robyn

This is a mighty attractive looking piece of meat . But now you have me worried. Not only will I have to figure out how to cook the thing - I'll have to figure out the best way to take pictures and upload them too. I've never uploaded a picture here. I suspect that if you want to make the pictures smaller - you might try using a smaller number of pixels setting on your camera (e.g., if you take pictures for Ebay - you don't want the highest resolution -- you want the middle resolution). Robyn

The algorithm in the "autoconvert" feature (from regular to convection) on my convection oven is defective - but I can do things manually (regular or convection) any way I want to. Robyn

Got me - my husband likes his eggs nearly raw and his meat well done. I always make him have the eggs done enough so I'm assured he won't get sick eating them - but if he wants well done beef - that's his problem as far as I'm concerned. Robyn

I don't think the NYT article came to an "excessive" conclusion. It just mentioned "excessive" concerns. I have to laugh - because my husband and I come from totally different backgrounds. My mother was (still is) an excessive "neat freak" in the kitchen. His mother was a total slob. But neither of us ever got sick from food. My mother always did/still does cook food to points of inedible "doneness" (particularly protein based foods like meat and eggs - she won't even touch fish). Although I think this is unwarranted - I don't use raw eggs in cooking - and I will get things like ground beef up to temperatures where bacteria are killed. There's a middle ground. I do agree with the people who caution against the use of too many anti-bacterial products. We develop immunities (mostly as kids) from little exposures to bad things over the years. Polio emerged an an endemic disease when I was a kid because of sanitation efforts which prevented kids from having minor exposures which resulted in increased immunity to the disease. Still - I think rinsing fresh produce is happy medium. Robyn

Don't worry. We loved travel in Italy - and Italians in general. It is *so* different than travel in France. I am pretty good at travel plans - and my husband is pretty good at languages. So we always split things up. I'd learn about places - and he'd learn as much of the language as he could. He is fluent in Spanish - so he managed to learn about equal amounts of French and Italian before we went to France and Italy. In France - well the truth of the matter is people were frequently - but not always - obnoxious (some places were better than others). Pretending they couldn't understand his French - pretending they couldn't speak any English (when they really could) - etc. - etc. In contrast - when we were in Italy - people were always delighted to hear his Italian - they helped him when he made mistakes - and they even tried to talk with me even though I can only speak Spanish. I guess it is the difference between people who genuinely like life - and people who don't. We were in Enoteca in Florence - and I agree with you about the food. We were staying at the Villa San Michele in Fiesole. The food was more "Italian" at the Villa San Michele when we were there - and much better. But the absolute best kind of meals we had in Italy would go something like this. We'd be driving - and we'd get lost in the middle of nowhere. We'd stop at a place for lunch that had a fair number of cars parked there. At one such meal - we simply asked them to serve us the house specialties. First they brought out an enormous bowl of pasta. It was delicious - but we didn't know how we'd finish it. We finished it. Then they brought us out little roasted birds (I don't even know what they were). Again - delicious. We didn't know how we'd finish them - but we did. Ended with a bit of dessert and coffee. Seemed to me that this was the essence of Italian cooking: local, fresh, relatively simple, and delicious. We don't have any Italian restaurants like that where we live. Luckily - it is not terribly difficult to make some of these things at home (for example - I grow my own basil - and make fresh pesto all summer - if we have the time - we make fresh pasta to go with it - if we don't have the time - we buy decent dried Italian pasta). Obviously I can't get all the ingredients one would find in Italy. But it is more important to remember the concepts - local - fresh and relatively simple - and to use what's available to you - than to try to make exact duplicates of meals you can't possibly duplicate. For example - we have excellent local shrimp - not the same as Italian - but better to use our local fresh shrimp than 3 month old frozen Italian (if we could get them - and we can't). Anyway - I thank Italy for teaching me about eating - and cooking - and having a good time. By the way - what part of the United States do you live in (I live in north Florida)? Happy Holidays, Robyn P.S. In all this talk of Italian and French restaurants in the United States - no one has mentioned restaurants in cities like Boston and Philadelphia. Both have large Italian/American populations. I lived in both cities when I was younger - much younger - about 30 years younger - and I remember both cities having good Italian restaurants. Does anyone know whether that is still true?

