Shel_B

It looks to me that there's a big glob of unmelted fat right in the center of the roll. Is that the case? After 48-hours of cooking, I'd have though all the fat would have been rendered out. To what temperature did you cook the brisket?

Elvis was in terrible health. At the time of his death, his weight was estimated at 350 pounds and he was virtually non-functional at the end, being mostly bed-ridden and requiring permanent nursing care. He certainly enjoyed plenty of "Elvis" sandwiches ...not that that was the only factor contributing to his demise. Probably a good idea to minimize intake of those sandwiches though ... "just sayin'"

Looks nice ...

I picked up a jar today. They are a little spicier than I'd imagined although well within my tolerance range and quite acceptable. They will go well on my lunch sandwich made with another of my TJ's favorites. This is not the best pastrami out there, certainly not comparable to the many excellent NYC type pastramis, but I like the flavor, the meat is lean, each slice is just about the perfect size for a sandwich, and it's quite convenient to use. IMO, an ideal convenient sandwich filling. Also works nice with scrambled eggs as an alternative to salami and eggs.

Have you been satisfied with the Epicentre products? So, you're saying that the spice blend from Spicetrekkers are whole spices that I'd grind as needed? That's very nice.

Wherever possible and practical, I buy whole spices and grind or pulverize them before using. And when buying spices, I buy small amounts so when I use them, they are generally fresher. Nothing worse than old, flavor-depleted spices. That said, I may choose to buy some prepared Ras el Hanout spice mixes because of the often large number of spices incorporated into some blends, and buying several different blends will allow for easier comparisons. The links you provided are very helpful. What I noticed is that some have prepared blends that include a great number of spices, more, and more interesting, than many blends and even the recipes I've discovered on line. They seem to be a good way to learn about some of the blends. In that vein, I discovered this online store yesterday. Here's the link to their listing for Ras el Hanout.

The only dry mustard powder I've tried has been Coleman's, and it's pretty hot. Are all dry mustard powders similarly hot or are there milder brands?

Well, let's bump this up and see where it goes ... I would like to play around with making this spice mixture. Various sites on line have recipes, and they vary widely. Certainly some of these mixtures could be a good starting place. However, I'd like to get some suggestions here, where there may be some who have had hands-on experience blending their own mixtures. Looking at the on line recipes, it seems as though I have many, if not most or all, of the more commonly referenced ingredients, and anything that's not here can surely be easily obtained. All suggestions are welcome, including recipes with proportions, techniques, and, of course, some discussion. Thanks!

I like the texture of those muffins. Over the years I've tried making English muffins two or three times, and never got the texture right. Can you provide the recipe and technique used? Thanks!

I received and skimmed through the magazine yesterday, and my first impression resulted in a big shrug. However, I wasn't feeling well, suffering from a severe cold, so I'll take another look when feeling better. That said, I like the concept of the magazine and web site, bringing what might be considered non-traditional recipes and cooking ideas to the readership. That might be a hot idea in many places, but here in the San Francisco area, it's old news. Nothing in the publication jumped out at me and said "Go shopping and get cooking," although I did like the cole slaw recipe even though it's nothing really new here. I guess I just like cole slaw, and there were some interesting and proven (again, not new) preparation techniques used. I like new, innovative, and creative ideas for technique ... hopefully, when I read the issue in depth, I'll become more enthused. I agree with DDF about the font ... a bit small for my old eyes and not one that I particularly like. That there are color pics as opposed to CI's B&W images is a plus. Color always enhances cooking (and other) magazines. However, I do like CI's cover artwork a lot more than the covers on Milk Street. I'm tempted to subscribe just to see where this new publication goes, and if it stays true to it's stated premise. OTOH, I may just use the web site for recipes and ideas. IOW, I'm on the fence and hoping that the magazine lives up to it's promise and potential. $20.00 ain't too much ... I just spent more than that for a few 1/2 pound bags of coffee beans at Peet's.

Please explain this comment. It makes no sense to me. Why should hummus not be eaten before noon or in the evening? What time frame defines "evening" in your part of the world?

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll check them out at my next visit. I sometimes want just that sort of pickle.

