budrichard

Shopped at Mitsuwa last Saturday and the produce was a pale comparison to before and many things not available. The sashimi grade fish case still looked good but many other hard goods were gone. It's almost as if they are getting ready to go out of business. We were there about 10:30 am and the store was almost empty. In comparison, the Sunday before we went to H-Mart and found a great selection of everything from live lobsters to Korean Hot Pepper threads. BTW, where did you see sashimi grade fish at H-Mart?-Dick

I need riveted measuring cups as I have spot welded cups that the handles have fallen off. I am NOT a believer in spot welding.-Dick

Thank you very much! I made a nabe last night with home made chicken stock and blended it with dashi made with the bags. The bags have salt unlike the high grade bonito flakes I use for Miso soup, so you have to be careful not to use too many for a bonito flavor. But since the chicken stock had no salt, it was a good match. Anyway, layered the bottom of the bowl with thin slices of Matsutake sliced with a new Nakiribocho AS Hocho from this maker http://www.shop.niimi.okayama.jp/kajiya/en/index_e.html . Takeda comes to the Chicago Custom Knife show every year and brings what i order for me. I have four of his knives and the Aogami Super Steel is the sharpest i have. The prices are reasonable compared to a knife made in the Honyaki method. My wife asked how i was able to slice the Matsutake so thin. The only way is to use a Japanese knife of this type, a Western blade will not slice this thin.-Dick

Thanks all, pictures tomorrow.-Dick

I recently purchased a package of 50 of these tea like bags to make dashi. The product works great for instant dashi for sauces/dips but I don't know how much water per pack. This is the URL for Marusan http://www.marusan-shokuhin.com/products/furidashi.html . Can someone please access the site and let me know? thanks for your help.-Dick

But what about railroads and subways? They just about all use welded tracks nowadays. ← Since I used to manage Nuclear QC/QA departments and did graduate studies in Metalurgy, I did a quick Goggle on "welding railroad track". http://www.railtechboutet.com/products.htm It appeasr that this firm uses what is known as thermite welding. Thermite welding uses a pyrotechnic heat producing chemical reaction with filler material to make the weld at very high temperatures, not all like spot welding or however handles are welded to pots/pans. We used the process to weld rebar which is the reinforcing structure in some poured concrete applications. Thermite welding is very effective. So in summary, there are many different processes that are grouped under the generic term 'welding' but they can differ greatly in how they are accomplsihed.-Dick

You have discovered what the American Waygu farmers don't want you to know i.e that American Waygu is in many cases not any better than most Choice and the farmers, wholesalers and retailers are trading on the name and its association to Kobe beef. There is some very good American Waygu out there but unless it is graded, it's mostly miss. Zier's Waygu as i remember is frozen from Idaho and I won't try it. USDA dry aged Prime like Dave sells beats American Waygu everytime. I recently procured some real Kobe beef and it is an entirely different product and most be treated as such. It is grilled to small cubes and is fantastic but if you are used to a thick USDA Prime Porterhouse, it may not be for everyone. I have a thread on my search for genuine Kobe on this forum, so do a search. You will also find the information on the Kobe beef supplier and pictures. Anyway, for US style steak, Dave's the best.-Dick

Steak is Choice or Prime (Prime is best) round steak cut at least 2" thick, it can be wrapped in wet newspaper to help hold the salt. It is then grilled on a charcoal BBQ with hardwood charcoal lump. Break the crust, remove the steak and slice thinly against the grain. As far as time, its dependant on the thickness of your steak and heat of you grill. It does leave an unsightly mess on your grill and when breaking the crust but it tastes great!. Clams can be washed so the shells are very clean and then one can hold the clam after Q'ing and remove the meat which has some salt content that leaches into it and drink the juice in the shell. Oysters have such a varigated surface that you can't get them clean enough but you can bake the oysters on a bed of salt on the grill or oven.-Dick

I would caution against typical rock salt because as far as I know it has not been analyized for contaminants. Salt that you purchase for consumption derived from salt deposits (Rock salt) has been purified by steam and contaminants removed. Be sure to use only Kosher salt and not iodized table salt. I have used kosher salt with water to form a crust on steak and with egg whites for fish. Works great but sometims the surface can be too salty. Wet clams coated in Kosher salt and BBQ'd on the grill are great also.-Dick

