HVRobinson

Humming "Jeopardy" theme and examining fingernails.... WELL? hvr

Wow... steaks! Yum! I cook them often. For groups of oh, 600 or so. Here's the best set of tips I can give. Most importantly, the better the meat the better the end result. We prefer to use a 14 to 16 ounce New York strip dry aged about 21 days and then trimmed and vacuum packed (times 600) by our butcher. All steaks are seasoned by hand (but very lightly) using salt, pepper and a small quantity of fresh garlic. Steaks are put on a HOT mesquite grill. We use a grill that is 8 feet by 6 feet, and typically have 4 cooking on it, 2 for first flip, 2 for 2nd flip / removal. We also use 2 more to feed the grill raw steaks, spray the cook crew and furnish cold beverages. Hot is defined as you can't count to one with your hand 1" over the surface of the grill. Steaks are cooked without turning until blood just begins to pool on the top side. Steaks are turned and cooked on the flip side. At the first sign of juices showing steaks are removed. These are allowed to rest for up to 3 minutes in steam trays while being transferred to serving lines. All steaks will coast to medium rare. Now- for the carnivores like me: Steaks are grabbed off the fire for an early flip, and given a short second side. They are delivered to a fully plated dinner and go directly to the table RARE. Please note that these can coast to medium rare if put in a steam tray... but will remain rare if left on a dinner plate. I've done this 2-4 times a year for the last 15 years. I do know my steaks. And for the guys who want 'em well done (though heaven knows why), we always put a half dozen on the edges of the grill and just keep them going and going and going... not to burn them, but to make them grey and fully cooked. Everybody knows how a steak is cooked. Not everybody agrees, that's all.

Sure. If you love it... enjoy. If you hate it, there's no shame in wrapping and tossing. Go to the local hospital, get some BIOHAZARD stickers, and add it to THEIR trash. Either way, your durian virginity will have passed and you can speak with knowledge. My take: it smells like a cross between an open sewer and a broken gas line but has a sweet and cloying taste. It's not bad... but then again-- I wouldn't walk through broken glass for it either. hvr

After 49 years of eating EVERYTHING... and frequently NOT in moderation the doctor informed me that I have crossed the line from pre-diabetic to full blown DIABETIC. It isn't the end of the world. There's lots of wonderful food to eat. Desert can be tasted in very small quantities... a nibble from all plates in a group is fair. BUT... I do miss some of the high fat cooking that I have done for most of my life, and there isn't a carb on the planet that isn't my close personal friend. As such I'm opening a thread to as anybody who IS diabetic, who COOKS for diabetics, who has STUDIED the field... or has any worthwhile observations---for your thoughts and ideas. Here's what I really am looking for: 1) resources for menu planning (especially for lunches and dinners for one at the office) 2) ideas about eating out at higher end restaurants without insulting or stressing the chef or server(s). 3) ideas about what works as staples and mise en place for plan ahead weekly cooking 4) how to best entertain without "inflicting" my needs on my guests Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play? At 51 I plan on enjoying myself for many more years. One more important lesson. DON'T prepare your peppers without gloves right after testing your blood sugar. It really burns. Especially the Scotch Bonnets. Wowzers! hvr

Well... walked across the street to the fallen arches here in San Dago... no McRib (yet). SO sad. But--- part of the joy of being a consultant was eating lunch out of the vending machines and dinner in the best place in town. And all of it on the client's dime! (Insert evil laugh here). Just because you know the difference is no reason to be a snob about slumming it. hvr

