amyknyc

Hi all -- Got home to NYC this afternoon after a fabulous trip and I'm so jetlagged that I'm writting a quick note before I crash. Great hairy crab in Shanghai, unbelievable dumplings that I stood an hour in the rain for (and they were so worth it!) In HK, had some great meals but have to say that I'm completley addicted to dim sum. Had it every day (metropole, Maxim's, you name it) and found out that hubby and I are two people cursed with the eyes-bigger-than-stomach problem! Had a great (and spicy) meal at Da Ping Hou and a delicious farewell at Hu Tong. Anyways, I am writting this to promise I will post a full report, but probably not until after Thanksgiving Day (Thank god -- I need some non-Chinese food!). Thanks again for all your suggestionss -- Hong Kong and Shanghai are both such fascinating, welcoming cites (and incredibly safe! just in case anyone was scared by th epast above).

OK, I'm liking the idea that this was somehow the garlic's fault. Any idea how to tell the juicy garlic from the less-juicy kind? I'm not sure my garlic is labeled at the local veggie place -- it's just thrown in a bin. I will definitely try to coat with oil first -- that seems like a good call.

OK, ever make the same dish over and over with no problem and one night you make it and something totally different happens and you just want to scream why WHY WHY?? that's me this morning. So, last night I made tofu stir-fry and if there was ever something as reliable as a staple in my apartment, this is it. It is my go-to meal when I don't feel like cooking. There are buckets of marinade in my fridge for precisely these nights. I could stir-fry with my eyes closed. Here's what happened: I always use my all-clad stainless steel wok (i know, I know, it was a wedding gift) and grapeseed oil. I start by heating the oil and once it's hot, i toss in a generous amount of minced garlic and ginger. Well, last night, I tossed it in and the garlic immediately started to stick to the bottom of the wok. I added more oil, but there was already a fair amount in there and the sticky garlic turned into this burnt glue that ended up coating the bottom of the wok. Metal spatulas couldn't scrape the stuff off. This has never happened to me before and now I'm scared to make my go-to dish! Was the oil not hot enough? too hot? too sparse? could the garlic have been bad (there wasn't any green in it, but who knows)? I'm open to any diagnosis....

You guys have been a great resource -- thanks! I'm off in 2 days and will definitely report back when I return!

OK, so I finally made roasted cauliflower for the first time the other night and it was good, but I had a problem. I have a single oven and wanted to make roasted cauliflower and a 4 lb. roasted chicken (it was a cold night, I was in the mood to roast). So I figured, better to make the cauliflower first and reheat. I cooked it 350 for about 50 mins. which nicely crisped the floret and turned the little pieces dark brown. perfect. pulled it out, put a piece of itn foil over it (mainly so I wouldn't eat it all while the bird was cooking) and boosted the heat in the oven and stuck in the chicken. The chicken took about an hour and 15 minutes and when I pulled it out, I popped the cauliflower back in to warm it back up again. But when I peaked in like 3 or 4 minutes later, ALL the pieces had crisped up so much they were blackening. I pulled it out fast and we were able to salvage some of it (still good, even when charred) but I want to know how to prperly reheat this stuff. Should I undercook it and then finish it off after the chicken? Or wait til the oven cools more? Or does anyone have any experience sticking the cauliflower in the microwave for a minute? Thanks!

OK, so maybe I was *almost* done (Yuki I love the street food suggestions -- what else should I be on the lookout for?) I don't really like the guide books that just came in the mail (it looks like companies like Fodors aren't doing another addition until 2005, so I had to settle for more up-to-date books by companies I don't usually use). So hit me with your must-see list of HK... also, anyone have an opinion on whether it's worth it to do the tailor-made suit? My husband wears a ton of suits and has been talking about this, but I'm skeptical. T minus 2 weeks...

OK, I'm going to weigh in with another vote against GE. I don't have any specific experience with the gas stove you're looking at, but we have a GE dishwasher that's been a huge headache. Worse than an appliance that gives you grief (it's bound to happen with something), though, is a customer service department that flat-out sucks. Ready for this? Our still-looked-like-new dishwasher starts dumping water all over our kitchen floor one morning. I go digging through instruction manuals looking for the warranty, which for some reason I hadn't saved. No prob -- I call GE. Well, turns out my two-year warranty had expired exactly 8 DAYS earlier. Yup, 8 days. And GE, bastards that they were, would not do anything for me. I talked to every manager and their mother and got nothing. Of course, they can't come fix it for at least two weeks, blah blah. More than $300 later.... And that is why I will never EVER buy GE anything again. (I wish I were home right now and could check our stove brand for you, because we've been pretty happy with that).

