pjs

Thanks Ruth. You've confirmed what I've come to believe about this sauce. It can be called Black Bean or Lobster Sauce--but not "white" Lobster Sauce . Having recently ordered Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce at a well-respected local restaurant--hey, they're using jasmine rice--I was served something with bell peppers in it and no egg whatsoever. Sigh, at least I can cook the real deal at home. PJ

The storage trick is to keep them dry. I store mine in a sealed jar with a few recycled desiccant packets--those little paper pillows with the warning on them "Do Not Eat". PJ

Many Chinese sauces are named for what they are made to flavor, not for what they contain. Lobster Sauce, Fish Sauce, etc. Anyone who buys a quart of Lobster Sauce without the lobster--or shrimp--most likely deserves what he bought. PJ

My favorite Shrimp with Lobster Sauce is a brown sauce of shrimp, ground pork, garlic, ginger and black beans. It's finished with an whole beaten egg stirred in. Usually not on the menu if you're out in the boondocks, but if you explain what you want you may be surprised. I don't know if it is an authentic dish but servers become more friendly when I ask for it when it's not on the menu. PJ

Try ordering Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. Most likely you'll get a white sauce with lots of egg white. I prefer the brown version with black beans sans the egg whites, but finished with an whole egg. Since I'm now far removed from NYC's Chinatown, I make it at home. PJ PS If you order Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce you might get what you expected. Or maybe not.

The owner of my local Asian grocery told me when I asked for Sichuan peppercorns that his inventory was confiscated. Citrus canker is a serious threat to the growers here in Florida. When they find an infected tree they not only destroy it but also destroy all the trees within a large radius of the infected tree. PJ

Gatorade is the ultimate delivery vehicle for Everclear. Just ask Wolke. PJ

I remember reading in one of MH's books that in the past most Italian kitchens didn't have an oven. Stove-top or outdoor grilling were the only options. So stove-top cooking is authentic and the way I do my shanks. Her technique for cooking beans in the oven does work well though. Dana, it sounds like you're using too much flour. All you want is a very, very light over-all dusting. It will enhance the browning and the fond. All this veal and flour talk is making me hungry for a MH stew with tomato and peas. PJ

The 1941 version by chef Louis Diat of the Ritz used--according to Molly O'Neill--a 3 lb boneless sirloin butterflied, seasoned with Worcestershire and S&P, stuffed with a dozen, sewn shut and broiled. It was sliced for serving. PJ

This is the recipe I've been using lately. Only I'll throw in a little garlic and a few anchovy fillets a la Bittman. It reheats just fine if you add a little of Marcella's secret ingredient--water. Suzanne, you ever notice the editing of the recipes in "Essentials" from the originals in "The Classic"? PJ

I love fish "burgers". Especially ones made with fresh salmon and using sour cream as the binder. Never tried them with fresh mayo but now I will. Thanks, Suzanne. I bought the 12" specifically to be able to comfortably cook a cut-up chicken without crowding. Apparently chicken doesn't season so I'll be doing a lot more fatty pork and beef even if the size of the pan is overkill. I also think I need a cast iron dutch oven for deep frying on the stove-top, for the heat retention. PJ

Hey, can I commiserate? I also have a 12" in the raw Lodge skillet. Six or so months old and still lacking. Fish cakes may help but I've decided to force the issue with a pound or so of pork jowl bacon. PJ

I think I'm still alive and healthy today due to the lunches I received attending NYC grade schools in the sixties. Lunch always consisted of a thick, well-made soup, a sandwich, a container of whole milk plus a dessert. When I graduated to junior-high the cafeteria food was so bad I had no choice but to sneak out at lunchtime for pizza and fresh baked bagels. Often I didn't bother going back. PJ

I use EVOO (supermarket grade) to fry/saute slices of par-boiled small red potatoes. I add a good dose of butter about half-way through and sprinkle with garlic, shallots and parsley a minute or two before done. It just doesn't work as well with other oils. Or smell or taste as good. PJ

Why? I usually buy Wondra in the small round cardboard container with the dispenser top. I found out the hard way that that container is definitely not bug proof. In fact if you introduce an unprotected container of Wondra into the pantry all those tiny black bugs hibernating in the Hungarian paprika and the shitake mushrooms will awaken and seek it out. Seriously, I think I was programmed at an early age by watching my grandmother--she was a master in pantry management in the days before zip-locks and twist-ties. All the dry goods went into jars with a small piece of the boxtop ripped off and added for identification. She even cut down half empty cornflake boxes to save space in the cabinets. PJ

My 2¢'s. It's worth having around for all the aforementioned reasons. Just don't store it in the original container. Transfer it into a jar after opening. PJ

That would depend on how he cooked them. PJ

I'm particularly fond of the mass produced "Everclear". 151 proof pure grain alcohol. I distinctly remember the bottle having at one time a locomotive on the label. Lately the label mostly has warnings about health and volitility concerns, e.g. this shit can explode or catch fire if mishandled or kill you if you drink it. PJ PS: I only use it to mix up shellac flakes. I'd only drink it in an emergency.

azlee, Dave gave you some good advice but going the acid route would be my second choice. First would be calling around to local automotive and general machine shops and asking them if they have a bead blaster and if they'd mind blasting clean a slightly rusted cast iron kettle. Bead blasting is similar to sand blasting but done with glass beads or other less abrasive media. It is often used to clean rust from cast iron and other metals. I'd think it would take 10 minutes to bring the kettle back to as-new condition as long as it wasn't heavily rusted. It's so easy I'd do it for you for free if I had the piece here. BTW nice article Dave. PJ

My jar of Koon Chun brand's list of ingredients is: Sugar, Vinegar, Soya Bean, Water, Salt, Wheat Flour, Garlic, Sesame Seed, Chili, Spices and good old FD&C Red #40. PJ

Lots of indecipherable chinese characters. PJ

Thanks for the tip. I bought a bottle over the weekend. Good stuff. Much better than the Thai sauce I was using. PJ

With simple syrup and good flavorings you can also make killer "Italian Ices" in the machine. PJ

For what it's worth, when the ice cream came out of the the machine it went into what I remember what we called the "shock freezer"--temp way below zero. I think this was to avoid the dreaded ice-crystals. After a day or two it was transferred to a regular freezer. Ingredients were always 28% butterfat ice cream mix, sugar and flavorings, nothing else. We used a custard mix with eggs in a soft-serve machine in a futile attempt to compete with Carvel whose product was just a mediocre soft-serve ice cream. PJ

Jason is correct. Having worked in an ice cream parlor as a teenager where EVERYTHING was made on premises--including the chocolate Easter bunnies--frozen custard has eggs, ice cream does not. PJ