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Everything posted by mamster
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This is a totally cool idea. Want to plan it, set the ground rules, and make an announcement?
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Anna, I don't know what I can add beyond what I've already said, but along with Suvir and Jinmyo and Steve K and everyone else, I'm very glad you started this thread--it was an opportunity to reflect on my relationship with cookbooks and get valuable tips; I'm certainly going to use msp's advice next time I write a recipe for an article.
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!!! What's that in my pantry? Okay, I was exaggerating for effect. But as far as I know you can't buy it in the Ziploc on the east coast.
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Excellent, msp. Anna, John and Karen Hess wrote a book in the 70s called The Taste of America; it's a highly entertaining and well-written rant about the state of American cooking at the time. Some of it is still germane, some of historical interest, but all fun and worthy of debate.
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Sorry, Anna, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was attributing all of that to you. I meant to be hand-waving and blaming everything on society and evil publishers. Of course I agree that there are lousy recipes out there (boring is the worst offense in my opinion--I hate cooking something new, trying the finished product, and saying, "Well, that's not terrible, but it's not great"). You know why Mastering the Art of French Cooking turned so many people into cooks? It wasn't because it had the best recipes--indeed, John and Karen Hess make a convincing case that it didn't. It was because it made people want to cook, to impress their friends, to taste these things they couldn't get in a restaurant in their hometown. So I think starting off with a cookbook with badly written recipes will lead to frustration. But starting off with a superb beginner's cookbook will also lead to frustration. If you don't get frustrated while learning to cook, you're a saint. And in the end I don't think it matters much which kind of cookbook you start with as long as it's something that keeps drawing you back, demanding that you try it again because you just have to taste that.
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I don't have any suggestions, because here on the West Coast, brown sugar isn't sold in boxes. It's sold in Ziploc-style bags, and it never gets hard. So for next time, if you live in an area with paleozoic packaging, transfer the contents of the sugar box to a gallon-sized Ziploc as soon as you open the box. You could also use a canister, but Ziplocs tend to be more airtight, and it's incredibly easy to measure: you reach into the bag with the measuring cup and pack the sugar into it with your other hand from the outside of the bag.
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There is a place for the highly specific recipe: beginner's cookbooks and recipes for things generally considered tricky (pie crust) come to mind. A specific helpful hint is never out of place (cook the pancakes on the first side until the bubbles on top start breaking). Cook's Illustrated is based on doing this format well, as are D-K books. The problem I have with detailed recipes is that they reinforce a bad assumption: that everything you need to know about making a dish can be encapsulated into a recipe, and that learning to cook is just a matter of picking the right book and following the instructions carefully. Good cooks are experts at what they do. Being an expert at something means that most of the task is unconscious: you've internalized all sorts of tiny principles that lead to a successful outcome, and you can no longer call up what many of them are. You can stop and think and break it down, and being able to do that well is one hallmark of a good teacher. But you will never, ever break it down completely; otherwise it wouldn't be a skilled task in the first place. Ever taught someone to drive? Weren't you amazed to realize all the things they didn't know instinctively? Someone could write a book about driving well (some state driver's manuals aspire to this), but absolutely nobody could read the book and drive well their first time behind the wheel. The only way to become a good driver or a good cook is practice. But cookbook publishers sell a different story: read this book, follow the carefully tested "foolproof" recipes, and bingo, you're a cook! What happens next? The aspiring cook brings the book home and the first several recipes they try come out terrible. Then they blame the book and its bad recipes or they blame themselves and conclude they just don't have the talent. Yes, I'm painting with a broad brush here, but I have literally had people come up to me and say, "What's the secret of cooking? I tried it and I was no good." The idea that the knowledge is in the recipes encourages this. It encourages people not to cook. The best analogy I can think of is learning to play folk songs on an acoustic guitar. Absolutely anyone with two working hands can learn to do this with a moderate level of skill, but not in the first week. First they'll think their left hand just doesn't contort that way, and blisters well up on the fingertips. A month down the road, God help us, they're playing "This Land is Your Land" with some nicely developed calluses and wondering how they ever could have thought this was hard. Cooking can't be summed up by "easy" or "hard"--it's an acquired skill. We face acquired skills honestly when we talk about driving or guitar playing, but when it comes to cooking too often it's never-fail recipes and be an instant chef.
