Peter the eater

It's hard not to like a potato pancake. It's also hard to bring something new to the table when the eG Society appears to be the leading repository of latke knowledge in the universe. Here's my contribution - I call it a "fast boxty", but whatever term is used, the only ingredient is potato! 1. Wash a few potatoes, then grate them: 2. Microwave until done, 4 minutes for these 3 potatoes. Form into balls when cool. Because the shredded potato was not soaked or even rinsed, they get real gooey from the microwave. Thus, no need for binders like eggs and other stuff. These balls are the size of a squash ball. For those of you not living in a Commonwealth country, a squash ball is a bit smaller than a golf ball, like a ping pong ball. I flatten the balls as they go into the oil. When I lift one out that's done, I'll squeeze it lightly between two slotted spatulas. 3. Heat a 1/4 cup of oil in a non-stick pan. Fry until brown, drain. I used grapeseed oil, and after I did the two batches of 8, I still had 1/3 of the oil left in the pan. That means I used (or spilled) only 2-3 tablespoons of oil for 16 pancakes:

I've got a new knife storage system - on the wall with strip magnets from Lee Valley, four feet for $40. There is also a new addition to the collection (top right): a Grohmann 10" chef's knife. It feels as good as any German or Japanese knife that I have held, but then again there are a lot I haven't held. It's a beauty though, forged with a full tang and large bolster, rosewood handle, lovely weight and balance for me. FYI here's the Grohmann site.

I am flying down to see family in a few weeks - for the the first time in their new place in Port Charlotte and I'm looking for ideas. I hope to leave the kids with the grandparents and have a dinner date with my wife somewhere not too far - like Fort Meyers or Sarasota. If there is something truly hot and not to be missed, that's good. If there's a unique institution or local favorite, that's equally good. I've been to Florida several times but it has been a few years and good food has never been a priority in past visits. I am a big fan of citrus and seafood and I hope to find that and more . . . thanks in advance.

Hmmm . . . When I hear "silverfish" I think of those creepy little flat insects that race around when you open a drawer or move a carpet. I hope that's not what's on your menu. I have also heard the term "silver fish" applied to the silver hake - a tasty fish in the waters out here in Atlantic Canada. Here's a silver hake I had last summer (8" diameter bowl) with some scallops:

Randi, I forgot how beautiful your new counter tops are . . . and what on earth is a "Mystery Shopping company"?

That is an appealing website, thanks for bringing it up. Pricey, but probably worth it. Any vendor that offers a turkey cam so you can watch your future meal is good by me. I gather the farms are all over the US? In the "Brief Overview" they say: I don't know how the Pandas are doing, but the bald eagles were taken off the "Endangered and Threatened Species" last year. There are tons of them here, particularly at the north end of Nova Scotia in Cape Breton where my wife's family farm is located. Last summer an adult female bald eagle took two of our chickens - this bird was enormous - its wingspan was bigger than mine - mine is well over six feet. I'm glad they are doing well again worldwide, a couple of chickens was well worth the price of admission to see such a powerful raptor at work.

Ever try taro? They are called eddoes in the Caribbean or kalo in Hawaii, both types of taro (I think). They are neither tubers nor bulbs, rather they're specialized underground stems called corms. I can't speak to the starch content but I can tell you that they are very creamy. Cut open a raw one and the blade gets milky - they are terrific in a mash with spuds and turnips and carrots, etc.

Clam smoothie! Seriously, no dairy - just a few cans of clams liquefied in the blender and slid down the the throat. Just an idea, it has not actually been field-tested. How about red meat, and blood in general?

A great theme for a January foodblog - thank you three for having the courage to share the personal details. Health really is everything, without health it's hard to enjoy just about anything. I think you are right. For some, food is merely a necessary part of sustenance - these people are usually thin and don't read foodblogs. Like most folks I have had ups and downs in the weight department. In 2004 when I was 37 my goal before turning 40 was to run a marathon (and to have a baby - I managed two of each) and when I crossed the finish line after four and a half hours of unremarkable running, my BMI (Body Mass Index) was 31. At 6'-1" and 230 lbs, a BMI of over 30 means obese. I neither looked nor felt obese, I felt fantastic for achieving such a goal. Here I am, and here. My point is . . . a bathroom scale is a tool with very limited utility. Use it when you have to, then give it away . . . preferably to somebody you don't like. And the Body Mass Index is totally useless for a lot of people. I'm proud to be a man of girth and density! edit to add: I love the name "The Shrinking". Very Stephen King.

What's that? I want some. Hey, I have twins. My wife had extra care because of it too, they were mostly concerned about getting enough iron. Beyond that, the advice was to take vitamins and avoid raw and unpasteurized food such as honey.

On the landscape that is my diet, I tend to focus on the monuments which rise up against the fabric of everyday food. I dream about the next perfectly poached lobster tail or blue beef tenderloin, how I'll eventually splurge again on something rare or expensive. But what about all the good stuff in between those fancy meals? The other day I steamed some young carrots and sprinkled them with freshly cracked black peppercorns. It was truly delicious. A far cry from those ubiquitous bags of pre-peeled and pre-shaped "baby carrots" and an even farther cry from the gray pepper dust that comes out of small paper packets. I think carrots deserve their prime spot in the crisper. Everybody eats them but I don't think people always remember how great they can be when done right. And sometimes I get a perfectly pungent hit of the master spice and think WOW it really does belong beside salt on the table. Do you ever have those moments where something really common is really, really good?

