Katherine

You didn't give the Grey Goose back did you? That would make some killer drinks at the party you could have. Yeah! You got rid of his nasty ass! Frankly, this sounds like a time to celebrate if you ask me. Better yet, throw a "Cinderello" party. They guy who fits the shoes gets the vodka.

yeah. i think most of the planet knows what i'm talking about when i say "ice cold beer" and "frosty mug". sorry for the confusion. I have nothing against a good, cold bud at the right time and place. That has nothing to do with the original topic of discussion. My rant that started this was against ice crystals in beer. If somehow your use of the phrase "ice cold beer" was intended to either change the topic under discussion or the nature or acceptability of ice crystals in beer, sorry I missed that.

I think it might curdle, which will destroy its eating quality (try some), but the organisms will still be alive. I know people freeze cultured milk products to use as starter for their next batch. I believe it's the acidity in sour cream that makes it keep so long, but it eventually does grow mold.

i would say that's also a sign of a curiously cold freezer and a curiously cold refrigerator. Not really. You've probably got half again as much glass as beer, so the temperature of the whole thing is definitely going to end up in the frozen range. We're not talking about restaurants that keep microbrew at cellar temperatures. We're talking about places that chill them to almost freezing to start with, because that's what budlovers claim they want. And freezers normally can chill to 0º, though the mug you get may not have been in there long enough to reach equilibrium at that temperature. I've had this happen at both lunch and dinner. PS: when you are saying "icy cold beer", you are speaking figuratively, while I'm speaking literally. Thawed beer has no flavor left to it, even if you care to wait for it to thaw so you can drink it. Hannah: If you like your beer with slush floating on top of it, I can steer you to a bar that serves their martinis that way too.

frozen beer? i don't think i've ever had it. doesn't sound too good. You are sooo lucky. I've had more than my share. That's just what happens when an extra-heavy beer mug at 0ºF meets beer at 33ºF. A clear sign of bad beverage management. And then, when you send it back, they give you grief and try to tell you that all the other customers are thrilled to get their beer frozen solid. Then they give you a beer in a glass right out of the dishwasher. Grrrr....

and others as well. factually speaking, lots of different types of people like an ice cold beer in a frosty mug. (guilty) Tommy, are you saying you like the idea of a really cold beer, or that you prefer (or don't mind) your beer frozen in a yellowish lump? 'Cause once it starts to freeze, it usually freezes straight through.

[rant]NO!!! There are no circumstances under which it is appropriate to have ice crystals in beer! Ever!!! Don't get me started, you know how I get.[/rant] Beg to differ. Butt-widener needs it. Refrigerator temp, yes. Ice crystals, no. Ice crystals can ruin even bud light. The frosty mug to be filled with refrigerator temp beer is an affectation of people who are easily impressed by things that are very sixties, just like shag rugs and nehru jackets.

[rant]NO!!! There are no circumstances under which it is appropriate to have ice crystals in beer! Ever!!! Don't get me started, you know how I get.[/rant]

If you get paid for it, you're a professional, however poorly paid. Hold your head up and take pride in that status.

Come summer they'll be serving their red wines at 85ºF. Yecch!

what we need is the buffet-lympics--points to be awarded for quantity, variety and speed of attack. style points awarded for order, lack of waste and attitude. definitely no swim-suit competition. someone pitch the food network for me. katherine, your tale intrigues me but i laugh knowingly: i will take you down! Alas, I'm sure you will. I can't eat like I used to when I was speedskating.

There are buffets where you can plan your attack, but then there are buffets where you need to be ready to assault with no notice. These are the buffets for which I was trained. I grew up on all-you-can-eats, smorgasbords, and other pigouts. But although there was no training specific to this aspect, I am prepared at any time to be the first in line at any buffet. Something happens, some turn of the head, a motion of an employee, and I'm up, moving toward the food. Others are still unaware the buffet line is open when I sit next to them with my first full plate. Maybe it's genetic...

