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chefg, May your physicians be as talented as you are. Jenny

Currently, I have some storage space in a porch-converted-to-a-laundry-room at the back of the house. We live in a 1957 tract house, and I treasure the small amount of cabinet space I have. I discovered tonight that I can store my LeCreuset pot on top of the cast iron pot I bought to bake bread in, and I was so excited I nearly called my mother. But I do have a large area with shelves in the laundry room; it's not too convenient, but it works. And Fat Guy is right, it's got a lot of stuff in it that needs to be thrown out. It very easily becomes a home for things I've never gotten around to cooking. While there is quite a bit of space in the laundry room, it's inconveniently arranged, and I always have to look for stuff. A lot of trays, cake pans, canning kettles, etc., currently live in the garage. We'll be building a new house in a couple of years, and the plan we've chosen has a pantry. The pantry was the reason we chose the plan. The builder tells me that this particular plan is 'hot' right now, because of the pantry, and I take that as a good sign. Fortunately, he's become a friend, and very soon he and I will be sitting down for a brainstorm session on how we're going to squeeze every possible square inch of storage space into the kitchen that we can. My friends laugh at me, because during an open house, I took comprehensive pictures of the kitchen when we were in the model home. I know exactly what's going to be stored in each and every cabinet and drawer. I also have the pantry pretty well figured out, as to which items will go on which shelf. The house will be a little over 1,400 square feet, and will have a basement of the same size, so I'll be able to store items I use infrequently in the basement. I'm looking forward to moving, believe me!

I must confess to the let-the-pets-lick-the-plates thing, but we always wash on the "sanitize" cycle in the dishwasher, with plenty of dishwashing powder. We don't let others see the pets licking the plates, but believe me, we wouldn't eat off them if there were any question about their cleanliness. Washing off only the upper side of the plate? Yech!

I would encourage you to keep your mind open to the possibility of working in restaurants for a couple of years beyond high school, and then going to culinary school. You would want to check into whether doing that would affect scholarships or grants, though. For some people, there is much to be gained in waiting a couple of years. It would allow you to get more of a glimpse of the 'real world' before committing to such an expensive program. Maybe you could even pick up a few college hours during that time. I would think, also, that it wouldn't hurt to get the CIA textbooks (or those of another cooking school) and work your way through them, so that when the concepts are presented to you at cooking school, you're not hearing the information for the first time. If you go into cooking school, it would be handy to know things like where each cut of meat comes from, what the 'mother' sauces are, etc. Some recent cooking school graduates, or current students, could probably give you a whole "things I wish I'd known" list.

Start searching for recipes for compound butters. There are many, many concoctions, all the way from parsley and chives, to combinations of nuts, peppers, onion, multiple herbs, etc. They can be frozen for two to three months. After that, the herbs will start losing their potency. But using fresh herbs in compound butters is an excellent way to maximize the use of what you buy, so that you're not in the trap of using a tablespoon or two and discarding what's left. You can do a quick saute of any kind of meat or fish you like, top it with a pat of compatible compound butter, and get a big bang for your buck, flavor-wise. Or a compound butter can be used with freshly-steamed vegetables. Likewise, you might look for some good pan sauce recipes. After you've sauteed your meat or fish, you can add herbs, shallots, cream or butter, and have an excellent sauce. The Joy of Cooking has several, if I remember correctly.

I just use my fingers. Is that wrong? ← In my mind, depends on what you're tasting and how clean your fingers are. If you've just handled raw chicken with them, um, yeah, that's a problem. If you washed them a few minutes ago, and have handled relatively clean things since then, I'll still eat your potato salad! I'm not a pristine cook, myself. And I'm not a fanatic about cleanliness. But please don't stir the cole slaw with a spoon you've had in your mouth...

As one living in the bible belt. . .but not of the persuasion that would cause me to become upset about wine in the movie. . .I thought I'd tell you that just this weekend, we were finally able to purchase alcoholic beverages on Sunday (from liquor stores, etc. We've been able to purchase alcohol in bars for several years now). For the first time, ever. (Well, "legally" ever, anyway.) Those who are upset over the use of alcoholic beverages are probably worrying about the local issues. In this community, anyway.

Tasting the food with a spoon, then plunging the same spoon back into the pot and stirring. Not so bad if it's on the stove and still cooking, but if it's cold, like potato salad or something. . .ugh.

