jayt90

When young and single, I was invited to have Christmas dinner with a young couple, and one other person. The basement apartment filled with smoke as we waited, and waited, for the meal to begin. When it finally arrived, it consisted of turkey breast, peas, and corn, all previously frozen, and brought forth from the microwave oven. The meat was tough, the vegs were unevenly cooked, and we all pieced at the meal without complaining. But I never went back to that house.

The show is more interesting when the competition is close, as in Feenie vs Morimoto. It was downright dull when a chef is outclassed or unable to complete dishes in an hour. The recent show started with a bias: All Italian cheeses, tossed right in Batali's lap! Perhaps they could have thrown in a WASPy cheddar or stilton for Chef Campbell.

Costco has a large glass made in Austria, at 8/$30. Good all purpose until I get more Riedels.

Could it be the type of burner on the range? I have had no clay pot falures over a gas flame. Once I was even able to pan grill a veal chop on the hot surface, medium heat. But I am only able to use propane fuelled patio burners since there is no gas in my kitchen. These burners are circular, cast iron affairs, with two to four concentric rings of fire. I think this is safer for clay pots than many gas ranges, with fingers of flame, often in a spoke formation. In addition, I keep a Carbon Monoxide detector nearby, especially if three or four burners are lit. I think this is a good idea with gas ranges, too, since flames are similar in combustion.

I may be a philistine, but I have to ask, 'why would you want to?' You have decanter available at a reasonable price. And the WS reviews are available online. The editorial content is so cloured by ad concerns...

I have no special facilities, other than a very cool cellar. It will remain between 35-45F until late May. The ham is wrapped in cheesecloth, held in a paper bag , and hanging from the ceiling. I am going to look at it this weekend, and decide whether to oven roast it for Easter, or continue to age it until summer. I don't really have facities for long term aging.

I tried Annie's Lane '03 dry riesling a few weeks ago and went back for more. It was $19 at LCBO. I also picked up one Penfold's Riesling Reserve at $25. Both are Clare Valley, from a dry year limited in quantity. The Penfold wine is bland, almost watery by comparison. It does not have the intensity and length suggested on the label. But Annie's Lane does. Annie's reminds me of the single vineyard Henschke rieslings, which come my way all too seldom. I expected more of the Penfold's, but it is still a well made accompaniment to chicken or fish. If I was blindfolded, I probably would not distinguish it from a $15 Alsatian.

I tried two pork cures earlier this year. A half loin and a whole leg, both boneless. I brined for a few days to make sure nitrite and erythobyte got all the way in, for safety's sake, then left them in a salt/maple sugar rub for a month. Temp was 32-40F. They were smoked in hardwood (mostly maple) a few weeks ago, as slowly as I could, but around 200 F. I am using the loin, sliced in Canadian Bacon style, for breakfasts and sandwiches. It is very good, slightly sweet-smoked, and slightly saltier than commercial Can. bacon. But it is also slightly dry, like most smoked loins. I think the salt does this. The ham is still aging, and I have tried it yet. I'm hoping it is moister than the loin. Next time, I'll probably brine them, on the bone, with a little less salt.

Thanks for these replies. I'm getting a better picture of de-sexing in North America and in Europe. It looks like hormones may have been forced out, and perhaps, never used in most small high quality farms. I'm still puzzled by the (apparent) total ban on capons in the U.K. However, when I buy one in a North American market, I'll still ask a few questions.

A few months ago I had some questions about capons, and AOC chickens. I asked about them on the French forum, and got no replies. Haven't been back since...

Penguin had a fine series of paperbacks by Elizabeth David. She died about 15 years ago, but had a lengthy career as a cookbook author in France and the surrounding Mediterranean area. Her husband was an English diplomat, so she was able to live in those areas. Books to look out for on used shelves, or interlibrary loans are French Provincial Cooking French Country Food Mediterranean Food The recipes are simple, authentic, and great to read at bedtime. I have seen some books in hard cover, and some are available from internet sources.

Genuine mincemeat, aged in a crock, and not too sweet, comes to mind. My cellar will still be cool for 2 months, so I may start some.

