jenifresh

Mashti Malone's is totally cool. The ice cream is gritty and super sugary - but the flavors are so authentic and nice. I LOVE the flat wafer sandwiches. There is a rose and pistachio ice cream - In Pasadena there is Tutti Gelati and I liked their gelato a lot. It was also a remarkably hot day, which skews everything... ←

If you get a chance to go to Mashti Malone's or Bert and Rocky's Cream Co, would you mind reporting back? Actually, I'd love to hear an newcomer's report on any of those places. thx ← Mashti Malone's is totally cool. The ice cream is gritty and super sugary - but the flavors are so authentic and nice. I LOVE the flat wafer sandwiches. There is a rose and pistachio ice cream - In Pasadena there is Tutti Gelati and I liked their gelato a lot. It was also a remarkably hot day, which skews everything...

I feel like an expert on this subject - having made many trips to NYC just to experience every ice cream in the city....and even conducted ice cream tours of NYC with my star employees... There isn't great ice cream in New York at any of the made-on-site ice cream joints - I don't think much of the ones that don't make their own. But, there is GREAT gelato at OTTO. Better than any I had in Italy - the olive oil gelato with maldon sea salt made me weep. Meredith knows here stuff - and man! Chikkaliscious, not known specifically for their ice creams as much as everything else, but I loved the lemon milk sorbet served on top of the lemon verbena gelee -- they use a Paco-jet for the ice creams - http://www.pacojet.com/ which is a way cool method to make ice cream on a small scale. Sorbets at Craft were lovely as was the meal. Cones was a runner-up - and the best ice cream shop - (but desparately needs a new sign)... A related side note... I think the worst service in all New York food establishments is at it's ice cream counters (what's with the two taste minimum Il labortorio?). The employees everywhere I've been have been disconnected, disinterested and disengaged. Believe me, I don't need a song and dance - but a little professionalism would be well rewarded - it's good for the community - and it shows that you're an expert. Why are full service restaurants always judged on their level of professional service, but ice cream joints aren't. I think they should be - it's the overall experience that makes it worth it. Plus, it's easy to give great service when you work at an ice cream shop c'mon... there is no excuse. And speaking of Cold Stone Creamery - I don't like their ice cream - but I ABHOR their service - that they sing a song when tipped drives me insane...it's the other end of horrible customer service in my opinion - and it shows that their ice cream needs gimmicks.

Carpigiani. I've owned four of these machines in ten years - one of them was fifteen years old and still in perfect condition. I currently use my 20 qt and 40 qt daily - I had a 2 qt also when I was just starting, but sold it. Hands down the best. I've also used Taylor and believe that Carpigiani turns out the most superior ice crystal structure. These freezers are rarely available on the used market - a testament to their durability. On the other hand, Taylor has a new slower speed motor (which makes much better ice cream), and they might let you try it to compare. I've always had good service from Taylor when I've asked for something.

I have contacts in Ohio. From tiny dairies and dairy processors to all kinds of growers and chefs - I'm active in Innovative Farmers of Ohio and Chef's Collabrative...I make ice creams based on the principles of the Slow Food Movement, and am active in our public/farmer's market in Columbus. Let me know if I can help.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. No bottled dressings. An unbelievable statistic! (I do have jarred mayo, but that doesn't count).

I agree with grade B. Maple buttermilk ice cream. A little buttermilk, a lot of cream! My favorite snack: bananas and milk with maple syrup. When I was young, we tapped our maple trees every year. I can not think of anything more lovely. Well, our honeybees did give us incredible honey.

Yes, do not get into trying to chop chocolate that has oil in it. It's a very messy job. It melts faster than butter with the warmth of your hand. Just pour it into semi solid ice cream and stir gently until you have the chunk size you want. It will harden immediately in the cold cream. Incidentally, this is a great way to make "Magic Shell"... you may need to experiment with other oils like a bit of coconut oil, which hardens in a thinner shell than chocolate, in addition to canola or sunflower. Sometimes I make a tray of "truffle". I put a thin layer of melted chocolate on silpat, let that harden, then top it with a thick layer of ganache (with or without alchohol), let that layer harden in the freezer and then top it all of with another thin layer of melted chocolate. This I freeze and chop into large pieces and chuck into ice cream for a "truffle chip". Each chip has that characteritic outer crunch on each side and inner smoothness of a truffle. Yes, it is over the top. But mmmm! In this case, you must chop by hand quickly and preferably while standing in a freezer. Of course, good chocolate is a must!

