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Darren72

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Posts posted by Darren72

  1. Nicely done. That looks like a troubleshooting guide for some incomprehensible bit of technology.  The only thing I would add is this.

    1.)  Make simple syrup for the love of god.  It’s…um, simple.  Take ½ cup of white/demarara or turbinado sugar mixed with respectively ½ and ¼ cup of water. Filtered water please, room temp and shaken hard.  This will make drinking cocktails so fast it’s like main lining instead of suppositories, much less messy or frustrating as well.

    Just so I'm sure I'm understanding this, you are shaking the room temp water and sugar to make the syrup, rather than simmering and then cooling?

  2. Anyone have any experience with their box grater?

    This has been sitting in my shopping cart at Amazon for about 8 months now. I use my current grater like this to shred cheeses (mostly cheddar and mozarella), carrots and for nutmeg. I like that it has a cup on the bottom to catch/measure things.

    We bought one recently and like it.

  3. Is anyone familiar with the differences between Spiegelau's Vino Grande line and their Authentis line? Both retail at Amazon for about $55 for 6 glasses, though the "list price" of the Authentis is about $20 higher.

    Vino Grande Burgundy glasses

    Authentis Burgundy glasses

    We have a lot of Vino Grande glasses and are quite happy with them. Any pointers about how the Authentis glasses may differ is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

  4. I just don't trust buying coffee from a supermarket. There's no roast date on the bags, ans even though I like Peet's, it doesn't matter how good the coffee once was if it's over two weeks old by the time it arrives on the shelves.

    This depends on the store and the coffee they carry.

    Sealed coffee bags with plastic one-way valves that let out CO2, but don't let air in, can can keep coffee beans reasonably fresh for 2-3 months. If a bag has a "use by" date on it, you can safely guess that the roast date was 2-3 months earlier. Sure, these beans won't be as fresh as buying beans that were recently roasted.

    I usually buy Intelligentsia directly from the store in Chicago. But my recollection is that they stopping printing "roasted on" dates on the bags they sell in grocery stores.

  5. Thanks!

    I find that overcrowding the pan, which has consequences beyond simply lowering the temperature, is one of the most common mistakes made by home cooks.

    This is very, very true. I can't count the number of times I've helped someone cook and said "we're going to have to do this in batches" and then explained the difference between pan frying and steaming.

  6. Other things such as respecting the power of the stove and the capacity of the pan and not over-crowding the pan also help to reduce sticking.

    slkinsey, what do you mean by "respecting the power of the stove"? Do you simply mean not overheating the pan?

    I've always wondered why All-Clad's instructions for pans say not to use more than a medium-high flame.

  7. At the time I bought this pan I also considered the AC version and I opted for the Calphalon because of the aluminum layer. The old AC roaster, as reviewed by Cook's Illustrated, featured the triple-layered construction, but I guess the margin is better without it.

    That's right. Just to be clear, when I last researched these things, the All-Clad roasting pan was 100% stainless steel; no aluminum core. And it cost $200. Most websites and stores had the same blurb about the All-Clad stainless steel line having an aluminum core on all products, from the saucepans, frying pans, to the the roasting pan. I called the company and they told me that the roasting pan doesn't have it. Now, maybe things have changed. If not, I don't see any reason to prefer the All-clad over the Calphalon.

  8. Slkinsey's advice is good. Unfortunately, cookware stores seem to want to shove nonstick or really expensive stainless steel stuff down our throats. A good pan that I use is Calphalon's stainless steel roasting pan, which is usually $100 on Amazon (and it includes a v-rack). It's heavy enough to let a nice fond develop and can easily go from the oven to stovetop.

    My mother just bought a $30 stainless steel roasting pan from Sam's Club. It's gotten decent reviews and I'll give it a test run for the first time this Thanksgiving.

  9. I've seen the ads from Coffeefool.com and have avoided them simply because I hate ads. :)

    There are a lot of merchants that roast and then ship beans immediately after you place your order. If you are willing to pay the shipping costs, these beans will be as fresh as anything you'd get from coffeefool.com or a local roaster. One company I've used in the past is http://www.paradiseroasters.com/.

    I live in Chicago and buy quite frequently from Intelligentsia. I used to walk in and ask which beans were roasted today or yesterday....and every time they'd tell me that I certainly wouldn't be able to tell the difference between beans roasted today or ones roasted 5 days earlier. I'm not convinced of that just yet, but in any case I don't think is going to be a vastly different taste from beans that are roasted within the week.

    There are a lot of threads on egullet about home roasting.

  10. My husband and I have a two night stopover in Chicago Nov 23 and 24.  We are staying downtown and are looking for suggestions of where to eat.  We are staying (I think) at the Courtyard by Marriot - 165 E Ontario Street.  We don't mind a walk or a short cab ride.

