Mano

I'm not sure if it's for better or worse that minimum wage + tips are the standard for waitstaff in America. If a restaurant raised their prices by 18%, increased wages accordingly and informed patrons gratuity is included or "tipping is optional" would people balk at the initial higher price of the food? Americans often don't like to be told what to do, even if it's something we'd do anyway, so would people resent having to pay the included gratuity? I don't see the standard ever changing. As far as when is it okay not to tip; for me the server has to be pretty much openly hostile and incompetent. I think that's happened maybe a couple of times. On fewer than 10 occasions when it seems obvious the server is terrible I've left tips of 5% or less.

Good point, I also used my Wusthof chefs when chopping a thicker bone as I would a cleaver, which is the best tool for the task. But those are pretty rare occasions. A decent honesuki adds another knife to a kit but is ideal for breaking down chickens, roasts, ribs and so forth. I wouldn't use it to chop on bones though. I'd venture that 80% of knife use including chopping veggies, etc. is done by a chefs type knife. A good gyuto is the way to go, IMHO.

Having used both I disagree with ease of sharpening/maintainance, ability to tolerate abuse and chipping. For 50/50 bevel blades sharpening is a skill equally common to both; the difference is mainly in the angle. Putting a good edge on a Japanese knife may take a bit longer at first but maintenance is pretty quick. I believe a good Japanese workhorse knife can take daily restaurant kitchen abuse and still maintain a good edge better than German knives. Sure, you can truly abuse a knife, but for practical purposes chipping is really a concern when getting into thin very hard steel (HRC 62+) blades. There are so many types of steel used for both types it's easy to find the right one for you. Same with shape of handle -western vs. Japanese (wa). Here's some basic info, albeit somewhat biased:My link Here's more information: My link

Back in the 80's I worked as a prep cook for Rick Bayless before he was famous. He taught me to make ice cream from scratch and each night I whipped up something different using different chocolates, liquors, nuts and so forth. One night I hit one out of the park and everyone raved about the ice cream. Bayless asked me to give him the recipe and I told him the ingredients I remembered but had difficulty even approximating amounts. He asked if I wrote it down and when I told him, no, it was the only time I ever saw him angry. Being in grad school I didn't think like a professional chef.

Re: salting, one of the absolute best pieces of advise I received as a home cook was, "Judicious use of salt during each step of preparation seasons the dish. Salting before eating tastes like salt."

Anyone taking bets on his replacement? My money is on Pete Wells.

After years of the perfunctory, "How is everything?" a waiter asked, "Is everything prepared to your satisfaction?" For some reason I really liked that, maybe because he appeared sincere and looked at all the people at the table. It took no more than 15 seconds. Any others?

Up until she was about 10 my daughter, who loved pizza always took off the toppings including the sauce and cheese, and ate only the crust.

When I was I kid I remember thinking "When I get older I can buy as many candy bars as I want," but now that I am I rarely buy even one. Bonomo's Turkish Taffy was a favorite ("Smack it and crack it!"). It disappeared but is now available at a few specialty stores nearby and I bought a chocolate. As a kid I must've eaten over a hundred so my memory of the entire Bonomo experience is hard wired. The new version is soft, bland and disappointing.

We ended up at Sunshine Palace 490 State Route 27, which is anything but palatial. It's a hole-in-the-wall mostly take-out place with four or five tables and very good food. We were the only dine-in customers but locals came and went with their orders. I know very little about Indian food but what we ordered had good heat from various spices and the server helped guide us from making big mistakes. We got goat kadahi, lamb masala (I think), onion naan and biryani. Enough for four. We gave serious thought to returning for lunch the next day.

I know the Upper E side is expensive but I'm looking for a good restaurant with +/- $25 entree's within a mile of 65th of the east side. Open to any cuisine.

Based on my experience with two similarly priced grinders it's necessary to spend a bit more for a good one. Cheap internal plastic parts break, bend and slip. Northern Toolhere is the US a good guide.

What's the best non-buffet Indian restaurant in Iselin? We're staying for two days and a EG search came up with the repeated recommendation that pretty much all the Indian places were worthwhile. Oak Tree Rd, was mentioned as a mecca but I'd like specific places. thanks

I suppose the importance of noise has a lot to do with how many decibels bother you and the weight you give talking with dining companions versus being there mostly for the food. For me all great meals have included ambiance and the company. Food is necessary but insufficient on its own.

I doubt it. Muffin tops are calling, "Take me, Chris. Leave the bottoms behind!"

