winesonoma

Ed, in my opinion...no, you're not out of your mind. I have a Boo's board that's too big to fit in my sink so all I do is stand it on end to wash it and fill a large plastic cup to rinse it down. Stand it vertical to your body so that each end of the board rests on the back and front of the sink wash down and rinse over the sink. Let it stand on its own to dry. I also see nothing wrong with washing it on the counter. There's always a way. Get the board you want. Cheers, Bob ← My board get's wiped on the counter. I'd like to see a 700lb butcher block with legs in a sink.

Ed, in my opinion...no, you're not out of your mind. I have a Boo's board that's too big to fit in my sink so all I do is stand it on end to wash it and fill a large plastic cup to rinse it down. Stand it vertical to your body so that each end of the board rests on the back and front of the sink wash down and rinse over the sink. Let it stand on its own to dry. I also see nothing wrong with washing it on the counter. There's always a way. Get the board you want. Cheers, Bob ← My board get's wiped on the counter. I'd like to see a 700lb butcher block with legs in a sink.

As a contractor I would make sure I had looked at the space 20 times on the computer or on paper. My SO/ GF wants to remodel her kitchen. Her neighbor is a kitchen designer and she doesn't even want to see what the designer did at her place. Same townhouse. I think I'll help from the side lines.

Bonus points if you can translate the French at the bottom of the label. And I just learned who gave it to you. Really small world on eGullet.

I made that wine. It's a 50-50 blend of Sav Blanc and Semillon, 100% ml in Nadalie Barrel, Tvansaud Reymond. Name was lifted from a Bichon Winery blend of the same type. We are 5 amatuer winemakers here in Sonoma. Vineyard is a Orange Ave And Solano Ave. Bottling pics are here. http://homepage.mac.com/winesonoma/PhotoAlbum21.html

I have to agree that stuff is great. Use it in the motorhome all the time.

I have to say that I disagree with you 100% on this one. End grain is very important for a cutting board, and this is why: with an end grain cutting board, the wood fibers part and provide a relatively soft surface for the edge of the knife. This means less wear and tear on the edge, which ultimately means longer life and better performance out of the knife. Here is a "closeup" graphic illustrating a knife on an end grain cutting board. Note how the fibers part for the edge of the knife. [snip drawings] I would never want to use a cutting board that wasn't end grain. ← Sam, you may disagree all you wish, but you're missing the point. In your first graphic of end grain, that's fine as far as it goes. The problem is that "as far as it goes" is usually about two inches max. Then you hit a glue line. That glue is far harder than any hardwood and will damage steel much more quickly. My suggestion was for a solid board with no glue lines for exactly that reason. The second graphic was not applicable to what I suggested. I suggested quarter sawn lumber, in which the grain runs pretty much like your drawing for edge grain. Warping (a problem in flat sawn lumber) is NOT a problem with quarter sawn lumber, because a much higher percentage of the expansion and contraction in hardwoods is in its width (tangential) vs its thickness (radial). The radial movement is small enough as to be safely ignored in applications like this. Here's a link to Bally Block's article on cutting boards and suchlike. Note that they recommend that end grain boards be 2.5 to 3.5" thick. What I'm referring to as quarter sawn lumber is what they call edge grain lumber. It should still be 1.5" or so thick, but is much more manageable than 2.5 or 3.5". Again, their example has the disadvantage of glue lines, which I suggested could be avoided by dealing directly with the sawmill. THW ← No matter what kind of wood you have end grain is the way to go. Other wise your cutting accross the grain. There is a reason that wood is split the way it is. The axe needs to penetrate the fibers. You use what you want and I'll use what I want. But there is a reason all those old Butcher Blocks in the old Butcher shops were constructed they way they were. And it's not to use up the waste ends.

The only thought I have on those John is that the surface will break down over years of use. Rubber does cut, and eventually you'll have a really rough surface that will be difficult to clean. It's kinda like those soft plastic ones (forget the name of the material) that you see used in some restaurant kitchens. Typically, they're used because the cost vs. endurance ratio is low enough for them to be disposable. I used 1" adhesive rubber door bumpers on mine. Couldn't bring myself to screw anything into it. A. ← They just sit on the counter. The weight of the board holds them in place. I turn it over once a month.

The only thought I have on those John is that the surface will break down over years of use. Rubber does cut, and eventually you'll have a really rough surface that will be difficult to clean. It's kinda like those soft plastic ones (forget the name of the material) that you see used in some restaurant kitchens. Typically, they're used because the cost vs. endurance ratio is low enough for them to be disposable. I used 1" adhesive rubber door bumpers on mine. Couldn't bring myself to screw anything into it. A. ← They just sit on the counter. The weight of the board holds them in place. I turn it over once a month.

Use the drippings for a Yorkshire Pudding and make the sauce separate.

I have a large 18"x18" Michigan Maple that I keep well oiled. A trick is to go to the local hardware store and get 6-8 rubber or plastic Faucet washers, with a tapered side. Put those under the board and it lets air circulate under it. Also prevents it from sliding.

It's a small wooden or plastic fork that is served along with your paper cone of fries at most places in Belgium. ← Now I remember. Brings me back 40 years to my misspent youth.

