jgm

We have a GE Profile combination microwave and convection oven, and we absolutely love it. I use the microwave for heating milk and butter for mashed potatoes, for softening butter, for partially thawing some things, for reheating soups and leftovers, and of course for popcorn. It's also good for softening ice cream that's been in the deep freeze, to get it just soft enough to be able to scoop without breaking the spoon. The convection oven bakes the most beautiful pies I've ever turned out, and does fantastic roasted potatoes and vegetables. I could go on, but you get the idea. My kitchen is small. As long as we're in this house, this combo device is the only way I'm going to have two ovens. If the house catches fire, my husband and I will likely endanger our lives, fighting over which one of us gets to carry it out. Screw the family pictures and the heirlooms...

Our tomatoes are just beginning to ripen, and I'm looking for ideas. We have a beefsteak tomato plant, a plum tomato plant, and a "regular" tomato plant (I can't remember whether it's Celebrity, Jetstar, or what) that will produce moderate-sized tomatoes, plus a yellow pear and a grape. It dawned on me this morning that there are only so many BLTs one can eat in one summer. I know all about roasting and freezing, but I'm interested in ideas for serving raw or cooked tomatoes in ways that make you appreciate summer. The kinds of things that in mid-January, when ice is coating the trees and the power has been out for 3 hours with no end in sight...you start thinking about what you ate last summer, and you can almost smell that fresh tomato aroma. One of my favorites is a dish where the tomatoes are hollowed out, leaving as much flesh as possible, and filled with a mixture of ricotta, cream cheese, egg, and a dab of cornmeal that adds a luscious, delicate note. It just doesn't taste right in winter, made with hothouse tomatoes. What, besides BLTs and half-inch thick salted slabs on a plate, is your favorite thing to do with tomatoes in summer?

I thought the show with the roasted chicken was an improvement over what I'd seen before. Still, I would like to have seen her peel and slice the beets. The arm movements were still annoying but not as much as before. She's not giving amounts for ingredients. I suppose the producers figure we'll all go to the recipes on the website if we want to know. I think the show's the poorer for it; a chef who's discussing amounts can also comment on how ingredients are measured, and whether it's critical at all to stick with the recipe, or just guess, etc. Amateurs can learn a lot about cooking from such discussions.

This argument is about the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. The farmers are owed appropriate wages for their work. When I purchase an espresso, my money contributes to those wages. That's what I owe the farmers, and that's all I owe the farmers. I do not "owe" it to them to drink the espresso at a particular temperature, out of a specific type of cup, from a specific color of cup, on a particular day of the week, or while standing on one foot. Somebody on those boards needs to get a life, with or without a cup of coffee, with or without ice or cream or sugar. Do I detect a whiff of OCD here?

Read Michael Ruhlman's "The Soul of a Chef". Keller came from pretty humble beginnings. I have no idea how far you can go, but hard work and ability is what separates the pros from the wannabes. It has nothing to do with which cooking school you went to, etc. If you work hard, read, study, take opportunities to learn even if you're not getting paid, etc., it will make your dreams more possible. I'm sure there are a lot of young cooks who have dreams like yours. Those who work hard, get to know people who can help them, and show that they are more interested in learning than in making money, will go a lot farther than those who don't.

I probably won't be able to afford a Hobart initially, but it might be possible in a few years. I have e-mailed Hobart for information. OK. I'm installing two dishwashers. Thanks, everybody!

