Darcie B

Regarding the $10 limit - it was $10 for a family of four, but I noticed that they were plating way more than four servings. It looked more like 8. Maybe they achieved economy of scale on a few of the ingredients? I don't think $10 is an absurd limit. My average meal cost is about $7, maybe less since our grocery budget includes cleaning products and cat food, and that is usually enough for 4. I think we eat pretty well. We splurge for some meals and have basic pasta/sauce, etc. for others. Of course, I don't shop at Whole Foods (we don't have any here ).

Maple syrup makes great granola. We have a pork loin cooking right now that has a maple syrup/cayenne glaze. If you like sweet with meat, pork and maple syrup are a great combo. Maple buttercream is a great icing for cake (spice cake sounds good as a base).

I know people who listen to their cakes to determine when they are done. Cakes make noise as they are baking and it gets quieter and quieter the closer they get to being done. I guess it's the steam releasing. I listen to my stand mixer to tell when the cake batter or dough is about ready. This works especially well for thick cookie and bread doughs - the mixer starts to whine a lot when they are done. The same applies when grinding meat with the KA attachment. I also listen for water boiling when I'm making pasta or other boiled items. I'm usually several feet away from the stove doing other tasks so I can't see when it's boiling, but I know it's ready by the sound. And of course I have a whistling tea kettle!

I don't recall them ever calling for bread in ANY of their bolognese recipes, much less Wonder Bread. I just double-checked, and no bread is listed in their weeknight bolognese (which uses dried porcini mushrooms to boost the flavor, hardly a noxious substance). In the recipes that do call for bread, they specify quality white sandwich bread, preferably homemade, but if not like Pepperidge Farm. I cannot find where they have ever called for Wonder Bread or similar squishy stuff. I can understand the hate for those who have experienced bad customer service. But the vitriol toward Chris' homespun soliloquies (which I find good for a laugh) and toward their quest for "perfection" I don't understand. My cooking improved immeasurably thanks to CI. I now feel much more confident and while I do branch out to other authors for more sophisticated recipes, I still turn to CI for reference and grounding.

Nancy, thanks for the update on the Flying Fig. It is now on the schedule for our June trip to CLE. Lola on Friday nite, Flying Fig on Saturday - I better diet for the next month and a half!

I forced myself to watch the whole thing last night, but it was a chore. DH is a big UK Kitchen Nightmares fan but not a fan of this show. I liked the previous two episodes a little more, although I must admit it was funny when GR called Sharon out for sticking her tongue out all the time. It was rather odd. The only thing I wonder is if it's a requirement for the contestants not to have ever watched it. The contestants always seem surprised by events that happen every friggin' season. I keep watching because eventually GR has to have a stroke or something. Right? edit for clarity

I guess I failed to mention that - I meant to say that the plastic wrap approach itself worked in person. I do agree it might not work for Collichio though! ← I know it worked for you, but I would be dismayed to get Glad-wrapped dishes, no matter the explanation. To me plastic wrap is cheap, tacky, and says "leftovers." As I said before, a glass cover or dome would be different. I think that would be kinda cool.

After watching this episode again, I wonder if the death of the handheld smoker for Richard/Dale/Andrew didn't work to their advantage. I keep thinking to myself 'plastic wrap on a plate does not look like fine dining.' If I paid a lot for a meal and someone served me something with wrap on the plate, I would not be impressed. A clear glass dome over the food would be a different story. But plastic wrap? I wonder what Daniel Boulud would have to say about that. Or am I totally off base?

I had a friend who used to raise sheep and each spring he'd invite us out for a lamb dinner. Those were probably some of the worst meals I have ever eaten, so I thought for a long time that I didn't like lamb. As it turns out, my friend was just a terrible cook. I wonder if those who had a bad "gamy" lamb/mutton experience also suffered at the hands of a poor cook. Most people here in the U.S. have little experience with lamb and are likely to not cook it well if they try it at all, thereby reinforcing the negative connotations that seem to go around. Lamb is easy to find here; there is a large Middle Eastern population. It's at Kroger and Walmart, and occasionally other places. We can get legs, chops, ground and frequently, though not always, shoulder. AFAIK it's not kosher, but I don't look for that so it may be.

I don't know Ohio, but WV laws mandate that all liquor products be put into opaque bags that obscure the contents (which usually means a paper bag). I guess that way Puritans don't have to let anyone know what they have been buying. I suppose the origin of that law was to keep children from seeing the labels on liquor or some other such crap. That may be the case in Ohio as well. I have started carrying a small cooler at all times, and my bags go in there. The cooler is helpful in the summer when temps are often over 90 degrees, and convenient for other items as well. It's been working out quite nicely.

Reading your original post, you said you put a pan of water in the oven under the cheesecake. A water bath means putting the pan in the water - if you just put a pan of water in the oven with the cheesecake you aren't using a water bath. I've had no problems with cracking since I started using a water bath and pulling the cheesecake out when the center still jiggled just a tiny bit. At what oven temp and how long did you bake it?

I'm glad I am not the only one who has a problem with Guy's accent. It sounds like he has difficulty properly pronouncing his own last name. Lucky me; I have avoided this train wreck of a show. I haven't watched FN for months (Next Iron Chef was the last program in which I had any interest), just occasionally get a glimpse while channel surfing.