Interesting read so far. Bottom line is... a food critic is somebody who writes about food. Period. Now the heart of the question is really how to distinguish a competent critic from the usual Bozo. If you look at the early films (they really weren't tapes) of Julia Childs in the kitchen... she really wasn't a spectacular cook or teacher. It took her a while to find her voice and her venue. Why should it be different for any food writer? What is the credential? In my eyes it is earned by pounds of reviews published, by requests to compile guides, to speak to groups, to teach, to share the joys of gastronomy, of service and hospitality. A food writer does not need to be a good cook... but should be able to speak knowledgeably about the food in a correct context. As for who appoints, anoints, blesses, elevates or dashes upon the rocks the writer... that would be us. We have the voice to review the reviewer. We can take a pompous ass down a peg or two, or we can thank the skilled wordsmith for their contributions. If you don't like it... you have a few options... do a better job, don't support it, or bitch loudly. Two of these are constructive. hvr

The question of Make or Break... really isn't it. It's more of a "can I live with it as it is" thing. My bride does eat many things. After a decade of wonderful eating I have grown to the conclusion that IF I want to eat most Asian food, I need to go with somebody else. End of story. If I want fish... I can cook it for myself or go where they serve shellfish or other things that she loves. If it has gills and scales, she's out. You know what? It's a fairly small price to pay for a person who makes your heart sing. Besides, when she's in the kitchen she can do astounding things with all the remaining worlds of food... and that's a LOT of food. Going for Pho alone? I just bring a technical book and headphones. Tripe in the Menudo? Just don't rave out loud. Who else would help find unpasteurized cheese on our honeymoon? Who else would then eat 85% of it? Bless her pointy little head... I gotta cook my own liver and onions. Sheesh! hvr

I Second this! Without a doubt the single greatest dish that can be placed on a plate to be served with a hefeweitzen... or a Rhine spatelasse. Now all I have to do is talk the wife into a trip to Fresno to visit the family so I can cook this without disparaging comments. She loves me... but hates when I cook "beige" food. What's a foodie to do? hvr

Have always kept a small whiteboard in the kitchen. 3 headings, grocery store, COSTCO, and hardware store. Rules in my house are simple. Need it? Add it to the list. Use the last? Add it to the list. Put back a teaspoon in a quart container? Get beaten about the head and shoulders and have to make a midnight trip in your night clothes. Don't like it? Don't sleep nekkid! hvr

For my two cents: I'd add in the ServSafe coursebook. I'm so tired of looking at kitchens as a public health outbreak just begging to happen. Pantries that haven't been emptied in years. Equipment that haven't been cleaned under (or over) in so long that the build up makes them look like they are attached to the building by sheer grime. Doors without door sweeps. Doors to dumpsters kept open to let in the flies and mice/rats. Cardboard from the vegetable vendors flattened to make floor mats (even though they can be full of bugs... mostly roaches). Coolers with raw chicken above today's salad fixings. Want me to go on? We spend so much time and energy looking into the zen of flavor, mixing the yin of this with the yang of that... .and we forget that despite how important the wonderful flavors and aromas and beautiful sights of our meals are--- they are also our nourishment and health. After that... Most of the reading that's been posted ... I want to make time to read.... Darn you guys! I can't keep up on my own professional reading as is! hvr

A couple of quick notes... The concept of having to review your service --- is painful in chain places where the server has an IQ that is interchangeable with their shoe size. I will tip a base of 15% in a small market, 20% base in a large market.... (LA, NY, SF, Chicago, etc) and then will correct up and down based upon the service. I have left many, many, many reviews (because I do write these, you see) for owners and managers. Frequently I will only ask for a manager's business card... and send them what I would have published if the review was on my schedule. "Last night's dinner did solve the dilemma of what happened to the butcher's sawdust. It was over salted and served with vegetables that had been cooked as mercilessly as if they refused to repent during the inquisition. The merlot was served at cellar temperature... if you happen to live above a volcano, and the only bright spot was the sheen on the back of the waiter's pants." Truly, the saddest part is that most places have a disconnect between the wait staff and the management.... and the cook staff. Frequently it is that when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, and when you only can afford monkeys.... you seem disappointed that they are unable to rise to the occasion. hvr

