MSRadell

Not that I speak on behalf of all servers or anything, but I can easily recognize quantity of work in my own job-- if I have a single guy come in, order a single drink (though maybe its expensive) and order a single course (though maybe its an expensive one) but he's in-and-out, and I have to do little more than punch his stuff into the computer and bring it out, even if his bill is 50 bucks i certainly don't expect 10 bucks simply because I was there to bring him his food. Similarly, if I bust my butt all night for a table of six who run me ragged ordering and re-ordering cheap stuff, and their bill hits a hundred bucks, i CERTAINLY expect that they notice how much i went out of my way for them and not leave me only a twenty. In my book the tip for good service is 15% and to give anything above that service should be exceptional! I realize that wait staff deserves to receive a good wage for their work but they need to realize that customers also have budgets to live within. ← That's fine that we all have budgets to live in, but people need to factor the service in with their meal. When you have fifty dollars to spend, you don't spend 45 and think "eh, i'll just tip less to keep it in budget." You spend 40, and fulfill your responsibility as a proper diner. Customers may have budgets for dining out, but servers have budgets for their rent and groceries. If you can't spend it, don't go out. ← You mixed up two quotes in your post and completely overlooked the first part of my thread which in my opinion is the most important, would you care to respond to that? In response to your post, If I spend $45.00 for dinner my tip would be at least $7.00 if the level of service was as expected possibly more if the service was better than expected. Very seldom if ever though would I tip $10.00 on a $40.00 bill as you suggest unless the waiter (waitress) went out of their way to make my dining experience memorable.

Since when has the "Standard" tip risen to 20%? It used to be 15% and now I see people like you saying it is 18% to 20%, why has the base point shifted? Don't give me the argument that it had rise to keep up with inflation, the cost of food and meals has risen faster than inflation still a 15% tip today is worth more than a 15% tip was in 1970 (date used as an example) when inflation is figured in. In my book the tip for good service is 15% and to give anything above that service should be exceptional! I realize that wait staff deserves to receive a good wage for their work but they need to realize that customers also have budgets to live within.

It would be interesting to hear from some one that works in wait staff at one of the restaurants that has started charging the surcharge to see if their tips stayed the same or went down after the surcharge. My guess is their tips may have gone down a little. If they have I'm sure the wait staff likes a surcharge even less than the customers do. Overall I'd certainly rather have the menu prices raised than a surcharge added. To me a surcharge is just deceptive marketing since the price you see isn't actually what you pay!

It may be possible on a stainless steel pan but on an aluminum pan you would take off the anodizing and the remaining surfers wouldn't be usable for much.

From personal experience my opinion is that in general service in Western Europe is not as good overall as it is in the United States. That being said, service at high end restaurants is on par with (or even better than) what we see in the states. The difference becomes very evident at mid and lower level restaurants where the service in Europe is very lacking in most cases. Of course small family owned restaurants have great service there too but there are very few of that type of restaurant in the United States to compare them with. As for Eastern Europe I've found that the level of service is normally quite good across the board. This could be due to the high unemployment levels and the desire of employees to keep their jobs. I didn't have any experience as far as Australia is concerned. PS: Actually tipping for exceptional service is becoming a little more normal in Western Europe than it used to be, again normally just in high end restaurants.

Chile, and similar soups also freeze very well and are very hardy especially for the winter months. Every winter we make chili and taco soup (we had the cheese and chips when defrosted) to freeze so that if we're in a hurry for a meal we can prepare it quickly. We freeze them for 3-4 months with no degradation in quality or flavor. Also most broth based soups freeze very well. Soups that have whole vegetables or large pieces of them seem to experience some changes in texture when frozen.

I've got to agree with the statement "More stress on wine education and less "Wine for Dummies"". In my opinion the best commandments in the list are numbers 11 - 13, the first 10 are just too basic and should be done by anyone in the restaurant business. A Sommelier should know and promote his wines of not merely allow customers to pick. Yes he needs to know when to back off and let the customer make a decision but up-front he should take the lead promoting the wines he has!

