tim

Jenson, Consider yourself lucky. All of the breasts at Walmart are enhanced by saline solution, phosphorus and/or silicone. On the other hand, it's acceptable to place hands on the ones enhanced with silicone. Tim

Doodad, The flavor from shellfish is quickly absorbed by fats. Shell and remove the heads from the shrimp. Make a sauce using the shells, shrimp heads, shallots, garlic and butter. Saute the shallots and butter to soften, add the shrimp heads, zest and shells and the wine. Cook for up to an hour adding liquid (hopefully heavy cream, creme fraiche or the like) as necessary, tasting as you go. Strain and add the shrimp (maybe quartered) and cook them maybe 2 to 4 minutes. Great flavor for the Grouper, Tim

Rob, This is really a tough question since there has never been a cookbook that really "taught" the art of German cooking. Mimi Sheraton's book "The German Cookbook" is filled with good recipes. Nevertheless, there is no information about history, techniques, ingredients, recipe development or changes to the cuisine. German cuisine deserves better! Where is the German Julia Child? Tim

Hi, This whip was based on one of those spinning screwdrivers. This looks like a heat diffuser, but why the handle? Maybe its a frypan for an open wood fire. This looks like a very old hot water bottle or bed warmer. You cooked your whole three course meal in this frypan. The large meat course and two separate compartments for your starch and vegetable. You really have a nice collection but my guess is that none of these are used very often. Maybe that whisk is useful. Tim

Ronnie, I bought the beef at the former Bobak's store in Burr Ridge. They are continuing the tradition and are very proud of their meats. I know about AB's roast aging procedures. I don't use the paper towels. Just air in the fridge. Tim

You have discovered what the American Waygu farmers don't want you to know i.e that American Waygu is in many cases not any better than most Choice and the farmers, wholesalers and retailers are trading on the name and its association to Kobe beef. There is some very good American Waygu out there but unless it is graded, it's mostly miss. Zier's Waygu as i remember is frozen from Idaho and I won't try it. USDA dry aged Prime like Dave sells beats American Waygu everytime. I recently procured some real Kobe beef and it is an entirely different product and most be treated as such. It is grilled to small cubes and is fantastic but if you are used to a thick USDA Prime Porterhouse, it may not be for everyone. I have a thread on my search for genuine Kobe on this forum, so do a search. You will also find the information on the Kobe beef supplier and pictures. Anyway, for US style steak, Dave's the best.-Dick Hi, Actually, I was wondering what you thought of the Fresh Food Market's rib steak at $7.99. I'll let you know about the taste of this cheap Choice beef (I don't even know its provenance!) after I finish dry aging and cook the steaks. Tim

Hi, I finally had an opportunity to visit Zier's and understand the enthusiasm. They really know their beef and are really nice about talking about beef. They didn't know about oyster steaks but were very interested. I wanted to send them a picture of this steak from Bovine Myology but they do not have email. I may just mail them the picture. I also found some wonderful beef at a different store and wanted to share a comparison. This is Zier's Waygu at $63 per pound. This is Zier's Porterhouse at $26 per pound. This is Fresh Foods Marketplace's Rib steak at $8 per pound. This made me think, WHY GO WAYGU?? Tim

Hi, The Baker's Catalogue is now offering their version of the no-knead bread titled Absolutely No-Knead Crusty-Chewy Bread. There are significant differences with the Sullivan Street Bakery's recipe. Whopping Hydration: They call for hydration rates between 89% and 97% depending on the protein level of the flour. Second Rise in the Baking Vessel: The crock is not preheated but is used for the second rise. This eliminates the oven spring of the Sullivan Street version. Using the crock for the second rise also necessitates greasing of the container. Shorter Baking Time: The bread is baked at 450 degrees for 45 minutes covered and 4 - 5 minutes uncovered. The resulting bread comes from the oven with a flat top. (I'm not sure about that.) It appears that a period of kneading, rather than stirring, develops a higher, rounder crown. I would like to hear comments on this recipe. Tim

