Darcie B

When I was a kid (~30 years ago) my family (and most of my friends' families) had soda available 24/7. Maybe it was a Midwest thing, but I drank at least 1 soda per day; usually more. But we didn't have many fat kids. I think the real difference is the amount of exercise. I lived in a small town and kids were constantly riding their bikes, going to the park to play, and running around like crazy at recess (plus we had gym 3x week). I don't see kids outside much anymore.

The irony is that while you could probably take extreme measures to eliminate insect parts from food (e.g. growing and processing food indoors under some extremely controlled conditions), a diet including plants could never be free of pesticides, for the simple reason that 99.99% (by weight) of the pesticides in the diet are produced by plants themselves as chemical defenses against predators.... I know firsthand that farmers use the least amount of pesticides and fertilizers they can - they're expensive! My brothers farm small grains on 1000 acres and they test the soil to determine application rates so there is no carryover, etc. But I also have friends who work in pesticide oversight in the Dept. of Ag. and their opinions, based on their field research, lend a different perspective. They say there is a lot of runoff and excess usage. Maybe it isn't on the food, but it's surely in the environment. I'm not that worried about it - I just stated my preference between the two - I know I can't avoid either one. I don't even try. There is so much stuff just floating in the air that it's silly to worry about what's on a couple of strawberries. I wonder if subsequent studies have been consistent with the (rather dated) one you have quoted. Edit to add: I also realize that all food is composed of chemicals, etc. I like chemicals (they can get you a nice buzz even). I just think we may have more exposure to all sorts of chemicals than would be ideal. But no one has ever lived in an ideal world.

I wash all my fruit, since I almost always use the outside too (no citrus fruit ever goes unzested). I usually don't wash anything I am peeling, although I suppose that any contaminants would get transferred to the flesh by the knife. I guess I'm not too germaphobic when I'm home. In a restaurant it's a different story. Too many other people coughing, hacking and touching things. Blech. I have not resorted to bringing my own utensils but I'm getting closer. I once saw a guy sneeze into his hands and get a big slimy booger. He wiped his hands off on the under side of the counter at the bank teller window. I nearly vomited on the spot. That's what got me germaphobic when I'm not at home. Maybe Howard Hughes wasn't so crazy... Edit to remove redundancy.

I'd much rather eat insect parts (most likely grasshopper or cricket for small grains) than the hazardous chemicals in pesticides. I know that food has naturally occurring trans fats and I've been known to eat the occasional Oreo, but I try to avoid it for the most part. If you have ever seen small grains harvested you would know why their is so much insect "filth." If you pick up a handful of grain you are liable to see a grasshopper leg or such. However, I find it hard to believe that many remain after sifting and sorting. Guess I could be wrong. It's just additional protein! Not so pleased about the excreta, but then again think about what chicken eggs pass through before they get packaged. What are you gonna do?

I really like to bake and prefer electric ovens for even heat. I have also heard that gas ovens have higher humidity levels (water being a byproduct of combustion) which could adversely affect delicate dry items like meringues, but be beneficial in baking breads. My previous experience with gas ovens was at the lower end so that may have negatively influenced my opinion.

This thread is hilarious! I have dozens of stories but will try to limit myself. Last year when I was making caramels and had just poured them out onto the sheet pan to cool, my cat Tater Tot jumped right into them (front paws only). I was worried that he burned himself but I guess he waited just long enough. There were two perfect paw print holes in the caramels. I cut out squares around them 1/2 inch or so beyond the holes, and used the rest. Once when I was making cheesecake I forgot to rinse out the mixing bowl first (it sits on the counter). When I lifted up the mixer head, there was a clump of fur clinging to the paddle. It was gross even for me. I stirred the rest of the batter looking for more fur but didn't see any. I went ahead and made it but only my husband and I ate it (we hate wasting food). We never did find any more fur; the paddle must have trapped it all. Then there are the food "gifts" my cats have brought me over the years. Not really food related, but my DH once had a cat that loved to do bong hits. If you tried to keep him out of the room he would scratch furiously at the door.

From the perspective of someone who will be eating the food, I wouldn't expect that a caterer would list all inspiration for any dish, whether it be the recipe or a plating. I might ask a question about how he/she came up with the idea and a truthful response would be appreciated, but I wouldn't expect it beforehand. I can't imagine any of my friends doing anything but saying "Wow!" on an well-executed presentation. And I am doubtful any of your guests would have seen the books, but you know them better than I.

