Ted Fairhead

A walk-in would be nice but in the meantime you might consider what I did. We too are in an older ranch home with a fairly large kitchen space. Normal top and counter cabinets on three walls but no real pantry. We have a tiny scullery with the washer/dryer off the kitchen however and I put a floor to ceiling bookcase in there. Then I built two more bookcases of the same height but 1/2 the width, and about 6 inches deep. I attached these with long piano hinges to the bookcase as doors, effectively almost doubling the shelf space. I put a heavy-duty swivelling ball caster under these doors to prevent sagging and firmly attached the bookcase to the wall to avoid any possibility of tipping. I would post photos but I don't know how!! ← O.k. I think I've got it. Here are two photos of my constructed pantry-Doors closed Doors open

A walk-in would be nice but in the meantime you might consider what I did. We too are in an older ranch home with a fairly large kitchen space. Normal top and counter cabinets on three walls but no real pantry. We have a tiny scullery with the washer/dryer off the kitchen however and I put a floor to ceiling bookcase in there. Then I built two more bookcases of the same height but 1/2 the width, and about 6 inches deep. I attached these with long piano hinges to the bookcase as doors, effectively almost doubling the shelf space. I put a heavy-duty swivelling ball caster under these doors to prevent sagging and firmly attached the bookcase to the wall to avoid any possibility of tipping. I would post photos but I don't know how!!

My wife, (American) tells me that it was her job as a little girl during WWII, to work the yellow coloring into the white stuff her Grandmother bought. Our rationing in England was very much more severe but I don't believe we ever did such a thing.

Took the words right out of my brain. I too buy only the smallest pieces of protein (pork tenderloins instead of a big roast, ham steaks, etc.) and portion out smaller cuts (chops, chicken parts), and as the OP does, have become a whiz at scaling recipes. Yet STILL they lurk in the 'fridge, and more importantly, STILL I feel as though I waste way too much food (so distateful to me on so many levels). I can work with some replays for lunch (pastas, casseroles), but its the waiting-to-be-repurposed roasted/grilled/sauteed proteins that do me in. One can only eat so much fried rice. And yes, my dogs are also extremely well- (and exotically) fed ! ← Both you and MrSteak(Above) have succintly described my concerns, particularly the waste of food. Yes, my two dogs, a Yorkie and a Sheltie are also fed very well except the Sheltie does not cope well with exotic foods. The Yorkie however is our mobile garbage disposer! I do plan on doing more fried rice...it hadn't occurred to me before what an easy and tasty way of re-purposing those leftovers. We had Coquilles St.Jacques this evening as a main course, but we had two large scallops left over, with both of us unable to eat another bite. At $1.50 each scallop I should have saved them (but didn't,) to serve with fried rice. Next time.....

Thank you everyone for some good ideas. In my own defence I would say, Pontormo, that I DO scale down recipes, and yes, I do frequently go off on my own using the recipe merely as a starting idea. I find most fish dishes are very amenable to modification or even major adjustments, as well as many asian dishes. Lisa, thank you for the response but I have never developed a taste for peppers of any color. Its one of those flavors that I can detect in the smallest amount like cilantro,ugh!

Gustatory or even gustative would be the adjectives to use. Tut-tut; all that expensive education! Ted

So true. We lived in the DC area for a number of years and "weekended" at Chincoteague MD. We couldn't wait for the "Silver Queen" to be available, it is so delicious. Many times we would start our long ride back to Falls Church VA a couple of hours early just to be able to catch the roadside stands while they were still open, and stock up for the coming week until we could drive down and get more. Ah! Freshly caught flounder and Silver Queen. I am surprised that you can find Silver Queen (Princess?) corn in NC because we don't get it here in Eastern NC, except very occasionally, tarted up and wrapped in plastic at a premium price for three lousy ears in our so-called gourmet super-market.

My wife also reminded me of the two years we lived just outside Annapolis and the Silver Queen corn and crab feasts we had. Sweet memories

Good question! I have wondered the same thing. I don't believe that the bad ol' ranchers in the cowboy movies managed to drive out all of the despised sheep farmers, did they?

I would venture to say that lamb is probably the most unpopular meat in the U.S. Why? Most of my friends and acquaintances have no reason for their bias, they simply say that they have never eaten it. Then when I cook it for them, either roast or rotisseried, they invariably exclaim with delight. Here in the heart of pig country one cannot find lamb in most of the food stores and supermarkets. The one store that has a few pieces of lamb on display charges an exorbitant amount for it. Their prices are on a par with finest Black Angus Beef. Can anybody explain this? Surely, the law of supply and demand should mean that lamb should be the lowest priced meat. It seems only a few years ago, one could find lamb shanks for give away prices because nobody would use them. Today in our one "gourmet" store they are selling two scrawny foreshanks for $14.00

Memories....Getting a day off school before WWII, and going with my Dad to work driving a huge truck from the Docks in London to Covent Garden. Eating one of the first Ugli fruit to be imported but I don't remember how it tasted. The smell of citrus and the huge bunches of bananas-the stevedores teasing me about the man-eating spiders that were hidden in the exotic fruits. Having lunch in an Eel and Pie Shop in the East End. The hot, steamy, smoky, and incredibly noisy atmosphere and the scrubbed wooden benches and tables- saveloys and mashed potatoes with a bright green sauce poured over them-meat pies-bowls of glistening eels in aspic jelly-thick china plates and mugs of steaming tea-aaaahhh!