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People, why violence in streets! Donut is love! Just kidding. The Top Pot donuts are kind of greasy. I don't mind that, and they're definitely the best within walking distance of my house--the quality and variety blows the supermarkets away. Like I said, the best time to go is first thing in the morning; I had one once at night despite my better judgment, and it tasted like a donut that had sat around all day. I can't decide whether it's "doughnut" or "donut". "Donut" is easier to type but I sort of feel like I'm saying "lite" or "E-Z".
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They have raspberry glazed now? Holy crow! On the night of the doughnut-infused jacket, I had a meeting at Top Pot; the guy I was meeting came in and said, "Are they frying fish in here or what?" This is why I usually go between 7 and 8am.
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Warning: I am about to attack a local small business while praising a huge national chain. Cover your ears if necessary. Yesterday I had a delightful shop at Whole Foods. I got there around lunchtime and had one of their chicken cheesesteak sandwiches. They make their sandwiches like I would make at home, only better. This is chopped organic chicken sauteed with onions, roasted peppers, and worcestershire sauce, then tossed with cheddar cheese and served on toasted ciabatta with Mama Lil's great pickled peppers (is there anybody who doesn't like these things or anything they don't improve)? It's a huge, filling, and tasty sandwich for $6.49. You can also get it with beef. It's the type of sandwich Subway pretends they serve. While I was waiting for my sandwich, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a table full of delicious-looking doughnuts in assorted flavors. A woman was cutting them into quarters. Free doughnut samples! I selected a chocolate-glazed chocolate cake doughnut and took an eager bite. It was a horrible blend of off flavors with nothing chocolatey or doughnutty about it. Even the texture was bad--crumbly and dry. I looked at the sign: MIGHTY-O DONUTS. In small print: (organic, vegan). They're made with shortening, soy flour, and canola oil. It's an interesting experiment: can you make something that looks like a doughnut without any milk, eggs, or butter? No question about it. It'll taste like crap, but it sure looks good. Somewhere I just know some evil genius is working on a vegan doughnut that's also wheat-, sugar-, and fat-free. Hey, here's an idea: if you don't want to eat eggs or dairy products, don't eat doughnuts. That way I won't accidentally pick up an ersatz one that almost puts me off my lunch. To end on a positive note, the selection of real doughnuts at Top Pot keeps getting bigger and better. I'm teaching again next quarter, and if there's a better place to grade papers than at a Top Pot table with a chocolate cruller and a single espresso, I've never found it.
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We made Jaymes's caramel corn last night (okay, Laurie did most of the work, although I got to stir a few times), and it is a treat. I've just finished bagging it up to give as gifts at work, which was fun because I kept missing the bag and being forced to eat the sugar-napped corn and pecans that spilled on the counter. Next time I think a little cayenne pepper would be great. The only danger here is that I'm going to start confusing Jaymes's carnitas and caramel corn recipes and try to pop pork.
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They only serve real wasabi at Mashiko, the Seattle sushi place we're always raving about on Pacific Northwest. It's definitely different, although to me it wasn't night-and-day.
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The carnitas were fabulous! I do have a question. Once the all the liquid boils out, there are lots of delicious solids left in the pan: the dregs of the juices and broth, bits of pork that have fallen off, minced veggies, herbs, etc. I had trouble crisping the pork bits before the rest of that stuff burned. So tonight's carnitas were not so crispy, which is the only negative thing you could possibly say about these luscious pork nuggets. I tried broiling some, and that worked pretty well, but it would be great to save the step. Any hints? Do I just need to fry them on really low heat and be patient? About how long does it take? Jaymes, do not think we are stalkers, but Laurie is making your caramel corn tonight also.
