MikeHartnett

I have to check at the market tomorrow, but if I'm being honest, I wasn't thrilled with the tomatoes I had this year. Not sure if they're worth saving.

Watermelon rind pickles for sure... I just got the new Saveur, and I've got a hankerin'. Mayhaws are so far away, though. Thanks for the ideas!

Thanks! Not sure what I'm canning yet. I have a week off between work ending and going back to school, and I feel that I should use my time wisely. And so, canning it shall be! Any ideas?

Does anyone know where I can buy Ball jars locally? Suburbs, etc. of NOLA are fine.

Completely agree. I really don't think it needs cold-smoking.

No idea if that will work, but I've done all my bacon smoking on a Weber, and been plenty successful. I don't think you need any crazy gadgets attached or anything.

I think White Castle will be just fine...they're cheap enough to survive anything. I also think that physically, sliders might survive a nuclear holocaust.

Has anyone been lately? This is the one by Cork & Bottle... I'm thinking of stopping by tonight, and I'm wondering if anyone had anything good to say about it. Last I checked, it was pretty tiny, and not too well stocked.

Best answer so far. You win a prize!

On the contrary, the system works just fine for me, jackal. If someone doesn't do their job, they don't get the extra cash. I've never had any problem with it. Furthermore, you're essentially saying that the way the system works now is very similar to systems elsewhere of included service. If customers are afraid to tip less, a standard tip is being given. So if you support standardized tips, what's wrong with the system the way it is now?

That would never happen in Japan. As I said above, people in Japan actually take pride in their work, regardless of what they do. That's the biggest difference between the cullture of work in North American and Japan. This is changing, of course, and it's moving more to a North American work ethic, but hopefully a full switch won't happen for a very long time. ETA: And the above is why the Japanese system of no-tipping would never work in the US. ← So what you're saying is that bad service just doesn't happen in Japan? Ever? Every single worker in Japan works just as well as every other worker in Japan? Every waiter in Japan is perfectly happy and full of pride to be a waiter? Personally, I find this hard to believe. Also, I find the way you've characterized the work ethic in North America appalling. I will not believe for a single second that bad service doesn't happen in Japan the same way it does here.

Isn't it normal in some French restaurants for the pastry/dessert kitchen to be completely separate from the main kitchen? I've heard them talk about the cuisine, and then about the laboratoire. It makes some sense that they'd have different chiefs. ← I've even heard of some NYC restaurants doing this. Can't remember which, though. If you've got the money to do it, and you take pastry seriously, it really is the best option, though.

The fact that patissier isn't translated well is a really interesting point. Maybe that's what I'm misunderstanding, then. The translation of patissier to pastry chef loses the original meaning. It's understandable that those in the position would like to retain the original meaning, but I think what confuses me is that in the English translation, you've already lost the original meaning. I almost think you're gaining more meaning by changing it to something closer to the original French meaning. Maybe not "dessert chef," since that seems to be a source of contention, but perhaps something else? Egulleters, it's time to determine the new name for pastry chefs in English-speaking countries the world over!

I guess my point is that if the reason people are upset with the term is because it defies tradition, that's fine. But when they say it's because the word dessert doesn't encompass all that pastry does, that's when I have trouble with it, because if you're going by dictionary definitions, pastry "is the name given to various kinds of baked goods made from ingredients such as flour, butter, shortening, baking powder or eggs. It may also refer to the dough from which such baked goods are made." Dessert is a "cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal." So, while the entire pastry line is not encompassed by "dessert," neither is the whole dessert line encompassed by "pastry." I'm just sayin'.

Like sharonb, I prefer it when the displayed price includes any and all charges. In Japan the VAT is reflected in the sticker prices of all goods, so you're never surprised at your final bill. There are a few exceptions (some high-end restaurants like RyuGin do add a service fee that is not reflected in the prices on the menu), but they are rare. ← I don't feel that it's really the case that you don't know what you're going to spend. When you live in a place that doesn't include tax and tip, you mentally adjust for it. Maybe slightly more difficult, but it's justified by the fact that if your service is poor, you get the chance to make the ending more happy for you, i.e. cheaper meal! ← I never said you don't have an idea of what you're going to spend in places where tax and tip are not included in prices, what I said was that I prefer to know exactly how much I'm going to spend. When all the costs are spelled out, and in cultures where there is no tipping, I dont have to worry about how much I'm going to tip at all, so it's a very happy ending for me. ← It's all a very happy ending until you get a server who shows up to take your order and give you your bill, lets your water get empty, and spills your food on you. Then you tip them as much as the waiter that handles your every need with skill. I'm just saying I wouldn't be happy with that outcome. ETA: Let's leave it at that, though. I'm happy with our system, and you're happy with yours. Different strokes.