When my then 10 year old son came to visit me in San Francisco we would go for Dim Sum. By the time he was 13 he had developed his own likes and dislikes, but would order in Cantonese (not too bad for a Jewish boy from Los Angeles). When my new wife and I chose to sleep in he'd take the bus to China town and order for himself, and then bring us a doggie bag of our favorites. He frequently got freebies from the cart jockies... just for being able to order his har gow, sui mai, char sui bao, jin doi and all the rest of his favorites. As for McDonald's...it's more nearly a desire for the advertising more than the food, but it meets what children want, it tastes good (lots of salt, sweet, fat) and comes with prizes, a play place and all their friends share the common experience. If you treat it as an occasional thing and not what holds body and soul together... they will eventually recognize it for what it is... lousy food that you can count on while on the road. hvr

Sure- It's mostly chain food city down here. There's nothing wrong per se with chain food, but there's little great about it. Look at San Francisco. There are few chain places to eat there. If you want a great Italian eaterie.... you go to North Beach or to Union Street or Lombard or to Judah. Not hard to find with almost no leads. And here in San Diego? Bucca de Beppo? Olive Garden? Fridays? Mimi's Cafe? There are some good places... don't get me wrong. BUT--- there are so many mediocre places and places that are downright AWFUL (ketchup on linguine?) that this is NOT known as a food city. I challenge you to name 4 good French bistros in this town. Other than perhaps La Bastide... I have yet to find a really good one. There isn't a good Basque place anywhere. There are few places that offer Chinese that rivals the WORST in San Francisco's Chinatown. Or even equals a fair place in Los Angeles' Chinatown. After 7 years on the road... the best this town has to offer is Mexican, is casino buffet and is chain cooking. Things other than that can be good, but are priced like New York, but fall very far short for ambiance and for value. And-- I'd love for anybody to prove me wrong, because I've been here for going on 5 years, and the two best meals I've had were Sunday brunch at the Del, and a churascorria in Tijuana (Pampos do Brasil). hvr

Well-- I for one stand and applaud your brave admission. I'm going to cook 2 gallons of beans for 75 on Friday. Pintos, black eyed peas and black beans, 2 pounds of bacon trimmings and 2 pounds of ground pork or beef. Yeehaw! hvr (edited for serious dyslexia)

==WELL?== So-- How did they come out? What didja do? What wouldja have did different? Perspiring minds need to know. hvr

I've been "chewing" on this for a while... when I was an Orkin man in a previous life... we used to make "no lite" fly lites out of pvc rain gutter... which is almost exactly what you are looking for. Flat on the bottom... and you can GLUE the half round to it to hold it in place with PVC glue and put the whole contraption in the dish washer when done to make it sanitary for the next use. hvr

OMG, YES! (Changing underdrawers)... Reconstitute them reserving the water. Chow them quickly in a wok with oyster sauce and a touch of soy and sugar pea pods. Add a touch of cornstarch / water slurry and a couple healthy shakes of sesame oil, and serve over rice cooked (in the rice cooker) with the reserved water. HVR

Playing with our food? In my family Passover has a real tradition. Who is the (sucker) person who can have the most horseradish on the matzoh? It's not only scored on volume, but on panache and on color turned. My family seems to think that my case iron stomach disqualifies me from this contest, but my 20 year old is now nipping on my heels. He turns beet red and looks like he's exhaling fire. The sweat drips off his forehead... and I'm sure he's not happy... but he's beating his poppa... and secretly... I'm kinda proud of him. I won't tell him about shots of hot sauce in the cantina in baja... or about the habanero initiation with a chef group I hang out with. hvr

As tomorrow night starts Yom Kippur and I will be unable to eat for 24 hours I will gladly pray for your beans, and perhaps redemption will be theirs on Saturday at sundown. Other than that I also would consider adding a small amount of corn or safflower oil to whatever you use to reconstitue the beans... because they will need a little lubrication to keep from breaking down while you stir in the liquid that will rehydrate the entire complex. Best of luck... and I will be praying for you and your beans... and hope you will be eating them while I fast. hvr

