Grand Resort. If you're willing to drive 20-30 miles, there are other choices. Boulevard Inn & Bistro, in St. Joseph the restaurant at Tabor Hill Winery, in Buchanan Tosi's, in Stevensville

Bojana, where are you located? If you have access to good tomatoes, gazpacho is easily made ahead of time and can be served, for lack of a better term, in little disposable cups.

I imagine that certain fresh ingredients might be difficult to procure via the 'net, but that certainly shouldn't stop you. (I assume there are no East Asian-type food stores within reasonable driving distance.) I'm sure that other eG'ers can recommend other books, but for Japanese cooking, I recommend "Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art," by Shizuo Tsuji (or, being linguistically correct, Tsuji Shizuo). Apropos your post, the newest edition is US$27+; there are used copies of the 1997 printing on Amazon for less than half of that. I haven't seen the new edition, so I don't know if the additional material is valuable enough to recommend it over the previous one. Here's a good thread about Chinese cookbooks.

Keeping it local, a Bell's Two Hearted Ale

asparagus eggs butter radishes ramps or garlic scapes fiddleheads one of the mushrooms (no morels at the Market?)

Does anyone know if there are plans to market this in the US or Canada as a 120V/60Hz unit?

Second that.

Five models of the Bamix are currently on clearance at The Foundary. I don't know how those prices compare to other retail outlets, but they're about 45-55% off list.

That's "schmear." Otherwise it doesn't taste the same. ;-} I'm a purist, too. I also prefer plain, and the brand (usually Streit's) that's in my local supermarket's post-Passover half-price sale. I like using it as a hummus transport vehicle.

I use Evernote for the ones I want to keep track of but don't really want to print. It comes with a browser add-on, and you just click the little button and it saves an actual copy of the page somewhere in the clouds. It's free but capped per month - I haven't yet hit the caps. You can pay to loosen the caps. It also has the benefit that it is the same on all your devices, so if you clipped on your computer and later decide at the grocery store that you want to make the recipe, you can access it with your smartphone.Even with Evernote, I hope you've starting doing regular back-ups, which is a thing to do. Hey, this topic might make an interesting separate thread. Moderators...?

In my understanding, "calamari" is simply Italian for the plural of "squid," although in the US it's become pretty much synonymous with the deep-fried (or sometime pan-fried) version. In your last paragraph, I assume you intended those two words to mean different things. Could you tell us what those are?

If you're with a companion, here's a Groupon for a Chicago History/Pedway Walking Tour. It might be an interesting complement to the the bus tour.

For a special 50th, Everest is a good recommendation. Also formal, and French, is Les Nomades. I'd also recommend Naha, which is a very short walk from your hotel (and a bit more casual, although still clearly high-end dining).

Yes, that one, without a doubt. You'll never regret spending the extra $40.

Yeah, I was walking home via Chinatown yesterday and there was tons of kohlrabi. Any great ideas on what to do with it? Beets have long since passed their next big thing era. Kolhrabi is so 20 years ago.