Peter the eater

Welcome jclaar, I think you'll get lots of responses but I must say having roasted my own coffee at home exactly once I am extremely stoked to do it again. I used a cheap-o aluminum stove top popcorn maker with a crank, waited for the first crack, and then ran outside to de-chaff with colanders just before they went black. I brewed some right away and then some the next day. The second batch was substantially better. I am confident that with a few more iterations I can approach and possibly surpass my local roasters. Plus its a lot of fun. You must check out an egFoodblog from earlier this summer (name escapes me, index needs updating) but an energetic woman from NYC (the Village?) with a kitchen store showed me how it can be done with a big old iron pan and a fire escape.

This is a great read, thanks for your efforts. Handsome food, enticing coffee. His and hers knife drawers and ice cream machines! Nice. I still need to know if the Moosewood in Ithaca is still going strong. And do you have an opinion about the creation of "thousand islands salad dressing"? I figure anything close to the middle of your weather map is fair game.

Porthos and Tim, you both are right. 1. well-worn (not by me) butter form 2. spiral mixer, just push and it turns. hard to clean. 3. heat diffuser for under the pot on the woodstove. no woodstove here, not sure why I have it. 4. ceramic hot water bottle. works great, 120 years old. 5. aluminum segmented pot. haven't found the right three-part meal for it yet.

No tongue experience here although, in the spirit of under-appreciated and under-priced ingredients, I am keen to try. Maybe someone could say a few words to compare beef, veal, lamb, pig, other?

Here's some weird stuff from my kitchen. I sort of know what they all are but I would love to hear some feedback. I'll post "answers" here soon . . . 1. used to be very common: 2. hmmmm: 3. both sides look the same: 4. not necessarily for the kitchen: 5. obviously a stovetop pot, but for what: here's the bottom stamp:

Humperdinck Beyond . . . I like it. How about BeeSo - if your name is in fact Ben Southard, it works on a few levels.

Everything tastes better when it is poached in butter!

Chris, I think many of us are envious of your forthcoming acquisition. I hope you'll share a photo of it (her?) complete with shrine, lighting, environmental controls or whatever you come up with.

Any chance you could take us to the Moosewood restaurant in Ithaca? I went once in 1992 after meeting Carl Sagan at a Cornell wine & cheese - both experiences were very memorable. If its not in the cards this week then maybe you could relate any thoughts or experiences you've had with this unique institution?

Our nearby pots & pans factory is Paderno on Prince Edward Island. They don't seem to use rivets - everything has a spot weld, even on their top-of-the line pro set which they say is aboard Air Force One. I am pro-rivet. They are simply more robust mechanically and visually. I appreciate the strong and honest expression of a riveted metal-to-metal connection (wow, spot the architect). I doubt any high-end pots with welds are going to fall apart the way I use them, and I agree riveted measuring cups is a little unnecessary given the loads they will likely encounter. Cleaning a riveted pot is just not a big deal for me. So I say rivets rule!

I do drive-through food once every week or two and its almost always Tim's (or the T-Ho as I call it). This behavior goes back twenty years and I can say I have never received a bad cup of coffee nor have I had a great cup. Its always the same medium roast fresh-tasting pretty good brew. And that is why I go back for more coffee. I rarely get other stuff these days. It used to be the sourdough glazed donut in university, now its maybe an oatcake. I can't really say how they compare to Krispy Keam or Dunkins because I've never been.

Tonights family dinner: Bruschetta Corn, smashed wee potatoes, zukes and a lamb chop And for the kids.

Why not call yourself The Oracle? For me it suggests the pinnacle of knowledge and it is mouth-related.

Smooth peanut butter and rhubarb preserve, in a toasted sandwich. Top drawer!

80% daily swill 15% fancy time 5% secret stash (usually fortified, like a 20 year old ruby port) Does this conform? Um . . . neep.

What/where exactly is a turkey or chicken oyster? I have made ostrich oysters - its a thigh muscle. Back to fish heads . . .

Wow, that looks spot on! Razor clams are the most under appreciated bivalve around here. And there are lots around - nobody seams to like them except for the gulls. For selfish (shellfish?) reasons I hope it stays that way.

Holy **** I have been crying with laughter catching up with this thread. When I was in grade twelve (in the 1980's) and had calculus on a Friday afternoon, my mates and I went for a beer and a Chinese lunch at the mall. For over a year the menu read "Human Beef Special" and "Lucky Family Surprise". Wish I had a photo.

I buy fish heads and other trimmings for chowder once in a while - its a great value, sometimes free. One day, eventually, I am sure it will be very expensive. This is a thread worth reviving! I am a bit afraid to ask, but what is a Bloviatrix?

Wow . . . I would give my right arm to be ambidextrous. <Sorry Chris>

Happy birthday, that's a lovely ring! I'm enjoying your words and pictures. I figure I could survive for around two years in your basement.

You have clearly never had a wild Snow Goose.

I'll add that this person is likely right-handed, which eliminates around 10% of the population.

Mmmm . . . free beef fat . . . we're not talking about shoplifting are we? <smarmy smile emoticon> Does it look like suet, all pelletized, or is a big sack of big white waxy chunks complete with membranes and other tissues? I didn't know you had Sobey's in Manitoba, I'm a big fan.

I think you have hit on a major problem with many contemporary food purveyors. In these days of burgeoning visual food media I suspect appearance has overtaken flavour way too often. Things can look a lot better in a sexy magazine image or even grocery flyer. I recently went to one of the better restaurants in my city (chef Ray Bear's Gio in Halifax) and what I got gets 9/10 for looks and 6/10 for taste. I give him high marks for creativity, but audacious flavour combinations can backfire - and there were some thermal issues. Specifically, I had a cheese plate with Guinness ice cream. Sounded and looked great, but the blue cheese was way too cold and the ice cream too warm, and the two flavours together . . . not a match made in heaven. Plus there was a bit of foil hidden in the cheese, unintentional I am sure, but present.