Turtles are for sale at Chinese groceries in Chicago. Many states including where i live, Wisconsin have a regulation against selling wild game harvested by a licensed hunter. There generally is a license specifically for commercial fishers that allows wild fishing under controlled harvesting. This may the source of the problem you described but if a farm raised product, I don't know of any specific state that prohibits the sale of farm raised turtle.-Dick

"The situation improves if you have 240 volt service. " US residential supply voltage is 240V. It is stepped down at the Breaker Panel for 120V usage for lighting circuits but many things are used at 240V such as wells and Central AC units and Electrical Dryers.-Dick

Be aware that Chicago city blocks are loooong. Each 100 of the address represents a block. It is a long hike from the Hilton on 720S Michigan to Frontera Grill and all the restaurants on Upper Michigan. As far as clothing goes, the winters have become much milder and I wouldn't purchase anything that you don't already have for DC winters for the beginning of December in Chicago. Besides the prices are steep on Upper Michigan avenue. Be sure you discuss with someone familiar with the City about where you want to walk and time of day.-Dick

You got 16 ga, she got 16 ga. You got 30" x 18" bowl, she got 29-1/2" x 16-1/4". She paid $210, you paid...? You dismiss all kitchen designers based on experience with 2? Nice. ← Purchasing a product based on price alone is not a wise thing to do. So much for kitchen designers. Actually I brought in two of the best in my area and started intially with what was supposed to be the premier kitchen supply house. Supply house would not/could not get what i wanted, did not sell what i wanted and was only interested in supplying what they could make the most mark up on. The installer they recammended never showed for an appointment nor called to explain why. Hired local contracter that had rebuilt front and rear decks on my house. Did an excellent job on kitchen, had them continue with total home remake. All this without a kitchen designer! Now if your totally clueless or just want to brag that you had a designer do your kitchen, then that's understandable. But if your half way intelligent, you CAN do the design yourself and get WHAT you want and not what the designer wants. As an Engineer with a background in Metalurgy, there is no doubt in my mind that Franke makes the best quality product of its kind. But the sink is not the whole story. The appurtances that make the sink work are important from the drain to the facucets/faucets. Franke faucet and sprayer have been bullet proof with no problems. Installation is 4 years old. Sink has Franke Little Butler waiting for installation. This clever little device supplies cold and pre-heated water through a purifier using a spring return to neutral lever that you can activate with any cup or glass. The Swiss design and manufacture the highest quality products in the world. They are not manufactured in who knows what conditions and under what quality control. So if your single criterion is price, so be it. mine isn't. BTW, with a little work, one can find an Internet source that discounts Franke. Delivery is about 1-2 months.-Dick

Except for the immediate downtown, Milwaukee nor is any city in Wisconsin a cab town. Downtown Milwaukee is quite small actually and many good places are not in the immediate downtown area. Stay away from Madar's, a tourist trap. Karl Ratche's has been very good in the past but not sure at the present. Sanford's always seems to get good reviews but never pleases me. His Coquette Cafe is better. The Casino has a high buck place, Dreamdance but we don't go to Casino's. Jakes has a very good corned beef sandwich but it's in a not so great neighborhood. There are lots of good Mexican Retaurants sprinkled around 16th street but the variablity of them makes it different each time one goes. I wish I could be of more help but we generally go to Chicago for better eats as we live south of Milwaukee. Pick up a copy of Milwaukee Magazine and peruse as it is usually accurate.-Dick

Because of the over fishing and potential pollution and heavy metal contamination, we only use domestic Sterling caviar. Browne Trading is indeed a good source if you must have Iranian caviar. Otherwise there is so much variability out there that something is not right.-Dick

Kitchen designers are a waste of time because they don't understand how to cook and what is needed. Went through two designers and threw both out and designed kitchen myself. Used Franke Manor House sink http://www.frankeksd.com/productdetail.php...group=53&lvl=3# . Biggest Franke I could get, one sink. heavier weight SS, absolutely bullet proof. We use Falk Culinair copper which will dent or break anything it comes into contact with. The Franke is unfazed by rough contact. It handles the biggest pots and roasting pans. You don't need these dinky little bowls for washing vegetables and other things. We have the bottom grate for the Franke and LOTS of vegatables go into the bottom and are washed and prepped. Could not accomplish anything with those little sinks. Suggest you find something like the Furniture Mart in Chicago where all the brands come together with actual kitchen spaces. In any event, kitchen designers are a waste of time.-Dick