Well - I'm not about ready to start washing my produce in anything (too lazy). But rinsing - putting the salad greens in a salad spinner - etc. - is a whole 'nother ball game. By the way - if I remember correctly - shigella is something that mostly affects chldren (could be wrong about that). I'm more concerned about things like hep A. Animals don't usually go to the bathroom where they eat - but sometimes people who work in the fields don't have a choice. Robyn

Like I said - I've never cooked a prime rib - but I've cooked things like pork tenderloin - tenderloin of beef - etc. - and I've always done the initial "sear" on the stove. Have never ruined any of these cuts of meat before (and they're relatively lean) - so I don't imagine a roast beef would be the worse for wear. Only problem is the whole kitchen winds up full of smoke. Like I mentioned at the beginning - I'm trying to wind up with a roast that's rare in the middle - well done at the ends (I eat rare meat, my husband likes well done - I like dark meat, my husband likes white meat - etc. - etc. - you get the idea - makes for very little waste in the kitchen ). If I want it rare in the middle - what meat temperature should I be looking for before I take the roast out to rest? Robyn

OK - You mentioned you lived in Cophenhagen - and you were complaining about the foods that were readily available to you. That's where the Danish voting came into the picture. Sorry if I didn't connect the dots in a logical way. You are correct (at least in my opinon) that healthy living - as well as healthy eating - contribute to the lack of obesity I observed in Norway (and in Denmark as well). I will never forget spending a Sunday in Bergen. Just about everyone in the whole town - from the youngest to the oldest - indeed - everyone who could walk - hiked up to a certain area (I think it was a park) because that's what everyone did on a nice day in Bergen. I can't imagine how many calories were burned off that day in Bergen. I don't know if poorer = higher risk of obesity everywhere in the first world - but it's certainly (and especially) true where I live. I've had different theories about this over the years - but they're unscientific and I'm not sure they're correct. Robyn

You said in your original message that the exact times and temps were meaningless since our ovens might be different. Could you give me a clue - pretty please ? The initial browning ("sear") on high heat - are you talking 300-400-500 degrees? Bake or broil? The lower temp cooking - is it 150-250-350? Then there's the final "warming" at 200 or less. Also - 100F - even for rare - sounds very low. Did you really mean 100F? By the way - if you or anyone else has an opinion - is there any advantage doing the "sear" before the cooking - as in Pepin's method - as opposed to doing the "sear" after the cooking - as in Alton Brown's method. Robyn

Esatto!!! Sono sicuro che ci sia qualquno qui nel filo che ha mangiato al famoso Enoteca Pinchiorri a Firenze (due stelle). A me, quello non e cibo italiano --- e cibo francese! Si puo dire la stessa cosa di tanti altri ristoranti "stellati" dalla Michelin, come La Tenda Rossa (due stelle) a Cerbaia (Toscana). Mi dispiace di usare l'italiano, ma mi ha sembrato giusto per questo soggetto particolare.... That isn't only true of Italy - it's true just about everywhere. When I first went to the UK and Spain for example - I ate a lot of lousy French food at starred Michelin restaurants. It finally dawned on me that Michelin simply wasn't very good in rating local cuisine outside of France and other areas in Europe where the food was basically French. Furthermore - I don't think anything has changed in the last 20 years. I am going to London this spring for a week - and a large number of the most highly-rated restaurants there are (no surprise) French. Gayot is even more "French-centric" than Michelin. So rather than rely on the French arbiters of stars and points - my husband and I are deciding what kinds of foods 1) we really want to eat; 2) we can't get at home; and 3) that the UK is known for. Indian food is an obvious example. So is British food (I love lamb - and it's hard to beat the UK when it comes to lamb). Then we're reading articles/reviews in magazines and on line so we can make decisions. By the way - I can read and write Spanish - and read Italian - but if you feel compelled to write in Italian - I think it would be useful if you'd translate what you've written. Robyn

