LindaK

Some of the higher end refers do have temperature alarms. These are ones that also have a digital temperature readout, which means they have temperature sensor (a thermometer). The vast majority of refrigerators don't actually have a temperature sensor/thermometer. Instead you set the freezer "temperature" to an arbitrary number representing the amount of coldness (but not an actual temperature) and then you set the cool side by adjusting the amount of freezer air that gets passed into that side. It's literally a ratio of the freezer air to "fridge" side air. Electrolux and Frigidaire are the same company. I have not been too impressed by anything of theirs. We had more repair/DOA issues with Frigidaire than any other brand. My Jenn Air has a digital temp control and a temp alarm. Thus far no test of the temp alarm--no electrical outage or anything to cause the temp to rise. More useful on a daily basis, there is a gentle chime that sounds if the door is left open for 5 minutes--which I've appreciated on those occasions when I thought I'd shut the door completely but in reality had not. As for the discussion about brand reliability, one reason I bought the Jenn Air was that it's made by the same company as Amana, and my previous Amana fridge was quiet and trouble free.

Interesting. I rub mine with salt, rinse with water, and dry. I do this because I thought you weren't supposed to use soap on a cast iron pan. When you wrote that you scrub with metal, do you mean something like steel wool? What about dishwashing soap? I always give my cast iron pans a good scrub with soap. It has never interferred with the seasoning qualities, at least that I've noticed. I like clean pans. The clinical definition of a "seasoned" pan has always been a little bit of a mystery to me--but it's always clear when a pan is seasoned or not. Can all metal types be seasoned?

My mother's recipe, on a smaller scale than others here: 12 medium green tomatoes 3 green peppers 3 red peppers 6 onions 1 small green cabbage 4 Tbsp salt 3 cups brown sugar 1 tsp celery salt 1 tsp mustard seed 1 Tbsp whole cloves cinnamon stick 1 Tbsp whole allspice 2 cups cider vinegar coarsely chop all vegetables. toss with salt and let stand overnight, covered. next day, add cold water to cover and drain. in a large pot, combine remaining ingredients and add vegetables. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 15-25 minutes until vegetables are soft but not mushy and juice is reduced. spoon vegetables into sterilized jar, adding liquid as needed to near top of jar. seal. to preserve, sterilize in a hot water bath 10 minutes.

I've only owned one aluminum pan--a hand-me-down from my grandmother--and I loved it. A straight-sided skillet with tall sides, it was the perfect size for almost everything, with a perfectly fitted lid. Conducted heat well and was lightweight even when full. Never any oxidation problems. Not so easy to clean, though. By the time it finally died, it was looking a little grungy. But it was a guilty pleasure. All the hype about stainless steel, etc. made me wonder about my own judgement and standards. It never impressed dinner guests--to the contrary. When the rivets on the handle finally failed a year ago, I said a reluctant and appreciative goodbye. Since then, I've relied on my All-Clad, cast iron, and Le Creuset. Which I also love, but what I'd really love is to find another aluminum pot like the one Nana gave me.

Thanks, John, for all your work and for letting many of us live vicariously through your Paris posts. They're always thoughful and witty. Encore!

My hood is by Prestige, sold by the folks who make BlueStar ranges (which I also have). It's excellent at moving air and at the lower levels the noise level is reasonably quiet. It's louder at top speed, no question, but I rarely need to crank it for long. I live in a condo, so an external roof mount blower wasn't an option. It's not in < $1,000 price range, but I thought I'd add another vote in favor of the filterless hoods. So easy to clean, just pop out the baffles and throw them in the DW.

I make small appetizer meatballs with ground lamb, seasoned with a little allspice and cumin, fresh mint, some dried currants--plus the usual bread/egg binder ratio. Serve with a bowl of yogurt mixed with more fresh mint and lemon juice for dipping w/ toothpicks. I'm also a fan of baking them on a sheet pan, much less mess. High heat, as Chris mentioned, don't crowd them, and give them a shake/turn halfway through. The small meatballs cook fast, so taste one after 5 minutes to see how they're doing. Usually they need a couple of minutes more.

How can we find out more about the NY events? Le Fooding has a website that gives info on their events (in French). As of today, the website notes that the NYC Le Fooding is scheduled but that the official website for the event is still under construction. Presumably it will go live at some point--and maybe in English? In the meantime, you can check out the culinary lineup of their summer events in France to get an idea of they operate.

This cookbook was an impulse purchase recently, based on the enthusiasm of its eG fans. I'm looking forward to reading thru this entire thread, but for now let me just say that I am addicted to the French Yogurt Cake recipe. Addicted, really. I made it the first time to use up some leftover yogurt and now there's no going back. I made my third one a few days ago, just for myself. Midweek, no guests scheduled. That might be a first, I don't have a big sweet tooth and baking isn't my favorite thing. For anyone interested, the second time I made it I followed Dorie's suggestion of using it as a base for strawberry shortcake for the lunch I cooked for my parents on Mothers Day, and it was a huge hit.

If you don't frequent the France regional forum, you may not know about Le Fooding. Top chefs cooking in informal, public venues...I've never been but it always sounded like fun. You can find the eG thread here Well, it's coming to NYC, as reported recently in the NYT. Has anyone been to any of the Paris Fooding events?