Yeah, it does look quite dark, and it seems odd that if it were curing liquid, it doesn't move anywhere when you flip the belly over like that... Odd. Is that another one at the top left, or just a splash of the cure sticking to the bag? ETA: It's nice that it's in the corner though. If it does need to be cut out, it's conveniently placed.

Very true. That's why references to places like Per Se are less relevant. That being said, I think the original post was misleading. Service i.e. an additional service charge is not included in prices in Japan. The cost of staff is part of the overhead, which of course is factored in when determining prices. No additional money goes to staff other than their basic hourly wage. At places like Per Se, and I understand it there is an understood percentage of the final cost of a meal that is earmarked as a service fee. Like sharonb, I prefer it when the displayed price includes any and all charges. In Japan the VAT is reflected in the sticker prices of all goods, so you're never surprised at your final bill. There are a few exceptions (some high-end restaurants like RyuGin do add a service fee that is not reflected in the prices on the menu), but they are rare. ← I don't feel that it's really the case that you don't know what you're going to spend. When you live in a place that doesn't include tax and tip, you mentally adjust for it. Maybe slightly more difficult, but it's justified by the fact that if your service is poor, you get the chance to make the ending more happy for you, i.e. cheaper meal!

Just as there's a difference between working for a forced (and guaranteed) tip and working to ensure (or, for that matter, insure) your tip. While one view might be that the level of service is more constant in places where tips are included, another view might be that you might experience more outstanding service where tips are variable. Or, you might get to tip less if service sucks. There's a bright side to everything.

If you'd have read my entire question, you'd have seen that I was asking how the term "pastry chef," which from an objective perspective based on the word "pastry," seems to refer to the making of only pastries, is more encompassing than the word dessert, which refers to the making of any dessert, which may or may not include pastries. Your statement, which said both "it just sounds funny" and "it just sounds stupid" did absolutely nothing to address my question. I'd like to point out that I did in fact read the entire thread, and your statement, in addition to the one I quoted, were the ones that prompted me to ask for clarification in the first place. Not one person in this thread has in any clear way explained why the word "pastry" encompasses a greater range of skills than the more general word "dessert." That is why I wish for a little clarification.

On the contrary--your English is very good! Thanks for sharing. I think I might just have to try this out tonight...

I'm with you on that one. I drink much more wine at home than at restaurants, because when a bottle adds $50-$100 to a $100 bill, it just makes me consider whether it's worth it. And to me, I'd much rather pay a little extra for some more food than pay for what (in my price range) rarely ends up being an exciting bottle of wine.

Now that slkinsey points it out, I just realized that the Simple Roast Chicken is not the method I use. I use Keller's 6 hour brining method. Oops.

I don't know. I've gotten great results with paper towels, and it seems like a whole lot of time to wait for what little improvement could come of it. Not even Thomas Keller advocates drying like that!

Just curious- why do you dry it overnight? If you pat it with some paper towels, you can get some nice crispy skin...

"Assertive" is a worthy flavor adjective, whereas the description "tasted like pet food" is trite even by the standards of CitySearch reader comments. And in books, for even longer. ← So if I catch either of you repeating the notion, any time post-1998, that Italian cuisine is ingredient-driven, minimalist, etc., it's okay for me to label those statements as trite? If so, I think I have an appointment with the eG Forums search engine. Seriously, though, Reichl is not making a claim to originality any more than a critic explaining a basic point in any other field is making a claim to originality. She's explaining a tradition and she's explaining it in an accurate distillation. In other words she's doing her job well. ← Assertive is an adjective worthy of describing how flavorful something is, or the ratio of one flavor to another. It does nothing to describe the flavor itself, though. And there isn't anything wrong with making trite comments which sum up Italian cuisine in a pinch, but such statements don't support the claim you made that Reichl's deeper knowledge comes out through them.