pjs

I did a little research in the home library. The Filet-O-Fish was originally conceived in the early 60’s by Lou Groen, a franchisee in Cincinnati, who believed his mediocre sales had a lot to do with not having something to offer his predominant catholic neighborhood on Fridays. After much begging and pleading, corporate allowed him to market a fish sandwich of his own invention. It was halibut in a pancake batter and it improved his sales markedly. The eventual corporate version--Holly’s right, it was cod--took over a year to develop and was largely the result of a lot of hard labor by someone who didn’t even work for McDonald’s. Bud Sweeney was employed by Gorton’s and it took him over nine months to come up with a product McD corporate could be satisfied with. In return Gorton’s initially got all of McDonald’s fish business. According to John F. Love's excellent 1986 book "McDonald's, Behind the Arches", the tartar sauce came from chef Paul Burnet of Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel. PJ

Speaking of steamed buns, does White Castle still steam theirs? On request? Like ketchup? BTW fish sandwiches seem to be making a comeback in the fast food arena. Checkers ran a big promo with them down here in the south last month. They sucked compared to the McD item I remember from years ago. I'm afraid to try the current offering from McD. Some memories are better left alone. PJ

I think you could generate that kind of heat at home with a welding torch (roesebud tip) and a 14" cast iron skillet --outside of course and with the use of welding mittens. Measuring temps over 1,000° gets tricky. You have to rely on the color of the metal. I might actually try this. PJ

I witnessed an embarrassing episode at a local high-end restaurant where my cousin insisted on a "bleu" steak and sent it back twice--the center was cold. Her boyfriend at the time was a chef in Miami so I guess I can cut her some slack for ordering a blue steak, but she should of realized the local kitchen staff here in the outback are used to medium-rare and don't know shit about blue. She wound up eating only salad which at the time I though she deserved for being so picky. It was obvious to me that the kitchen was cooking cold steaks straight out of the fridge. If you want to blue it, let it come to room temp first. PJ

Here's a hit and run recipe for authentic Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, or Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce, or Shrimp with Egg Sauce, or... Cook the shrimp. About a pound. Velveting is recommended but you can stir-fry instead if you must. I velvet using a marinade of sherry (1 TBS) and cornstarch (1 TBS). Drain and set aside. For the sauce stir-fry some chopped ginger (2 tsp), some chopped garlic (1 TBS), and a 1-2 TBS of well-rinsed minced salted black beans in some oil over very high heat for 30 seconds or so. Add a handful of well-chopped or ground pork, 2 TBS of soy sauce, a little sugar and 1 cup water. Simmer for two minutes to reduce slightly. Add the shrimps and about a 1/4 cup cornstarch slurry to thicken. Gently stir in one well-beaten whole egg to finish. This sauce is definitely brown, not grey or white, and oh so yummy. PJ

It's a brown sauce not a white one. Made with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fermented black beans, ground pork and an whole beaten egg that you stir into the dish to finish it. No broth, only water. No peas either Stefany. Definitely not something you can order in the local restaurant unless you live on Elizabeth St. PJ

I recently acquired a cookbook by Kenneth Lo, the book is of British origin, first published in '74. In it he describes three types of soy sauce, light, dark and heavy. He further describes the taste of the the heavy variety as "not unlike Marmite, but with a more universal palatability." I'd guess he's referring to a really dark or black soy and not something more mysterious. The book also gave me another name for one of my favorite Chinese recipes. Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, or Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce, or the new one, Shrimp with Egg Sauce. The recipe was spot on so I will need to investigate this book further. PJ

I'll second Soba's choice of Smuckers All Natural for readily available supermarket brands. The label lists only peanuts and salt as ingredients. Plus it separates if left alone for a while so you have to stir it for a while before using. Much better than the highly processed stuff. PJ

Standard American butter packaging is four sticks (1/4 pound each) individually wrapped in wax paper, in a paper box. Only the premium brands like Land-O-Lakes come in foil, which is by far a superior packaging method. . I think the wrapping depends on the whether it's salted or not. The more fragile unsalted gets the foil and the more durable salted gets the wax paper. For the past six months I've been using Lurpak unsalted. It doesn't hang around long enough to have to be frozen. I do keep some foil-wrapped L'O'L's in the freezer for emergencies. PJ

I think it was Bourdain doing a Charlton Heston impression. PJ

Thanks for explaining the oil issues Ed. The peanut oil I've been using is a nondescript store brand without much flavor. I like the high heat tolerance for frying things like french fries. I have three quart jars of used oil in the fridge at the moment. One for velveting, one for fries and one for breaded seafood. I also have a jar of rendered chicken fat that I use for finishing Cantonese recipies that call for it. Of course I also use the chicken fat when I'm making chopped liver. PJ

I've been using mostly peanut oil, but I also use corn and canola. How many times you can reuse the oil it is a judgement call. Just make sure to strain it well and store it in the fridge. I'd think even the high-end restaurants aren't tossing a quart of oil with every order. Maybe Ed can enlighten us. At the other end of the spectrum, when I worked a fryolator I remember we changed the oil about once a week. For velveting I'd conservatively say you could reuse it at least 3 or 4 times. PJ PS Forgot to mention a thermometer is essential. 300 degrees.

