pjs

I'm in central Florida but I'm lucky that I have a good Asian grocery five minutes from where I work. I agree, there are subtle differences between the brands. I currently have three different shoyus on the counter that I like. Import Kikkoman dark, import Kikkoman light and a Korean light (by far the saltiest of the three). I love the fact that once you become familar with the taste of imported shoyu you immediately detect it--or its absence --when dining out or getting take-out. BTW I looked it up last night. Virginia Lee's book says shoyu lasts "almost indefinitely" stored unrefrigerated. Good, I can buy some more varieties, like Black Soy. And yes, fermented black beans and oyster sauce belong in the refrigerator. PJ

Amazingly, I have almost everything on hand in Ed's first post and a lot of the staples in the second. My problem with the more unfamiliar items is how and where to store them. For example: Currently the oyster sauce, hoisin & bean sauce, and sesame oil is in the fridge but my three liters of different soy sauces are on the counter. The labels say they belong in the fridge but they take up too much real estate. I think they would be fine left out due to the salt content. Dried mushrooms and chiles are in jars in a cabinet but curiously I keep my salted black beans under refrigeration. Some storage tips would be appreciated. The fish sauce is staying safely in the garage despite what anyone recommends. PJ

I noticed my Coleman's tin has a Royal Warrant on it. Should I take this to mean it's a fine product fit for the Queen or a warning to run away? Or does it mean nothing at all? PJ

I like Alton a lot but sometimes he's contrarian just for the sake of being so. I don't mind him recommending an electric knife to carve the roast but when in another show he advised using a butter knife to open clams I could of smacked him silly. A freakin' clam knife at the local restaurant supply costs like $2.50 and it's the same one the pros use and much safer. He says it's multi-tasking. Yeah, you can clean the counter with the dishtowel and also use it to wrap your bleeding palm. Rant over. Back to roasts. Lots and lots of Kosher salt rubbed in works for me. PJ

Goya. Rinse them. Only shortcoming with canned is that I find them slightly overcooked. PJ

Chef Ripert, What do you most fondly remember about Gilbert? I have VHS tapes of a Pierre Franey show taped in 1989-90(?). Two of the episodes featured Le Bernadin. I dug them out tonight hoping to see the younger Ripert in action. Alas, the segments were apparently taped when the restaurant was closed--no one in the background. However, Gilbert was superb doing a scallop with sorral in one and poaching medallions in the other. PJ

At first I thought Mrs Macro was doing something devious in her recipe, like adding truffles. Having read the posts above I think it's standard-issue chopped liver--which is, after all, the best. 2½ lb cleaned chicken livers (or chicken and calves, I like half and half. Cut calves liver into pieces the size of the chicken livers) 4 cups sliced onion 4 hard boiled eggs Vegetable oil Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) In a large skillet saute the livers in equal quantities of veg oil and schmaltz, 1-2 tb ea. Have a cover for the pan handy as the chicken livers will pop and splatter. When cooked through, chill. Treat the onions in exactly the same manner as the liver but cook until very brown and carmelized. Chill. Combine liver, onions, eggs, a little additional schmaltz, and generous S&P in the food processor and pulse/process 'til you get the consistency you want. Don't over-do it. Chill. Mrs Macro may have omitted the onions and used them as a condiment instead. I'd be interested in reading her version when the lawyers sort it out. PJ P.S. My father made those pickles. I called them half-sour half-sours.

Simon, If you want the Kosher Kontingent to post chopped liver recipes be more specific. Chicken liver, calves liver, combination of both? Eggy or not? Most important---do you have a container of chicken fat in the fridge? PJ

Jason, if you're stuck on a 10" check out the Wusthof 10" wide. Serious Heavy Steel. Rachel may have trouble lifting it though. PJ

Andy, Are mushy pea fritters made from leftover Pease Pudding? I've seen "authentic" F&C batter recipes using baking soda as a leavening agent but never yeast. I'll give yours a try. PJ

ADAPTED from a NYT's article, 1984. BEER BATTER 1 cup plus 1 TB flour Salt to taste 1 TB oil ¾ cup beer (use imported ale: i.e. Bass) at room temp. 2 TB lukewarm water 1 egg, separated Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and add oil. Add beer and water while stirring with a whisk. Stir until blended. Beat in the egg yolk. Cover and place in a warm location. Let stand 2-3 hours. Beat the egg white until stiff and fold into the batter. Dip and fry. PJ PS: Andy is cheating. Only a Brit would use yeast.