After reading this thread, I had to have one. I've grown one cycle of plants with it now. I'm extremely pleased with the results. I usually have to do things my own way, so I mixed pods from two kits, to produce the herbs I use most frequently. I was also not as diligent as I should have been when it came to keeping the larger plants pruned. The result was that the larger plants prevented light from getting to the smaller plants, which grew spindly and died. I'll know better next time. I have received my master gardener's kit, and look forward to growing my own seeds. But since I have lots of herbs in the back yard right now, I'll wait until fall. This is a great product. Follow the directions, and you will get good results with herbs, at least. I'd love to know more about the tomato issue written about above. Was it ever resolved?

Yes, it is. There is a thread here about it. The product performs as described. In my mind, its one and only drawback is that plants (such as tarragon and rosemary) that are not usually raised from seed, can't be grown in this device. But that's a small drawback.

If you go to www.epicurious.com and search for "buttermilk ice cream", there are a few recipes for buttermilk ice cream, a few variations, and one for lemon buttermilk sherbet that I think I'm going to have to try. If you try any of them, please report back on your results!

But we're foodies, and we have to do this.

I'm not sure which forum this belongs in, so if there's another that's more appropriate, I hope the moderators will feel free to do what's necessary. I have a friend whose 13-year-old grandson is extremely interested in cooking. She's interested in finding some sort of classes or cooking camp for him. Parameters: We live in the Midwest, so it should be decently easy to get to from here. The coasts are probably out, but a couple of states away might not be out of the question. A summer camp, not necessarily for this summer, is a real possibility. So is a weekend-thing during the school year. Price must be moderate. I would assume that including travel for him and an adult, she wouldn't want to go over $500, and would want to stay well under that amount if possible.

I think that anything you do that shows the same good manners you would expect your guests to have, is permissible. What is surprising to me here, is that there are people in the restaurant business who seem to expect the customers to behave according to a certain standard, but aren't sure they want to maintain a good standard of behavior themselves. Did your mother never teach you that the treatment you give others is simply a reflection of who you are, and not one of what you think others deserve? No? Shame on her. This really is very simple. If the restaurant cannot afford for people to split dishes the way these people do, then figure out a policy to cover the situation and implement it. Period. I see nothing wrong with giving them expedited service -- as long as it's good service -- in order to turn the table that much faster. If you need to implement a policy of a fee for shared entres, then do it. Not only do you not have any way of knowing why these couples do this, you also don't know what they're saying about you to the outside world. I suspect they're doing it because they can't eat a full entree each, and they hate to waste food. And if you're gracious, accommodating, and non-judgmental, they may be sending a lot of business your way. If you're rude to them, keep in mind that not only will they likely badmouth you to your friends, but the people at the adjoining tables will observe your behavior also. I like the recommendation of the early-bird special, the bar special, or the off-night special. But whatever you do, do it with class and graciousness, or close the doors. You're in the hospitality business, for God's sake.

Now that we're in the second half of the year, it's time to start making out our lists for Santa, or whichever cultural/ethnic/religious icon stops by your house near the end of the year. I'm trying to decide whether to get a second Aerogarden. If one is wonderful (and it is!) two can only be better. And now there's a strip that mounts to the wall, that will hold three! A meat grinder for the Kitchen Aid is a definite possibility. And what are YOU pining for?

I saw it over the weekend and loved it! My favorite part was near the beginning, when Remy and his brother were on the roof trying to get a smoky flavor on -- what was it -- a mushroom with cheese? by holding it over the smoke from the chimney. Only a real foodie would go to such lengths! When my husband gets back in town, we'll go see it again, and I'm hoping to catch a lot more things. I would encourage those who've caught things that refer to specific chefs, etc., to post about them. I'd love to have a mental list of things to look for! And for those of you who think you have to go with a child, get over it already. You're missing a lot of good movies. After seeing Ratatouille, go rent Ice Age and Stuart Little. Just because a movie is animated, doesn't mean you have to be a child to enjoy it. Most of them are being written on (at least) two levels, and sometimes I feel sorry for the children who are really missing the best parts.

How about using a white cake, and using cherry puree to 'marble' it? The cherry puree would be concentrated enough in the marbled parts to give a definite cherry flavor. Or use a regular cake, white or chocolate or both, and slice it into two or three layers, with cherry filling in between. Cherry is an odd flavor to work with. It's my favorite, but it doesn't lend itself well to flavoring other things. If you get it strong enough to really make a cherry-flavored cake (flavored with real cherries, that is), the cost could be substantial. My opinion is that cherry is best when complimented by other flavors, such as vanilla, almond or chocolate. Sort of like 1 + 1 = 3.

