HungryC

Hmm, I didn't realize folks were using Yelp or Urbanspoon for the reviews/ratings. I generally use them as data sources: what restaurants are near me when I'm in an unfamiliar place, hours, menus, prices, etc. I will read the opinions at times, but they're pretty worthless (to me).

At my Winn-Dixie, the bitty cups retail for $1.29. I like them b/c my better half and I don't have to agree on one flavor...

Do you mean "Great Italian Desserts"? I'm trying to find a copy of it....looks like a wonderful book.

Can anyone recommend a few good Italian baking/pastry books? (in English, I mean) I have Carol Field's The Italian Baker, the newish Biscotti by the American Academy in Rome Sustainable Food Project, and Gina de Palma's Dolce Italiano. Oh, and Sweet Maria's Italian Cookie Tray. TIA.

The smaller Meco grills start at less than $100: http://www.amazon.com/Meco-Portable-Utility-Tabletop-Electric/dp/B0007XXNRM/ref=sr_1_2?s=garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1313510528&sr=1-2 $78 at WalMart's online site, too.

RE: not so much love on eGullet for kamados: as far as I can tell, eGullet membership skews toward the urban. So many people seem to be in city apartments, condos, etc. where open-fire cooking is prohibited or highly regulated. But several specialty ceramic cooker message boards are crazy-busy with some incredible cooking. Check out the ceramic grill forum and the big green egg forum @ eggheadforum.com.

Canola oil was my immediate first guess, too: but I'd also suspect the butter. It can definitely absorb flavors while in the fridge or freezer, and it can certainly go "off".

If outdoor electric cooking is allowed, check out the Meco electric BBQ pits. Various sizes, all pretty compact, on small carts: http://www.amazon.com/Meco-Electric-Grill-Satin-Black/dp/B0007XXNSG/ref=sr_1_17?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1313282088&sr=1-17 I had one for at least 5 years on the front porch of my apartment; it worked fine for things like boneless chicken, pork, seafood/fish, or steaks. Not such a great choice for large hunks of meat or bone-in, low-n-slow, but it got us through grad/law school without charcoal, lighter fluid, or much advance preparation. Turn it on, preheat for a few minutes, and start cooking. I did have to replace the element once, but it was readily available as a separate part & pretty cheap.

I use natural material bannetons, and they don't exactly seem unsanitary. Flour easily brushes off, and any slightly stuck dough flakes off once dry. I usually give mine a good brushing with stiff brush before storing upside down where they'll get good air circulation. Have never tried plastic, so I can't compare the performance of the two.

I tend to like peach crisp way better than cobbler...I find most cobblers too doughy. To make a crisp, don't bother peeling the fruit, slice it into a gratin dish large enough to hold the fruit in a shallow layer. Season the fruit as you like--cinnamon, ginger, allspice, or just fruit. Sprinkle a few tablespoons sugar atop the sliced fruit. Mix equal parts softened butter, brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and chopped nuts (almonds are esp nice) to form coarse crumbs. Again, add spices if you like. Spread the crumbs over the fruit and bake at 375-400 until browned. (You can toss in a handful of blueberries or raspberries atop the peaches before adding the crumbs, for color & flavor.)

First things first: what cut of pork did you use and how large was it? Brining a picnic or shoulder kicks things into the "hammy" flavor & texture to me. Generally, when serving pulled pork, the idea is to mix up the bark and the more succulent interior meat, offering both tastes & textures at the same time.

I'm firmly in the camp of "too hot to put into the fridge"....you can spoil everything in the fridge if your item is warm enough. Even if nothing's in the fridge to spoil, the item itself can chill on the outside while the interior remains surprisingly hot--pretty much the perfect recipe for spoilage. But leaving something out on the counter, especially a large volume container, doesn't exactly spell food safety either! Wide, shallow containers cool faster (more surface area), and a baggie of ice cubes will help matters along. Ice paddles are the professional's solution for large-volume containers...

And I can see half the potential audience refusing to set foot in the place due to the presence of AV equipment in the dining room. If the proposed restaurant is a sports bar, AV away. Otherwise, you're sliding into chain restaurant territory....not the sort of folks who'll pay top dollar for tarted-up comfort food.

Oh for the love of God no. Why would you want a signboard that obnoxiously demands attention AND increases your electric bill?

