Magictofu

In general, people don't age chicken: here the fresher the better (like fish). People also tend to drain the blood from their chicken... in your case, it might be too late now. I do not know exactly how it affects the meat though. Air drying only matters for refrigerated meat. Meat needs to be cooled quickly to avoid bacterial growth. In most places in North America, chicken are cooled in water, better chicken are generally air dried in large rooms with good airflow. A fresh warm chicken does not need to be cooled. Since you are in China, you can probably find live chicken in some markets with people ready to kill them, pluck them and drain their blood for you... not sure about Hong Kong though. I ate very good chicken in China a few years ago. All were killed a few hours before diner but I suspect that the way they were raised is a better explanation for their extraordinary taste.

To be honest, I do live in mushroom heaven. I get most of my mushrooms from the woods surrounding my city. Spring is for morels; summer for chanterelles and field mushrooms; and fall is good for kings (porcini/cepes) as well as oyster mushrooms. I also collect black trumpets and other less known mushrooms between late summer and mid fall. The chanterelles at the two Costco I visited were a bit old and not too inviting. At this time of the year they probably come from the West Coast.

I went to the costco on the other side of the river and was a bit disapointed to see that the products were all exactly the same there. There were many chanterelles boxes but were no cheaper than at the other places where you can buy them around here. Next week is seafood weekend and I hope to find a reason to keep shoping there then.

Went to my local Costco for the first time. So far, I only found the nuts and the cheeses to be of particularly good value (and the selection was not ideal) but then I did not find enough time to look at everything. Almost everything was convenience or ready-made food... I read a few labels in the bakery section and decided not to try their muffins and cookies. I am hoping for something better in another local Costco on the other side of the river.

My project has been put on hold because of other house related emergencies. However, by removing the old oil furnace, we now have a failry large space at the North East corner of the house just at the base of the stairs from the Kitchen above. Before proceeding however, we will need to redo the walls, add insulation and make sure everything works properly (we might have to redo a bit of the plumbing and electricity). Right now, although it is not a "proper" cold room, it still contains potatoes, onions and winter squashes. There's a very interesting article in the New York times on root cellars: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/garden/06root.html

Prostitute salad sound like the similar to the italian pasta a la putanesca what could bother me a bit more would be something like "slices of prostitutes".

That's interesting, could you provide more details?

Now that I think of it, I can't wait for more restaurant to serve food family style in the center of the table.

I do love simplistic theories and I do think that a society with an important class divide has a good chance of developing a great culinary tradition and/or a restaurant culture that will inevitably translate in the availability of good food. The logic is simple: if good food can be prepared relatively cheaply thanks to low wages and bought at a good price thanks to those who have the money to do so, it becomes profitable to run a restaurant. The more restaurant, the greater the competition for customer and the quality and diversity of the offering increase. ultimately,the greater the rift between the poors and the rich, the more you can find refinement and variety in food. However, important class divisions can be found in many other places on this planet so I am not sure this explains the bad rap british food gets internationally. Also, I believe that a strong restaurant culture took quite some time to establish itself in England but then my knowledge on this topic is quite limited. I think that it had to be said too that the British Islands were the first to reach a state close to overpopulation around the industrial era when food production was pushed to its limits and import became a necessity. Add to this the catastrophic damages caused by WWII (see Maggiethecat's post bellow) and it does not leave much space for excentricities outside of the priviledge class. That might also contribute to the explanation of why the food we think of when we talk about British food traditions is often the food of the wealthy (or the food of those with access to meat). But then, when we think of it, some of the best dishes on the planet are the dishes of peasants, poor fishermen, or foragers. Ah! maybe simple theories don't work so well!

I guess I forgot those who saw their savings disapear. I guess my comment should be directed at those who are not too close to retirement or who had been saving for a specific project.

It seems many are cutting back their expenses but given that the crisis, even in the United States where it is pretty bad, is affecting only a few sectors of the economy, I wonder why most people feel that they have to change their habits at this time... perhaps eGulleters are being hit harder that others (restaurant business, etc.)? This matters because the more people save and avoid spending the deeper and more widespread the crisis can be. It matters also because the recent rise in popularity for farmers' market, nice restaurant, etc. could be reduced to almost nothing ultimately impacting your local food scene.

I totally agree with you about how cultural mixing enrich societies all over the world however when people refer to any national food culture, they tend to refer to a somewhat traditional version (real or perceived) of the said food culture. That being said, most of the time what we call a national food culture is a contemporary construction which often include various regional elements and cultural influences. In other words, when we talk of Italian cuisine, we should probably talk about the many regional traditions that it encompass en probably ask questions about outside influences (e.g. the new world origin of the omnipresent tomato or the corn used to make polenta, the Arab influence in Sicilian food, etc.). I have never been to Belize but I am curious about the reasons you are mentioning this country here, could you elaborate?

Most insightful post. The reputation for bland, boring, underseasoned, tasteless, unimaginative, uninventive, traditional, often-boiled textureless food, while deserved at one time, is certainly a thing of the past. All of the influences you cite have played a large role, especially travel and immigration. I remember a time when the only place you could get a highly-seasoned and flavorful meal in London was at a curry house. But that is no more. Reputations often take a long time to die. This one had basis in fact, but its death is overdue. ← The problem here is that by suggesting that these influences is what makes contemporary british cuisine interesting the assumption that traditional british food is uninspiring remains.

