rkolluri

I am with you on the bidding process being a bit of a pain on ebay. I think I will hit the used book stores around here. rkolluri

Wow! Thanks for the link! rkolluri

I find old cookbooks very fascinating. Some of the old Betty Crocker books are quite interesting from a cultural point of view. I would love to buy a few reprints of old books to get a collection started. Jessica's Biscuit (www.ecookbooks.com) has a few such books. Are there any other good sources of old cookbooks or reprints of old books? rkolluri

I don't know who I should thank for the roasted cauliflower idea, but I owe someone a big Thank You. I tried it a few days ago and while my wife and I liked it, I was amazed that my 4 year old son really liked it. And he actually asked today if he could have cauliflower for dinner! This from a child who limits his "vegetable" intake to a few squirts of ketchup. Thanks again. rkolluri

I would add one more vote for Madhur Jaffrey. Her cookbooks do not assume prior knowledge of Indian cooking, which is not always the case with Indian cookbooks. rkolluri

Thanks for the info. My knife is a carbon steel knife.

please elaborate on this "how great it works." i already have a 6" Santoku (which i love) and am not sure if I need a chinese cleaver. I have always wanted a knife that could be used to mince garlic, ginger, etc without having to pull out my mini-food processor. The was one of the main reasons I bought this Chinese Chef's Knife (which, I now know is different from a cleaver). As my first test with the knife, I tried to mince some garlic and ginger and was surprised at how easily I could do it and how much control I had over the extent of mincing. It may not impress some of the seasoned cooks on this forum, but I sure was amazed. I hope that clarifies what I meant by "how great it works."

I bought a Dexter Russell Chinese Chef's knife this weekend for $18.95 at a restaurant supply store in Houston (Ace Mart). I have never used one before and was amazed at how great it works. It's awesome. However, I have a question. When I bought it, it was spotless. It now has a lot of dark coloration along the edge. Is that because I did not thoroughly dry the knife after rinsing it? Is there any way to get rid of the dark coloration? Is there something special I should be doing to ensure that I do not ruin it? rkolluri

I did not realize there are others besides me who like that dry garlic chutney. Can you please post the recipe. I would love to try and make it. Thanks. RKolluri

I have about 150 cookbooks. I thought I had a lot but from reading this thread, I think my collection barely qualifies as a starter collection. I buy cookbooks and usually read them cover to cover like any other book. I figure I get my value for money if it is interesting/entertaining/educational/inspirational even if I never use a recipe from the book. Need to buy more cookbooks...Need to buy more cookbooks...Need to buy more cookbooks...Need to buy more cookbooks... RKolluri

Well, I finally made the chutney too. I used half canned and half fresh tomatoes just to see how it turns out. It is delicious. I have made a small batch and am not planning to "can" it. How long will it keep in the refrigerator before it goes bad? a week, a month ..? It actually tastes so good that I think we will have eaten it before it is in any danger of going bad. I have made a version of Tomato Chutney from one of Madhur Jaffrey's book that has a lot of garlic in it. It is quite good too and I have made it several times. Has anyone tried adding garlic to Suvir's version of the tomato chutney? Thanks for sharing the recipe. RKolluri