Ten years ago I stayed in a Vegas hotel during a seminar. I did much of my eating at the $5.99 buffet, as opposed to the free one that came with the room and looked like high school cafeteria food. What do I remember? Roasted meats of all sorts. Dessert, especially a flan-type custard in a ring mold. And sparkling wine on tap. SPARKLING WINE ON TAP!!! HELP YOURSELF!!! Sorry. I got carried away. Repeatedly.

If he, like me, has a non-working gall bladder, then a tablespoon of olive oil will do it.

I gave an egg an hour at 150º. The white was soft and custardy, but the yolk was cooked. After having done the temperature conversion, I can see that I should have tried it at 140º. Next time.

It's the "Japanese steak house" concept that is inherently bastardized. Benihana is merely the most prominent perp.

There was the time I reached for the cayenne instead of the paprika...

Searching on Google produced two distinct types of "Spanish omelets". The first is clearly a classic potato tortilla, the second a typical omelet filled with peppers, onions, tomatoes and whatnot. The second type apparently comes from the same location as the "Spanish rice" that was served in my high school cafeteria, a gummy mess of unseasoned rice with tomato sauce. No doubt, some sort of a third-hand inspiration ("Spanish-American"-They eat rice in Spain, don't they?), rather than based directly on an authentic dish. Clearly the omelet has remained more successful than the rice dish.

According to the pastry competition rules: So clearly it is some sort of commercial wafer product.

It's a joke, half-bakery, get it? I think they'd do it with scuba divers and suction wands, herding the whales into long cylindrical cages while feeding them... Seals would be easier to work with, but won't sea mammal milk taste like fish?

I really can't tell you, as I'm still running on my first tank, which surprises me. I guess if you did lots of peppers all the time, you'd run out quickly, but when you turn up the gas a little bit (so it roars), it is so hot that the peppers char incredibly quickly. It's great for peeling, and the peppers are still shapely after you peel them, so they're easy to stuff and bake or fry. But if you want peppers cooked through and collapsed, or ready to marinate (especially green ones, that seem to take longer to cook) it's probably not for you. Unless you like to play with torches. I think this has put me over the excuse edge for buying a (small) torch. Making crème brulée once every decade or so didn't quite do it, but throw in some charred peppers... I recommend a trigger start propane torch. Bernzomatic products Stand it on the counter, start it, spear small peppers on a fondue fork, large ones on a roasting fork or kitchen fork. Wave the peppers in the flame. I think you'd need a different tip for creme brulée, or a butane torch.

I think one possible reason we milk other animals but not pigs is that these other animals can be milked between breedings, and freshen annually, whereas pigs breed constantly, sows thus being more valuable for their production of new porkers.

Then on the other hand, by the time my handyman got done, I'd have an screenporch kitchen with a couple, three kamados...

Does that mean that people like me who live in a culinary backwater and rarely eat out are part of the solution? Sadly, no. To be part of the solution, I'm afraid you will have to spend the next six months travelling to Paris bistros, Tuscan trattoria, Carolina rib joints, New England lobster shacks and the Zuni Cafe, spending money on excellent, wholesome food served in homey surroundings and avoiding the latest laquered boits opened by American TV chefs and Frenchmen who accumulate Micheline stars the way Larry King accumulates ex-wives. Otherwise, when these places go out of business, it's your fault. It's a tough job, but we're counting on you. In the mean time, boycott Applebee's. The only time I ever stepped foot in Applebee's was when they paid me to do so. And I didn't eat there. So I ended up taking money from them. Is that part of the solution? Chain restaurants as a mechanism for redistribution of wealth?

I really can't tell you, as I'm still running on my first tank, which surprises me. I guess if you did lots of peppers all the time, you'd run out quickly, but when you turn up the gas a little bit (so it roars), it is so hot that the peppers char incredibly quickly. It's great for peeling, and the peppers are still shapely after you peel them, so they're easy to stuff and bake or fry. But if you want peppers cooked through and collapsed, or ready to marinate (especially green ones, that seem to take longer to cook) it's probably not for you. Unless you like to play with torches.