Both ways are OK... but then since both ways are OK, why should you take the time to soak lentils in the first place? My guess is that sometimes people have very old lentils and these won't cook as fast (and won't taste as good).

You can make soups with any lentils but the results will be very different. The small red lentils are generally cooked to make a fairly thick soup (they 'melt' when cooked). Other lentils, such as Puy lentils or the common green lentils, wont dissolve and should be used almost like grains... you can even cook these separately and add them at the end only, this way you are sure not to overcook then. If you follow a recipe, I would say that you have to use the type of lentil specified in the recipe or seek a type of lentil as close to what is prescribed.

Thanks for this very nice piece mixing history, personal experience and food. Growing up in Quebec City, I always saw Champlain as the founder of my home town but forgot about his other travels and adventures. I always thought that food at the time was far from interesting (gruel with biscuit anyone?), thanks for convincing me otherwise... I think Champlain and his crew probably gained a lot through their contact with the natives (wild meat and plants at least). For the 400th anniversary of the funding of Quebec City, the food that people decided to remember was that of the early settlers not the marriage of native and French food. On the Plains of Abraham, they even recreated an old vegetable garden using ancient plant varieties. I personally think that what makes Canadian food interesting is this mix of various food traditions: Native, French, British and the numerous more recent ones originating from recent waves of immigration. Combine this with the wealth of wild food available to us and the various regional cuisines and the potential for rediscovering interesting traditions updating them when needed is great. Also, I now have another thing to do next time I visit Nova Scotia! This certificate will look very nice on my kitchen wall.

If they are mckintosh apples, they will turn to mush when cooked... apple sauce is therefore a good option. However, they can be kept in relatively good shape if you wrap them individually in newspaper and place in a cool place, ideally a place with a high level of humidity.

An even better solution would be a nylon strap with a ratchet or buckle or something. Or even a few Velcro straps - so it can be tightened and loosened. ← Can't you tighten these plastic ties?

I never had bubbat but I am thinking that the dough will end up more like dumplings than baked bread. In other word, the more humidity in the cavity the more the bread soaks it up.

These ties seems like a great idea! I bet they will prevent your rolled up belly from developing a hole in the center as it dries.

I personally think that unless your job is potentially in peril (e.g. you work in the restaurant business near Wall Street) or that you personally face economic constraints (e.g. you have to renegotiate your mortgage over the next few months) it makes sense to spend your money with the businesses you want to help. Saving money by buying large quantities at Wall Mart or another superstore seems like the worst option for the economy as a whole and for your community. That being said, I am trying to make ends meet on a daily basis and will often go for the cheap meat on special at my local supermarket (I'm weak ). Recently, I bought two large turkeys, here's what I did with them: - 4 half breasts wait patiently packed individually in the freezer - 4 legs have been boned out and stuffed with cheese, chipotle sauce and coriander leaves (also all frozen individually) - Tiny bits of meat that were salvaged from the carcasses were used for a fondue / hot pot - The carcass were simmered to make stock - The boiled carcass were plucked again of any bits of meat left which was then added to noodle dishes, made into chicken salad for sandwich, and added to a large soup.

Désolé mais on devrait lire ceci: Canadian English: breakfast, lunch, dinner Nova Scotia English: breakfast, dinner, supper Acadian French: déjeuner, diner, souper Québec French: déjeuner, dîner, souper European French (France, Switzerland, Belgium...) : petit déjeuner, déjeuner, diner

It is funny that you mention this anecdote because I believe it talks a lot about how one's culture influence what that person expects from food. When I was in China, I felt the same way as you did because I had the impression food was always cooked the same way (wok) and that flavours were always very bold and somewhat agressive... It did not take long before I was longing for more delicate flavours and softer textures. My girlfriend joked that I was longing for mayonaise... which I guess I was. That being said, in terms of texture French food is quite similar to english food but has long been though of as the pinacle of gastronomy. This is fortunately changing as other cuisines are discovered and rediscovered. If we look at the problem from a different angle, we can ask ourselves why French food reached such international standing after the war... in other words, how other cultures, particularly in Europe and North America, found it so appealing. This time, my simplistic theory is that the French tradition for sauces (often cooked independantly of the meat, fish of vegetable) was more restaurant friendly than the traditions of other European regions, at least during the second half of the 20th century. The possibilty of creating numerous sauces from a few base sauces (e.g. demi-glace), among other things, allowed restaurateurs to offer multiple dishes in a limited amount of time even in small kitchens. Restaurant traditions were also well established in France which I am sure played to the advantage of French food. Ahhh... I should go back to grad school when we are actually encouraged to develop this type of simplistic theories!!!

It probably is more a question of taste than anything else. We all have a very different palate. One of the many things browning is to imparting a slight bitterness. Some find that this is a defect, many think of it as adding a desired complexity to the dish. One thing is sure though, browning the meat ensure that the flavours will be bold. I like meat both ways... the result is simply different.

I am among those who think a crisp salad is the best accompaniment to any kind of savory pie.