Shameless self-promotion: Bakin'n'Bacon My blog is tilted more toward baking than cooking, but there's some of each. Soon I will be posting about making bacon!

A friend brought over some big ol' venison chunks and asked me to cook it for him. He wanted at least part of it smoked. There was one package marked 'shoulder' and one package descriptively marked 'chunk.' Anyway, I brined it overnight while I perused this thread for ideas since I had never cooked anything but ground venison before. I partially disassembled the shoulder part since it was very long. I cubed the trimmings from that plus a chunk of the 'chunk' and did a simple braise with onion, carrot, sherry, broth and fresh herbs. I took the remaining pieces, rubbed them with a Morrocan style rub, and threw them on the smoker for 2 hours @ about 200 degrees. I transferred those pieces to the oven for another 2 hours. The 'smoke ring' was incredible - about 1/2 inch. The meat was a tad dry but not bad, and was fairly tender. My friend proclaimed it a great success and is going to bring more to me later. We are going to do some jerky next time too. Thanks to Susan and everyone for the great advice in this thread. We didn't have to order pizza as I had feared.

I inherited a huge bag of candy molds and other candy making tools. I would like to know what kind of candies or confections I can make in these molds besides chocolates or mints. I want to avoid using those crappy Wilton or Wilton-esque "candy melts." Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Oh, the molds vary, either hard plastic or flexible plastic, if that makes any difference.

I watched this train wreck and was surprised by the results. It seemed to me like the Cora/Deen desserts would have been cloyingly sweet (and I have a huge sweet tooth). But I guess that Irvine/Florence lost on plating and originality, not on taste. I guess crap on a stick with a pretty ribbon appealed to the judges. I have now lost a little respect for Tina Fey. (I never had any for Katie Lee Joel. To me she personifies vapid.) My first comment in this battle was 'there is no way to make a real buche noel in an hour.' I stand by that. It looked horrible but it probably tasted good. There are legions of Paula Deen fans here, and I know several who would be eager to try the Velveeta fudge. In fact, I have a friend who looks and acts a lot like PD, but is a little less overbearing. I don't eat at her house much, especially after we argued over a boxed brownie mix tasting better than homemade. But then again, her homemade version probably used Hershey's cocoa and margarine. (She has yet to stack up her boxed mix to my brownies.) She also swears no one can taste the difference between her doctored cake mix and homemade. Watching this battle reminded me of the frustration I have experienced as a displaced Yankee. It also made me appreciate the pastry skills I've developed over the past few years. While I could never even think of competing in an Iron Chef cooking competition, I had some good ideas for this battle, although I didn't write them down and now can't remember them! Maybe they weren't that great...

That phrase is the perfect description of the FN. A-men! I haven't finished reading Elements yet, but found it to be entertaining and informative. If nothing else, he has inspired me to hunt down some veal bones or breast and try veal stock. I do have a quibble about his claim that organic eggs are less likely to have salmonella because that is not what the science I have read asserts. I have only started on the glossary of terms and look forward to a leisurely reading when the holidays are over. I have thousands of cookies and candies to make in the next few weeks.

Thanks for posting those pics. I brought my camera but stupidly left the card for it in my car. I wish I would have known about the Charcuterie signing when it happened so there could have been 9 people there.

Another thing to think about is what kind of fat you are using. If it's an all-butter crust it is more likely to shrink. Using part vegetable shortening can help.

Last night I made bacon/black pepper caramels. I forgot to take photos but it turned out pretty well, but could use a little more black pepper. It has neat little crunchy bacon bits in it and a very subtle bacon-y taste and aroma. I used about 2 ounces bacon fat to 8 ounces of butter. My friends and DH were, shall we say, skeptical but they liked it (maybe not as much as I did).

I know that chromedome here on eGullet did something very similar at a similar age. I too have been thinking about a career change (but not in France!) but can't afford to quit my dread job right now. I'm 38 and my carpal tunnel/tendonitis sometimes screams at me "no, no!" but I still think I could do it. I spent 4 days cooking for 24 people (with 1 part time assistant) a couple of months ago. It was a lot of work but I enjoyed every freakin' minute of it. I felt almost rejuvenated at the end of the time, really. I am quite certain that some type of culinary job will be my "second career" in the next 5 years. If it's your dream, then live it!

