sanrensho

I have a Cuisinart and it works flawlessly, but it seems that more people on this board prefer the Kitchenaid. There was a thread about food processors earlier this year. Blender is out for me as well, due to space considerations. I get by with the food processor and a blender stick (now dead, it was a Braun). Whatever you do, don't be tempted by the little B&D choppers. I have two of those and they are useless.

Thanks for that, Kristin. I'll be on the lookout! ← Joie, I'd say the flesh is somewhat similar to sardines. Fairly oil and with good flavor. Grill /roast plain and serve with grated daikon and soy sauce. A classic entree for a traditional Japanese meal.

Oops. *Tries to remove foot from mouth.* Sorry, I hope you weren't offended by my "out-of-towner" reference.

As a way of explanation for the uninitiated/out-of-towners: VCR = Soon to be outdated device that plays and records on video tapes, often broken by kids with probing hands YVR/GVRD = Vancouver

Another survivor here. I've left egg whites out for 48 hours with no issues. Seven plus days is kind of pushing the envelope, however.

It depends on how strongly flavoured (salty/sour) the furikake is. However, the portions in the photos posted by Torakris a few posts up are way overboard, for obvious commercial reasons. I think the general idea is for the furikake to enhance and supplement the flavour of the rice, but not overpower it. Around our house, Yukari (shiso-flavoured) furikake gets a lot of mileage.

When I made French press, I never pushed down the filter with force into the grounds. (I'm currently using an Ikea press and it goes down most of the way). I just stopped when I felt the resistance of the grounds. Using this method, it wouldn't make any difference to the coffee where the filter stops. If you personally prefer to crush your grinds, then you'll just have to find another brand of French press. FWIW, Bodum recommends using "minimal pressure." Makes sense, since most of your brewing and extracting happens before you plunge. http://www.bodum.com/upload/pdf/french_press_INS.pdf

Long end. That way I have the option of cutting the roulade cake in half and making two rolls with different fillings. Also, much easier to store in my fridge this way.

Wasabi soft ice cream is probably available anywhere there is wasabi production (and tourists to buy the ice cream). They were selling wasabi ice cream at a place I visited in Nagano Prefecture. Kiem Hwa's photos are making me drool!

You make it sound like an epidemic, but I suspect you're only talking about a few posters. Regardless, I agree with your point about transparency and consider it "good form" to reveal any such affiliations.

Do you mean there's some fuzz on the mushrooms? If so, it definitely sounds like mold. If you've ever bought fresh shimeji or picked mushrooms you won't find any fuzz/mold (unless the mushroom is actually moldy in the ground). If they are immature fruit, then they will look like little baby mushrooms, not like fuzz.

Sounds good. I'd love to hear how your shopping trip at Ravensburgen turns out. Heavy duty pastry bags are something that I probably need.

Thanks for the offer! Unfortunately, I don't get out to Richmond often and my schedule is pretty haphazard, so it probably makes more sense for me to get it on my own. Again, I do appreciate the offer. What are you using the acetate for? Something to do with chocolate?

Don't bother trying Michael's. No acetate last time two times I checked. Ling, could you please let us know if you do find a source? I've also been looking for acetate for some time, primarily for use in mousse cakes. Thanks.

Jay, thanks for the reply and your impressions. I think I'll try out the PC grinder, if I can find one. Unfortunately, my nearest Superstore was sold out so I'll have to cross my fingers and hope that they get more in stock.

SusieQ: I don't live in Seattle, but I think you would be absolutely fine with the sushi-grade tuna at Uwajimaya. They're a Japanese-run company and I'm sure they sell a good amount of sashimi, so that should be an assurance that they're quality is fine. They're probably buying from the same sources as your favorite sushi shop! We buy sashimi-grade tune and salmon from our local supermarket (Fujiya) and it's fine.

I like that cake..a lot. And I love the way it retains its flavor, moistness and crumb even after a few days. I find it perfect unadorned.

I know the feeling. We buy/eat sashimi so rarely that shoyu, wasabi and perhaps some shiso is enough to make us happy. There's really is nothing to it, as long as you're working with good, fresh ingredients. Ask for sushi-grade salmon or tuna at a trusted fishmonger, or just head down to Uwajimaya. Take home, slice and enjoy.

This was a first-time experiment so I sort of winged it. I don't really have the proportions as I just went by taste. Method is below: 1. Cut notches in chestnuts (350 grams), place in cold water. Bring water to boil and boil for a few minutes. 2. Drain, then peel and skin chestnuts (I just trimmed with a knife). Place skinned chestnuts in pan with milk to cover and a few tbs sugar. Simmer until tender (about an hour). 3. Puree drained chestnuts in food processor with enough of the milk to form a paste. I didn't puree very finely and was pretty happy with the chunky texture after folding into the Chantilly cream. 4. Fold puree into sweetened Chantilly cream, to taste. I would make the Chantilly cream with 1.5-2 times the normal amount of sugar, depending on how sweet the puree is. My puree wasn't very sweet at all so I added a fair amount of sugar to the Chantilly cream. 5. Fill in your favorite roll cake (or cake layers).

Coincidentally, I made a chestnut puree for the first time 2 days ago. Despite the work involved, we had a lot of fun with my 4- and 7-year old daughters pitching in to help peel the boiled chestnuts. The chestnut puree ended up mixed with Chantilly cream and rolled in a almond biscuit roulade for a simplified version of a mont blanc. It was great.

Considering the ethnic and cultural diversity in North America, I just don't see how you can make any useful generalizations about the state of raw/cooked veggies and fruits on our side of the pond.

Here's a link to the Zojirushi electric pots that azlee is referring to. They are used for the exact application you describe and are ubiquitious in Japanese offices and households. http://www.zojirushi.com/elepots.html

In addition to the above suggestion, you can often use the tab on the lid to turn the slot, although it takes some practice. I also use a butter knife for this purpose. I was playing around with my coffee filters and realized that I didn't get the description right. Instead of the tab, you use the lip on any other part of the lid. The curvature of the lid is just enough that you can reach the slot to turn it.

Poor choice of words, IMO. Ling isn't selling anything or pushing these coupons on anyone. From the Oxford English Dictionary: hawk /h<revc>:k/ v.2L15. [back-form. f. HAWKER n.2]1 v.t. Carry about from place to place and offer for sale. L15. 2 v.i. Travel around touting or selling one's wares. M16.

I look forward to the next report. More pictures, please, the bigger the better. Also, did you find the European cakes/pastries to be generally sweeter or less sweet than what you had in Paris?