Maybe you could give us a rough translation of the list of 13. What I don't get is why Kikkoman seems so determined to hide the existence of these products from non-Japanese. I mean, wouldn't there be value added in promoting and selling these products? Is anybody at Kikkoman thinking this through, or are they too busy trying to make synthetic firefly juice? My guess is they have some sort of marketing or distribution agreement here in the US with a third party. I know my grocer has a hard time keeping the imported products on his shelves. They are also relatively expensive when he does have them. I think the imported products would sell like hotcakes in the local supermarket if they were available. PJ

My grocer has the Sweet Kikkoman on the shelf. If I knew what to do with it I'd buy a liter. PJ

I've recently started using the velveting technique in some recipies. I think it makes a real difference in the finished product. All you really need beyond what's needed for a stir-fry is a strainer over a pot for draining and some extra oil which you can reuse. And everyone knows reused oil tastes better. Up to a point. Of course. PJ

If you are buying import soys becareful of those that say light on the label, look specifically for low salt. The Japanese usukuchi soy sauces are usually referred to as "light" meaning that they are lighter in color, and actually have more salt then the regular soy. torakris, you're right about the salt content difference between imported usukuchi and imported regular shoyu. At least when comparing the Kikkoman varieties. According to the nutrition labels regular is 41% percentage daily value per serving and the usukuchi is 47%. I also noticed the usukuchi has corn syrup and rice alcohol added. PJ

FG: More concentrated is a good description I'd agree with. As for olive oil I prefer cheap Spanish first cold press. PJ

I'm still a novice as far as Asian coooking goes. But I'm learning. Kikkoman Imported Shoyu. Kikkoman Usukuchi. Some Korean Shoyu that has absolutely nothing I can understand anywhere on the label. PJ

Just stumbled onto this thread. Having spent a month in hospital a few years ago undergoing nasty chemical therapeutics I'll add my two cents. Eat the eggs they serve you at breakfast (especially if, as in my case, they were real, not reconstituted). It is the only real food you will ever see. The accompanying soggy toast kept covered with the eggs should be avoided at all costs. Also to be avoided are all the expensive nutritional drinks they will foist on you when you begin to gag on the regular chow. Show your nurses the ingredients listed on the can and they will then not hound you to drink it. I enjoyed building things with the unopened cans. Sympathetic nurses may offer to heat you up some Campbell's soup in the local microwave. After much consultation concerning your eating disorder the nutritionist will make sure you're served day old separated milkshakes made especially for you, with bad ingredients, to regain your appetite and keep you nourished. PJ

elyse, my stove doesn't get hot. It's electric. When it gets hot it blows a circuit breaker. PJ

I love bok choy--or is it chinese cabbage--and don't discard the green part as most of my chinese cookbooks tell me to. I think I will visit my Asian grocer tomorrow and demand some baby bok choy. Fresh green beans work so well in recipies for long beans that I've never tried to source the real thing. PJ

Lurpak rules. At least, it rules out here in the hinterlands where choice is limited. It seems to have a high water content though, which makes for much spitting and spatter in a hot pan, but that's a small price to pay for the end result. PJ

I like to slice my breast halves into two thinner pieces, no pounding, makes for quicker cooking. Also, I usually add fresh rosemary or whatever is around to the crumb and cheese mixture. When they are done remove them and brown some butter spritzed with lemon juice in the pan to finish. This is one of the two cooking methods I know of to make chicken breasts palatable. PJ

I've been using this breading technique, fresh crumbs and freshly grated ParmaReg, for the past ten years. Thin slices, think scallopine, can be cooked quickly over high heat on the stove-top. Thick, unpounded or unsliced chicken breasts are better finished in the oven. I also think fresh bread crumbs work better than panko in this particular application. Although, panko does work better than that stuff in the round cardboard container. PJ

The stir-fry Beef with Asparagus recipe from V. Lee has always worked for me. Also P. Franey has a recipe for a side dish where asparargus are sauteed in butter and finished with shoyu, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds that I use often. I need to try the roasting method to expand the repertoire. PJ