I'll start by saying that our tastes tend to lean to the French, Italian,or Asian recipes and not on "good 'ole plain Southern" cooking, although I hasten to add we are not food snobs. I can enjoy roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with the best of them, even a good hamburger, but I do not enjoy casseroles, greasy chicken, overcooked vegetables, and just about any form of B-B-Q. What I am searching for are recipes for two people that do not involve lots of left-overs. My wife and I are both retired and on fixed incomes so cost is also a factor. Living where I do, in Eastern N. Carolina, it is also impossible to obtain unusual or exotic ingredients, but I can stock up on pantry items when we make our semi-monthly trips to Richmond, VA such as condiments, spices and dry goods that are not sold here in New Bern. I am a fairly decent cook and enjoy prepping and putting a good meal on the table, but most of my cookbooks offer recipes that are for four or six persons, and do not lend themselves easily to reducing in size. Oh, I make do but it would be nice to have some recipes that would be intriguing, creative, and tasty. I guess I should add that pork, in its modern low-fat style, is not my favorite meat but is readily available here at the source! Maybe there are some ways of cooking it that might make it more acceptable? Does anybody have this same problem?

I like your list very much, but I would re-order it with Pepin definitely at the top. I noticed you included Tom Colicchio..Has he ever done a cooking show other than as a Judge on Top Chef? I'd be very interested in seeing him do his "thing". Ted Fairhead

My latest cookbook reading has been "Jamie's Italy", by Jamie Oliver. I have enjoyed his Tv appearances but did not credit him with the love and passion he obviously has about food. The book is different from a lot of other cookbooks, being a sort of travelogue as well. The young man writes with a depth of feeling that rings true, and has hit on the secret of Italian cooking, its regionality. To quote from the first page- "..the word regional, when it comes to cooking, is only the tip of the iceberg. They are far more parochial than that. There should be a word invented for it like 'villagional', because these guys, will argue that their own village makes a certain thing in the most perfect way and will look down on another village's method with utter contempt". Altogether a fascinating book.

Chappie, The English Tea Store has it, about $6 a 4oz jar. WWW.Englishteastore.com Ted

Growing up, many years ago in England, I remember celery as being white and sweet tasting instead of the bright green, slightly bitter, stuff sold now. Pork was one of my favorite meats, not any more since they decided it needed de-fattening. Strawberries had wonderful fruity flavor and were squishy unlike the hard, artificially colored, watery pellets of today. Asparagus was such a rare delight we ate the fresh spears, in the few weeks they were available, on toast as a special treat. Wha' happened?

Thank you for the quick reply. I really must use Wikipedia more often, it didn't occur to me to look. I suspect this was a home grown one as it had hardly any flavor at all, even before I cooked it. Ted

Pears in puff pastry. Today, at our local "gourmet" grocery(LOL)...I found some pears that were an unusual color, very pale yellow, almost white. The little sticky label called them 'Ya Pears', with no indication of country of origin. They looked very good with no bruising or apparent flaws. Unfortunately, when I got home I found they were extremely hard and with very little taste. Sauteed in sugar and butter and encased with pastry they were o.k, but hardly memorable. I have the impression that they are an Asian variety because of their placement in the store. Has anyone heard of these, and were they simply unripe?

I am yet another cilantro hater. I find it surprising that there are so many of us when one considers the popularity of the herb in recipes nowadays. Cilantro, because of its frequent use in chinese cookery, always triggers a funny memory though-on a business trip to Taiwan, I was in one of their wonderful restaurants, and a smiling waitress was offering hors d'oeuvre from a tray. I selected some purplish-black item thinking it was sushi. After I ate it, and found it delicious, I asked my Chinese friend what it was, and he said "Duc thoung"-at least that is what I thought he said! I asked him again, and said "In English please". He replied that he was speaking English.."Duck tongue". Moral: At least taste it before rejecting it!

I am really surprised that "Harveys" didn't make the list of the late lamented. Although the food was very much the "cigar smoke filled back room" type beloved by the movers and shakers, it was a classic eating establishment. The only place south of Baltimore to get a really good crab cake...and their She-crab soup was heaven with the tiny glass of sherry served alongside. Ted Fairhead

Having made some creme brulees I had a number of fresh egg whites left over. Rather than just tossing them I searched various recipe sources for using them. I did NOt want to make meringues, the obvious choice. In the BBC recipe list I found macaroons...extremely simple; sugar, egg whites, lime juice, and dessicated coconut. Using American "Shredded" coconut, the mixing was messy and quite wet, but I persisted and turned out some tasty but chewy and sticky specimens. My question is this; Is "shredded" coconut the same as "dessicated" coconut? Having been born and raised in England, it sticks in my mind that dessicated coconut that my Mum used was dry and somewhat powdery