Chris Amirault

Oh man. This is dangerous. How far a detour off I-10 is this place if one were headed south from Phoenix to Tucson? What kind of pork do they have there? Are there hog farms nearby, or is this stuff shipped in from the Heartland somewhere?

Finally tried the Abba (I'm not joking) brand from Ikea, and, honestly, I like the bolder salt-packed anchovies, inauthentic though they are.

How does one get crumbs from fresh bread? It has to be at least a little stale, I think.

That's in part my problem: the crumb is too fine, almost dusty. I want a crumb somewhere between powdered sugar and small peas. Good tip -- I'll try that right now.

I have two partial loaves of bread that I have sliced and am drying on the counter; I'll then toast them briefly in the oven and give the crisped slices a few pulses in my Cuisinart. However, I always end up with too much dusty crumb and too much chunky crumb that has to go back into the oven. It's a PITA and I'm eager to learn a new method. Ideas? Tricks? Let's hear 'em!

Might that be an argument for using clear glass now and then storing it in amber bottles later? (That was a genuine question, not rhetorical.)

Depends on how big the skillet is, but if it can accommodate a large roast, not really. However, a Dutch oven has tall sides that make it less than ideal for (dry-heat) roasting -- and I can't imagine a Dutch oven big enough to hold our 16 lb turkey at Thanksgiving. I'll leave your induction questions for someone who knows more than I do on the subject (which is pretty much anyone). However, the questions about "what you need" can't be answered without your telling us what sorts of cooking tasks for which you anticipate using the equipment. Are you strictly cooking European continental cooking, with the full sauce range? What about Chinese food? Broiling? Do you make a lot of rice or pasta? In any given meal, how many courses are you likely to serve, and how many of those require simultaneous cooking on a stovetop?

If you are using 80 proof vodka you are 40% alcohol and 60% water. 35% alcohol would mean a person would need to use 70 proof or better to meet FDA requirements. ← Erp -- poorly phrased question, and thanks. I think that lagrassa addressed the issue that was poking around in the back of my head. Does only the alcohol dissolve the soluble elements of the vanilla, or does water do so as well?

Welcome Nick! We've got quite an impressive list of kitchen reno topics, including these by Varmint, Dave the Cook, the Perlows, Marlene, and MelissaH. There's also two kitchens growing in Brooklyn: johnder's and mjr_inthegardens. Take a look at those and let us know if you see any answers. As for your questions, I see you've taken a look at slkinsey's eGCI Understanding Stovetop Cookware course. That's a great place to start with many of your questions. My crack at a few of them: I don't know exactly what potjkies are, but if they're unlined cast iron, one main answer is the porcelain enamel lining. The light color makes it easier to see the food in the pot and the porcelain provides a boundary between the reactive metal and acidic ingredients which can darken the food. You don't have to season and maintain them either, and, well, many people think they look purdy. Sorry, can't resist: to sauté things, mais oui! If you do a lot of sautéing, a sauté pan's high straight sides and large flat base make it easier and less messy to do. Frying pans can work, of course, but their sides are designed for flipping food and thus aren't straight. Ditto above. Do you roast meats at high temperatures? Do you want to get that nice browning effect on the bottom? If those things are true, then a quality roasting pan with a solid base makes a huge difference. Click here for an in-depth discussion. I've no experience with pressure cookers, but I had to dive in here: Dude, you've got the Society confused with some other group of people! Believe me, we name names.

My split and chopped beans in Stoli are doing fine -- no industrial smell, just alcohol and vanilla. Water, it seems, is also a possible ingredient: The FDA requires at least 35% alcohol -- which means 65% water. Is anyone using water in theirs?

Welcome, Nargi! Can you or anyone else tell us what the characteristics of attending culinary school at an AI seem to be? Are there cultural differences that show up in the program, curriculum, or student population? I ask because some of the most influential chefs in the greater Providence area (Bruce Tillinghast at New Rivers, George Germon and Johanne Killeen at Al Forno, Ciril Hitz at J&W... the list goes on) are RI School of Design graduates.

Mebbe. I'm counting on the vodka working its flavorless magic.

