dans

Thanks for everyones help. I made my first batch tonight and they came out OK. A little too much nutmeg and some size variations, but they still tasted OK. I was wondering how to keep the size variation to a minimum. This batch seemed to have some really small ones, about the size of a chocolate cip and some longer ones, between 1/2 and 3/4 inch. My guess is that the motion of the basket needs to be more uniform. Any recomendations on coloring the noodles? One local restaurant serves spinach spaetzle. I'm not sure that this is done the same way as spinach pasta since there is less mixing and needing involved. Dan

My wife gave me a spatzle maker for Christmas this year. She loves these little noodles so I guess it si a hint to try making them at home. So what are the things I should watch out for in making them? Do you have any flavorings that you like to add? Can they be frozen (after cooking or before)? Thanks Dan

Interesting question. On top of our fridge it the microwave. There isn't a lot of counter space in our galley kitchen so we keep it there. It is actually kind of convenient. On the side that faces into the kitchn and behind the microwave we keep ceral and crackers. The other side faces the wall so there isn't any room to keep anything there. Dan

It isn't that bad to lift it. It's only when it's full that it gets really heavy. I use it mainly for brasing so I've never really had to lift a hot heavy pot too far. Into the oven and out again. My 18 qt stock pot is worse, but it has a spigot so I never lift that full either. Dan

It is just two of us here also. I have three different sizes of LC dutch ovens. I want to say they are 5 and 9 qt round and 15 qt oval (the largest they make). We use them a lot from making tomato sauce, to boiling potatoes and cooking pasta. We leave the middle size one on top of the stoev so it is ready anytime. I wanted a larger one than the 9 qt for ages. When we braise shanks, I find that it is a little small. We generally make four or more shanks at a time and it gets crowded. At one point we had signed up for the mailings at the outlet store in Kittery, ME and we kept getting coupons and notices of sales. One of the coupons was for a 35% (thirty five) discount. It was at that point we bought the 15 qt oval. Another coupon came in the mail a week ago. Dan

I, too, used to shop at the meat counter at the Acton store. I had a few problems with them so I stopped there. It is just my wife and I and one day they had a sale on roast beef. There was a particularly nice one on display but it was too big for just the two of us. When I asked them to cut a "steak about 1 1/2" inches thick" from it. The initial response was "What am I supposed to do with the other piece? After explaining that I would take both pieces he went off and cut the roast in half. This resulted in two pieces of meat that were too big to be considered a steak and too small for a roast. The reason I finally stopped shoping there was when I asked about getting a chicken breast spilt into two halves. The person was very accomodating and took the chicken over to the counter and cut is in half then wrapped it and gave it too me. Unfortunately, the counter where it was cut had ground beef all over it and he wound up cross contaminating both my chicken with the ground beef and the ground beef with the chicken. On top of all of that, the beef isn't anywhere near as flavorful as what I get from Dewar's or Lobel's. If I need a piece of beef and I can't get to Dewar's I go to the WQest Acton Supermarket. It is better than Roche Brothers but not as good as Dewar's. Dan

Great demo! Thanks for taking the time. I've been wanting to get back into making chocolates lately an dthis just makes the urges stronger. How strong are the magnets holding the mold together? I've always wondered if you needed to be really delicate with these molds. Are they susceptable to leaking? BTW: What is the structure sheet for (besides a template for the transfer sheet)? Dan

While eating at our favorite restaurant this evening, the chef mentioned having too much duck fat in the walk-in. To make a long story short, I wound up taking home about two gallons of the stuff. You have to help me out. Besides duck confit and frying potatoes, what can I do with this stuff? How long can I keep it in the fridge? Can I freeze some of it? Thanks Dan

Update We went to Agresti's the other night and I can no longer recommend it. I had a ceasar salad that was swimming in dressing that was way too lemony and the croutons were stale. My wife had the bruschetta that I'll bet was prepared ahead of time since it was soggy though and through it also had too much balsamic. To top it off it looked like a pile of leftovers from the prep for another dish. The entres were not much better. The flat iron steak was served with a pepper and onion mixture that was rank. The bolognese was overloaded with thyme to the point it was "minty". Stay away from this place. Dan

