Katie Meadow

Just about any place is cheaper than Whole Foods. I will check it out next time I am at TJs. Thanks! Tri2, I didn't even know a dark corn syrup existed. I don't get out much, do I? This ketchup recipe is the only thing I make that calls for corn syrup, so it's the only reason I buy it.

Okay, I'm curious... when I was gung-ho about making my own Viet coffee last summer I think I tried to get some Trung Nguyen, but couldn't find it in the bean, only pre-ground. Is it available in whole beans? I think I gave up the search quickly once I became fascinated with the chicory thing. I was adding it to all my coffee, Viet or not.

The drip contraptions or press-cups are obtainable on line--I know because a friend ordered me a couple as a gift. They came with instructions, but I found better instructions on line. I like a little more coffee for the amt of condensed milk than is typical I think. I have experimented with various coffees and find that, as with most things coffee, the best is usually whatever you favor ordinarily, freshly ground. A french roast is a good bet. Cafe du Monde has a nice web site, and I'm sure you can order the coffee that way. I simply use my regular favorite coffee and add some chicory--which is what Cafe du Monde is: french roast coffee with chicory. Chicory can be bought ground (it's the root, not the leaf) and I like to add it to the coffee when it is about half-way ground, then grind it a bit more. I have used several different condensed milks. Longevity Brand has a very cool looking can with a picture of a wise old sage doing something mysterious, and, at least in my neck of the woods it is a little cheaper. In fact, it is made in Holland and distributed by Sun Hing in So San Francisco. Truthfully I don't notice a big difference. They are all sweet enough to send you into orbit. Yum!

Agave nectar sounds like an interesting idea. How available is it? I'll check it out. It sounds fairly neutral in flavor, so I guess if I wanted to introduce a hint of maple flavor I could just back off the nectar and add a little maple syrup. It's a pretty good recipe--great on burgers and has the right consistency for use as a meatloaf frosting; I'll never go back to store-bought ketchup. so I'm not after an overhaul, just a new twist. What is inverted sugar and when is it used?

It's still there on Grant Ave. They have a web site, so maybe you could mail order one from them. I know I got my carbon steel wok in SF Chinatown, when I lived just up the hill on Powell, which means I've had that wok for almost 30 years. That's a little scary, but not because the wok is old. I would think carbon steel woks are available in any Chinatown in a major city, but check out www.wokshop.com

You mean "subbed for" right? In other words, if I decided to use Lyle's or Maple syrup I would need less of it than the recipe calls for karo? Okay, good. I don't want the end result to taste sweet. Tri2: yes, you read me right. Don't ask me why I want to dump the karo, I just do. I think I want a new mystery taste. But I don't want whatever I sub for the karo to overwhelm the ketchup.

For those of you in the east bay who are interested, my husband just came back from Berkeley Bowl with a bergamot and a pile of Sevilles. He claims the Sevilles appear to be a fresh crop and better looking than the last two batches we bought. And this is the first time he's seen bergamot there this year.

I admit my question was partly inspired by comments in the pecan pie thread, in which it was noted that Rose Levy Beranbaum uses Lyle's Golden Syrup instead of Karo or corn syrup. I love Lyle's, but the only thing I ever use it for is Laurie Colwin's recipe for "Damp Gingerbread." Now I'm thinking of making a pecan pie, but that's beside the point, too. Okay, so I make a knockout meatloaf which gets a "frosting" of home-made ketchup-type sauce before getting a decorative bacon wrap and going into to the oven. The recipe for the ketchup includes, among many other things, corn syrup. It's the only time I ever use corn syrup, and although I have made this ketchup a million times, until the other day I never even tasted the corn syrup by itself. It's rather icky, isn't it? So, here's what I want to do. I want to sub something for the one-third cup of corn syrup in my ketchup. Subbing Lyle's would never have occured to me for a savory dish, but it doesn't have a super strong flavor of its own, which is why it might work--and if you can sub it in a sweet thing, why not in a savory? Maple syrup and shagbark hickory syrup might be interesting, but they have so much of their own flavor they would risk changing this into something that isn't essentially ketchup, although it does already have a subtle bbq / smoky nature. What about using brown sugar? Surely the proportions are changed if using a granular product vs. a syrup--and frankly, I need help with that one. What do you think I should use to get Karo out of my Ketchup?

