bleachboy

My new favorite eGulletteerer.

I contacted Malawry with a small review of their web site, but more importantly the promise to give an andouille review as soon as it comes in. Frankly, I'd say you can't go wrong if Mayhaw Man recommends it. I believe he has a truly refined yet egalitarian palate.

I pretty much always brine poultry. Year-before-last I was on turkey duty and brined it with salt and virtually every sugar product I could rummage (maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, karo syrup, etc). However, I have twice now heard Russ Parsons assert that the sugar doesn't do a damn thing. Given that at least half my family is diabetic, I think I'm gonna follow his advice and do a salt-only brine this year. Frankly, I'm not sure how much a difference anything makes either way, since we deep fry every year. But I'm the only briner in the family, and everybody always compliments my turkey. Of course, I guess you're kind of required to compliment the turkey. I usually brine mine in a cooler on the back porch overnight, taking it out a few hours before we're gonna deep fry it and let it dry out so it doesn't turn into a boiling oil grenade when we give it the dunk.

Yum. Yum. And yum.

Count me in the "anti-springform" bunch, as well. My specialty, as far as the family is concerned, is various types of cheesecakes. And every time I bake one in a springform pan, it turns out soggy. Springforms leak. They leak bad. Seriously. Buy a good nine-inch cake pan (or whatever size you might buy in springform) and teach yourself how to cut a parchment paper lining for it. You will never, ever have to worry about leakage, even when cooking a water bath -- as you should -- and after the first two pies/cakes, you'll learn how to turn them out without incident and with a perfect top "crust". I'm anti-springform, all the way. Show me a springform that doesn't leak, and I might convert. But every one I've tried does leak, so I ain't sold.

The sugar is kind of what I might call "Texas style" cornbread. It should indeed have a scent of sweetness in there, to counteract the other flavors involved.

Care to share your "sainted grandmothers perfect recipe" for cornbread? I have a favourite recipe, but if hers is perfect.... ← Absolutely. Cornbread 2 eggs 1 cup flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. soda 3 tbsp. sugar 3/4 tsp. salt 2/3 cup yellow corn meal 1 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup butter Beat the eggs. Sift the dry ingredients and add alternately with the buttermilk to the egg mixture. Add the melted butter. Lightly grease an 8 X 8 Pyrex pan (or black skillet). Pour batter into pan and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (or until golden brown on top.) Note: Cornbread batter just needs to be lightly stirred together---but NOT mixed with an electric mixer. Also, if you have some cornbread leftovers, place in foil and re-heat in oven the next day. EDIT:Dunno how I missed the eggs the first time. For the original archival version, visit my web page. Note 2: My sainted grandmother had a degree in "home economics" from Southwest Texas State University around 1930 and was the best cook you've ever seen. Seriously, try this recipe. You will NOT be disappointed.

It's a good kind of hurt though, right?

So far, my current winner is this recipe, an andouille and cornbread stuffing. I would probably make my own cornbread, from my sainted grandmothers perfect recipe, rather than use the "cornbread mix" (huh?) called for in the recipe. But this recipe seems to be damn near 50 percent pork product, 50 percent filling, which sounds good to me.

About five years ago, Taco Bell had a product that included genuinely deep-fried (and not soggy) Crispy Crowns as part of a beef burrito of some sort with cheese, sour cream, and the good shit. It was the best Taco Bell product I had ever tasted. And I'm somewhat of a Taco Bell connoiseur. They have brought it back, but unfortunately now the potato discs taste microwaved and not deep-fried. However, if you ever get a chance, plop some crispy Tater Tot-type items on your burrito. Heaven, baby. Pure heaven.

Is there a favorite recipe, though? The almighty GG sent a link to a page of stuffings, but who knows who's tried what. The other suggestions involved a ton of butter -- totally cool -- but not much else to recommend. I definitely want to involve some andouille sausage or something in there, but what is the ULTIMATE RECIPE?!

Ahh, I thought they served the "full tot" at Sonic Carry on =R= ← No, you're right. They do serve the "full tot" at Sonic. There's one three blocks from my house! They serve the "Crispy Crowns" at Jack-In-The-Box and Burger King. I think both of the places call them "Hash Rounds" at breakfast, but you can buy them in the freezer section as "Crispy Crowns". In my opinion, they're all crust and don't share the same proportions as a bona-fide Tater Tot, which has a perfect ratio of crispy-and-properly-burned to mealy-and-kinda-underdone.