I've seen only the lamb episode and I have mixed feelings. I had DVR'd it, and I stopped and erased it a few minutes before the end. On the whole, she's pretty refreshing. Don't worry about the arm movements. Either she'll tone them down after she watches herself a few times, or you'll get used to it. Or she'll get a lot of criticism and respond to that. For someone who's just beginning to do this kind of thing, she's doing well. It takes time to work into a groove and get comfortable in front of a camera. I think she's got what it takes to do that. And I am really looking forward to seeing what she will become when she starts making the camera work for her instead of the other way around. This woman has solid credentials, and she's just different enough to make her a lot of fun. I would love to have a few beers with her. I would have appreciated more information about how she prepped the artichokes. I've never seen baby artichokes in the stores here; I assume you do the same things with them that you do with the large ones, but it would have been nice to have more detail. I also felt that way about a couple of other things, but I forget what they are. There were some minor annoyances, such as using "cute" dishes for dessert, but those things are forgivable in light of her "earl-ing" up the meat. Irreverence is a good thing, especially where food is concerned. If I were her coach, I'd have her talk more about flavors, and maybe throw in a word or two about substitutions. If you can't get the artichokes, or your spouse hates fennel, then what? But that's a personal thing and not a criticism. Since the show is "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" I'd like to see a little storytelling. She could talk about the guy who can trim 200 artichokes in 10 minutes or something like that. People like me who go weak in the knees at the thought of being able to cook in a real restaurant kitchen with all that cool stuff, like insider tidbits. I'll watch her some more. Somehow I got the impression she was trying too hard, but that's typical of people in their first season. Giada progressed from someone who was stiff and technical to someone who shares her love of food. Ann will do well, if the FN is smart enough to keep her around.

Take a look at James Peterson's Sauces. When in a similar discussions have arisen in the past, people have said they worked their way through this cookbook and felt they learned a lot. I think you've got to look at where you want to go before you'll be able to evaluate how you want to get there. Augment that with an understanding of the knowledge you have now, and you'll have a clearer picture. What kinds of things would you like to be able to do in 5 to 10 years? Do you know how to throw some ingredients together in a tasty meal, without a recipe? Is it important to you to not be recipe-dependent? Do you want to expand your horizons with a broader spectrum of international dishes? What other kinds of things do you want to learn? I think your answer to those questions will tell you a lot about where to turn next. I suspect that not one, but actually two or three books, will be more like it. Other than Peterson's book, I think a range of books might be an answer. The 20-minute meals, also, have something to teach you. Try a quick-and-easy version of something... then a more complex version. If you do that with several dishes, you may learn a lot about using certain ingredients to bring out certain types of flavors in other ingredients. Julia Child's potato-leek soup is just about the simplest thing ever, yet is just sublime. It's not a 20-minute meal, but the actual involved cooking time totals under 20 minutes. I've also learned a lot from Alton Brown. Amazing what a few key pieces of information can do. Don't forget McGee and Corriher for information about why a dish crashed, or which thickening agent to use. Lots of good stuff there, too.

We are on the verge of building a new house. I have been researching appliances, and have run across a particularly depressing piece of information: the cycle time on most new dishwashers is in the neighborhood of two hours. That's right... two hours. The problem is, I have arthritis in my hips and knees, and by the time I've finished cooking dinner, I'm usually "done for." Even though I try to keep up with the dishes as I'm cooking, both by putting them into an empty dishwasher and by plunking them into a sinkful of soapy water and giving them a quick swipe and a rinse, I still end up with pieces that won't fit. They will have to be done by hand... and I'm already in pain. I am determined, in our new, large kitchen, not to get into the habit of letting dirty dishes sit overnight until I can get to them in the morning. Ugh. Been there, done that, not proud of it, but it beats being in so much pain I can't move the next day. That's prompted me to consider installing a second dishwasher. We will have room for it. Ideally, I'd like a commercial dishwasher that dispatches loads in a couple of minutes, but we won't have the funds for it at this time. It's possible, though, I could install one at a later date. The drawer-type isn't getting good ratings as far as getting things clean goes, and it's also pretty expensive. Unless I can find something new and excellent, but low-priced in a drawer, we won't be doing that. We will be purchasing our appliances at our builder's discount from a warehouse that offers pretty much all of the brands out there. We won't be able to go above midrange, price-wise. I also wouldn't mind if this thread covered um... for lack of better description... "techniques" for dealing with odd-sized pieces in the normal dishwashing stream. I've already discovered that my plastic colander, sitting on a towel, is a dandy drainer for small pieces. Any other hints anybody has come across, would be welcome.