The question "Is it worth it....?" Well, it's worth it if it isn't creating stress. If you are too tired, feel you need more help or just want to relax with a glass of wine and have someone else make you dinner once in a while, then forcing yourself to do all the work isn't worth it. You mention spending $100 a week on food. I would venture to say that's a tight budget for two people. We never go out, eat roughly half our meals vegetarian, purchase expensive meats or seafood infrequently and we spend more than that. Anyway, I am assuming that you don't eat out because it's not in your budget, as it isn't in ours these days, so giving yourselves a break by having dinner out isn't an option. My husband is the clean-up hitter, and he does the big shopping on the weekend. I cook every night, although sometimes I run out of steam, ingredients or any sort of motivation. On those nights we have completely unbalanced wacky meals. And you may be like me: I would rather have scrambled eggs with a side of buttered carrots when that's the only thing left in the crisper than pay for junk food just because it's cheap. I cook a big pot of beans or a casserole or "vat of the week" soup on the weekend and that helps. Some weeks we have great dinners, some weeks not so great. Once in a while our dinners are just pathetic! Like home-made popcorn and a plate of raw kohlrabi! But then we drink some cheap scotch and have some dark chocolate and feel better. So don't feel bad about taking some shortcuts and don't beat up on yourself if you don't have time to bake bread or put together a perfect meal.

.....dining out. We eat almost 100% of our meals at home, and my husband brown-bags his lunch every day. Learning to make my own potstickers has taken the edge off that one. .....expensive sources of protein. Rib-eyes and ahi tuna are a once-a-month treat. We're eating a lot more chicken, and I'm learning how to roast a really good one (and that is partly thanks to you, Chris), although Rocky and Rosie aren't exactly cheap dates. I've also perfected my meatloaf. And we eat a LOT of beans--although I admit to purchasing relatively expensive heirloom beans. Still a deal, though! .....store-bought marmalade. We consume vast amounts of this, but now we make our own. This is production season! .....high-end scotch. Although in fairness we quit that one a few years ago. .....cheeses. This is mostly a health thing for me, but I'm surprised at how much I used to spend per month on Clarins, La Tur, Stilton, etc. Now I buy it when company comes and bliss out with an itty bitty portion. .....Panzanella crackers. Okay, I haven't kicked this habit totally, but I have cut way back. Original flavor's pretty good with Stilton.

Although EVOO isn't synonymous with "tastes great," there's plenty of EVOO around that's adequate and not expensive that can be used for cooking. Recently there was an expose of olive oils, and I am guessing that some really low-price super-market brands are not only not EV, but may not be all olive oil, either, so I would be wary of those, although I don't have a clue how you could tell. In my area I buy bulk Italian EVOO for cooking at a specialty store I frequent. For drizzling or finishing I buy something better--whatever tastes really good to me--and I make it last. If there's a place near you that sells quality products you could talk to them about it; I trust my store to be dispensing a decent oil. When you buy from a bulk source and fill your own bottle you can buy in small quantities. In days gone by I would purchase giant cans of Italian EVOO for good prices, but I was probably using rancid oil by the time the can was half way down. If you can find something like that for a good price and have a couple of friends who want to share, you can decant it and everyone get a pretty good deal.

I've had lemon sorbet with basil--that's yummy. How about lime with thai basil? Grapefruit with tarragon is a tried and true combo for sorbet/palate cleanser. I would stick with white cane sugar--it's nice and pure. Expensive sugars like demerara might be wasted in a frozen dessert....?

There are probably a million ways to make marmalade. I prefer a delicate, clear fine-cut marmalade and that's what I've been making this month. Without going into the details of the recipe, my method is as follows. The oranges are juiced and the peel set aside. A percentage of the pips are put in a bag and hung from the side of the pot. Water is added to the juice and this mix is simmered. Meanwhile, we scrape the peel we plan to use to get rid of all the pith, and very finely cut the peel. I like a modest amount of cut peel in the final product, just enough to add a little depth of flavor and extra bitterness and give the marmalade some texture. I don't like using the white pith at all. I find it makes the marmalade cloudy and I don't like the flavor of it. After half an hour the peel is added to the pot and the mix is simmered another half hour. Then the pips are removed and the resulting juice is measured. Sugar is added per cup of juice. The pip bag is squeezed to get a teaspoon or so more pectin (or whatever that gloopy stuff is called), which is added to the mix and then the mix boils until it reaches the desired temp, and poured into jars. The cut peel does not seem essential to the chemistry of marmalade. We use far less than even our recipe suggests and it makes absolutely no difference to how "set up" the finished marmalade is. How well it sets up depends upon the quantity of pips, the amount of sugar, and the cooking time. So yes, you could make a clear marmalade without any peel. It might not be a true jelly (I'm not sure what that is, actually, since I've never made one) but it would be well set like a jelly if you cooked it on the longer side.

