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I love the Graham Kerr stainless Bash N Chop Scooper/Cutter. It's just the right size and has a sharp but not too sharp edge for chopping. The ruler is painted on and starts to wear quickly, but otherwise it's ideal. This garlic shredder/slicer produces perfect super-thin slices. Neodymium super-magnets will hold anything to steel. The #03 size will hold anything smaller than a breadbox. The Screwpull corkscrew is in a class by itself. If you can't find the garlic mushroom, the JB Prince meat pounder is very satisfying to whack with. I couldn't live without a Thermapen instant thermometer. My arm falls off during the 1/2 hour stirring process to make roux or slow-scrambled eggs. The StirChef is an extravagance and a bit fiddly to set up, but worth it. Finally, spices on a high shelf are amazingly more accessible with a Rubbermaid rotating two-level lazy susan.

Go to the cast iron and cookware threads, particularly the EGCI course on pots and pans. In summary, the verdict is that Lodge's pre-seasoning is not very good and has to be redone, so you might as well save your money and start from scratch.

The only nutcracker that does this right (and also gets whole Brazil nuts out of their shells) is an ancient one I inherited from my parents. It's got a cast iron holder shaped like the palm of a child's hand, with a flange at the bottom (with a hole in it to anchor the tip of the nut) and a screw-down cracker at the top with a conical end that fits over the top of the nut. It works easily and every time. I have no idea whether it's still made and would love to find a source for gifts.

This version has a truffle in the bottle and appears to have lots of shavings floating around. What say the mavens?

Many years ago, Craig Claiborne made Couloubiac of Salmon, which, as I recall, had over 100 ingredients, involved a lot of fiddling and took several days. Here's a giant recipe for David's French Bread (David Liederman's baguettes), which used to be sold in the David's Cookies shops and was perfection. Paraphernalia 6 single or 3 double tin or aluminum French bread molds, 18-20" long – homemade: from sheet aluminum, cut 2 rectangles 18" x 20" or 18" x 23". Measure the width of your oven before cutting to make sure they will fit. Fold each rectangle in half lengthwise and then bend each half to produce a soft "W", with tighter curves at the base of each trough than in the standard bread mold. metal pastry scraper 8 qt. earthenware or glass bowl or stainless steel round casserole with lid kneading board, preferably marble pastry brush plastic atomizer or plaint sprayer filled with cold water Ingredients 2⅔ cups (approx.) warm water (90-100°) 1⅓ oz. cake yeast or, if unavailable, 2 packages granular 6 cups unbleached flour + approx. 1 cup more for kneading 4 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons melted butter for greasing molds 1. Sprinkle the inside of the bowl or casserole with about 2 teaspoons of the "1 cup more" flour and set aside. 2. Put 2 cups of warm water in a measuring cup and set aside. 3. Put the remaining ⅔ cup warm water in another measuring cup. Add the yeast and stir until it dissolves. 4. Put the 6 cups of flour and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer equipped with a dough hook. 5. Add the 2 cups of water and the yeast mixture to the mixer bowl and mix at low speed for 1 minute. 6. Lift the dough hook. The dough will be quite damp (not dry, as in most recipes for French bread). Use as little flour as possible - no more than the 6 cups + 1 cup, give or take a couple of tablespoons. If the dough is really too damp, add up to ¼ cup more flour, taking it from the "additional" cup. If too dry, add up to ¼ cup more warm water. 7. Let the dough stand without stirring or mixing for 2 minutes. 8. Mix 3 minutes on medium speed. 9. Let the dough rest for 1 minute. 10. Mix 1 minute on medium speed. 11. Let the dough rest for 1 minute. 12. Mix 1 minute on medium speed. The dough will still be fairly sticky. It should scrape almost clean from the dough hood, but will still be a little "ropy." 13. Generously flour a flat surface (preferably marble), using the flour from the additional cup. Scrape the dough out on to the floured surface. Using a pastry scraper, scrape the dough up this way and that. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Flour the fingers and work the dough quickly, kneading 5-10 seconds, just enough to shape it into a sticky ball. It will feel light and loose. 14. Drop the dough into the floured bowl or casserole. Cover with plastic wrap or the utensil cover. 15. Put the bowl or casserole in a warm place. A good place is a gas oven with the pilot light on. If you do this, leave the oven door ½" ajar at the top. Or put the container in a closet with a blanket wrapped around it. The temperature can range from that of a refrigerator to 110°. Let the dough rise until double in bulk, 1½–2 hr. in a warm place, or up to 12 hr. in the refrigerator. 16. Generously flour a flat surface and turn and scrape the dough out on to it. If the dough is stuck in the pan, don't panic. Scrape out as much as you can. 17. Clean the bowl, wipe dry, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of flour. 18. Using the pastry scraper, scrape the dough this way and that into a non-sticky ball, keeping the work surface and your hands floured. Drop the dough ball into the bowl and sprinkle the top with a little flour. 19. Cover the bowl, place in a warm place, and let rise until double in bulk. 20. As the dough rises, brush the bottoms of the molds with butter. 21. Turn and scrape the dough out. Work as before, until it can be shaped into a ball. Keep the working surface floured. 22. Shape the dough ball into a long oval shape about 4" x 16" and cut crosswise with the scraper into 6 equal pieces. 23. Pat each piece all over with flour to prevent sticking. Take one piece and shape it into a 6–8" oval. Fold the oval over itself into thirds. Turn the dough so that the folded section faces you. Roll and stretch the dough into another 6-8" oval and fold in thirds. Repeat a third time. 24. Pick up the dough and with floured fingers turn the bottom of the dough into itself, making a biscuit-like round. 25. Lightly flour the work surface. Flour your fingers. Pat out the dough into an 8" circle. 26. Fold the dough away from you, making a half-moon shape. 27. Lift the straight fold and fold in half away from you. 28. Press the edges down like a seam. Pick up the dough and put it seam-side-down on a floured area. 29. Flour your hands. Hands flat, fingers together, roll the dough into a long, thin snake long enough to fit the length of the bread pans. Put in the pan. 30. Repeat with the other 5 pieces of dough. 31. Put the pans in a warm place. If in the oven, it is not necessary to cover them with a cloth. If in the oven, do not cover. If in the room, cover with a cloth. 32. Let rise until double in bulk. If in the oven, remove. No need to cover. 33. Set the oven to 500° and heat for 10–15 minutes. 34. Put the loaves in the oven and spray with the atomizer. 35. Bake about 20 minutes, spraying after 3, 6 and 9 minutes. 36. Remove the pans from the oven, and remove the loaves from the pan. For a very crusty loaf, return loaves to the oven for 2-5 minutes, turning them occasionally on the oven racks. 37. Let the loaves cool. They freeze well.