That is a little more difficult. What are your interests? Are you a shopper? Do you like museums? There are a few national parks in the area. Again in Concord (Aigo Bistro territory) you have a lot of revolutionary war stuff as well as some historical authors (Walden, Alcott). Lowell (as mentioned by someone else) was a center for textiles and has a museum, etc. In Harvard there is the Fruitlands museum. I've never been so I can't describe it. Further out, but still not in Boston proper are: DeCordova Museum in Waltham (I think), Musem of our National Heritage (this has changed names, but I can't remember wha tthe new name is) in Lexington. Of course Boston offers a lot of excitement. Lopts of museums, history and tours One thing I always recommend it he Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (actually quite close to the Musem of Fine Arts). Sin ceBoston is less than an hour away (an accessible by train in many towns between Tyngsboro and Boston) you should consider it. If shoppin gis your thing. There is a Mall in Nashua as well as a main street that is full of shops. If you go to downtown Nashua, there are some small boutiques that might be of interest. In Manchester, NH there is (was?) an LLBean outlet. There is one on Nashua too, but I've alwys been dissapointed in it. Concord MA (Aigo Bistro) can be interesting, but the shops aren't open for tourist hours - most are onl;y open 9 to 5 Monday to Saturday. In the fall you can alwys just drive and look at the foliage. Depending on the time of year, ther may be some church fairs or similar things. I'm sorry to drone on. If you have specific interests let me know and I could suggest omething. I haven't even scratched the surface - culture, concerts, etc. Dan

I've stayed there several times. I didn't always live in the next town, so we've stayed there on some special occasions (anniversary, wedding night, etc). It is a very comfortable inn. They have rooms with gas fireplaces and a couple with screened porches. They also have a spa with a pool. I can recommend the massage there. Dan

Right in Tyngsboro is the Stonehedge Inn. They have the best restaurant in the area. I would recommend it oiver any place else around. Check out the web site at: Stonehedge Inn. I recommend it over a lot of places in Boston proper. I can't say enough good things about it. In some of the surrounding towns good restaurants are: Nashua, NH: Michael Timothy's and Surf. Both are very good and run by the same chef (Michael Buckley). He is often seen walking across the street to check out the other restaurant. Michael Timothy's In Westford MA is Agresti's which we haven't been to in a while. Good food small wine list. It is in a small strip mall. Another place is called Bamboo. It is a decent chinese/sushi restaurant. A little further out is Dalya's in Bedford MA. In concord MA is Aigo Bistro. You should think about cathing this place before it closes. Rumor has it the chef is moving on in a few weeks. What to stay away from. In Lowell MA - almost everything. Espacially La Boniche. Ther place is mediocre at best. If you have any specific questions, I'd be more than willing to help out. I live in the next town over and have been to most places around here. Dan

Intersting. I've always thought that this substance was related to the product being frozen. I've noticed this when I cooked fish and suspected that is was because it was forzen before I got it. I guess the reason that I thought this was was because I usually keep steaks and chops in my freezer and when I cook them, I see the same type of substance oozing from them - different color, but same consistency. Dan

My wife and I just got back from a cruise to Bermuda. We went to a couple of places that we thought were pretty good. In St George we ate at The Carriage House twice. It was pretty good food, the service was good and the wine list more than adequate. We also had lunch at Cafe Gio. This was a little more experimental than CH, but the food was still good. We also ate at a place in Hamilton twice. The Harborview Grill and Sushi bar was quite good. It had a fairly traditional menu that two of us ordered from and my wife had the sushi. The Kobe hamburger was quite good and the sushi my wife reports was exellent. We would return to any of these on our next trip. I can't tell you if there are better places, but I was happy with these. In comparison, the food on the Norwegian Majesty was mediocre at best and inedible at worst. To top it all off, the "freestyle" cruise has no benefits and is all drawback. You wind up waiting for a table at the two main dining rooms since everyone wants to eat at the same time. Since no one has assigned times, everyone arrives at once. If you have a large party, you can make arragements in advance - only at 5:30 and 9PM. Yes, you can make reservations at one of the other restaurants - if you do it quickly once on board. You still have to eat the bad food. My wife sent back the foie gras appetizer and said that the chef just didn't understand it. It was two ultrathin prices of foie cooked until it was tough.

