Porthos

A simple "We are unable to provide dishes without MSG" at the bottom of the menu would deal with that. Then the potential patrons can decide whether to stay and order or chose not to eat there.

Thank you for this link. It was very interesting reading. The one thing I do slightly differently concerns water. I did not state my viewpoint earlier as clearly as I should have. If the water has a specific quantity required then I still like it in the ingredient list. If it calls for say 2 cups of boiling water to be poured over something then I definitely want that in the ingredient list so that I can have said water at the boil when I need it. Just how I see it, no compliance by others required.

I've been cooking for 48 years so I am no beginner. I want ALL ingredients called out. People who are familiar with my posting know that when I encounter recipes that don't do this I word-process a copy and "fix" the ingredient list. Please note where I suggested this one helpful sentence: In the introduction slip in this basic piece of wisdom: "Remember to read a recipe through before starting it."

The ingredient list needs to be in the order used to make the dish. You would be surprised at how many times I find this not true. If the recipe calls for salt, pepper, water,etc list them in the ingredients. Avoid surprises. In the introduction slip in this basic piece of wisdom: "Remember to read a recipe through before starting it." Hope this helps.

I feel the same way. I have a love affair with the Revereware 3 qt saucepan. A few months ago I needed to lend the one that is part of my Ren Faire kitchen to a guild member who's 9-year-old was suffering nausea and needed something to catch the matter if more came up on the way home. I got it back a few week ago. I could tell (because of just how anal I am about how I clean things) that they had used it in their kitchen before it got returned. Their son is one of the cooks in my Ren Faire kitchens and so I asked him a couple of weeks ago if they had used it. After describing it he asked, "That wasn't one of our pans?" to which my DW stated that I should start looking for one for them. Tuesday I found one for $3.59. I have cleaned it up and it is currently in the dishwasher and will be delivered to them this weekend. This is the one I grew up with, most likely older than I am: Since I am in thrift stores at least every other week I can attest to how many "As Seen On TV" items quickly make their way from manufacturer to consumer to thrift store. That said 'What's new in kitchen gadgets" can run the gammut from gimmick to very useful. I've already commented on just how quickly I fell in love with (yeah - I know - they say you can't love inanimate objects) the Charles Viancin silicone flower lids.

Heidi, you reminded me of the Wusthoff shears that my daughters gave me a few years ago. The latest "just because" gift from my DW was a set of small silicone bowls. They are made for toddlers but she thought they would make great mise en place bowls. They do.

Bought them myself but I really like my Charles Viancin silicone lids.

For those who remember late last fall when I was asking about trying to repair a cracked large cast iron griddle I tried to repair it but did not succeed. However, an anonymous benefactor replaced it. That was a most appreciated gift. My good knives have been gifts from my sweet wife. The first one, still my favorite, a 10" chef knife, was given to me 31 years ago. About 20 years ago my MIL and FIL gave us a graniteware stock pot with a steamer insert and a colander. The stock pot is gone but the colander is still in use in our kitchen, a sweet reminder of a lady I miss. This is not quite in the same vien as what has been expressed but my dear FIL gives checks for Christmas and birthdays. The last Christmas check allowed me to acquire a 3 qt saucier. My birthday check will be buying a14" Tramontina saute pan for use in my ren faire kitchens.

Does pouring over the food ads in the spring when I am shopping for my Ren Faire feast kitchen count. Unlike my predecessor I look for the best value for the feast ingredients every week. Feeding 80 re-enactors on a limited budget is both challenging and FUN! So every Wednesday I am looking, looking, looking.

To my own shame I did buy an Eggstractor once.

The one and only person to give us useless gifts for the kitchen was my mother. The one that quickly springs to mind was the "meat defroster" which was essentially an anodized heat sink. Edited to fix a typo.

Did you have it re-tinned?

Yeah, that was the other one.

I seem to have a heart of stone. I don't buy food things to bring back when traveling and I am rather pragmatic about our regular grocery shopping. As well as cooking together my DW and I shop together. She is for more likely to pick up something on impulse that then sits forever. She brought back rose water and something similar from our trip to Epcot that is still untouched. I'm more like weinoo - past date with a date that means something then it's out of here. But if those bottles of water stuff make my DW happy then they are worth keeping.

