Chris Amirault

Can we talk about specific ingredients? For example, what exact brands of flour do you get? Where do y'all get it? Oh, and those of you who have steady and consistent recipes of your own are encouraged to post same at RecipeGullet! edited to add RG ref -- ca

← Just checking: fat-blobbed baloney is... um... bad...?

Yeah, the Providence Journal food writer (who hadn't seen episode one, she admitted...??) said that you were extremely knowledgable. Like the date with the great personality or something.... But we sure love the great white lummox that you are, Michael! Of course, we'll also give you lots of merciless, blunt feedback. Wouldn't be the eGullet Society if we didn't, now would it?

The trick to stretching is initially to roll out the edges but keep the center a bit thick, so that when you start really stretching it out, the part getting the most stress is thick enough to withstand it. It's also worth learning how to toss those doughs on the back of your hand with that frisbee twirl, using centrifugal force to thin out the dough evenly. (Did I get the physics right there?)

Is 500F as high as folks will go? I've heard tell that pizza shop ovens get well over that. I think we can get to 550 or so here....

More information to check out: Click here for general info on good canned tomatoes, here for availability in Philly, and here for San Marzano in particular. And this? That's amore, Dino.

McCann's oatmeal when I can. Otherwise, it's raisin bran. For all the reasons you're assuming.

Time for cook-off eight: PIZZA.

Just wanted to let you bakers know that the eighth cook-off is pizza. We'd all appreciate your insights over there!!

Every now and then since December 2004, a good number of us have been getting together at the eGullet Recipe Cook-Off. Click here for the Cook-Off index. For our eighth Cook-Off, due to an on-going campaign for same, we're going to be making pizza. Boy, talk about the perfect cook-off item: lots of folks eat pizza outside their home or toss a frozen pie into the oven, but few make it at home. By putting our heads and hands together, we can learn and share lots of good techniques here, particularly involving the dough. As always, there's a goldmine of information already on eGullet to check out, including threads devoted to pizza stones, pizza stones, and pizza stone thickness, Patsy's pizza and dough, doughs sticking to peels, unusual toppings, pies at home, dough tips, yet more dough tips, and several dozen more. So get our your peels and stones, find some good cheese and gravy, and let's get going!

I think that an ornate serving dish is just where those lentil dumplings belong! And the recipe can be found where...?

Yes, but since this is an All-Star line-up, you're our very own Barry Bonds (sans steroids, of course)! I am sure I'm just one of swarms of readers who will eagerly absorb every bit of this foodblog, Monica. Onward!!

Looks great! 365F may be the secret temp. It strikes that proper balance between 350 and 375. 12 minutes also seems perfect. How many pieces per batch?

And another fantastic foodblog has reached its end! We thank you all for your excellent participation in and support of Pam's great efforts. A final round of applause for Pam! As you may have noticed, we have been enjoying a series of lively discussions on Passover in recent days, including this one about Seder menus and this one about vegetarian dishes at Passover. We'd love to see you continue your contributions to the Society as a whole in those threads -- and, of course, if you don't see an existing topic on something that interests you, why go ahead and make a new one! Thanks again to Pam and y'all. Sleep well.

Over on the fried chicken cook-off, I posted some thoughts and pix of one of our local poultry shops, Antonelli's, where one can get freshly killed chickens.

Folks, let's remember that the forums are for discussion of food, eating, dining, and other related topics. Discussions that veer into general speculation about people and money, or that focus utterly on the cash versus credit debate, are off-topic.

Glad to hear it, Susan. Sometimes food can be more than food, as we all know. My thoughts will be with your family this week.

Do you mean those little round green and white buggers? I have a few in the fridge to cook this week with some long beans in a jungle curry.

Had a great Thai meal tonight for friends: a red curry with chicken thighs (instead of duck) and potatoes from David Thompson, the pomelo salad in the Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet cookbook, and some sticky rice. We also had the green mango and smoked fish recipe in HSSS, which was simple, absolutely outstanding, and necessary for you to make as soon as possible!

Made a damned fine bibimbap tonight with brown jasmine rice, which went really well with the other ingredients. Acceptable? Sacrilege? Oh, and thanks, Soup!

Anchor Porter with a fine bibimbap.

Interesting question. Where do you live? I think that you simply couldn't do this in some communities (NYC springs to mind -- though perhaps you'll prove me wrong!). I urge research! As a customer interested in such matters, you're a good person to do it! Why don't you pop down the street this weekend and ask the managers at the restaurants in question and post to the list?

Interesting NPR story on bubble tea -- click here to listen. Dog bites man alert: apparently the quality of bubble tea in the US pretty much sucks, especially compared to that served in the ultracompetitive markets of Asia.

Check out Amanda Hesser's piece on tapioca in the NYT Magazine -- from which the sig below is taken, fyi!

Thanks, Owen, for your tale, which I will resist using to draw sweeping generalizations about every restaurant that serves lobsters. (I'm trying to show restraint.) Having said that, it strikes me that -- unless you're a Maine lobster shack with a few 50 gallon pots roiling away at all hours -- it would be a challenge to steam or boil lobsters as they are ordered. Does anyone know how it is done in more reputable restaurants?