Shel_B

Recently we had a family-type dinner with friends and family. A young lady (24 yo), who was the caretaker for the old, infirm matriarch of the family, spent most of dinner time on her cell phone using very "rough" language and speaking very loudly. It was not my place to say anything, but I was very angry, as were some of the other guests. This woman made seven phone calls during dinner, and her conversation was liberally peppered with some of the foulest language I've ever heard - and I've heard some pretty foul language in my 60+ years.

Lidia Bastianich has a recipe in which she separates the leaves and then cooks them with oilve oil, garlic, sea or kosher salt, some red chile flakes and a little red wine vinegar. The results were quite good.

Why is the eGullet roasted cailiflower infamous? Or did you mean famous?

There are some Krups grinders Here. I mention the Krups because I have two Krups models (one like the F203), both about 25 years old (maybe a little more) and both have given me great service. These grinders are in the price range you've asked about.

What about popping with a mixture of butter and oil? Has anyone tried it?

But does that make it "better?" And better in what way? How much exercise do the fish get? Nowhere near as much as wild, I'd guess. Exercise contributes to the development of muscle meat, which influences taste and texture. I'm not suggesting that the Kindai tuna is of inferior quality, and I like the idea from what I've read about it thus far (four articles), but wild fish, while not having all aspects of their life controlled, can develop differently, and in some respects "better" than farmed fish, just as farmed fish may have some better aspects than wild fish.

I have a cxouple of Krups grinders, and have tried using one for coffee and spice grinding, cleaning the grinder with rice as you mentioned. It didn't work too well as, even with cleaning, there was a slight "mingling" of flavors. If you want to try it, be sure to clean the grinder VERY well, running fresh rice through the machine at least three times until powdered. Maybe you'll have better luck than I - the types of spice may play a role here. However, using two grinders is probably a better, long trm choice.

Thanks for the link. I really have no desire to own a food mill, and probably wouldn't buy the one you linked to. It looks to be made of plastic - I don't care to use any plastic-made products. Were I to get a food mill, I'd go for a good quality stainless steel mill. Hand operated would be fine. I didn't know there were food mills that were other than hand operated.

That's a great idea. I'll try that this weekend.

I don't have a food mill, nor will I be getting one for quite soe time. However, including some of the skin sounds like a good idea, but I'd only used organic, unwaxed apples for that.

The nutmeg sounds like a nice addition. Thanks for the idea.

Might be nice for a "holiday" version .... thks!

Hi, Every now and then I make a batch of apple sauce, most often using Gravenstein apples from the trees that grow in my yard and the neighbor's yard. Usually I just peel and chop the apples, add some fresh apple juice to the mixture, and the apples down, covered, on low heat, until they reach the consistancy I like. I then mash the mixture with a potato masher, leaving some chunks for texture. Well, it's apple season here, and the local markets have about fifty varieties of apples to choose from. What type of apples might you suggest? I want to try some honey crisp, some winesap, and Arkansas black. Good choices? Also, any techniques or additions to the recipe that you might want to share? Sometimes I add a scosh of cinnamon, never use sugar, and not tried salt. Don't care for sugar .... Thanks!

The box of Diamond Crystal salt in my kitchen is at least two years old, maybe even three or more. Will salt last indefinitely before losing any of its qualities? Might it absorb moisture, for example, and be less "potent?" Is there a preferred way to store it? Mine's just in the box it came in, set near the stove. Do different types of salt require different handling and storage techniques? Thanks!

I've been making a couple of chicken dishes - one steeped, one steamed - for years - browning just wouldn't work for them. Is roasting a chicken the same as browning the bird? Or are they two different processes?

This afternoon I spent a few hours in the back yard, and on my way in grabbed a green (unripe) orange from the tree. Upon tasting the fruit, it tasted remarkably lemon-like, with a nice hint of orange to it. I may try using some green oranges in place of lemons in a few dishes. Has anyone used green oranges in their cooking? How did you use them?

