chappie

Which one is it, Scuba? Do you use high heat, like you agree with Fatguy on, or "a lower heat" which you agree with Hest88 on?

Seems like mashed potatoes belong on top, like in shepherd's pie ... Mom sometimes makes a leftover casserole this way, with stuffing on the bottom and of course some cranberry whatever thrown in. With leftover congealed gravy and this spicy cranberry ketchup Mom also makes, I sometimes do the following: Slice potatoes into thin rounds, spray with olive oil (I use a Misto) and bake until golden on both sides. Then place these "fries" in a baking dish, scatter with globs of gravy, grated cheddar and a few erratic dollops of the cranberry ketchup. Back into the oven. The result is rich, gooey and really hearty.

When I worked on a fish processor in Neah Bay, Wash., we used to haul in tons of dogfish as bycatch and I was told they were popular for fish and chips. I'm really intrigued by the vodka/beer batter described in the Times article, and as we have access to local oysters, will be trying it soon.

Why? I love that super-gelatin result from a long boil, and the gelatin is really good for you. But I'm just wondering why the short boil would be preferred.

Jeff is a total dilido.

Haven't really got a feeling for this season yet, but I'm sure it will materialize as the masses get pared down. But I wish to repeat my annual Top Chef rant: After once again watching repeats of Season 2, I am as repulsed by Ilan Hall as ever. What a repugnant little fraud he was -- and yes, I've uttered this countless times, so I'm sorry. As for the grill idea in last week's episode, I would've made even more of them. I wonder if it was possible, using lids (ideally, brick if there was any to be found ...) to construct a makeshift oven over coals. Would there have been anything similar to brick they could've found nearby to do it? I missed how Ariane's turkey was "confit." How did she do it? Finally, Jeff's nickname should be "Silver Spoons" or "The Ricker." He looks exactly like a young Rick Schroeder playing Rick Stratton.

I never called it "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome," but my mom and wife both are very sensitive to the large amounts of MSG used by American Chinese restaurants. Haven't read the N.Y. Times piece yet, but their sensitivity to MSG is not something that can be "debunked." I can certainly feel when it's been overused.

No these are large, salted and dried sides of fish. Like either whole filets or whole, headless, skinned fish. Looks like salt cod to me, bigger than hake I've seen. But is dried salt hake common?

There is a product in my local fish market that looks like dried salt cod but it says "hake." It doesn't look like the hake I remember.

You've got to look up last year's Saveur turkey recipe that called for brining with lots (couple of heads) of garlic pureed, cider and cayenne pepper as flavorings. Best turkey I ever made (and ate) and I used a last-minute, injected store-bought bird. Ed: Here's a link to the recipe and method: http://www.saveur.com/article/Food/Crisp-A...-Calvados-Gravy

V. Gautam: Because of your post I now wish to visit Bengal one day and explore this unrivaled appreciation for fish. Thanks for the post. I live in the Chesapeake Bay region, so the type of fish most commonly available are white perch, rockfish (striped bass), croaker, flounder ... occasionally Spanish mackeral. We catch bluefish, but I don't think they'd make a good stock. How are you differentiating stock from broth, by the way? Broth as in a simple broth made to be consumed as is? Also, to all who have posted, what is a good starter recipe to use with fish stock to best appreciate its properties? This is all new ground for me. I've been cooking most of my life, but never this way.

I just tried this, and mine burned. I was doing nearly high (8 on a 1-10 knob), then turned down to medium when it started popping. It's not badly burned, but I'd like it less so.

What are some of these fish soups you make?

Is it that, unlike chicken stock, which I'll cook for quite some time to develop the gelatin (I would imagine doing so for beef stock also), fish stock develops bad characteristics/flavors when cooked too long? If you do the initial simmer with caracasses, heads, etc. for a short period of time, then strain/filter, could you then simmer and reduce to concentrate flavor?

Does anyone here make popcorn flour with leftover popcorn, and what are its uses?

As someone who is always boiling down chicken and turkey carcasses (even having my mom save hers in the freezer for me), fish stock is something I've never mastered. Many sources cite differing opinions: some say cook it a long time (as in other stocks), others say only cook for 45 minutes. I live a few blocks from an outstanding seafood merchant who is willing to supply me carcasses, heads, whatever I need. So where do I go from there? What kinds of fish make great stock and what parts? What is your method? Also, what are your favorite uses for fish stock? Does it freeze well? It just seems, especially with the availability of ingredients, something I should be doing on a regular basis.

Thanks for all the responses. I will stick with my cheap brand until it runs out, but I'm tempted to order some from Rancho Gordo. Love everything about RG, including the blog, and would imagine the popcorn is as fresh as the beans.

Today I bought a bag (cheap, Food Lion brand) of popping corn and made some in olive oil in a big pot with lid on the stove. Why did we ever stop doing this, and how were we led to believe this was so complicated we must own appliances dedicated to this task, and finally, bypass it entirely for a rubbery, chemical-additive-laden microwave substitute? What I'm searching for, however, is better popping corn than this. Anyone know where to get it? Have any favorites? I think this could very well become a daily habit. The olive oil adds the perfect touch.

(I do see a bit of a problem with spending $500 on a meal, period, but ...) I love the Crunchwrap Supreme and all its funky incarnations. Damn. I'm craving one now. And I agree, it's in a separate category all its own.

If you're already acquainting yourself with St. David's -- which is a 45-minute to an hour moped ride but considered waaaay remote by locals! -- you should check out Dennis' Hideaway, also. The late Dennis' son, known as "Sea Egg," will cook you fresh-caught fish, shark hash, stew and other old Bermudan fare not found much anymore. You should call him in advance. The place is uniquely scruffy -- especially for Bermuda -- and he'll tell you lots of stories about how it used to be in St. David's, which considers itself a bit separate from the rest of Bermuda. Unfortunately, I find the rest of Bermudan fare overpriced and boring. Yes, that includes the top-notch restaurants. I don't travel to islands to eat four-star meals. But that's just me. Just got back from Eleuthera, Bahamas, where I enjoyed the limited but wonderful soul cuisine of fried grouper, fried mahi-mahi, fried conch, conch fritters and sheep's tongue souse. Loved it. Go to Black Horse and Dennis' though. You won't regret it.

Browing the adjacent store at Shalimar Restaurant in Salisbury, Md., I found a jar of Kashmiri tea with instructions on the side (I didn't have enough post-dinner cash to buy it). It said to boil the tea leaves with three glasses of water down to one, then adding more water and reboiling until it was the right shade of pink. Then there were further steps with milk, cardamom, pistachios, etc. My question is, how or why does it turn pink? The leaves looked green like other green tea.

Sauteing ... isn't that French? I prefer to call it freedom-frying.

Archway molasses cookies are one of my favorites. This is sad.

Thanks for all the ideas so far! Already I've made a big butternut squash/spinach lasagna and frozen individual portions of leftovers vacuum-packed with the foodsaver. I was thinking about roast chicken ... sometimes I do them with herbs packed under the skin and mushrooms. If I wanted to freeze this in a portion to be served over rice, could I do this with individual chicken parts like this: Brown chicken in oil in a pan, semi-cook rice and mushrooms, place chicken over rice in foil or small foil pan and foodsave ... then reheat x_minutes/hours, open foil near end? (I don't really know a method here...)

I caught a promo bit Batali and Paltrow were doing while channel-clicking one day -- can't remember the show or even if it was daytime or late-night -- but he kept calling her "Paltz" in a really annoying, Broseph style. I have no interest.