ojisan

I'm going to dispute the notion that these aren't "real food" -- they may not be Mexican, but I don't see how seasoned ground beef in a shell with some fresh vegetables and cheese isn't real (whatever that means...). I make my beef mix with onions, garlic, chile powder, cumin, coriander, MSG, and a can of tomatoes pureed in the blender. I like it better than any of the mixes I've tried, though of course to each their own. By "real food tacos", I was referring to tacos as found in Mexico, as opposed to Taco Bell, McCormicks etc. I need to pay more attention to the wording of my posts.

Out of curiosity - does everyone take precautions or at least be aware of parasites/worms when they cold smoke wild salmon? Do you inspect the fish, or do you assume that the cold smoking will kill any parasites?

I may be alone here, but I don't see the point in making "taco kit" from scratch. I have a jar of McCormick Taco Seasoning in my cupboard (it was too cheap at Costco to pass up) for when I crave comfort food (junk food) "tacos". Not to be confused with real food tacos.

In a perfect world, there would be people who break off the caps and throw them back, because they only want the stems. If someone says they never lie, how would you know if they're telling the truth or lying?

I didn't say or imply that it was sleazy. And if his intent was to drive website traffic, I'd say he succeeded. However, I feel that this topic has nothing to do with food or cooking, so what is the purpose in posting it?

I'm inclined to believe that the purpose of the original post was to drive website traffic. Maybe Steven will clarify.

The problem with this logic is that they are assuming my plastic bags are ending up in the landfills. I have the option of recycling my plastic bags... Recycling your plastic bags is what the vendor is encouraging. Was my post unclear?

One of the major vendors at my local farmers market expects you to bring your own produce bags. If you don't have any (or have not stolen some from one of the other vendors), they will sell you biodegradable bags for 5¢ each. The purpose is to do their part in minimizing plastic bags in the landfill.

You obviously didn't qualify for the Rapture.

My post from the mapo doufu topic regarding cornstarch: http://egullet.org/p1805379

Mitsuwa carries nuka for mail order: http://shop.mitsuwa.com/eng/egoods/edetail.php?pid=1340 The closest store near you would be in New Jersey.

Aside from the daily maintenance, the only downside for me was having to dedicate space in my not-large-enough fridge.

This article explains what CAB (Certified Angus Beef) really means, and why Prime/Choice/Good was renamed Prime/Choice/Select. http://www.steakperfection.com/grade/ Another article describing the reclassification of beef grading - Choice became Prime, Good became Choice etc. http://bit.ly/ivcNuZ

Pages 319 - 321

Watching the video, it took awhile before I realized that the voiceover guy was speaking in English. All I can tell you is that myoga is expensive. I wonder how difficult it would be to grow it in a pot.

There is an informative discussion on sausage stuffers here: http://egullet.org/p1117371

The following is the review I left on Amazon, when the book came out. I hope his next book is edited for content and continuity before it goes to press. -------------------------------------------------------------- 34 of 35 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Needs work., January 17, 2006 By santacruztacean (Monterey Bay area) - See all my reviews This review is from: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing (Hardcover) Note: This review is based on my specific interests for buying this book, and may not be relevant to all readers. I was looking for information about making cured and smoked products such as bacon, smoked pork hocks, corned beef etc - foods that require sodium nitrites. Little has been published for the home cook regarding this topic - specifically, the minimum amounts needed for a given recipe without risking botulism. If you're concerned about nitrite intake and are a kitchen novice, I wouldn't recommend this book. Although I feel it contains worthy information to rate 5 stars, accessing and interpreting that information can be confusing: Information is illogically laid out and confusing, such as: - the informative chapter on salt, starts on page 30, then on page 35 suddenly discusses buying a whole pig, then returns back to salt on page 38. - The recipe for Cured Salmon (pp. 50-52) is illustrated with a page for preparing Smoked Salmon, but that recipe is on pg. 96. There is contradictory and confusing information, such as: - a reference to Bruce Aidell's procedure for Canadian Bacon, suggesting adding 2 teaspoons of cure (nitrite mix) to an All Purpose Brine recipe found on pg. 60. But on page 88, the recipe actually calls for 8 teaspoons - a 4x difference. [Note: Aidell's recipe in Complete Book of Pork calls for 2 1/2 tablespoons.] - The recipes call for cooking pork to an internal temperature of 150 degrees. But the Recommended Temperatures (pg. 62) states "130-140 degrees... for a finished temp. of 140-145." And the 150 degrees doesn't refer to stop-cooking temp or finished temp. The recipes tend to be overly generic: Do ham hocks (almost all bone) really require the same amount of nitrites as boneless pork loin (all meat and with water content which dilutes the nitrites)? If yes, why? While I would not hesitate to buy this book again, I would recommend reading it completely, taking notes as you go, and compiling the information that you need. In other words, you become the book editor. My own copy is littered with post-its. If you do buy this book, I would also recommend: Paul Bertolli's "Cooking by Hand", which contains a specific how-and-why discussion on using nitrites; and Aidell's "Complete Book of Pork", so that you can make your own conclusions.

The KA meat grinder is OK, but the sausage stuffer is worthless. The pasta extruder is also worthless, but the pasta roller attachments are supposedly OK except for the price.

My previous was/is also a Waring. No comparison - after using a Vitamix, you won't look back.

Costco (Santa Cruz, CA) is now stocking the VitaMix as a regular item - model 5200C has the 48 oz. jar (instead of the 64 oz.), and includes $50 coupon for additional container. $380 is same price as during the demo sales. I use the 32 oz. container about 98% of the time (1 person household).

I remember eating at Jitlada back in the 70's - it was the first Thai restaurant in L.A. In the kitchen was one woman, at the stove, doing it all herself. The Bangkok Market soon followed, the first to carry the then-exotic Thai ingredients.

Dejah - what cut of pork do you use for the char siu?

I prefer to beat my meat.

I think mapo dofu is one of those comfort foods that if you ask 20 folks for their favorite recipes, you get 50 versions. I started back in the '70s with Robt. Delf's classic, refining, refining, refining over the years until my notes became illegible. Part of this is because many ingredients and brands have changed over the years (Delf mentions that chicken blood was used as a thickener - which makes sense, as who had cornstarch in China back in the day?). More importantly, everyone's recipe is based on their tastes and what's available to them. Hot and Sour Soup is also a classic comfort food that has no definitive "recipe".

As mentioned, this is likely a throwback to the days when the pot of water boiled over a wood fire, and the only way to regulate it was to add cold water.