That is a truly nasty story rezcook. Cod is the only grocery store fish that I have ever seen with a live parasite still inside. I don't know what it is about cod - maybe it's just a little harder to pick up the worms on the light table. A few months ago I bought a "Club Pack" of garlic powder from Atlantic SuperStore - our regional version of Loblaws, Canada's largest retailer ahead of Wal-Mart, HBC and others. There was a special prize waiting inside for me: My reaction was as follows: 1. shock - what's that? 2. disgust - yuck, it's a fly! 3. curiosity - how long has it been there? 4. shame - I'll bet he tastes really really good. 5. excitement - I wonder how the manufacturer will compensate me! To their credit, Loblaws swiftly replied to my email with the above photos and sent me a $10 gift card. I threw out the garlic powder.

The Robuchon method gave me potatoes (Robu-fries?) that were neither less nor more greasy than usual. I know what you mean by oil sponges - button mushrooms and eggplants come to mind as being very absorbent. Maybe the soaked potatoes are more dense and watery enough to repel the lipid.

I am up for any method that makes french fries easier, safer, faster, less fatty, or enhanced in any way whatsoever. French fries rule, plain and simple. Has anyone ever said: "No thanks, I don't care for french fries"? No, I think not. "No thanks, I'm on a diet"? Well, maybe. I chopped up a few local white potatoes and gave them a one hour soak in warm tap water: I placed a single layer in a cool non-stick skillet and poured in just enough corn oil to cover them: I turned the electric element on high and jiggled the pan occasionally: After ten minutes I had this: The whole family liked them: Summary: Sure it worked, but I wouldn't call it a major breakthrough. I used the same quantity of oil as I would have for the usual method (spuds into hot oil). I still had to babysit them, and the bottoms browned much faster than the tops. I suppose arranging the fries in the cool pan is a bonus. There was no burst of steam or splattering, so that's a plus. If a second batch goes in, the oil is hot as with the usual method. I suspect this method would work well if the potatoes were diced into little cubes, like hash browns.

My pig continues to bring me great joy! Over the Christmas break I took the leg out of the brine and let it simmer for many, many hours in fresh water with celery, onions and black peppercorns. The parents-in-law have a very nice and very new wood stove that I was hoping to use but since it wasn't yet seasoned/broken-in we used the propane stove: Here's the stove we'll use next time: After the fresh water got to the bone, the leg was hung overnight in a mesh bag in the cool garage to dry out. Tonight we tried some of the ham - a slab was roasted at 350F for an hour and a half with a few dried herbs on top for a crunchy crust atop the thin layer of subcutaneous fat. I am pleased with the results:

My wife and I just watched Cleveland, Argentina and Hong Kong. Fantastic. I will go on record and say it's the most entertaining "food show" I've ever watched. Without exception, I have learned and laughed tremendously during each and every episode. I'm not sure why it's so good for me - the host is like a weird older uncle who's been around the block (several times) but remains cynically sincere. And there is something brilliant about the editing - there are these subtle looks and innuendo in between the more obvious shots that just crack me up. Come to Halifax Tony!

Sorry -- you can tell I don't have one... ← Around here, if you add meat to a compost pile . . . you get rats and raccoons. I like turkey leftovers in burrito form. I shoved a few pounds of cooked turkey through the meat grinder just to see what happens. It looked OK but was very dry and granular.

You are right, it is very good. I caught parts of several shows over the break and I say thumbs up. He's never been a pretentious TV personality, quite the opposite really, but I am pleased to see him so relaxed and sincere while creating great food at home. He makes me want to expand my garden.

Very good words, and timely too. Thanks. Your drinking friends could call "getting three sheets to the wind" as "raising the halyard with the wayward Hayward".

Welcome LizD518, and good resolutions. All these worthy ideas . . . I'm thinking of abandoning the heroic resolutions made at New Years for some more reasonable ones, and reviewing them daily.

Here's my non-scientific purely anecdotal contribution: I have never seen double yolks from the grocery store. This summer we had 2 dozen egg-laying chickens at the family farm and they yielded plenty of doubles. At first I was a bit freaked out because I have twin toddlers myself - was it something in the water?!? All the birds were in their first and only year. We think there was a single hen that laid most of the doubles. They were often elongated, and the total amount of yolk seemed to be no different from the singles. So yes, I think deviled eggs would look cool with the shape of an eight (bilobate?) but I don't think the omelets would be any different.

Great story Alchemist. Last summer I got a bug-in-an-ice-cube with the gin and tonic I ordered. I can handle a small gnat or fruit fly or something, but this was an actual June bug . . . and it appeared painfully contorted like a frozen slab of Han Solo. How does someone not notice a brown ice cube? We went elsewhere for dinner.

John, all your hard work as a host is greatly appreciated. We've enjoyed your contributions - don't stop!

I heard of this technique when I lived in Vancouver years ago. As I recall, the lady said it was a way of reconstituting the dry pasta back to an almost fresh state. I've never tried it, but know I think I will. Can't let a comment like that go by . . . please elaborate! Was base camp in Nepal? Some kind of two mile high pasta club in the galley of an airplane?

Pastry, eh? I did a lot more baking in general this past year. I even removed the words "and I suck at baking" from my eGullet member profile. If I had to pinpoint a farinaceous highlight I would say it's my new ability to make good puff pastry. Its not really that hard, you just need to be mindful of the temperature.