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Thanks Steve.... I'll give that a try. Ironically, Dessert Circus was a Christmas gift I asked for....

Well I've tried a bunch of different bread recipes but this one always turns out well. I'm still no expert by any stretch of the imagination. I have the most difficulty with sourdoughs and best luck with italian and french loaves for some reason. I have a 1" thick stone that I leave heat up for an hour before I begin. My advice to you is go ahead and try. If you make a mistake it's still usually pretty good and one of the cheapest things to make in the kitchen yet also the most rewarding. Joe

You're welcome anytime. Here's loaf #3 :-) I like digital cameras. Can you tell .......

Thanks and as far as the tiles they are the same. Easier and looks fine IMHO. The small tiles were 10 times the price and looked "busy" anyway. Joe

My second italian loaf, full size image here.(http://www.canamcaravan.com/breadfullsize.gif) The first one was a bit undercooked. The third loaf is in the oven now. My house smells AMAZING right now. Joe

LOts of creme brulee ?'s lately so here's another. The recipe I was using called for cream, half and half, sugar, vanilla and 3 whole eggs, not the usual yolks only. Just curious why is tatses "eggy"? It's still good but would like more of a creamy vanilla taste. Any ideas? Joe

another vote for mrchocolate.com (Jacques Torres). His candies are beyond reproach. Joe

I don't think I'll need to sharpen mine for a while either. How do you like the knife anyway? How does it compare to your Mullin? Probably a lot lighter anyway. Joe

I just made my first creme brulee's today. I had enough to fill 6 ramekins all the way and the 7th was about 1/3 full. I figured this was good since I could taste it to see if it was any good. Anyway it was a bit eggy but it was also a bit overdone. Could the added cooking time contribute to the "eggy" flavor? The remaining 6 stayed in the oven longer but they were still quivering when I took them out which I presume should be OK. A few have some brown area's but that's probably from the uneven heat. Anyway, what type of sugar do I sprinkle on top? Turbinado, regular white sugar, superfine? Thanks, Joe

Great write up Chad....as usual. Actually it's now you're fault I'm obsessing over knives :-) that's a good thing though. I do have a question. How much of an angle to you think my Hattori's could handle with the VG10 core? Also what grit stone should I use on them? I have an Edgepro if that helps. I think 220 may be a bit toothy. Thoughts? Joe

There are also these Global's. More classical design. http://www.cutleryandmore.com/shop/details.asp?SKU=1217 I do like the smooth edge that I can easily resharpen. Joe

I'm looking at these, http://www.cutleryandmore.com/shop/details.asp?SKU=1218 or these for 1/3 the cost, http://www.cutleryandmore.com/shop/details.asp?SKU=2191 Any advice? Joe

If you had a choice of one bread baking book (artisinal) which would it be? OK. You can have 2 choices. Thanks, Joe

Hi All, I'm looking for some high quality modern looking flatware to replace my existing Henckels Manhattan set I got for my wedding gift. I like this set because they look reaally good, have held up to everyday use and are heavy. Any suggestions out there for a good replacement? Thanks, Joe

How much does it cost for a fugu meal? Just curious. Joe

I am of the waterbath camp but you must remove the foil immediately when it comes out of the oven. The condensation will make your cake wet. I've done that twice. First and last. Joe

Good one :)

I'm poor too but..... The Chef's was $245, the paring $109 and the santoku was $150 or do. Not too bad IMO. I bought my wife some Victorinox Forschners today one because they were on sale and two because I don't really want her using my knives. They feel just as sharp as my Hattori's but in use the Victo's feel like an axe. They require at least 2-3X's the pressure to get through a carrot. Unbeleivable. Joe

I only use grocery store butter if I have to. I really prefer Plugra (domestic butter but made in the european fashion) or imported butter from Europe. They have much more fat content and therefore taste better. PLugra is a staple in my house. Joe

I got mine from Worldknives.com Chris is a gret guy and will do what it takes to make you happy. He also offers a 10 day return policy which is good especially if you haven't felt the knife in your own hand. Joe

No chipping so far but I don't do any heavy chopping with it. Mainly veggies and stuff, no bones. Joe

I'm only a knife nut because of that article :) Well Done!!! Joe

I was actually considering buying that knife. Then I had visualized my mother in law coming over and cutting pieces of pie on a glass plate. I then visualized divorce papers so I went with the cheapies. Although if you can call $250 for a chef's knife cheap you are doing better than me :) Joe

Here is a picture of a true Hattori Damascus that is hand made in Japan. WHile it is definitely nicer than my "low end " Hattori's I'm not sure it justifies the $1250 price tag for a 9.5" Chef's knife

That's a really good question. The steel looks very similar to the Kershaw's and a few other knives but I like the western handle which is why I didn't choose them. Frankly I think they all order the blanks, plop their own handle and name on them and call it a day, although some of the blades look the same in appearance but not in design. Who knows. For example this picture is of the 10" Kershaw Shun. The steel looks the same but the belly of the blade looks different. Compare it to the picture of my Hattori. Does it look the same to you? Also the Kershaw's are made with 16 layers of stainless stell whereas the Hattori's claim 63 layers. My 4 inch paring knife doesn't match the blade shape either. The closest match is the Santoku but I still don't think it's the same.... I asked that same question about the similarity and this is the answer I got. whatever that means. Joe