One tiny comment on chalkboards....those of us with poor vision absolutely hate them. It's embarrassing to ask someone to read the specials to you and/or to repeat them because you're hard of hearing. It isn't so hard to handwrite & photocopy a small menu insert for specials, or to display them at each table (table tent or other stand-up item).

This is true. There is a massive amount of waste that goes into those styrofoam trays of boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets that cost $7.99/lb. Of course, all those "mechanically separated, partially defatted chicken pieces" have to come from somewhere, right? What is your basis for claiming "a massive amount of waste" regarding styro-tray boneless/skinless breasts? Very very very little is wasted in a poultry factory; mechanically separated chicken is just one of the "recovery" products generated (including proteins used in animal feeds). Many arguments can be made against factory farming of poultry, but inefficiency is not one. The North American demand for breast meat opens up a huge secondary market in dark meat, frozen & shipped abroad.

Forget the pasta, and stuff 'em with a seasoned rice mixture, then bake (well, oven-braise, really) until the peppers are tender. Stuffed peppers are beloved in south Louisiana....you can use a dirty-rice style mixture, or rice & shrimp, or even bread crumbs and crabmeat. An eggplant & ground beef mixture is another common stuffing variant, topped with a little grated parmesan; here's a Paul Prudhomme version of the eggplant-stuffed kind: http://chefpaul.com/site.php?pageID=300&view=441

I would add that, at least according to our health department, that 4 hours is supposed to be during the entire existence of the food item in question (cumulatively, from the time it died until it is consumed), and realistically, one can't know the temperature history of a piece of meat unless you have killed and processed it yourself. In other words, "better safe than sorry". It is still probably OK to give to the dog or cat - so not necessarily a complete loss. Unless your veterinarian charges way less than mine, don't feed potentially spoiled food to your pets.

Hmm...I'd be tempted to small dice the zucchini & squash and cook w/garlic & onion 'til tender/soft, then add a bunch of chopped fresh tomatoes & herbs, and use it to top pasta. In a similar vein, you could cook ("smother") the squash with peeled shrimp, onions/garlic, thyme, and tomatoes. Save the chicken for tomorrow's dinner!

I bought several pounds of green eggplants last week...first up was a simple pasta: --peel and cut eggplant into small cubes, then saute over high heat with garlic until browned/soft, then add a few T chopped tomato. Cook a bit more, and toss with medium shaped pasta, sprinkle w/pecorino. The eggplant melts into a soft topping for the pasta. --Thai eggplant curry. Green curry is the classic pairing, but I had a tub of red curry paste on hand. I cooked a little fresh ginger & garlic in oil, then fried a few spoonfuls of curry paste to soften. Poured in a can of coconut milk, brought it to a boil, then added peeled eggplant chunks, some mushrooms, carrot slices, kaffir lime leaves, a few shakes of fish sauce, a generous pinch of sugar, and chunks of boneless, skinless chicken. Simmered it, covered, for about 20-25 minutes, stirring a few times, then removed the lid and added a big handful of Thai basil & a squeeze of fresh lime juice. The eggplant are tender & soak up the coconut milk & curry flavors beautifully. It was just as tasty reheated.

Dull knives, and the absence of ANY sort of knife sharpener.

Can't say that I'm a huge fan of farmed catfish, and it's not the best choice for grilling, mainly due to its dimensions. Thinner, flatter fish are a better choice for grilling, as you won't end up with the overcooked/undercooked tendencies you discovered. The catfish skin won't behave like salmon skin, either--the two have very different texture/properties. (Try steaming the whole catfish next time.) To keep the skin on grilled fish, you'll want to 1)have a very, very clean & well-oiled grill surface and 2)liberally oil the fish's skin as well. Use a wide implement to turn the fish, too. That said, I lose the skin on fish about half the time! A good solution, to me: grill thick filets with the skin & scales still on. The scales protect the skin from (untasty) charring, hold in a bit of moisture, and save you the step of scaling!

See the longish eGullet thread on BGE cooking here:

Hmm, I'm wondering if it's the oven, or the climate/environment of the kitchen....assuming that since you're baking in a diff oven, you're also using a fairly new workspace for the other steps. I don't think the flatter loaf is unattractive, it's just different. If the crumb & crust are good, then it's not all bad. If the loaves suffered, your customers would let you know, right?

Isn't greaseproof paper similar to US butcher paper or waxed paper? IOW, a paper used for wrapping frozen goods? If so, it isn't silicone coated like parchment paper (or your Silpat sheet), so it's not intended as a nonstick baking liner.