FabulousFoodBabe

"Real working chefs" don't run around in their whites outside the kitchen, either.

Great blog, Henry. Heck: great apartment, great writing, great knives, great life! You're a man of many talents; thank you for sharing them. (BTW, your apartment is an empty-nest dream of mine ... )

Ain't that the truth! When I am asked if my "dream kitchen" is the end result (by all but the architects and my husband, who now knows better), all I can do is smile and say, "close." As for resale: I did a really cool remodel in our last house. When the last inch of countertop was laid, Mr. FB came home and said, "how'd ya like to move back to the Northeast?" When we put the house on the market, prospective buyers either loved the kitchen or hated it; I'm pretty sure that it kept a few people from making an offer. When I showed the photos to our realtor here she agreed with the architect: buyers would be fighting for it.

On my last to-the-wall-studs remodel, I paid an architect/designer $900 for the plans. That was deducted from the final cost of the job and since I knew I was going to buy my cabinets from them, I was fine with it. Also, I wound up being the general contractor for the job (not because i wanted to, believe me), and having a good relationship with this place allowed for me to store the cabinets without charge, and get on their installers' list for last-minute stuff. Prior to that, I'd checked with quite a few places who charged anywhere from $500-$1500 for a design layout, and all of them were affiliated with cabinet and fixture dealers. Again, the price was deducted from the final cost of the project. This was in Atlanta.

I propose that FabulousFoodBabe and I dress up as a butler and French Maid, respectively, to serve burgers, chicken wings, bleu cheese and other Man Food to the assembled Ladies of eGullet. I'll even help you with your cummerbund, Fabby. ← Deal! And I'll make sure your seams are straight as you serve. Butlers are also a guy thing, food wise, I think. I know guys make a fuss about Hooters waitresses and French Maids but what they really crave are butlers. Heh. Pontormo, I like a food dare as much as the next babe. Winky.

Ack! Thanks to this thread, I'm now riddled with doubt over what kind of range setup to have. A dual-fuel range, both for space purposes and because it's the way I cook (I don't like wall ovens). I was all set for a 48" Thermador, then I didn't like the front dial on the new models. Then, I decided on a big purple Viking, just because. Then, I heard Wolf was a better performer, and also does dual-fuel in 60". Now I want a BlueStar! I liked it with the salamander up on a shelf (one of the coolest things in the world, to me). But: the ranges only have gas ovens. So I thought BlueStar top, Gaggenau oven below. And now, no BlueStars nearby and they're even harder to service. Grrr!

What is the guy equivalent of our own Fress in a Dress?* Mr. FB likes his pie too, Gini. He loves it. And he also likes cheesecake, and manicotti, and chowder. He also loves panini (I think it's the squish factor). Main course fish are salmon or swordfish. A little red wine and port rounds this out and of course, a ceegar from our most recent Caribbean adventures. I'm the one who does with a nice bit of steak, some vodka straight from the freezer with a chunk of orange in it, and maybe some blue cheese on a spud or something like that. (I always got a hoot out of catering clients who, when we'd be putting together menus, would said, "now, remember: this is for men! Cold cuts, cheese not to smelly, no funny coffee, and lots of pie.") (*)FFB, who could be FoodBabe in a tux ... I even have the shoes for it!

Soooo ... I'm reading this thread, wondering if I'll recognize anyone! When I eat alone, it's on purpose. But when I'm with others and see someone dining alone, I always invite them to join us. Some do, some don't. Everyone has a story, and I love getting it. (I know, I know, it appears in this forum that i'm kind of demure and prim ... but I just walk up and ask the person if they would like company and if ours would do.) Once, in the BVI, there was a writer from St. Elsewhere (remember that show? Still one of my favorites). Mostly, it's been someone traveling on business. No bad experiences, though. Sugarella, I'm sure that as you think of your experience over the years, it went from immediately perplexing, to scary as hell, to "here's one for the autobiography!" I am very glad you told it.

I came across a rerun of this the other night -- was underwhelmed by all but the judges. A couple of comments: the obnoxious guy seemed to have been kicked because he is/was obnoxious. Personally, I'd have thought it was better TV to have him going head to head with the two women who were on camera so much (Lee Ann and ___?) Second, when I read the cast bios, for chrissakes. Who cares if someone is bisexual? Last, am I supposed to know who the host is, except that she's married to some old guy whose songs we used to sing in the car, when I was about her age? I'm not really as cranky today as I sound. Really.

:: thank you, I'll be here all week! :: My knives ... sigh. I love to keep them maintained, and I edge them myself. I had a chef at school who insisted that we do our knives a certain way, which I never got the hang of. And, at school, they trained us using oil stones. But in the kitchen where I learned most everything, water stones were used and I like that method best. For the most part, maintenance depends on the knife. I have an 8-chef that I really like, that needs lots of attention; a santoku that needs almost none. My top of the line paring knife dulls easily; the cheapos I got 3/$15 work for hours without steeling. Go figger.

I'd like to see some of this energy and time go into improving the food we have and the public education surrounding it, not the labels put on the crummy food out there.

Bigcat, I've got a bad case of the "Iwannas," too, as I pick out a range for the kitchen. I just spent a week trying to figure out how I was going to pull off just what you describe. Snif. Some of the commercial ranges have no warranty if they're installed in a home which to me is minor compared to the code problems and the insurance problems. Plus, I've got to have a dual-fuel range, and commercial models only have gas (I don' like gas ovens). So, it's looking like Wolf or Viking here. I would love to have a 60" and maybe I will. Two full-sized ovens ... sweet!