Finally, someone that knows about fish! I knew perch and sunfish were not the same based on what I caught as a youth and I certainly didn't know all the terminology. Kind of strange that bass are part of the sunfish group since there not even close to the same shape (actually shaped more like perch). It's also kind of interesting that Tilapia are cichlids like the ones I have a my fish tank, at least now I know what to do when a fish dies

I've got two good restaurant stories. The first occurred several years ago while I was living in France. An employee who works for me arrived in France for a stay after attending our companies language school. The first weekend he was there we went to a nice cafe for lunch. I ordered steak TarTar which I really enjoy my friend anxious to use its French said "La même chose bien faite" (the same thing well done). It only took the waitress about 10 minutes to quit laughing! I still harass him about this! The second incident with a few weeks ago at a local casual dining restaurant. My wife and I were enjoying a pleasant dinner when a party of four adults in two children (age 5+/-) at a table next to us. As soon as they were seated the first thing they did was open up a portable DVD player and put in a comedy for the children to watch. The children turned the volume up and spend the remainder that time we were there (about an hour) laughing and giggling trying to be louder than the video. Their parents acted like the kids didn't even exist. I don't know who was ruder the parents or restaurant management for letting it occur!

I've actually got a Kitchenaid immersion blender (model KHB-200) they don't make this model anymore but the only difference between it and the ones they do make use the included accessories. I find it it is very powerful and I have had no problem mixing anything with it. Another nice feature is that it separates into two pieces so the business end can be easily washed. Even though it's not a commercial unit it does the job for me.

A winter squash course could go quite well as long as you keep it on the savory side. In my opinion Brussels sprouts would not go well. I know it sounds crazy but you could try going to some kind of crab course utilizing a flavorful sauce to brighten it up. I know you already have a beef course but small individual beef Wellingtons are fairly light and go great with Cabs. Just try to break out of the mentality that you need heavy courses to go with Cabs and let yourself go. The old saying of Reds for red meat and whites for white meat is a thing of the past and almost everything can be paired with anything if you're creative!

Smoke detectors are made with two different types of detection technology, photoelectric and ionization. Any individual detector may use either technology or both. The ones that use both technologies are much less prone to false alarms, unfortunately they also cost more so most builders (and homeowners) buy the cheaper ones that only use one technology and thus complain about false alarms. Go to a reputable dealer and ask for one that uses both technologies and your problem will go away! As for heat detection some smoke detectors also contained a heat detector that is separate from the smoke detector, these are normally set to go off at 135° but are available for up to 185° for use attics and other high heat areas.

My wife and I have one of these in actual use it to make cornbread! Just fill the lower half with a normal cornbread better close the top in about 5 minutes you have some wonderful corn bread. Not a traditional method but very fast and each piece has a nice outside crust. We also make salmon croquets in it again very fast and you get a nice outside crust.

??? Calphalone One comes in two types, one that has a hard anodized interior and one that has a non-stick interior. I believe you're talking about is the one with the anodized interior. I have some of each and I find that the non-stick ones are some of the best nonstick pans I've used. The non-stick finish is very durable (they even advertise you can use metal utensils) and doesn't need to be oiled prior to cooking. Of course non-stick isn't good for everything and I've also got some of the anodized ones. Yes, there are better lines of cookware but comparing cost, functionality and availability I think Calphalon One is one of the best.

I like you have made homemade bread many times and agree the results and their best are equal to a good bakery. I'd always remembered the bread my grandmother used to bake when I was young and I was getting that when I made bread. My wife and I now have a bread maker (Zojirushi) and it almost makes bread as good as I remember my grandmother making. It seems to be a little moister than the bread I baked or get from a bakery. Especially if you use it while it's still warm I think it's in the best bread I've ever had. I'm sure some people are able to make bread at home without a bread maker that's just as good but the bread maker makes it so simple. It's also nice to walk into the house and smell fresh baked bread without having gone through the work of making it!

I definitely agree with the idea of a big pot of chili! You can prepare it well ahead, it just gets better with time. It sticks to the ribs and lasts. You can keep it warm during the afternoon and evening so when they get a chance they can sneak in and grab a little bit while they warmup! Based on the contents of your freezer you could use some of the pork, chicken and Turkey in the chili, just be sure to make it RED! If it's white it's not chili!

