jgm

Supposedly what helps is ordinary cooking oil or olive oil. I use a capsaicin cream for arthritis, and the directions indicate the user should keep some oil handy for removing the cream, in case it starts burning too much. I think the idea behind it all is that the capsaicin oil is soluble in oil.

I am a moderatly-experienced home cook; I own three Wusthof knives; a chef's knife, a Santoku knife, and a paring knife. I currently use a hand-held honer that's not bad but not great, but I long for a really, really sharp knife. If I were willing to spring for this system, do you think it would be appropriate for me, or is there something else I should consider? Of course, I was hoping to have Our Famous Chad Ward teach me a thing or two about sharpening knives, since we lived in the same city, but he took off in search of greener grass, and very likely found it.

Even though I like my doctor a lot, and think she's an excellent physician, she has never taken time with me to sit down and discuss my life. Even ten minutes, during an annual physical, would reveal to her some important information. If I were not extremely proactive in researching various symptoms, drugs, etc. myself, there's a lot she would have missed. She's never asked me how much exercise I get. She's never asked me what I eat. She's never asked me what I think the problem is. Maybe if she did, she'd learn more about me, and be able to offer advice. She does know, however, the two forms of cancer my 85-year-old father has, and how many breast lumpectomies my mother's had. I do express to her my frustration about my weight, but we don't ever sit and talk about it. When I told my previous physician I wanted to try Fen-Phen (back in about 1996), she was extremely ready to write out the prescription. I told her I wanted to lose 20 pounds, go off the meds and maintain that for 3 to 6 months, and then go back on and lose 20 more, etc. She would not agree to that, but given the fact that patients tended to develop a tolerance to the drug after 4 to 6 months, it seems to me to be a much smarter approach than just trying to lose as much as I could until the drug was no longer effective. And since all the hunger came back with a vengeance once I went off the drugs, all the weight came back on, too. I don't remember ever being so ravenously hungry in my life. It was absolute hell. I don't think she had any understanding of the challenges involved in keeping weight off, yet the statistics clearly show that most people who take off significant amounts of weight, fail to keep it off. Until the medical profession starts looking at the problem long-term, which means implementing a strategy that includes maintaining a lower weight, they're not going to be much help. Everyone seems to be focused on "just get it off" without worrying about what happens THEN. Honestly, some of the people who are the most ill-informed about weight loss issues are physicians. My friends have been put on low-carb diets by their physicians, even though the statistics show that most people on that diet, go back to their old eating habits and put the weight right back on. Another friend asked her doctor about a particular diet she'd seen on TV, and he told her he'd seen a lot of people lose weight on it. Well, of course he did. It was an 800 calorie per day diet! Wake up, doc; those same people almost surely gained back everything they'd lost. And just about any dietician will tell you that an 800 calorie per day diet just isn't healthy. The public, including physicians, keeps trying to buy into the quick fix. It doesn't work, and never has. There are times I wish my doctor would just say, "Is there anything I can do to help?" She and I might be able to find a strategy that would. One thing she could do to help, is to make the scales accessible to anyone who wants to walk in and weigh. Most home scales are crap, unless a lot of money is invested in them, and I'd love to see EVERY doctors' office in town, make it possible for anyone to just walk in the door, and weigh on good equipment, in privacy. That, alone, would be a big help.

I've heard it said that just about any hot soup can work fine as a cold soup. While that's probably true, theoretically, I don't think it works to make a direct translation from hot to cold without some adjustments. I know that many foods have a much different flavor when they're hot as opposed to when they're cold. And I would think that with some seasoning adjustments, many hot soups can become really good cold soups. Your thoughts? Do you have any recipes you use hot as well as cold?