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I've done so few of my resolutions. I forgive me, though. Next year, I'll go back to my usual resolution: to stop saying the "f" word.

Kathy, I love the blog AND the title! Are these the spice jars Mr. Tejon gave you for your birthday, that you posted about on another thread? (Lovely!) Cute kids, too. But you knew that.

However badly I feel for this person, it doesn't erase the fact that she was well aware that she should and could be doing better for her kid. and herself. Suing McDonald's or Nabisco when her daughter winds up obese should not be an option.

My husband does a great imitation of me taking my spatula to the jar of peanut butter, scraping the jar clean, and waving the spatula while I lecture him on how much it costs, how many of these potential sandwiches wind up in the garbage every year, etc. It's pretty funny. In answer to your question: I scrape till I get everything. Bottles are inverted until they completely drain, and I always, always, dilute shampoo (more like 50-50 for me, amylou!).

More time-consuming than opening a Little Debbie, sure, but it doesnt have to be very time consuming and it certainly does not HAVE to be very difficult. I feel for anyone who is so pressed for time that they can't steam some broccoli, pour a bowl of generic Cheerios or open a can of mixed fruit! ← I wonder how depressed that woman was, that she couldn't do a simple thing that she knew in her heart was better for her kid. Makes me very sad. Doing a little something in the kitchen together probably made her feel like just one more demand on her time.

Hey ... maybe I can add that to the plans for mine? Gotta call the architect ...

Wendy, I'm replacing a microwave/"hors d'oeuvre" oven with a Miele speed oven in my pass. It's pretty cool, does speed cooking, conventional, and microwave cooking. Doing the cooktop and oven you describe is very attractive to a family with small children. They aren't big on the open flames of a gas burner, and honestly, if you would consider induction, I'd think it would be a great selling point for parents worried about the kids frying their hands on a still-hot cooktop. Plus, anything that keeps stuff up and out of the way -- like a wall oven -- is a plus. My home cooking style has changed dramatically over the years. The setup in our house is a little odd as well; I'm opening the wall between the current kitchen and smallish living room, to make the entire area into a kitchen, wet bar, sports bar, sitting area with an area for growing year-round (one side of the house gets amazing sunlight -- just amazing). Walking into a house with a visible kitchen is really a plus for a lot of people with little kids; they can see who is at the door, etc. etc. I hope you keep us posted and have fun with this! I avoided, muttered, cursed and generally was in denial about this remodel until last summer. It's gonna happen and we are all pretty pleased with it.

Jealous. Jealous. Jealous. This sounds wonderful, MichaelB. Are you a professional? Is your range all-gas? Do you have any issues with heat and whatnot, with it being commercial? Ohhhhh, the traulsen, the traulsen. What about granite floors? Do you have anything on top of them to make them easier on the legs?

Have you seen the number of fat professors in my University's Food Science department? Education isn't the issue, it's initiative. We want a quick fix. But, we fail to see that we got fat over a significant period of time, and it will probably take a similar period to get well. But, we lack the initiative to do anything about it, and we lack the self-awareness to notice we're getting a little doughy before we're busting the axles on our SUV's. ← Right you are, jsolomon. Yanno, I think it's kind of condescending to say that poor, uneducated people eat junk all day long and should be the main target of our nutritional education efforts. There are plenty of fat people in my town -- one woman sits on the committee to change the food program at the school, and she must go about 300 (and her kids as well). She's educated, wealthy, has a strong community and family network, and fat. And making decisions for others -- good ones, too. Just not for herself.

Yes, so very true! Blame the restaurant because they have insurance. I've seen some nightmarish home food setups, and at one point had to be sure when a certain person brought food to a potluck of any sort, because they never, EVER washed their hands after diapering their children. Randomly: High moisture, low acid foods are the culprit. Miss Lulu's Potato Salad makes people sick because of the potatoes, not the mayo. If schools and churches are getting nailed and inspected regularly by the health departments, why in the world isn't someone cracking down on the legions of people running catering businesses out of unapproved home kitchens? I also think the NYState glove law is completely silly.

Oh, geez. You bet I guessed it, and I'm not surprised. During our first "relocation" move, we couldn't figure out why the beautiful newish kitchen in the house wasn't working. The ovens and cooktop weren't even connected, just put into their slots. And no, the inspector didn't figure it out. I was instructed by a former client that I could not use her wonderful, new, top of the line kitchen, because she didn't want any food smells in her house. She was very proud of never having cooked a meal in her kitchen. Anyone else want to hear his story, see this kitchen? ::giving you my most winning smile::

Love it!

I will be worthy of my kitchen and it, me. I'm in the pre-construction final plan stage of a major remodel and spent five years with an ugly, malfunctioning, poorly laid out kitchen that's not entirely up to code (no downdraft for the cooktop), with cheap cabinets that would be fine if I didn't use it for more than setting the pizza box on the counter. Do I need what I'm getting? Technically, no. Will it make my life easier and my house value increase? Yes, to both. Do I deserve it? Yeah, baby! And last, will I use it? Of course. I teach, write/test/edit recipes, cook for my family every day, and entertain for pleasure and business. The architects I work with jumped at the chance to design such a kitchen. And believe it or not, I'm not going as fancy-schmancy as some of the kitchens I've seen around here, that rarely get used. Andii, I liked your story. I sold my last house with a fabulous kitchen to someone who is probably whipping up Tater Tots in the speed oven, and Hamburger Helper on the stove.