A related question: how much of a chain restaurant is open to imitating? Recently a restaurant opened here in Charleston, WV called Cilantro's. My friends dragged me there a few weeks ago, and I swear the owner just copied a Chipotle down to the corrugated tin decor. The menu is very similar, but without the trade names for the meats. It's three tacos, a burrito, or "naked," pick your meat, your salsas, etc. I have no stake in the matter other than I think it's disingenuous (and lazy) of the owner to promote this as a new idea. There are no Chipotle restaurants here, of course. Is the owner of Cilantro's opening himself up for a legal challenge?

Damn, this is why I love this site. I am going away this weekend to a "camp" and probably won't have access to a lot of stuff so a couple of bottles of bitters shall accompany me (along with my knives and a few spices).

I know next to nothing about French, but a friend of mine who studied it said that if any of the letters in the word 'careful' are at the end of a word, you pronounce that letter. If you'll notice in words like millefeuille, the 'l' is not at the end of the word, so you don't pronounce it. Then again, that could be complete bullshi*, I wouldn't know. Maybe my friend just wanted people to snicker at me. But that is what I was told.

I watched this for the first time last night and what a difference between the US and UK versions! I hated the narration and the time spent re-explaining the previous segment after every commercial break. It's not like I forgot what happened 3 minutes ago (although this seems to be the standard for most reality shows which really annoys me). It seems dumbed down for the US audience. You can definitely see the Fox influence. I like the way they start the show by announcing that Gordon Ramsey is the most successful restaurateur in the world. I know he's successful and all, but the best in the world? Oh well. Last night's episode seemed pretty tame compared to what people have posted about the previous ones. I have to say I would have fired the manager. I've worked with that type before. Yuck.

Thanks for the responses. Looks like I have some experimenting to do . I have avoided ordering online because of the steep shipping prices and because I escape to Chicago, DC and Minneapolis a few times a year and find things there. It's getting better here, though. I can now get Plymouth gin, Appleton Estates rum and other things that I used to have to go out of state to find. I'm not doing bacon cookies right now, but I am getting ready to experiment with liquor in my pie crusts (based on Cook's Illustrated's recent publication). But mostly, I am looking forward to a Corpse Reviver II!!

I just wanted to say how inspiring this thread has been. Today I went to the liquor store to get a few things to try some of these cocktails. Charleston, WV doesn't have the greatest selection as you can imagine, but I was able to come away with Lillet (Blanc), and Pernod to bolster what I have at home. I also stocked up on vermouth and sherry. As he was boxing it up, the young fellow at the counter asked, "is this for the game tomorrow?" Also, a quick question. I can only get Mr. Boston or DeKuyper's apricot "flavored" brandy. Would this work in cocktails that call for apricot brandy or should I just wait until I get somewhere with a better selection? Thanks again. Edit for speeling.

Heresy==> Don't polish your copper. I don't. Mine has a dull patina that seems stable--that is, it hasn't gotten darker and darker and hasn't built up in thickness. I could bring it back to shiny with a little salt and vinegar. But it doesn't bother me. And it doesn't affect the performance of the pan. ← I wish I didn't have to, but for now I am stuck with an electric smoothtop, and they don't even want you to use copper, but I do. However, if I don't polish the copper, it really messes up the glass/ceramic/whatever surface. I can't wait to have gas again (boy that didn't come out right)

Here's what CI has to say about the science: Edit to add: gfron, re: using Everclear - I wonder why they don't just use straight vodka instead of 1/2 vodka and 1/2 water, since there is quite a bit of water in the alcohol. Maybe it turns out too boozy? Certainly worth experimenting.

The most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated has an article on pie crusts. In it they suggest that using vodka to replace some of the water in a pie crust limits gluten formation and therefore helps make a flaky crust that is also tender. They also state that the alcohol will burn off during baking. Has anyone tried this before? I don't think that all the alcohol will evaporate. However, vodka's flavor is easily masked so it probably won't be detectable. This has got me thinking, though, of doing a bourbon pie crust to go with pumpkin, apple or pecan pies. Sounds like an experiment to me! Or maybe even a lemon flavored vodka to do a lemon meringue pie crust. Thoughts?