I believe that a lot of swearing does make one look less professional. Even though I know this, I have a terrible potty mouth, although I tone it down at work and around children. Otherwise, the F***s and SH**s fly, especially when I am doing something intricate like decorating a cake. But I have spent most of my life around cultures that do a lot of swearing. My DH is a mechanic, and I worked in several kitchens in college. Plenty of swearing there. And high school, fuggetaboudit. When my dad asked me where I learned such language after I cursed in front of my parents, I lied and said "at school" but I really learned it from him. I've had a potty mouth since I was very young. I don't think the phenomenon will go away anytime soon. Personally, though, I've been trying to swear less. Maybe I'm tempering with age . AFA Top Chef, even I was put off by Andrew's swearing. But when someone is working in the kitchen and touches a hot pan, drops something, or screws up when plating, I don't find it offensive at all. In fact, I hardly notice it. It's when someone is just talking conversationally, as when Andrew was doing his interview, that it grates on me.

I just read the article, and it gives the definition of the Fat Pack as: The innuendo in the remainder of the article seems to be that everyone on eGullet or anyone who is a food enthusiast and/or has a food blog is a glutton, obsessed and unhealthy. I am obsessed about food, to be sure. I don't come to eGullet for health advice and don't see a need for forums dedicated to health or wellness. There are plenty of health sites out there. It's great that threads occasionally arise about healthy eating, but I'd hate to see this site and other great foodie places turn into Cooking Light. I have no doubt that obesity is a nationwide issue. But I don't come here looking for a resolution to that problem, and I resent the assumption that because I live to eat, not the other way around, that I'm a glutton or unhealthy. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive.

Hmmm....I don't know if I want to order these, but it does give me an idea for using molds and pouring caps out of chocolate or colored white chocolate. I'm off to the cake decorating store to look at their selection of large round molds (I'm thinking maybe lollipop molds, although they are flat. Might have to try to make my own.) Thanks for the link!

Not to be snarky, but nonplussed doesn't mean unimpressed. For those who found this episode boring, I agree it was a little slow but at least it was about the food and not some artificial drama between the cheftestants. I don't think they had the time or resources to do their own research on the diets of the animals, so it's good they were given ideas. I think they could have gone a little farther; I like the concept of the roadkill quesadilla w/tracks. What I find incredible is that the chefs routinely don't taste the food that is being served. After you watch one person go for that very reason, you'd think to make a note of it. And after you add an entirely different ingredient to a dish, don't you think you'd make sure it helped it? I wanted the woman who made the yucky mushrooms to go (I'm not trying to remember their names yet), although blini-girl seemed mousy and she wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.

The results of my testing, including photos and detailed explanation, are on my blog. Here is a summary of KA 750FP vs. Cuisinart DFP-14: Looks: in the eye of the beholder Size of unit: Cuisinart (it fits under my cabinets) Dry ingredient capacity: Cuisinart Liquid ingredient capacity: Tie Smooth puree: KitchenAid Grating: Cuisinart Slicing: KitchenAid (two slicing blades) Accessories: KitchenAid (extra slicing blade; mini bowl/blade) Sturdiness (perceived): Cuisinart Noise: Tie (I don't have a decibel meter to measure precisely) Ease of use: Cuisinart (caveat - I was a previous Cuisinart user) Neither of these units clearly outshone the other, so I can't say one is a much better product. It depends on the criteria that are important to you. If you want an all around machine and don't care if it fits under your cabinets, I'd choose the KitchenAid because it has more accessories and, if you like black, it's cheaper. If capacity and sturdiness are what you're after, choose the Cuisinart. Edit to fix subject/verb agreement.

What Daniel said - I don't need to run out and buy a new contraption, I just need to dig around in the back of the closet! I wonder if one that used, um, water filtration would work...?

from the original airing? ← Yes, the first episode is 15 minutes longer than the rest but they edit it on reruns.

Um...I think that exchange about the egg yolk and oil was a joke, y'all. He was being snarky. No way a pro cook doesn't know how to make mayo. No way-o. (Sorry) ← I hope so, but as tmjrobin posted, it seemed like he was using that stick blender for a really long time. The editing sure didn't make seem like a joke.

I believe that was Andrew, who didn't know how to make mayo. I too hope he exits soon. Like next week. But I'm afraid we'll be seeing him for at least a few weeks.

I was just disappointed that they didn't have time for much snark from Bourdain. It looks like a pretty good group of cheftestants and we should see some good dishes. Was no one else appalled that Andrew didn't know how to make mayo? Guess he was too busy trying to sound like a playa to learn that...

Stick the pan in the freezer for several minutes. The macarons should come off much more easily. I tried it without freezing and had a lot of sticking (I used parchment). I have also read about steaming them off the parchment but I am way too chicken to try that.

I'm an Amazon kind of gal. I seem to have better luck there than anywhere else. Plus I signed up for the free trial of Amazon Prime, so I'm getting free 2-day shipments. I usually get the stuff next day if it ships from their (I think) Louisville center. Anyway, it's somewhere in KY and even though they don't guarantee it, I usually get it next day. Plus their return policy is good. I hope so anyway because I can't afford two fps! The KA 750 (black) was $129.99. The 14-cup Cuisinart is $199. So I was hoping the cheaper one would do the job. Based on the reviews, it seemed that was possible. But maybe not.

I recently purchased a KA 750 and my initial experience has not been promising. I thought I could do a double batch of cookie dough (3 cups flour), but it choked. Plus the durn thing doesn't fit under my cabinets. It's a 12-cup capacity (I was upgrading from a DLC10 7-cup Cuisinart). The blade seems very flimsy compared to my old Cuisinart blade, too. Much thinner and seemingly just press-fit, not riveted. Edit to add: I just hate the buttons, too, and much prefer the paddles on the Cuisinarts. This may factor into my decision, because I was constantly fumbling with the KA last night. Of course, experience will help, but paddles seem much easier and more intuitive. So I just ordered a 14-cup Cuisinart and am going to do a side-by-side test this weekend for the normal tasks I do in a fp, which may not be the same as the tests run by CI and others. I can post some photos and and descriptions if anyone's interested.