    I know Nov 23 is US Thanksgiving, so that may be a bad day to arrive, but that is how it worked out.

    We have never been in Chicago before and aside from the obvious Alinea and Charlie Trotter's we know nothing about the restaurants. 

    Price range - not anything specific, a variety would be nice..........

    I would love some suggestions.............................

    All of the recommendations above (and in the threads linked above) seem to fit what you are looking for. But I presume you are looking for something different. Can you give us a little more info?

  11. I've been going to Northwestern Cutlery in Chicago for years. I began going there because they sharpen knives while you wait, for like $3 per knife. As far as restaurant supply stores go, they are on the smaller side, but a lot of the stuff they are missing is more of use to restaurants than to home cooks. They also stock a few consumer brands (such as All-Clad). The staff is incredibly helpful, especially about knives.

    Some of my best finds there are Vollrath nonstick fry pans ($25) and half sheet pans for $5.

    They are located in Lake St in Chicago in an area that has tons of restaurant supply stores, meat packing facilities, etc. It's a great neighborhood to explore.

    Note that the website, linked below, is mostly geared for home chefs. It doesn't contain all of their inventory.

    Northwestern Cutlery

    http://www.nwcutlery.com/

    810 West Lake Street

    Chicago, IL 60007

    Ph: 888-248-4449

    Fax: 312-421-7016

    e-mail: info@nwcutlery.com

  12. I think you can't go wrong at either place. I've never been disappointed at North Pond, but you are right that they receive mixed reviews here. The atmosphere is also quite different at the two restaurants: Blackbird is much louder and cramped. If this is a problem for you, you may want to ask to be seated near the western wall of the building. The wall on the east side has a line of tables with hardly any room between them.

    Also, North Pond does an excellent brunch. If it fits in your plans, you might do that, plus Blackbird for dinner.

    Have fun and report back on your experience.

  13. 1. The maraschino cherries are actually a combo of “brandied cherries” and Maraschino cherries.  We soaked cherries in a combination of Mathusalem rum, Rirrenhouse rye, citrus zest, and a couple of other things.  Let that sit two weeks.  Add maraschino. Let macerate until soft.

    Just a quick follow-up. When you say "add maraschino," do you mean the liquor or something else? If the liquor, why do you add it two weeks later than the others ingredients?

    Thanks.

  14. You might want to post this on the "Professional Forum" at www.lthforum.com, a site devoted to Chicago area food and restaurants. I seem to recall a thread about staging there at some point, but I couldn't find it in my quick search.

  15. Two friends and I had dinner at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga a few nights ago.

    The Plumed Horse has been recently remodeled and, I'm told, re-conceived. It is a fairly modern-styled restaurant. Our food was excellent; the service needed some work.

    To start, I had the hamachi crudo, avocado, sharyln melon, lime, espellette pepper. (The menu says hamachi, though our waiter said it was a similar fish, the name of which escapes me.) This was essentially sashimi with small balls of avocado and mellon, and a little sauce that seemed to be made largely with avocado. The fish was excellent - definitely as good as anything I've had in a higher-end Japanese restaurant.

    My two friends had the warm strawberry and endive salad, speck ham, burrata cheese; and the seared foie gras, mustard fruit, green grapes and salted almond brittle. I had tastes of both and they were excellent.

    For dinner I had a piece of braised veal (not a shank as the on-line menu says), served with ricotta ravioli, sweetbreads, chanterelle mushrooms. The exterior of the veal was a little drier than it should be, but the dish was nice over all. I probably would not order it again if I went back.

    My friends had the slow roasted salmon with tamarind glaze and the brioche crusted halibut. Both were excellent. The waiter had steered us towards the seafood dishes and our experience indicates that this is definitely the way to go.

    We also had a real nice Pinotage to drink, and finished with a piece of Valrohona chocolate cake.

    The service was quite uneven. Nothing terrible happened, but most of our interactions with the staff left us either laughing or just wondering what was going on. Since the restaurant is newly opened, perhaps things will work themselves out soon. The only problem I had with the restaurant was the constant feeling of being upsold...a cocktail before we are seated, then a glass of champagne before we order, then the tasting menu, etc.

    14555 BIG BASIN WAY

    SARATOGA, CA 95070

    (408) 867-4711

    http://www.plumedhorse.com

  16. Here is a link to some helpful recent reviews of Arun's:

    http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1504

    While many will agree that Alinea's is a better restaurant, however defined, it bears mentioning that Arun's is a whole lot cheaper. It isn't easy for someone else to answer the question "Should I spend $100 per person here, or $300 per person there?".

    Note that if you want excellent Thai food in Chicago, you can't go wrong by find one of the cheaper options that come up frequently in discussions here and at LTHForum.com

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