Lisa Shock

Thanks for posting this!

The good knives, and they are all good knives excepting the ones that are part of the cutlery place-settings get washed immediately after use, by hand and returned to their block. No exceptions. In my household, the husband purchased said knives as a valentine gift and understands full well how much they cost to replace and that the dishwasher is very, very bad for them. Banging around loose with china and crystal, and the occasional glass barware in a variety of hot/cold situations in the sink is simply unacceptable. I can only see chipping, dullness and shortened lifespan as a result. Ok, I'll admit, the husband has one cheap serrated dollar-store knife that he does unspeakable things with. But, it gets replaced every few years. Honestly, I am a wash-as-I-go cook so there aren't any pots or pans in the sink -I am very protective of my copper pans. And, dishes get rinsed and set into the dishwasher right way, so, there's only the occasional soaking pan in the sink accompanied, maybe by a serving device or wooden spoon also soaking. (like lasagna, or peanut brittle) edited to make sense!

Here in Phoenix, there's a pastry supply house that sells to the trade and the public, with all sorts of of things, your town may have something similar.

Spiced cider and plain cider, for the picky ones Carmel corn with nuts, although it's kinda messy, could be made with gingerbread spices. Cheese straws, make different flavors with different cheeses Mini pizzas -make one batch of dough then separate into small rounds, have a toppings bar set up

I've made roulade (jelly roll type) cakes that stick very tightly to the parchment and have to be peeled off with great care.

Yes, there is vanilla powder, some very good companies make it. Some natural food stores sell it in bulk, high end supermarkets will also sell it in jars. I don't know that there are better types of instant milk. But, many people don't put milk in hot chocolate. You may wish to read one of the exisiting thread on the site about hot chocolate. This one has a lot of creative ideas for high-end, single serve options.

I actually use THIS egg timer and never have green rings. But, I also keep the temp down, under 190°.

The current FDA guidelines recommend that all eggs be thoroughly cooked, or at least pasteurized. Pregnant women, children under age 7, the elderly and other people with compromised immune systems, such as people sick with other diseases, are specifically warned against eating raw eggs and products containing raw egg like uncooked cookie dough. The warnings have been in place for many years. So, yes, lots of people worry about it, thirtyoneknots. If your doctor hasn't mentioned this to you or your family in the past, you may want to start checking into changing doctors. Awareness of salmonella and other foodborne illness remains low in the US because we perpetuate the myth of 'stomach flu' instead of looking at the contaminated foods. Apparently no one has done a study with salmonella and mixed drinks. I did however, find some interesting data from several sources on the effects of alcohol on bacteria. 1) Research on hand sanitizers containing ethyl alcohol (which IS the same type as found in our drinks) found that concentrations of less than 60% did not kill bacteria on hands, instead, it seemed to just push it around and help it form groups. 2) Research on salmonella and shigella outbreaks found that in cases where large groups of people were infected, those who had consumed alcoholic drinks at the same time were less likely to be ill and less likely to be a severely ill. And, those who had more to drink were less likely to be ill. 3) Various claims in the wine world that an 8% alcohol level kills bacteria in wines. From this, I gather that: * You need a lot more alcohol to kill bacteria out in the open, bacteria filled, world at large. * If you start with a sterilized bottle and use sterile water and sterile equipment, lower amounts of alcohol may be able to kill off bacteria that sneak into the environment. * In a semi-confined environment such as a human digestive tract, increasing amounts of alcohol have an increasingly protective effect. * In both the wine bottle scenario and the human digestive tract scenario, time was also a factor. The alcohol was able to sit in confinement with the bacteria for hours to years. My unscientific conclusions: + A lot of people who do get sick from salmonella in drinks blame it on hangovers and flu. And, face it, not that many egg-laden drinks are sold each day compared to say, the number of margaritas people down in the US every day. So, lack of reporting and small sample size are major flaws in trying to use anecdotal evidence to draw a conclusion. + The more sterile the overall environs, the more effective the alcohol will be in killing bacteria. + The more time allowed, in a closed sterile environment, the more effective the alcohol appears to be. + A drink that has a total alcohol content of over 60%, including the ice melt in the shake, has a decent chance of killing salmonella in the egg white. BUT, this assumes that there is no contamination on the bartender's hands, the glass, or the garnish. I don't know of many bartenders who wash up after handling eggs and before shaking the final drink. + The risks, including cross-contamination, in a bar setting are pretty high. If I owned a bar, I would only stock pasteurized eggs, end of story. (If you can't be certain if the bar-back washed his hands before slicing lemons, do you think you want to trust that he didn't touch an egg in the reach-in?) I wouldn't order such a drink in a busy bar. I'll just be consuming them at home. And, some of you out there praying to the porcelain goddess didn't drink too much, you drank the wrong drinks.

I found data on Salmonella exposure from eggs and it does appear that quite a few people in the US do become ill from eggs. I do not know how great a concentration of alcohol it takes to kill this bacteria. I will look into that. As for egg white powder, it can be difficult to work with in liquid products. As mentioned above, it tends to clump, giving unsettling results. To be of any practical use, one would have to hydrate it, mix and strain in advance of adding to a cocktail. Pasteurized shell eggs seem like the best option. Yes, they cost more, but, considering the possible consequences of not using them (being shut down), I think they are worth it. Also, even if the alcohol in drinks does kill the bacteria, pasteurized eggs won't be carrying any salmonella into your establishment thus eliminating the possibility of cross-contamination in places like the walk-in.

