SobaAddict70

Eleven Madison Park Tabla JUdson Grill (I think) Oceana (I think) Soba

For the deviled eggs, do you pipe them in with a pastry bag or spoon them in by hand? Soba

All right then. Soba

Done. Ok, ronnie, then Jackal. Cool beans, man. I think we should wait until Sunday for ronnie to start, in the event that jwagnerdsm manages to appear between now and then. Soba

Hm, either ronnie suburban or jackal10. Eeny-meenie-minie-moe... Oh hell, let it be ronnie suburban. Unless jwagnerdsm wants to tag someone else, of course. Soba

So, who's next? Or....who wants to be next? Soba

Ramen noodles. insert gasps of horror here... Soba

Monday: leftover pasta (roasted cauliflower the next day gets even better!) leftover chicken breasts cottage cheese topped with bhel puri mix, turmeric peanuts and coriander chatni (it's good, just don't ask ) bananas OJ Soba

There is a parking garage across the street, but I don't recommend that either. "Charmless block" indeed....NOT! Soba

So, what are they? In this world of copper-bottomed pots and pans, All-Clad and Calphalon pans, Braun kitchen blenders, chef's knives and cutting boards and handy doodads like tourne knives and garlic presses, what's on your list of indispensible must-haves for any home cook? For purposes of this discussion, assume a slightly higher than basic familiarity with cooking and technique -- i.e., not quite beginner's 101 but not quite "average" either. Are brand names truly necessary, or are there acceptable substitutes? Other than that, fire away! Soba edit: as per Sam's post below, a bit of clarification is in order. This thread is for anyone who's starting to get their feet wet, and who, when going to stock his or her equipment in a kitchen supply store such as W-S or Lechter's, might feel a bit intimidated by the availability and diversity of selections. So while cooking styles and needs may vary from person to person, there must be somewhere, somehow, a list of must-haves that any person worth their cooking salt should have at a bare minimum.

For the uninitiated amongst us, Gentle Readers, elyse is referring to a certain (in)famous Safeway in San Francisco, located on Market Street near Church and 18th. Soba

As an ancillary thread to the thread started by Ellen regarding the worst meals you've ever had that had in someone's home, what are the worst non-fat or low-fat meals that you've ever had, anywhere, anytime? I think the one that takes the cake would have to be the time I tried to make a low-fat version of New York-style cheesecake from tofu. Bad idea....something I've never tried to replicate again. Soba

The day I dread going food shopping is the day I'll stop posting on eGullet. In a few words -- not likely to happen any time soon. Now, if I were living in a land of characterless shopping centers and substandard grocery stores (which probably describes some place somewhere in America), I might dread it....but I love food and cooking too much to even view it that way. Just the other day I picked up some duck and Armangac pate that's sitting in my fridge, ready for consumption. Can't wait. Soba

A lot of the "from scratch" debate depends on whether you have the time or not, what your comfort level is with respect to cooking, and the occasion you're cooking for. I can see going all out and using from-scratch chicken stock for a sauce for a dinner party, but not for dinner. (I'm famous for graduating from the skinless boneless chicken breasts school of dinner on eGullet. ) For example, there are lots of times when I'll use canned chicken stock (preferably College Inn) when I'm making soup, or I'll use chicken stock from a local takeout Cantonese restaurant, or I'll doctor bottled salsa with some chopped tomatoes and onions. There are other times I'll go the extra route and make a from-scratch salsa or roasted vegetable stock or what-have-you (especially if I'm entertaining). There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to this sort of thing. And another thing -- none of this is set in stone, in my book. Soba

Diner's Journal: Asiate (William Grimes) (from this weekend's DIGEST. You may have to scroll down for the relevant link.) Chef Noriyuki Sugie, formerly of Tetsuya and Restaurant VII -- both of which are located in Sydney, Australia -- offers an ambitious and elegant marriage of French technique and Japanese ingredients in a fashionable west Midtown location. First impressions, anyone? The Earl Grey crème brulée with litchi sorbet is an interesting possibility. Soba

New York Times Weekend Report Friday, 5 December 2003 -- Sunday, 7 December 2003 A. Dining In/Dining Out and the Sunday Magazine Diner's Journal: Asiate (William Grimes) Restaurants: Wine Bars Sidebar: Wine Under $20 Castello di Borghese (Howard G. Goldberg) Food Heaven on Earth In Kabul (Julia Reed) Recipes in today's issue: 1. Buranee Banjan 2. Yogurt Sauce 3. Risotto Cakes With Mozzarella B. Elsewhere in this weekend's Times... Cookbooks: Sokolov and Company (Corby Kummer) A $200 Billion Courtship of Children (Courtney Kane) Have a good week, folks. Soba

return to dinner from a long, long hiatus: broiled skinless boneless chicken breasts, rubbed with a T. of EVOO and lime salt farfalle, tossed with roasted cauliflower, pan drippings from the roasted cauliflower and more EVOO, capers and chopped Italian parsley rosewater lassi bananas Soba

I guess it would depend on your definition of "robust". Mmm-hmmm, I'm not quite sure any of the dishes fit that bill -- at least none of what we had. Certainly not on the level of a vindaloo. Other views may vary. I think a more accurate descriptor would be "subtle yet complex". Make sense? Next time I think we will have to get the trio of rices (which is what another table had ordered). I'm also interested in their vegetarian selections -- i.e., jackfruit biryaani, spinach chaat. Soba

Hear hear for the Beer Burger!!! Soba

I think we would all be better served by redirecting the conversation back to topic instead of engaging in gratuitous obscenity-dropping as has been the case here. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. Soba EDIT BY Jason Perlow: I've just had to delete a lot of these offtopic and completely unneccessary end-run type posts by MatthewB, Al Dente and others. Please don't make me have to do it again. Thanks.

As an ancillary thread to The Pie Potluck thread, I was wondering what are your favorite quiches? Anything from the standard trio of quiche lorraine, spinach quiche and mushroom quiche to seafood quiche and roasted pepper quiche? And maybe along the way, you can help me decide what to make for the Pie Potluck, to be held in NYC in mid-January 2004. Soba

I haven't tried it and have to be honest with you, elyse -- I'm low on the totem pole when it comes to pecan pie. However, since a lot of people LOVE your version (and since the cheese thingies are this side of AMAZING ), maybe you'll be the first to convert me. I've been thinking lately of making a lamb shepherd's pie with a whipped turnip/potato crust. Another thing that's popped up on my radar is quiche, but I want to do a quiche that's not quiche lorraine, spinach quiche or mushroom quiche, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Soba

um, yeah but now I've got that song "Smooth Operator" playing in my brain and it won't stop. Soba

Is it possible to make sweet potato and/or turnip latkes? Soba

A mix. Preferably hardcover, but softcover has its strengths (mostly to do with cost). Soba