Chris Amirault

I think tea is a very good place to consider this issue of acquired tastes. One of the things that happened with tea -- and has happened with rum, oysters, and other items as well -- is that my first few encounters were often "meh." Then, as I tried new ones, different varieties, and, honestly, better product, I realized that I didn't like the bad stuff but was very interested in certain types. And, the more I learned about different oolong varieties, say, the better I understood my own tastes. That is to say, I acquired a better understanding of the tastes I have.

I've been drinking more tea in the last few years than I ever did before, and for one reason: I needed caffeine at work and, because I'm in a very public setting, I can't have things like coffee grinders buzzing or espresso machines hissing. I'm also more like Matt Kayahara than Moopheus, happy to try new things and see if I can acquire a taste for those that are challenging, and so I took it as a learning opportunity. It's been very rewarding, though I don't have a lot to add to what's been written here. I think cdh hit the nail on the head. I'll add that Greg at Norbu and the folks at TeaSource are very generous about sending samples, working with you to identify styles you like, and so on. One last thing. Like any enterprise to which people dedicate themselves, tea-making can get pretty particular. I have an electric kettle, a cheap glass pot with a removable strainer, and a standard issue white mug that are my main go-to tools. Now and then, I'll weigh out the tea in grams and take the temperature of the water, and I always time it (I start at 5 minutes and work from there). But I confess not to having the seriousness of purpose and method that others around here have. Now cocktails....

There are moments when my cravings for a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish gets the better of me. Afterward, I'm usually not the happiest camper, gastrointestinally. How about you? Do you ever wish you didn't have the food jones that you have?

Next up is the San Nen Bancha - 3 Year Aged Bancha - Medium Roast. As Greg said, it's a warm embrace of a tea: no astringency, very soft in the mouth. The aroma, for me, is more earthy -- think slightly wet, brown oak leaves on warm late fall day -- than roasty. Another winner, though I think I like the Sunpu Boucha better, personally. I brewed this at quite a bit lower temperature than yesterday's Sunpu, btw, letting the kettle sit for a full couple of minutes before pouring the water over the leaves and stems.

All sounding very tasty, but Ashen, I need to know more: I loves me my Montreal smoked meat, so I'm intrigued. What else is on there?

Yes, I poured too much oil into the pan, tis true. Trying to juggle too many things, including a camera. Yes, it's definitely induction-friendly. Thanks for this. I got to thinking about it after posting this last night, especially wondering about the thickness of the newspaper reducing the efficiency of the burner. Oh, and I was using "Power Cook." I think that these concerns merit another try....

While I can certainly understand why anyone wouldn't want to spend $450-600 on a cookbook, regardless of how excellent it is, I caution the haters and luke-warm types who have concluded, based on misinformation, that the book is merely a collection of space-aged gizmos, powders, and foam. I've made the best pastrami, chili oil, rhubarb syrup, beef stew, and vinaigrette I've ever made following the book's guidance; I have an improved understanding of my skillet, broiler, charcoal grill, and deep fryer too. For those of us interested in cooking what they've always cooked in better, more intelligent ways, the book is a treasure trove. And while the gizmos, powders, and foams are, too, exhaustively explored and explained, I would hate for anyone, man or woman, to judge this book by its cover -- or by some techno- or information-phobic reviewer who didn't bother to read it.

Superthin slices was very crunchy; cooked through with the vinegar and sugar was a more tender but still toothy bite. I definitely think that this could be done on the stovetop.

Are there classic sides? Those potato salads and slaws Heidi mentioned sound really tasty....

Yeah, that's why I grabbed them. They were tasty and all -- you can see them over here -- but they weren't prime. Of course. But I suppose they might have been premium....

What do you do with the raspberry shrub once you've got it on hand?

So here we go: Not quite getting that high heat blast I wanted: Not bad, not the best either: Meanwhile, excellent newspaper tip!

Two more tasty uses for the vinegar and piloncillo: SV pineapple core "noodles" and the aforementioned pineapple shrub.

I want to learn about shrubs. I am drinking a lovely beverage made from the following: 2 oz Appleton V/X 1 oz pineapple shrub* 1 oz lime Shake; strain over fresh rocks in a highball glass while adding a bit (2 oz?) of soda. It's tart, refreshing, and I want to make many, many more of them. The pineapple shrub consists of a combination of piloncillo and banana vinegar from Rancho Gordo, some crushed pineapple and pineapple juice, and the leftovers from a session making noodles from a pineapple core. I had to adjust it so I don't have an exact recipe yet, but this is a very promising addition to the bar: tart, complex because of the very ripe pineapple, vinegar, and piloncillo, and with a splash of this and a bit of bubbles, a very easy item to use. Makes me realize that there's a world of interesting shrubbery (insert Monty Python joke here) I need to learn. Where to start?

