chuchelo

Dave versus Kevin - I'm chuffed that I picked out those two as the finalists during the second or third show. If Dave can do all that with one hand, he'll have no problems when he gets to the Araxi! It's an entertaining show and I enjoy seeing things from the kitchen's point of view, albeit a very unusual one.

I won't say "both" because I like to play by the rules. Having said that, it depends entirely on the flavours involved. Chocolate meringue pie trumps carrot cake. Chocolate cake trumps chess pie. If neither option was chocolate, I'd go for the pie. Okay, I admit, that's sort of both, but leaning toward pie.

Hmmm, unless I'm having an aperitif, which I shall consume before the first course arrives, I can't imagine having wine with the first course. It seems odd to me somehow. Wine with soup -- yes, v. odd. Perhaps if one has a special wine pairing but otherwise?

Saw the movie and agree with those critics who said that one spends the "Julie" part of the movie waiting for it to be about "Julia" again. Meryl Streep was dead brill as Julia. Her voice was pitch perfect!!! Now I want to know so much more about Julia Child! (And much less about Julie Powell -- she struck me as meh.)

There was a great article about them in the Washington Post magazine over Labor Day weekend - very fun! No Cakewalk I'd like to visit sometime.

Yes, any news on the status of The Fat Duck? I have a friend who is going to France with her husband to eat marvelous food for a few weeks. They planned a detour to the UK for the sole purpose of eating at Tthe Fat Duck. Of course, they made their reservations about 7 weeks ago. They leave at the end of the week and have heard nothing from the restaurant, which under the circumstances seems a bit strange.

A fascinating discussion! Fortunately for me I have found my 1/4 cup measure, hence making my question personally redundant.

Weighing. Really. Much more accurate. ← I agree that this is the most accurate. Unfortunately, my recipes aren't set up that way and I have neither the patience nor the brain power to convert every recipe I have or want to try.

Today I came across a jar of sour cherries from Trader Joe's lurking in the back of the fridge and as I am doing the "eat from your fridge/freezer thing," I decided to try my hand at a very old-fashioned dessert - Pennsylvania Dutch cherry flip cake. Yummy! I could have done with about 2 tablespoons of vanilla ice cream alongside but as that wasn't in the freezer, I gave it a miss.

Yes, yes, yes -- Abbaye de Cîteaux is absolutely my favourite cheese! For those in the US, be aware that while you can purchase it from Murray's or at some Dean & Deluca stores, it will not taste quite the same because it must be aged for an additional 60 days.

Definitely pots! Particularly if I can stretch the definition to include all of my enamel-covered cast iron pieces. Couldn't go back into the kitchen without them! Of course, I would rely on my husband (who is definitely a knife guy!) to grab his knives going out the door. Best of both worlds!

I think I'm looking for old-fashioned measures myself but I recall reading an article sometime in the last few years that there can be big differences in "tablespoons" and "1/2 cups" depending on which measuring set you buy. That's got me worried so I thought I'd throw out the question and learn from others about what's accurate.

And just to clarify, I'm talking about dry measures. Thanks!

I'm not a collector of measuring cups and now that I have inexplicably lost my 1/4 cup, I've got to buy a new set of measuring cups. Would anyone like to make the case for the best brand? Metal v. plastic? Solid v. collapsible? Many thanks!!

I can suggest a great cookbook for just this time of year -- When You Fast... Recipes for Lenten Seasons by Catherine Mandell. It's published by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press and comes out of the Orthodox tradition which is much more strict when it comes to fasting than my own Catholic tradition.

Oooooh, perfect timing!! I was just realizing how much month I had left with so little money. Tonight we had toasted cheese, which is what we call cheese on toast at our house. We have a regular dairy delivery on Tuesday which is just milk, eggs & butter. Otherwise, it's the fridge and the pantry and the freezer.

For those who still want to see this show, it's available at www.hulu.com.

How does he know that he doesn't have enough tea-drinking patrons? Do people announce themselves as they cross the threshold?

I don't drink coffee, so that leaves me out in the cold. And guess what? My husband has stopped ordering coffee after a meal because he feels like it's rude to drink something while I'm not drinking anything after dinner, in other words, because I don't want to drink tepid tea. I don't mind him ordering but he's just stopped. So when a restaurateur thinks it's too pricey to make good tea, he might want to think about how many coffee orders he's also losing, particularly at two-tops.

Slightly off-topic but I'll ask anyway. Why do so few restaurants serve good tea? Which means no tea BAGS, no mugs. Real tea pot. BOILING water. In some restaurants, the teabags are of decent quality (Harney's, for example) but sadly, even then the water is warm at best and very, very rarely boiling as it should be. I don't think I've ever seen anyone order a coffee and then be served some tepid water and a teaspoon of instant coffee in a foil packet. Why are restaurants (even excellent restaurants) happy to provide mediocre or poor tea service?

I think it's the idea that this breast milk belongs to a stranger that gets me. I've never had children, hence I have never nursed. If I had succeeded in getting pregnant, I expect my husband might have had a taste. Still, that's an intimacy restricted to a very few. Some people get quite exercised over wet-nursing, which doesn't bother me at all. But adults eating the milk of other, unknown adults. Blech!

No, thank you.

My work in restaurants is limited to a couple of short stints waitressing. I've spent much more time dining. These threads about the horrors of the kitchen fascinate me (and are a bit scary to read). Here's my question and I ask it sincerely: why do people put themselves through the hell of these kinds of working conditions and (apparently) consider them normal/acceptable on some level? What's the trade-off? Clearly, it isn't money, it isn't the hours, it doesn't seem to be the colleagues.

I think it's marvelous that some restaurants provide health care for their employees. I also think it's a bit creepy to put it on the menu. The best restaurants have the best employees because they do what it takes to recruit and maintain them. Just figure out what that costs, price the food accordingly, and get on with it. I spend too much time thinking about and dealing with health insurance companies. I really don't want to think about it when I'm dining out.

Trader Joe's Organic Peanut Butter without Salt - creamy. Yummy!