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NeilMalek

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Everything posted by NeilMalek

  1. I always used to get headaches over peeling eggs, until I read somewhere (I want to say it's in one of Alton's cookbooks) that you can more easily peel them underwater. Not under running water, but actually fill a pot with water, dunk the whole thing, and go through the peeling process. It's lightning fast and clean.
  2. I'm getting married at the end of July, so I 'test drove' a bunch of knives, and settled on the Shun Classic 8". http://www.amazon.com/Shun-Classic-8-Inch-...e/dp/B0000Y7KNQ Whoever grabs that off our registry is my new favorite friend/family member!
  3. Meatloaf. We had been dating about a week, but we'd been friends for a while, which I guess contributed to me thinking meatloaf was a good idea for 'the first meal I'll ever cook for her'. I started with the standards, but, as I usually do, came up with an interesting flavor combination from whatever was in my fridge at that moment (22 year old college student). She talked about that meatloaf for a solid hour after we were finished. Oh, and we're getting married in July - and she still asks for meatloaf.
  4. I had the day off yesterday, so I tried an experiment: 1 rack ribs 1 handful, Cooper's BBQ Seasoning mix, well rubbed-on 1/2 bottle Cooper's BBQ Sauce 1 Broiler 1 Crockpot. I rubbed the seasoning on, then broiled the ribs for about 10 minutes (I didn't time, just checked them twice). After that, I cut them into manageable pieces (~3 ribs per piece), put them into the crockpot, and doused them with a little sauce/liquid smoke combo. 6 hours later, they were juicy, meaty, and very tender. Dipped into the sauce again, like they do at the pit in Texas, they were awesome. 'Next time', I'll definitely add ketchup to the sauce, as the bottle directs for 'thicker sauce', for the final douse (just before consumption). The ribs were great, but not enough BBQ sauce flavor for my better half.
  5. This is not calling out anyone, so please don't take offense if you fall into this category. It's a simple observation from a guy who likes to eat: I can't imagine going through my life considering Applebee's food 'inedible' or leaving a majority of it on my plate from the sheer taste/experience of the meal. A dish has to be bad for me to walk away from it. There have to be live insects or cleaning fluids involved for me to walk away hungry. I'm not sure if it's an actual evolution of taste buds, or just melodrama, but I can't imagine actually feeling that way about an overcooked piece of chicken or underflavored potatoes. As to my opinion on this situation: Applebee's is my least favorite of the TGI McChilibee's (to steal from a very clever poster upstream), and if this is them trying to eek a little more flavor out of their menu, good for them. I'm sure Applebee's food will improve with this whole affiliation thing, and ultimately, I don't think many of Mr. Florence's actual fans will be put off by this campaign. He's never put himself up on a pedestal that I've noticed, and I think this cements his place among the 'common folk' of cooking.
  6. My girlfriend is on a HUGE roasted marshmallow kick. According to her, 4 marshmallows are 90 calories... and four marshmallows tend to stick in the stomach pretty well, beside being just that lovely toasty-creamy-sweet-sticky combination. You just have to convince yourself to forego the entire S'more experience!
  7. Wait - you can make MARSHMALLOWS?! I've never even considered that! I'm off to Google marshmallow recipes now... I'd love to get yours if you get the chance. ← Of course! It's really easy, too! I use this recipe from Ina Garten, but I usually leave off the coconut. There's also a whole eG topic on marshmallow-making...just click here! ← I you. Don't tell my fiance.
  8. I was quoting you for truth in quoting the first guy: I think ^^^^ this post is wrong. Reread thoroughly.
  9. Wait - you can make MARSHMALLOWS?! I've never even considered that! I'm off to Google marshmallow recipes now... I'd love to get yours if you get the chance.
  10. And here I thought we were having a spirited, critical discussion. ← I suppose that's another way of looking at it. [disclaimer] I'm about to talk with very little personal experience, completely on my gut reaction to the company.[/disclaimer] I've always seen WF as a 'hippie' grocery store, supporting what they feel like they can support and discarding what they 'don't agree with'. I don't require a lot of reasoning from them, unlike a (fill in the name of the chain in your area - Publix, Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, etc.). This conversation, for many, is very constructive, and they'd like to get the details behind why the company does or does not carry a particular product. The post I quoted, however, was pointing at the 'acceptance' of a particular product at one time, and its disapproval at another time (and hinted at this being hypocritical). In posts like that one, I just like to point out 'reality,' so that a perfectly valid criticism doesn't go completely off track. It's perfectly reasonable to me that, in 2001, panko breadcrumbs were not an accepted product, and now in 2006, they are accepted. Just as I wouldn't be surprised if WF changed their stance on prosciutto in a year or two.