Morally there's questionable transgression, but ethically I don't see any. No one was harmed or lost money; the bags were free to begin with. There's no need to ask: "What if everyone did it?" (Not everyone does and if they did then the store would have some sort of a policy). "If you take the bags, what will you be taking next?" (Taking bags -even if they weren't free- isn't an indicator for future criminal behavior). Keep the behavior in context where it belongs. Same with Chris Amarault. If the store catches him ruining the mushrooms he may get anything from a wry smile to handcuffed because it is actionable. In that case he'll wonder, "What the hell did I get myself into?" Staying in context, he's the pettiest of thieves and an a**hole, at least when he mangles the mushrooms. In other contexts he may be a great guy and straight arrow. For those of you who believe yourselves to be pure of heart and action, the fact is honest people do dishonest things every once in a while.

Having worked FOH and BOH the only time I go to the kitchen is to thank the chef with a glass of wine for an exceptional meal and to check out another pro kitchen. And that's only if there's a break in the service and the chef is okay with it. It happens a few times a year, maybe.

I haven't read all the posts but after years of all types of electric induction is the way to go. Unless you have very expensive cookware to replace it's well worth getting new pots and pans. There are other good brands, but our Electrolux range top is excellent and the convection stove is the best we've ever had in 30 years.

Six months ago I purchased my first Japanese knife, a Kagayaki Carbonext gyuto, 240 mm which is a western version of a traditional Japanese chef’s knife. The handle is essentially the same as my Wusthoff as opposed to the stick-type or “wa” handles. Japanese knives have stronger, thinner and lighter blades. This Carbonext has a 15 degree 60/40 bevel compared to a 30 degree 50/50 for a western knife. The flatter profile blade makes more contact with food. Overall, j knives are more maneuverable and require far less force when cutting. A light grip allows for better feedback and the sharp edge and thin blade smoothly cuts through tomatoes, onions and proteins. At the upper end of entry-level j knives it cost $128 + $20 for a magnolia wood saya (wooden sheath), which you have to know to ask for in an email. Two synthetic water-stones for sharpening were another $100 and should last a lifetime. After using it daily for everything but boning I love using this knife. My sharpening skills are just developing but takes and holds a terrific edge. A CIA and French trained chef at a cooking class was impressed with balance, performance and “wished my knives were this sharp.” During the first few weeks my learning curve was slow as I want to move faster than my ability allowed so I made more mistakes and cut myself more than usual. Slowing down gave better control. Cuts are thinner and cleaner. Subsequently, I bought a honesuki (boning knife) and sujihiki (slicer) which I’ll report later. The Carbonext is the Camry or Accord of j knives. Plain, very good in all respects and affordable.

Please name them. I buy whatever is on sale never giving much thought to taste. When I googled kerrygold, plugra also came up. Made by Keller in the USA with same price and butterfat content as KG. Any opinions? Edited to add: I'm in Pennsylvania, USA.

+1 WD40 I'm neutral on stainless and the concept of keeping the kitchen looking as new as possible. For most all of us the kitchen is the only place in the home we create a mess doing manual labor several times a day. It's a workspace and eating place that sees a lot of traffic as a room to socialize. Stainless looks nice and is easy to clean. Unless guests are talking behind our backs, no one cares about the stray finger prints that could use a quick wipe-down. Edited to add: Consider stainless steel sink discoloration patina. It'll make it a lot easier to live with.

The white mint chip is my favorite. Nice snappy crunch and tangy-sweet mint.

We have two ducks and several quarts of duck fat. One duck will be confit and the other I want to debone, stuff and roast (ballotine). Any recommendations for the stuffing? TIA

Go to Garden Web Appliance forum and search induction and then Viking. Tons of posts on both and nothing I recall about problems with induction reliability. Viking is another story.

We just bought an Electrolux slide-inless than a month ago are ecstatic. We were seriously looking at pro-style gas (Capital Culinare was the front runner) but while researching induction caught my eye. A brief demo at Williams-Sonoma convinced us it was worth replacing over a dozen pots and pans (not-including lids) that weren't induction compatible. Absolutely no negatives so far. While not infinite adjustment knobs it has small increments for low heat and larger for medium to very high ("power boost"). Super-fast heating and more responsive than gas when changing temperatures. Lowest simmer for making clear stocks is excellent. No more difficult to clean burned food and it cools down quickly. If you're afraid of glass-top ranges it's not for you but I have no issue with it. As an added bonus the oven of the Electrolux is terrific. Holds heat well and after years of perfecting roast turkey the "Perfect Turkey" setting that utilizes a probe was about 90% as good. The bottom oven is great for warming and roasting vegetables. We're truly amazed by this technology we had only passing knowledge of six weeks ago. I've worked in restaurant kitchens and on friend's pro cook tops and IMO it's better.