divalasvegas

Okay boroloI'm not just laughing as I reply to this, I'm wiping the tears from my eyes!!! Your post definitely gives a new definition to the term "Food Porn!" P.S. -- Not sure why the quote feature is not working, but it's not.

I totally agree with you regarding the eggcellent cooker and the eggstractor jgarner53--the latter of which looks like it could also be used for adult recreational activities. However, I have actually considered and will probably purchase the Batter Buddy since I usually make a total mess of my counter (and sometimes myself) when I set out to batter/coat/flour items for frying. I won't pay $20 bucks for it, though. [Me slinking off in shame after making such a humiliating, public confession.] Edited for grammar.

Werdna, I mixed up a batch of marinade created by our eG barbeque guru, col klink and used it to marinate spareribs. Amazing! This marinade brought out every bit of "porkiness" one could ever want. Here's his recipe: That along with bacon grease injections might lead to full pork overload........ which wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Sounds good My Confusing Horoscope kind of like a kissing cousin to spoonbread, but not as rich (spoonbread includes butter, eggs and milk). As for the title of the recipe, I was briefly taken aback since it reminded me of a similar phrase used locally--"coochie"--until I realized that around these parts the word has a totally different meaning.

I did this for Thanksgiving last year. I bought an injector kit. Here's the link: Tony Chachere's Creole Injectibles Marinade Kit I prepared the turkey by: 1. First, following the directions that came with the kit, injecting the turkey with the kit's "Creole Style Butter Marinade" (there are three other flavors in the kit). BTW, a syringe comes with the kit. This part can be done in advance, from just an hour to several hours, refrigerating the turkey until ready, of course. 2. Then I made sure the turkey was completely dry inside and out, rubbed it with oil, and seasoned the outside and the cavity with creole seasoning (also included in the kit). 3. Finally, I deep fried the turkey in an indoor, electric turkey fryer which had only recently come on the market, according to manufacturer's directions. The turkey was just a little over 13 lbs. When the suggested time was up, I checked the turkey's doneness by wiggling the leg and thigh joint and decided to let it go another 10-15 minutes. The results: this was by far the most juicy, tender, delicious turkey I had ever had, with sinfully crisp skin and a very pronounced turkey flavor. Of course, one could make your own butter-based liquid, buy an appropriate syringe, and mix your own special blend of creole seasoning to achieve this. Best of luck.

Yes Fresser that is a misguided Yankee concoction which can only be redeemed if you had the good sense to stir fry that broccoli in BACON FAT and then sprinkled the crumbled bacon you cooked that gave you the rendered bacon fat over said grits. You did do that, didn't you? Don't make me and the other G.R.I.T.S. women-folk here on eG have to hunt you down for any future "non-sanctioned" use of grits. You have been warned.

And why eat that luscious, beautiful fruit you just purchased from your local farmer's market when you can "save" it? The One and Only Fruit Saver Don't worry; if you don't have the whole $79.99 right now. This too can be yours for as low as $7.99 a month. Oh joy.

THAT IS JUST ABSOLUTELY THE BEST!!!

Oh dear Lord, I'm actually tempted to get this one: No More Mango Madness Better picture of the promised results here, but it's on their home page and may not be there for long: Mango Porn I have an image, but just not sure how to post it here. Edited because my eGullet posting skills are still in development.

How about: 1) The gizmo that scrambles your eggs in the shell? or 2) A banana slicer as in here (scroll down about one third down the page, to the left): For Those Pesky Bananas and, darn, GiftedGourmet it was only $7.00 and it's also sold out!

How about couscous flavored or plain with the addition of toasted pine nuts and currants or raisins, topped with the roasted vegetables and harissa on the side?

And please don't forget salmonella's hunchbacked, stepsister campylobacter Campylobacter Q&As Years ago I learned of the sudden onset of severe illness by the son of one of the business owners at the company I worked for at the time. Coincidentally, or not, he was a chef in his twenties. First presented with flu-like symptoms that quickly progressed to paralysis, systemic organ failure, and a coma. The strain he contracted probably would have one praying for salmonella instead. Thank God he was young and pulled through. Diagnosis: campylobacter from undercooked chicken. Like Robyn, though vicariously from his experience, that was enough for me and let's face it, the likelihood of me eating Afghani raised chicken in the near future is nil. So I think I'll pass on the chicken sashimi or chicken tartare. After all, Southern fried chicken is really the only way to go!

Would a home flavoring process be the same as with vodka? This would ensure that the added flavoring is a natural one, as in lemon peel or orange peel or raspberries added to white rum and allowed to "mellow" for a while. And would this process be a matter of days, weeks, or months?

