mtigges

I agree with you in general that quality of consumer grade tools has degraded over the years. I have no idea if that is true of the Tilia machines or not though. What I can say is that when my mother bought hers around twenty five years ago she was either lucky that she got a good one, or their quality was high. It's still going strong. She stopped using it just because the kids moved away and she stopped growing so much to freeze all winter. I inherited it, mainly to pack the hops that I grow. But I use it year round now for meat I purchase, and veggies (mostly peas) that I grow. The machines worked differently then than they do now. Mine has a flat nozzle that must be inserted in the bag through which the pump sucks the air out of the bag. This doesn't in practice work quite as well as the new methods, especially for wide bags. I've had to maintain the machine. The original foam gasket on the pressure bar got too stiff to adequately mold around the nozzle to generate a sufficient seal. I simply removed it and replaced it with foam intended for putting under a pick up truck canopy to cushion it against the bed sides. Works perfectly. Don't knock the Tilia. I wish my other tools were as durable. It is second only to my Shimpo RK2. Tilia (at least then) manufactures a quality tool.

On the north shore, La Regalade.

Go fish? http://www.dinehere.ca/restaurant.asp?r=863

I would presume there is buttermilk in the bag.

IMO perfume for its intended purpose is vile. I can't imagine fouling up decent food with synthetic aroma. People who wear perfume vary from slightly annoying to completely obnoxious. There is never any benefit to wearing it. I realize my vehement reaction to perfume is only my opinion and it is not shared by most people, but really, why put synthetic aroma on your body? Why? Do you honestly think it smells good? So, by extension on food? You must be joking.

Braised short ribs

hmmmm bummer.

Well, here's a thought. There's a good chance you'll visit the north shore or drive through it visiting some attraction during the day. Perhaps a hike in the Lynn Valley headwaters or something. Kill two birds with one stone, when you're done head to Hana Hachi in North Van for very good sushi that is not expensive. It's standard fare, just very good quality. Or, Zen in West Van, very good, original offerings but pricier, they also have an excellent Sake list.

A good hot BBQ fire has little or no smoke to impart flavor. The flavor is imparted when the juices hit the hot surface and turn into smoke. Doesn't matter much what the hot surface is. ← So, by that logic we may as well use a griddle pan. I'm not an expert but I would suggest that when fat drips down on to coals the by-products are much different than what happens when it drips on a propane flame or a lava rock. No doubt that is a contributor to the difference in flavour. There are probably others. There's also the salient point that a charcoal grill can get much hotter than a similarly priced propane fired grill. To get the same kind of power out of propane is expensive both in gas and in equipment. Charcoal is pretty pricey too, but the increase in cost per btu is 0 for equipment, and linear for fuel. Not the case for propane. Nevertheless I agree 100% that if you are totally new to grilling and too timid to use charcoal or you are externally constrained to propane then a gas grill is a perfectly fine choice. I just find it pretty incredible that you don't notice much of a difference in flavour. It's kind of like going to Tojo's versus an all you can eat joint. The only time I bother to grill over gas is when I blacken a pepper over my stove.

Well, I won't rip on the recommendation for gas grilling. It truly is a lower skill barrier to enjoying grilled foods. More expensive (usually) but less hassle. But "adds very little to the flavour"? That's just crazy talk.

We always dice them very fine and use as one would chives. Or basil. That includes garlic scape pesto. Yum, and if blogger ever will cooperate and let me actually post you can read about our yummy pesto here: oururbanfarm.

This is getting too far off topic so sorry to the moderators, but I have to respond. Why use Brazilian garlic? That's attrocious. There's plenty of great garlic available in Canada. At least use something local. I find it difficult to believe that the best garlic in the world comes from a part of the world in which it is not native. No doubt it's because they can harvest virtually year round. I seem to remember reading recently that Brazil was experiencing a pretty serious viral infection in their garlic crops. Though I could be mistaken that it was Brazil. Nor do I believe it makes any difference at all what garlic you're going to use if you crush it and freeze it. What a load. All for the convenience of people too lazy to peel a clove, I guess they're just more comfortable pealing plastic.