Here are several very good versions: Junior's Cheesecake 3 cups graham cracker crumbs 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons sifted cornstarch 30 oz. (3 large packages) cream cheese, softened 1 large egg 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8" springform pan. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with the graham cracker crumbs and refrigerate. 2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Beat in the cream cheese and then the egg. Slowly drizzle in the cream, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and stir well. 3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is golden, 40 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 3 hours. Yield: 8–10 servings. Calories: Don't even think about it. Fred's Creamy Cheesecake Crust 2 cups mashed honey graham crackers 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans 1¼ sticks sweet butter at room temperature + butter for greasing pan Combine ingredients with fingers, a fork or a pastry blender; press to bottom and sides of a well buttered 10" spring form pan and chill in refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes. Filling 2 8-oz.-packages cream cheese, softened 2 8-oz. containers whipped cream cheese 2 cups sugar 1 t. salt. 2 pints sour cream 2 T. cornstarch 3 extra-large eggs Preheat oven to 375 1. In an electric mixer, beat the regular and whipped cream cheeses together with the sugar. 2. Beat in the salt, sour cream and cornstarch. 3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly between eggs. 4. Pour filling into crust and bake for 1 hour. Put a large pan of water into the oven to keep the top from splitting. 5. Turn off the oven and leave the cake in for 1 hour, without opening the door. 6. Cool on a rack to room temperature, and then refrigerate. Best when made the day before serving. Extensively tested and tweaked Cheesecake 1 cup graham cracker crumbs ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon melted butter 1½ cups sour cream 2 eggs 2 teaspoon vanilla 1 pound cream cheese broken into small pieces 1. Blend the cracker crumbs, ¼ cup of the sugar and ¼ cup melted butter and line bottom of buttered pan. 2. Blend the sour cream and ½ cup sugar, eggs and vanilla in a blender for 1 minute. Add cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter through the top of machine. Pour into pan. 3. Bake in lower third of 325 degree oven for 45 minutes. When baking is finished remove from oven and turn oven on to broil. Broil until the top begins to show spots of brown. French-Style Cheesecake (Lighter, with a meringue base. Serve with dried apricots poached in sweet white wine and cherries in port. 1½ cups ground almonds 3 tablespoons brown sugar ⅓ cup butter, plus more for pan 1½ pounds cream cheese, softened 4 egg whites 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 pint sour cream Bee pollen (optional). 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine almonds and brown sugar. Melt butter, then stir in. Butter bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan, then press nut mixture into bottom but not up sides. 2. In a small pan, warm cream cheese over low heat. When very soft, remove from heat, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites and 1 cup sugar until they hold soft peaks. Fold in cream cheese and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Pour into pan, and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out only slightly moist; cake should not be brown: 3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together sour cream, remaining sugar and vanilla. When cake comes out of oven, increase setting to 450 degrees, and carefully spread mixture over cake. Return it to oven for 5 minutes. Do not overcook or it will crack or turn brown. Remove, and let cool in pan. Chill in refrigerator. To serve, run a knife along edge of pan, and remove sides of pan. Cut into wedges, sprinkle with bee pollen (if using), and serve.

