RonC

Thanks WTG. I probably use the stopper (sans vacuum) when the bottle will stay open less than a day, and remove a little air on those rare occasions when it might last a couple of days -- hmmmmmm has that ever happened? Sidecar Ron

Thanks Friends for the replies. Being pretty much a vino and Hacker Pshorr beer guy here, guess I'll stick with the cheap stuff for sauces (cheaper than Absolute).

Not being an expert of vodkas but liking vodka sauce of my pasta, I've relied on my local booze merchant for recommendations. He always steers me to the inexpensive stuff (aka "cheap"). We're always pleased with the results, but what's your experience? Does a more expensive vodka have much impact once it's made into a tomato-based sauce? Thanks, Sidecar Ron

My French sommelier friend always gives me a hard time when he sees my Vacuvin - chastising me for creating the vacuum in the bottle. What's your opinion? Of course, it's probably academic anyway since an open bottle never stays around more than a day. Thanks, Sidecar Ron

Wow!!! Those bagels look great -- but, hey, I need to taste them to be sure they deserve a real thumbs up. ;-) I just finished a couple of sour dough loaves. I wound up combining tips from the eGullet thread plus what I quickly read from a library copy of the Bread Baker's Apprentice. They're cooling (the bread, not the apprentices) right now, so I haven't tasted yet. Sidecar Ron

Barbara, I'm with you! Our preference is a good chewy bagel - not those soft "bread-company" ones. Does your post suggest that boiling leads to those soft imitation ones? Sidecar Ron

Well, slowly I'm making some progress with my sourdough bread. Now I'd like to try my hand at bagels. I guess they're broiled, boiled and baked (whew!). Anyone have a favorite recipe and tips on what to do and NOT do? Thanks, Sidecar Ron

Devlin, I really think the major issue is over kneeding. I've heard before about the problem of breaking down the glutin. As I mentioned was my intent, I went ahead and baked the break. Actually, it was pretty good. Gonna maybe kick up the sour dough taste on my next try. Sidecar Ron

Friendly hijacking is fine. I figure we're all here to learn -- or to share our knowledge. Sidecar Ron

Well ... starter plus bread flour plus salt. Sidecar Ron

Thank you folks. I'll either try NO or VERY little kneeding next time. Sidecar Ron

I've recently returned (after many years) to trying my hand at baking sourdough bread. My first two attempts resulted in flavorable, nice textured loaves that were too moist to form!! The supplier of the starter suggested that I kneed the dough for only 5 minutes - rather than the 10 minutes at low speed on my KitchenAid I'd been doing (and are in her instructions. I just tried that. At 4.5 minutes, it looked great - pulling away from the sides of the bowl. At 5 minutes, it broke down and seems too moist, but I'll go ahead and bake it. Ideas? Suggestions? Oh, my mixture is 2 cups of starter, 2 cups of bread flour and 2 tsp of salt. Thanks much, Sidecar Ron

Ahhhh, thank you for the search help! I'm sure it will cut down on my frustration plus reduce the chance that I'll ask unneeded questions. New Friends in Eating - After reading all the praise for KitchenAid, we decided to go with the KA 760. Until Sunday, Amazon has this and other selected kitchen products for $25 off plus the usual free shipping. We wound up paying $205 which (I think) is a pretty good price. Best wishes, Sidecar Ron

Susan, Thanks for these threads. Ya know, I did a search for "Food Processor" and sure didn't see these -- maybe they were down MANY pages and I should have persevered. Being still kinda new here, how did you get to them quickly? Thanks, Sidecar Ron BTW, what Kitchenaid model do you have?

After watching food processors (I think it was a Cuisinart DLC 2011) on the Food Network suck greens down and finely chop them, I think it's time to trade in our many-years-old model that seems to simply spin the ingredients up the sides. (Guess things have improved in the past 15 or so years.) We've read that the Kitchnaid KFP670 is a great machine at $280 and that the Cuisinart DLC 85 is a good value at $160, but what are your recommendations? Thanks much! Sidecar Ron

Dean, I keep meaning to tell you that your new kitchen is just (kinda) like mine. I mean, I've got a blue wall ---- well laminate counter tops instead of granite ---- a simple Kenmore stove ---- no pantry ----- old lighting --- old staniless sink ----- a LOT smaller ----- Hey, our kitchens aren't much alike!!!!! Seriously, yours looks great and I'm sure you'll enjoy it tremendously and turn out many a great meal for the clan and guests. Best wishes, Sidecar Ron

Shucks folks -- it's JUST food and well-paid cooks --- and which we're damned lucky to have such in great abundance and quality!!!! With all the crap goin' on in the world ---- and the millions who don't have access to much food of any kind, let's not get too wrapped up in our own little world. Peace - may it come sooner than the next war. (ahhhh, but nations don't really rally around peace like they do war, do they) Sidecar Ron

Just wondering ... anyone read the about the FOOD that was prepared for the event? Don't ya hate it when a thread gets hijacked to another topic? ;-) Sidecar Ron

Guess I started this thread with the posting of the Tribune article, I suppose I should sound off just a tad. I DO find it interesting that it's sunk (some would say "rissen") to a discussion of both the Tribune writers and of Trotter himself. I personally feel that there are lots of great "cooks" out there - some even here in the Chicago area. For my wife and I, a great meal involves more than just good eats and while we read restaurant reviews, it's not our only deciding factor in where to CONTINUE to return to. Back when Pierre Pollin and Marcel Flori and the old wait staff were at LeTiti de Paris, is was our favorite haunt -- not just for the food, but for the warm friendship we had with everyone there -- and that we continue to have outside the restaurant. That's what kept bringing us back. Certainly Michael has continued the same quality of food -- but we do miss Pierre and Marcel. Guess, as I said, a great meal experience, in our book, involves more than grub on the table and fine wine in the glass. My 2 cents. Sidecar Ron

Some of the nation's top chefs (all Charlie Trotter alumni) put controversy aside for a dizzying peek into the future of gourmet dining. Tonight's special: Watermelon and saffron sphere. For more ... http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi...,1,933274.story Food chemistry in the garage. Sidecar Ron

Thanks all for your suggestions. We combined and customized recipes on Sat. and came up with something pretty decent and the nice bottle of Cabernet helped. Sidecar Ron

Bill, thanks so much for sharing this entire expereience. Everything looked just super -- only wish we had taste and smell internet! Sidecar Ron

Thanks Carswell - it DOES sound good! Azurenath, it's for Sat. night. I'll try to check out your sites. Thanks guys! Sidecar Ron

Friends, We love slow cooked lamb shanks and white beans from our favorite French restaurant. We found some good looking shanks today and now nead a great recipe to do in our Dutch Oven. We especially like the yummy flavorable beans. Looking forward to your sharing. Thanks, Sidecar Ron

I think it's a Aussie thing. How do you scrub and rinse the oil before you heat it? ←