Chris Amirault

If you can, I'd aim lower, not higher, than 170F. I think I was in the 130-160F range, iirc...

Um, no.

Yes, that was the plan -- and I was one of those who thought linoleum and vinyl were the same for years. That's wrong.

Glad she included the "better than Escoffier" line. That ought to get some hackles up.

Good thing you're all waifs.

So I think we're heading into a new project, namely, pulling up these asbestos tiles: "Pulling up" is a bit of an overstatement; "allowing them to finish popping off the floor in toto" is more accurate. Because the flooring is all standard size, we think that this is a pretty straightforward fix. So, two thoughts. Any ideas on where one can get truly excellent tiles in a midcentury style? And does anyone want to disabuse me of the naive notion that it's a "pretty straightforward fix"?

Very interested in this, particularly since I recently moved into my dream kitchen and had to do almost nothing to get there. (Topic about the kitchen here; recent foodblog largely taking place within kitchen here.) It seems like the pinch point in there is at the fridge when the doors are open. How much room is available then?

Glad we have another pastrami convert! Good point. I had "whole" short ribs on the bone the first time around and smoked them only for about 3h with applewood. We thought the smoke balance was just right, and until I read this I hadn't remembered that I had cut back on the smoking time. So I need some help. I'm preparing for a big Mother's Day event that will include someone (me mum) who's currently on a very restricted diet. I'm getting details soon, but I think that I'll need to keep spices, fiber, and a few other things limited or out. It seems to me that there are approaches and recipes in MC that can be very useful for this endeavor. For example, I know that she can eat chicken breast meat, so a simple but perfectly executed, high quality chicken dish is in order. As I get more information I'll share it here.

Does anyone who makes tortillas from nixtamal get them to puff up? I sure don't.

There's been quite a bit more eGullet buzz around the internet and traditional media these days, much of it associated with our discussions of Modernist Cuisine. And with that added interest comes... well, other kinds of interest. Wikipedia defines "shill" as Given the high quality of discussion here on eG Forums; given that, as a non-profit, we don't accept advertisements; given that Society members' shared, avid interest in all things culinary makes marketers swoon: we have our fair share of shills. And given how keen our members are about our mission, you're our best resource for finding them. When you do, just click that "Report" button with the little yellow bell next to it. That will send your note to all hosts, identifying the post and the issue you have with it -- and it keeps off-topic posts from the topic itself. We all appreciate the value of having forums that are free of the sort of back-biting, flames, and other clutter you'll find elsewhere in spades, and this is our best tool for handling your feedback. And handle it we will. Rest assured, we've got good tools back here for sniffing out and dealing shills. That is to say: we're on the case.

No, I haven't. But I do have a second bottle of Thomas H. Handy rye... um... handy, and that has been just fine, just fine.

Grabbed a bottle of Bulleit rye this week and have been playing around with it. Made a great Improved OF with homemade bitters, maraschino, and Marteau absinthe. Lovely stuff. I just did a tasting of Rittenhouse BIB and the Bulleit. I think that the Bulleit has a more pronounced rye flavor and is significantly drier than the RIttenhouse. Don't prefer one or the other; both have a nice place in my cabinet. Unlike, say, Redemption rye, which I was glad to finish off and not replace.

I bought and possess a copy, ordered fall 2010 and arrived in the first wave. (I also had online access and a review copy before that. Yes, I know, lucky me.) I work in Providence RI and live in a suburb. I run a preschool but also work as a bartender and cocktail consultant in RI. I know of at least three chefs and/or cooking school faculty who have bought copies.

Yes, for flavor, they specify.

Yes, I think so -- and based on my experiences with stresa pancetta, it makes sense. So, a combination of things, including moisture loss, diffusion, and controlled aging of the meat, probably combined to make it work. Oh, and for MC owners, this all happened without any Fermento.

Which one? This? I've got it (garage sale) and haven't cooked from it....

Have you ever seen a recipe that suggests a week post-cure and pre-smoke for distribution? I haven't -- but then again, you know your charcuterie stuff far better than I.

I once read a story stating that Toyota USA was getting lots of complaints that their seat position systems were failing consistently -- a problem that Toyota Japan found baffling, as it just never seemed to occur there. The cause? French fries. Got me thinking about car food that finds its way into strange places. My two candidates are Smart Food (or "cheesy popcorn," as we say around here) and coconut donuts from Dunkin'. Eaten by messy others, of course. You?

I'm not surprised that that happened. I was surprised that an additional ten days -- ten days more than anyone has ever suggested to me, including Ruhlman & Polcyn -- would have such a dramatic effect. And NB: it wasn't extra time in the cure. It was extra time OUT of the cure, in a curing chamber.

It's a good point -- though there is at least one member who cooks as both a chore and for fun, sometimes, though not always, at the same time.

Cool. What makes it better?

Yes, sorry, I posted that over here: I followed the recipe very closely, and next time I'd up the pepper for the base recipe and probably try some of my usual variations, especially when my rosemary plant gets going in earnest. But, as I said, this is the best I've ever made, and I've made a boatload of bacon, let me tell you. In particular, the cure was far better distributed throughout the bacon than ever before. This was first notable when I cooked it and discovered that I was getting none of the edge darkening that has happened often in the past -- which I now attribute to inadequate distribution of sugar. Great recipe, great result.

Any/all of the above. I fiddled with it, didn't notice much change after the first vacuum treatment. Give it a go and see what you think.

I think that, unfortunately, it well may be just you. It's not. There are others out there who are pretty busy househusbands. My wife, for example, hasn't prepared a meal unless I'm out of town in years. I think that goes to the difficulties of this topic. eG members tend to be a non-representative group, being a lot more interested in cooking, food, drink, and so on than most folks. Heck, it's why we're here! For those reasons, these sorts of crude gender schema don't necessarily apply, particularly across generations and communities. Now, back to plotting what to do for dinner tonight before I dive into the laundry.

Or savory turnovers? Made the second-to-last batch of jaegerwurst last night, served with grilled cheese using a loaf of bread I found in the fridge.