A couple of weeks ago I went out to dinner with a few friends - it had been a long time since I ate out and I wanted this to be special. I ordered the Osso Buco. I never had it before, so wasn't sure what to expect. After the meal I felt that I didn't get my full money's worth, and started researching Osso Buco. Here's what I found: The veal shanks, in all the pictures I saw, were lighter in color than beef shanks, and lighter in color than what I had for dinner. I cannot help but wonder if this Berkeley restaurant was being "politically correct" and providing beef instead of veal. Could the restaurant have used "old" veal? The menu said "Veal Osso Buco." For future information, is there a way to determine if the meat is veal or beef? The Osso Buco came to the table pretty quickly, and tasted somewhat dry. I suspect the meat was prepared earlier and then just warmed over for table service. I also suspect that this happens frequently in many restaurants, and that in and of itself is not a bad thing, and that the execution is the main consideration. Comments? In reading about the dish, some articles suggested that the rear shanks contain more marrow, which, in my novice opinion, is part of what Osso Buco is about. I had three pieces of meat on the bone, and only one bone had marrow, and it did not go all the way through the bone. I feel as though I got shortchanged on the marrow. In fact, one of the bones didn't have meat all around it, just a couple of small pieces stuck to the bone. Now I am determined to find a restaurant that serves good Osso Buco. What questions should I ask? What should I look for? I also want to make some at home - any tips or suggestions? What to look for in good, high quality veal? Thanks for any and all help.

Nomad, Fat Guy .... that's good information. I should mention that the 6-quart pot is a very specific pot, chosen for depth and diameter, and with certain ingredients in mind. So, if I can find a larger capacity pot with the same diameter and other comparable qualities, the 8-quart would be an acceptable choice. Thanks!

But I needn't have only one pot ... being "hard pressed" to tell the difference between the results of two pots suggests to me that a difference can be discerned. Is that what you are saying? My position is that I want to use the best possible choice for a given dish, and if using a smaller pot for one of my favorite and frequently cooked dishes will give the better result, then I'd rather use the smaller pot. Unfortunately, I don't know if the smaller pot will give a better result ... I only suspect that it might.

Christopher Ranch has been buying and reselling Chinese garlic in order to remain competitive. While I do not know for sure just what garlic products Christopher Ranch sells that are Chinese in origin, it's quite possible that the peeled garlic is Chinese product if only because the peeled garlic cannot be easily identified as Chinese or California grown. Also, as noted in other posts, the quality of the peeled garlic seems to be inferior to the whole cloves, and it is acknowledged that Chinese garlic tends to be milder and less flavorful. Bill Christopher is candid about what he sells, so if you were to ask him specifically which garlic products that he sells are Chinese in origin, I'm sure he'll tell you. I've stopped buying Christopher Ranch garlic and am only purchasing whole cloves from the local farmers' market here in Berkeley.

Obviously? No, I don't think so. There may be many other reasons why infections are spread in hospitals.

There is a poached chicken dish I like to make, and a 6-quart stock pot is the perfect size for the bird and the vegetables. I'm about to buy a new pot, and want to get a 6-quart size to perfectly accomodate the ingredients in this recipe. A couple of friends suggest that I should get a larger pot - 8-quarts, for example - and just put less liquid in it it when cooking the smaller amount of ingredients. To me, it just seems like a better plan to use a pot that's perfectly sized, and that wom't have excessive liquid or a lot of unused space. What are your thoughts? A perfectly sized pot or one that's larger but less filled with ingredients? What are the pros and cons of these options?

I like the tea selections - quite a wide range in a broad price catagory, the free sampling, the great conversations around the tea bar, the wonderful staff and owners, the great decoration of the place ... the personal attention that is given to the customers. I'd been going there since the place opened, although since the move to FourthStreet I don't get there very often. For me, the place is a haven - it has a very warm, close, personal feel to it.

My current roasting pan is about 30-years old, and it is an inexpensive stainless steel pan with a flimsy wire rack to hold items above the floor of the pan. I hadn't roasted very often, so this pan, which is but a step or two up from the disposable aluminum pans so many people buy for their Thanksgiving turkey, hasn't been much of an issue. However, I now want a better pan as there are plans to try a few roasts over time, and I want one that can accomodated some meat bones and vegetables to roast for making stock as well. Unfortunately, I don't know squat about what to look for ... a little help would be appreciated. What size would be good for the occassional small roast (4-6 people), a nice pile of bones and veges for stock, maybe making roast potatoes or roasted vegetables? Material? I don't want a non-stick surface, but I wouldn't mind one that's easy to clean and maintain. How deep should the pan be? What type of rack is best? Is there a "best" type of rack? My primary concern is performance, followed closely by durability and a reasonable cost. Heck, I don't even know what a reasonable cost should be $100.00? Thanks for any help.

I like Téance in Berkeley quite a lot.