ojisan

Vegetarian nappa kimchi: How necessary are the brined shrimp or fish sauce? I assume their function (as well as sugar) is to promote fermentation. Is there a traditional Korean alternative, or are they even needed?

I always have a jar of Jaymes' salsa in the fridge - it's versatile, easy and cheap. And everybody loves it. - canned organic tomatoes - chipotle en adobo, or roasted jalapeño, or roasted habanero - garlic salt (1:3 garlic:salt, by weight) - Costco granulated garlic - lemon juice - olive oil - cilantro

The best thing to do is go back to the restaurant and ask them for the recipe. And then share it here.

What is the purpose of using margarine? What does it do that olive/canola/grapeseed/etc. wouldn't do? Also, what is purpose of degreasing if there won't be pan gravy? Just curious....

I don't mean to imply that the Globals have a bad rep - they're a genuine step up from the usual Henkels/Wustrof/etc genre. It's just that the knifophiles would chose something like the Hiromoto AS line instead without hesitation. But don't take one person's opinion - the Knifeforum offers great info from everyone, from novice to the crazy-obsessed. Jump in and ask questions - they're a friendly group. Something else to consider: any knife is dependent on how well it's sharpened. Plan on spending at least as much on sharpening tools as on the knives.

Great choice on the BoardSMITH - considered to be the #1 choice by those in-the-know. It's curious that you would be enamored with Global, which doesn't have the same reputation. You might want to lurk in the KnifeForums before you decide on your knives.

...and then there's soup too: can of Progresso soup labeled as "Net Wt. 19 Oz.(1 Lb. 3 Oz)538g"

The can is "Net Wt. 14 Oz.(396 Grams)". Swansons' boxed broth is "Net Wt. 32 Oz.(2 Lb.)(907g)".

Something that I find annoying: Why is canned broth sold by weight instead of volume? That can of Swanson Chicken Broth contains a Net Weight of 14 oz. Do the marketing departments believe recipes call for "a pound of broth"?

Chris - Can you post an update on the Momofuku paechu, and your opinion? Momofuku is a bit vague regarding proportions and ingredients: - Are you using kochukaru that is 100% pepper, or is pepper+salt? I noted that some brands include salt. - What was the weight of the nappa? - How much is "20 slices of ginger", by weight?

After buying these Ball lids from Amazon, I found them at my local hardware store (Orchard Supply), not on sale, for $3.99 a box of 8 regular, and $4.99 a box of 8 wide.

My reliable NS-ZCC10 Neuro-fuzzy (Japan made) does basmati just fine using the regular white rice cycle.

Could you clarify: - fenugreek: leaves, or seed? - mustard seed: yellow or black? Or does it matter? - dried chilies: what kind?

1. barack palinka 2. gulyas leves 3. more barack palinka 4. toltott kaposzta 5. szalonna 6. palinka 7. and maybe a meat dish and some palinka

Assuming you're using fresh tofu (as opposed to the retort-boxed variety), the best way to eat soft/silken or regular tofu is hiyayakko - so, if you have any leftovers, serve up the leftovers as an appetizer.

In California, a water packed tub is usually 14 - 16 oz., depending on the brand and also which kind: soft (silken), regular (medium firm), firm (extra firm) or yaki.

I buy my spices in bulk from the local health food store - they're fresher and much cheaper than the major brand stuff at the supermarkets. I keep small quantities of the few everyday spices in recycled Spice Island/Schilling bottles. I'm thinking a masala dabba would be handy. My bulk spices and spices I don't use often are in mason jars (mainly 1/2 pt), vacuum sealed w/ Foodsaver. Hole punched in lids is covered w/ electrical tape to easily break the vacuum.

I totally agree. If you want info on woks, this is a great book. However, if it's recipes you want....

You might want to look into a traditional deba instead of a flexible blade.

I'm visualizing a nice uniform coating of ashes on my food....

Check out the traditional Japanese vegetable brush Kamenoko Tawashi. Here's a better description of the item.

Looks perfect - care to share the details on what you did?

Charcoal starter for BBQs: Save out some used (clean) oil from deep frying in a big plastic jar (Costco cashews). Add used clean paper towels. One squeezed out towel in the chimney will get the coals going quickly.

Some tutorials, not videos, on basic technique including knife skills, from the Tsuji school: http://www.tsuji.ac.jp/hp/gihou/Basic_Techniques/index.html

Rubbermaid, for one, is forthcoming about which of their food storage containers contain BPA: http://www.rubbermaid.com/Pages/LearnAboutBPA.aspx Now I'm wondering about all those Cambro containers I have....