sashae

I actually just picked up a bottle of Lingham's Chili-Garlic-Ginger sauce, and it's quite good -- very sweet, as you mentioned. I'm going to try it out on some ribs today, as it's a bit sweet for me for my breakfast sauce. I like using El Pato sauce for breakfast, as it's fairly mild but with a nice vinegary flavour. -s

Wow, apparently there is. Now all I need is some information on which sort is the way to go :) Gaggenau CK494 [36"]: http://www.gaggenau.com:80/image.send?id=922613 Wolf 36" electric: Thermador CEP365ZB: Viking VECU1656B:

Along the same lines, is there such a thing as a high-quality electric range or cooktop? My wife and I are on the hunt for a condominium, and unfortunately, many of them only have electric ranges. While I would much, *much* prefer to have gas, it may not be feasible given what we've seen thus far. Obviously a coil-type electric range is not in the cards, but I've heard that the new sealed-type burners are fairly good. Any recommendations? -s

It's actually not bad... nothing exciting, and I personally prefer my Gzhelka, but not bad. Certainly not worth $30+ per 750ml however.. -s

I drank solely tap (Nalgene bottle for cold portability) when living in NYC, but in Los Angeles.. bleh. Water tastes AWFUL. I drink significantly more bottled water now (Vittel, Spa, Volvic, Glaceau Smartwater) and do chlorine evaporation and a PUR filter at home... still prefer the bottled though. -s

Breakfast, 7-730a Lunch, 1130a-12p Afternoon snack (2nd sandwich ;) 3-330p Dinner 8-9p If I don't have some sort of snack around 3-330 I come close to passing out my desk tired (low blood sugar)... I'd rather eat dinner earlier from a health perspective, but many nights I'll be up late tweaking things in the kitchen. Pizza and the like tend to keep one up later than expected (if making from scratch). -s

For another mild dram, the Balvenie Doublewood 12yo is fantastic, and available for around $30-35. My personal collection is fairly small right now... Ben Nevis 12yo, Glenrothes 1979, Glenfiddich 12yo, Bowmore Dawn, and Lagavulin 16yo. Just discovered a store locally in Los Angeles called the Wine and Liquor Depot that has *500* malts. It's a bit intimidating ;) http://www.wineandliquordepot.com Scotch is an evil, evil habit. Fortunately it's a bit less expensive than a French wine habit as long as you're avoiding stuff like Black Bowmore ;) -s

I'll also tout the pre-made indian marinades (they have a masala sauce, that with the edition of a bit more spice and some creme fraiche also available at TJ's is pretty darn good), maple nut/vanilla nut crunch cereals, and most importantly... Scotch. They have UNREAL bargains on single malt scotch. Currently they have Balvenie Doublewood 12 yo for $30 ($45 at my local liquor store), Glenmorangie 12yo wood finishes (port, sherry, madeira) for $30 ($48), Lagavulin 16yo for $40 ($68), Laphroaig 10yo for $30 ($47), Macallan 12yo for $30 ($45), Glenlivet 12yo for $20 ($36). Remarkable. The bargains on the vodkas are quite good as well, with Moskovskaya, Monopolowa, Svedka, and Black Sea all around $10 or less for a fifth. The Monopolowa is particularly good. Beer prices are also fabulous, with such bargains as Bitburger for $4.99, Murphy's Stout in pub cans for $3.99, etc. -s

I actually have a method that has *some* scientific grounding... Pedialyte! It's a medicinal beverage for severely dehydrated babies (think gatorade on steroids.) Tastes like filth, but a couple of good chugs in the morning (or preferably, the evening before) miraculously works quite well. It's worthwhile to keep a sixer in the fridge for weekend emergency usage ;) It also comes in "freezer pops" if drinking any more just seems like a bad idea... http://www.pedialyte.com/ -s

Ahh... mentions of a few of my favorite NYC bars... Marz Bar, where I once witnessed a syringe of questionable provenance protruding from the wall next to the payphone... The Village Idiot, where I came thisclose to my first-ever bar fight (broken up by my mates who witnessed a drunken bull attempt to remove my arm, backwards), and Siberia, now (I hear) moved away from their original location in which it appeared to be an adjunct of the hair salon next door. I was party to MUCH debauchery in the photo booth at that place... the no-swearing policy of the barkeeps was a bit at odds with the clientele and ambiance as well, but that's what made it fun. -s

Ah yes, hot sauce, one of my faaaavorite subjects. My personal faves are... Endorphin Rush (very tomatoey, VERY hot) Scorned Woman (black pepper, vinegar) Tennessee Sunshine (lots of vinegar, mild, good with eggs) Lawyer's Breath (very garlicky, mild) Pain is Good, Batch 137 (garlicky, carroty, very hot -- my favorite) I fear Crazy Jerry's Mustard Gas -- I have a bottle, and it honestly feels like someone poured acid down your throat... the stuff BURNS. Different than normal pepper heat. Big thumbs up for Sriracha, Tapatio, and Pickapeppa as well -- good flavoring agents for the wife, who doesn't like really hot sauces ;) -s

I also use the bechamel method, in a recipe from "The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food" by Lynne Kasper. Her recipe calls for a ragu of prosciutto, pancetta, pork, veal and beef with onions, milk, red wine, and stock. Very, very good although time consuming as I tend to roll the pasta as well. Big hit with dinner guests, however. Link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688089631 -s

Has anyone had any experience with Furi Technics knives? They're Australian, and appear similar to Globals in design.. http://www.furitechnics.com.au/ The 23cm EastWest knife looks particularly nice... http://www.furitechnics.com.au/FuriPro/Kni...stwestLarge.htm My two favorite knives are a 12" Global chef's, and a 9.5" Misono hollow-ground slicer that my wife's family got for me in Japan, engraved with my name on the tang. The hollow grind is fantastic for very, very thin slicing (I prefer it to my Kyocera ceramics, although the ceramics are nice as well) and the knife in general is just fantastically well balanced. On this subject, does anyone have any good recommendations for knife *storage*? I currently have a 6 slot block, with the Kyoceras being stored in their original boxes, and the Misono stored in a Messermeister plastic sleeve, with numerous other knives in drawers, etc. I could use a larger block, but if there's a particular commendable one i'd love to hear about it.

Actually, Barkeeper's Friend isn't the same as Comet -- somehow the composition is different. It is definitely commendable for cleaning All-Clad, but for those with Calphalon anodized pots and pans, a dash of comet and a good scrubbing will get those dishwasher white stains off the nice black pots. Worth it for the aesthetic benefit alone ;) -s

I actually saw a review of that book a few months ago in Saveur, and had intended to pick it up -- this incents me to do so even more, thanks! -s