Jason Perlow x

What are some of the best places to stay and eat on the west side of the island? I've been to the San Juan area a few times and I'm looking for something different. ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community

I actually grow a few different types of eggplant in my home garden -- the smaller, asian egglplants come in several different colors, and taste slightly different but you pretty much use them in stir frys, tempuras, just about anything the same way. Thai eggplant in green curry (Gang Keow Warn) is one of my favorite dishes. Mamster's website has a whole page on how to make these http://www.mamster.net/food/essays/thai-curry.html The larger black eggplants are primarily used in italian cooking, for rollatinis, eggplant parmigiano, antipasto, etc. I have a few white eggplants growing but I am not sure what they are used for. ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community

My favorite way to eat asian eggplants is in thai curries. For italian style, roasted and tossed with a fresh tomato sauce made with great olive olil served with some fresh mozzerella has got to be tops for me ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community

Well, I have to say after hearing from you nut cases I actually went to a restaurant supply store locally (Hackensack Restaurant Supply) and inquired about putting a commercial range in my house -- the very knowledgeable sales guy there, who did it in his house in Clifton, says that the sucker puts out so much heat that you dont even need to heat your house in the winter, and in the summer you sweat bullets if you are anywhere near it, plus if you attempt to open the oven latch with your bare hands you will burn your skin off. The unit he showed me was a 36 inch American Range, which uses 6 32,000BTU burners, which doesnt self clean and has no built in broiler -- bucks total. This did not bother me, but he also mentioned that in addition to having one huge mother 2000CFM custom hood with giant external blower on his roof, and super thick fireproof ceramic tiles on all three sides, and 6 inches of empty space between the range and the cabinets, he had to put in a special fire extinguisher system in his kitchen to keep things in code, and that if he ever had a fire his homeowners warrantee would be null and void and his insurance company probably wouldnt pay for any damage. Sorry. I think I am gonna go for the "fake" garland, which will deliver enough power for the kind of cooking I intend to do at home! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote: from PastryChef on 5:04 pm on July 20, 2001 Talked to a guy who works on restaurant stoves and he said I was crazy to recommend a pro range to any homeowner. Said no amateur cook is safe on a 24-30k btu and even pros use the fake ranges at home on account of the safety and heat issues. Not sure I agree (couple of folks here lived 20 years wihtout mishap) but here is his source. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, its true. But the one thing I really like about Garland is that for a "home" professional range, its probably the closest you can get to a restaurant range in terms of raw burner power and the functionality of the broiler. Lord knows I've been obsessing for months on which of these stoves to get! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote: from Fat Guy on 9:47 pm on July 19, 2001 Anybody who put in a restaurant range 20 years ago, before the fake pro-style kitchen wave hit, installed a real one. That's an entirely different animal from the declawed specimens being sold on the residential market today. I'd love to see one of these so-called professional ranges last one month in a real restaurant, cranking every burner and the oven at full for 16 hours a day and otherwise getting the crap kicked out of it, liquids spilled into the works, etc. At the same time, the reality is that most people don't need a restaurant range in the home. Even people who consider themselves extremely serious cooks rarely do restaurant level cooking at home. So those pro-style ranges are fine for most people's homes, and if they want to delude themselves into thinking they have a professional range I suppose they'll never have that belief put to the test anyway so it's harmless. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My wife and I are in the final stages of the design process of re-do'ing our kitchen, and we are currently evaluating which appliances to buy. Obviously the most important part of a pro kitchen is the range and ovens --we're looking at a few brands, primarily Wolf, DCS, Viking, GE Monogram, Thermador, Gaggenau, and Dynasty. We originally were thinking about the DCS because one of our friends has one and is very happy with it, and also because DCS makes real restaurant equipment. However after looking at the Garland, which has a very high burner capacity (18.5K btu) as well as a very low simmer (250 btu) and a 1850 degree infrared broiler (which stays on as long as you like) I think we might go with this one. Thoughts anyone?

We have a Telia Foodsaver and we love it. It produces a near commercial quality seal, meats are totally freezer burn resistant and when you seal stuff in mason jars and in large canisters in the fridge, fresh veggies and fruits last for weeks! We had some lettuce recently that was sealed in a large foodsaver canister and it was 2 weeks old.. was fresh as the day we bought it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote: from Ronaldo Zacapa on 5:32 pm on July 26, 2001 My kids eat like a bunch of pigs, and its been forcing us to buy stuff in bulk. Generally we've been freezing stuff in ziplock freezer bags but I have been told the "Food Saver" is good for eliminating freezer burn and is good for some other uses. Anyone here have one that can care to comment on it? How much does it cost? Where do you get one? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I like it when you add stock. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote: from RPerlow on 10:56 am on July 28, 2001 I'll agree that using lots of cream and butter is yummy, but let's get real, you can't do that all the time. Save that version for Thanksgiving, and try this version. BTW, this is the way I made it when Fat-Guy and wife were over for dinner a month or so ago, and I think they liked it. If they were just being polite, I don't think Steven would have gone for thirds! This is more of smashed potato, rather than a smooth puree (use a food mill or potato ricer for that kind). Anyway, I think I used Yukon Golds, scrubbed but unpeeled, cut into about 1 inch chunks. Put into cold water with a several peeled garlic cloves and quite a bit of salt (water should taste a little salty, but not like seawater). I've always heard that you shouldn't overcook the potatoes, that they'd become water logged. (Un?)Fortunately, I got distracted and totally forgot about these, I think they cooked for almost an hour! However, I drained them and put them back in the pot, over heat to cook off a little of the water (when it starts to stick to the bottom you're done with that step). Remove from heat, mash with hand held potato masher (the wavy wire kind, not the spring loaded kind), add a couple Tbs butter, then adding milk as needed. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and fresh ground black pepper, and one more raw garlic clove, minced through a garlic press - I recommend the GoodGrips brand). These were excellent, very pleasantly garlicy and even though the skins were on came out not too lumpy because of the "overcooking." (Edited by RPerlow at 10:58 am on July 28, 2001) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community

