johnsmith45678

Thanks! While I'm asking - is aborrio much different from the short-grained rice used for sushi?

What's the deal with Risotto? Why does it seem so popular in higher-end kitchens? How is it different than other rices (I think it's short grained). I have to admit, I've never made nor ate (at least not that I know of) Risotto. It just doesn't seem like a much used food item around here, but I see it all the time on cooking shows like GR's.

I thought the first episode of the new season was alright. The butchers did a pretty good job - much better than the current contestants on Hell's Kitchen. HK feels pretty vacuous in comparison. Who was that lady GR spent so much time schmoozing with the taste test, etc.?

Do you really want to state such a position, which sounds to me like a parade of ignorance, and at the very least is a profound lack of understanding of other cultures? [...] Try a good encyclopedia of religions for details, not dubious web sites. [...] The average hungry Hindu can't just up and chomp on a wandering cow, if for no other reason than the owner of the cow would show up with lawsuits and lathis (= bamboo sticks = weapons). In terms of money, it's much more economically sensible to buy 1 kilo of dal (cheaper and feeds 4 people for 4 days) than one kilo of meat (barely one meal for 4 people). Dal provides very adequate protein. ← LOL, dubious web sites? What the hell are you talking about? My "parade of ignorance" and "profound lack of understanding" is based on educational TV shows I've watched and co-workers I've talked with that WERE ACTUALLY FROM INDIA.

Yeah, the repeat footage is annoying, especially since I record it and watch without commercials. The entrance "fire doors" are cool - wonder how they do that - use a projector? I also wouldn't be half-surprised if Tom loses it and yells/throws something/takes a swing at GR. ;P But GR runs a half-marathon every week, so that shouldn't be any problem. ;P Actually, I'm sort of surprised GR hasn't gotten in a brawl before or had his property vandalized, as far as I know. On HK's site, sous chef Scott said he's had his tires slashed (in one of the videos). Not that I advocate any of that, but I've seen some borderline people and raging tempers in my kitchen years.

I think Garrett's got a shot. I wonder if he was one of the prison cooks in the prison episode of The F Word last season. After HK episode 3, I like Heather less and like Sara a little more.

I like all salads, for the most part. Since nobody's mentioned it - Waldorf salad.

Link

Muslims are disgusted that we eat pigs. Hindus won't eat rats nor cows. I once worked with an guy from India who turned green at the sight of cow meat. I never did understand why Hindus hold rats and cows in high regard (I think they believe that rats are reincarnated humans) and would rather starve in the streets than slaughter a cow wandering by.

I'm curious about this as well. Bourdain eats just about anything in No Reservations with no ill effects for the most part. Is it just a matter of diving in, getting Montezuma's Revenge once, then having a primed system that can handle the local cuisine?

Sooper Salad is in various states in the SW and SE. There are several around here. It's okay - pretty big salad bar with all the usual things; the hot bar is pretty lacking - their "pizza" is tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni on a tortilla. About ten years ago there used to be several other salad bar chains, but they've all closed.

Try Pizza My Heart - a recruiter/interviewer at Google (formerly at Microsoft) prefers it.

I wasn't sure if Michael Laiskonis was a pastry chef or not, as he seems to do a lot of culinary stuff (like on Iron Chef) too. But he's called the executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin - here's his current menu there. I think Bellagio would be a great place to work.

Here's an updated link that works. AB has now literally feasted on asphalt - breaking his collarbone in a motorcycle accident.

Was there any fleshy part (brain, eyes, lips, etc.) of the goat heads that wasn't eaten?

I think Alton Brown describes the various fats in one of his books. As I remember, saturated fats are "full" so they can't grab the random airborne molecules that bind with unsaturated fats that cause them to go rancid. But looking at my package of walnuts, it states all their fat is saturated. But I seem to remember having walnuts that after a while started to taste bitter (rancid, right?). After reading the section on fats, I left more confused than before.

I know many Westerners that think rather lowly of cats - akin to vermin.

In your opinion, who are some of the top pastry chefs in the US, and where do they work? Is Michael Laiskonis considered a pastry chef?

Interesting counterpoint to the US, where protestors are up in arms about foie gras and lobsters! Was cat meat sampled on No Reservations - China? ;P Link

Umm, so do you love the new higher standards of arsenic in water? You may get the same tangy zip from water as you do from your apple seeds... Actually, it isn't arsenic, but a cyanide compound that is poisonous, so enjoy in moderation. ← Snopes has a good read about apple seeds. In short, apple seeds contain amygdalin which is hydrolized to hydrogen cyanide in the body. But unless the seeds are chewed or otherwise broken up, they'll pass through undigested. Article here states that there is a documented case of an adult dying from chewing and eating a cup of apple seeds.

I've eaten (and like) potato skins, broccoli stems, skin, fat, etc. What I've never understood is people who insist the crusts be cut of their bread (PB&J with the crusts cut off - awww). WTF? That's hardly a sandwich. Would they also insist the crusts be cut off breads like boules, batards, or any number of other breads that have wonderful crusts to gnaw on?

Jeez, that's sick. And depressing - no matter how successful one is as a cook, achieving the amount of wealth of somebody who starts a mediocre technology company that goes public is impossible. Even a fraction of it. Puck, Emeril, etc. make tons of money, but probably are nowhere near these folks.

Whole Foods really does a huge variety of great foods, but it's just way too pricey. Bamboo rolling mat: Whole Foods / Wild Oats: $17 Asian Markets: $2 Bamboo cutting board: WF/WO: $22 WalMart: $10 I don't shop at Whole Foods, but I occasionally stop by on the weekend to eat up on free samples ;P. I also don't care for the ultra-yuppie clientele.

What happens to them?

Well, if the experts are to be believed, the consensus seems to be that saturated fats = cholesterol, which clogs the arteries. But in moderation... I also remember reading that butter has a lot of good and healthful compounds in it, can't remember what they are though.