Mona, Actually, your pizza looks pretty wonderful. It looks like an awful lot of cheese, maybe too thick and too many slices. There is also the possibility that your oven was not fully up to temperature. It takes up to an hour to fully heat an oven stone. If the stone is as wide a your oven, it will take more time than with a smaller stone. Tim

Hi, Dumb question. What does "high-ratio type cake" mean? I know my wife does NOT want anything like a box cake result. She is testing the White Chocolate Whisper Cake from the "Cake Bible". Wendy, thanks for the link. Tim

I would appreciate any help from pastry experts. First, I am not a wedding cake baker, but find myself in a situation where I am making the cake for our "daughter". I want this to be the very best cake possible. Our neighbors are fattening up for hibernation with all the recipes I have tried. Buttermilk makes a coarse cake, whipping egg whites makes the cake dry..so. I have eliminated that. I have tried recipes with cake flour, unbleached flour and all purpose flour. I have also tried a yellow cake using oil and wine. Perhaps I am being too critical of myself but I am ready to reach for the Duncan Hines or the Pillsbury with pudding. Any suggestions would be would be greatly appreciated. Lib

Terra, I would normally agree with Sam's advice concerning sets of cookware, but.... Sear has an eight piece set of fully clad cookware on sale for $99, that is half price. There are no pans that will not be used on a regular basis. Here are the vital statistics: Sears Kenmore 8 pc. Tri-Ply Cookware Set: ....Fully clad 18/8 Stainless pans that are induction ready ....Beefy 18/10 handles and thick 18/10 lids ....2.5mm thick, the same as All-Clad Stainless ....REAL POURING LIPS ....Capacity marking inside of each pan ....The sauce pans and stock pot all nest The sizes are as follow: ----1 1.2 qt sauce pan and cover 6 1/4" diameter ----2 1/2 qt saucepan and cover 7" diameter ----3 qt. saute with cover 9 1/2" diameter ----6 qt. stock pot with cover 9 3/4" diameter Supplement this with a skillet and you have a nice set. Tim

Victor, If you are really interested in an old school experience, you really should go to Karl Ratzsch's elegant 103 year old landmark restaurant. I haven't been there in a few years but have never been disappointed. I believe that Ratzsch's serves the BEST German food in the USA, and nothing else comes even close. Look at the menus on their website and you will understand the reason for my enthusiasm. Karl Ratzsch's Restaurant Good luck, Tim

Hi, Jacob's Andoulille is wonderful! Tim

Hi, Vidalia and other sweet onions are sweet due to a reduced level of pyruvic acid. This is the result of being grown in low-sulphur soil coupled with a mild climate. In Georgia, the University developed a way to test onion and provide a "certified sweet" vidalia onion. Many fields in Georgia have low sulphur soil, while many field have normal sulpher levels and do not produce "sweet" onions. While onions grown in 20 counties may be labeled as "vidalia", only tested onions may be labeled "certified sweet". Sweet onions have a very short shelf life. Onions with normal sulphur levels may be stored or longer periods. It doesn't help at all BUT, the vidalia onions that rotted right away were really sweet and the vidalia onions that are lasting quite well are not very sweet. Tim

Hi, Pecan is like a mild version of hickory. It works wonders with pork ribs and will not overpower milder meats. If you have a pecan orchard nearby, offer to accept tree trimmings. The one orchard in Illinois used to burn all of their trimmed branches. I talked them into bringing the wood to our farmers market. Tim

HI, Some years ago, I received frozen crayfish from a friend in New Orleans. I remember that the fat was frozen and packaged in a separate container. Tim

Hi, Representing the out of towners, what are LG, JG and Sri? Tim

Hi, Giada has provided some wonderful moments in the past on the Today Show. I will never forget the time she sauteed boneless chicken breasts (full size) for about 6 minutes and served it to Matt Lauer in a sandwich. He took one bite, said "this isn't cooked", and ran to the end of the serving line spitting up the raw chicken. Al Roker almost choked he was laughing so hard. I always assumed that experience helped make Giada's "heaving breasts" so famous. Tim