Le Fooding comes to NYC in September 2009. From France, A Lesson in Loving Food

the most addictive dip/spread I've had in a long time was Anna Sortun's recipe for Whipped Feta with Sweet and Hot Peppers. It's in her cookbook Spice. Simple--good French feta and roasted red peppers, but it's the smoked Spanish paprika and spicier Aleppo pepper seasoning that makes people fight over the last bit. Good with veggies or pita chips. I'm also partial to bean dips. Hummus of course, but recently improvised a white bean dip with roasted garlic and rosemary that was very yummy.

I included a dosposal in my recent kitchen reno after years of being without one, and I am glad to have one again. Living in an urban area without composting opportunities, it pained me to put food scraps in a plastic bag headed for the landfill. To some of the objections above: interesting point about water usage, I will try to be careful. As to the issues about grease, that is indeed a problem for city sewer systems but not related to disposals, people without disposals do that all the time. Unfortunately. My disposal is an Insinkerator also, it's smooth and powerful, pretty quiet for a disposal.

Let me enthusiastically recommend my friend Alberto Cabre of Tentempie Catering. He's classically trained but also offers a repetoire of creative Spanish and Latin dishes. He caters events from small dinner parties to large weddings. I really love his food, from the fancy passed hors d'oevres to the three types of paella he offered last summer at a wedding of 200 guests (people were fighting for the last of the squid ink paella, amazing). No web site yet, but you can email him at: tentempieboston@gmail.com.

I was wondering about everyone's mental/physical health the day after. This nicely answers that question. Bravo.

Yeah - with a simmer burner, it seems that a different grate would be called for. I use some tiny pots - like a 1.5 qt saucier and a stainless 2 cup measuring cup for melting and heating. I like the look of the BS grates in general, but it would be nice if the simmer burner had a grate with more bars and smaller openings to support tiny pans. In principle, I agree, though I regularly use a tiny 1 cup pan to melt butter on my BS. You just have to position it carefully. An extra half-inch or more on the grate lengths would make it foolproof.

A very clear and thoughtful synthesis of this thread, thank you. Now that spring has arrived and I can admire the pea shoots coming up in my community garden plot...now that my friends without plots are counting the days until their first CSA delivery...now that my favorite area farmer tells me that after only two years their foray into raising meat has been successful beyond their wildest dreams...now that the city of Boston is planning a year-round farmers market...all this in a dense urban area, easily accessible by walking, bike, or public transit...now that all this is at my fingertips, I compare the local food scene to the void it was when I moved here 10 years ago, and I say WOW, thank you Alice and Michael and everyone else. Just please don't make me feel guilty about my choices in January, when spring is far away and the nearest local vegetable is even further, or if I lose my job in the next round of layoffs that I know is coming.

Dare I wade into this debate? The temptation to respond to earlier comments is great but I'll simply say this: I can't stand listening to her, in any media. So I read her cookbooks instead. Skim past the lifestyle lectures and get down to the good culinary advice and recipes.

thanks jsmeeker, that's a helpful description. Too many tweets, not enough time.

When I saw this thread, I assumed that it was prompted by today's NYT article on the subject. But, no, as usual, eG was ahead of the crowd. I have a more basic question: for those of you already on board, what makes following a twitter thread (is that the right word?) worth it? At the risk of sounding anti-new technology, do I really want/need more messages beeping at me during the course of a day? I can't keep up with my emails or my podcast subscriptions as it is. The NYT article makes a good case for how twitter can be useful. But for everyone who recommends a twitter thread, can you tell us more about what you like about it and why it's worth subscribing.

Holy #@*! Johnny D. I have long admired the Deathmatch dinners that you've pulled together before. But this one looks to be a work of art. I love the theme. I think. The booklet photos are a little scary, though beautifully composed. And the food lineup...please tell us more. I'm curious about your music throwdown, as well. How well did did the soundtrack accompany the food? That could be a whole new cooking thread.

Family keeps giving me silcone brushes as gifts and I loathe them, they are so clumsy. Natural bristle all the way, even with the shedding. I'll try the art store for my next round.

It's funny. I LOATHE anything heavily flavored of anise--licorice, Pernod, etc.--UGH. Which always makes me wary of fennel. Then I have it in a salad and it's great. I have to work hard to remember that I like fennel. As a variation on the suggestion above w/ parmesan, I like the same mixture tossed with very young, nutty arugula. Heaven as a side to grilled fish in the summer.

mmm. mousseline... Alternatively, since you won't have access to an oven, if you want something hot, what about some type of savory dumpling, poached then served in a broth. Then there are vegetable alternatives. A really good baba ganouj (sp?) is very light and fluffy, tasting more of creamy eggplant than tahini. There's an addictive Turkish meze in Ana Sortun's cookbook Spice, Whipped Feta with Sweet and Hot Peppers. The name says it all. It's meant as an appetizer, not an entree, but oh my, it is good. And salty and fluffy.

what ?? I missed your original post but I feel your pain. When I moved to Boston 10 years ago, I sorely missed the year-round market in St. Louis, MO, the Soulard Farmers Market, that I left behind. The network of neighborhood farmers markets we have in Boston is great. but when they shut down in November, there is a void. The good news is that there are plans afoot for the kind of year-round farmers market that we need. There's long been grass-roots support, but the real news is that the city has identified a site for the market that's adjacent to the Rose Kennedy Greenway (atop the old "big dig" for those who know Boston). It's a great location, central, and on public transit. If you're reading this and live in Boston, please let your state and local elected officials know that you support it. Read more: Boston Globe article Public Market web site This organization has a great annual fundraising dinner hosted by local chefs that support the project.