Chris Amirault

No, I don't. This is just an attempt to characterize, for people used to drinking watery vodka sours, what makes a classic approach to cocktails "classic." The first five principles are the key; the next five are just additional points.

Here's the "What makes a cocktail classic?" slide from my intro workshop: My crack, anyway....

Well, sure, back in 2006. But most of those elements are now standard issue in a lot of cocktail programs that start with "cra-" but don't end with "-ft." Doesn't stop those programs from claiming they're craft...

What he said. It's a good PR tag.

He said that those bags are the standard issue 3 ml bags that I linked to above. They aren't retort pouches nor boil bags.

I think that "craft" can apply to two things. One is the recipe itself; the other is its preparation. I can't give you a very good definition of the former (classic, on the other hand, I could do), and the latter is a list of the basics: quality ingredients thoughtfully prepared and served.

I couldn't swing the 1K bag purchase so I just grabbed two boxes of the 3 ml Vacmaster bags from Amazon: 100 10"x13" and 200 6"x12". I did talk to Conrad at Homestead Harvest about offering a package with an array of, say, 200 count of three or four sizes, and if they do something like that he said he'd be in touch. ETA: I did confirm that the VP 112 selection are all 3 ml bags.

You crazy fool, blogging during and after a massive holiday. So what have you learned about the Passover crush since 2006?

I hated my icemaker until it broke. Then I realized how often I was using it: to cool stocks and brines, to shock blanched produce.... Now I miss it.

For worst TV product placements, I think that Top Chef takes the cake -- or, rather, a bowl of tasty Bertolli pasta!

The organization takes some getting used to -- as would, I think, the organization of anything this massive. After all, most content could reasonably be included in several sections; it's all one big Venn diagram. Thank goodness for the cross-indexing....

Agreed on Ideas in Food: it's terrific -- and the only other cookbook I've bought worth recommending this year for the aforementioned reasons!

I was talking to a marketing/PR friend he other day, and she said that, bar none, the "buy me some peanuts & Cracker Jack" line from "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is, without question, the best product placement in the history of food marketing. She also claimed that the Reese's Pieces in "E.T.," a slot famously turned down by the M&Ms people, is solidly #2. Wracked my brains but I couldn't challenge her. Perhaps you can. As for the worst? My money's on poor, poor merlot, getting beaten up throughout "Sideways" and suffering for years as a result....

I really like the Lamb with Apples recipe in Society member Paula Wolfert's Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean.

I'm pretty trad. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, maybe a hot dog and a beer....

What are the merits of those? To me, most seem... um... awful.

So why is nearly impossible to find good coffee and good baked goods in 1 store? Posted from my handheld using the Tapatalk app. Want to use eG Forums on your iPhone, Android or Blackberry? Get started at http://egullet.org/tapatalk

I knew el Bulli was disorienting, but I didn't realize that was literal. Is that your table in the foreground?

Not too late, but it's closed nearly all of the days I'm free.

I think tonight I'm hitting Le Pigeon if I'm ready for a good walk across the river, or Little Bird if not.

I'm curious about this as well. Pilori and prospectbake, there was a lot of discussion about this question in the first SV topic, the index for which is here. This equipment index, in particular, will help you out. Here's a quick summary of what I think you'll find in there. Yes, many of the immersion circulators you'll find repackaged or remodeled for kitchen use are simply versions of those found in labs, but the features vary quite a bit depending on intended use. If you go to the two different PolyScience IC websites -- one for science labs and one for kitchens -- you can pick up the differences quite quickly. The SVP, for example, contains the heating coils within the casing and is built to clamp onto a stock pot, unlike the lab circulators. So the question is, how will you be using it at your house?

Made a very simple golden beet greens sauté tonight that I finished off with the banana vinegar and served with the roasted beets that had some Jean Georges Vongerichen-style chili oil I made from the Modern Cuisine book. Just fantastic.

The overarching questions here are: (1) what do your customers want, and (2) what does your restaurant want to offer them? It's a little like asking what ten vegetables you want in your walk-in, or what ten spices or seasonings on the shelf. So, in terms of beverage experiences, what do your customers want? And what does your restaurant want to offer them? Or are you just looking for spirit eye candy?

Was that this?

As you lucky folks dive in this weekend, share your impressions. Where did you start? Where did you go? What things are you thinking of cooking first?