Pastrychef: Can you elucidate on why carbon steel is a pain in the ass to maintain? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote: from PastryChef on 9:51 am on July 19, 2001 Just visited the knifemaker's Web site at http://www.wildfirecutlery.com where he says he's so swamped with orders from New York Times readers that he's in deep doo doo. Poor schmuck. When these amateur cook Park Avenue types realize what a bitch it is to deal with carbon steel knives he's going to get so many whiny complaining phone calls that he'll lose his mind. The New York Times TOTALLY understates the difficulty of maintaining these knives. Aside from a few sushi chefs who engage in lengthy knife maintenance rituals every day I don't know of any professional cook using carbon steel any more.

Perhaps the greatest example we have from ancient times are the writings of Marcus Gavius Apicius, who lived in ancient Rome and recorded recipies of many dishes that were eaten by the elite as well as the common man at the time. Heres some of his stuff that was translated from Latin: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/ant-rom-coll.html heres another site which includes stuff from medieval europe: http://www.bahnhof.se/~chimbis/tocb/

Well, the Costa Del Sol is the most attractive place to go in spain tourist wise due tot he fact its right on the Mediterranean, and it does have its share of great places to eat. Torremolinos is the most touristy area, so you'd probably want to stay away from there. I'm going to be in Marbella in October, which is just south of Malaga, on the eastern side of the southern coast. Its approximately 100 miles away from Jerez and the sherry growing region, if you're into that, and both Marbella and Malaga have great little local restaurants, primarily seafood. Paellas are a huge speciality there, cooked in huge pans with rice and mixed seafood and all kinds of stuff. ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community

Bought some Laressingle VSOP yesterday. A Real bargain at อ a bottle

Yes Bob, Armagnacs are awesome. Except that I can hardly afford to buy most of the ones offered in even the best stocked liquor stores! <p>The other day I saw some 1946 and 1900 vintage Armagnacs ... The 1900 was $600 a bottle and the 46 was over three bills. Ouch. Maybe if I do better in the stock market this year...

I saw Gil's post on Port and I thought I'd interject my thoughts on cognac. I've been drinking quite a bit of this stuff lately and I figure I'd share my thoughts on good brands and values I've found lately. <p>In the VS/VSOP range, my current faves are Ferrand or Meukow, which are usually under 40 dollars a bottle. Very smooth by themselves with maybe a little cube of ice, and you wont feel bad about using them to make stingers at those prices. The lower end Ferrand is so good at about 35 a bottle that its almost a waste to get the more expensive ones. In the XO range I have to say the best value right now is probably Hine Antique (Hine is the official cognac producer of the Royal house of Windsor), which you can get for about $75-$80 if you look around. This stuff is aged for at least 20-25 years, and in my opinion is a lot smoother than Remy Martin XO at over $100. I'm also a big fan of Meukow XO, which is truly amazing stuff at about $120 a bottle (and has a really striking crystal bottle with a carved predatory feline jumping out of it), but is primarily only avaliable via mail order because the Asian market totally snaps it up before it gets to the states. I really wish they would increase their distribution somewhat. I've also heard a lot of good things about the single-estate Henessey's that were recently released but I havent tried them yet. Any thoughts?

Tommy . this finger lakes reisling you speak of is a sekt (sparkler) or just a regular reisling? ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community

Thats a really good wine, that Santa Margherita. I bought 2 bottles of a spanish cava yesterday that came recommended by a local wine merchant in Piermont (they guy accross the street from Xaviar's), each about 12 bucks a shot, I'll let you know how they fared against the Nino Franco and the Margherita.

Bob: what's the difference between a Moscato and a Muscat? Other than where the varietal is grown? I had one from Israel recently, and it was definitely a dessert wine...

On another food board recently there was some discussion about the best wine glasses to buy... some of my friends have told me Speigelau is probably the best bang for the buck, but some people swear by Riedel. Whats been your experience with wine glasses? Personally I use the crystal that my wife picked out at Fortunoff, which is really nice but might be too impractical for daily use. I also want something that will double for brandy and port if possible.