Jason, after the water content, domestic (US) Kikkoman's dominant ingredient is wheat. The imported is soybeans. PJ

Just to be annoyingly pedantic, "stainless steel" means a 10.5 % chromium content and if a knife is advertised as being made of such run away. This is why conscientious manufacturers who use less chromium--chromium sharpens like shit but keeps the knife shiny--call their stuff more simply "stainless". Maggie, Japanese stones are called waterstones. This is to differentiate them from the rancid oil-soaked natural stones Nickn uses. PJ

"Thats why giving people kitchen knives as gifts is a really shitty idea to begin with. " Not always. A couple of years ago I bought my mother an 8" chef and a parer, both Henkels. I was tired of being recruited to carve whatever was in the oven using the junk she got from QVC. Of course she promptly misplaced them in their original packaging and they were presumed missing forevermore. On Thursday we took her out for dinner to a lovely buffet so she wouldn't have to cook for Thanksgiving. She invited me over tonight for a Channukah dinner. I went expecting brisket and latkes but what did I find in the damn oven--a freaking turkey! After assessing the progress of the bird with a useless thermo-fork thing with flashing LED's and buzzers that had no reference to the actual temp, I got the bird out breast perfect--thighs slightly underdone (back in the oven with them removed). After forcing everyone to wait while the bird rested I began searching for the Ginzu knife. Lo and behold! I found the Henkels in the back of the overhead cabinet!! A few minutes later both breast halves were off whole--one sliced, wings off, thighs sliced and legs separated. I fully expect on my next visit they will be MIA again. Back on topic, Jason is right. Do some research and figure out what you expect the knife to do or not do before plunking down big bucks for one. PJ

For about the same money you can get the Wusthof 8" chef with the wide blade. I bought one of these a few weeks ago. The blade is about ½" wider at the bolster--providing extra knuckle clearance. The blade gradually tapers down to a regular chef's knife tip so it minces garlic just like a regular knife. The extra blade area also lets you scrape more off the board at a time. It is well balanced and hefty--just shy of 11oz. It almost makes breaking down a chicken fun. PJ

There's a recipe for Kishka on pp16 of Molly O'Neill's "New York Cookbook". I haven't tried it but it sounds like the stuff I remember and love. The contributor's name being Boris only adds authenticity. PJ

Nickn, I've never tried roasting the chicken bits beforehand. I would think it adds a nice flavor. If you don't like skimming your chicken stock forever as it cooks try this tip I gleaned from Pierre Franey--most likely common knowlege in France. Before starting your stock put your bones and whatnot into the stockpot and cover with cold water. Heat until it comes to a boil. Immediately drain in a colander and rinse with cold water--then proceed with making your stock. PJ

Oh my. Fresh chicken stock. No need for enhancers. If it doesn't set up like jelly after refrigeration you're doing something wrong. I use the backs and necks saved and frozen from previous sautes supplimented by some fresh thighs and legs. Simmer until the fresh pieces totally disintergrate into the broth and add their collagen. That way no one can pass them off as boiled chicken. PJ

Ginger lasts almost forever submerged in sherry in a jar in the fridge. PJ

Cakewalk nailed it except for the keeping kosher thing. Yes, boiled chicken sucks. To this day I still prefer to sit at the kiddie card table. My first sip of wine was probably of Mateuse or Boones Farm but it came after drinking Colt 45 behind the junior high school. PJ

Sour cream seems to last well past the expiry--like two weeks past or more. Don't try this with milk or cream cheese though. PJ

Bean, Having dug the book out and having reread the prologue and the last chapter I don't think you'll be disappointed with it. In the former Schell records a long night he spent with one of his sows (he raised pigs) during a difficult labor and how the judicious use of pharmaceuticals helped the birthing. The use of pharmaceuticals he describes in the rest of the book is anything but judicious. Ignore the Ralph Nader blurb on the back of the dust cover. I'm sure Schell had nothing to do with it appearing there. PJ

Cheer up Nick, we're not that ancient. I dug the book out. It's only 18 years old. PJ

Human Bean summed the irradiation question up nicely. As far as meat safety, don't forget Orville Schell's book "Modern Meat." Although written over 20 years ago he documents five and a half year-old girls in Puerto Rico going through puberty due to hormone suppliments in poultry. Nice horror stories about antibiotics too--long before it hit the popular press. Gotta go, I think my steak is done. PJ

Nickn, I just pulled that price out of my memory. Current prices for that size are closer to $10.00. Speaking of "short" lobsters when I went out with the divers we had to smuggle one ever so slightly undersized one onshore to ensure everyone got one. My status as the only single guy on the boat meant it was mine. It was sooooo good. PJ