Here's the "noodles." First, prep to slice them nice and thin: Resulting pile of thin noodles (with bizarre lighting problem thanks to Picasa): I cooked them sous vide at 75C for a couple of hours with some piloncillo and banana vinegar from Rancho Gordo. Next morning, I sliced them into thinner ribbons, added some julienned ginger, serrano chiles, salt, lime, and peanuts: They were excellent, sort of a slightly crunchy pineapple version of somtam. Went very well with the grilled chicken.

So I bought this yesterday: It was tasty meat and all, but "Premium"? What the heck does that mean? Really, "Black Angus" is bad enough. What's "Premium"? Sounds sort of like prime with a few extra letters -- heck, it IS prime with a few extra letters. But I don't see USDA prime on there. Any other hinkey meat grading systems out there? Meanwhile, for shame, Joe, for shame.

I've been making some terrific pastrami lately and it's got me wondering what I should be doing with it. Sure, I have the "on rye" concept down, but are there other serving suggestions to consider?

Richard wanted me to let everyone know that he's having some computer screen issues and will be back here as soon as they're resolved. So, full disclosure: the Ichiban Hojicha - 2010 Dark Roast Shizuoka Hojicha from Norbu is one of my two or three favorite teas, so I know what I've got to say about that one! Given that experience, I thought I'd start with the Sunpu Boucha - 2010 1st Harvest Hon Yama Kuki-Hojicha. I did my usual set up: ~5g to 500 ml of water just below the boil for 5 minutes. I intentionally didn't read Greg's description or recommended amounts, temps, and times just to see how it reacted to my less finicky approach to brewing them. As Wholemeal Crank points out, I've found these teas to respond well to my oafish technique, and the Shizuoka Hojicha came through as well. I just love this tea. The aromas I picked up were not just roasted nuts but E & A Gispert, the old, wood-encased nut shop in Barcelona, a combination of roasty shells and nut meats. Because of the heady, malty steam, it also reminded me of the wood planks in the uber-hot saunas at the Russian baths in Brooklyn. as you can see, the sense memories around this stuff are very rich for me. It has a fuller mouthfeel than my usual Ichiban Hojicha, sweeter and more robust. I wasn't sure what the finishing flavors were all about until I read Greg's description; sure enough, there are green tea notes sneaking out to dominate the complex tail. I think that Greg nailed it when he said, Clearly, it's not an easy tea for me to describe, either, since I'm stealing his description! However, the shift from sweet to dry might be familiar to fans of classic Manhattans (2 oz rye, 1 oz sweet vermouth -- a fresh bottle of Martini & Rossi will do just fine -- 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters; stir, strain), a cocktail that gives you a lot of spice and sweetness up front but finishes with a complex, dry flavor that makes you want another sip. Speaking of Greg's post: I probably was around 180F or so, and I didn't detect any excessive bitterness -- but, then again, bitter and I are good friends.

2kW indeed: the 1600W burner I have didn't quite get to superhot, which I needed for a good, fast post-SV sear on the tri-tip. More with photos later.

At schwa in Chicago, I had pineapple core that had been sliced very thin (mandoline?) and cooked, probably sous vide, then served as a sort of papardelle. It was delicious. I think I'll try it out....

Hrm. That doesn't make sense to me. Using two of those sample bags, I just cooked a bunch of fingerlings in duck fat at 85C (over 180F) for two hours and everything seems hunky dory. What am I at risk for?

Stealing two ideas: Will document and report back after dinner.

I am a very big fan of Sitram, and though this set is beyond your range, well, I couldn't resist including it here. I got a similar one years ago and see no need to ever get anything else.

Best yard sale find ever: a Cooktek induction burner.

When I bought (for $5) it, I was in a rush, it was covered in dirt and muck, and I didn't know anything about the things, so I tossed it in the back of the car until just now. I cleaned it off and, well, how about this: It's a Cooktek C-1500, which I think -- please correct me if I'm wrong -- is a 1500 watt model that's roughly equivalent to this 1800 watt one on Amazon. It works, is very quiet, and is, without question, the best find I've ever made at a yard sale. Particularly considering I had no idea what it was. So what's the difference between "Power Cook" and "Hold Temp"?