Chris Amirault

There's a chute in the kitchen leading to the basement that we've been using as a laundry chute. I looked down it this weekend and realized that the previous -- original, from 1958 -- owner used it as a garbage chute. Ugh....

26% eat vegetables three or more times per day? That seems really high to me. Do people here eat vegetables for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I usually have them for the latter two meals, but very rarely for breakfast.

Questions I regularly ask at my bar: "How would you like your Old Fashioned? Do you prefer a lighter, wheated bourbon or something with a more pronounced rye character? Sweeter or drier? Standard Fee's or Angostura bitters, or would you like to try one of the orange bitters? Standard or improved?" Etc. Statement at Aviary: "Here's your Old Fashioned" -- which really means "Our Old Fashioned."

That is a good thing. However, removing one of the crucial components of bartending -- a la minute service of a quality beverage -- is a bad thing. Just sayin'.

On the face of it, though, swordfish seems like just the protein to benefit from SV: usually cut relatively thick but even; often overcooked in standard high-heat applications. Is there something about the type of fish that makes it unsuitable for SV? Given how much it costs -- even when on sale as it was today -- I'm not likely to be doing much experimenting....

For years I have wanted to be able to prepare fresh nopales (finding the canned ones horrible), and I finally got the chance this weekend, when I spotted them at the local supermercado looking pretty good -- considering we're in Rhode Island. I made the nopales al vapor estilo otumba from Diana Kennedy's Essential Cuisines of Mexico: sauté the trimmed and diced nopales with garlic, sacllion, jalapeño, and salt, first covered and then uncovered, with some epazote tossed on at the tail end. It was very, very good, and I'm hoping it holds up for a day in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner party. Made me want to keep an eye on the nopales supply in town for future reference -- which makes me want to know what other folks are doing with their cactus paddles.

Big batch for a dinner party tomorrow: 18 hour soak, a bit less water, and went a bit longer with the grinding than before. I'm also letting the masa sit in the fridge overnight for the first time, so that I can make the tortillas fresh tomorrow just before dinner (and after work). I should let it come to room temp before pressing and cooking the tortillas, yes?

Short answer: not really. Longer answer here. That was for tortilla masa, but my guess is that the issues that the frozen masa presented -- mediocre texture both before and after cooking in particular -- would apply here as well.

I won't bother to report on several chicken breast escapades (five spice and schmaltz; basic butter with S&P) here, as they merely repeat a truism on this topic: SV is an amazing way to prepare that protein. Has anyone had success with swordfish? There are some mediocre to bad trials up-topic, but no one seems to have a rave yet.

There are still holdouts! When I was in grad school in Milwaukee, there were still a few cinemas that popped their own corn and served them with butter -- including one place with an honest-to-god curved Cinerama screen. Apparently, only the Times cinema still does that.

I've never seen the Thai version in stores; can you show us the package/item? (Here's a flickr image of the ya cai that I usually buy for dan dan noodles.) I think that using their pungency to offset a rich dish would work for the Thai ones, no?

Too sweet seems to be a theme....

Eech is an Armenian bulghur wheat salad that a local chef here features with a roasted red pepper sauce instead of a tomato sauce. Perhaps you could make that and sub in quinoa or something similar.

To what ends are people putting their mustard seeds?

FWIW, the ones that created the problem in our household (for my wife) were from TJs.

You got me curious, so I tried some of my Dian Hong Imperial Yunnan black tea from Norbu, which is at least a year or so old. Not sure I'd agree, as the woodsy quality I like so much in it is a bit more muted, I think. Hard to say. Speaking of which, if i'm a big fan of that tea, what other Chinese blacks should I try out?

Paan reminds me that I'm about to dump a bunch of lime into water for nixtamal this weekend.

Some people (not me) have had responses to batavia arrack van Oosten and Smith & Cross rum that I think might qualify as "confused," or "incoherent," or "inharmonious."

Made it the other day inspired by Jenni's post, with some mustard seeds, red chili, and coriander and finished with lemon. Would've been nice with some crisy fried shallots on top....

What about "complex"? I've been accused of using that word too much, and I sometimes wonder if it's true. The word always means something good in my book; "confused" would be the negative version.

"KFC’s latest idea to promote its bun-less Double Down sandwich involves the backsides of college co-eds."

Seems pretty possible that a contestant on a high-profile television show might change his behavior with cameras rolling.

Sometimes things are just as good as you remember. I have this thought whenever I eat a Filet o Fish or real popcorn with butter or a pea picked off the plant. But sometimes the past is a lot more ugly in the here and now. I had a real affection for Quaker Oats instant oatmeal growing up. It was a warm alternative to the usual cold cereal on a school day, and I'd improvise with raisins or cinnamon sugar and make it my own. Tried some today because the school lunch isn't to my liking. Holy cow. Every cliché about bad oatmeal applies. Pasty. Bland. Sticky. Pallid. So tender that it's almost... fecal. Yes, I know, what did I expect? Well, I expected something that would fit my rosy nostalgia a bit more neatly. It doesn't. It flat-out sucks. Any other food out there that turned out to be a blown tire on the road to yesteryear?

I think it really depends on how you want to use the rye. JB rye is very soft, not nearly as spicy or potent as the Rittenhouse or WT 101; it's the sort of rye you'd give to your friend who loves a wheated bourbon like Maker's Mark as the first go-round. But IMO it really doesn't work in some recipes. I've never made or had a decent Sazerac or Manhattan with it, in particular.

You're right, I think: I had meant to put formaldehyde in quotes. I think it's moonshine, or its Atlantic City equivalent, for which we'll soon learn dozens of synonyms, no doubt.