The idea of braising is to hold the temperature low and steady. The site says "These sleek pieces offer superior heat conductivity, so they respond to changes in heat levels rapidly...." Exactly the opposite of what's needed, I'd say.

Better yet, pig's head. Chocolate covered eyeballs beat CC cherries or strawberries any day for dessert.

I got a 7-1/4 quart LC Doufeu for about 1/3 off at an LC outlet is September. It's been perfect for large and small cuts. It's a beast to lift, but you don't have to put it in the oven. The lid has nibs on the bottom like the Staub and is indented to hold ice or water, so it works perfectly on the stovetop. I'm starting a large pork butt in it tonight, which should be done in the morning.

Fruits, with any seeds at all, are pretty much by definition female . . . If there are male and female eggplants, how do you tell them apart?

The Le Creuset model is the Doufeu. It has a depression in the lid for ice or water and small nibs on the bottom of the lid. I made a stovetop potroast in mine last week that was superb. LA Times did a comparison last week between a Le Creuset round French oven, a Staub LaCocotte and an Emile Henry ceramic Flame-Top Stewpot. They strongly preferred the Le Creuset. LA Times Story

Super-Easy Roast Chicken This takes only a few minutes of simple prep. and cooks itself, yet is the perfect combination. One secret is leaving the peels on the onions and garlic, which adds flavor, keeps the outsides from burning and makes them easy to peel. 3-4 lb. whole chicken 2 medium onions, unpeeled 1 large sprig fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried 1 head garlic, unpeeled 1/2 stick butter salt, pepper and seasoned salt (Spike, Lawrey's, Prudhomme, etc.) approximately 1/4 cup dry vermouth 1. Preheat the oven to 425. 2. Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken. Pull the skin off the neck and cut the skin in half. Put neck-skin sleeves on the wingtips and put the chicken breast down in a 10" or 12" all-metal skillet or a small roasting pan. 3. Put the rosemary in the cavity. Slice off the top 1/2" of the garlic head and put the trimmings in the cavity. Scatter the garlic head, onions, neck and giblets except the liver around the chicken. 4. Cut the butter into thick pats and balance it all over the chicken and giblets, reserving a good pat for the garlic head. Generously put on salt, pepper and seasoned salt. 5. Roast for 3/4 hour, turn the chicken breast-up, tuck in the liver and roast for 15-30 minutes until done (the skin is well browned and the legs wiggle easily). 6. Remove the chicken, onions and garlic head to a platter, pouring the rosemary-laden cavity juices into the pan, and let rest 15 minutes. HOLD THE PAN HANDLE WITH A POT HOLDER and pour off most of the fat from the pan, add sufficient vermouth and cook on the stove, scraping up the fond with a wooden spoon, adding at the end any juices that collect around the chicken. (If you use fresh rosemary, put it in the pan and bruise it thoroughly as you stir.) 7. Squeeze the onions out of their skins. Cut into quarters. Break the garlic head into 3 or 4 pieces and squeeze out the cloves. Save the fat, substituting it for butter to make Pepperidge Farm stuffing (I like the cornbread) -- a 3-minute process. Assuage your conscience with a bunch of grapes for dessert.