Well, of course, what's bad for the goose is good for the gander... But these rates now are really over the top-- there has to be a balancing point. And, as a European you realize this will have a deepening effect on your economy because Americans will slow down their purchases of European goods. It is already noticeable on imported foods-- my $2.99 Mamie Nova Yogurt from last year is now $4.49. I do not buy it anymore! The wire services have reported a great nervousness at Airbus for their future sales. It is now time, at $1.25/€ for the EC to step in and exert some leverage to stop the disparity... European countries are far from our largest trading partners. The 4 largest are Canada, Mexico, China and Japan. The average dollar loss against the currencies in these countries over the last 52 weeks is about 5% (China is pegged to the dollar, and the Mexican peso was down). The European countries among our top 10 trading partners (Germany - 5th, UK - 6th, and France - 9th) make up about 16% of our total trade with our top 10 trading partners. So the rise in the Euro is unlikely to affect the average American substantially. There is a lot of data on http://www.census.gov if you're interested. As for Airbus - it has recently announced that it is investigating moving some manufacturing facilities to the US to take advantage of the lower dollar. With regard to central banks - they are powerless to stop secular currency trends (although their surprise interventions can keep traders on their toes and make moves proceed in a somewhat orderly fashion). The forex markets are the largest markets in the world - and it is ultimately the economics of a particular country that will determine the secular trend in its currency (assuming the currency isn't pegged). With regard to the US dollar - the largest factor driving its move down now is low short term interest rates. These rates are not dictated by the administration. They are dictated by the Fed - which has been trying to "jump start" the economy and keep it going. I like international travel as well as anyone - but I think the health of our overall economy is more important. Note that my statement is not an indication that I agree or disagree that the Fed's way is the best way to accomplish this goal. Robyn

It is a good time to use frequent flyer/stayer points to cash in for things like your hotel (which is what we're doing when we go to Europe this spring). Robyn

I think you kind of overstated the article. The gist was that a simple washing of raw fruits and vegetables takes care of more than 90% of all potential problems. I wash all raw fruits and vegetables - only takes a minute or two - and what's the downside? Robyn

Lawyers have money to go out and travel and eat and learn about food. Many also know how to write (perhaps not intelligibly unless they've "unlearned" what they were taught in law school) - and they type fast. A fair number tend to be hyper-critical of everything. So it's a good way to combine a variety of interests and skills. Robyn (Harvard Law School '71)

I've never eaten in Spiaggia. Just Cafe Spiaggia. A delightful place to have a 2 hour lunch when I want to rest my feet when I'm shopping/doing museums/whatever in Chicago (I'm not from Chicago - just like to visit). It is very close to what you'll get doing a 2 hour lunch in a good restaurant in Italy - the food is not too fancy - and it's delicious. Robyn

Your English is good enough that I think you could make your point with a bit more eloquence. I have not spent a lot of time in Scandinavia - just a little. I found the food there to be very good - and very expensive. Of course - I am partial to fish - and there is an awful lot of it there - and the restaurants knew how to cook it in many many different ways. On the other hand - not only was fish expensive - everything was expensive. And if I thought food was expensive - well forget about liquor (nothing like a $6 beer is Oslo). I spent some time in supermarkets - and I can't tell you a whole lot about the quality of the food (I was mostly looking - not buying) - but my impression was that the high prices were largely a result of protective tariffs (and taxes) - not some vast conspiracy on the part of the sellers. Anyway - it is not my problem. If the people in your country want things that you think are better - well you have to right to vote. Vote to change things. Robyn

The upright one (the sabal palm) is the one we eat here at Florida festivals. I am at an age where watching young men running around half naked makes me . Robyn

Oh Nessa - Heck - I am Jewish - and even I know about Christmas traditions from various countries involving nuts, oranges (or things like clementines) and apples. My husband would consider his stocking empty if he didn't find at least some of his traditional favorites there (and what would Christmas day be like if the kitchen floor wasn't littered with nut shells!). You should do a little research on Google - and find out about your own ethnic traditions (which probably led your parents to put those things in your stocking). Happy Holidays, Robyn