THERE IS NO FAT ON WILD WATERFOWL BE IT GOOSE OR DUCK! IN FACT IF YOU ATTEMPT TO COOK A WILD BIRD LIKE A DOMESTIC BIRD, YOU WILL END UP WITH A HOCKEY PUCK! Wild duck should be cooked quickly in a hot oven until rare and not rested. I breast out wild geese, cook the breats rare and braise the leg/thighs in sour cream. I have been hunting waterfowl for 35+ years.-Dick

I have always put the cork back in and put whatever except Port in the fridge. After a day or two its for cooking, after a few more days its down the drain. Sparklers are for drinking and the next day have little mousse no matter what the closure.-Dick

Other than a source of high quality product, your biggest problem will be opening the shellfish, particulary if you have no or little experience. Having it done by a fishmonger unless within an hour of consumption will led to a dryed out product. My advice is unless you can assure quality shellfish and the opening of such, stick to shrimp, lobster, crab and mussels or similar. A Kevlar glove is a must although i have seen shuckers use a heavy rubber commercial black glove.-Dick

Be aware that Roland escargot are being sourced from Indonesia. Land snails are much better procured fresh in the shell and taking the time for preperation. There really is no comparison. Sea snails can be of various variety and are really much different tasting than land snails. We generally use the classic butter/garlic/Pernod or Snails Burgundy style to disguise the canned flavor.-Dick

ANTHING frozen 14 months is suspect unless it is a Super Low Temp freezer like Bluefin is kept in. ANYTHING from China is seriously suspect. I will not purchase anything sourced from China as a main item, ingrediant or feed.-Dick

This product http://www.metrokane.com/site_files/product/v1.aspx promises that by establishing a vacuum in your decanter, that somehow your wine will last longer. Since air is mostly nitrogen (78%), an inert gas for the most part, its the oxygen partial pressure (21%) in air that one wants to reduce. The website doesn't tell one what pressure reduction the device is capable of but having worked with both low and high vacuum systems, it would be a good guesstimate that at the most the end state is no more than 25% of atmospheric pressure. Henry's Law tells us that the soluability of a gas in a liquid is proprotional to the partial pressure of the gas in contact with the liquid and making an assumption that the chemical reactions caused by oxygen in wine is directly proportional to the concentration of oxygen in the wine, it would appear that this product cannot offer much of a reduction in oxygen reaction unless the left over wine reacts completely with all the oxygen left after the vacuum is formed. In any event the wine is still altered. Phones calls to Metrokane did not result in being to contact anyone for an answer to the pressure reduction that this device is capable of. Anyone purchased this device or have any input? -Dick

Render the duck skin in a dry frying pan, no water needed as the skin will provide the fat. This will take time but will produce duck fat which is the BEST thing to fry potatoes and other things in as well as duck cracklings. Sprinkle a little salt on the cracklings and seved over a mixed salad ala bacon bits or just serve with hot sauce. The carcass can be used to make a conventional stock but brown the carcass and onions to get a rick dark color. Reduce and add to pan drippings with or without madera for deglazing. I hardly ever cook a whole domestic duck anymore preferring to do the above.-Dick

Thanks for the link, quite informative. Personnaly I am not wedded to cork. But with the production of wines that have less aging potential than in the past, I am not so sure that the closure will matter anymore. Aging a red wine for 30 years just will not happen anymore and wines of the past will never again become available. Since better production can now flatten out the variation between years better, it had reduced the possibility for wine such as the great vintage years in Europe. No more 1959, 1961 and the like Bordeaux. So as long as the closure can last until the consumer drinks the wine without any perceived effect, who cares what type of closure? -Dick

I like Champagne and purchase a lot of it by the case but only when the price is right. I rarely purchase vintage or Super Premium. My last two cases of Pol Roger were purchased for $240/case plus tax. I am not sure if the French realizing that there are limits to production and if the world wants Champagne, the world is going to have to pay more for it or its a market at work. I do know that Champagne has been on a marketing campaign to inform drinkers that Champagne only comes from France and other than 'Korbel', other sparkling wine is not Champagne. Globally there are some very good sparklers out there for quite a bit less money. None of them can match a good non-vintage Champagne but they can come very close. Picked up two cases of Domaine Carneros Vintage at about $16/bottle recently. A very nice wine. The EURO/$ doesn't help the situation either. I have switched to mostly Bourbon rather than Scotch and Cognac because of the rising prices for Single Malts and XO Cognacs. With most decent non-vintage Champagne over the $30/bottle mark, I doubt that i will purchase anymore-Dick