Excess weight is an extremely complex problem. I've been overweight most of my life. Perhaps I'm genetically predisposed; I don't know. There are many, many things that contribute to my situation, and I don't think any one of them can be singled out. I know that as I became more affluent as an adult, I became heaver. Somehow, along the way, I started equating "I can afford it" with "I can eat it." I also know that I used to look at McDonald's ads, and other nonsense, and wonder just who it was who was eating all those Big Mac's. I knew, as a teenager, that a person can't eat like that and keep their weight down. And I know now, that as I began to think it was okay to do that, I began to gain weight. In other words, I bought into the hype. Bad move. I've recently discovered that I've used food as an indulgence, rather than taking time for myself in other ways. If there's a key to conquering this problem for me, this is probably it. But that road promises to be slow and full of false starts. I've learned that diet pills are not an answer. You stop taking the pills, you start gaining. (Usually replacing all you lost, and more.) But a few years ago, my own physician was on the bandwagon along with everyone else, until people started dying. Now I'm at the point where I've got to undo all that. And it's really, really difficult. The medical profession understands embarrassingly little about the problem. A local doctor runs a very successful and very expensive weight loss program, but he continues to deny the reality that keeping the weight off is every bit the challenge that taking the weight off is, and that's only an afterthought on his program. People lose 50, 100, 150 or more pounds, and only if they stay connected (and continue to spend money that most of them don't have), do they keep the weight off. Yet the local medical community looks at him like a guru and refers patient after patient to him. My insurance company will happily pay for hundreds of dollars' worth of medicine, per month, to deal with the arthritis, etc. that I have , mainly because of my weight, but not one dime for any kind of program to help me do something about it. They were very happy to pay almost $8,000 for knee surgery about 10 years ago, and will no doubt pay for more if I don't get this figured out. Taking weight off and keeping it off is a massive, difficult, frustrating undertaking. But there's no doubt that as a society, we've got to find a way to do it. If you're someone who doesn't have this problem, please let me tell you that there are no words in the English (or any other) language you can say to an overweight person that will help them "see the light." Believe me, I've heard it all from family, friends, and complete strangers. I'd be less than honest if I said I don't find some real satisfaction in watching a few of them fight the same battle, with no better results, a few years latter. (Karma can be quite delicious.) So if you're not overweight, don't flatter yourself into believing you have any magic answers. You may simply be one badly sprained ankle (or other major life interruption) away from an extra 50 pounds. (That comment, by the way, was NOT intended as a response to any of the above posts. I'm gratified to see the compassion that some of our members have shown towards people with this problem.)

In my opinion, toasted bread is one of life's true delights. I like it with just about anything on it. One of my favorite breakfasts is a sandwich made of a toasted bagel, scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, and a slice of tomato. Interestingly, a nearby fast-food joint always toasts the bagel to perfection. I have not found any other restaurant in town, including the high-end ones, that can turn out a decently toasted anything. While toast dope is lovely stuff (try it on a sweet potato with butter sometime), the truth is, give me well-toasted bread with melting butter on it, and nothing else, any day. Unless you happen to have a jar of homemade strawberry preserves on hand... oh, my.

A restaurant I frequented in college would slice one end off a hoagie roll, and use what appeared to be a length of about 1" pipe to ream a hole into the bread, without perforating the other end. Then they'd stuff it with cheese, meatballs, and red sauce. You could clear out the center of the bread with a paring knife, used carefully, and fill it with whatever you desire. Stuff like tuna salad would be easiest, but there's no reason you couldn't cut some meat and cheese into strips, wrap them in lettuce, and stuff them into the hole. Of course, you could line it with mayo and/or mustard, if you choose. Edited to add: You could freeze a small empty bottle of some sort, filled with water, as an ice pack. Or use a ziploc bag, inside another ziploc bag, inside another ziploc bag. All but free.

Thank you, Andie! Jenny

I'd like to revive this topic. I have some purchased, peeled garlic sitting in the fridge that has an expiration date near the end of this month. Rather than throw it out when it expires, I'd like to use Andie's method (above) for roasting the garlic. However, I'd like to freeze it after it's roasted. What would be the best way to do that? I do have a vacuum-sealing machine, if that would be the best way to go. I'm not very confident in my canning skills, and I know that if I tried Andie's canning method, I'd just get paranoid, and fear that things hadn't been sterile enough, and would never use it for fear of getting sick.

