C. sapidus

Epazote grows like a weed in Maryland, too. I grew it once. Towards the end of summer, an ominous profusion of seed pods formed on the plant. What with one thing and another, I failed to snip off the seed pods and the seeds scattered. The following spring, the veggie patch was covered with a zillion epazote seedlings, easily identifiable by their distinctive aroma. Fortunately, no seedlings returned the following year. Compared with Melbourne, Maryland summers wetter and the winters are probably colder.

Mystery Science Theater 3000. Wikipedia entry. For the truly obsessive

For grinding dry spices, I would pick up a cheap coffee grinder. No, knowing myself, I would do extensive research, check Consumer Reports, and then buy a cheap coffee grinder. We have only replaced the coffee grinder once in 30 years. The current model is a Krups, for what it is worth. Anyway, my wife gave me a Preethi ChefPro Plus for my birthday. The grinder was back-ordered for a few weeks, but arrived yesterday and the many pieces are sitting expectantly on the counter. I am hoping it will be able to handle some or all of the following tasks: 1. Grind dry spices and toasted chilies (so I don’t have to clean the coffee grinder with rice every time I grind spices) 2. Chop ice and make Indian lassi 3. Grind Thai curry pastes as finely as a mortar and pestle 4. Grind soaked chilies so finely that I don’t need to strain the skins when making Mexican moles I will experiment and report.

Yup, and lunch, and maybe tomorrow's breakfast, too. Right here: Care to help a lad? (click)ETA: When I made the Panang curry for dinner, I was hurrying to feed hungry guests and rushed the final adjustment of seasonings. At breakfast, the curry was a little salty so I added a squeeze of lime and a touch of palm sugar. Man, the flavors really jumped out. I know that the final seasoning can make the flavors sing, but I often don’t take sufficient time in the mad rush to get everything on the table. Must. Do. Better. Next. Time.

For a midnight snack, I had Asia on a plate. Clockwise from top left: Austin’s Panang curry with shrimp; Vietnamese green mango salad with beef; Chinese-influenced salt and pepper shrimp; and Basmati rice. I highly recommend Austin’s Panang curry recipe - the instructions are clear, and the curry tastes absolutely delicious. With a bigger plate, I could probably have covered more of Asia. These were leftovers from an extremely pleasant dinner party described here (post #16548).

I made some chayotes al vapor the other day (lower right-hand corner of the picture). The chayote accompanied carne con chile colorado and rice.

In 1686, the Thai ambassador traveled to France and recorded the following impression of the food: wine “helps give taste to the food which otherwise be insipid to our palates; here are few spices and much meat, and an attraction of quantity replaces piquant wholesomeness” (source: David Thompson's Thai Food).Sorry, but I agree with the 17th-century Thai ambassador. I enjoy the lovely photos of "good 'plain' cooking", but that’s not what I like to eat. To be honest, I learned to cook so that I could avoid “plain” food. I hope that doesn't sound too harsh -- I'm not judging anyone, just stating my preference. Reading about "hypermodern" food is interesting, but I'm not inspired to make it or seek it out. Um, by “most of us”, do you mean Americans living in rural France? Access to ingredients depends greatly upon location and an internet connection. Lots of Asian, Mexican, and Caribbean food certainly meets that description. A bottle of fish sauce costs $1.59 (1.24 Euros), a bag of dried chilies costs $3.59 (2.80 Euros), and each will enliven food for months. A week’s supply of fresh chilies, basil, cilantro, garlic, ginger, and limes costs a few bucks at the grocery store. In contrast, one can certainly spend a small fortune on foie gras, filet mignon, cheese, olive oil, or balsamic vinegar. Living in a fairly small town, I can drive 5 minutes and find ingredients for Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indian cooking. I greatly appreciate this good fortune.

I agree - no craving here. My wife uses BSCB as a convenient method to shovel extra protein into growing boys. I prefer dark meat, but I did enjoy BSCB last night in Vietnamese ginger chicken (ga kho gung). We braised the BSCBs in chicken stock and then added thinly-sliced ginger, onions, garlic, Thai bird chilies, chicken stock, fish sauce, palm sugar, scallions, and cilantro for flavor. The BSCBs were tender and juicy, but the other ingredients made the meal.

Stephen: The Cooktek site lists the power range and BTU equivalent for each model. This gives you a basis for comparison with the induction hobs available on Amazon. Also, consider the number of temperature settings. Unlike gas, which is analog, most induction hobs have discrete temperature settings. If an induction hob has, for example, ten settings, the temperature that you want may be at the inaccessible "six and a half." I have heard folks complain about this. To avoid this problem, the higher-priced Cooktek Apogee line has 100 different temperature settings. De Dietrich induction hobs are supposed to be outstanding. They can be imported from Woodalls in the UK, but last I checked no warranty support was available in the U.S. Caveat: we researched induction cooktops, but ultimately chose gas. For safety reasons, we plan to use induction when we add a mother-in-law apartment.

