HungryChris

Yes, I don't think there should be any flour until the it's time for frying. So the real question is how the breading process would be after it emerges from the IP and my gut feeling is it would have to be chilled prior to breading.

Just curious how the fried chicken would be if it went into the IP, first and then was fried.

My attempt to replicate the char-grilled oysters that we enjoyed so much at Superior Seafood on St Charles Ave in New Orleans. Served with hot bread slices to sop up the garlic and cheese infused oyster liquor.

Yes on both counts, Okanagancook, the heat was maintained at 350 with the middle burner off.

Korean BBQ chicken. Soy sauce, gochujang, brown sugar, bourbon, garlic, ginger and rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Marinated overnight. Cooked on the rotisserie for 2 1/2 hrs at 350 F.

A local brew, with hopes of a canning operation. I am happy with the size they are now and bring my empty growlers to be filled every other week. I got the Pine, resin and bakers chocolate in this black IPA. I had it with smoked pork ribs and slaw. Quite good, but I like their APA, 8 Days a Week better. It just wasn't on the board on my recent visit.

My little experimental cold frame is in the distance, but it is interesting to note that on Christmas day, here in Connecticut, the lettuce in the foreground is still growing in the garden! I picked from that as well as from the cold frame for a fresh salad tonight.

I too am a fan of the green tomato pickle. This picture is from pickling day in late October, but in the last month they greatly improved in flavor and have been outstanding. I did not have enough from my garden and had to buy these from a local farmer. HC

FWIW, I do believe that this process assumes you have a "frost free" fridge that has a circulating fan. Not sure how well it would work in an older fridge without a fan. HC

One of my first jobs was in the food business and I developed what I think is the same condition. The Dr. called it contact dermatitis and pretty much said it would stay with me as long as I stayed in the kitchen job, which turned out to be true. Gloves were not really the answer, in fact the hot humid environment in the gloves seemed to aggravate it. Years later I returned to the business, but never got the condition again. I knew quite a few people who also suffered from it and many swore by a product developed for treating milking animal udders with the catchy name "Bag Balm" which is widely available. You might try that. HC

Badly needs some paint and caulk, but I assembled this the day before the first frost of the season here. I hope it will extend the season a bit. Lettuce, kale and chard so far.

I have had the benefit of several careers, including among others, carpentry, a stint one summer in a fish market and several years in the restaurant kitchen. When it comes to the sharpness of a blade being crucial, I always think of carpentry first, the blade of a plane, in particular. We would regularly spend hours at night on chisels and plane blade edges and hold informal competitions. The test was how easily you could shave your arm with the blade. In the restaurant butcher shop, the test was how easily you could shave noodle width slices off of a sheet of thin paper. In the fish market, a sharp fillet knife was important, but also of interest is the fact that when skinning fish, a too sharp knife was a disadvantage and we would use the steel at a steep angle to intentionally dull the knife for the purpose. In my own kitchen, I still pride myself in sharpening my knives and can feel and hear the bumps and nicks in the knife edge by the sound and feel of the interaction between the blade and steel. I know when it's time to spend an hour or so with the stone. Like the tomato test already documented, my test, if I can easily shave the non-stem end off of a tomato, it's sharp enough for my needs and I know I can do whatever I have to with the blade. HC

That size can be used in many ways. They go by too many names, but a common one is middle necks. A mixture of 2 tbs each diced garlic, diced shallots, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 cups white wine, about 12 sprigs each, chopped, of curly parsley and cilantro simmered together until reduced by half, then blended with an immersion blender. Throw in about 2 dozen well washed clams. Cook until they all open and serve with crusty hot bread slices for dunking. Save any unused liquid and add chopped clams and simmer for a good pasta sauce. Here is another good one: Sautee some diced chorizo with diced shallots and garlic with butter and dry sherry. Mix with bread crumbs and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese to form a paste that will stick together. Scoop out enough to cover the raw clam opened and still in the shell and gently pack down. Add a dash of sherry before putting into a 400 degree F oven and bake for 25 minutes. Serve with lemon and some good hot sauce (I like Crystal). It can be a meal or an App. HC

