Peter the eater

From Lee Valley, this looks like a unique product for storing your knives in a traditional wooden block without slots. Click. I don't have or need one -- but I'd like to know what the knife people think. You know who you are . . .

Rob, did you get any rabbit kidneys in the deal? They can be a real treat when treated well. Arkansas has famous free range organic rabbit kidneys that have shown up on some fancy menus.

The firm stuff that's a bit crumbly and hot pink when cooked? Most of it's up by the head but tapers down through the tail -- connects the mouth to the anus -- it's the stomach(s).

I've visited this topic on and off for a few years now and I always gain something from the discussion. I've only ever consumed bento during urban business lunches but I've never prepared or enjoyed a homemade one. I've searched my city for a traditional box to make at home but all I find is this disappointment. I love the concept of a lunch vessel with compartments. Taking a moment to balance a meal, to recognize the food guide, to outdo the Joneses. Food always tastes better when the author has made an effort.

I see often those coiled up little roundworms in fish, usually not until I get home. I never worry too much about them since they're harmless once cooked. If I cure seafood or make ceviche I would avoid the species prone to anisakis such as cod, halibut, monkfish, herring, etc. If you're serving uncooked fish just make sure the pieces are too small to hide a bunch of worms. My main seafood market Clearwater does their best to remove the parasites using visual inspection while processing and packaging, often with a light table. Another vendor sells sashimi grade tuna that is very fresh but has never been cold-treated for worms. They tell me that it is impossible to find an adult wild fish in the Atlantic ocean that doesn't have at least one parasite.

James Peterson, in his cleverly titled book Cooking, says this about pork: ". . . there is only one correct degree of doneness, the point at which the first pink translucence turns wet and rosy." I agree with this statement in general although I can think of a few exceptions.

Now that's something I'd like to see -- hopefully something more than upside down "disco fries".

What's a crawler harness? I'm still looking forward to first time I try a plate of sunnies. Basswood is the ideal wood for carving - one could make a lot of nice bowls with a tree like that. When I look at your list I see a really good brunch with eggs benny, florentine, etc. Mmmm.

Veal Parmigiana from Burger King is right up there with betamax tapes and cell phones the size of your shoe.

How about the ongoing explosion of food media? It used to be hard to find a cooking show, maybe a half hour on PBS once a week. Now there are simply too many to keep track of.

Is that a dozuki? ← I suppose it could be. What is a dozuki? ← Sorry JS, a dozuki's a saw used by carpenters for precision cuts. I'm sure there's a culinary (i.e. non-woodworking) equivalent, but if it has a different name, I'm sure someone else might know.

I did not try this specific recipe but his cured meat recipes are known to be heavy on salt (very long cures). I think this is partly due to the fact that he does not use saltpeter or pink salt. You might want to look at the bacon thread, I found a great deal of useful advices there. ← Magictofu, thanks for the reminder of that great bacon thread (and for distracting me from our election results). I liked this Hugh F-W recipe because it calls for only four days in a cool dry cure. That's some fast pancetta, which I think ought to be on the salty side.

This is very good stuff -- it's so nice to to have these online resources. I've got an inexpensive polycarbonate plastic marinator that features a big plunger with an o-ring for a lid so I can reduce the volume/increase the pressure within the chamber. It seems to drive the soy sauce into the fork-perforated chicken breast well enough, but now I'm thinking it might enhance the cold brining experience. If I use this gizmo to brine a small piece of pork belly in my fridge for a few days -- under pressure -- will I get better results/shorter time required?

Is that a dozuki?

It's great to see Quebec cheeses getting the word out. Every time I visit through Quebec (like last month) I find some outrageously delicious cheeses unknown to me. They're usually soft ones, and not inexpensive -- but then again the good stuff rarely is. Keep up the good work!

Now that's a memorable way to see the desert! Chufi, your words and images are lovely as usual. I'm another reader reacting with hunger and nostalgia.

It's a new autumn, and I've got a new pig. Here's how she looked on Dominion Day Weekend, July 1st 2008: She grew well over the summer and early fall but lacked the spunky personality of the 2007 pig. I wonder if that effects flavor in any way. She was processed on the weekend and I brought home a very large quantity of pork. She came home in three large boxes: I've got two shoulders, half a belly, a ham, the hocks, most of the ribs and a zillion chops. No head, internal organs, trotters etc. Maybe next time. I'm looking to try a bunch of cures -- wet and dry. No plans to start smoking, so to speak. Has anyone tried this recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall?

Thanks my friend, I don't want to propegate misinformation! I had to think hard where that mix-up came from -- there's a book about a fellow Canadian architect called The Seven Stones. Oops.

That's the kind of twisted comment that makes my day, thank you strange Tsuilli1. Great, now I'm going to have a dream where a Richard Simmons/Elton John hybrid wearing a greasy bird suit goes homicidal.

Duck skin is a wily substance. I've been putting strips of turkey skin in my George Foreman Grill. That's right . . . the poorly designed and overpriced panini press endorsed by an overweight has-been. The results are good though -- you get crisp wavy strips with pure poultry flavor. It's got that bacon press aspect that Dave the Cook mentions, and you can collect all that precious fat that Chris H mentions.

Dick, you are quite right but I'd replace "good" with "conventional". Twice a year we jig buckets of mackerel from the pier down the street -- most get fried or grilled but some are used for fish stew (with salmon) and it's, well, transcendental.

John and son, thanks so much for this continuing report. I've been vicariously and quietly following along, but I can remain silent no longer. Anko tsurushi giri (monkfish hanging and cutting) and the great Masaharu Morimoto!?! It doesn't get much better than that. Last weekend I found a whole 30 lb monkfish at my market, but ultimately I chickened out hoping for a smaller specimen to bring home next time. Those who are interested in the seven stones of the monkfish should check out Hiroyuki's topic starting at post #4. These fish are considered here to be a marginal bi-catch -- the tail fillet goes $4.99/lb and the rest is discarded. It's a shame.

Here's what you get from steaming 5lbs of blue mussels from Newfoundland in plain water: Pure musselness. Onions, herbs, celery, wine, etc. are all good but IMO all you really need is water to extract the flavor. If I was enjoying a nice piece of fish poached in mussel broth, which I think is a great idea, I might want an actual intact mussel as well -- even just as a garnish. I couldn't bring myself to puree these mussels, who gave their lives to make the broth above:

I'm a frugal omnivore and ginger in any form suits me fine. I love getting a fistful o' fresh root for way under a buck. It's a miracle ingredient that does so well in sweet and savory dishes. The sodas are great and the crystallized candy fights seasickness when I take the ferry to Newfoundland. I even floated the idea of naming my daughter Ginger -- I'm glad I didn't (Gilligan's Island, neighbor's dog, adult entertainers, etc.)

Those are some big 3" purple heels to fill . . . THANK YOU -- volunteers make the world go round.