highchef

I agree. I often go back to this series when I want a refresher course in the basics and the recipes tend to be classics. Alibris.com should have some available.

I just read something on this, but don't remember exactly where. May have been a mag in the Dr.'s office. Anyway, I was surprised to learn that msg does not have to be listed as an ingredient on the label if it is part of another ingredient. I guess there are some sort of guidelines about this (like low-carb claims etc. where they don't misrepresent as long as the product contains less than a certain percent), but if I had major allergies this would be a real pain in the butt to figure out.

This is the funniest thing I've seen here in a long time. Please keep us posted. edit: the spelling....can we get a spell check here???

I have never been to your area, but I live on a lake, we have marshes....so...Marsh mellows???

too brown cookies, chill first in smaller batches. Cakes larger than say 9" are needing a cone..I have to think it's not the tool, it's the baker, It's not an insult, it's an insight. cones are simple, buyable, just get one.

I was in Lafayette, LA., last weekend and the one off of University dr. was up and running, so not a national trend...

I have to agree with keeping it simple. My experience with the homes we've rented is that the owners must bring their stuff with them, cause the stuff we're left with is crap. I don't expect much from any of them, and I've rented many. My biggest bitch is the crappy aluminum cookware that's only good for boiling something. I'm lucky to be able to drive in any direction on the gulf coast, and now I bring 2 pots....1 big steamer/boiler, and a small (if you call 2 qt. small, I do) lequeset pot, for anything that requires that it not be scortched. if flying...buy a pan you can use at home and ship it back. seriously, unless you grill, you're not in a foodopia kinda place. just the back end of renting...

You're not the only one . Mine's been broken now for a long time and it still seems to bake everything just fine. Apparently it's about $80 to fix but I just have never gotten around to doing it. ← I got it fixed friday, but it took weeks (special order glass). I noticed that the oven didn't seem impaired, but I'm sure it had to work overtime because I noticed the kitchen would warm up considerably when I used that one oven. When it was cool, it offset the heat coming on, but I live in Louisiana and seriously can't have a lot of added heat most of the year. Don't know the cost, they send a bill, but it's worth 80 bucks not to be reminded of my stupidity every time I turn it on!

Good luck! Might want to read a little about your dream job in "heat" and kitchen confidential, both available on Amazon.com see: http://www.amazon.com/Gastronomy-Cooking-Food-Wine-Books

I bought the 5 minutes a day book along with Reinhart's (sp?) whole wheat bread book. I read through both and of course tried the easiest one first. I should have paid attention to the Reinhart's book warning of covering the glass in the door with a towel when adding the water (I saw it, read it, forgot it) and it cracked about half way through the 2nd batch of bread. I really, really, really hope none of you make the same mistake, cause it's no myth. That glass cracked instantly when a drop fell on it, and it was one of those nano seconds you wish you could just redo. Otherwise I've had great success with this, but did have to add a mile a day on the treadmill.

there is a Time-Life series, available off the beaten track, that goes into each of the Foods of the World. and by that name, you will find them. Wish I could find mine...seriously, they are missing...

They're selling them in the boil n' go's here too, but they're small per usual for this time of year. I'll bite the bullet for Mardi Gras, then wait for the bugs to get bigger. You should be able to get them anywhere in S. La. if you don't mind them on the small side.

Yeah, me, too. Talk about a classic. For decades, nobody got married in the south without getting a copy of "River Roads" as a present. ← He he..that's when I got mine!!

first ingredient listed is flour(s), then oil(soy bean)...pretty much it. Sorry, haven't been thru Donaldsonville since McNeese played Nichols. I want the new book, thought I'd get it for my birthday, but I guess I didn't let drop enough hints. But....that's why God made American Express and Amazon.com!! Then again, last cookbook I ordered from his site directly and it came autographed!!! There's a blank on the order-form or something, but what a nice thing for him to do!

This is an excellent recipe if the dark bread is your goal. It doesn't call for anything you can't get at your local grocery, and HungryC is right, it's pretty dead on for the outback bread.

I agree. I don't know anyone who follows the recipe on the roux jar exactly, which reads to throw them in after. I think most of us were taught to add veggies to halt the browning in the roux, then add your stock. The whole idea of the jarred roux is to eliminate a step in the gumbo making process, not screwing it up. Sweating the trinity first is for sure the richer option. good weather for gumbo.

