Jan Primus

I've wanted to make stuffed veal chops for a long time, though I'm not really sure what to stuff them with. I just picked up some really thick chops (atleast 2") so they should be easy to work with atleast. I was thinking goat cheese and bacon...but will the cheese get too melted and ooze out since these will need to spend some time on the grill...sear first then indirect heat til medium rare...open to suggestions, just nothing to complex please. Thanks.

I have $150 to spend on 2 really nice bottles of red wine, probably a Bordeaux and a California cab or zinf, maybe pinot noir...suggestions? I normally don't spend more than $30 per bottle, so I have no idea what the good values are in the $70ish range...I could bump that budget up by $20 if needed...thanks in advance. JP

My absurdly stupid simple question has to do with vegetable storage...should I leave them in the plastic baggies they come in from the grocery store or should I take them out and put them in the crisper drawer? thanks.

So when I'm done using my cast iron and want to clean out the animal fat, it seems a real chore. I put it under warm ater and use a brush to clean it, but there seems to be no end to the animal fat. Should I leave some of this fat in and cook it after cleaning? I'm getting close to giving up on cast iron, might repace it with a nice all-clad skillet.

Thanks for the tip Pontormo, I'll definately try that soon...maybe if my strainers aren't fine enough I'll add a cheese cloth to it.

Last time I made a mushroon risotto, I put the dried porcini in the stock and the risotto did turn out gritty. I don't think I used the final ladles of stock either. I did roughly mince the porcini's afterwards and mix with the rice. What can I do to avoid that grittiness yet still use the porcini's in the risotto?

I'm thinking of getting a kitchen scale (which I don't have anyhow) that provides nutrient profiles...there is the salter 1400 at $70 and 1450 at $100 (can't figure out the difference in function, other than the 1450 is folding and I think has more memory). Also, on ebay, there are some cheapies that come up but I'm a bit scared of buying a peice of junk no matter how cheap it is. If anyone has any experience with any of these nutritional scales it would be greatly appreciated if you could share your opinion, thanks.

I've not had much success (willpower) when it comes to aging anyhow.

I will be having my folks over for dinner and want to serve them a spinach risotto with some nice meat, what do ya recommend? I was debating between rack of lamb, beef tenderloin roast, or tuna...also which seasonings to go with the recomended meat would be most apprecitated. TIA.

A 2007 SN Bigfoot...very hoppy it may need to mellow a bit for my tastes.

old rasputin tonight...hard to beat an imperial stout winter time.

In no particular order... Westy 8 Westy 12 Rochefort 10 Leifmans Goudenband Gouden Carolous Cuvee Van de Keizer Narrowing down to 5 was really hard as Belgians are my fave beer style. Unfortunatley the Westies are probably only a memory not much chance of drinking it regularly (if ever again)...so I should sub those with Abbey des Rocs brun and St Bernardus 12 and Chimay blue.

Thanks...what type of oil did you use and approx how long per side did you hold it in? I think I got the rest pretty well visualized.

Today I had a couple Brooklyn Black Chocoalte stouts, so good but a shame it's a seasonal release and sells out fast. Despite the name, the chocolate is not overpowering at all.

Susan, how did you make the hard taco shells? I make tacos alot but always use those old elpaso shells...time to take it to the next level. thanks, JP.

Nice Glenn, what did you use for your make-shift deep fryer?

1) black pepper 2) cayenne pepper 3) curry

Yeah it's not yet well-seasoned but it is starting to get there. To clean it I would lightly heat it to pour out the leftover grease, then under warm water scrub with a brush, then dry it.

Last night I made some deer tenderloin in a cast iron skillet using bacon grease. I did not yet clean the skillet and was planning to cook the same thing tonight. Can I use last night's grease again or do I need to clean the skillet and use fresh grease? Not so much worried about saving the grease just that cleaning cast iron is such a chore compared to other pans. Thanks.

Great news, thanks so much.

So grapeseed for neutral flavour and high smoke point, is it unsaturated fat?

Sunflower? Canola? Vegetable? thanks in advance.

Luckily, wrong The wine inside is stored in an airtight bladder that lets wine out but doesn't let air in, so because there's almost no oxidation. The wine inside, unexposed to air, will be as good as the day the box was opened even weeks later. ← Do these only come in larger sizes though?

I would also re-recommend the boxed wine tip: decent boxed wine can be found these days and will keep, unrefrigerated, on the shelf, for weeks and weeks. ←

What type of oil are you guys using to sear the steaks with? Does a cast iron pan use the same type as a stainless steel?