My sympathies. I went through this trying to get a local restaurant's mushroom soup recipe. I became almost desperate; my husband and I just could not get enough of the soup. I tried several recipes at home and could not duplicate it. A co-worker actually had a sister who was divorced from a guy who used to cook at the restaurant. After I approached her a few times about the possibility of staging a reconciliation (with the idea of using that connection to get the recipe), she looked at me one day and said, "I've just realized you're serious about this. What part of 'no' don't you understand? They hate each other and even thinking about each other makes both of them homicidal. Forget it." <sigh> <dejected walk back to my desk> Then I tried to get several young friends to get jobs there. That didn't work, either. "But...but....I hear the tips are good! Maybe you could just work weekends until someone tells you!" I did get a waitress to tell me it had a "mushroom base" that they purchased, plus white wine. Finally, I stumbled onto Bourdain's recipe in the Les Halles cookbook; substituting white wine for the sherry and adding a little cream did the trick. You can't tell the difference. Victory! Moral of the story: when ordinary means won't work, resort to subterfuge. Bribes. Spies. Whatever it takes. Just persist. And do share the recipe with us when you finally figure it out. And for a little humor to amuse you while you're working at it, go to Recipe Gullet and search for "Divorce Salad Dressing."

Both my father (so if it's hereditary, I may, too) and my boss have had this problem, and my father was told to avoid chocolate. But my mother is a nurse who dislikes chocolate, and she thinks avoiding chocolate is a cure for just about everything. Just thought I'd throw that in, since those who suffer may want to talk to their physicians about it. My boss swears by cherries. And since I'm a big fan of cherries, it sounds to me like a good excuse to eat nearly unlimited quantities of them. I skimmed the posts, so may have missed this, but it's my understanding that gout can also wreck your kidneys. So again, if you're having a less-than-excruciating attack and are thinking of just suffering through it instead of figuring out what's triggering it, you may want to ask your doctor if that's true, and how significant he/she thinks the risk is.

The stuff you're describing is called depression, and it's being exacerbated by the abusive situation you're in. The first step is to get into more counseling. (Take it from someone who knows. Been there, done that.) I would also recommend that you talk to your physician about an antidepressant. Abusive situations can cause chemical imbalances in the brain, and the antidepressant will help with that. The counseling will help you release some of the steam buildup from the abuse, and will help you determine what steps to take next, when to take them, etc. You do need to get out of there, but I'd like to see you do it with the safety net of counseling. A little over a year ago, I started into counseling for many of the same things you're describing. It all goes back to the fact that you're being abused. The stuff that's wrong in your life is not because of you. When you get into a better employment situation, much of this will go away, but you can use this place as a "lab" to hone your skills for dealing with abusive people. As for your options, I noticed in #4 you said "because I can't write." Writing is a skill that can be developed, just like any other. Writing is like cooking or anything else. It takes practice. When you're ready, you could do a blog. I can't stress the importance of the counseling enough. I dragged my feet when getting into it, and once there, wondered why. It has been immensely productive, and has fixed the problem. You might look for someone in your area who does EMDR. It's a technique for dealing with trauma that was immensely and nearly immediately effective for me, and it might be just what you need.

Yes, you're right. My mistake. But there are still viruses in the kitchen that need to be dealt with effectively, and antibacterial soaps won't necessarily do it.