You add it to the stock (water, if you must) and let it simmer for 30min. or so. It does not 'thicken' as much as give body. How much is dictated by taste. to 2 quarts of stock I usually put in about 8 heaping tablespoons or more. This is considerably more than the jar calls for, but I cannot stand a long gumbo. The trinity goes in after the roux has been on for a while. This is another change up from the traditional, but does not really affect the end result. Maybe a purist could tell the veggies wern't sauteed in the roux, but to it's credit, I don't get the odd burnt onion bit either. If you're a novice, or have limited experience with how a real gumbo should be, use the measurements on the jar. I'd hate to be the one that ruined your attempt by encouraging too much roux, but honestly...I usually at least double what they call for. And that's a dark roux. It's a matter of taste I guess. edit: the usual

I'd love that job, a bit of a cummute though. I've just ordered from them, and I love their cookbooks. It's employee owned, a situation that, I think, insures quality. I wouldn't mind Vermont either!

Just bought the whole wheat book, thanks for the video! Great timing!

Seems like "roux powder" would be . . . flour. ← I think they're talking about the dry roux in this case dave. It's browned flour w/out the oil. I've never used it, but that could be done easily with a cast iron skillet. you'd still have to stir a lot, but you wouldn't have to wear asbestos. I really just thought it was another diet craze the first time I saw it, you know, another fat free thing. I have an idea that the flavor may still have some bite, but the body of the gumbo wouldn't quite be the same. anyone know?

Well there's also the burn factor. If your not careful you can lose skin for a while. And as noted above, it needs your attention, so multitasking is out of the question when a rouxs on the stove.

I can make a gumbo in 30 minutes. I do that with pre-cooked chickens, broth, and sausage that I nuke for a few minutes to get the fat out. and pre-made roux and Guidry's pre chopped veggies. When you have to make a roux, and have babies..it's allmost allways a disaster, that's when I discovered premade roux. Honey, a burnt roux is not something you want in your house. Then I realized, none noticed when I'd switched. (except my mother in law..long story, short: Mom: cant't make a roux? Yes I can, do you want to take care of the kids while I do? Mom: no, I'll just make the roux.) This weekend I made a gumbo for 60 people. Boiled the chickens (4) deboned..sauteed the sausage to get some fat out etc... and put it all together with a HUGE jar of roux. The oldest, self proclaimed cook there declared it 'perfect'. I also used fresh chopped Guidry's veggies.. and a sprip of rosemary and 5 thymes. it was a really good gumbo. I can do it the long way, but I think it's almost as good the short way. And the difference is not in the roux, but in the broth..whether I cook the chicken myself of cheat. I like it better when I cook the chicken, but if you're in a big hurry I don't think it's a huge thing. For seafood, it's a good thing to have a seafood stock on hand. I have to make mine because I don't have a food store handy that keeps that. I also do everything from scratch with a seafood gumbo..including roux. It has to do with how much money I'm spending I guess. To do a seafood gumbo right cost me about 200 bucks for 20 people. lump crab is 25/lb.. Do you make your roux? has anyone been able to tell the difference? I think the jar stuff is the best thing on the cajun market, but now I have teenagers fighting. get back to you. edit: usual stuff.

In Louisiana, where a great many of us still do french drip coffee, a pinch of salt on the top of the grounds is what we do. In a french drip pot, the water is poured in slowly...it's supposed to be in teaspoons. I admit I cheat. A LOT. first, my hot water dispenser is set @ right under boiling, and I pour as quick as it'll take it. and I run the whole batch through again so it's not 'new'..ie, the grounds haven't really gotten got yet. In the end, I've had men cry, telling me it's just like he had at Gran s. I think the hot water dispenser on my sink is probably the first thing I'd replace if I had to do a redo...

Oh...but those gravity tongs are my fav's..they walk out of here, and never return. I love them and have spent a fortune replacing them. Everytime someone is 'helping' they have to know how they work (of course) and then they're like some conductor on the grill. I really like those things, they only get annoying to me when they have to go into the dishwasher...but then, I really want them open anyway to clean. jmho.