I always remember the number 30 and it seems to work out pretty good for me. 30ml = 1 fluid ounce actually 1oz = 29.56ml 1.5% error 30g = 1 ounce actually 1oz = 28.4g 5.5% error Your right about temperature however since the temperature conversion involves a ratio and an offset there's no real easy way to remember a couple of numbers and get an accurate conversion. The only advantage is that when you're shopping etc. you don't normally have to worry about temperature conversions they're only done when you're home cooking.

The bigger the better! I have a 32oz glass on my desk for water and all ice and a 16 oz coffee mug which gets filled several times a day! I personally hate having to get up and down to refill my glass or mug! To me there's nothing sexy or fun about a small container for a drink.

It looks like you've got a pretty good handle on the pots and pans side, as stated above start small and add items as you see the need. I'd buy a middle of the road line such as the basic Caphalon lines that are sold in many stores. As for knives I'd start with an 8" chef's knife, paring knife and a bread knife and a minimum, you may want to add a 6" chef's knife as well. Also by a sharpening device of some type (whatever type you're comfortable with) and a good wood cutting board (preferably end grain). For these I'd buy a pretty good grade of knife because if properly taken care of they will last a long time. Another device you'll probably want to consider fairly early on is a Kitchenaid mixer, this will function not only as a mixer but it also has many attachments available. See other threads regarding these mixers.

The biggest cause of the rise in food prices is not directly related to the price of oil. Rather the main cause is the stupid idea that the U.S. can use ethanol made from corn to solve the energy crisis! Corn prices have skyrocketed and farmers have switched from wheat, soybeans and other staple products to corn to cash in. This has caused a shortage in the other commodities so their prices are also increasing dramatically. There are many more practical solutions to the energy crisis that will not cause such dramatic increases. In a short term coal (including coal gasification) and ethanol made from a more suitable products such as sugar cane that provides over 75% of the fuel needs for Brazil. In the long term Hydrogen powered fuel cells are a very clean and efficient alternative. The supply of Hydrogen is unlimited and the electricity required to perform the electrolysis can be generated from nuclear power, another clean and plentiful source of power.

I'll have to agree that the meat grinder is great, one of the best and it's also the one I use most. Unless you're going to do a lot of sausage and stuffing attachment works fine and it's certainly better than stuffing by hand. I've got the juicer and don't particularly like it. I think it's kind of slow and really not that much better than hand squeezing in my opinion. Has anybody tried the ice cream freezer? It looks like it might work pretty good for a small batch of sorbet or some other small quantity to be used for a palette cleansing course!

Mincemeat Pie like many items are a holiday tradition and as such are reserved for the holidays. How come people don't eat a Turkey for the 4th of July? It's because the traditional meal for the 4th is hamburgers and Turkey is the traditional meal for Thanksgiving (and possibly Christmas). It's the same thing for Mincemeat Pies and some people like them year round (me included). Try a good Mincemeat Pie and see what you think, I think you'll be surprised!

Why is it that some of the oldest most traditional holiday foods such as Mincemeat Pie and Fruitcake always get such a bad rap? They're both very good eating is made correctly. I'd put my Mincemeat Pie (my grandmother's recipe) up against against any flavor pie anyone else makes (accept my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie) and come out ahead 9 times out of 10. Why is it that nobody likes it anymore? As for fruitcake if made by a traditional recipe is usually contains a large quantity of fruit and nuts in a sweet cake base. Many times it is also soaked in Brandy or another liquor to make it even more irresistible. I think many people have never tried either of these when made correctly and only talk badly about them through lack of knowledge. Everyone needs to try a well made Mincemeat Pie or Fruitcake before talking badly about them!

While I agree with a couple of your choices (cooked carrots, kidney pie and canned chanpignons, you're certainly missing a lot of good food with many of the others! Fish if prepared correctly is wonderful and is broccoli and man can live on Bourbon (and whiskey). Of course women need chocolate in any form to survive!

I certainly agree, I never pre-cook the meat higher than 110-115 F. And my final target is 130-135 F, based on that I would target 110 or maybe a little less for your pre-cooking. Of course the size of the piece of meat affects the temperature significantly too as does how long after its removal from refrigerator the meat is cooked. Good luck and your test, hope it goes well!