I'm in. ← So, 100 beans per gallon is about 6 beans per cup of solvent. That's the ratio I used for my 12 beans and 2 cups of Stolichnaya vodka. (Always trying to use up the vodka: click.) I split the beans lengthwise and then cut them into 1" strips. Steven, thanks for the beans. The ones I have possess a distinct and slightly rubbery smell. Is this typical? Worrisome?

Does it have a name? Where are the sponsorship decals?

As we just announced here, Ron Kaplan (ronnie_suburban) is stepping down from his role as an eGullet Society volunteer. During his tenure, Ron was the host of the Heartland forum and worked on several other Society projects. Ron will continue to participate as a member and will carry the emeritus staff designation, but we'd like to take this opportunity to thank him for his service. Please use this topic for food-related reminiscences about Ron's tenure. For personal notes of thanks, please use the personal messenger system. It'll come as no surprise that my own personal reminiscences are related to Ron's deep and abiding relationship to his sausage. (Stop snickering.) There are few members or volunteers with his enthusiasm, great humor, and willingness to dive into ground pork up to his elbows. Whenever I chatted with Ron about cure times or soaking casing, I had this image in mind: What's not to love? Thanks for everything, Ron -- and we'll be happy to see you around the forums.

Ron Kaplan (ronnie_suburban) has stepped down from his role as an eGullet Society volunteer after a long tenure. We thank Ron for his service and look forward to his continued participation as emeritus staff. To honor Ron's service, we've started a topic in the Member News forum here.

From all accounts, the "commercial" model is very different from the ones marketed to consumers as "professional." For example, we got a $20 rebate slip from the dealer, but this particular model wasn't listed on the form; however, all the professional series machines were. It is one of the very appealing features, but, again, we'll see. I don't know. Our old one was a 6 quart machine, so the bowl and attachments don't work. (We foolishly gave away two 5 quart beauties years ago when we got the 6 quart... sigh....)

My wife the baker went over and checked it out, and we made the decision today to buy it. $400 including taxes. It's built like a tank and seems very well designed and machined. Yeah, I know, proof in the pudding, or dough: more updates later.

Two thoughts. Are you sure that you got sick from the undercooked meat? Most anecdotal reports of "food poisoning" cannot reliably be traced to actual food poisoning. Perhaps it was just a stomach bug that you already had when you plowed through that bleu NY strip, and because you were feeling a bit queasy you associate that feeling with the meat. On the other hand: maybe you just prefer well done meat. I mean, it's not a crime, despite what some might say around here.

To that I say feh: click.

I'd love a free copy of the database software cocktaildb.com uses, so you can search on ingredients and names. I wouldn't put an upper limit on hits, though.

So after a few years of heavy use, our KA 6 qt reconditioned stand mixer just imploded; it'll cost about $200 to fix. I think we're going to strip it for parts and get a new machine. I've been looking around at the options and they're not looking too good. Because our checking account can't abide certain consumer desires, we have to say no to the Hobart N-50 and it's $1800 price tag. Other options like the DeLonghi make us wary, partly because we cannot check them out in person but also because we have accessories for the KA that I use regularly (pasta roller and meat grinder) and that would cost a pretty penny to replace. For a while, we were thinking more and more about just grabbing a Hobart-era KA from eBay, which may still happen. But after some conversations with two folks here who work in the restaurant supply business and reading up a bit, we're growing intrigued by this KitchenAid Commercial 5 Series (model KM25G0X). It apparently has a better motor design, stands up to tougher kitchen tasks, uses the new dough hook, and is getting rave reviews. It lists for $545; I can get it for about $380 locally (important for us if possible). Has anyone got experience with this precise model? I think it's different than the more common KV25G0X found all over the place, including Amazon; I believe that KV model is no longer available (can't find it on the KA website). Thanks in advance.

Surely I'm not the only one who has notes scribbled in the margins and frontispieces of their cocktail books!

Like the variations on the Mahattan, the name refers to a neighborhood in the base drink's city: clickety.

Thanks for the propers, jcho. I just got back from the roll-out party for Edible Rhody, hosted by publisher Alex Corcoran. The mag itself seems solid -- I'm particularly partial to Johnette Rodriguez's piece on quahogs and the two-pager by Christopher Martin of quahog.org on the Greek immigrant origins of the two first NY System weiner shops. Anyone else seen it? Look in your fave local shops and restaurants, where it's distributed for free.