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It's time to bring this thing back to the top. Last night I finally got around to doing a trial run of Jaymes's carnitas method. I used chicken broth, orange, and lime juice as the liquid, and added Mexican oregano and a little Penzey's chili powder. As always when I try something new, I did plenty of things wrong. They didn't have any pork shoulder in a convenient form at the supermarket (only a huge package of country-style ribs and nobody around to split it), so I got pork loin, which is too lean. Then I didn't watch the pot closely enough and it burned out and got black on the bottom, so only one side of the pork cubes got crisped and I had a hell of a pot-washing job. However, none of my klutziness could spoil this wonderful thing. I brought an unadorned bowl of carnitas and a fork to the table and Laurie and I ate them while we played cards. Incredible. Tangy, crusty, and yes, a little dry from the too-lean pork (I'd added a little peanut oil to the pot), but what a snack. We could not stop dipping into the bowl. So I vowed to do it right tonight. I have nice and fatty cubed country-style ribs in the fridge right now with a bit of chili powder and some minced onions and poblanos. It's about time to start them simmering; I'll add some beer to the broth this time. We're going to wrap them in tortillas with homemade salsa. Oh baby. Incidentally, I like my cubes a little smaller than the rest of you have indicated, probably because one of my favorite things in the world is tacos al pastor, which in its American form usually consists of really tiny pork bits.
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I saw this book listed in a catalog as Glorious French Food: A French Approach to the Classics, which brings to mind all kinds of amusing stereotypes, doesn't it? Thanks for the review, Suzanne--it was very well thought-out.
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Yeah, I hear robins are delicious.
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Well, you can get a plate of various salamis at Salumi. There's no restaurant in town doing what Roxanne's in California or Quintessence in New York is doing. We have one serious vegan restaurant, Cafe Ambrosia. Their regular menu is all cooked; perhaps they could be persuaded to do a raw meal. The reason you're not seeing these things pop up all over (besides the fact that it's a hard sell) is that it's extremely hard to make good raw food. By most accounts, Roxanne's is doing well in that department--although that may be because reviewers are going in with low expectations. If I sound skeptical, I am--I hate the raw-foodists' fake science and the fact that they serve imitation cheese. On the other hand, if the food tastes good--and I'm sure some of it does--it's hard to argue with that. Besides, it's something new and weird, so sure, I hope we get some. It's going to take someone talented, dedicated, and nuts to make it happen.
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The microplane is only for hard cheeses, though. For a heavy-duty box grater, look at the Cuisipro; it's a totally standard box grater, only it's built like a tank.
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I love butter chicken, too, and it didn't occur to me until you mentioned it that if not too spicy hot, this would be a warm and soothing dish for a kid. Now I want to make some and invite some kids over.
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kaiten - Conveyor belt sushi. Also, I think "omakase" rhymes with "MoMA posse." Okay, it doesn't really, but "MoMA posse" is a funny idea.
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Fook, yuen did this happen? (I am so, so sorry.)
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Tamarind. And salted preserved radish, dried shrimp, and fish sauce. They're getting better.
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The Cook's phad thai recipe is actually really good. SeAAtle, at least we're still ahead of Canada.
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A friend of mine is always mimicking the Cook's test kitchen and saying, "We tried skim milk, whole milk, and heavy cream. Testers preferred the cream." Then, "We tried ground pork, ground beef, and ground lamb. Testers preferred heavy cream."
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The best lotus I ever ate was at Tabla, in New York. So there! This reminds me of this terrible Kimball essay from some back issue in which he talks about having a great Vietnamese meal and then says, basically, that all of this choice of ethnic cuisines is too complicated and we need to get back to simple farmhouse cooking. (He's not talking about Asian-American farms, I guess.) tighe, you stole my bowtie joke, which was going to be, "Take that bowtie off, buddy, because I'd never hit a man with a bowtie."