joancassell

I've gotten excellent fish online from VitalChoice. It arrives in perfect condition packed in dry ice. Their sockeye salmon, sablefish, and escolar (called Chilean Sea Bass) are all delicious.

Read the reviews of the Magimix, which are highly critical. I'd say return it, enjoy your Kitchen Aid, and save up for a Robot Coupe, which costs a fortune and lasts a lifetime! (And haunt eBay for used Robot Coupes.)

I just gave away my Borner mandoline, I found it too complex and intimidating and always used my antique Cuisinart instead. Just bought myself one of those lovely simple Benriners that I think I'll use more frequently, with my non-cut glove. (My old Oxo worked perfectly for about 15 years but the blade loss its sharpness and they changed the design so I couldn't get a new blade, sigh....)

Sheryl Canter's methods worked for me, when nothing else did. Time-consuming, but the results are worth the fuss: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

I've used the Wolffer Estate verjus and it's delicious! It's easy to order from them on the Internet.

If you drink wine with dinner, you might consider making your own red wine vinegar. You need to get some vinegar mother (I suspect it's available on the Internet) and then just pour leftover red wine into a bottle with the mother. Takes time, but the results are delicious, and it's satisfying to make and use your own.

This time it worked! Even received a confirmation email. Oh joy!

I filled out the form, and filled out the form, and filled it out again. Nothing happened.

I can't figure out how to contact them with the information. No email info is given and the phone number doesn't work. Frustrating! Never gain get anything made by CusinartJ!

I keep my vinegars and olive oil in lab cruets. They do sometimes get grummy though, and I discovered that the best way to clean the inside bottoms is by using false teeth cleaner (Efferdent). Drop in a pill, add hot water, shake till it's clean.

Could it be a Demeyere Apollo or Proline? http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Demeyere%20Apollo

I'm happy with my SodaStream which I use just for plain seltzer, which tastes fine to me. I decant the soda into turquoise Italian (Bormioli Rocca) 1 liter glass bottles with stoppers. They're available at Amazon.com but are cheaper at The Container store. Perhaps it's just my intimagination, but the tastes better from glass. I drink vast quantities of it in the summer.

My 18 inch square (10 inch deep) end-grain butcher block on wheels. Sits under a counter and makes a relatively small kitchen twice as effective. I love all my toys but this is not a toy but an absolute necessity for me.

Thank you both for the photos. That did it! I can now re-attach the back.

I would love further instructions. The video on Kickstarter on how to do this was no help at all.

I didn't need to clean it, I just wanted to see how to clean it, and discovered to my surprise and distress that re-assembling it was (for me) near impossible. I don't know if this was a manufacturing defect, but it surely is a design defect, and one that was never hinted at in those tempting Kickstarter videos. I didn't really mind waiting five months for it, but I do mind about this.

Am I the only person who has difficulty removing the clip and closing the hatch after opening it for cleaning? I tried with my new Sansaire and was unable to do it; An engineer friend spent an hour trying to put back the hatch. The posted video was no help at all, it made it look easy, which it surely was not. This problem was never mentioned in the videos that made me support Sansaire on Kickstarter. Had I known how difficult this was, I would never have signed up for it. Wish I could return it. (I wonder if Anova has a similar unmentioned problem.) I'm upset and disappointed.

Try ebay for Descoware. I've found a few pieces there. It's a great source for good products that are no longer made e.g. Salton hottrays.

Sur La Table in St. Louis, there are several stores in many cities though, so any one will do; ditto for Williams Sonoma. Perhaps Kitchen Conservatory.

The New Yorker article on olive oil was turned into an extremely interesting book: Extra "Virginity: The Sumblime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil.

Sumeet works wonderfully. It's made for Indian spices. However the company is not particularly reliable, mine broke and despite many protestations of difficulties in their Indian plant, and promises of shipping once the difficulties stopped, the five year warranty was never honored.

I too have a Rifi tagine and love it. The wood ash is just for looks, to make it look old and well-used and well-loved. You use the wood ash after you do everything else. It does not affect the taste of the food, which I too think tastes better cooked in clay. Otherwise, you might just as well use one of your regular casseroles.

Has anyone used the Weston or the BestVac for more than two years? Over time, I've had three or four FoodSavers die after about two years, and I'm really exasperated with them. I need something under $400, and light enough to be removed from a shelf when I use it (no more counter space), that won't quit after a few years. Any suggestions?

I say this with some embarrassment: I use a Chef's Choice 120, using the final strop only for my Watanable gyuto, and the others for my collection of Wusthof knives. The sharpener sits there on my kitchen counter which makes it a cinch to use. It's probably less than perfect, but the idea of assembling and mastering an Apex just does not appeal. Could sharpening to the finest most lethal edge be primarily a guy thing?

I prefer the one piece tongs with no lock and no spring load. I wish I knew where I could buy another. Every one I look on the Internet seems to be spring-loaded and/or with a locking mechanism. Any suggestions?