I have a recipe for a really good cake - "Cocoa Apple Cake". I would like to make brownies with the same flavor. The cake is dense and moist, and has a really nice balance of chocolate and spices. Can anyone suggest how I can approach this project? I thought I'd just compare the cake recipe to a brownie recipe, and figure out the changes. . .but that's actually more complicated than it sounds. I would need to know that both recipes had a similar yield, volume-wise, so that I'd know what to increase and what to decrease. Right? Or should I just decrease the flour a little bit? Here are the ingredients: 3 Eggs 2 Tbls Cocoa 2 C Sugar 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 C Margarine (2 sticks)* 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 Tbls Vanilla 1 tsp Allspice 1/2 C Water 1 C chopped Nuts (I use Pecans) 2 1/2 C Flour 2 Apples (2 C) peeled and grated or finely chopped (I use Granny Smiths) 1 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips *I haven't made this recipe in years. I no longer purchase margarine. I plan to consult Shirley Corriher's book to see if I can substitute butter straight across, or whether I need to make some sort of adjustments. Ideas?

How about making small tart shells in mini-muffin pans, and then filling them with lemon curd? You could make the shells as far ahead as you want; they will keep for a couple of days, or you can freeze them. If you start needing sweets in a hurry, just take a jar of lemon curd out of the fridge and spoon some into each shell. They don't even need a spritz of whipped cream, but you could do that if you wanted. If you like, you could make your own lemon curd, but also keep a couple of good-quality purchased jars on the pantry shelf, as a backup. If that works well, there's lime curd, mango curd. . . you get the idea.

You make an excellent point. But restaurants are full of people who have recently been in hospitals, airplanes, and buses. Anything they pick up there can be transmitted to the table at the restaurant - theoretically, anyway. On those tabletops are napkins that have wiped mouths, hands that have been who knows where. . .and I like to see 'em cleaned and disinfected before I sit down.

OK, for the record, I am well aware that restaurants aren't pristine places. Neither is my own kitchen. In addition to frequently visiting local restaurants, I depend on 4 cats and a dog to keep my germ-ingestion level nice and high. And it must be working, because I am rarely ill. Frankly, I'm a little surprised at some of the responses on this thread. I am no germophobe, but wiping a table with a rag that's been on the floor, is well over the line. If a health inspector had observed it, the restaurant would have received some real dings in their rating. I doubt they would have closed the place down or anything drastic like that --nor should they-- but they would have gotten the management's attention. FYI, there's a reason that certain health laws are in place. They aren't arbitrary and they were written by people who have a thorough understanding of health issues. Now back to the essence of my question. What is the proper way to deal with an event like that? Anyone who frequents restaurants is bound to encounter something like that, sooner or later. All I wanted to know, was how to deal with something like that without causing other diners or restaurant managers, or oneself, for that matter, undue stress. I just wanted to get the problem fixed. markk, thank you for an intelligent and thoughtful comment. I did call the restaurant later, and talked with a member of the management. She was somewhat taken aback, and she didn't like what she heard. She promised to correct the situation immediately, and she thanked me for caring enough to call. I promised her I would return to the restaurant because I enjoyed the food so much. And I will, again and again.

