D. B. Brown

I was really hoping for some kinda Nigella/ Victoria's Secret sort of thing. Oh well. . .

Jerry Springer in a kitchen.

Just returned from Alaska . . . I never saw this advertisement until today. I watched that video - multiple times. Padma is so wicked hot. I want to eat that burger. I want to be Padma's ankle. No complaints whatsoever.

Food Network is airing them again at 7:30AM Pacific. Today was the barbecue episode, with the antique key-wound rotisserie. Good to see these again.

I guess I'm the only one here that really enjoys the Hippy Gourmet. It's a nice little segment, and everything he prepares looks tasty, well-seasoned and simple.

She spit it out because she is an ditz. She could've done it with a bit more subtlety, but that is not her style. ← Yeah, as mentioned above, I find it a little odd that there would be such a gulf between the three judges finding it one of the best three items prepared and it being so unpalatable to everyone else that it had to be spat out. Completely classless. ← Totally, unimaginably classless. Especially when you consider that this is may have been the highlight of an aspiring young chef's career. . . and she chooses to SPIT OUT his carefully prepared offering on national television.

I really hope she hasn't dumbed-down her TV cooking. Internet blurb on 'Viva Daisy!' . . . "Daisy Martinez shares her tips and tricks from creating quick, simple home cooked meals". There was nothing quick and simple about 'Daisy Cooks'. Semi-exotic ingredients and techniques is what made the show so compelling.

ANY - and I mean ANY and EVERY - commercial that has food smeared across the actor's, or the kid's, - face/ mouth/ clothing. God it is so disgusting. Especially with the kids commercials. I guess it's supposed to be cute or whatever. . . . < OK I own a little OCD as to cleanliness, clutter, etc.,>. It actually REALLY pisses me off . . . .

Man it's my favorite - in a LONG time. He seems genuinely inspired/ motivated by his garden, and his wood stove, and the incredible meats and such to which he seems to have ready local access. His enthusiasm is contagious, in that I now covet a working, productive kitchen garden (albeit on a smaller scale) - and a wood-fired outdoor brick oven. . . . and, of course, a full-time professional gardener from UC Davis.

HEY!!!!. . . WHERE'S JAMIE?? ?!!! It's 9:30 Saturday morning, . . . I'M here, where the HELL is Jamie ?? ?

This show, or ANY show. On ANY network. A side-by-side with ilan (I cannot bear even to capitalize his name) made even Marcel (fer chrissakes) look like Mother Teresa. Made Rocco DeSpirito look like Julia Child. The guy was (probably still is) a piece of human excrement.

I forgot a couple. "New Scandinavian Cooking" with Claus Meyer is excellent. Beautiful locations, beautifully filmed, with glorious fresh ingredients. Plus the passion (bordering on nationalism) for Scandinavia that C.M. brings to the table. And Pierre Franey. I forget the name of his shows, but I have one of his cookbooks "Cooking in France" (maybe that was the show). I miss Pierre.

Not stepping on Food Network or anything . . . My programming would include: GREAT CHEFS of . . . (NO, SF, NY, etc. ) . . . Some form of Julia Some form of Jacques Justin Wilson (guaronteeed) TOP CHEF Some form of Iron Chef Daisy Rick Bayless Giada (AS OPPOSED to RR) America's Test Kitchen Mario Alton Brown (although he is becoming irritating and condescending). Some form of Anthony Bourdain Something devoted to outdoor grilling and/or BBQ * a SERIOUS critic tour of American cities * a SERIOUS critic tour of Europe/Asia/South America/Australia I would also like to see a show that demonstrates the virtuosity of a great pastry chef, without the 'obstacle course' thing. Maybe this is covered in "Great Chefs"?

I would guess that a cover is good for keeping your grill clean, free from dust, leaves, bird-droppings, etc. But then again, you may have to clean the cover, if the 'appearance' of your grilling area is important to you. As far as corrosion, I have my doubts. I have a SS Weber grill, and almost wish I had gone with Weber's outstanding porcelain coating instead. I purchased a Weber Genesis for my mother when they FIRST came out ( must be 15-20 years ago. She lived on an island in New England. Her grill was never covered, and that porcelain cover ( when cleaned ) is still like new. However, the 'frame' is rusted away to dust.

Slightly off topic . . . Several years ago, Road&Track magazine published a short article on the Top Ten best things to eat while driving. The winners were ALL chocolate chip cookies, but from different vendors. I don't remember the exact order, but it was something like : 1. Famous Amos 2. Pepperidge Farms 3. Mrs. Fields 4. etc., etc. . . The Top Ten worst things to eat while driving : 1. New England Lobster 2. Steamed Clams 3. Fondue 4. Corn on the cob, I think 5. etc., etc. . . . I kinda like beef jerky for driving myself.

Versatility. Speed. Precise heat zones. Ease of maintenance. Side-burner.

