FabulousFoodBabe

Mayo. Don't ask me how I know. The lugnuts on my '74 Vega were fake. Only on eGullet can a Miracle Whip thread degenerate into discussions of Big Boy Dan's name and Mrs. jsolomon's fondness for Treet. Jaymes: Ditto the egg-recipe seekers. They ask, you tell 'em, and they think you're trying to pull a fast one. (I always get a grin out of people who swear they can tell the difference between Duke's and Hellman's ... when the difference is between Hellman's and MW.)

Southern Ohio, baby! Southwestern corner, Cincinnati Oh. On the West side for those who know the difference We're right on that Mason-Dixon line. Our accents are even a little twangy for Ohio. I think I'm going to have to go out and get me some MW. we're here, we're schmear. Hee hee!

Do you get the cookie, then? I wonder if we can do some inside-the-house sessions, with little hidden mushrooms here and there, to start.

I think in some cases, it would bother me on principle (like it would bug me beyond expression to walk into some restaurants and just see a stroller). There are places where babies, kids and dogs just don't belong. When I was in Aspen, though, on a beautiful day, I loved walking down the street and getting to see all the dogs sitting at their owners' feet, at outside restaurants. Everyone was playing nice. These were all big dogs, too, not a toy in the bunch (thank God for that!). TPO, I agree with you on the "children/no children" section, and would be with ya on the "dog/no dog" section. And thank you for the best laugh of the morning so far: You kill me!

Diva, thank you for this thread! While I confess to not ever buying it, it's a huge, part of my childhood. Wonder Bread, Bologna, Velveeta "Cheese," and Miracle whip sandwiches, along with a big piece of iceberg lettuce, were the staples for every kid I knew. I can't not love something that reminds me of being a kid again. Plus, it really does taste better in some uses. Nonbelievers should try it before they slam it.

Ahem. What would you expect from a J&W grad? ::ducking:: I love the mayo thing. People frankly don't believe it when I tell them in class. To them, eggs = spoilage. Low acid + high moisture = Nasty, nasty stuff. Worse yet is when it grows in an oxygen-free environment. Most of the people I teach think that garlic cloves in oil at room temperature is okay, but to make your own creme fraiche is "dangerous." Ditto mayonnaise. (A preemptive strike to all the scientists who will find technical fault with the wording here: You know what I mean! ) The site is down for maintenance, so I didn't get to read all of it. I do believe in glycemic index affecting the bacteria that can bring on acne, though, in some people. I never had acne as a teenager, and have had a sweet tooth forever. I think our mothers told us that chocolate gave us acne so we wouldn't "get fat." edit to add: I just went to the link that johnsmith gave (thankyousomuch!). Sushi snots love to say that California Rolls are "not sushi." And I always thought you cooled the rice before vinegaring it ... if you hit the hot rice with more liquid, especially acid, it makes it gunk up even more.

He's got me pretty well trained already. He'll be six months old in July; wonder if neutering will affect the olfactory? (geez, that's a big schnoz on this one!) The website speaks of mixed-breed dogs being trained to truffle-find. I always thought the hounds were bred for this -- low to the ground, beeg noses, and those ears. I'd have never thought of morels, though. This could be great stuff!

Yep, suzi. And I have done chicken roulades that way, in a combi set at 212 (boiling). Not with Saran Wrap, though.

Plastic wrap, yes, to around 350; only commercial-grade, approved, for this type of use. I think the Saran people know that if they say it's okay use their wrap for anything other than food storage, all hell will break loose. Can you imagine -- people wrapping meatballs in Saran wrap and putting them into the pot so everything is done at once?

Before my beloved Josie went to that big sushi bar in the sky, we were lucky enough to bring home Jean-Luc, a regal Basset Hound. His ancestors were bred to track rabbits and forage for truffles. As part of his cultural education, to earn his keep, and to keep his Mamma happy, he should learn how to hunt for truffles. I know there's a school for this in the U.S. What sticks in my mind is that someplace in New Jersey has a week-long "train your dog to hunt for truffles" school. If there are any other places in the US (or Canada!), I'd love to hear about them. Google has let me down. I know eG won't. Thanks in advance -- Fabby edited because I never learn -- posted before full caffeination.

bobmac, I don't know why you're a moron. However, if you rest meat under cover, as the meat rests and gives off heat, the heat stays inside the little tent and steams the meat.

Once I saw Martha Stewart and entourage, at Havana. Food was good, too.

