NulloModo

Actually, I wonder how well alcohol would go with mashed potatoes... Just think of the possibilities: Pissed Potatoes Shit-Faced Spuds Trashed Tubers ...

Oooh, also remembering way back when from the BLT thread this summer, Basil goes quite well on a BLT, no? So, how about basil leaves spread over the top in a chiffonade instead of lettuce? Or mixed 50/50 with iceberg lettuce for that crunch...

I always thought for a pan to be a bundt pan that it had to have a rising shaft in the middle so as to leave a big open space in the middle of your cake.

Hmmm, I'd do it as a hot/cold soup. Make something similar to a tomato gazpacho, chilled, do some shredded lettuce on top, crumble some warm crispy bacon overtop, swirl in a bit of mayo or sour cream, fresh cracked black pepper, and serve while ther lettuce is still crispy, the tomato base still cold and chunky, and the bacon still warm.

And really, it is a misnomer as well. If the term derives from where I imagine it does (the habit of Pimps to sometimes have to 'slap a bitch' for whatever supposed wrongdoing said pimp suspected) then really the term should be 'Pimp Slap' (which you occasionally here, but not as often). I would also be accepting of 'Slapped like a Bitch' but that is somewhat more cumbersome. So, really, we should be saying perhaps that Chef V was 'Slapped like a Bitch' in a recent series of NYT articles, or that the NYT 'Pimp Slapped' him. However, saying he was 'Bitch Slapped' certainly implies the wrong image.

You know, if someone did develop that, it would sell like hotcakes, legal or illegal. There is no reason not to look to science to improve upon things we already have, if the changes made can be seen as a clear improvement. I just don't see where there is need for improvement from the current oils we have availible to us. What's the point of frying something at 800 degrees when you can burn the outside before you finish cooking the middle already at 375? I still don't buy the total lack of flavor being a good thing either, but then again, the only time I cook with water is when I'm baking, anything else stock is definately the way to go (heck, I should try baking with stock sometime...).

What exactly are the qualities of a good bagel then? I have to say I always loved the overly huge ones, as you could toast them enough to give a nice crispy crunch, but still leave lots of doughy chewy goodness on the inside. If the bagel is too small the crunch overwhelms the chewy doughy factor.

I don't see a problem with synthetic foods, and the thought that 1 in 2 males will contract cancer is beyond ridiculous. However, I am wondering if the lack of synthetic fats isn't just due to cost to develop something like that, and lack of a real demand. Let's look at some of the possible benefits: Saturated vs. Unsaturated: There is increasing evidence being shown that saturated fats aren't in fact all that bad for us. The whole good fat vs. bad fat thing is, IMO, pretty overblown. High Smoke Point: There are plenty of oils out there with smoke points high enough for most everyones use. Peanut oil is relatively cheap and has a smoke point high enough to deal with deep frying or sauteeing anything, and Grapeseed is out there if you really want those extra couple degrees worth of comfort. Taste: Personally, I like that oils/fats have flavor. I keep a variety of oils/fats on hand, because different ones will add a different character to a dish. Using butter vs. olive oil vs. corn oil in different situations gives the dishes more depth, I don't see why you would want to cook in something flavorless. Demand: A ton of the population is perfectly happy using canola oil, margarine, and crisco. There are tons of blatantly better options out there already, but that unholy triumvirate outsells them, so, I can't imagine a new oil on the seen getting enough attention to make it marketable.

Well, my smoker has an optional attachment, a 'Cold Smoke Baffle' that supposedly allows you to cold smoke things like cheese, vegetables, etc, which too high of direct heat would hurt, I can always look into using one of these to do sausages, but from what I have read from others experience, they just set the temp fairly low on the smoker and there is no problem.

Interesting, according to dictionary.com the two food related defs of Entree are: 1. The main dish of a meal. 2. A dish served in formal dining immediately before the main course or between two principal courses. So, at least in US English, I see nothing incorrect about referring to a main course as an entree.

I think the overall point is that it can be just an inexpensive to buy whole foods and eat well as it is to buy pre-prepared foods and eat like shit. This was a very good article, and yet another reason I have never bought into the theory that the lower class is chained into poor nutrition by fast food and etc.