I hate to be a sourpuss, but I find transporting garlic half way around the world merely to process it into crushed, plastic wrapped and frozen dispensable cubes almost as obnoxious as your shilling.

We have it our garden, I've been tossing it with oil and salt and grilling with the stems over the coals and the greens over the "cool" part of the grill. Turn once after 30-40 seconds. It was my wifes idea, I was skeptical, but it's great if you are already grilling.

Yes, it only applies to raw garlic. Why don't you just simply store it? A cool well ventilated place and it will easily keep for 6 months or more and be in WAY better shape than chopped and frozen. We grow much more than 2 pounds and we're still using last years a month out of this years harvest. It's not as good as it was, but it's still fine.

I didn't even know about it, where on Marine is it?

Very nice looking results. How did you hide the plastic wrap from your wife?

Who on earth told you that? If you're talking about a 3.5% small compared to a 5.5% NAIL then it comes close, but the increase from a 10% wine to a 12% wine is approximately 17% more alchohol. Substantial, but certainly not a doubling. If I may, if you are concerned with alchohol intake w.r.t. food pairing, you might want to explore pairing food with beer. Not NAIL(s), but rather good beer. Here's the ubiquitous link when that topic is brought up. Sorry to change the topic.

One of Canada's most celebrated storytellers opened his weekly podcast this week with an apology to the Bay Leaf. I enjoyed it ... perhaps you will too. Stuart Mclean on the bay leaf

There are no doubt better people to answer this than me but the one time I did it I butterflied it. Turned out great. I seasoned it skin side and meat side, but in retrospect I probably wouldn't do that again. The skin is inedible after smoking. I smoked it for about 2 hours IIRC.

Ours is coming slowly. We've had a much cooler spring than normal. Peas are only just starting to break ground. We've been munching purple broccoli and kale. And we're almost through the leeks and parsnips planted last year. Garlic is a foot, hops are about 3 feet. Strawberries are flowering. Potatoes are doing well. But everything that is cold sensitive is very slow. Our tomatos and cucumbers are doing well waiting for the ground. our garden. **Edited to fix the url.

A goat you say? I'll do it! The bears eat the garbage and spread what they dont like across the yard , the deer eat anything they like in the garden leaving it ravaged, the birds eat all my seeds - what is one more of nature's lovely creatures! I am in Secret Cove. Are you also somewhere on the 101? ← No, my parents live in Roberts Creek. more info

Well, find someone on the coast that has a goat. Of course, you'll need to fence them in but it is far and away the best way to control blackberry bushes. In fact, it's really the only way. The only downside is you'd have to live there with the goat while he takes care of the problem. Where on the coast is the property?

Well, as a first step, no need for your question. Not that more couldn't be done, but I believe the restaurant community to be more active on the issue than most (I'm thinking Oceanwise and chefs like Clarke.) My suggestion centres on you, you've written a succinct and compelling little essay here. I think it deserves a wider audience than eG.

I don't recall them ever calling for bread in ANY of their bolognese recipes, much less Wonder Bread. I just double-checked, and no bread is listed in their weeknight bolognese (which uses dried porcini mushrooms to boost the flavor, hardly a noxious substance). In the recipes that do call for bread, they specify quality white sandwich bread, preferably homemade, but if not like Pepperidge Farm. I cannot find where they have ever called for Wonder Bread or similar squishy stuff. I can understand the hate for those who have experienced bad customer service. But the vitriol toward Chris' homespun soliloquies (which I find good for a laugh) and toward their quest for "perfection" I don't understand. My cooking improved immeasurably thanks to CI. I now feel much more confident and while I do branch out to other authors for more sophisticated recipes, I still turn to CI for reference and grounding. ← I remember the porcini! I thought it was a fantastic idea. My post was in reply to some else mentioning Wonder Bread in it. I too don't ever remember seeing wonder bread mentioned in their pages, perhaps only as a "not recommended" variety.