fiftydollars

I'm a fan of baking my potatoes for pommes puree. I then run them, peeled, through a ricer and add as much butter as feels appropriate.

I agree that after smoking in a typical 250 degree smoker the skin is rubbery and not at all fit for service. For this reason, I typically undercook the chicken during the smoking and then grill it to give the skin a fighting chance of being eaten.

Just keep an eye out for wind and you might want to check on things every couple of hours anyway (since you're having guests over and you probably don't want to wake up to a surprise). I do a lot of smoking with the WSM and once in a while things don't turn out as planned. Often it is due to wind, which will wreak havoc on most any barbecue and isn't a big deal... unless you happen to be asleep and can't therefore make the small corrections to the vents. Other times, the fire is slowly choked out by accumulated ash clogging the vents and whatnot. Again, not usually a problem unless you're asleep. Luckily, you can well avert disaster by getting up every couple of hours to make sure things are hummin' along. Or get yourself a remote smoker thermometer, keep it next to your bed, and get up only when absolutely necessary (you can set it to go off if the smoker drops below 200 or above 250, for example).

can we take a cab there? What should we expect the the round trip to cost? ← You can take a cab, but I would take BART. It's right across the street from the Rockridge station and the ride will cost you about $5 as opposed to somewhere around $75 for a cab.

If you have to stay in San Francisco, Incanto and Acquerello can usually deliver some solid dishes, but I wouldn't compare either to Babbo... at least not favorably. I would suggest Oliveto in Rockridge (Oakland).

Yeah, that's probably it...

I use butterfly brand (milagrosa) jasmine rice straight out of Thailand and unless you rinse it, a bit, it sticks together. If you've never had the milagrosa, get some. It's the best. Nothing but perfect, whole, white and un-specked, grains of fragrant jasmine rice.

It probably won't help your reputation as a restaurant to resell them the next day as if they were "new" ribs. But I agree that reusing can yield a pretty good product. I love rib meat, which can be used in a variety of dishes, including a pretty good hash. It is also a great addition to beans, chili, etc.

The Pepper Plant B.B.Q Sauce

I pound, slice thin, and pan fry quickly in seasoned Wondra.

So to paraphrase... Mcgee says in an article in the NYT that double-dipping may be a great way to share bacteria with friends, family and various miscellaneous others... Any thoughts? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/dining/3...html?ref=dining

<- Gastrophiliac

I've done the same sort of experiment with bbq rubs and MSG does enhance the flavor.

Roasting chickens is a minor hobby of mine. I do it all the time... when I'm hungry... when I'm not. When I'm just bored. But I think baking bread would be my ritual, if I had to admit to having such a thing. Oh, that and I pee around the perimeter.

That's an excellent point about the roller. The height makes it easy to use and you can make pasta using a pretty small amount of counter space. All I need is room for the mixer and a rack instead of having to clear out a large amount of counter and cover it with flour.

I also have the juicer and I have not often used it. Ranking attachments by what is most frequently employed in my kitchen the pasta roller and food grinder are at the top of the list while the juicer is way down there with the pasta extruder* and the sausage stuffer* (just because I'm not making much cased sausage lately). To answer the questions specifically posed about the juicer: -Wouldn't say good... maybe so, so. -Somewhat. -Sure. -Yes. -Quite nicely. -They work. -It's meant to be used on a slow speed. If you, knowing that you likely have to hold the fruit in your hand, are willing to brave top speed, something might hit the blinds. *I'm editing to clarify that both of these are actually sub-attachments to the food grinder. I mostly use the food grinder for grinding meat and I use it alot. Ever since Mark Bittman showed me the way to the 6oz. fresh ground burger, I've been quite fond of them.... speaking of which...

You could also make some pretty good pasta. My favorite recipe takes about a dozen yolks to a batch, which is a sizable load o' yolks in my book and a big reason why I rarely make the favorite pasta (usually go with the standard 1-2 egg recipe). Then to really up the yolk dosage you could make ravioli filled with yolks... hmm... yolks. You could also just use them to boost your cholesterol count by using or overusing them in food you may already be preparing in your home. There are egg white omelets; why not a yolk-only version? You can make mayonnaise with just one yolk, but why stop there?

I really should go back to Boulevard sometime soon. I had forgotten how much ass Nancy Oakes kicks on a regular basis...

I go for the cocktails. If they are worth following a few rules, I'll do it. But the bartender and management had better put at least as much effort in delivering extraordinary cocktails as they do in making rules. If they set a high bar, I will too. Just as with a great restaurant where I will happily jump through whatever hoops you've got to get a great meal, if you want to hold me to a high standard just for the priviledge of allowing me to buy one of your drinks, you had better be worth it.

I think I know where you're coming from, but I try not to underestimate my guest's palate. I've had a lot of guests that would appear to be just as happy eating out of a box, but I cook the way I do because of me, not them. Let them go somewhere else for their slop.

This seems to happen almost every time I have people over for dinner. At this year's Thanksgiving I forgot to serve my signature peas and parmigiano.

I'm going to miss him.

I second the Calpahlon SS roasting pan recommendation. While it's not that important for roasting, the layer of aluminum makes for more even heating when using the pan on a stove-top and makes the pan a lot more versatile. For example, due to its rectangular shape and depth, it makes a very good lasagne pan and a pretty good bain marie. At the time I bought this pan I also considered the AC version and I opted for the Calphalon because of the aluminum layer. The old AC roaster, as reviewed by Cook's Illustrated, featured the triple-layered construction, but I guess the margin is better without it. Forget the whole idea of a non-stick roasting pan. It's about as useful as a non-stick coated stock pot. Sure it will make clean up a snap... until you have to replace it next year.

Sourdough bread, dungeness crab, petrale sole, and meyer lemons.

I've seen wood, but not stainless.