Although I don't work in the food industry and never have, ethical issues are part of any job at anytime. And I have been fired for sticking to my principles in the past. It's so easy to say, "oh no, you can't lie, you can't cheat, etc" when your name is not the one on the bills. I was fortunate, at the time, to be the only person who depended on my support. If I'd had children to feed and clothe, I might well have kept my mouth shut. Am I a better person for doing what I did? I'm not drunk enough to get into that one. Did I change anyone or anything by doing what I did? No. The same things are going on there, 20 years later, that were going on there when I left. Had my parents not had the means and the willingness to help support me, I literally would have ended up in a homeless shelter. My community is a feast-and-famine place, and it took quite a long time to find a job, even though I was willing to do just about any kind of work. Issues of ethics are seldom black and white. For instance, I have only a small problem with the saffron rice issue. I've ordered dishes that were supposed to be served with "saffron rice" before, and knowing what I know about the cost of saffron, I didn't really believe that the color in the rice came from saffron. I have a huge problem with the pork-for-veal issue, since it impacts those who do not eat pork for religious reasons. The only saving grace in that whole issue is that most, if not all, of those who abstain, are onto the pork-for-veal thing (it certainly isn't new) and never order veal in a restaurant. So, as someone who has taken all of the time and effort it takes to mend a wrecked credit rating (not to mention the downside of having one), and repairing all of the other damage to my career that happened when I got canned, I think you played it right. You tried to be truthful as much as you could, and you got out of there as soon as you could. As for those who urged that you sacrifice your career on the Altar of Truth and Ethics, I am concerned that you're a bit naive, but the fact that you exist at all renews my faith in humankind. It's good to know you're still out there. Let me point out something else. You can't properly care for others if you don't take care of yourself. I spent all those months on unemployment, depressed and desperate, but with my principles intact. And during that time, I had friends, relatives, and neighbors who had needs I would ordinarily have been able to help with, but being someone who was not really making ends meet, I was not in a position to do anything for them most of the time. So let's weigh some things. Which is more important: Buying diapers and formula for a young mother whose ex-husband yet again did not drop off the child support as promised, or allowing someone to believe that the rice they ordered has saffron in it? (At 8:00 on Sunday night, there are no agencies who will help with this, in my community. Come back in the morning.) Driving an elderly, widowed neighbor to a nearby community to see a medical specialist, or serving someone a pastry that's been frozen, and telling them it's fresh? Taking food to a friend who has AIDS and can't work, or serving previously-frozen scallops to someone who thinks they're fresh? These are all issues I faced while unemployed. We put dish towels that we laundered in my washing machine on the baby's bottom, and called friends until we found formula to borrow. The elderly neighbor did not get to the specialist. Whether that eventually contributed to her death, I don't know. The friend with AIDS got the last package of saltines and the last can of tuna from my pantry. He needed better food than that, but at least he got that. I called my parents the next day and asked them for more money. Look at the big picture, folks. It just ain't a simple situation. It would be nice if it were. And believe me, you haven't heard a fraction of what I went through.

Antibacterial soaps will kill only bacteria, of course. And I'm sure you've read all about how eventually, they will stop working because the bacteria will develop a resistance to them. I raise the first point because at least theoretically, any antibacterial soap will not kill salmonella and other viruses that are also kitchen issues. I think boiling or microwaving (providing the sponge is extremely wet) are probably very good ways to sanitize a sponge. Another possibility might be a quick dip in a sink full of water to which bleach has been added, but I suspect the bleach won't do good things for the sponge. An alternative product would depend on what you're using it for. Plain old dishrags, of course, work well, especially the microfiber kind. I'm particularly fond of the dishrags I buy at the grocery store, which have a netting-type stuff sewn onto one side of the cloth, thereby producing a somewhat scratchy surface that can be helpful. I'm of the opinion that when it comes to wiping down counters and appliances, nothing works as well as a sponge. We've had discussions of this nature on eG before, and there is a "school" of members who are of the opinion that sponges just are not necessary, and they always use cloth, which can be washed and dried. The debate, actually has been fairly lively, and you may want to search it out. But again, be aware that antibacterial soaps won't kill all of the bugs you need to watch out for in the kitchen. I'm no microbiologist, but it's my understanding that only heat and bleach will do that.

Those are the postcard stamps, and they are just delectable! View them here They are the only ones currently available that have a food theme. The closest I could find otherwise was a beautiful panel on pollination, upon which we depend for fruits and vegetalbes.

If all else fails, find a way to score some fast-food-type packets of honey. Sometimes warehouse stores carry them, or if all else fails, you can purchase a meal, or just ask them if they'll sell you some. Much less mess!

I'm bumping this topic back up because of an "incident" this morning. It doesn't help that somehow I managed to get very little sleep last night...or else I'm coming down with something. When I got out of bed this morning, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. And I can't take any time off right now, because I'm taking two days off next week to fetch out-of-town elderly parents and bring them here for a physician appointment. And then take them back home and re-install the newly Vista-less computer. Oh. Boy. Anyway, I decided to try out an independent coffee shop this morning. I went in and ordered iced coffee, to go. What I received was pretty warm coffee in a disposable glass, with rapidly-melting ice cubes bobbing on the surface. I made a disparaging remark, and brushed off their offer for more ice. While I was putting milk and sweetener in it, an employee appeared with a small cup of ice and an expression on her face that said "since you're being such a pain in the ass about it, here's your ice, so shut up." (Or maybe that was just my projection. If so, it's not far off.) And I left with a cup of warm coffee, no lid, in one hand, and a cup of ice in the other. It somehow seemed unnecessarily complicated to me, especially when I tried to carry both cups into my office along with all the other crap I schlep around. When I go to Starbuck's, I've noticed they first shake the coffee (dispensed from their daily brew) with ice, and then strain it onto fresh ice in the cup in which they serve it to me. In other words, I've ordered iced coffee and I actually receive a cold drink. And today at noon, at another chain coffee shop, I received the same. So are my expectations unreasonable, that anyone who opens a coffee shop oughta know how to fix iced coffee? Or have the chains spoiled me, and raised my expectations too high? How is iced coffee served elsewhere?