Because I can't edit, I would like to mention that I often make my G&T with lemon, with a preference for Meyer lemon, but yuzu is very good -I am still waiting for my yuzu trees to mature so that I can enjoy some fruit! Other than that I cannot get fresh yuzu in the supermarkets in AZ. I pick them up occasionally at trade shows and such.

IIRC, the packages recommend frying while frozen. I have always found frozen to be inferior in texture. This is magnified when they get cold. Cold fries, heated then allowed to get cold, from frozen are inedible. But, my fries made from fresh potatoes are still good if they get cold. They may not have the crispness on the outside, but, they are like any other room temperature potato dish. I recall being able to make an impromptu potato salad from some leftover fries once, and it was gooood.

What size are the eggs? Medium eggs only take about 12 minutes to cook -at a simmer. Try taking the temperature of the yolk when you eat that first one. You may be being fooled a bit by cold whites and not-so-cold yolks. Another tip is that technically, they shouldn't go up to boiling temperature. Most sources say between 185° and 190° is ideal. There's a chance that the reaction takes a little time to express itself via color, and you're just peeking too soon.

When it's really hot (I live in Phoenix AZ, and I've seen the outside temp get to 126°F.) sometimes I make a frozen version. I keep the gin in the freezer, the tonic in the fridge. I put gin in my glass, squeeze in the lemon or lime, add shave-ice from my Hawaiian shave-ice machine then add the tonic water. One day, I'll remember to freeze some tonic in the ice forms for the shave-ice machine....

I was taught to do this in culinary school, with vegetable oil spray, especially with most cakes. I think there are two reasons: 1) If there's a failure of the spray and the item sticks, it's better for it to stick to the parchment, which can then be removed with care outside of the pan. If a cake or something similar sticks to the bottom of a pan, you cannot get to it easily while in the pan and you risk tearing it up. I think this is why we use parchment rounds but don't use parchment side-liners; you can easily slide a spat or knife around the inside sides of a pan. 2) The parchment creates a structural element that helps keep some baked goods in one piece, like roulade cake where you may have a thin cake the size of an entire sheet pan.

How do you milk a buffalo? Water buffalo maybe? Or maybe the question should be why would you milk a buffalo? Educate me please. I am guessing that this is the same sort of milk that is used for the highly prized Mozzarella di bufala campana, buffalo mozzarella, which is made from the milk of water buffalo.

It's both a magazine and a TV show. If you join the website, you get access to both (Illustrated and Country) sets of information: recipes, equipment tests, product reviews.

I'd avoid it, most manufacturers instructions say to avoid high heat, and, to avoid a dishwasher because that's too hot. I also see notices warning users to avoid hot stovetops. Hot sugar is quite a bit hotter than a dishwasher, so, I'd say it's a no-go. If it worked, you'd think that sellers would advertise them for use in hard candy making, and they don't.

I'm thinking that you could use an electric skillet, the type that has a temperature control on the electrical cord. I have an older one in the shape of a wok which I use to keep caramel sugar at the correct temp for dipping things into. But, they come in all sorts of configurations and sizes, like this Rival model s16sg with a digital display that seems a lot more advanced than mine with just a knob. But, using a probe thermometer with an alarm is also useful. I have done sous vide in glass jars on my electric stovetop with just a double boiler setup and the thermometer.

'Charred' made me think of a crime scene instead of a delightfully delicious dinner. 'Blistered' reinforced the crime scene scenario...

I agree. Since dairy inhibits the heat effect of chiles, I'd avoid using any sort of cheese or dairy product. I'd just grind a little bit of each in a clean mortar & pestle, mix with water and sniff and taste each one. Then, I'd use something bland and dairy-free, like a tortilla, to cleans the palate in between tastes. I'd be afraid that mixing with too many other flavors (like acid) might skew the sampling.

Well, aside from you being close to death from hunger, looks like everything went very well! I'm glad it worked out and you didn't have to deal with a group of pouting faces complaining that the food wasn't 'right.' Feeding someone else's kids can be one of the toughest foodie challenges, and you did a great job! Now, they'll probably ask if they can come over again....

Parents often joke about the beige food group, but that's what's safe. A quick bread like biscuits or cornbread is usually pretty good, plus they would enjoy helping make it. Wait, are you in Japan? My Japanese friend's child always asked for rice balls when he was a kid. Just sushi seasoned rice with a little furikake sprinkled on usually worked. (There was this Anpanman furikake he really liked...) He also liked those scrambled eggs made with a little mirin and cooked while moving chopsticks really fast so it winds up looking a little like roe. (so sorry, I do not know the Japanese word for the eggs.) Most will eat salads of raw vegetables, mildly flavored ones like carrot and celery. They also like fruit, usually. You can cut one apple into smaller wedges and remove the core for easy eating.

I had one of those, and it never seemed to do a great job popping the corn. A few years ago I bought the Presto 04830 PowerPop Multi-Popper from Amazon, and my family has been very pleased and had me donate that glass one to charity. It pops quickly and we only wind up with one or two unpopped kernels at the bottom. I don't use any fancy corn, just the stuff from the bulk bins at the local Sprouts store. The popcorn winds up very light and fluffy Yes, it has a part that needs to be replaced every twenty batches or so, but, that intensifier really makes a difference. It does generate a lot of steam in the bowl and you have to be careful removing the lid.

It's also good for making hushpuppies.

Tonight, BBC America is showing one of two UK episodes which originally aired in January 2009 under the title 'Great British Nightmare.' They have been advertising it as 'all new episodes!' so, I was kind of disappointed to find out that it's just two episodes. Oh well, I'm glad for something new to watch!