Chris Amirault

Dave's right there. However, there is a cabinet nearby, to which I could affix a light. Thanks -- great suggestion. I really liked the Donald -- not Trump, thankfully -- and it could attach to the side of the cabinet without looking too weird. However, $300 is pushing the edge of feasibility. What about little work lights that sit on the counter itself? Anyone have ideas under $100?

Interesting you'd suggest that. I was under the impression that the gods of midcentury design would strike me down dead if I put in track, halogen, or any such other lighting.

Of course not. On the side. In the sandwich would be gauche.

As I mentioned here, I'm having a bit of a problem with lighting in my new/vintage kitchen. However, I realized as I wrote the post that this often happens to me: I'll get set up to do some prep work and find the lighting to be subpar. It makes me wonder what options there are out there for spot lights that can be used in kitchens. Most I've checked out are designed for "desks," which is ok but not ideal; I usually need more light over more area than desk lights provide. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks, Sam. Does anyone have any ideas for period spot lighting? We've replaced this light with one more conducive to the kitchen's overall design: However, the light isn't bright enough for that counter, and I do most of my prep work there with my back to the fluorescent light above. I'd like to avoid attaching something to the cabinets if possible, but if it were just right I'd go for it.

Someone ordered a chop suey sandwich with extra fries at a Chinese-American restaurant yesterday. I wish I had had my camera.

Well, I loaded up at Tea Source: Ceylon Vithanakanda Estate, Assam Sree Sibbari estate SFTGFOP, and Keemun Yi Ji, a toasty, forest-floor cup that I really, really like a lot.

What kind of sauce are you using, David?

John, do you use cinnamon in your QE?

That video was great! It wasn't in good shape, so the crunch came from other stuff, including a hefty dose of pickled radish. Not sure what's authentic or not -- whatever that means -- but I definitely remember ground, roasted chile pepper in at least one version in Thailand.... I'll check Thompson tonight and see what he's got to say.

Yeah, I suspected Fee's was the culprit. Scrappy's are hard to find; Adam at Boston Shaker has them back in stock, so I'd start there. You might want to try orange bitters, especially if you can find Regan's. "Packy." Haven't used that word in a while...!

Happy to chime in, Mithril! Just checking: that was Noilly Prat vermouth and Scrappy's celery bitters? Or did you use the Fee's? The Fee's is much, much more one-dimensional -- CELERY -- whereas the Scrappy's is a more nuanced, complex product. That would make a big difference, especially in a drink with so few other components. Speaking of which: So let's talk a bit more about ice. As you remember, ice does three things: 1. It mixes stuff up. Not a likely culprit in this situation. 2. It dilutes. Do you think you had approximately a 25% dilution? Was it watery? Too strong? 3. It makes things cold. Do you think you got down around that 27F range? We'll figure it out!

Lots on that subject will be coming soon.

I have found that, if I drink enough and stare for an hour or so, the tiki glasses start dancing in a very entertaining manner.

It's a good question, and I don't have an answer. It does face north windows, though, so there's never direct sunlight. In addition, few items last for years in there, if you get my drift.

Thanks! I was wondering the same thing and tasted the water, which seemed unusually mediocre. Should have tried freezing it. However, given that speed of freezing seems to have quite a bit to do with crystal formation, I'm not sure whether that would be conclusive or not.... I had other stuff in the freezer that I didn't want to warm up from the hot water.

Oh yeah.

I'm pretty sure most cuisines have sweetened, fried dough, too, in some form or another. And I, for one, want to know how to make every single one of them.

At the start of the topic, you saw my dilemma in my old place. We've moved into a vitage 1950s house, and, well, they thought about entertaining and liquor cabinets. Forgive the crappy photos: There are also drawers for tools, towels, and coasters, as well as additional shelving below for extra glassware, punch bowls, etc.

The fluorescent light fixture on the kitchen ceiling has decided that the third bulb change meets its karmic needs. No project there as a result. Praise the gods.

I have much to say about this topic since I returned from Kazuo Uyeda's Bar Tender in Tokyo, which he designed himself. More to follow, but one basic point was abundantly clear: the bar itself is far wider than most US bars, creating three distinct zones: a working zone for the bartender; a "transit zone" where drinks are presented and then moved to the guest; and the guest's zone, where the drinks and snacks reside. When the guest is finished, he pushes the plate or glass into the transit zone, where it is quickly whisked away. If you put your head down the bar from one end -- as I did several times, to the entertainment of Uyeda and his staff -- you can see the three zones demarcated clearly, all because of the care of the bartending staff. Amazing.

So I took a crack at a modification of Kohai & Camper's method, only because I found a mini Igloo cooler at Savers the other day. A layer of Tavolo cubes in a bath of hot water, with a closed, not open, top: Turns out 72 hours doesn't quite freeze everything: So that's a hole with about 3c of unfrozen water, with a nice casing around it and, especially, below it. It's great trick if you're trying to create a pretty container for for a nice punch, or a big dose of Everclear and Red Bull. Not my plan today, so I broke it up. The "bubbles" are small imperfections on the surface, not in the ice itself: Cleaved out a rough rock and poured some Talisker over it: So that's a pretty easy-peasy way to make big chunks of clear ice. Not quite a block, mind you. Perhaps next time I can let it sit for five or six days, see what happens. But in the meanwhile, I'm pretty happy.

Nathan, can you comment some on why you wrote a book instead of using some other information format? I for one am very happy, but given your background it's fascinating that you chose a medium that's getting kicked around quite a bit these days.

Bumping this up as I think we're making pad thai for dinner. No kids, so we can turn up the heat. One of the recipes I'm looking at uses banana blossoms. Has anyone tried that?

Still experimenting, but it's about improving something already quite good. Thoughts? Because Paula says to do that, and I tend to do what Paula says. Seriously, I agree with her: it's a better fit, I think, for this application.