I've lived in Wichita since 1981 and will be happy to help you. In fact, if you'll PM me I'll provide you with my cell number so that if you have any questions or problems while here, I can help you out. "East of downtown" makes me think you're staying in the Old Town area. Here's the Old Town list copied from a website and my comments (? = I don't go there, I don't know much about it.): Beacon Restaurant 316.263.3397 OK for breakfast but nothing special Caffe Moderne 316.260.1199 www.caffemoderne.com Excellent sandwiches, but service can be slow. Dunn Bros Coffee 316.267.0057 www.dunnbros.com Gourmet coffee, artisan gelato, specialty sandwiches. Somewhat better than Starbuck's EggCetera 316.558.5700 www.eggceterawichita.com OK but nothing special Emerson Biggins 316.303.9800 www.emerson-biggins.com ? Hana Cafe 316.267.3766 Sushi, Teriyaki, Japanese & Korean Cuisine OK, but Mama San's at 13th and West Street is better for Japanese food Heroes Sports Bar & Grill 316.264.HERO www.heroeswichita.com All America Sports Bar-Food, Fun, & Sports Wireless Internet available. ? Imbiss Grille 316.263.9062 www.imbissgrille.com Specializing in authentic German cuisine. My husband, who spent time in Germany, liked it; I could take it or leave it Larkspur Restaurant & Grill 316.262.5275 www.larkspuronline.com Exquisite continental cuisine, banquet facilities and catering Good food, entrees are about $15 - $25. I like the food, but it's not terribly unique. Martini Steakhouse 316.263.9711 www.oldtownmartini.com Fine casual dining. ? Oeno Wine & Tapas Bar 316.440.5000 www.oenowine.com Sophisticated, elegant, tasteful... This might be a place to try. I haven't been there, but the guy who owns it, also owns Sabor and Uptown Bistro. It's on my list. Old Chicago 316.264.2057 www.oldchicago.com Chain Old Mill Tasty Shop 316.264.6500 Original Old Town soda fountain. Charming, good food, and it really is an original soda fountain from early/mid 20th century. Lunch and Saturday breakfast only. Pump House 316.265.6080 Old Town's neighborhood bar and grill - huge patio ? River City Brewery & Loft 150 316.263.2739 www.rivercitybrewingco.com brewery I really would like to like this place, but the food is hopelessly mediocre. It was excellent after it first opened, but that was a long time ago. Beer's not bad. Sabor 316.201.4880 www.saborwichita.com Tango with your tastebuds! Excellent. Highly recommended. I get cravings for the chicken sancocho soup, especially in winter. Torre's Pizzeria 316.262.3663 Pizzeria ? Uptown Bistro 316.262.3232 www.uptownbistrowichita.com Offering a unique variety of Mediterranean, European and Middle Eastern-style dishes & an impressive wine selection. Generally, I really like to eat at UB, but my last meal there wasn't very good. I'm hoping it was a fluke. Whiskey Creek Steakhouse 316.265.0707 www.whiskeycreek.com Whiskey Creek serves choice Midwestern grain Beef cooked over an open wood fire with our own unique blend of spices. ? ------------------------------------------------------------- For hamburgers, I recommend TJ's, on Douglas in the block east of Seneca; it's in Delano, right across the river from downtown. Excellent burgers! LaGalette, down the block, is great for lunch. If you can give me an idea of a type of food you'd like to try, I can tell you where to find it. Wichita just doesn't have high-end food like you'd find in NYC, Chicago, or even KC. But you can still get a good meal here, depending on what you want. Chester's Chop House, in the NE part of the city, is trying to develop a reputation for having high-end food, but I'm told it's mainly the prices that are high-end, and the food is not better than anywhere else. There's a place on Rock Road called Cibola that's supposed to be really good, but we haven't eaten there. At 21st and Rock is Olive Tree (not to be confused with Olive Garden), a long-time mainstay in Wichita. I haven't eaten there in quite a few years. If you want steak, quite honestly the best steak in town is at Texas Roadhouse, which is a chain, on West Kellog. It's so noisy you can't hear yourself think, but the steak is always good. Local flavor: NuWay, which serves a "loose meat" hamburger. Some people hate them. Others have them flown, frozen, to wherever they live. Try the garlic salad. Artichoke, which is a bar at Broadway and Murdock. The #8 is excellent, and some say its the best sandwich on the planet. Onion roll (grilled), turkey, swiss, bacon, cream cheese, and lettuce & tomato, with Italian dressing and Parmesan. Mama San's, for Japanese (mentioned above), at 13th and West Street. Saigon, on north Broadway, for Vietnamese food. DeFazio's, north of 25th on Amidon, for Italian food. This oughta get you started. Questions? Jenny

