Porthos

Thanks, Andie, for posting that. I still remember when I fell for the Eggstractor gadget. It was simply a waste of money also. Since I boil 2 batches of 5 dozen each when I do make HB eggs I'll stick with the equipment and techniques that work for me. The eggs are for large quantities of egg salad.

This particular theme has already been touched on - but this refers to the one who first inspired me. I recently saw this apron: Large Letters "WWJD" small letters "What would Julia do"

Thank you both for the feedback.

The local major news station has been talking about a salmonella outbreak the started in March and the producer is only now being identified. The tainted product is ground turkey. Since they are identifying it specifically as a strain of salmonella the question of correct preparation to avoid the resulting food poisoning came to mind as I drove home this afternoon. The advice being given is to return the product or throw it away. I just wondered (and I have no ground turkey in the freezer at the moment) if throwing it away was really necessary or if it would be safe if thoroughly cooked. I'm only looking for info for myself.

I don't know if this is the right place to post this or not. I thought salmonella was killed if the meat with the salmonella was properly and thoroughly cooked. Am I mistaken?

I'm a meat-eater with no guilt. My parents raised rabbits for food and I grew up LOVING fried rabbit for a Sunday dinner. We also fished and ate our catch. When I added upland game hunting to my life some 20-odd years ago I did make one specific decision. I only hunt those animals and birds that I will eat. I remember once bringing home a rabbit that I had hunted. That was the one game animal my daughters would not eat. Since I have a long-standing pit against fixing different food for different family members (something I still am not willing to do - I adjust menus if there are food related issues to deal with) I stopped hunting rabbits. My daughters are grown now but the areas where I used to hunt rabbits are now neighborhoods full of houses so no more rabbit hunting while I still live in southern California. As an aside, I was listening to a comedian just yesterday who said "I've never heard an ex-vegetarian order a steak and ask the chef to make it taste like tofu." Don't hate me. I have plenty of vegetarians friends - it just made me laugh.

2 things come to mind. I'm incredibly bad about cleaning the stove surface beneath the grates. It's not so much about being unsanitary because if anything comes out of a pan I consider it lost immediately. It's just gross to look at. The second thing has to do with tasting. My wife and I are in complete agreement on this, In our own home when cooking for ourselves and our daughters we will re-use the same tasting spoon since we all have been in the habit of sharing soda pop when we are out and about. However, when we are cooking for our renaissance guild we NEVER use the stirring spoon to taste and only use the plastic spoons we do use for tasting once and then they are thrown away. I just realized my biggest shame in this area. Not cleaning the refrigerator nearly often enough. I usually find science experiments shoved out of sight in the back of the fridge.

You successfully made me cringe. I rarely use my wooden board 'cause it can't go in the dishwasher. I do use my poly boards all the time. The only glass on the counters in my kitchen is where we keep the oil, salt, pepper, etc..

Almost sounds like the construction of an empanada but cooking the bread portion first.

I'm cooking dinner right now. The Revere pan to the left is the one that is over 50 years old. And yes that is also a Revere tea kettle in the background.

I'll probably punt and go with white wine. I have more confidence in that. Thank you all who have answered and helped me think about this.

I need to move to Vegas. Here in southern California I have visited multiple thrift stores weekly in northern Orange County, eastern Los Angeles County, and Western San Bernardino County for the last 10 years and have never found such good deals as you describe. I'm Jealous!! I visited 2 thrift stores on my way home tonight and found nothing of interest. I do use ebay for commercial cookware for my Renaissance Faire cooking (not for the public but for one of the guilds).

I will say that I have a 20 qt stock pot of the same style of construction that has held up.

By the way, I strongly recommend against the Paula Dean 12 Qt stockpot available at Walmart, Target and other places. I bought 2 and they both had the enamel coating start cracking off.

I'm 57. I have a Revere 3 qt pan that I cooked with as a child, my mother continued to use after I left home and I inherited it from her 3 years ago. It's still in good condition. We have 2 more that my wife and I added 33 years ago. IMHO it's good stuff.

I bought a bunch of Vollrath Pro HG pots and pans with their ceramic/titanium non-stick coating a few years ago specifically because they can take the higher heat AND carry an NSF rating. The coating is not as durable as their 25-year guarantee would suggest. However, in general I am happy with them and can vouch for both the non-stck properties and the fact that they do take the heat.

My F-L-L asked about me preparing some trout poached in vermouth while we vacation next month. I've never poached trout (I always BBQ trout) let alone with vermouth. I could really use some collective eGullet insight and experience here. I do own a fish poacher which I use for salmon so poached fish itself is not a mystery to me.

Fried Green Tomatoes: The food fight in the kitchen of the Whistle Stop Cafe. And don't ever forget: The secret's in the sauce.

Whereabouts do you live?

28 years ago my sweet wife gave me a 10" Chicago Cutlery chef's knife. I have purchased many other knives over the years. I have my traveling knives for cooking in other kitchens, knives for the people who help cook at the 2 Renaissance faires my wife and I cook at, and we have 2 knife blocks full of knives in our kitchen at home, plus more in a drawer. However, it is my 10" Chicago Cutlery knife that is still my knife of choice at home. An EdgePro Acme keeps it in good working order. So tell me, my fellow egulleters, what tool do you have that is still your favorite after getting newer ones. I'm curious - and I'm sure I'm not alone.

As I started reading this thread the comparison to sniffing wine immeadiately came came to mind. I am a food sniffer. I believe that I developed this habit as an off-shoot of learning to appreciate wine. I do not, however, lift the plate but rather sniff the forkful (or spoonful) of food just before it goes into my mouth - maybe a one or two second sniff with a slight pause to savor the smells - then in it goes. Not ever bite, just the first one or 2 of any particular item. I've never had anyone comment on this to me so I'm figuring my family and friends aren't put off by it.

Thanks for finding this thread whoever took care of it.

I know there's been mention of 5 Guys Burgers before but I can't find anything in my searching. There's a new one in Rancho Cucamonga and before I drive over to try it I'd like some opinions regarding this chain. For folks in the western US, as a point of reference, I favor Carl's Jr above all others. So, those of you who know about 5 Guys Burgers, please fill me in.

I've noticed something reading though these posts that I hadn't thought about. We have a dishwasher. We don't wash dishes in the sink. We do scrub it out but it doesn't see the steady stream of soap and hot water the sinks of some posters here see. That may contribute to why I fundamentally see my sink as an unsanitary surface for foods. I don't wash very many of my fruits and vegetables but when I do I use one of my SS mixing bowls or rinse them using a colander. It's funny. I am way more fastidious about clean and sanitized surfaces and equipment in the renaissance faire kitchens I cook in. Oh, and I don't actually do the dishes at home any more. I pay my adult daughter a small sum each week to take care of cleaning the kitchen. She's unemployed and can use the bucks, and it buys me time to do other things.

Tonight I was in my local chain supermarket and saw the unbelievably high price on Miller Genuine Draft. I then went to Total wines and bought a 6-pack of Pilsner Urquel for the same per-bottle cost as the cost of the MGD at the supermarket. Is it any wonder that I never buy beer at a supermarket any more? Just saying...