heidih

Braun immersion blender my sister gave me 26 years ago because it was useless to her. She got it as a wedding gift here in the States but she lives in Australia..... I said "Geee thanks" not knowing what I would ever use it for. Silly me. From my wedding gifts eons ago - a nested set of stainless steel bowls. I only have the 2 largest left but they are incredible useful. The largest generally for washing greens or mixing salads before transferring to a serving bowl. From my dad who never ever even tries to fathom what I might like and always sticks with cash I was surprised with a pair of Messermeister kitchen scissors. The kind that easily come apart for cleaning. I use them almost daily.

Shelby - when you say you like the hearts and livers to be left in do you mean that you cook them that way or just that you want to have them to use? As always, I would love to be a guest at your table.

I like this description of heirlooms from my favorite local grower http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/Organic_Heirloom_%20Tomato_Plants%20yum.htm

On the bacon jam - perhaps put it in the bottom as a surprise! Folks generally do the eggs as a single or double bite and I imagine that would incorporate the taste the same as on top.

Calling something the best requires exposure to the other, allegedly lesser, examples of the item or dish. If you are trying to educate your palate and expand your food universe then engaging in simple tasting exercises might be a useful to establish a foundation of tastes. Before you run all over the net seeking a Chartenais melon, try a side by side tasting of a grocery store ripe cantaloupe and something a bit more "exotic" like the Tuscan cantaloupe marketed by Dulcinea http://www.dulcinea.com/products/Tuscan-Style-Cantaloupe.html My local big chains like Albertsons, and Safeway owned stores have been selling them for at least 5 years so they are not a boutique item. As you taste, force yourself to describe and write down what you like more or less about each and why, along with describing the taste profile. That will give you a point of reference if and when you get a chance to experience a different melon. Kim Severson discusses this in her memoir Spoon Fed "You have to build a catalogue of food memories. To understand good chocolate, you have to know bad chocolate and you should experience then side by side." She goes on to discuss , for example, how a Hershey bar next to a perfect Michel Cluizel chocolate tastes like sour, grainy earwax - BUT that she loves a cake her mom makes with broken Hershey bars and that for her fine chocolate does not work in that application. Sort of the same concept we discuss whenever someone posts a "top 10" sort of list. Taste is not a black & white simple formula as applied to different individuals. The chemistry can be formulized, but the experience incorporates memories that vary from person to person. The same principle applies to your question about balsamic in this topic you started http://forums.egullet.org/topic/149341-top-notch-balsamic- vinegar/ Edited to add link to balsamic topic

Franci - the true leaves come in after the first two cute rounded ones. Looks like you are on the way. If you need to thin them to get adequate space between the plants then you will have trendy vegetable sprouts for your salads.

Along the general theme of what several have posted, it is all about taste. A perfectly ripened more "ordinary" melon can make your knees buckle versus a specialty melon picked too soon or transported poorly. Also as noted, personal preference makes a difference. I don't enjoy that almost overly ripe tropical taste in a melon though that is the wow factor for others. The best cantaloupes I ever had were picked from my garden from bog standard seed starts by my lab and left by the back door. She knew when they were at their peak

Just a quick question/observation lesliec - what struck me about you pancakes was the amount of oil in the pan. Here in the US I always see them on a seasoned griddle or flat-top with no visible oil so that they appear to have an almost dry surface. Is your method the norm in your area?

This Serious Eats tip has been circulating for a while. http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/the-food-lab-homemade-mayo-in-2-minutes-or-le.html

Sophie - did they indicate if t hey are fine with fats as many of the low/no carb recipes online are liberal in that area? ETA: This site has some interesting ideas http://www.kalynskitchen.com/

Kenji's smoked mushroom bacon (vegan) caught my eye when he was doing his month of vegan eating this year.http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/02/vegan-crispy-smoked-mushroom-bacon.html

Perhaps in your commercial setting you don't have the luxury of time and space, but in my home kitchen I fill with warm water after the initial removal and let it sit for maybe half an hour. Generally use the side of my hand and then a greenie to get any stuck bits of which there are rarely any.

Actually back in the late 60's, very early 70's I think Chinese Parsley was in fashion in the mainstream markets

Dejah can you elaborate on shrimp roe noodles?

Norm I have seen the BBQ shrimp recipes and wondered. Looking at Emerille's recipe here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/new-orleans-bbq-shrimp-recipe.html it sort of makes sense as he describes the process. BBQ sauce not grilled. I have also seen it with just butter and lots of seasoning....

I don't think we have mentioned that ever popular vintage slaw known as "Sumi salad" that incorporated broken up ramen noodles and cabbage with a "Asian" dressing. Example http://www.food.com/recipe/sumi-salad-23695 I have even seen it in the serve yourself take-out selection at Whole Foods.

On the water chesnuts. Of course once you have had fresh ones you can't go back to the tinny canned ones......but that is not the question here. Shelby I see you making egg rolls - if they are homemade you could try them finely chopped in the stuffing. Actually any stuffing sort of mixture (even mushrooms) where you might enjoy just a bit of crunch texture without really altering the flavor. That would also apply to salads like potato and macaroni.

Based on your note about the gelatine, can you clarify the dietary restriction as it sounds like you are looking for a vegan recipe?

Smithy - regarding Estonian rhubarb cake - member Pille who blogs from Estonia has this one on her site http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2011/06/and-so-rhubarb-season-ends-with-very.html She also has a super simple more recent one here http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2014/06/rhubarb-cake-equal.html

Great items. I find the baby bok choy has a gentle sweetness and enjoy it as a soup in a poultry broth so........the duck wing tips could be roasted and turned into a quick broth. Then simmer the sliced bok choy along with sliced carrots and noodles of choice plus any meat you can shred from the duck, adjusting seasonings/adding herbs to your liking. I like the sweet earthy bite of the carrot as a partner. The wings themselves are enjoyable simply roasted with salt and pepper or more gussied up like this decadent take on hot wings I saw http://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/duck-wings-asian-chili-sauce

For an astounding combination of color spectacle and stellar flavor I love Berkeley Tie-Dye. I purchase the starts from Laurel's Heirloom Tomatoes. She ships nationwide I think. http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/ The site says she orders her seeds from these folks http://www.tomatofest.com/ The interior mirrors the surface in terms of the tie-dye look

And how do you define salad?

I looked at several videos on the product and am still not clear. Nina - is it a damp product or dry? Do you think it is dehydrated pork skin in tiny bits? I ask because I don't think one could use a pork rind product like this they have already popped so trying to see how a home cook would do it without the purchased product. Pork rind product http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_rind

Shelby thanks - that is interesting. Says it is powdered so is it puffing up then? Will have to see what Nina says. Hmmmmm- may have to reconsider the deep frying ban..... Sauce sounds like a multi-layered winner too.

Ummmm -you will need to explain airbag- at least to me! Looks great as I love crunchy squid.