Danel: Thanks, I have trouble making a three-egg omelet that looks good, so I hid most of it.

I took today off work to look at blueprints. One needs fuel for intense mental activity, so I made an omelet with ketjap manis and lime juice. The topping was ginger, garlic, and various chilies from the garden, sauteed in peanut oil, and finished with fish sauce and lime juice. Ketjap manis, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and chilies combine magically to produce a rich, aromatic, salty, tart, warming taste that I crave. Basil would have been nice, but it was raining.

Nope, post any time. That's one of the nice things about cookoffs. Steve: The shrimp look great, but I'm most intrigued by your home-made tandoor. Details, please!

Mike: It is always a pleasure to welcome another Thai cooking afficionado. Jalapeno chilies have thick walls, so they are usually smoke-dried rather tha air-dried. Smoke-dried, jalapenos are called chipotle chilies (link). Nomenclature is confusing, because many Mexican chilies have different names when fresh or dried, e.g., Poblano = fresh, ancho = dried. Anyway, your question was about Thai cooking, not Mexican. To my knowledge, jalapeno chilies are not used in Thai cooking. If you describe your recipe, perhaps we can suggest a suitable chili. Do you have access to an Asian market? You may also enjoy Austin's very helpful thread on Thai chilies: Phrik 101, A Thai Chili Primer for the Home Chef

Our local paper does not review restaurants. Instead, they “report a dining experience.” Pure reportage with no editorializing (“I ordered the cheeseburger, while my partner had the chili dog.”). To be fair, our town is less than a tenth the size of Indianapolis, so a reporter for our local paper must be a jack of all trades, master of none. How large must a newspaper be before hiring a dedicated food writer? I once attended a seminar on how to communicate risk to the public. One of the speakers, a reporter, made a point that has stuck with me. Most reporters are generalists, not specialists. If one has expertise and wishes to raise the level of newspaper discourse, one should offer their expertise to the reporter. The reporter may appreciate access to technical expertise, and the technical expert may appreciate improved accuracy in reporting. Win-win.

I've only been to Mexico through cookbooks, but Diane Kennedy includes two chayote recipes in her Art of Mexican Cooking: chayotes al vapor (steamed chayotes); and chayotes guisados cont jitomate (chayote cooked with tomato). Chayotes al vapor is my favorite. The "al vapor" refers to cooking the chayotes in their own juices rather than cooking in a steamer. The chayotes are julienned and sauteed with serrano chilies, salt, and cilantro. Simple but very good. Chayotes al vapor is a very flexible recipe. I usually add things like garlic, chipotle chilies, lime juice, and feta cheese. Rick Bayless also refers to stuffing chayotes or cooking them in a stew, but I have never seen a recipe.

I wanted to include a link for the National Kitchen and Bath Association kitchen design guidelines (link). Excellent resource, highly recommended. Yes, we boxed in a standard-depth refrigerator for this reason. If you do this, check the manufacturer’s requirements for clearance to ensure proper ventilation. Thank you! We couldn’t manage without the dining room cabinets. Eventually, my wife will make stained glass pieces to fit in tracks between the counter and upper cabinets. The only problem with going for deeper/wider countertops is that often you will have to pay over the odds for a non-standard size... ← We paid by the square foot for engineered stone countertops. A 30-inch deep countertop was 25% more expensive, but it provides 25% more work space compared with a 24-inch deep counter. One may pay a premium for non-standard sizes of different countertop materials, and of course pricing may be different in Ireland. VanessaBest of luck with your kitchen renovation. And this too shall pass.

Abra: You are not alone. We tried lots of layouts with the range top facing the dining room (or at a 45 degree angle to the dining room). In every case, we either created a bottleneck, lost too much cabinet space, or had no landing area on one side of the range top. So yes, practicality determined the range top orientation. Interesting. Do you think that any of those downdraft hoods could capture the acrid fumes from toasting chilies or smoking mustard oil? Edit: formatting

Anthony: OK, I must have misinterpreted your intent. Bravo on your enthusiasm. I did glance at the pastry demos, and they are quite impressive. It is great to know that such a resource exists if I ever want to bake anything more elaborate than pistachio shortbread Ah, that part is easy. I prefer to learn the ins and outs of a particular cuisine by concentrating on one or two “good” cookbooks. I usually follow a recipe closely at least once to get a feel for the particulars of the cuisine and to gauge the author’s tastes against mine. With experience, my method resembles scubadoo’s more closely. Two different roads may lead to the same destination. Books are like a beloved spouse: the relationship grows deeper and stronger over time; and you can go to sleep with your books every night. The net is more like a mistress (or so I hear, anyway ): stimulating, unpredictable, and with the risk of catching a virus Unlike affairs of the heart, affairs of the kitchen allow one to enjoy eGullet without forsaking cookbooks

Smoked Swiss cheese, basil-tomato farmer's cheese on a crusty roll, grapefruit, and coffee.

