B Edulis

Not to throw a wrench into the works, but Gourmet mag did a report a coupla years ago comparing maybe 8 different tablespoon measures made by major companies. Turned out that the amount they held varied by over 60% -- and none of them were accurate with the real standard! Funny, huh?

Wow, coriander! rosemary! Can't wait to try them -- separately, of course. The tips on which apples are which are really helpful -- it never occured to me that an apple would change further along into the season. Thanx! Tart tatin is wonderful, of course. Truely wonderful (Homer Simpson gurgling icon). Especially with quince. But I've never seen it bring a tear to an American's eye. My apple pie has.... It's gotta be the comfort factor.

I got the Cuisinart Classic retro-look toaster, it's got two wide slots, each big enough for two pullman slices. I haven't been very happy with it. The functional parts of the design are awful: (1) the indicator for which side to use for one slice is illegible, (2) the button you push to light one or both sides is counter-intuitive and activitates the opposite side -- it's taken me over a year to get used to it, and (3) there's no visual indication whether the current setting is one or both sides -- I can't count the times I've toasted only half the bread I've put in. It also seems to take longer, at least 'til it heats up, tho' I haven't actually timed it, so perhaps I'm just impatient. The only other design problem I had was esthetic: the Cuisinart logo was prominent on the front in cheap, ugly printing on chrome -- but I was able to remove that. I seriously considered returning it, but never got around to it. Seems the designer never read a book on functional design -- I suggest Donald Norman's Psychology of Everyday Things. For the price, I expected much more.....

I usually mix a number of varieties of cooking apples for pies and have been pleased with the result. Recently, I used all Fujis and found them to be a bit too sweet -- I shoulda added lemon juice, I think. My eclectic approach hasn't been helpful in determining the various qualities of flavor, aroma, texture and juicyness that different varieties have. Which are your favorites, and why? Also, how do you season you apple pie? I favor equal, spare amounts of nutmeg and cinnamon, but I'd love to hear other ideas.

I think you guys are all bacteria-phobes! I never sterilize sponges, just use 'em and rinse 'em with hot tap water. The same with dish clothes, which I also machine-wash. I don't get sick, either. Science is showing that too much bacteria-killing can have a negative effect in two ways: (1) by causing a survival of the fittest effect, it will kill off relatively weak bacteria and the more powerful will proliferate, (2) it's been shown that babies who aren't exposed to enough bacteria in their first months have immune systems that are permanently stunted. This is not to say that I'm against cleanliness. Speaking of which -- I've heard of a "Three Second Rule" from a friend who learned it working in a restaurant. Any fallen food that can be retrieved from the floor within 3 seconds is edible. It's clearly not based in science, but has anyone else heard and/or followed this? And another question. How come used dish clothes smell and sponges don't? Does cotton have an odor-retaining property? Or does it harbor more germs?

For years my favorite butter was made by Valewood Dairy, a small farm near my tiny home town in the Alleghenny Mountains in western PA. Perhaps it was so good because it was so fresh. It is marbled cream and yellow when cut and it's still packaged in beautiful cream and red boxes that are identical to the ones they used in the 1940s. From childhood visits to the farm, I can tell you that the cows were really happy and affectionate. The odd twisteroo is that for a while the butter appeared in the whole foods store that used to be near my loft in Tribeca. I don't know how it got there. The store is now gone, replaced by Issey Mayaki (let them eat pleats!).

Plugra gets my vote! At Fairway it's only 3 dollars and change. I saw a photo of Jean George in one of his kitchens, and it's what he uses....

The one with beets works just fine without cooking. I grated them in the food processor, which produced long even strands. And, I forgot to mention, Bittman's beet rosti has rosemary, and it's resinous aroma complements the butterscotchy, sweet flavors of the beets and butter.

Aha! Now I know.............. Thanks!

The only rosti I've made is from Bittman's How to Cook Everything. It's a beet rosti and it's so good -- sweet and rich. He sez to brown the butter first, but he doesn't suggest turning it over onto a plate then sliding it back in, which is what I do. I can't wait to try these other rosti ideas!

A year ago I got stone countertops and I've discovered that for rolling out pie dough, they suck the coolth right out of refridgerated dough. Anybody know what the story is on the legendary superiority of marble for pastry? P.S. OB, there are no rookie questions. It's often the most basic information that goes unquestioned too long.

I've heard about this practice, but, as far as I know, haven't experienced it. Shark has such a different texture and flavor, I think I would have noticed. Also, wouldn't it be just as expensive to have people slicing and cutting out circles, then having all the scraps? Does this really happen very often?

My new gas stove self-cleans. I've wondered whether I could use the extra-high temps to do things like cook proper pizza or low-fire china paints. But, to keep us nit-witted consumers safe, the door locks, and won't unlock til the oven's cooled down.