Hi, Sears, of all places is offering an 8 piece set of fully-clad cookware for $100. Kenmore 8 piece Tri-Ply Cookware Set The set is remarkable for a number of reasons. 1. The same thickness as All-Clad Stainless. 2. The sauce pans are nicely proportioned and NEST! 3. The handle is much thicker than the All-Clad handles. 4. The pans have interior capacity markings. 5. The pans have nice POURING LIPS. 6. The lids are much heavier than the All-Clad lids. And an incredible bargain. Tim ps edit: These pans use Stainless grade 304 (18/8) which is not as corrosion resistant as the grade 216 (18/10) used by All-Clad. The lids and handles are both made of grade 316.

Dick, I am naive enough to assume that one use of a decanter is to accelerate the maturing/aging of a young wine by exposing it to more oxygen. You might assume that decanter results would be similar to the bottle preservation systems, although the higher surface area in a decanter should be considered. Consumer Reports (Dec 2006, p.35) had a group of experts blind taste wines using different preservation systems. They were not impressed with any of the systems and recommended a cork and refrigeration for up to a week. Cook's Illustrated (Mar/Apr 2005, p. 32) tested various systems and recommended the Vacu Vin. They updated their tests at a later date and recommended transferring wine to smaller plastic bottles as equally effective. Tim

Harry, There is another thread on this topic with some recipes. Italian Beef I also have a very simple recipe using a chuck roast. 5 Pounds thick bone-in chuck roast - Salt and pepper to taste Combine the following spices into a paste: ....1 tsp. paprika ....1 Tbsp. ground Greek oregano ....1 head crushed garlic or 1 Tbsp. garlic powder/salt ....1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (I grind them) ....1/4 tsp. black pepper ....3 - 4 large minced pepperoncinis ....2 Tbsp. lemon juice ....pepperoncini juice Rub paste on roast 1 cup chopped onion 2 cups beef stock 5 bay leaves Place roast in oven with with stuff. cover and roast in 350 degree oven for 3 hours Meat should be falling off the bone Cool, shred by hand and mix well (I usually DO NOT degrease, but you may) Serve on hot italian rolls with pepperoncinis and horseradish sauce. Tim

Hi, This recipe adds portabellas to the mix. 1 Pd. portabellas, remove gills, clean and cut into 1/2" cubes (12 Oz. net) 1 Qt. rich chicken stock 1/2 cup chopped shallots or red onions 4 large red peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped (10 oz. net.) Seasoning to taste: salt, ground chipotle, white pepper Garnish: Creme fraiche or sour cream mixed with pimenton to taste Saute cubed mushrooms in butter to well caramelized - set aside Sweat shallots in butter till soft - do not caramelize - set aide Bring chicken stock to simmer in a sauce pan Add peppers and shallots Simmer 15 minutes Blend with imersion blender to desired texture Season to taste with salt, chipotle and white pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes Add mushrooms and serve with creme fraiche/pimenton Tim

Hi, How did Steven Jenkins miss these finds in his "Cheese Primer"? Velveeta: Originally it was a "pasteurized process cheese food" and is now a "pasteurized processed cheese". What happened? Cheese Whiz: "Pasteurized Process cheese spread/sauce" Tastes like it contains both but contains neither. Tim

Hi, We have owned microwave/convection ovens for about 27 years. I agree with you enthusiasm for the ovens. We purchased our second oven two years ago and were a little dismayed at the choices that were available. There are many micro-convections with small square ovens having plastic walls. We had no interest. There are also options for three way ovens such as advantium or trivection.. We don't want to combo nuke our food. Fortunately Sharp makes some very nice Microwave/Convection ovens with WIDE oven cavities. These come in 24" widths and 30" widths. The oven we purchased was a Dacor model which is manufactured by Sharp. It is an excellent performer. Tim