Foie gras. Anything like oxtail or shortribs (that takes a long, long time to do just right). Any kind of hard-to-get or hard-to-prep seafood (urchins, eel). Stuff that no one else will eat when I make it at home, like duck confit and goat. Now that the classes I taught in sushi are over, I'm back into "make it myself" mode -- partly because it's so good and cheap to do it this way, but mostly to get rid of the extra nori and Kohuko Rose rice. Other than that, anything Asian has got to come from a restuarant. They do it best! Edit to add: I never, ever do dim sum at home. No patience, no time. And ditto the fried stuff, Ludja. When I have a jones for a fried seafood platter, we go out for it.

Very, very interesting. I'd like to see stem cell research used to save humans first, of course, but have little doubt we'll grow our own meat before we save people from horrible deaths. I'm not at all pleased about genetically engineered vegetables and feel doubly so about meats.

Chef Andreini is a good person, tough, fair, and an awful lot of fun. And, an amazing chef and mentor-type for me. Ask him about his cool kitchen at home ... What you described made me smile a little, Chianti, especially because most of the people whose work you're criticizing and improving, have never done line cooking before (even during Externships). As a matter of fact, that's what stunk the most about people being able to walk into the kitchen to get their food: the customers, who seem to think that they know your business better. Annoying as hell! That said, we Culinaries had quite a bit to say about what you-all did, as well. We just don't get the chance to stand there as you were actually doing it!

never mind!

Inulin and pectin are both added to Stoneyfield. I'm pretty sure that pectin's used in a number of U.S. yogurts (as a gelling agent, although it's also a dietary fiber), but inulin's unique (the last time I checked, that is). Why does Stoneyfield add inulin to its yogurt? The week is young. ← I know the answer to this, 'cuz therese told me once a while back. Would it be wrong of me to blurt?

Yes, I'd like to know that, too. I first heard it used like that on the West Coast. Came into this too late to chime in on the fennel, but I loved the Sopranos episode, Carmela in Paris, and I noticed the duck first of all. Too late, too, to guess that the kids were running toward the snack bar at the Louvre

Yeah, what he said. For sausages, too, it's a good way to see if the mixture holds well and tastes good, before loading the machine and casings. We used to roll chicken roulades in plastic and then steam-cook them in a combi oven, with great results. I've simmered in both restaurant-grade plastic wrap (whatever the heck that means!) and Saran, and haven't tasted anything different with either. What are you making?

Oh, yeah. I'm short'ish, and have had some real issues with reaching the back burners on the stove. I read once that Julia Child had her countertops at a certain height. Didn't I also read somewhere that Sara Moulton's BOH jobs had platforms for her? I don't stand and prep for hours and hours at home, so I'm not having the countertops lowered. I may have a pull-out step installed under the cabinets so I can reach a little more easily.

I don't cook certain things in the summer: Lasagna, pot pies, beef stew (all three, favorites of my spousenkids). I don't eat baked potatoes, any cream sauces, hot soups, or baked fruit that is not in a pie. I also don't eat any soft-fleshed fish (sole, even halibut). It's freaking hot here, and at the cookout last night I ate salads for hours.

Nice photos, Anthony. Sounds like you're about ready for that Externship semester to hurry up and get here! It is pretty great to see our chefs working, instead of teaching us to work. Humbling is right.

Heh. If you figure it out, turkeybone, you will make a small fortune. The only thing I found that worked was not touching my whites with the pans If you soak in tide, and scrape with a putty knife, after using a power toothbrush or some sort of spinning brush on the marks, they might come out. Maybe.

I hope it won't sound unduly provincial if I say that this is one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard. Now I have to go. ← Naw, not provincial. Just not ... "Cincinnati." Sneak, if you're ever in town and want to try it out, it's on me. It can't be as good as back in the day, but those foods bring back memories of a very, very colorful youth. And I"ve been gone from there a long, long time.

I am pleased to report that the lobsters at Whole Foods (in White Plains) are comfortably ensconced in little lobster condos. To make them more comfortable, yanno. Hopefully, they'll forget they're no longer on the ocean bottom scavenging for God knows what, and instead residing in a PVC tube in a murky tank, claws banded together, waiting to be Thermidor'ed. (I think it's working. I heard one of them say, "wtf are these things on my claws? I'm going to have Harold help me get them off and when I do ... pow!") Also, the lobsters were all arranged face forward in their condos (probably more like Microtels). When possible, two consecutive condos were not occupied. I guess so they can sleep better? Anyway, I found it very comforting and thought you'd all want to know.