And: 10. Mama's Tuna casserole: Macaroni. canned tuna (not even the good white albacore tuna I use now), canned Campbell's cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, milk, peas, cheese, a little seasoning salt and pepper. I even like this cold.

1. Ditto on sardine sandwiches with onion, hot sauce, mayo and mustard and............. some of the sardine oil soaked into the bread! 2. Those fried bread/egg thingies, you know when you punch a hole out of a piece of bread (white or potato bread, of course), drop an egg in--I actually melt a piece of butter in the hole before I drop the egg in--fry it in the same pan as you fried the bacon. When you turn it over, put 1/2 slice of American cheese (Kraft, of course) on each one (I'm greedy, so I usually make two of these). Oh, and I fry the holes I punched out too! Sprinkled with a little creole seasoning, a little tabasco sauce. Toad in a Hole, I think. 3. Chef Boyardee "ravioli" right out of the can. 4. Campbells alphabet soup with hot dogs cut up in it. 5. Cream cheese and pepper jelly on ritz crackers. 6. Glory greens right out of the can. 7. Pickled pigs feet. Who has pickled pigs feet hanging out their fridge? On occasion, I do! 8. Spaghetti sammich. Heat up leftover spaghetti, sauce and top with sliced American cheese. 9. Fried "thick cut" bologna with fried onions on white bread and..... Miracle Whip and hot sauce! Things of Ghetto Past: Cheap, deep fried chicken wings, with "Mambo" sauce bought from the long gone Mr. T's carryout on First Street, NW. All of the above best washed down with grape KoolAid with lemon slices in it. Oh so much ghetto, so little time. Edited to correct spelling.

I've only been to the Ascot in downtown DC a handful of times, but I've always enjoyed it. The bread is always freshly made, the rice is fluffy and not greasy, the vegetable dishes are always tasty, and the meat dishes are mostly good with a couple of misses here and there. BTW, when I go it's usually with a group of co-workers--some regular employees, some interns. We're a pretty multi-national office and there are usually at least a couple of them who are from India and/or Pakistan and they really enjoy it as well.

Okay, so it sounds like you cooked the turkey whole. As for the Caja China sending you and your friends in interesting directions, well, what an understatement! Although both my parents were farm raised and did their fair share of hog butchering in their day, I'm a city-raised girl who is now a fellow basic, suburban non-hunter type and so I'll happily leave the slaughtering and butchering to the experts, like you.

Some friends of mine and I went in together on a La Caja China. The thing works absolutely beautifully. We've done a bunch of different things in it including a 40 pound pig, half of a 120 pound pig, a 20 pound pig leg, and a 40 pound turkey. All have come out of the box with succulent skin, tender meat, and delicious flavor. One other good thing about the Caja China is that it does require some tending. That means that someone has to sit around, enjoy delicious beverages, and make sure the fire doesn't go out. It can make for a very satisfying day..... Mike ← Fantastic, real-world review MikeInSacto. I've never personally used this device or sampled its succulent results, so living vicariously through your experiences will have to, for now, suffice. Please tell us, did the turkey have to be cut in parts or split or was it cooked whole? And where the Hell did you find a 40 lb. turkey? A bit OT, but the last turkey I cooked was in a turkey fryer and was delicious beyond belief. But don't forget to send out an invitation on eG the next time you and your friends decide to Caja China ANYTHING!

Or worse, Cobb salad with all of the correct components that has had a) the dressing already added and/or b) they've already tossed it for you--I like mine "composed" and I'll toss my own salad, thank you (oops, that didn't come out right) and/or c) they've dressed it with RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE! No disrespect for those who like raspberry vinaigrette, I just really don't care for it and cannot understand why anyone would think it belonged on a Cobb salad. BTW, all of the above happened to the same poor Cobb salad.