Yes, Pinot Grigio and Tokay Pinot Gris are great choices in addition to the ones you mentioned. Billecart is a nice choice too but the inexepensive spumantes from Italy (like prosecco) and even Reisling Sekts or sparkling wiesserburgunders (if you can even find them at your wine store) are good alternatives to champagne. In NYC Nancy's Wine is a good place to find all these great germanics. The buyer for that store, Willie Gluckstern, is one of the biggest experts on Germanics and really knows what he's importing. Heres a list of wine styles from Nancy's site you might want to pair with grilled foods / summer cuisine BURGERS, STEAKS, CHOPS: Rich, ripe reds with some sweetness Zinfandel Syrah/Shiraz CHICKEN or TOFU: Light, aromatic whites -- Riesling Kabinett, Gruner Veltliner VEGETABLES: Rich, herbal whites OR High acid, herbal reds -- New Zealand Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Beaujolais SHELLFISH: Rich, dry, full flavored whites -- Loire Chenin Blanc, Tokay Pinot Gris FISH: Full flavored whites OR High acid, fruity reds -- Riesling Spatlese, Pinot Noir Barbera OTHER: High acid, fruity reds -- Beaujolais

In whites, Off-dry reislings and alsacian gewurtztraminers are great year round. Chenin Blanc is also good for hot weather. And of course Prosecco is great as an incexpensive sparkler. I like the Nino Franco. (Edited by Jason Perlow x at 6:22 am on Aug. 5, 2001)

I have to admit I'm a sucker for all kinds of fortified wine like Port and Madiera, but I dont know a #### thing about Sherry. Sherry always seemed to be something you cooked with, not something to drink -- but after trying it a few times in various places I really have come to like it -- unfortunately most wine stores dont have as big a sherry selection as they do port. I heard manzanilla sherry (white) mentioned as a good summer drink in another thread but I am totally clueless about what to get in terms of vintages, styles and producers. I'm actually going to be in Marbella, Spain in October, which isnt a bad driving distance from Jerez/cadiz (approx 100 miles), so I might make a trip there. Anything I should try? I found a cool site which seems to have some nice suggestions for the Costa Del Sol, andaluz and jerez region: http://www.kilkelly.com/spain.html

Being a recent port collector, I'm curious about the whole procedure of decanting wines. Do you use a strainer or other kind of filter, or do you kinda carefully do it by hand? When are you supposed to do this? How long are you supposed to let these kinds of wines aerate?

Spanish Sangria has been kind of a disappointment lately, they've been very heavy on the salt, rachel will attest to this. Their garlic mushroom appetizer which really used to be quite good has tasted like it was swimming in salt the last 2 times we were there. They have also been overcooking their seafood. I'm willing to go back again but I think they need a new chef. I vastly prefer Casa Vasca off of Lafayette street. Its too bad sangria has been kind of a downer, because when I go to casa vasca I still have the urgings for Teixiera's bakery right by sangria, and that requires moving the car If you go to Casa Vasca make sure you bring home a tortilla de patatas and eat it for lunch or breakfast the next day. ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community (Edited by Jason Perlow x at 6:04 am on Aug. 5, 2001)

Actually the steamed stuff is on carts, but yeah, stuff gets consumed so fast there, theres no point of them pushing them around! ----- Jason Perlow -- Director eGullet.com Community (Edited by Jason Perlow x at 6:02 am on Aug. 5, 2001)

For those garden state readers, here's a few really notable places I've eaten at in the last six months that are really exemplary: 1) Silver Pond (Fort Lee). Perhaps the equal or superior to some of the best Dim Sum restaurants in NYC's chinatown. 2) America (Tenafly) CLOSED. In the style of Tom Colocchio's Gramercy Tavern and Craft in NYC, New American cuisine at its finest with a very comprehensive wine list featuring wines from all over the US. 3) Kinara (Edgewater). Not your average Moghlai indian place, Kinara is representative of some of the best Punjabi dishes that you'll find anywhere in the Tristate area. And with a primarily indian crowd you'll know that you'll get it the way its supposed to be prepared. 4) Bennies (Englewood). Just a little hole in the wall, but dont let that fool you. Bennies is a serious lebanese restaurant with mezze and salads to die for (amazing smoky babaghanoush), in addition to perhaps the best felafel in the entire area and a real Turkish coffee service with the old style coffeepots and everything-- and you can even eat there on Fridays and weekends, unlike the other israeli establishments in nearby teaneck. And the place is dirt cheap. 5) Wild Ginger (Englewood). At Nobu level prices, it better be good -- and Wild Ginger is. Serving fish literally right off the boat and prepared in some of the most unusual ways -- Wild Ginger, often with crowds pouring out of the place and 1 hour wait times -- proves that you dont have to go into Mahnattan to enjoy some of the best sushi there is to eat. 6) Wondees (Hackensack) -- if youre looking for hot, HOT! authentic Thai food, this is definitely the place. In this tiny predominantly Thai-patroned restaurant Chef Wondee prepares some of the most serious and intricate dishes you'll ever have this side of of Bangkok. if soups, noodles, curries and yum salads are your game, and chili head is your name, than this is your place. Anybody else with some great places over the GW bridge? <p>-----