This year is my first year hosting Thanksgiving for two families and special friends at my house. I have already committed to making three dishes: The turkey (which I'll buy and brine, then another couple of guys are gonna fry it), the mashed potatoes (with tater tots, if my experiment proves suitably decadent) and the stuffing. My sister-in-law has already committed to bring a vegetarian wild mushroom stuffing. Therefore, I want mine to be chock full of pork fat, sausages, oysters, and everything else that kills you. Hell, they have an alternative option, let's throw health out the window! Any suggestions? Even more specifically, any favorite tried-and-true-and-unhealthy recipes? p.s. What's the difference between "dressing" and "stuffing"? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Well, I do love Tater Tots. I was never served them as a child, so I suppose I avoid some stigma that various users seem to experience when trying to consume them (e.g. Tater Tot "casserole"). Here in Nashville, anyway, there are three major varieties of Ore-Ida brand tots: 1. The traditional tater tot. About 1 inch in length and a half-inch in diameter, shaped like a cylinder. 2. The "tater crown", which is the same thing served as a breakfast potato at a few major fast food restaurant. This one is about one inch across and a quarter-inch in thickness. I suppose it's quicker to fry, but the texture is more-crunchy-than-mealy. 3. The mini-tater-tot. For those who like the crunchy outside the best, these tots reign supreme. They're basically a perfect 1/3 scale model of a normal tater tot. I like these a lot. I'll probably use these in my "tater tot mashed potatoes" at Thanksgiving. --- On another note, here's my question. Short of deep-frying (too much trouble for a tot), what's the best way to cook these bad boys? In the oven, the traditional way? Has anybody tried pan-frying them in clarified butter, for example?

Listen. This thread has truly inspired me to a new Thanksgiving favorite. I once went over to the home of a very unusual family for Christmas. Their motto was, on holidays, don't stick to Turkey with cranberry dressing. Fix what you LIKE. So their Christmas dinner involved crap like Mac 'n' Cheese, fried chicken, fried catfish, cheesecake, etc. This Thanksgiving, my "vegetable contribution" shall be... Mashed potatoes with tons of butter and white truffles, with Tater Tots floating around in the mix. Damn, this is an inspirational thread.

That's pure genius, dude. Pure genius!

Fifi, you're not Southern. You're Texan! Don't forget that! But seriously, I think it is a Texas thing. My parents use margarine, my grandparents used margarine, all the relatives I can think of use margarine. I am at a loss to explain it, and I'm like the "butter evangelist" of the family. Kind of like when I ask my mom if she has some mayo in the fridge. "Of course!" she responds cheerily, and hands me a bottle of Lite Miracle Whip. 'Gah!'

BeJam's advice sounds like heresy by eGullet standards. But as a native Texan and long-time chili lover (hell, I made some just tonight) I can't agree more. The white onions.. well, a little bit isn't bad, but your chili should NOT taste like onions. If you saute onions first be sure to smother them in chili powder. Frankly, the best chili powder out there is Gebhardt's (admin: please change to eGullet link. Love ya!). Seriously. It's the best chili powder around. A lot depends on whether you're making the chili with or without beans. Personally, I like it with beans. Yeah, I know it's not "real chili" but I fucking like beans, okay?! If you're making it with beans you can get away with a few chopped fresh chilis easily. If it's an all-meat chili, you should not attempt it. Other wonderful "secret" ingredients include cocoa powder, beer, beef stock, brown sugar, cinnamon, etc. Just experiment and develop your own recipe. That's 85% of the fun!

Not necessarily for Chef Hamilton, but what does cooking something "la plancha" mean?

Wow. This is the method I use too, and I admit it rocks. However, I also sprinkle kosher salt on the outside of the greased potato. This does three things: 1. It looks cool. 2. It seasons the tasty skin. 3. It draws the moisture out of the potato, resulting in a more fluffy potato (I have not done tests with this, but I read it somewhere). My mom grew up feeding me potatoes "baked" in a wrapping of aluminum foil. "But that's a steamed potato, mom!" I said. So I made her one using the Crisco-and-kosher-salt method (I like to use high heat, 450 or so) and she agreed it made a vastly superior, more "potatoey" potato.

I would guess that according to what MichaelB said, your Le Creuset should work. However, the "magnetic" caveat kind of makes me think I'd rather just buy some portable electric burners that would work with whatever pots people brought their stuff over in. I don't think any of my relatives own much cast iron cookware. Or maybe I'll buy an induction and take Andie's advice and just buy a lot of Descoware from eBay for everybody to use before Turkey Day.

The duck confit at Herbsaint is off the hook. You might also consider going during lunch. The charcuterie platter is a real treat, as is the spicy shrimp with black bean cake (I think that's what it is).

Welcome to eGullet, Harp! I have a few pieces of Falk Culinair and can recommend them HIGHLY. The brushed copper exterior means that it doesn't go "dull", or if it does you can use some steel wool and make it look good as new. The stainless interior is a breeze to clean, and never has to be "re-tinned". I have enough to do without adding re-tinning to the list. I will say, though, that the lid on my gigantic casserole is kind of shoddy looking. I would say save the money on the lids and just buy some of those generic "universal lids" or something. I have never had much of a problem with the cast iron handles getting too hot. Common sense tells you that if you put it in the oven to braise, for instance, you should use a pot holder to handle it for a while thereafter. You only have to learn this lesson once, believe me!

I am intrigued! I might not mind buying two of these, as I'm doing Thanksgiving at my house for the first time this year and most of the relatives will be bringing over stuff to heat up etc. The question is, it says on that webpage "includes free induction skillet" -- are special pots and pans required for cooking on induction burners? Or does any type of metal work? I have a mix of Calphalon nonstick, Copper/stainless, and cast iron. Will all of the above work?

It's worth noting that for my money the best burger available from a corporate fast food chain is Hardee's. Their burgers are really quite tasty.