OK, I think I'm set. Thanks everyone for all the help -- this has been great!

We're pulling together the Thanksgiving menu and one of my favorite things are mashed potatoes, but the way my mom makes them they have a ton of dairy -- you know, the usual suspects -- cream, sour cream, etc. So, I'm wondering, for the lactose-intolerant (like myself) is there a way to have our mashed spuds and eat them too? I know I can't do much about the sticks of butter, but I have to believe that even just taking out some of the dairy would help. Have you ever cooked with Lactaid milk (which is what I put in my coffee)? Do the potatos come out the same consistency? Any pointers would be great!

Thanks hzrt8w -- I've heard about the Victoria Peak station and we definitely plan to check it out. We're staying at the Penninsula, but are willing to travel anywhere -- commute time really doesn't matter to us. We don't know any locals in HK (we will in Shanghai though) but we're in our late 20s so we don't mind the "rowdier" crowds OK, I'm crossing Luk Yu off my list. We're thinking of either Aqua or M at the Fringe -- does anyone know if M at the Fringe is the same type of restaurant (same owners, same food, etc.) as M on the Bund? If so, we'll probably skip that since we'll have come from Shanghai. So, right now, the list looks like: Dinners: Da Ping Huo -- Sichuan Man Jiang Hong --Sichuan Yung Kee -- Cantonese Aqua or M at the Fringe or something else maybe in a hotel Lunches: Metropole for lunch dim sum A ferry trip to Cheng Chau island with a stop for seafood lunch Is this a good assortment/cross-section? Whaddya think?

Maaraw, what is non-traditional northern Chinese-inspired food?? This sounds really interesting!

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I have now thoroughly revised my list! One question: Is dim sum at Metropole something I can get any day for lunch or only on the weekends? We're going to be there on Saturday, but not Sunday (and in NYC at least, Sunday is the big dim sum day -- is this true in HK too?) Do people eat dim sum for dinner? OK, so we have four nights in HK. Right now, definites are Da Ping Huo and Man Jiang Hong -- are both these Sichuan? I'm also considering Yung Kee for Cantonese or Luk Yu for dim sum. I do want one nice, upscale splurge place -- should we do Fook Lam Moon? Or is the price astronomical (even by NYC standards)? Will it be a memorable experience? I also want a seafood restaurant. If Cheung Chau island or Sai Kung aren't places for this, where do you think we should go? Thanks again for everyone's help -- this is great! Amy

Oh wow -- I had no idea about Hairy Crab season. That looks like a definite must-try. So do you eat all of these creatures or just the roe? What are they like?

I will definitely hit Old Shanghai Moon. Did you find you had to make reservations at most places? And is that a place I will be able to go without anyone who speaks Chinese?

I just found out that I'm heading to Shanghai and Hong Kong in less than a month for about 9 days total (3 in Shanghai and the rest in HK). I've combed these boards and others and am trying to put together some restaurant lists for me and my husband (who does lots of business in Shanghai but only seems to eat at Italian restaurants). We're in our late 20s, and both pretty adventurous eaters from NYC who can handle spicy food and I'd love some input from anyone who's been to either of these cities recently. So far, I've found more info on HK and am considering: Fook Lam Moon Maxim (city hall) Luk Yu Teahouse Seafood in Cheung Chau island or Sai Kung Da Ping Huo Yu Aqua Any thoughts? In Shanghai, I don't really want to do 3 on the Bund, since we've eaten at most of the J-G restaurants here, but am more looking for really good local restaurants. (As an aside, Pan, I saw your posting about Old Shanghai Moon and it looks great. Any other places you visited that you would recommend?) TIA!

OK, just to update everyone: Out of sheer laziness, I ended up doubling the recipe with little problem. The only thing that happened is that the cakes turned out denser and slightly thinner than they have when I've made this recipe in the past. I'm not sure if doubling it had that effect, but it's never happened before and that's the only thing I did differently. Otherwise, the cakes tasted great! Thanks for all your help.

Sigh. I was afraid that would be case. I'll do two batches just to be safe. Thanks!

Hi -- I'm a longtime lurker here with a pressing problem. Six more people just signed into a birthday party I'm having tomorrow night and I'm wondering if I can double a Cook's Illustrated recipe for yellow cake (not my choice, but my husband is a longtime fan). It's a very basic two layer 9'' cake and I'm thinking of doubling it to add a third layer and then tossing the fourth layer. Is this wise? Will this do weird things to the cake? Help! TIA...