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I couldn't be happier with our Blue Star gas range. I can't imagine what CR didn't like about it, but they are often weird. We have the low end 6 burner model with open burners that just about clean themselves.

In general, I worry about the difficulty of pulling this off in a way that you will be happy with. The more you care about perfection, the more I'd suggest getting a pro involved.

Well, the dining opportunities for this trip collapsed into a couple corporate banquets with lots of buffet food. I couldn't bring myself to photograph it. And the airline food was about the same as on the way over, except BA's offering was less inspired and I stuck to a plate of cheese. Even with this, it was an interesting trip albeit a very long way to go.

@cdh No sign of honey trucks as far as I can see. I'd love to hear some of those stories. Reflecting on oil money and standard of living...the UAE has certainly done a better job with their wealth than Venezuela or Nigeria. When I first arrived I was put off by the giant posters and memorials to Shiek Zayed. It reminded me of the Castro stuff in Cuba. But this guy really did serve his people. Took a country that was all dust and camels and poverty in the 60s to a thriving place with an amazing standard of living for the average person.

Plain old Euro breakfast today with veal sausage. I was going to get shakshuka, but it was weird looking. Scrambled eggy casserole with no evidence of tomato, peppers or heat. Paradise being built outside my window. Thousands of little sand islands are being built up at an amazing rate. Speed or maximum employment ...seems important. At a housing development on the mainland there were about fifty houses going up. Unlike many places where there'd be one or two cranes for the development, this one had one for each house...and presumably a construction crew for each. Travel day, driving 90 minutes through the desert to Dubai. Desert is sand with rocks and no plant taller than your calf. The govt has planted a belt of trees along the roads. I;ve been told that they are all imported desert tolerant stuff. It looks great, kind of like a Phoenix interstate, but my inner ecologist is upset. Now in Dubai whiuch is not at all like Abu Dhabi. More than anything Dubai reminds me of Chicago. Big buildings lining canals...big highways...big. Really tasty sauteed shrimp with baby marrows, mushrooms and tomatoes. Completely non-Arab wagyu burger with belgian fries. I'd hoped for more regionality, but there's nothing like that near me.

Me too. Some out of gratitude some out of self protection.

The meats are veal bacon at the top, smoked salmon, and a thing labeled bresciole (?) a cured beef, I think. Coffee is great and ubiquitous, but there's a lot of tea as well.

My Zojirhishi uses something like 1 part rice to 1.5 parts water.

@ShelbyThe UAE is pretty liberal. Hotel guests can be served a drink. Theres a duty-free after customs where you can buy and bring in quite a bit of alcohol. But it is still very much an Islamic country otherwise.

Huge hotel breakfast buffet. Euro, Indian, Chinese and local sections. Each one big. But no screwing around with Breakfast, so I did the Euro one. That meat to the left of the nicely scrambled eggs is veal "bacon". Like back bacon..very mild. I was going to make some pun about Emmanuel Macron, but it came out either lame or a bit lewd. So just a photo. Humongous Mosque. Too big for even three photos at this distance. Snack of Hot Mezze in the lobby bar More cheese things. Clearly not feta this time..herby maybe goat cheese. Won ton-ish things filled with tart chopped veg, Lightly spiced (coriander/cumin) ground lamb in fried chickpea coat. All great.

@Shelby you had me at deviled eggs

@SmithyThe cheese was a creamy acidic thing. Seemed unaged. Not goat. The wrapper was thin and crisp. Reminded me of something Mexican. Calamari was nothing unique, which is not to say it wasn't great. It didn't age well, sitting under a warming lamp. Don't think I'd do that with a fried thing unless trisol was in the batter.

They were pomegranate seeds. Interesting. UAE is pretty cool. Very English language friendly. Hot as can be, but not very humid, so pleasant. That BA meal would've made me happy in a restaurant. Cooked properly, well seasoned. So not like "the new American Airlines".

Snacks at a meeting. Falafel doughnuts and calimari with lime aioli. Very nice Tea sandwiches, date and honey tarts, shrimp thing, date nut thing..all good Dinner at a waterfront Lebanese restaurant Fried cheese app and hummus Lebanese potatoes and sauteed chicken liver in a sweet vinegary sauce. Excellent Mixed grille (lamb, fish, chicken, kafte) and a kafte in a pepper tomato sauce. Also great. Panna cotta like dessert and various backlavas.

I had some business in the UAE. A pair of endless flights to come softened by premedication at the American airlines club. And more on board. The Woodford in the glass is the only positive effect of the US/AA merger as far as I can see. Way overcooked beef and decent wine Breakfast...nice biscuit BA with a far superior meal..."lunch" salad and appetizer Beef with a Napa cabbage slaw ...both done wonderfully. Potatoes were nice but not exactly the Lyonaise they were labeled. Maybe the best cooked and conceived airplane food I've had. Late night landing snack. Very tasty View in the morning from my hotel. The Abu Dhabi Emirate palace and behind it an island that is one of many being converted into luxe housing

I'd add the execrable habit that publishers have of having an index entry of say "Stewed Beef...see Beef stewed" and the like. Just put in the damned page number in both places.

@lindag You might experiment with aluminum foil on the tray

Where do the savings come from? Would you still be saving if you ate dinner from kits exclusively? Your photos are stunning (as usual).

Yup! I love the thing. Tank is right. And so easy to keep clean. Take care with the broiler. Hotter than hell.

Gorgeous! Great light and space. Is that a BlueStar range I see there?

I've had the hot brown at Churchill Downs. Its good solid diner food. But kind of gross too. I'd eat it again. Bourbon? Woodford Reserve, Basil Hayden, and Knob Creek is always available. I had Pappy before it was famous. It was just fine too. Lately the only places I've been able to buy a glass of Pappy is in Canada where it seems under the radar.

SV "BBQ" flank steak, sweet potato wedges, slaw Garlic/ginger sauced flank steak SV lamb chops with sauteed mushrooms and barley "risotto"

She was interviewed by C. Kimball on his NPR show (which is pretty listenable). Apparently she has the idea that cooking without a recipe is somehow more elevated than using instructions. I can see her point, that when you really know what you are doing you don't need an explicit recipe. But at the same time the years of experience that got you to that point serve as a de facto recipe. The instructions are in your head. I think we settled this on eG years ago.

Ehhh. I don't need any 'connectivity' with my anova and I don't want to have a wireless appliance. A great example of over-engineering. Who cooks at a distance? Craziness.

So many things that I don't like, all in one glass.