Today at noon I was in a restaurant, waiting for a table, and I observed something that made me cringe. The busboy, first of all, was wiping tables down with Windex. I'm under impression that Windex doesn't have the sanitizing properties that are required in a restaurant, but I could be wrong about that. Then he accidentally dropped the rag on the floor, picked it up, and used the surface that had been in contact with the floor to wipe the next table. My friend and I said "screw the hostess" and found our own table. We'd been waiting a long time, and we didn't want to get seated at the table I just mentioned. I'm not comfortable that I allowed another customer to be served at a table I wouldn't have eaten off of, myself. That was a real screw-up on my part. And we were naughty to seat ourselves, although the place was full, we were next, and there were only a couple of tables open, which included the table in question. It happened because I didn't know what to do. Insisting, no matter how politely, on seeing the manager, would have slowed us down even more, and as it was, I had a 1.5-hour lunch hour today. Not good. Telling the waitress may not get the problem stopped. Do I call the manager now, or what? I want the problem stopped. I don't want the place to get into trouble with the health department. Edited to also ask: What, also, should I have done at the time?

How about a hollowed out baked potato half, filled with a scrambled egg and vegetable combination? Don't forget about pumpkin or zucchini muffins.

You know you're an eGulleter when your husband announces he's leaving second shift and going to first, and your first thought is "no......I liked having evenings to myself!" but your second thought is "I get to cook dinner every night." And your friends say "get? to cook dinner?" And suddenly you're spending all your time going through cookbooks, new and old, for all those recipes you thought you'd like to make "someday", and realize that "someday" is here. And your lunch hours are filled with menu-making activities, and errands to find special ingredients you can't get in your neighborhood. And every morning, upon arriving at work, you recite the previous evening's menu. And your co-workers try to hide the pity on their faces, because they think you're losing it. Jenny

You guys are so good that I'm going to have to have a burger for lunch! I don't think I can hold off until Sunday. What a great bunch of suggestions! The blow torch idea just blows my mind! They'd love it! My grand-nephew is 6; I'm trying to figure out how long I'd be in the doghouse with his parents, for showing him such a thing. But that's the fun of being an auntie, isn't it? My sister still hasn't forgiven me for the things I taught her kids. We're going to have quite a feast on Sunday, thanks to eG. I love burgers with mushrooms, Swiss, bacon, and sour cream, but never would have thought to bring them to a cookout. Why not?

Our extended family is having a cookout over Memorial Day weekend. It's not a traditional thing for us, so I'm not facing time-honored traditions or anything like that. I have been assigned to bring the "fixins", namely sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, pickles, mustard, ketchup, etc. And of course, being an eGulleter, I can't leave it alone and just do the simple basics. Oh, no! Here's what I'm planning: Tomatoes from the farmers market, if I can get them Red onion slices Yellow or white onion slices Sweet pickle slices Dill pickle slices American or cheddar slices Swiss slices Ketchup Mayo French's (yellow) mustard Lettuce I'm wondering if there are a couple of sauces I could also make. Or interesting cheese choices--in addition to, of course, the expected cheddar or American and Swiss. Local cheese offerings are pretty mainstream. I will not be providing the meat, or grilling the meat. Ideas?

In addition to the other things mentioned, I'm a fan of having some very small candy bars and/or an extremely good-quality bittersweet chocolate bar around. Every now and then I've just got to have some chocolate. Currently I'm in possession of a Dagoba bittersweet bar, but my preference is Lindt. Just one or two squares, for me, is the equivalent of a slice of cake or bowl of ice cream. But it has to be really good chocolate. I also like getting on the Amazon website and ordering A's do Mar tuna, at a little over $3.50 a can. Expensive, yes, but a real treat, and an easy way to store some really high-quality food. (You may be able to find it locally; I have to order it. Taylor's market, thru Amazon, has about the best price I've found.) Walnuts in baggies is another must-have for me. Use a Sharpie to put the date on the baggies, so that if you fish one out of the back of your locker sometime, you'll know how long it's been there. Bananas are a great pick-me-up, but you have to keep an eye on them. And if you have room and the inclination, some really good vinegar and good-quality olive oil, with a small container to shake it up in, can transform a sad-looking salad into something palatable. If you can find small packets of Dijon mustard to store with it. . .and a pepper grinder. . .and a small container of sea salt. . .maybe some fresh dried herbs. . .well, then you have the makings of a feast. Those little single-serving wine bottles, after you've used the wine in a soup or sauce at home, are great for storing vinegar and oil at work. Put it all in a plastic box together, and your salad kit moves quickly between the locker and the cafeteria.