Not sure how Sevilles got into the Bergamot thread. The best place to buy either of them in the East Bay is Berkeley Bowl; right now they have plenty of Sevilles but no bergamot. Last year we got Sevilles all January and February there. Last year we added a little bergamot juice to one batch of seville marmalade and that was great. Bergamot has a very short season--like maybe three weeks here. Usually it is around New Years. In years past on New Year's eve we made Bergamotinis by simply subbing bergamot juice (but a bit less) for lemon juice in a Leap Year cocktail. Very exotic!

Chezcherie, I was inspired by your cream of poblano soup recipe. I made a terrific soup tonight, being lucky enough to have all the ingredients on hand--and not much else! I used your proportions with the following substitutions: New Mexico green chiles that had been roasted and frozen, red boiling potatoes instead of a russet, and for stock I used a rich turkey stock that I had frozen after the holidays. I used the blender and didn't strain the soup. For the finish I used half and half and milk. No cheese. If I had cilantro I might have garnished with that. The chiles turned out to be hotter than I expected (they were Big Jim's which are relatively mild for NM green) so the soup was pretty hot; next time I will use a bit less. A great and very simply soup--thanx!

Okay, not to embarrass me or my husband, but here's our hurdle. I don't like to sharpen knives. It sets my teeth on edge and makes me nervous. My husband likes to sharpen knives (with a steel and a stone) but he doesn't know how to do it properly. Here's what has happened to our stainless steel knives: He invariably--over the years--wears them down unevenly, so the knife blade ends up with a slight convex curve. In other words if you put the cutting edge on a board you could see light coming through the middle. Functionless, right? Walk in my clogs and try mincing parsley with a tool like that. I will take a look at the knife you are suggesting, but I may have to make a choice between extra cost and harmony vs. steel and strife. Thanks!

I use my husband or my guests. So I don't use a tray, but I'm not stupid. I can see small plates or bowls on a tray, but a regular size tray maxes out with two large dinner plates that are just as easily carried one in each hand. I don't think I am steady enough to carry full glasses on a tray; in that case I could make two trips to the dining room faster than one trip with a tray, since I would be very nervous and walking slowly and carefully. My mother uses a tray to take her breakfast from the kitchen to her dining table six steps away: cereal, spoon, cup of coffee. The spoon would otherwise have to be in the full bowl of cereal, which she considers hazardous. Mind you, my mother is 90 and has never fallen in her life as far as I know. Unlike her daughter.

I'm always amazed at how much Lidia uses tongs--like an extension of her hand. I love the way she uses them to plate and twist pasta. Besides the obvious, such as grilling or browning steaks or chicken pieces, I find tongs indispensable when making stocks. It's how I fish out the chicken or oxtail or hamshanks or whatever when it's time to remove the meat from the bone, etc. Trying to use a slotted spoon for large ungainly hunks like whole shanks or a large section of turkey carcass doesn't work as well as a long sturdy pair of tongs.

Agreed. Coffee and tea are ultimately beyond analysis since they satisfy so deeply in so many ways, with or without food.

For vegetables I use a ceramic knife exclusively. I am positive that everyone who has posted on this thread knows ten times more about knives than I ever will, because I know almost nothing about them. I am assuming that none of the knives mentioned above are ceramic. I think of myself as a pretty decent cook and I am fast and accurate when it comes to vegetable prep work. Our knives are a motley assortment of carbon and other types of steel, none of them terribly pricy and most of them old. Except for my one Kyocera ceramic knife. In size it's somewhere between a small knife and a chef's knife. It's very sharp, the blade is thin, and it cuts through an onion like butter, through tomato skin like it wasn't there and, in my hand at least, is agile enough to cut the choke from an artichoke heart without unnecessary waste. I use it all the time, every day, especially for vegetables. In about nine or ten years this is my third ceramic knife. They don't last forever of course, mostly because someone (not me) drops them and they break. I have learned the hard way to keep my ceramic knife off limits to all family members. I use it, wash it, dry it and put it away myself. That way if it breaks no one but me has to feel miserable about it. The edge does wear down eventually, but if I can keep them from breaking I can get at least three years out of one knife. For about $50 or or $60 every few years I get a great knife I use every day and never have to sharpen. Works for me.