Hi Blue Heron, hunting this fall in the Catskill/Hudson River Valley area has not been good because there has been very little rain. I did find a five pound puff ball in late September. It had a 12" diameter! I cut it into steaks.... I'm already dreaming of morels in May.....

Choco Kitty, I'll bet that almost all food repulsions are cultural in origin. But there are categories of disgust that are more generalized. In The Anatomy of Disgust William Ian Miller talks about several that would pertain to food: - decay: cheese, fish sauce, natto. why not wine and beer? - too many of something: I ordered eel in a Chinese resto once, and, contrary to what I expected, we were served a bowl of tiny eel. I couldn't get down more than one bite. - something out of place: spit in your mouth is okay. Would you drink a glass of your own spit? How about garlic in a dessert? - too similar to ourselves: meat, particularly offal. All cultures seem to follow the above observations, but have their own unique exceptions. What's the most disgusting thing you've ever eaten?

I've seen monkfish liver prepared on Iron Chef, but I don't remember how. (Any IC fans out there remember?) I've gotten monkfish liver from Alex and it's really interesting. Intuitively, I treated it like foie gras, and it was very rich. I'd love to check out the Nobu recipe.

I tried checking out the not-milk man but he seems to be gone. I'm experimenting with aged cheeses, and so far so good! Amazing. Thanks for the tips!

I'm not really grossed out by them myself, it's just that if you take a fresh look they are actually little pink dried bugs. All this talk about how crickets and locusts are disgusting, but all crustaceans are big bugs with squishy insides -- we're just used to them, so we overlook that little fact. And what about cheese? Rotten bodily fluids! I'm surprised that Asians dare to try it....

All very interesting. The etymology that surferette suggest sounds plausible, from here. Now, is xo sauce something that is best made at home, fresh? Or can you buy a good (or better) version?

At the risk of ruining a good thing, I just have to tell you that it's the season for hunting wild mushrooms: porcini, meadow mushrooms, puffballs, bear's head, gypsy, honey, shaggy mane, black trumpets, chicken mushrooms, hen of the woods, hedgehogs, and many others. I just returned from a weekend in the Catskills where we dined on wild mushrooms every night, and I came back with a full basket for the week ahead. There's no reason why you can't learn how to safely collect and eat wild fungus yourself. There are several varieties that are easy to identify, have no poison look-alikes, and would cost a mint for days-old, beat-up specimens, if you could find them. And it's such a fun way to get fresh air and take a walk in the woods. Kids are especially good at spotting mushrooms. You need to invest in a couple of reference books; I recommend the Audobon Guide to North American Mushrooms by Gary Lincoff, and The Mushroom Book by T.Laessoe, A. Del Conte, G. Lincoff. Both have good general info for the beginner and even cooking tips. If you're a beginner, focus on the easy and safe varieties: shaggy mane (coprinus comatus), hedgehogs (hydinum repandum), porcini (boletus edulis), black trumpets (craterellus cornucopiodes), chicken mushrooms (laetiporus sulphureus). Although Meadow mushrooms (agaricus campestrus) are plentiful on lawns (they're wild version of button mushrooms and portabellos), you need to be more careful with them, because there are poison mushrooms that superficially resemble them. Identify the mushrooms using 2 or more books, be sure you've ruled out look-alikes, and that there are no poison look-alikes. If they're a type you've never eaten before, test them by cooking and eating a spoonful and waiting 24 hours. Then enjoy with gusto! After a few years you'll have a large enough repetoire that you'll almost never come back from a walk in the woods empty-handed.

That's a problem? Here's a good one: Two Jews are sitting silently over a glass of tea. "You know," says the first man, "life is like a glass of tea with sugar." "A glass of tea with sugar?" asks his friend. "Why do you say that?" "How should I know?" replys the first man. "What am I, a philosopher?" from the Big Book of Jewish Humor/William Novak

Anybody know what's in this mysterious Chinese sauce? What part of China is it from?

In between Saturdays I shop for fish in Chinatown, and the vendors there are usually not very helpful. First, they are often very busy, second, their English ranges from not-so-good to non-existant. But the price, variety and vicinity make up for it. I have gotten scattershot help and tips from other shoppers, and they are gorgeous rainbow of folks from all over the world. It would be fun to do a Chinatown sidewalk collection of fish recipes....

I've heard that Fulton Fish Market is not so great, due to the corruption problem. I guess you need to know which vendors to go to. As a mere consumer, it's a moot point for me. But, about the scallop comparison -- I've learned how to choose a fresh fish by reading and asking questions and experimenting. But I remember how intimidating it was at first. Are there any classes in fish-buying for neophytes? A couple of guided hours in Chinatown would give anyone a jump start in both identification and quality-judging, since there is quite a range of both.

I'll start a new thread in Cooking.