Okay, this one happened recently. I ordered a pizza from a nearby and usually reliable establishment--it's a bar/restaurant and they serve your standard bar food type fare: Buffalo wings, burgers, and daily specials. But the food, IMHO, is very good bar food. Anyway, it was a pepperoni pizza, nothing else on it. I've had their pizza before and it's very good. Well, this one wasn't. While it was still piping hot I bit down into a slice anticipating a good crust with just enough cheese and hot pepperoni slices, slighty crispy at their edges. But what I got was SUGAR! And a lot of it. WTF? I thought. Why does this pizza taste like it had been basted with white Karo syrup? Actually, Karo syrup is not as sweet as this pizza was. Finally, I gave up and only picked off a few pieces of pepperoni. The cheese was completely inedible. The sugary component was definitely the sauce. Vile. I called the restaurant and got the very nice, no nonsense bartender/waitress/everything woman who I always place my orders with and told her of this monstrosity. She said she would definitely make sure I get credited and that she would check it out herself. Turns out one of the new "managers" tasted the sauce and decided it wasn't "sweet" enough and had someone in the kitchen add enough sugar until it was to his liking. Moron. No adult that I can think of--except for this dope--wants sink their teeth into hot pepperoni, melted cheese and KARO SYRUP! Please stop adding massive quantities of sugar where it clearly does not belong. If you want sickly sweet sauce, pop open a can of Chef Boyardee. Actually that wouldn't work since this sauce was about 100 times sweeter than anything the Chef's ever produced.

It may be too late to order for your upcoming event, but I've seen a contraption called "La Caja China" (pronounced Ka-Ha Cheena) which can be used to roast a whole pig or just about anything else your heart desires. The taste of the roasted pig has been described as "pork candy" which can't be bad. Here's the link. La Caja China for Porky Heaven When you enter this site, in addition to a great deal of information provided by this company about their product, there's a great Vogue magazine article by Jeffrey Steingarten detailing his experiences in using this device including assembling and setting up La Caja China and brining, seasoning, cooking and of course eating of the roasted pig. One of the great things about it is that you don't need to cook the pig overnight or all day. The entire cooking process from start to finish can be done in 4 hours or (or less). Warning: Do not read this article on an empty stomach! Good luck.

Oh no-o-o-o-o-o coquus I hope you're wrong and that the onscreen Korean sistah was right! As someone who knows next to nothing about Korean food, I have to say that everything they were eating looked so sumptuous and made me want to learn so much more. Who was she, BTW? I really admire her optimism and cultural pride. Your critique of the shows shown so far--New Jersey #1, France #2, and Iceland #3--match mine exactly. I don't know what your reasons are but would be very interested to know. I'm still mulling over my reasons pro and con for my opinions on shows #2 and #3 as well. I will admit that A Cook's Tour/Bourdain has made me more open to giving this show some time to develop. I hope that the Travel Channel will allow this show to grow and find its audience. And as far as the SYSCOSIFICATION/MCWHATEVER/BORG assimilation of Korean cuisine in the USA, remember that in the end (a la Star Trek) RESISTANCE WAS NOT FUTILE. Edited because my Trekkie lingo was a little off.

I think it's commendable Sam that you've given this some considerable thought and willing to open yourself up to everyone's opinions here. However, I'm definitely with FoodTutor on this one. I simply cannot abide someone who is abusive toward their staff and, as you posted earlier, that she actually does this within earshot of the customers is particularly low class. No food or atmosphere or whatever is worth that, at least to me. Of course we would all be better off if we could duplicate restaurant dishes like FoodTutor. Picture me here GREEN with envy.

The New Jersey show was definitely my favorite of the three shows so far. I must admit that I didn't instantly fall in love with this show from the beginning a la A Cook's Tour. This has been a much more sedate courtship experience for me. While tempted to post my impressions after the first show, I felt it best to wait until I had an opportunity to see more. Tonight's installment was the funniest, best paced and interesting of the three. I mean, I'm always amazed at how much this skinny guy can put away. His multi-course, seafood extravaganza/eating marathon at that restaurant by the shore was vintage Bourdain, IMHO. And the one-liners had me laughing out loud. One of my favorite, and there were many, was his comment while hanging out with the great couple from Bobolink, who explained that sometimes the cows do what you want, and sometimes they don't. To paraphrase his response, he said that "..... it would just be unbearable for me to be outwitted by cattle." The woman who gave him a delicious crash course in Korean food was both delightful and informative. And well his scenes with Mario Batali were hilarious and self-depracating to the extreme! This show is definitely growing on me. Can't wait for the Vietnam episode.

Having read through all of these posts, and after much consideration, I vote for leaving the system as it is. While I do dine with large groups, often when I dine out it is usually with only one other person or alone. I have a bad feeling if servers are guaranteed 20 percent--not a problem with me since I'm a pretty good tipper--the lone, especially female diner may be given short shrift by servers who know that they can concentrate on those bigger tables and pad that 20%. To be fair, I generally do receive good service wherever I go since I treat the server the way I'd hope to be treated if that was my profession and not as my personal servant. Also, although I've never worked in a restaurant, I'd like to think that I'm a pretty good judge of what is indeed in the server's control (getting my order wrong) and what is not (the pasta is well past al dente).