Anthony: Apparently I hit a nerve, however unintentionally. Was it the “random strangers” line that triggered your response? If so, I should clarify that “random strangers” did not refer to eGullet. Instead, it referred to sites such as allrecipes.com or epicurious.com. Issues with recipes posted on such sites have been addressed repeatedly on eGullet. If that doesn't trigger a response of "Never mind" on your behalf, perhaps I should address some of your points. We may not be as far apart as you believe. Disclosure: I am a pastry moron. While I have a great deal of respect for what pastry folks do, and for the quality of posts on the Pastry & Baking forum, making pastry is a miniscule part of my life. I cook for enjoyment, for relaxation, and to feed a family of four (not necessarily in that order). Accordingly, I have read every word in the “savory” demos. For what it is worth, I have also enjoyed your writings about culinary school. No argument. Recent cookbook purchases include ‘Land of Plenty’ by Fuchsia Dunlop (who posts here occasionally) and ‘All about Braising’ by Molly Stevens (subject of a 17-page thread). I have also made a killer Panang curry, among other Thai dishes, based upon discussions on the Elsewhere in Asia/Pacific forum. I understand what eGullet offers and value it greatly, so I’m unclear about the source of your vehemence. Again, no major disagreement. My research before buying a cookbook borders on obsessive. Consequently I own relatively few cookbooks. Guess where I have gotten most of my cookbook recommendations recently? Yup, right here. Um, you are confusing me with someone else. With the time saved by not making pastry, I long ago learned to do basic automotive repair This comment illustrates a key difference between home cooks and aspiring professional chefs. Ambitious professionals (in any profession) need to know about the latest developments in their field. This is far less important for a home cook. I could amuse myself in the kitchen contentedly for the rest of my life solely by exploring that which is already known about cooking. Remember, I do this for fun and enjoyment. In my professional field, on the other hand, I need to keep current and use the Internet, among other tools, to do so. I respectfully request that you reconsider your response.

Abra: Thanks! The kitchen door is still the main door. Removing the bottlenecks, reversing the door swing, and teaching the boys to WALK in the kitchen have solved the traffic problem. We will eventually build a sidewalk leading to the front door but don't really expect anyone but salesmen to use it.

Interesting, I am precisely the opposite. I use the internet (especially eGullet) for inspiration, but I prefer to get recipes from cookbooks. I favor cookbooks where the authors thoroughly understand a particular cusine and imprint the book with their passions and idiosyncracies. Recipes from random strangers on the Internet lack a consistent author's voice, so I find it harder to adapt the recipes to my taste. Edited to clarify.

Elegantly expressed. I would concur if you take out the part about the chilies. In the battle of ice vs. no ice, one should remember climate. In much of the U.S., summers are considerably hotter and muggier than in Europe and Canada. Tragically, people die in droves when Europe has a typical stretch of southeastern U.S. summer weather. Weather hot, ice good.