Darn it, I want some snow. I would love to make some great wintery feeling meals, but it was like 50 something degrees today, and will be like that at least through the week... I hope winter hits the Mid-Atlantic sometime soon...

Based on a recent post on the Philly board: Grind it up with some high quality ground beef, stuff the patties with gorgonzola, and enjoy the best burger you've ever had.

Bacardi 151, so named because it is 151 Proof, and quite flammable. My local liquor store also offers several other 'overproof rums' although I can't remember the brand names of any, generally around 150 proof is the highest I have seen.

Interesting that all of these sausage recipes keep including 'fillers' I've always thought they were an undesirable element in sausages, which is one of the big reasons I want to make my own... (that, and so I can smoke them...)

I find it really interesting to see how so many of you here so vehemently opposed to the contact, is there a particular reason for that? I've never known it to be a big deal, and in the case of a waitress with male diners, or a waiter with female, amongst many people I associate with, friends, peers, etc, it seems to even be encouraged... I wonder if I live in whacko-land (as opposed to Jacko-land, where other touching is the norm). Actually, as a male, I don't even mind contact from male waiters. There is a delightful little (well, pretty big actually) diner in West Hollywood called The French Quarter. Almost all of the waitstaff there are gay men, and if you go in as a man, they have a delightful habit of fawning over you and placing hands along your neck or back as they take orders/bring drinks, etc. As odd and potentiall out of place the behavior seems, it does a lot to make one feel welcome there and not out of place, even if you aren't homosexual yourself.

I never really got cake. Too dry, too texturally the same all the way through, too bland, too boring, bah cake. Plus, frosting is usually pretty digusting, shortening tasting, and certain areas have way more than others, so, no thank you on the cake. I'll take a still-warm in the middle cookie, an ooey-gooey brownie, a slice of fruit or pecan pie, or a nice thick slack of cheesecake (more of a pie than a cake IMO) anyday. EDIT: Exceptions to my dislike for cake include fruitcake (love it love it love it), rum soaked jamaican black cake (nothing rum soaked can by bad, see fruit cake), and extremely moist carrot cake or german chocolate.

And as an added bonus: they also sell very good cheese, and have quite a collection of bizarre/gourmet snacks/nuts/sauces.

I would assume he does it to appear more personable? I know I am in the minority here on this, but I appreciate when servers initiate a light touch, or kneel down, or sit down at the booth, promotes a more friendly atmosphere.

What's wrong with the word entree to describe a main dish?

Hmm, I will definately document and photograph the process when I get started. That $15 stuffer/grinder on Amazon doesn't bad at all, but for a not that much more, the one Andiesenji posted also has some draw.

perhaps a use for those williams-sonoma and amex gift certificates you got this year? just a thought. ← Possibly, but I don't know what all else I would do with a stand mixer... My food processor kneads dough quite well enough for me (although it is sort of a PITA to clean all the little pieces, and that the dough blade tends to ride up the shaft and get gunk in all its little underside nooks and crannies), and I have a hand mixer for the rare occasions I need to mix something and a spoon won't do. Maybe though.... I don't think WS sells a stand alone stuffer/grinder.

No stand mixer here, and while patties could be good I suppose, they just bore me ;) They don't have that nice snap and juicy explosion of flavor that you get from a good link sausage.

Hi, I am interested in starting to make my own sausages. Preferably, I would like to make nice stuffed ones in casings (natural, artificial, whatever). Problem is, all of the websites I have found lead me to believe I would need to invest nearly $100, or much more, into a grinder/stuffer machine. I would ideally like to start out as cheaply as possible and just see if I even like doing it before investing in serious machinery. I am thinking about using a food processor to grind the meat, but I have been told that perhaps that will grind it too fine, and the texture would be off. I also thought that perhaps it would be possible to buy a funnel and just stuff them through that by hand. Has anyone else tried sausage making without the specialty equipment? Do you have recommendations about types/sources of casings? Am I just setting myself up for stress and dissapointing by doing this without a grinder/stuffer? Thanks.

Speaking of manners and your corporate story: Is it considered poor manners to have more than one drink at a business dinner?