budrichard

'Gai Scung Tong' or Chicken Stock from 'The Chinese Kitchen' by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is without a doubt the best I have ever made! As with most Chinese recipes the intial boil water is removed. In French cooking, the surface of the pot is skimmed to remove the same impurities. In any event, lots of ginger, green onions and cilentro make for our favorite stock for Sharks Fin soup. -Dick

If a source of freshly shucked clam juice was not available I would stay away from the canned or bottled variety, They invariably have a 'taste' to my palate. Using your shrimp shells is an excellent idea for a shrimp bisque. Some bones from a non oily fish such as flounder could be used in addition. Avoid the commercially prepared stuff. -Dick

Food bags are called 'musette's' http://www.trekbikes.com/accessories/produ...category_id=740 As to what's in them, each team and individual has different ideas, needs and wants. They all consist of high caloric food that is easy to digest, eat on the fly and somewhat palatable. 'Water carriers' are correctly called 'Domestiques' which means what it says. They not only bring water bottles from the team car but anything else that is needed. They also protect the team leader in a group of riders and allow the team leader to draft off of them, thereby saving enegy for the end of the race. Actually the only simliarity between bicycle racing and touring is that most touring is done on two wheel bikes while all racing that I know is only done on two wheels. The energy output in watts and speed is much higher in racing than in touring. Until you are in with a pack of racers at almost 30 mph and experience the 'suck' from the peleton, you will have a difficult time believing the speeds that the peloton is capable of. -Dick

As a former USCF road racer, my rides are shorter(60 miles) and faster(20+ mph round trip average depending on wind and weather) than the touring faction. I only carry a cell phone, Gatorade with pre-measured dry powder to mix up at stops along the way if i exhaust my 3 20oz bottles. Gu, cookies, bananas, you name it go in my pockets with no tools or spares. Constant hydration and frequent eats are the rule. After stopping, tops on the list is hydration and electrolite replacement. Hunger for solid food will kick in and then I eat everything in sight. -Dick

show me one person on this entire site who won't tune in to watch a flay-morimoto match-up. there's your answer. Here's one person that won't watch. If the program is not run by the original Japanese production team then it will be a pale shadow of the orginal. The seriounes of the Japanese and the translation team were half the fun of the program. What other culture would make battle out of cooking? The last programs with Captain Kirk and the US production team were horrible. Bobby Flay is also not my favorite Chef being confined to the celeb category with Emeril who I refuse to watch or eat in his restaurants. I will watch Turner Classic Movies instead. I know what I'm getting and will not be dissapointed. -Dick

Fresh water fish is a no-no for sashimi and ceviche as correctly mentioned because of the parasites. Why it is different for sea fish, I need to investigate as sea fish do have parasites also. As I said before, i use only sahimi grade fish for ceviche. -Dick

Don't you love living in a society afraid to live... or possibly live... or potentially live... or occasoinaly live... or could have lived... Over the last 50 years our food preocessing has grown from a number of small regional facilites to giant, high speed facilities. With the increase in volume has come the potential for large amounts of food being distributed to large numbers of people with contamination. 50 years ago, an incident of this type would have only affected a small proportion of the population. That is the reason for what is percieved as an increase in the standards. I for one, appauld the increase and realization that our food system needs careful attention and inspection. -Dick

It has more do with possible leaching of chemicals from the cling wrap. -Dick

"French exports to the U.S. are mainly industrial products: capital goods (42%) - including aeronautics materials (25%), automotive parts (4%), and intermediary goods (23%). Consumer goods (17%) and food products (9%), traditionally associated with France, represent a far smaller proportion of French sales to the U.S." They forgot firearms of which i just took delivery of another French shotgun. Whether politically motivated or a failure to conform to USDA requirements, the ban exisits. My 'Jubugo' is now aging in Spain due to an entire processing facility being built to conform to USDA requirements because the Spanish want our $'s. Most of the time, it seems like the Franch could not care if they export to the US. The attitude has migrated to the Canadians who it seems allow all sorts of food imports but no handguns. Conan O'brien and the dog puppet had it right. Right now i ain't going to Canada and France and not buying much in the way of French products. Of course the Euro helped a little.-Dick

The process of using 'Cling Wrap' when cooking is not one I do. A loaf pan sufficiently buttered is OK. You need a vent for the steam and an aluminum foil cover with a hole will suffice. Important about a cooked terrine is the water bath and the fat to keep the terrine together when it cools and the preservation by making a seal on the top with the fat. Crisco can be used after cooking and when the terrine is cooled for preservation. -Dick

The acid in the citrus cases the protien in the fish to coagulate and cook as well as supposedly destroying harmful bacteria. That said, I don't make a ceviche with fish that is not of sashimi quality. PH? This is not Qualitaitive Chemistry and a PH Tester is not needed. If it tates sour to you then it is OK. Small pieces rather than a whole piece insure 'cooking'. -Dick

What you need is a'SuperMercado'(Large Mexican Grocery Store) so you can investigate the ingrediants and purchase what you need. -Dick

Look at Davidoff cigars. -Dick

In answer to your questions; 1. 'Shucked' oyster are not day old or reduced in price. They are opened and sold in bulk with an expiration date. they are perfectly safe for cooked foods where the oyster is not raw. If you only want warmed oyster than you must shuck your own to be safe. 2. In terms of safe to eat, all commercially harvested shell fish MUST come with a Harvest Certificate that must be shown on demand to the purchaser. This cert list where, when and by whom the shellfish were harvested. This is a must when purchase shellfish in the shell and always should be viewed. when you purchase you shell fish in the standard 100 count bag, the cert is always supplied. There are some oysters in the shell that have been treated to depuration, a sterilzing process. I don't know how the taste is affected as I don't eat these type of oysters yet. A freshly opened oyster must be glistening and plump as well as have hardly any smell. the taste should be of the sea, mild and blissful. Any deviation from these standards is not a good oyster. The cert that accompanies the oysters is the best that one can do to assure quality and free from disease. -Dick

DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT open your oysters without the proper oyster knife and a protective glove of some type. You risk serious injury to you hand any other way. I have been opening oysters and clams of all sizes and shapes for 30+ years. In that time I have had a few slips that if not using a blunt tipped correct opener would have caused severe injury to my hands. In that time I took one trip to the Emergency Room when I slipped opening a 'Littleneck' and the blunt end of the clam knife dug into my palm and reached the juncture of two nerves. Took about a year for the nerve sheathe to regenerate to obtain complete feeling in both fingers. BE CAREFUL! -Dick

Jaques Pepin 'The Art of Cooking' Vol 1 explains it all with very nice color pictures! I would debone the saddle and stuff with the tenderloins and a stuffing. Makes a very elegant preparation that slices very nicely. Jacques tells how to prepare and how to cook as well, which is very important to this preperation. The legs can be cooked on the bone or boned out and tied or butterflied and cooked on a grill. Jacques has a very nice marinade also. I would debone the shoulder and use in a stew with the bones reserved for a stock. Have fun! -Dick

Looking at the Canadian $ versas the Euro, I can see lot of Canadian whiskey or rye or whatever being drunk! -Dick

There are twp type of lobsters, live Maine lobsters and I forgot the other! Seriously, like many foods, fresh is better and a live lobster of any type is far superior to a frozen crayfish tail. Just take a live lobster and boil for 8-10 minutes for 1.25# version. Many times we boil for 8 minutes and quickly chill. The claws are done and tail is rare, suitable for medallions to be used in many dishes. Last weekend Browne Trading flew some in and they were prepared as just discussed. The medallions were used in a lobster/peekytoe Napolean and the shells for a Lobster Americain sauce for pasta and the claws for a cold appetizer served with a dash of white pepper, sea salt and lemon. -Dick

We all know that a Grand Fine Champagne cognac of 40 years ago has now gone upscale so that even most XO cognac's are not of that quality. But the bottle of Remy Martin XO that we just finshed with has set a new low in XO coganc's. I have had comparable quality VSOP's and the VSOP's of today are generally only good for cooking or mixers.. We are currently working on Hennessy's single distillery cognac's and have started with the Izambard. This is a nice cognac with a smooth taste, pleasant and certainly better that the Remy Martin XO. There are two others in the series that we have and I just wish I could justify a blind tasting by opening them all at once but we just don't drink that much cognac to justify doing that. -Dick

First, the fresher the better! Second grab a sharp pair of scissors. Use the scissors to cut off the fins and heads while pushing the guts out of the body, you can use the scissors to open the belly also. Third, prepare your coating/batter. Fourth, prepare your dipping sauces. Fifth fry in whatever oil you want and eat with dips and beer. There is a palatable difference for smelt fresh from the water to those purchased fresh in a market. -Dick

First, need to know the source of your rabbit. If frozen from China, then you are already behind the 8 ball. If fresh or a hunted wild rabbit, then you should debone the saddle and stuff it with the tenderloins and deboned meat from the legs. Use the carcass to make stock along with the liver for a sauce eventually. Stuff the saddle with the meat and whatever suits you. Tie it all up, sear in a fry pan and then into the oven until rare which depends on how big your rabbit is. They can rnage from a # or two to 5 for large domestics. Let rest for 5-10 minutes again depending on the size. Serve with the sauce and whatever vegatables you want. Keys are fresh rabbit, boned and rare. -Dick

Grandma Utz's are still cooked in lard and are still the best! I will find some Zapp's and try them though. -Dick

It appears I am the only one of the posters that has any bona fide professional credentials in Photography. I worked as a photojournalist at one time for the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison Wisconsin. As such, one has to photograph individuals in all sorts of conditions from happy(first child born in the New Year is a standard pic) to sad(death from accident or possesions lost due to fire are examples). One learns that are simply some times when one is in a group setting where photographing will affect others around you. It is very crass to think that this will not bother someone and I can do as I want. Asking permission is your best choice and gennerally works quite well. Amatuer photogrpahers are generally loath to approach someone they would like to photograpah, whereas professionals learn to do it. Professionals also know when and where they can and cannot legally photograph. If you assume that you can do what ever you want, where ever you want, then you are arragant. If you respect others around you, then you will ask first and if the response is negative, you will not intrude. -Dick

As correctly pointed out, these knives are for making square cuts on fish already prepared into blocks in most cases. The long length assures that the entire blade in one stroke can produce the cut. In my case, I was used to a 230mm blade and had tried 330mm and 300mm and knew that they were too long for me to be comfortable with and that 270mm seemed like the best lenght. I also would not wear my blade very much as it is not used and sharpened every day. Some of my Wustof blades are 15 years old and one can see the effects of sharpening on them, so it does happen. If you are serious about ordering one of these blades, best to find a place that has the different lenghts and try them. Best yet, would to buy an inexpensive knife and become familiar with its intended use and then purchase a honyaki. -Dick

Kenichi Shiraki made the blade which is 270mm long. Generally they come 330mm and wear down over the lifetime of the knife and chef but in my case that won't happen and I was used to a shorter commercial blade. If you have ever handled a 330mm Sashimi knife you will know what i mean. As i have said, this has nothing to do with sharp and has everything to do with craftsmanship and the value placed on this type of work. A commercial laminate will do just as good but to some the joy of using a product crafted by an individual is worth the expense.-Dick