It seems like we're dancing on the line between "nature" and "science" here, and in some respects it's clear, and in other respects it's blurred. Upon reading Ken's post, my first reaction was that I wanted to know more from his friend the truffle purveyor. If there are no actual truffles in truffle oil, then it should be labeled appropriately. What we don't know is whether there is ANY way to make shelf-stable truffle oil from actual truffles. Does anyone know whether truffle oil was ever used in cooking before the present day? Did French cooks of the 1800's or 1900's make it, using the last bits of truffle left from a meal, and maybe use it up within a couple of days? When it comes to whether we would use it because it's "artificial" or not is an interesting issue. Beef cattle, for example, naturally graze on grass, but most people would not care for a steak from a completely grass-fed animal. So we resort to the somewhat artificial method of feeding cattle corn and other grains to get a palatable steak. Yes, the grains are natural grains, but they are not what cattle naturally have available to eat; hence the modern steak is aritficially produced, to an extent. There are a lot of other examples where the line between "natural" and "artificial" become blurred. In my mind, if the flavor is acceptable or better, then what's the issue, other than proper labeling? I'm no food anthropologist, but it seems to me that lots of what we put on our tables, even in the very best restaurants, is a significant departure from the ingredients of 100+ years ago, and many of those departures were made expressly for mass-marketing purposes.

I've never been in a restaurant that was obviously falling apart around me (but sometimes I've wondered), but a local place, owned and staffed by people for whom English is a second language, has a "show" every afternoon around 2:30. The family, which is essentially the staff, gets into a gigantic argument in their native tongue. The argument is carried on in all parts of the restaurant, with people shouting to each other if necessary, and gesturing when making a point. Needless to say, getting one's coffee refilled at this time is out of the question. Once, when curiosity was getting the better of me, I took a X-speaking friend there so that she could eavesdrop and tell me what was going on. She listened for awhile, became very red in the face, then turned very pale, and all she would say was "Believe me, you don't want to know."

I am a former employee of an outfit (not a restaurant) that went bankrupt. Our checks never bounced, but they were often late, near the end, and on one payday we were told to go straight to the bank, to get our money before other creditors did. I finally gave up and resigned. Those employees who stuck it out to the bitter end (the firm was absorbed by another firm; I don't know whether it involved a purchase or what) retained any vacation or sick leave they had accumulated. That included the spendthrift partner who basically caused the bankruptcy. I don't remember how many vacation days he was paid for, but it was quite a few, and he was paid before other creditors were. In the end, after he and the other remaining employees, the IRS, and other priority creditors were paid, those of us who left didn't get a damn dime. The only regret I have about leaving, is that I didn't do it sooner than I did. A sinking ship is not a pleasant place to work. Desperate people engage in backstabbing and other unsavory activities with the mistaken notion that somehow it will help them. There is nothing to be gained by staying. I'm glad you decided to leave.

I'd attend one of these in a heartbeat. One, I might pick up some new techniques or recipes. Two, none of my friends are foodies, and I love to talk about food with anyone else who'll talk about it. Chefs usually will. Three, every time I talk to a "real" chef, I learn so much. Sort of like reading eGullet, where several "real" chefs (and a few unreal ones ) lurk. Four, I'm a shameless groupie. There. It's out. No apologies!

I'm just speechless. I've always agreed with those who have talked about the courage of the person who ate the first oyster or artichoke. Where in the hell did Kool Aid pickles come from? Who was the first idiot to think of it? I agree: Oh. My. Gawd.

I think we do have such a thread, and it comes complete with our excuses for hanging onto such things. I, for one, am convinced that hanging onto a huge whisk I've never used, makes me a better cook. I'm lousy at locating threads. Maybe someone else will remember it, and will find it.