I don't know a great deal about the slow food movement, and have more than a little trepidation over trying to enter into this thread without sounding like an idiot. But here goes anyway. I think it's interesting, ironic maybe, that food like McDonald's is now being seen by anyone as "food for the masses." While it is definitely affordable, it's expensive in a lot of ways. If we all did more cooking at home and less dining out, food would be much more affordable, in a personal sense as well in an ecological sense. But the "McDonaldization" of our food is killing our planet, and if this continues, only the wealthy will eat. The poor will starve. We are beginning to see that in Haiti and other places on the planet. If I understand the situation accurately, some of the countries that contain some of the most desperately poor and starving people are actually exporting their food to other countries. I understand that the economics involved are quite complex, but on the other hand, it simply makes no sense. When I was a child, I loved to hear tales from friends who traveled, about the things they saw and did and ate in foreign countries. It was all quite exotic to me, and I understood, somehow, that while I may be able to find a recipe for something they described, and I may be able to find the ingredients, our ingredients wouldn't be quite the same as the actual ingredients that were used in the dishes our friends ate. I understood that I would have to actually travel to those places, to experience what they'd experienced. And I hoped that I would, one day. But the reality, now that I'm an adult, is that if I travel to those places, some of those special dishes, made with local ingredients, will be available only if I'm lucky enough to find them. What I will much more readily find, however, is McDonalds, and "tourist" food - local food that has been prepared with the American palate in mind. Indeed, when I was in Europe as a high school student, we shied away from the unfamiliar. In Paris, when we ordered pizza (yes, pizza in Paris...<sigh>), the pie that was brought to our table had a lot of unrecognizable ingredients on it; the one recognizable element was a raw egg, smack in the middle. The cook and his friends had been very flattered that we chose their restaurant, and they bought us what they considered to be their very best. Idiots that we were, we sent it back, hoping to finally receive something that was much more like what we'd eaten at Pizza Hut. They were extremely disappointed and did not understand. I don't remember anything about what we finally received. But I could kick myself for not tasting the cook's pride and joy, and for not being more open minded and willing to try new things. An example of the world we have created with our ignorance happened several years later. A co-worker came bursting into my office, just back from a vacation in France, to show me the coffee mug he'd purchased there. It was sleek, black, and octagonal, and he was clearly delighted with it. I admired it and pretended to be envious. In reality, I was covering my disappointment for him. I'd seen the same mug, by the same maker, in Dillards the week before. Although he loved that coffee mug, especially because it reminded him of France, it was hardly anything unique or truly representative of his trip. My understanding of the slow food movement is that they're trying to bring back regional flavors and regional uniqueness. If they succeed, perhaps only those who can afford to be world travelers will be able to appreciate such things, as was the case in my childhood. But ultimately, it will benefit us all, whether we're able to partake of it or not. If we continue to homogenize everything the way we have, it'll be a toss-up as to whether we'll all starve to death, or simply drown in mediocrity. Jenny