A six pack of Pilsner Urquell, purchased ca 1982 from LCBO. They admitted that it came by ship and was not sent under the best conditions. It put me off that great brand for a few years, until CZ was liberated.

Is that Jordan the country? Or Jordan, Ontario? Maybe this collection could have been re-circulated as gifts, or give-aways.

How reasonable was the Heba? I think of high-priced, and limited, when I think of Ruth's. I know the chain is controversial, and a favourite of Marlene's, but I don't think of Ruth's as a food/wine destination when there are many other enticing places out there. Maybe it's time for a visit.

There are still some Jamaican Blue Mountain blended coffee beans at Costco. Brown roast, quite rich and low in acid. I know this thread is mostly about darker roasts, but this one is a steal at $12.79/ 2lb., and apparently going off the shelves soon. Edited, spiliing & grimmer

I had my yearly craving for chips last night, and I bought Lay's Regular. They were OK, and satisfed the need, until I looked at the nutrition label. They were low in trans fat, but high (100%) in saturated fat. The fat was not named, but they were fried in 'vegetable' oil. I suspect palm oil, or cocoanut oil. Next year, when the craving hits, I'll choose more carefully!

It's important to stick to the right type of popcorn popper if using it for coffee bean roasting. The original West Bend Poppery and the Poppery II are ideal because of the pattern of agitation and bean rotation. ← Thanks. I think it was West Bend, but it is long gone now. All I remember is a small bin, like a sour glass, and the beans moving clockwise.

I'm one of those who has been posting in the dinner thread. I've progressed in my lighting moving from just taking my pictures under the halogen under-cabinet lights in my kitchen - this was causing a strange, yellowish glow in my pics. I then moved to the dining room table, but that was a little dark. So I turned a reading light to point towards the dining room table. This helped bring up some more contrast. I have been using Photoshop to make adjustments to the Levels and the brightness and contrast. My wife, jenrus, is a much more sophisiticated photographer than I am - she has plans to begin selling her macro photos of flowers this summer. I've convinced her to start taking our dinner pictures using her set up - both to give her more practice, and to make my pictures on the dinner thread better. This will include a tripod, actual lighting with filters and she uses the Canon EOS 20D digital SLR. I'm hope she'll start posting on this thread with her experiences and get some feedback as well. ← I'm glad to see someone here mentioning, or using the Canon EOS 20D. There is a lot of discussion about the 70D, and not much info on the 20D. I'll be buying one in June, mostly because I have several EOS lenses, including a macro, and I am very familiar with the EOS film cameras. Apparently the 20D doesn't have a spot meter, and that is a major disappointment. Anyone have experience with this body, and its exposure control?

I haven't made paella for several years, and this thread defintely has piqued my interest. But I still have a vial (corked) of unused saffron, ten years old, stored in a cool dark cupboard. Can I use it, or should I replace it? This will not be an important meal, just a venture.

Two brands noted so far: Land o'Lakes, and Cabot. Are they superior for baking and cooking? In my neck of the woods, Lactantia from P.Q. is a superior product for cooking and baking. A lot has to do with the culturing of the cream. The major dairies' butter does not come close in flavour.

I rekon we kin start a swappin 'possium recipes now! ← Good idea! I have even seen some o'possum roadkill here in southwestern Ontario. I'll bet it tastes like chicken!

Thanks, Chef 'Hillbilly'!

Some years ago I was able to get green beans at a Saturday market regularly. I could roast a few in a very hot cast iron pan, keeping them moving constantly. Then I heard about using a hot air popcorn maker. The bean seller scoffed, and said I would soon burn it out, But I persisted, and it provided an excellent source of fresh beans for the three years I used it, until I moved out to the burbs. It is not as consistent or even as fast as a small store roaster, but it is better than buying quickly fading roasted beans, which is now my current option.

Interesting. There is a certain amount of it out there. I think I have deciphered the stale date on mine: Oct 26, '05. It could well be a month old. Now that I am using the French press device, these beans have definitely brightened my mornings.