I've read, probably in The Breath of a Wok, that restaurant woks are made of wrought iron or carbon steel, hammered quite thin to produce "wok hay." They're said to last only a few weeks in restaurant use because they're so thin. Nevertheless, I've never seen a wok heated to a red glow, which is close to 1,000 degrees F. I think it would burn any food instantly, and even grapeseed oil smokes at 485.

I've always read that you should use an unlined copper pot for melting sugar. See these Mauviel pieces.

Even outside, you need to be careful of trees, overhanging eaves and the like. I wouldn't go near one without a big fire extinguisher and a pot full of baking soda handy. Nevertheless, I want one, NOW! Maybe two.

Just mix it in water. The flavor is about the same as More Than Gourmet.

I have 6 varieties in my freezer, ordered directly from them. MoreThanGourmet Also excellent is the powdered demi-glace, which keeps indefinitely at room temperature, from Formaggio Kitchen. They sometimes don't list it on their web site because it sells out so fast, and it's currently out of stock, but definitely make it. 800/212-3224. Formaggio Kitchen -- powdered stocks

My mother's super easy mix, better than the ingredient list looks: 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature if you're using a blender 1 pint sour cream 1 teaspoon Lawrey's or other seasoned salt 2 whole anchovies, or more to taste 8-10 snipped chives Whirl together the cream cheese, sour cream, seasoned salt ande anchovies in a blender or food processor. Mix in the chives with a wooden spoon. Make a couple of hours ahead and refrigerate.

(1) Sauteeing sliced radishes for an omlet. Truly bitter and revolting. (2) I suppose everyone has done this: Coffee is good. Tea is good. Therefore, dipping a teabag into coffee should be good. NOT!

The C&B tagine appears to be glazed inside and out. Has anyone bought or seen one? Paula Wolfert has written about the virtues of unglazed....

I can smell it from here. It's definitely roast chicken tomorrow. I throw in whole, unpeeled onions at the beginning and unpeeled garlic cloves halfway through. The peels seem to add flavor, and it keeps the outside layers from scorching.

It depends on which line of All-Clad it is. The Stainless and Cop-R-Chef have 2 mm. cores, while the MasterChef and LTD have 4 mm. With a 4 mm. core, an inch overhang shouldn't matter much nearly as much.

The Falk is probably not right. It seems a bit undersized -- even the biggest one, at 4.5 quarts and $295, would be small. Also, at that size, it would take the arm of Godzilla to do the shaking and tossing that most wok cookery involves. Wok cooking involves very high heat, which we're told to avoid with copper, and the thin metal of a wok permits instant changes of temperature, which heavy copper would prevent. The completely curved bottom of a wok allows use of only a small amount of oil, which a flat bottom prevents. Finally, the process often involves cooking an ingredient, "parking" it halfway up the side of the wok and cooking something else in the middle, which you can't do on the flat bottom and steep sides of the Falk. So it goes. I covet the Falk for its intended purpose as a sauteuse evasée. Just not as a wok substitute.

Try Salinas/499, (718) 788-9263 - 499 5th Ave. (betw. 13/14 St.), Brooklyn

From the the EGCI course on Understanding Stovetop Cookware and its Q&A thread, the AllClad Stainless and Cop-R-Chef lines have only 2 mm. cores and are inferior to their MasterChef and LTD lines, which have 4 mm. cores. Serious cooks should be sure to get only Master Chef or LTD. Better yet (if you can't afford heavyweight stainless-lined copper), get the Sitram Profisserie, Paderno Grand Gourmet or Falk Culinair lines, which are better stuff at lower prices.