Apologies in advance for the length of this tome. Background We bought our house two years ago. The house is well-built, close to work, and we plan to live here for a very long time. When we purchased the house, we knew that we would redo the kitchen and add a bedroom, bathroom, and office. The old kitchen was a walk-through galley, and the kitchen door serves as the main entrance to the house. Opening the kitchen door blocked the main food preparation area. The refrigerator facing the peninsula created an annoying bottleneck. The range was crammed in a corner, so my left-handed spouse could only use two burners. I could go on, but you get the idea. Here is the old kitchen, with the upper cabinets and soffit removed on the right side. Limitations The kitchen is relatively small, and we decided against moving any walls. We were not willing to borrow money for the kitchen renovation. We also had a critical time limitation. My step-son in law is an engineering student and incredibly talented carpenter. He agreed to install cabinets and do finish carpentry during his two-week semester break. The ‘discussions’ Our biggest ‘discussion’ concerned countertop depth. I wanted 30-inch deep countertops for extra prep space. My wife wanted 24-inch deep countertops so she could reach the upper cabinets. Eventually we compromised and installed a mix of 24-inch and 30-inch deep countertops. I can joke about it now (I think). Our list was identical to Dave’s except for the double ovens. Equipment 36-inch, 6-burner Blue Star range top, Vent-A-Hood exhaust, no-frills GE oven, and Whirlpool dishwasher. Cabinets Ikea slab-front birch cabinets in medium brown. Worktops Engineered stone (Cambria) – cost comparable to granite, but harder and less porous. Flooring Hardwood flooring to match the dining room. Q. What was your kitchen before it was a kitchen? A kitchen. Q. How large is the kitchen? 10 feet long x 12 feet wide (3.05 meters x 3.66 meters). The kitchen and dining room are essentially one long room, 21 feet long x 12 feet wide (6.40 meters x 3.66 meters). Q. What kind of cooking do you do? Family? Dinner parties? Ethnic? Gourmet? We cook for a family of four and frequent hordes of visiting children. Occasionally, we host casual dinner parties and holiday meals for groups of 8-12 people. We cook a lot of Asian, Indian, and Mexican food and stir-fry frequently in a wok. Neither of us do much baking. Q. What were the 3 top goals for your new kitchen? 1. Provide efficient work space for three cooks. To eliminate bottlenecks, we removed the peninsula and moved the refrigerator into the corner. To reduce collisions, we added a small prep sink, installed a six-burner range top, and provided space for a future under-cabinet refrigerator (if needed). This enabled us to design three non-overlapping work triangles. 2. Maximize usable counter space. By framing in a useless door, we were able to add three crucial feet of countertop. Installing an out-swinging kitchen door freed another three feet of countertop. 3. Store frequently-used items near their point of use. Q. What was the biggest problem that had to be overcome? In the design phase? During actual construction? In the design phase, the biggest problem was to use the relatively limited space efficiently. The key was to measure the space needed for everything in the old kitchen: flatware; dishes; spices; pots and pans; canned goods; dry goods; small appliances; cookbooks; etc. This information was invaluable during design. During construction, flooring caused the most problems. When we removed the old cabinets, we found asbestos-containing sheet vinyl flooring and water damage beneath the dishwasher. We hired a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to remove the vinyl flooring and sub-floor. To offset this unexpected cost, we eliminated a bow window above the sink. Q. What are you most pleased about in your new kitchen? We are deliriously happy with the Blue Star range top. The 22,000-BTU burners provide enough power to stir-fry effectively, and it is large enough for two cooks to work without interference. With continuous grates, the range top serves as a landing pad for hot items out of the oven. We are strangely delighted with the clean-up area. One side of the kitchen houses (in sequence, left to right): a trash and recycling pull-out; a huge single sink; the dishwasher; flatware drawers; and a tall shallow cabinet for plates and bowls. After meals, we can scrape dirty dishes into the trash, rinse the dishes in the sink, and load the dishwasher without taking a step. Similarly, we can unload the dishwasher and put away most of the dishes without taking a step. Doing dishes is almost a pleasure (and yes, I usually do the dishes). Q. Least pleased about? We have been unhappy with the dishwasher. Our previous Whirlpool was great, but this one has required two service calls in the first nine months. Q. If you were doing your kitchen again what would you change? Not much. We spent a lot of time on the planning stage, and probably looked at every possible layout (and quite a few impossible layouts). We wanted to be sure that we would have no regrets when the kitchen was finished. And to answer my own questions . . . Q: How much of the design did you do yourself? We designed the kitchen using Ikea’s kitchen planning software. My step-son-in-law solved some key design problems, such as where to put the microwave and how to enclose the current refrigerator while retaining the option of a larger refrigerator in the future. Q: How much of the construction did you do yourself? We did all of the demolition, drywall, painting, and scheduling. Our step-son-in-law did the cabinet installation and finish carpentry. We hired electricians, plumbers, flooring installers, and countertop installers Q. How long did the renovation take? How long was it supposed to take? As planned, we were without a functional kitchen for two months. Our schedule was driven by when my step-son-in-law was available to install cabinets. We started demolition early to ensure that everything was ready on time. In retrospect, we could have shortened the schedule a little. Q: By what percentage was the final cost over or under the budget? We exceeded our budget by about 25%, mostly in electrical costs. Complete disclosure: the 25% overrun does not include replacing the main electrical panel because we planned to replace the panel when we added the bedroom, bathroom, and office. Q. Did the relationship between life partners suffer any permanent damage? No, working together on the kitchen probably made our relationship stronger. My wife and I have similar tastes, but we think very differently. Working on a project forces us to hone our communication skills. Here is an overview of the new kitchen: The cooking wall: note bump-out from 24" to 30", wok and kettle on a shelf above the range top, microwave housed in upper cabinet, and hanging rail system below the upper cabinets, Using wall storage helps keep the countertops clear. There is a small prep sink at the far end near the door. The glass-fronted upper cabinet houses spices and dried chilies. The sink wall. The trash/recycling pull-out is to the left of the sink, and the dishwasher is to the right. Note wall-mounted drying racks near the dishwasher. Cabinet wall at the far end of the dining room. The cabinets hold cookbooks, small appliances, and dry goods. Note highly realistic dog-skin rug