Saveur to learn ABOUT food Cusine at Home/Cook's Illutrated if you want to learn HOW to cook And be sure to check in with Australian Gourmet Food Traveller, Waitrose, Martha Stewart, Williams-Sonoma's mag and the likes for that ever-important INSPIRATION. http://www.cuisinemag.com - I like this one even better than Cook's Illustrated http://gourmet.ninemsn.com.au/gourmettraveller/default.asp - Australian Gourmet Food Traveller is an incredible publication. More epicurean and less practical - but really inspiring.

I am an ice cream maker by trade www.jenisicecreams.com . Those big chunks of chip that you get in Graeter's ice cream ARE made by adding vegtable oil. If I do it this way, I usually prefer sunflower oil. It is neutral in flavor, and usually organic. This oil has a lower freezing point than the chocolate solids. The ratio is about 3 parts melted chocolate to one part sunflower oil. Pour it into your mostly frozen, but still supple, ice cream and stir gently - just to break it up a bit. Or stir vigorously to make what the Italians call stracciatella - which is small shreds of chocolate. Unless you have a powerful ice cream machine that freezes it pretty solidly, let it harden in your freezer for an hour or so before adding the melted chocolate - and make sure that the chocolate is about room temperature, or it will melt your ice cream. At my shop, I add cream or even water. Basically, I make a ganache and pour it into my ice cream when it is coming out of the machine. Sometimes I add a little butter - even though it has a higher freezing point, it works. I make it and test it the same way that I do jam, I freeze a spoon or a plate and put melted chocolate on it. If its too hard, I add more cream, too soft, I add more chocolate. The folks at Scharffen-Berger will give you a great recipe as well. Just give them a call, they are very helpful, especially if you're using their products!

With so many great spots in Vancouver, how could I choose a favorite? I forgot to mention that Vij's was WOW. And neat to look at. Mark Bittman called it one of the best Indian restaurants in the world. www.vij's.ca

I was in Vancouver recently to eat for a week. I went to many of the restaurants that you visited and also loved Feenies, Lumiere and Barbra Jo's. I wonder, did you get to Vij's? It was an incredibly memorable Indian fusion dining experience. They have a nice website that does justice to the establishment: http://www.vijs.ca/index_in.htm I found it to be one of my all time favorite dining experiences.

Was just at Sona a couple of weeks ago, had the nine course tasting menu with wine pairings. Walked out giddy. May easily be the best restaurant in LA. I recommend opting for the wine with your meal. Although there were a lot more whites than I normally would have chosen, it was well thought out and truly complimented the meal. I was impressed with the service, which was impeccably professional. The staff seemed very young to be so knowledgeable.

I buy lemon juice at our public market here in Ohio. The industrial juicers are great because you get more of the pulp and oil from the zest - these juicers thoroughly crush the whole fruit. I use it to make lemon ice creams and nothing compares. With the pulp, it has more flavor than if I used the juice only. The wholeale price is $45 per gallon, but worth the cost.

I can report that a meat grinder by a company called Villa Ware is a great piece of equipment. I use mine for hamburgers, and sauage making and stuffing. It's versitile and very easy to use. It is very sturdy and well made, with all metal mechanisms. I paid $80 new. Good luck!

I highly recommend Lumiere, sit at the tasting bar - it's a wonderful place. And next door is Feenies, owned by Rob Feenie, chef at Lumiere. It's modern and more casual than Lumiere. Marc Bittman wrote about food in Vancouver in The New York Times sometime around September 2003. I took it with and hit all the spots that he recommended. Barbra Jo's Books to Cooks in Yaletown is a great stop for a local cookbook from The Granville Island Market, or Lumiere. My favorite spot, however, was Irish Heather in Gastown. Great mussels and beer, not to be missed. It's a gastropub. And then behind it is Shebeen Whiskey House. Here you can make friends with locals and drink comfortably.