  11. I get the impression that "Panko" no longer refers just to one brand of Japanese breadcrumbs that contains the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil that has long been verboten at WF (notice lack of Pepperidge Farm cookies); it now refers to a "style" of light, dry breadcrumb distinctive from the Italian style that is more finely ground. The meatballs probably do not have fats. ← I'm going to have to agree here... I'm all for disapproval of their practices, but their stance isn't undefendable. If the production / processing / packaging of the product is not up to their standards, they won't carry it. If, several years later, that product changes to meet their standards, they will carry it. The two situations are not mutually exclusive, especially separated by several years. Back to the hating!
  12. Standard homemade brownie mix + 1 microwaved jar of peanut butter As the FTV folks would say, fold, don't mix, it in. Bake as normal. Excuse me... I need to go make some brownies.
  13. My only experience so far was Columbus -> Dallas -> San Jose / San Jose -> O'Hare -> Columbus; they checked my bag at the gate in both Columbus and Dallas, but not San Jose or O'Hare. I kinda wish we could count on standards of some kind. I would've loved to bring my own drink on the return flight.
  14. Something tells me you're going to have some trouble with this on future flights. I would stick to sandwiches / cookies / fruits / vegetables, and only things that don't need to stay cold. Anything that's vaguely gel- or liquid-like is going to get confiscated. ← Hmmm, I never thought about the ice thing. I have a travel pack( from the pharmacutical company) that has two small ice packs and a place for my Byetta( diabetic medicine). My Diabetic meds MUST stay cold so I wonder what I'm going to do. I'm taking a flight next week too. ← Agreed with above poster, I'm sure they've got measures in place. I'd definitely call and find out what they are, though, esp. since they might tell you to leave the travel pack (which sounds like it has some value) behind.
  15. Something tells me you're going to have some trouble with this on future flights. I would stick to sandwiches / cookies / fruits / vegetables, and only things that don't need to stay cold. Anything that's vaguely gel- or liquid-like is going to get confiscated.
  16. Good stuff! That'll get me started, thanks.
  17. I'm looking for all levels of education here, from full-on culinary training to those 'Friday night Mexican cooking with free margaritas' classes. What's good in the area? Thanks!
  18. CiCi's buffet rules! (a little) . The staff has always been friendly, they will make ANY pizza, on demand so if you want a piping hot, olive, pineapple, pepperoni taco pizza, it's yours. And their (almost) baked brownie dessert thing is chocolate excellence. Good salad bar selections too.And for <$5 with beverage! Thanks, Kevin ← Their cinnamon things make me happy to be alive. Seriously, if you're going to do cheap and chain, I'd rather eat a ton of cheap pizza at CiCi's than Applebee's, Chili's, Friday's, and Pizza Hut all rolled into one.
  19. Awesome information! That's entirely up to the 'stuff we find to do'. We're getting married on a Monday, and flying out of LAX on Saturday morning; I'd say 1-2 days in the 'Greater Los Angeles Area' is the most we'll get. Magic Mountain is more a 'side trip' than a 'place we're going to stay'.
  20. Any ingredients besides chicken to go on?
  21. http://www.ventanainn.com/ http://www.postranchinn.com/ Are these them? ETA: NICE. Definitely thinking about a 'splurge' in the middle of the trip. Do you have experience with both these restaurants? Would you say they're basically equals?
  22. Well, we debated going north or south, but the gist of it is we're going to rent a car and drive one way, until we hit an airport. After giving it some thought, those miles and miles of wilderness to the north were nice, but my fiancee wanted to hit up Magic Mountain, and I've always heard nice things about Big Sur, Monterey, and Carmel. We don't need a LOT of adventure, as we're pretty good at entertaining ourselves, and it just made sense to go hit some roller coasters at the end of the honeymoon. Ooh, cool. Do these have websites? Thanks for the help, guys!
  23. Really? 85 views and nobody has a single extra word to add? Huh.
  24. NeilMalek

    Monkfish

    Only time I've had it so far was at Lolita in Cleveland. They roast it wrapped in pancetta - you definitely had to 'unwrap' it, because the meat overpowered the fish, which was fantastic by itself. Definitely worth my time.
  25. I'll agree with about half of this; I think there's no reason to 'hit' the meat with a sauce. That just sounds dumb. The action described in grab is a little less.. aggressive? so I only shake my head at its use 50% of the time. 'Throwing something in the oven' is something I say, so I'm obviously not upset by it. If it's something that will splatter (throwing a batter or meat into hot oil, for instance), I'll agree that 'throw it in there' is bad; on the other hand, 'toss a little salt on it' is perfectly OK.
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