nibor

My mom didn't overcook our vegetables. I have personally cooked Brussels sprouts in every way possible. I love them but don't absolutely adore them until they are cooked almost to mush. I also "overcook" cauliflower, but not broccoli or any other vegetables. So no nostalgia at work here, just personal preference.

She gave it three stars, which is surprising - although her praise was high for service, wine and price, she seemed underwhelmed by most of the food courses.

Did the frosting cover the tracks well enough to escape detection?

May we see this astounding plating? I am getting curious!

In my opinion the ginger/honey/lemon thing works a lot better with some brandy thrown in. I'm not saying it is good for you, but you sure feel better!

Dear rockandroller and anyone else so inclined: please do write and post reviews! I am particularly interested in which "secrets, surprises, tools and insight" you found useful.

I see some people love their Swiffer. Is there a consensus on their worth? I bought a house with a black polished granite kitchen floor. What a beauty. What a nightmare. If I drop a toast crumb it shows. If I pick up the crumb, my greasy fingerprints show. Frying is the worst - I get a fine film that preserves every subsequent disturbance, even cat footprints. When I wash the floor I have to hand dry it because water leaves white marks. So I have been letting it get really filthy. This post inspired me to look into ways to keep it cleaner. I found a post online recommending a spray called Revitaliser from Stone Tech Professional Co. They use it with a swiffer. Has anybody tried this? I have never used a swiffer. Will it really pick up crumbs and cat hair, or does it just move them around?

Fat Guy's thoughtful tips (above) on sound control should be great food for thought (or action!) for those w/o unlimited funds for a new dishwasher. When the installation guy was pulling out my old dishwasher he showed me how much extra room there was on the top and sides. If it had ever occurred to me that I could install an extra blanket of insulation, I could easily have done it myself. Instead I waited for the old monster to die.

I would second the Crab Cooker for a fun family crowd-pleaser that won't break the bank. The line is always out the door, though, and I don't know if they take reservations or not. 2200 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach CA 92663 (949) 673-0100

Dear Doc, It all boils down to whatever makes something "worth it" to you. For me, noise level is the major factor. I don't care if I have to rinse when loading. Or how the shelves are arranged. I just don't want to have to listen to the damn thing. Which is why I bought a Bosch. If a dish was to come out of my dishwasher still dirty (which has yet to happen), I would rather send it through for a second round than listen to noise. In fact, I would rewash all crusty pots by hand before I would accept noise. I just don't want to hear about it. Other people will have different concerns. As they always do. nibor

We bought a Bosch Evolution dishwasher (SHE66C05UC) two years ago. It is elegant looking (stainless with hidden controls), has a stainless interior, is very quiet, and cleans the dishes nicely. No complaints. I just searched online for reviews of our model and found some gripes, mostly about the layout of the interior. One person suggested that potential buyers take a load of dishes to the appliance store to test the loading design and capacity of various brands and models. I can see that there might some personal preference involved. Some people might have odd sized dishes, or for some reason go through ten glasses for every fork. We have lived in several other places temporarily during the last year and the layout of all of our dishwashers seemed fine. So maybe we just aren’t very picky. We were not terribly concerned about the cost but don’t like to throw away money needlessly. We looked at Miele, but didn't see what there was to gain from the additional cost.

Do tell!

The only time I tried making an all-lard pie crust it ended up smelling and tasting a bit like pork chops. Not nice. Did I buy cheap lard or otherwise do something wrong?

Here's a story to lighten things up: We were on vacation in the Adirondacks, and the only way we could get a wireless signal was to sit directly underneath a giant stuffed moosehead in the hotel lobby. We were sitting there with our laptops one evening when a waitress came out of the adjoining bar room. She said the guys in the bar wanted to know why we couldn’t just kick back and leave our work behind. I told her I had just replied to an email from my boss in California, and that he had no idea I wasn’t in my office. Seconds later I hear a roar of approval from the bar.

Those of us who travel a lot as part of our jobs spend incredible amounts of time in airports and on planes. Those places might as well be our offices on many days, unfortunately, and we all know where the accessible plugs are... If I can get work done while traveling, I can take the time saved to enjoy myself later on in places with better ambiance than say, Dulles or Heathrow.

Mr. Rogov, you are my favorite eGulleteer.

We lived in the sticks when I was a kid. My mom canned. We had a root cellar. We bought half a cow and put it in a chest freezer in the garage. There was a milkman who also sold bread. I can't remember how often he came by in his truck. Maybe once a week.

There is a wide diversity of food in Orange County (we do not call it "the OC") - what do you have in mind?

In contrast to everyone above, I find cooking to be one of the most depressing parts of my day. If I don’t have to really concentrate on what I am doing, for instance if I am just chopping away, my mind will wander to the things in my life that are currently bothering me. I take these unpleasant thoughts and churn them around and around. Such a drag. The only way I have thus found to stop this from happening is to make myself be more mentally engaged in what I am doing - basically, by always making something new. You all are a great help with that. Maybe I should start listening to the radio in the kitchen.

And did he like that idea?

Dear Soupcon, How well do you find this new system to be working?

Jean Stapleton would have been perfect.

It is hard to imagine who they could get to play her ....

Would someone please explain to me why this is a contentious topic? I see all sorts of hackles up and don’t understand why.

Good work doc, keep it coming! I have been reading Ideas in Food for some time and while I am fascinated by their ability to process food in untold ways, I have to admit that visually, much of the end product makes me think, well, of jello. I can only see their food, not taste it, and what I see is many of my favorite food items ending up as cubes or slabs. So I await your report of how it tastes.