Yes it helps - although it is a good thing I can divide - learned how to do that with recipes from the New Professional Chef . Is a convection oven better than a regular oven for this? I have both. I usually find that I have to experiment with recipes to get the temperature and cooking time right when I want to use the convection oven. Note that my oven has an "auto-convert" feature from regular to convection - but it's based on a stupid algorithm and it doesn't work (in my opinion). Robyn

My husband picked up a digital thermometer today. Very zippy. We'll make good use of it. We probably won't be making a lot of prime rib roasts - but we make things like turkey all the time - and I'll be making a pork loin on Christmas (did I mention we have a mixed marriage - I have to know how to cook everything!). Robyn

If I were going to try to his method - I'd probably use the refrigerator in the garage. And to tell you the truth - I don't know what happens to the inside of it when it's 35 - as opposed to 95. Doesn't much matter when all that's in there is beer and water and soda. But I think I'd want to be a bit more careful with a relatively expensive cut of beef. Think I will buy a refrigerator thermometer and check it out. I know what dry aged beef is - but I don't think I've had it more than a couple of times in my life - and I know I've never had dry aged prime rib. My husband and I just don't eat a lot of beef. It's partially a health thing - and partially a question of simply liking to eat lighter things when it's hot (which it is here most of the year). It is only when those cold fronts roll through in the winter months that our minds turn to heartier fare than we usually eat. So I'm not sure whether it's to my liking to not. I'll have to give it a try. Robyn

The saw palmetto and the sabal palm are two different things. Although the saw palmetto is from the palm family - it's a low growing plant. The "trunk" basically grows horizontal to the ground. Kind of looks like a tree growing on its side. The sabal palm is an upright palm with a vertical trunk. I have both growing in my yard (they are both natives and grow just about everywhere). It is sometimes hard to distinguish between a young sabal palm and a saw palmetto if you're not familiar with the plants. But the fronds on the sabal palm are larger - and - after a year or two - the sabal palm will be growing in an obvious vertical way - whereas the saw palmetto will always hug the ground. I realize it's hard to get things straight when people are looking at common - not Latin - names. Best and easiest way to tell the difference between the two is look at the state tree of Florida (the sabal palm) and the state plant of South Carolina (saw palmetto - South Carolina is the palmetto state). The fronds look the same - but they're obviously different (basically one is a shrub - the other is a tree). By the way - the Latin for the saw palmetto is serenoa repens. For the sabal palm - it's sabal palmetto. Guess that's why it gets a bit confusing. Robyn

I'm sure it's permitted - but why bother when you have kugel . Here's my recipe: Cook 12 ounces wide flat egg noodles until tender (I use Mueller's). Comes in 16 ounce bags. I throw a little away. While noodles are cooking (or before if you're a bit slow like I am ) - beat 3 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar or less to taste - I use less, 2/3 cup farmer's cheese (1 US package), 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup golden raisins. When noodles are done - toss with some butter - 1/8 to 1/4 cup melted. Pour egg mixture over noodles and stir just a bit to mix. Put mixture in casserole dish - glass - pyrex - etc. which has been sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle with some cinnamon. Dot with a little melted butter. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes (at which point it will be a little brown on top). Let set for about 5 minutes and serve. This keeps well in the refrigerator (covered) and reheats well in the microwave. By the way - thanks for all of these messages. It's taking some time to read and think and respond - and I have to eat dinner now. Will get to all of them eventually. Thanks again. Robyn

My supermarket does that - remove the chine bone and retie the roast. I know it is controversial - but I thought it would be easier for a first try (and after I try carving it - I may decide it's the only way to go!). I'm sure they don't call it "Newport" the roast in Florida . Robyn

I have a subscription to the Cook's Illustrated web site. I'll take a look there. Guess it makes a difference whether I like "crust" (I do). My favorite beef is rib eye on the grill - burnt fat on the outside - rare on the inside. Robyn