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FistFullaRoux

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Everything posted by FistFullaRoux

  1. Here's yet another member "coming in from the cold" to pay tribute to a fine fellow. He was quite helpful on my first trip to New York, even though I never met him. All I can do is offer condolences to his loved ones.
  2. I just saw the spot for the movie on Hell's Kitchen. I had to come out of a somewhat self-imposed exile to post on this. I watched the preview with mouth agape, mumbling to myself "They freakin did it." I just had to pipe up on this, knowing the subject had been of great interest in these parts. And I'll be around a little more, as I am no longer traipsing about the bloody country living in hotels and trying to eat economically. Plus I have a local job that allows me to sleep in my own bed each night, while still trying to eat economically.
  3. How about a cinnamon coffee cake with bacon?
  4. Prayers for all of my friends in south LA. New Orleans may be in much better shape than forecast, but Lafayette and areas around it will see significant wind damage. I'm watching WWL and KATC. Technology is a wonderful thing. Nice to get some real-time info. Please be safe. Please be careful.
  5. Yeah, I'm quickly discovering the NYC price point reality. OK, let's bump it a bit, say $100 without a reservation.
  6. Problem with black food coloring is that it also blackens the diner's mouth and teeth. Not appetizing. I wouldn't have a problem with gray, but that's me. You could also layer it with the tan stuff or use it as decoration.
  7. I have just landed a new job that posts me in Manhattan for the next couple of weeks. I know there are a ton of places to eat, and I will not go hungry. I have limited funds (which will be reimbursed) but I really want one truly great meal, without dropping a couple hundred bucks. Where can a guy eat, with no time to make reservations, at a fabulous restaurant in the $50-60 range? I'll know my exact hotel location in the next day or so. First time to NYC... Hell, my first time north of Nashville. Be gentle.
  8. after washing your hands shaking them off works well when your busy ← I was think more of being in a restroom somewhere.
  9. Hydrate. Clean. Keep your head up. Don't get caught up in one task. And finally, don't ask for burn cream.
  10. How do you dry your hands when you aren't wearing an apron? A towel under your apron, tucked into your belt/pants could work. The towel is concealed, but you look like you are molesting yourself when you use it. Otherwise, just find a hidey-hole for a couple of dry ones to wipe after washing. I agree that seeing someone wipe their hands (or knives, or other equipment) on an apron is just wrong. I know it's cloth and started out clean, but it sure can pick up some funky stuff along the way. Break the habit. It's one of the bad ones you have to break. I appreciate the effort in handwashing BTW. It's good to know that someone actually puts some thought into it.
  11. http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03...by_falling.html So a random bullet falls from the sky and hits the man. He shrugs it off and continues cooking. I like the guy. He nearly became the third Louisiana restaurant owner to die in the last few days (see Al Copeland from Popeye's and other places and Miss Goldie from Mulate's) They say things happen in threes, and I hope this one counts. I'd hate to see anything happen to anyone else.
  12. http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../803260304/1002 Yet another blow to the Louisiana restaurant industry.
  13. http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=8057418 One more legend goes away.
  14. Wood splits because the grain isn't consistent, especially end-grain boards which can come from any portion of the cross-cut of the tree. Picture looking straight down on a tree stump, and cutting squares out of that. You can see how the grain will be different in each piece, varying from inner rings to near the bark. If the manufacturer is not careful in setting up the grain patterns, the wood's natural expansion and contraction can be stronger than the glue. Wood moves. Quality doors and cabinets take that expansion in mind when engineering and building. I'd use Titebond II instead of Gorilla glue, though. The Titebond is safe for food contact surfaces. Gorilla Glue is overkill for that kind of use. Anything smaller than an entertainment center is too small, especially if the wood is already moving. If there is any kind of gap after clamping, the polyurethane joint is weakened considerably. It's fine for a tight fitting machined joint, not so much if you have to push the wood together. Whereas the Titebond is flexible and can move with the wood, instead of failing. edited to fix a fact.
  15. Lots of NASCAR themes that could be used. I'm a fan myself, living only 20 minutes from Talladega. Dunno if meatball tires will work, and still taste good, but in honor (stretching the word) of Tony Stewart, how about the ever popular Lil Smokies? (Smoke, get it? nevermind.) Or you car recreate that great commercial from a last year where the infamous '79 Daytona fight between Cale and Donnie was made out of cakes and such. THAT would be awesome. A marzipan Richard Petty standing on top of a baby blue Oldmobile cake. I'd make that my Christmas card. edited to fix the Pontiac/Oldmobile issue.
  16. Don't know about the others, but Bourdain quit (or so he said in a short interview for Time Magazine...or was it Newsweek?). He's not cooking professionally anymore (as far as I know), though, so perhaps he doesn't count? ← Well, I meant that Bourdain was doing far more than smoking cigarettes, though he may have quit now. Something tells me that he was smoking at least as long as he's been cooking. And I remember seeing one episode of Cook's Tour (Or was it NR?) that he did take his turn on the line, I believe with a lemoncello at arm's reach, remarking that it felt good to be able to run with the young dogs still.