Those cookbooks that I use.... I use the copier and bring copies into the kitchen. Those I use often, I convert into my home page format... and keep on the computer along with my notes and comments. Those that I read for fun... have an occasional spot from salsa or wine or bourbon or similar snacking schmutz. The kitchen is for cooking... and recipes live under magnets on anything I can hook 'em on. Besides... when you hit a point in life where CRS kicks in... it helps to be able to check off what ingredients and steps you're already done. (WHAT? Cream the butter? What butter?) hvr

Oh, this one is easy. Several additional dimensions. One to push garbage into. Another for dirty pots, pans, spoons, cookie sheets, steam trays and the thousands of mise en place thingies that need to be cleared out of the way NOW! A dimension JUST for cold things. A warming dimension. A dimension for smoking that doesn't stink up your baking... smoke flavored angel food cake anybody? A dimension JUST for receiving fresh veggies... and keeping the hitch-hiking buggies OUT. A dimension for shooting champagane corks... just for fun. A dimension for sticking your head in and screaming LOUDLY when you find some dummy has filled your salt cellar with sugar. A dimension for holding your 8 & 10 inch kinfes where they won't get "borrowed".... where the cleaver doesn't get used for hacking bones on an elephant, where your steel doesn't suddenly have all the grooves filled with sugar (that the pastry chef denies using)... and similar things. A dimension JUST for those things that become tomorrow's stock. You know that bus boy who is always snagging olives and cherries from the bar station? A dimension to lose him into.... or at least keep his snacking controlled. Oh yes... and a dimension for the pest control guy... who always seems to show up within 30 minutes of the arrival of the city health board, or the most important food critic.... just because. hvr

So what's wrong with that? I love spotted owl. It tastes just like a cross between bald eagle and condor! Yumbola! hvr (gd&r)

Yep.... Last few times I made Sloppy Joes I started with 50 pounds of ground meat (beef, pork, turkey) and a bunch 'o canned 'maters. Filled up two 20 gallon pots... to about 80% and stirred with paddles for 2 hours. Fed lunch to about 600 guys. What didn't get fed... became the starter for dinner beans. Was a great lunch meal for a huge crowd. Better 'n the typical hamburger bun tho' is to use a Kaiser roll split in half. Since we did this in the desert-- dessert was Popsicles on dry ice... hard enough to nail through hundred year old wood. Several thoughts about the actual recipe. You want the actual mix to be a cousin to chili, to spaghetti sauce (but without the sweet and oregano flavor)... to have a hearty quantity of chopped fresh onion and garlic... and enough hot pepper to give a bite, but not a sting. If you need to thicken it... consider using a corn meal slurry. If you want to sweeten it, try molasses. And if you want it to be richer... butter the buns. But... fer crying out loud--- don't put greens in it, no bell pepper, no green leafy spices, this is supposed to be reddish brown trail like food. It's supposed to be on top of yer beer belly, yer boots and the shelf of yer blouse! And if you walk away clean it's like the 1960's -- if you remember 'em-- you weren't there! (Harumph!) And in fall... it goes great with fresh sweet corn! Now excuse me.... I've got to finish my hot and sour soup and get back to work. hvr

When you and the spouse are going to Fresno... and you wonder if Megan Blocker will be in town. I guess that I have gone "around the bend" also. hvr (port and cigars, not cigars AFTER port)

I've got that one too... It's over-the-top in presentation... The gold on the cover cracks me up. Has anyone tried any recipes from it? I particularly like seeing the menus and photos from the classic restaurants. ← Wowzers. Yes, bride and I have it, use it on occasion, but have to throttle back on fat content. Even now--- most of the foods are too rich for us to eat-- we've made a few memorable dinner parties from it. And always show the short "Vincent" after dinner with port and cigars. hvr