What's a french fry fork?

as someone who likes to get paid as much as possible for everything that i write(well, most, i'm still waiting on a check from fat guy), i'm not so quick to jump on the crass commercialization bandwagon. i'm happy to be out of my garret (or, rather, toiling in a nicer one than i had when i started), and i don't expect anyone else to feel different. everybody has their own idea of how to succeed (and indeed, what success means), and i think what we're hearing from this thread is that though the puck cafes are not statements of art, they do often offer good food at a good value in places where that might not be the norm. what's wrong with that? how is a wolfgang puck cafe different in theory from a bouchon? the practice is different, though and i think the real lesson to be learned is the importance of keeping everything under your own control. agood reputation is too valuable to be risked by licensing it to entities who might not place the same value on it that you do. ← And that's really the crux of it, isn't it? You make your own choices. Wolfgang, or Marlon, or Richard Burton, or Chef Boyardee, or Picasso, or whoever, decides what commodity it is they've got, and will offer for sale, and what they want for it, and what they're willing to give up of themselves to get their price. I, too, will be happy to see little Wolfgang Puck eateries in, for example, airports. It may not be the grand cuisine for which he became famous, but being able to eat better, even marginally, in airports will improve my life considerably more than one or two fabulous restaurants in LA. More power to him, as far as I'm concerned. When society decides that any great artist is "selling out," that's easy to say. But it is, I suspect, a much more difficult decision when one actually IS said great artist. A problem with which I personally will never have to grapple. It's really very arrogant, selfish and presumptuous of us to demand that great talents owe us something, and that they should use those talents, resources and assets only in ways of which we approve. ← I don't find that the name on the food improves the taste. But that's just me.

Bruce, you and I think way too much alike! Are we really having this discussion over $15? Boos, or Michigan Maple have been doing butcher block for years, do it well, and do it right. Sam nailed it re: end vs. edge grain. What he didn't mention was once the wood grains are cut on an edge grain board, it starts to get rough & ratty and holds onto food-stuffs like crazy. Buy the Boos. A. ← I once got some 4x4 clear hard rock maple and had enough left over to make a couple of cutting boards. Do not try this at home. 4x4 is to big and has to much movement. Precison , gluing ,clamping, finishing. Spend what they ask or dance with the devil. I've been a woodworker all my life and I never want to try that again. I'd rather bone a leg of lamb.

I'd make a little lobster pie/casserole to go along w/the filets. Just chop the lobster meat into good sized chunks. If you have a pound of lobster, we use the following amounts, you can adjust accordingly. 1 pound lobster meat 1 stick butter 1 sleeve ritz crackers lemon and sherry to taste Melt half the butter and toss with the crumbs. Melt a tab of butter and toss with lobster in dish. put crumb mix on top, and mix ina bit w/lobster. Cut rest of butter into slivers and dot over the top. Give a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of sherry. Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with a little parsley. This really complements the lobster and has so much flavor, rich and decadent. Goes very well w/filet. Have had this combo many, many times. Enjoy! Pam ← Some how Lobster and Ritz crackers don't compute for me. Maybe that fake crab stuff. But not lobster. ← Don't knock it until you try it! This is how the majority of the seafood stuffings in my neck of the woods, Cape Cod, and Boston are made, and we only deal with Fresh Lobster, so we're extra picky. Oh, and we'd never bother with fake crab. Pam ← I long for fresh lobster with a bottle of Long Island Chardonay at Montauk Point. But that's all, I long for there so I live here and have little Lobster, but we have crab.

I await the of the naked bacon cook off out side on griddles. or a naked turkey fry. Cooking at a nudist camp "How do they do it." I'm sorry I could not resist.

I'd make a little lobster pie/casserole to go along w/the filets. Just chop the lobster meat into good sized chunks. If you have a pound of lobster, we use the following amounts, you can adjust accordingly. 1 pound lobster meat 1 stick butter 1 sleeve ritz crackers lemon and sherry to taste Melt half the butter and toss with the crumbs. Melt a tab of butter and toss with lobster in dish. put crumb mix on top, and mix ina bit w/lobster. Cut rest of butter into slivers and dot over the top. Give a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of sherry. Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with a little parsley. This really complements the lobster and has so much flavor, rich and decadent. Goes very well w/filet. Have had this combo many, many times. Enjoy! Pam ← Some how Lobster and Ritz crackers don't compute for me. Maybe that fake crab stuff. But not lobster.

As a woodworker I would advise against that unless you want to learn a lot about wood. Got clamps? Know what glue to use? Know about grain direction? I tried it and I've been doin this for 30 years. Buy one.

Buy the Boos.

And lamb sausage casings, too. I guess once I get my kilo of caul and football field of casing (minimum orders:2.5 lbs, 100 yards respectively), I can spend all winter playing out my bizarre fantasies of becoming Monsieur le Charcutiere without ever leaving the house. ← That's what friends are for. Call people to go in on it with you. ← What, you think I'm complaining? I really do have fantasies of spending the winter amongst fatback, farce and internal organs. ← Keep us posted with pics.

And lamb sausage casings, too. I guess once I get my kilo of caul and football field of casing (minimum orders:2.5 lbs, 100 yards respectively), I can spend all winter playing out my bizarre fantasies of becoming Monsieur le Charcutiere without ever leaving the house. ← That's what friends are for. Call people to go in on it with you.

Ship it as olive oil. Works for us.

If you go the MDF route get Trupan which is a lightweight version. Wonderful stuff to work with.

He could build the cabinets and buy the doors to fit and match the finish or buy unfinished. Cabinets are easy, doors are not. Look at Bamboo for the floor. Think about big drawers for the lower cabinets, keeps ya off yer knees.