  17. Any job that requires long hours of tedious and high pressure work has a higher percentage of smokers, in my observance. I work on equipment from banks to hospitals and every where in between. Factory type work, nurses, oil field workers, mechanics, cooks, welders, and anywhere the hours are not 9-5, high stress levels, and repetitious tasks are involved, people smoke. It's a break from the day. Plus all the cool kids are doing it. I seriously doubt that Ramsey smokes as referenced upthread though, I've seen a couple of his BBC Kitchen Nightmares shows where he reams someone mercilessly for smoking. Well, not so much for smoking but for wanting the break. He's an ex-jock, I would have trouble believing him as a smoker. Batali's voice sounds like a rumbling Vesuvius, Flay has trouble with anything less than 10,000 on the Scoville scale, and we all know about Bourdain. eta: The economic thing brought up earlier I think may have something to do with my first paragraph there. Skilled, highly-paid employees are usually not doing mundane tasks over and over. Plus they usually have a desk where they can sit for a couple of minutes and pretend to be looking for something when they needed a break.
  18. A quick google search for Dr Bronner reveals a company specializing in soap and such. In fact, the searches - "canned chicken livers" - and "canned chopped chicken livers" did not match any documents. I also tried "chicken livers in a can", "livers in a can", and a few others. The only combo that hit was "can of chicken livers", and that was as a recipe for stinkbait to catch catfish in the Ohio River. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Sorry I wasn't of more help.
  19. Every time a sushi/sashimi conversation starts up, I always think of Everybody's got some quirks. I tend to smear the slightest bit of wasabi onto the tips of the chopsticks. Easier to regulate the sting that way. Soy sauce only on one corner of the roll. I've found that some sushi does not need the additions. I try the first piece naked, then add as needed. I do prefer to taste the ingredients, but some seasoning can improve the flavor.
  20. I think I'll keep the idea for the mini turducken around. We bought it this year, already seasoned and packaged, but if I'm dealing with just the breasts, this is something I can make myself, and adjust the seasoning. Some of the proportions seemed a little off in some slices (ie; 70% duck, 5% chicken, and 25% turkey), so I'll try to even that out a little more, and use the duck fat which did not come in the one we bought.
  21. I've always dreamed about doing something like "Magical Sugar". Use one pot of sugar and water, then pull out a needed amount at each stage as it progresses through the heating, from taffy to peanut brittle to fancy little webs for decoration. Add different flavorings to each portion as it is removed from the pot, then proceed with the remainder of each recipe. Each component of the plated dessert would have to work with the others, and there are some logistical issues to deal with the timing and distribution of work, but it would really be a show of technique, I think. Plus it only takes up one burner. ETA: Plus there's always a zabaglione over poached fruit. Another technique dish. Or Floating Islands, if you want to go with a classic.
  22. Sounds like breakfast for me!!!
  23. This was my first Thanksgiving to completely take over the cooking for the family, with the help of my wife. We did OK, but definite room for improvement. Good: Homemade mac & cheese, sweet potato casserole, green bean/bacon appetizers, pecan pie meh: Turkey, wife's Veg-all casserole, homemade cranberry sauce (I liked it, just not very popular) oops: Completely overdone mini turducken (just he breasts). Forgot gravy, mashed potatoes, and broccoli cheese casserole. No time to brine turkey (story below) ---The turkey story. Had the 14 pounder defrosted by Monday. Put it in the brine Tuesday night, with the intention of pulling it Wed midday, since I was off work. No room in the fridge, so into a bucket and the bucket into an ice chest. Bought 60 pounds of ice to make sure, plenty of freezer space. Kept it iced down and checked it's temp often. I get a call stupid early Wed morning to go into work, so I freshened the ice and said a little prayer, and headed in to work. Ended up staying far longer than expected (of course), and the image of the turkey moldering stayed in my mind all day. I come home about 4pm and take the turkey's temp. 63 degrees. Dammit. Run to the grocery for another turkey, wind up with a completely frozen 17 pound butterball. Run home and put the turkey in the bathtub (don't tell my in-laws) on a slow drip. Bird completely thaws by 2am. No time to brine and dry, so screw it. It's a Butterball. All in all, not the best or worst dinner I've ever made. Everyone was happy, I think, and they want me to do it again next year. Better planning then though. Time for Friday morning quarterbacking. What worked, what didn't?
  24. Regarding use of cherry in cutting boards: There may be tannins, but once it is finished, cherry is safe to use. In this instance, it was only used as an accent, but full cherry boards are used all the time.
  25. There are ways around that though. The thickness planer and cabinet scraper are a good replacement. You know you have a good joint when the pieces kind of form a suction when you dry fit them. You have expelled most of the air, and they are nice and tight. But the jointer is at the top of the list of tools to buy to go into some kind of production. Though there are CNC solutions out there right now for about $2000. That's under consideration by the home office as we speak.
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