Coincidentally, I was looking at This Recipe on Serious Eats earlier, and they showed making the spaghetti in a skillet, with, obviously, very little water. A comment was that the extra starchy water contributed to making an excellent sauce. So, there you have it ... less water than even I was using. Interesting how things have changed. It was always important to use lots of water, now we are using a minimal amount of water.

I usually cook a single serving of pasta in one quart (or less) of water ... I don't measure precisely, but, in any case, I sometimes want starchier H2O than I get.

I understand the dynamics of using the pasta cooking water to add starch and substance to various pasta sauces. However, I often use this whole wheat pasta which doesn't put as much starch into the water as more conventional pasta. What might be a good way to add some starch to the water? Thanks!

Chris Kimball presents a 12 course dinner based on Fannie Farmer's 1896 cookbook, the Boston Cooking-School Cookbook. Dishes were prepared in Kimball's Victoria-style kitchen over a huge wood-burning stove. Watch how recipes were tested and prepared, with everything made from scratch, including making gelatin, working with calves' heads, and recreating recipes using 100+ year old tools. This is a fascinating look back to an exciting time in the United States ... hope you've got a Netflix subscription. Click Here

This afternoon I threw together a little vegetable soup. I added 1 tsp of Diamond Crystal kosher salt while sautéing the mirepoix. A quick taste suggested that would be enough salt. Well, when the soup was finished, it tasted too salty. The extra salty taste may have come from the chicken stock I used (I'll have to check that later). However, I'm wondering if there's a way to reduce the saltiness - maybe drain some liquid and replace with water or some other less salty liquid. That would probably require adding some additional herbs and spices, but that's doable. Can you think of another way to accomplish the task?.

Yes, I, too, would love it if you'd share the recipe. The soup looks to be quite hearty ... yumm!

I don't know why I didn't think of some of our excellent local bakeries. Sheesh! http://www.acmebread.com/bread/rolls

For our annual holiday dinner, I've been requested to bring some dinner rolls. I am not going to bake them, rather, I want to use some frozen or otherwise prepared rolls. What brands should I look for? I think Cook's Illustrated recommended frozen Peperidge Farm rolls, but I'm not sure they are available here in the San Francisco area.

That may be, however, I have tried the peppers from various (not all) sources, including Penzys and Spice House, and have found there to be differences, some subtle and some not-so-subtle. I much prefer the Aleppo pepper I got a couple of years ago. In any case, here's a pepper that seems to be worth trying.

We're all aware of the tragedy in Aleppo, but this is not the place to discuss it. Another (albeit smaller and less important) victim has been Aleppo pepper. I was lucky in that I was able to get a couple of bags of vacuum packed Aleppo pepper before the situation in the area became untenable. However, these bags shall not last forever. I'll be ordering this pepper very soon. Check out the recipe for the Aleppo pepper roasted pork with shallot vinaigrette too. http://www.bonappetit.com/story/red-chile-flakes-bukovo-daphnis-and-chloe These Mellow, Smoky Chile Flakes Are Your Red Pepper Flake Replacement www.bonappetit.com A mildly spicy chile flake that we sprinkle on pizza, pasta, popcorn—okay, everything.

Ranch 99 is a smallish chain with a few stores in several western states. Here's their recent flyer for our area:

Don't you have a recycling program in your area?

A short while ago, I requested a free sample of their current issue, and it arrived yesterday. This evening I got comfortable on the couch, put my feet up, and looked forward to enjoying a pleasant peruse of the content. It was a disappointing experience. The entire content was in black and white, with a complete absence of color for the images and illustrations. There was really nothing to distinguish one page from another, nothing to grab the eye and lead it to an article or a recipe. The bland and monotonous nature of the magazine was quite the soporific. This is not a publication to which I'd care to subscribe. Do they have an art director? The content was similar to the layout - boring and uninteresting. The recipes were not at all inspiring, not a one made me want to check my cupboards, grab some ingredients, and start cooking. To be fair, there were a couple of techniques that looked to be worth trying, but most of the techniques (never mind their presentation) were nothing new even though they seemed to be hailed as a "new discovery." I think they wanted $24.95 for a six issue subscription. Not worth the $$$ IMO. Oh, one other minor annoyance. In order to subscribe or cancel the order, I'd have had to supply my own postage - no prepaid envelope. FEH!