I agree that adding citrus or vinegar to many dishes brightens them. Chicken soup gets a great boost from a little lemon or lime juice, lentils love a finish of red vinegar, pinto beans over rice get a squirt of lime juice. Pho without a drizzle of lime is sad! But no one has mentioned acidic components that aren't so obvious. As someone who has often had to cook low-acid meals for a family member, let me tell you: acidic elements are in about 90% of the foods we eat. The big one no one has yet mentioned is the tomato. Tomato is one of the foods highest in acid, and it's in a great percentage of soups and stews we all make. If you have ever tried to cook without tomato you will quickly realize how much even a modest amount of it add to the piquancy of many soups. And then there's lowly mayo. It adds a layer of acid to any sandwich. Even a main dish that doesn't include tomato, vinegar or citrus is usually balanced in the meal by a salad, slaw, or veg that's got plenty of kick from acidic ingredients, so when you eat them together they enhance each other. Remember the cake vs pie thread? Pie had more votes and I suspect that's because many pies have major amounts of acidic fruit to balance out the sweetness. One way to get around that overwhelming sweetness of a non-acid dessert like cake (and even chocolate is acidic) is to complement it with a cup of acid: black tea or coffee. Better yet, espresso with a twist.

In my research on the Paul Revere display-ware I did come upon some detractors who claimed that because the company wanted to create a "collectible" copper series the pans are not meant for heavy duty labor--too thin to distribute heat well. It is pretty light--much lighter than my one and only other copper pot which gets very heavy use--BUT it was perfect for that tarte--easy to manipulate, easy to hold the serving platter under and flip over. In weight it kinda resembles those specific tarte tatin pans that have copper exterior and tin interiors. And which Mauviel charges two million dollars for.

When you say "regular" I assume you mean regular buttermilk, not regular milk, right? It's been a long time since I bought Bulgarian buttermilk. It's tasty, but my memory is that it only comes whole-milk, or 4% milkfat. Since I try to cut down on my cholesterol I always use a low-fat or 1.5% buttermilk when I make pancakes or bread or whatever. I don't recall if the Bulgarian is tangier, but it's certainly richer. I'm sure it would make yummy pancakes, and I would just sub it in the same quantities as your favorite recipe, then see if it needed adjustment.

The old-fashioned way to make red chile (bowl of red as opposed to bowl of green) doesn't use powder. You would take dried red chile pods and soak them in warm water. Then they are blended and strained and can be kept as a thick paste that could then be used as a base for a variety of chile dishes like enchiladas, posole, or thrown into beans or just sopped up with tortillas. When I lived in NM a bowl of red was typically made by cooking pork, low and slow. The chile paste is added to that. I had a friend whose dad grew up in Taos and he made the best red chile and the best posole I ever tasted, and that's pretty much how he did it. For a shortcut you can certainly use ground New Mexican chile. If you don't have a Mexican market near you, I am guessing there are plenty of mail-order places in NM where you can get different kinds of ground chiles with various grades of heat and I'm sure that will be tastier than something off the shelf at Safeway. Really fresh red NM chile has a sweet/bitter taste that's unmistakable. And absolutely--the fresher the better. The last time I was in Santa Fe I was sad to realize that I could no longer handle the really hot stuff. Your post is taking me back.

I too was a child of the golden age of Madison Ave. While Don Draper was drowning in alcohol and taking the train back and forth to the 'burbs, my dad was hard at work at the real forward-thinking agency that is depicted as the nemesis of the fictional Sterling Cooper. He suffered through his share of three-martini lunches but three days a week he spent his lunch hour swimming laps at the Y. He never smoked nor was he a heavy drinker. And we lived in the city, a 15 minute subway ride to work. It was my mother who had her scotch and cigarettes while chatting up a storm during late afternoon play-dates. I love Mad Men, and I think there are some truly inspired moments in it. But there are some major inaccuracies and stereotypes, especially when it comes to the women. Many women rose through the ranks at his agency and became great copy-writers. You didn't need a college degree, just talent. My dad had a long and distinguished career in advertising. He never brought his work home with him and he was always home in time for dinner. I was never taught how to mix drinks, nor was I encouraged to drink except for New Year's Eve. On several memorable occasions my parents came home from whatever party they were at shortly before midnight to open up a tiny container of caviar and a bottle of champagne and share both with me and my brother--when we were too young to be out at parties of our own.