Um, I thought that was what cast iron does. I was under the impression that the beauty of cooking with copper is that it responds quickly to changes in heat, the opposite of storing heat. Understanding Stovetop Cookware: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/25717-understanding-stovetop-cookware/

Diabetics do eat carbs but in carefully controlled amounts. As some have already stated don't make carbs the major part of the meal, but don't fear to have a side containing carbs. Potatoes are not necessarily off-limits. Your diabetic friend can then easily choose how much carb-based food he/she wants to include in the meal. I have a type 1 diabetic friend that regularly has Kix cereal for breakfast. She knows how much she can handle. And, yes, asking for input from your friends will hopefully give you more specific guidance.

I had no idea what cilantro was until I married in 1978. My family of origin was very basic meat and potatoes. When I began cooking the family dinner in 1967 I soon bored of cooking the same old same old. I had to be very careful about how far away from basic I ranged but I did try new (to me) things. I still have a very clear memory of the first white sauce I made. Even though I often accompanied my mother to the supermarket I did not really pay attention to what was available and what things were called since I was cooking to the tastes of my parents and that is what my mother shopped for. I don't think I even realized that there were any other potatoes than russet at the time. Anyway, what I'm doing a poor job of saying is that I have no doubt that before my grocery shopping for myself I would have no memory of the other names for cilantro but have no trouble accepting that cilantro was called by another name.

Here in southern California I have always found it as cilantro.

I have the 10" Fibrox (NSF approved) and also the 10" with the rosewood handle (non-NSF approved). They both serve me well. The Fibrox is available for anyone in my Ren Faire kitchens to use. I have noticed that the young man who has cooked for me for a couple of years and is waiting to turn 18 to enroll in the culinary school he has chosen gravitates toward that knife even though there are other 10" knives to be had. As head of the kitchen I reserve the rosewood handled knife for myself. To reiterate what has already been said: how a knife feels in your individual hand is what matters fregarding fit. For quality you don't want to go to the grocery store and buy some no-name for $10 bucks hoping for the best; you will very likely be soon disappointed. Alex, I hope you will update us as you take this journey letting us know what you have found you do like and don't like.

Steal of the year. My Sweetie spotted this in a Goodwill this afternoon for 99 cents. It is the 6 qt size. I didn't take time to clean it before snapping the picture.

I agree that the Food Network is essentially useless. But I have to think that there are other food TV shows out there that might help.

Might I add that in addition to whatever equipment you start with you might want to consider subscribing to Cooks Illustrated. My wonderful FIL became a widower 12 years ago and he and my amazing MIL had had a very traditional Wage Earner/Homemaker relationship and he basically didn't know how to cook. He read, he watched food TV, and his skills in the kitchen are very,very good now. I personally believe from conversations with him that Cooks Illustrated was his best "mentor."

arafalov, here is the Cook's Illustrated list mjx refered to: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment_reviews/1077-top-essential-kitchen-equipment

2nd the Victornox knives. If you have easy access to a restaurant supply store that is open to the public I would take a look there. And if you aren't already aware, as CatPoet has said how a knife feels in your hand is a very personal thing and you will want to be able to pick up and feel the knives you are looking at. I find that anything smaller than a 10" feels like a toy in my hand. But that is my hand.

Welcome to eGullet. I hope you find this an enjoyable place to be. A general comment here about equipment. Try to avoid gadgets that are good for only one specific task -unitaskers was the term Alton Brown used to use - at least until your skills and interests grow to a point to where that item then makes sense. To the above-suggested items I would add: A pot or pan large enough to boil pasta and cook beans in. For one or two people a 3 qt size would be big enough. I cook for 4 adults and have a 6 qt pot for pasta. A colander/strainer large enough to drain pasta and other things in. A balloon whisk would be helpful if you're going to make omelets (quickly and easily whips the eggs), and for me they are indispensable for making sauces. Perhaps a heavy-duty sheet pan for the oven. I happen to prefer 1/2 baker's sheet pans. These are good for baking pizzas and other larger items. Or maybe a 9 x 13 (sorry, I think in inches) baking pan good for roasting meats and such.