Thanks for writing this up. We have been to Burgundy several times and it is just the best place to eat and visit. Your descriptions brought back so many good memories for me. Coincidently next year is our 10th anniversary and we have been thinking of a trip to Burgundy. Dan

My mother had been sick over the last few years. In and out of the hospital and rehabilitation. While she was never a gourmet cook, she did enjoy good food. Nothing that would come out of these intitutional kitchens was very good. I'm sure that it was nutritous, but it simply didn't looked or tasted good. My wife and I would always try and bring something with us when we went to visit. We would always try and bring something she liked and enjoyed. Sometimes I'd make a stew, sometimes I'd bring takeout from a local restaurant (Logal Seafood - she loved fried oyusters and Il Capricio in Waltham, MA - My wife says the are doing apublic service). I always tried to keep in mind her diet, but when it came right down to it, if she wasn't eating she would never get better. My thoery was that if she would eat something, it was better than the alternative. I was only questioned once and that was half-hearted. Blood sugar can be maintained a lot easier than supplying basic nutrients. Dan

What is the parking situation like? Is there a parking lot or is it on-street.

The Globe and an article about this several weeks ago. The new store will be opening within the next several months (before fall, I don't remember the time frame the said) and will be in Arlington. Dan

Sunday: Pork osso bucco in a tomato rich sauce (OK I added too many tomatoes and it was very tomato-y - it was still pretty good) Monday - lasagne Tuesday leftovers from Sunday and Monday Wednesday - Cheese souffle We make most of our meals at home. We do eat out at least once a week to "give the cook a break" Dan

I was trolling for a more general discussion on what equipment is needed versus what is nice to have versus what is not needed. Thanks for your input. I found it interesting and valuable. Thanks to all who responded. Dan

So what makes you think it was your own fault? Or not unsanitary? The food had to be innoculated with some sort of microbial agent. Since you only cooked it (my assumption) it must have been some unsanitary condition from a handler before you. Whether it was at the slaughter house or the sausage factory (said in a very nice way) what matters is that you were made ill because of it. I'm not saying you have no responsibility in this. You know the risks of eating food not thoroughly cooked. But you didn't cause the illness, you only took part in it. Dan

I'm about to dive into cake decorating by taking a course (actually the last course to complete my assocaites in culinary arts). I've heard that ateco is the best of equipment to use. What do you think? Can I get by with something else or is there something better? I'm not afraid to buy the best, but I don't want to waste time or money with inferior equipment. Next question is where to buy the stuff? I looked at JBPrince and they don't list a manufacturer. Since I want to get the best equipment, I want ot be sure of what I'm getting. Where would you go to get the stuff? Thanks Dan

There is a restaurant called Oceana at the Boston Harbor hotel (I think). Other seafood places are Legal Seafood, Skipjacks and Turner Fishery. Jasper has a Summer Shack near the Prudential. Dan

Two or three times a day? That is almost three hours between cleanings! Sounds like a really fine place. NOT! And I guess that "all of the fish is cut on the same counter" with the same attention to cleanliness, sanitation and hygene. I don't think I'm ever going to get food at this place. You've actually hit on one of my pet peeves. The purveyors of my food have to meet a pretty high standard. I went to a seafood joint the other day and watched as the moron blew his nose then asked if he could help me (no hand washing was done). I told him that he couldn't and walked out the door. There is a decent supermarket that I usually shop at. It is out of the way but it is clean, well-stocked and has the products that I want to buy. However, I never buy any meats, fish or deli products from the. They have no idea about cross contamination and belive that the gloves they were are to keep thier own hands clean. I once watched as they cut a BLSL chicken breast on a counter that was being used to cut beef (again, not sanitizing was performed). Dan

With the exception of one fruit, my general opinion is that if it smells bad, it is bad. That isn't to say, if I don't like the smell of something, I won't eat it. If it smells like it has spoiled, I treat it as spoiled. Having worked with caul fat before, I can say that it shouldn't smell rancid nor should the taste. I think that your butcher sold you some bad product. I would try and find another source. Caul fat is used as a wrap to hold things together while it cooks. If it adds it's own flavor to what you are cooking it wouldn't be right for the job. It should be fairly neutral in flavor and pretty much disappear when it is cooked - although you may see some traces of the caul, it should blend with the product. Dan