I had a pretty good crop of tomatoes which are winding down now, but the cooler nights are bringing the shishito peppers to life. HC

March of 2002 for me. Sometime a bit earlier I was searching the web for a place to buy sizzle platters for home use and stumbled onto The Fat Guy website. I spent the next few weeks reading every one of Steve's (rest in peace, Steve) restaurant reviews and essays with great fascination, and one day followed his link here. HC

Shelby, I just put three smashed cloves of garlic, 1 Tsp of dill weed, 1 Tbs kosher salt, a Tsp of crushed red pepper in a quart jar and pack in the peeled hard boiled eggs. I fill the jar to the shoulder with distilled vinegar, top off with water, screw on the lid, shake to dissolve the salt and refrigerate for three days. Nothing fancy, but quite passable. HC

My garden cukes are slowing down, so this might be the last batch. Deb's BIL's chickens are going great guns, so the pickled eggs are how I stay on top of them.

I remember the Yumbo, but for all the wrong reasons. My first encounter with Burger King was in college. I had my first Wopper and quite enjoyed it. On the next visit, unsure of the name, I thought that was what I was ordering again, but instead ordered the Yumbo. Of course, being that age, I ate the whole thing, but that was my last one. Now, I can't tell you how many years since my last burger at either place. HC

I don't have a recipe, but share your fondness for the stuff. I first found the Dinamite version on the left in Greve Italy, in Chianti and bought it as a gift for some friends at work. They raved about it so much that I bought more on our next trip and tried it myself and liked it as well. I searched high and low on this board, in NYC, every Italian specialty shop I ever set foot in and on the web in general. I found the Coluccio version which is good, but not as hot and pretty pricey, but you can mail order it. It must be a regional thing because when I asked shopkeepers in nearby Florence, they just shrugged. We are returning to Chianti in September of next year and I will be sure and buy more. HC

We paid a visit to McD to investigate the lobster roll this past Saturday. It was not $7.99, but $9.99. Keep in mind this one is on the way to many of RI's nicest beaches. Still, it was a winner.

After searching for several years for a supply of shishito peppers without much luck, I started growing them in my garden. I still do an occasional web search which turned up the link below. Went out to the nearest TJ's which is in Warwick, RI, and sure enough they had them. Nice to know. http://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/shishito-peppers HC

We visit Las Vegas quite a bit and that is the only place I have bought a hot dog from a cart in years. I like the Vienna Beef natural casing, prepared dirty water style, with sauerkraut chopped raw onions and yellow mustard which we often eat poolside. At home I buy the Deutschmacher natural casing which I also prepare dirty water style with chopped kimchee, chopped onions and yellow mustard. Deb, on the other hand likes ketchup, mustard, relish and chopped onions put on the roll first with the dog on top which I dutifully prepare at the cart and bring to the pool with in Vegas. Given the choice, she prefers it grilled which is how I do it at home. For some reason the Deutsmacher does not lend itself well to grilling so she insists on Ocar Meyer, which I abhor, but prepare nonetheless. She also finds the New England style hot dog roll, butter toasted is an integral part of the dish when possible. If I am cooking for myself, I am quite happy with the 89 cent Aldi's 8 pack roll. HC

It is also possible that the lobster had passed on to lobster heaven a while before being processed. That is why most markets go through their tanks looking for "sleepers" or slow moving ones that will not last long. These are cooked up quickly to prevent what you describe. HC

Cloth napkins are one luxury we like to indulge in. Because they are now used less commonly, we look for them at flea markets and the like. We can find them quite often in elegant format for less than 2 for a dollar. It is just one side of fine dining that is easy to attain and kind of fun. We both like linen, but the feel and heft of the fabric says it all. If it feels right, we buy them. They all really need to be ironed, so the more you have, the less frequently the ironing sessions need to be. HC

I like them with a simple seasoned flour and egg and milk dip breading, fried crisp as a side dish. I also like them fried the same way and then prepared in a casserole just like eggplant parmesan. HC