Well, you've just about convinced me to go out and buy a grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid. Before I do. . .which cut of meat do you recommend for grinding? This sounds like a marvelous way to spend this next weekend. . . Jenny

I think it's all in the baking time, and I think a cast iron pot would retain a lot of heat that would radiate into the bread and accomplish the extra baking it sounds like you're needing. The amount of time with the lid on, affects how thick and crunchy the crust will be. When I bake my bread, I try to get it extremely brown, but not burnt. I take the lid off at 20 minutes, and that's about all the crunch and chewiness I want. Cast iron's properties are different than any other type of pan. I bought a $30 pot-and-lid combination at Wal-Mart. Since you like the flavor of this bread, and you're obviously interested in it, I would encourage you to find some regular cast iron. My pot, by the way, is about 3 to 3 1/2 quarts, and it's plenty big enough. It wouldn't hurt to look in thrift stores, too. Our local food writer recommends that; he found several pieces of Le Creuset in a thrift store, $100 for the lot. I'm gonna start stalking him, since he obviously knows where to go and has the karma to make it happen.

Not to stray from the topic (except that's exactly what I'm doing!), but I would have thought the rows and number of kernels would be Fibonacci numbers. Whassup with that??? OK, to get back on topic... how cleanly do y'all eat the kernels off the cob? I'm a go-back-and-clean-up person. My husband's an eat-it-clean-the-first-time person.

I always take eggs out of the middle of the box. It balances better that way. But then, I'm an incredible klutz, and need all the advantages I can get.

Starting any day now, we're going to have some corn stands around town, and I'll run out on my lunch hour and get a half dozen ears. We nuke them, in the husk, for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes each. (If it's grocery store corn, then 3 minutes each. The stuff from the stands is either very, very fresh, or is of a more tender variety.) Then we open the husks, pull all the silk out in 1 tug, then use butter and salt. The husks become a handle. Then I use the typewriter method, but leave exactly two rows. If the ear is cool enough, I call the dog over, and hold the ear by both ends while he bites kernels off with his front teeth. I try to get him to use the typewriter method, but he's usually too excited. Then I let him clean off any stray kernels. Then the cobs/husks go straight to the dumpster outside, or the dog will dig them out of the trash, devour the entire cob, and need surgery again. Yes, again!

I'm having about the opposite problem. I'm trying to find sandwich combinations that are more than bread, meat, maybe cheese, and mayo. But maybe you and I are after the same thing, and just coming at it from different directions. To me, a sandwich with store-bought bread, mayo, and lunchmeat just doesn't cut it. If the ingredients are really good -- really good bread, good meat or other filling, and cheese and dressing that are chosen to go with the specific filling, what you're getting is a unified thing that can be quite delicious. For example, one of my favorite sandwiches from a local shop is roast beef, provolone, parmesan shavings, and black pepper-rosemary mayo on country french. When you bite into it, though, you don't taste any one thing; the rosemary and arugula are subtle enough, and the cheeses blend so well with the beef, that the result is a simple-tasting roast beef sandwich that is just very good. I suspect that when sandwich places start piling on filling after filling, it just creates a dissonant mix of flavors that fight for attention. I'm with you; I don't want a lot of 'stuff' thrown together between two pieces of bread. A good sandwich should be as well thought-out as a good meal, and when that happens, it's great, even if it is extremely simple.

Green onions, definitely. Fresh herbs, although that's happening less and less now that I have an herb garden and an Aerogarden. But it seems I always need the one thing I'm not currently growing. I throw out a lot of buttermilk. It seems to be a staple in cold soups, so I'm currently tackling a bunch of those recipes to find more ways to use it. I buy it to use in a low-fat blue cheese dressing, which uses 1/2 cup out of a quart. Terrible waste, but I love that dressing! Vegetables are definitely the most likely to go bad before they get used at our house.

Another idea is to search out recipes for compound butters. You can freeze them for a couple of months (then the herbs tend to lose their zing), and just put them on the vegetables at the last minute. Very handy in a pinch, and if you're having "one of those days" when everything you planned to fix is either spoiled, or not in your kitchen, even though you were sure it was.