I'm thinking that once the charcoal is raging, I can mix in some soaked hardwood chunks for the smoke. . . . I just miss having vents in the kettle lid for circulation. The Weber design of the flash bars kept all the ash ( not much actually ) away from the burner elements. So far, so good. . . . more to come.

I went ahead and tried it with mequite . . . It gave me the charcoal "edge" that I was looking for . . . I used a grill-screen type thing that is normally used to grill veggies and smaller things, as a grate for the mesquite. The mesquite was ready to go in minutes, and the results were just right.

If I understand your question, yes you can get a cast iron smoker box and place it on the flash bars. We have a smoker box, but usually use foil packets because they are eaiser to replace (to prolong the smoke) when cooking ribs. ← Actually, I own that exact smoker box. The trouble I have with it, is the fine line between 'smoking' chips - and 'burning' chips . . . it's a tightrope.What I am really after is utilizing lump hardwood charcoal. I am REALLY pleased with the heat, and the performance of the grill - but I want to be able to get more of the 'charcoal'-type flavor ( on certain specific cuts ) . . . I do plan to experiment some with hardwood.

I realize that this is an abandoned thread - but here goes, anyway. . . Is it NOT possible to add a grate above the flash bars, in order to accommodate the occasional use of hardwood charcoal - in a GAS grill ? ? ? HELP me here . . . I actually sent an email to Weber Support. . . . no reply.

Screw the dishwasher - I'm GRILLING . . . My new Weber Genesis Platinum ( coming Sunday ). Plumbed for dedicated natural gas.

I am beginning to get all geeked for this weekends foray into advanced gas-grilling. Reflective foil, grill open ( for better char ? ), front heat high, back heat low, etc. Actually it sounds kinda complicated. I'm gonna just throw my steak in the dishwasher. Salt and pepper in the soap dispenser. . . . . set on "Fine China", push button. . . . eat, chew, and try to smile.

My Weber came with cast iron grates and I had the same problem. I couldn't keep them seasoned due to the high heat and they corroded away within 2-3 yrs. But I loved the heat retention of the cast iron, so I replaced them with porcelain coated cast iron grates (only available at Home Depot, to my knowledge). Problem solved. Works like cast iron, but zero corrosion. My typical steak is 1.5" thick rib-eye or NY Strip, olive oiled and seasoned with S&P. Thrown on gas grill set on high, flipped after 2 min, immediately reduce heat to medium, flip again after 7 min, remove after cumulative 13-14 minutes, and rest. Perfect med-rare every time - I don't bother checking anymore. I don't worry about cross-hatched grill marks if it's just my wife and me. Truth be told, I rarely do it for company either. I don't like to open the lid or flip the steak unnecessarily. These days, my only variations are seasonings or marinade. Usually I do my own, but my favorite steak is a fatty rib-eye marinated in Allegro Hot & Spicy Creole marinade. Mmmmm..... ← For your 'naked' cast-iron, were you seasoning regularly ? . . . In nearly three years on mine, in a coastal marine environment, I have pretty much zero deterioration. This is interesting to me because at my local "Patio and Fireside", upon hearing my request for cast-iron grates, the salesman told me that he would be reluctant to sell them ( if he had them ) because of the threat of corrosion due to the marine environment. . . . maybe I've been lucky. Or maybe it's the spray bottle of canola oil.

Interesting my Weber Silver B came with bare cast iron grates not the porcelain ones that you commonly see. I recently replaced them with the stainless steel grates so I can burn off any food gunk and oil them down just before cooking. I saved the old ones just in case. With the old cast iron, Weber told me to leave any stuck on food gunk after cooking and when reheating the next time this would help to keep the grates seasoned. I often found on preheat I would lose some of the seasoning with high heat and the old grates were thinning out over 5 years. I find less food sticking with the SS grates compaired to the cast iron. Oh and my technique for grilling a steak is to preheat to very hot over 600 deg make sure grates are clean and oiled, then add steak to the hot part of the grill. I leave one area cooler in case I need to move the steak to a cooler area due to flare up or to finish a thicker steak. I do the 1/4 turn a 1/4 into the cooking time on each side. ← I'm going to have to try the 'reflective foil' technique. I will post results.For maintenance of my cast-iron grates, I wire-brush them before grilling, and mist them with oil from a spray bottle. Then, after grilling, I wire-brush them again - while the grill is still very hot, maybe followed by another misting of oil. If you have a regular spray bottle ( like for watering plants ) the process is ridiculously simple. . . Regular usage actually serves to minimize maintenance of cast-iron grates.

For you Weber propane grillers - immediately replace the steel grates with cast-iron. My cast-iron grates give great grill marks, and I have only a two burner OLD Genesis. . . I dry the steak thoroughly, S&P, cayenne, and a dusting of paprika. With the grates heated on high till the thermometer pegs, I lay the steak on the grill, and rotate at 2.5min. I then flip at 5, and repeat. All under a closed lid. Now for my question. Am I better served to flip at 2.5, or rotate ? For purposes of juice distribution ? I am concerned about the integrity of my grill marks, if I try to mark semi-cooked meat, on the return flip.