I'm not sure what to make of this. The Summer 2008 Dean and Deluca catalog (page 17) has Molecular Gastronomy toys available. From the master himself. You, too, for only $200, can order the "Texturas Spherification Minikit", to create such foods as Margaritas with Salt Air, Feta Water Fettuccine, Mojito Gelification, and Parmesan Eggless Egg. "Complete with five different powders, three special tools, recipes and complete instructions, the kit comes with everything you need to create hot and cold gelatins, produce ultralight textures and transform your favorite flavors into spheres of different sizes(think caviar, marbles and eggs)." Is this a chemistry set for adults? The grown-up version of the Easy-Bake oven? And more importantly: will you try it? Personally, given the price, I doubt I will. Can you see purchasing these products for serious cooking in your own home, or just to play around with? The produces included are Gluco, Algin, Xantana, Lecite, Agar, three tools, and an instruction and recipe booklet. Jenny

The May 12, 2008, issue of the New Yorker magazine has an article on Chef Achatz and the now-in-remission cancer. It even mentions eGullet! Author is someone I'm unfamiliar with, D.T. Max. Some of you may be more familiar with him than I am. The article was an interesting read, but I really can't comment on accuracy, completeness, etc. Jenny

First of all, right out of college, you're not likely to land the job you really want. Good for you if you do, though! You have an entire lifetime to explore your field. I think it goes without saying that eventually there will be opportunities that don't exist today. The first thing that I would suggest is to begin making connections in your field. Would your professors be of any help? For that first job, look for the kind of thing that could help you build a foundation in the direction you eventually want to go. Then keep looking, thinking, and connecting. The world is changing rapidly. Don't sweat it too much. Just jump on and enjoy the ride. [insert the usual platitudes here about how opportunities happen for those who are prepared.] I also would like to see you give some thought to the idea of having an avocation as well as a vocation. Sometimes work life just sucks. When the economy is bad, opportunities dry up and everybody just kind of marks time until it passes. Sometimes you can't move because of a family situation or something else going on in your personal life, and you're stuck in a job you're not crazy about. During those times, your avocation - your passion about something outside of work - is what will carry you through. I cannot stress how important it is to have that balance. That's what cooking is for many of us. Some people are lucky enough to be able to professionally pursue what they are passionate about. But many, many people use the proceeds from employment to fund what they really love to do. I've learned, too, that some things aren't as much fun if you're being paid to do them.

Sugar Babies Then there was a caramel sucker with a chocolate coating...Sugar Daddy? I do remember candy necklaces, pixie stix (always ended up with some of it up my nose), red hots, jujubes, and giant jawbreakers. The little wax bottles with liquid in them were just obnoxious, weren't they? But we loved them. And cancy cigarettes. Wasn't there a bubble gum that came in cigar form?

A friend of mine who works for an interfaith religious organization is reeling me in; she's got me pointed to her Campaign to End Childhood Hunger project, which desperately needs cash. Truth be told, I'm not resisting much. I'd like to help this organization. A project we are gearing up to do, is giving free vegetable plants to children, to grow in containers, or plant in their own gardens. (Truth be told, no one is turned away, as long as there are supplies available.) We are trying to get more of the economically challenged areas of the city involved in community gardens and personal gardens, as a way of enhancing their diets economically. Recently, a neighborhood grocery store picked itself up and moved itself to what it perceives is a better location, leaving many families without a nearby grocery from which to purchase food. I've heard of this happening in larger cities, and the results are disastrous -- only very high-priced convenience stores are available to those without transportation, and the selection is poor, almost never offering fresh produce. The umbrella organization does a "Souper Bowl" every January. Local potters donate bowls they've made, the organization makes soup, and for a set price, you can buy a bowl of soup and keep the bowl. Other than the usual bake sales, I'm looking for ways to raise money. My friend and I both love to cook, and I think I can lean on other friends who also like to cook, to help us. I'd love to hear your suggestions. Also, I belong to a car club, and I'd like to find a winter project for the club that could raise money. We do car shows in summer, but winters here aren't suited for that, so the organization is looking for more cold-weather social events, and I think they'd be open to doing something to raise money for this organization. We routinely donate other proceeds to the local food bank, and I don't want to redirect any of those funds to another project, regardless of its worthiness. I need new ideas!