Katie Meadow

When I had to cut way back on salt I too discovered that anything with a lot of citrus or anything very tart can go the distance without adding salt. I made a lot of Avgolemono (Greek Lemon soup) and Sorrel soup. I also found that roasting a chicken rubbed with lemon juice and oil and paprika was very satisfying without salt. I agree that unsalted beef is a tough sell. Upthread there was a suggestion of kelp and kombu. I always stayed away from any type of seaweed, assuming that it naturally contained seasalt. Actually I have no idea whether that's true. I sympathize! I was amazed when I realized how much sodium is in all products on the grocery shelves. Most plain old cottage cheese has a ton of sodium, and brands vary widely.Tell your wife to take heart; soon her taste buds will adjust and she won't miss it as much as she does now. And it won't be long before there are cherries and plums and other fabulous fruits! And then you'll have a baby!

As noted above, the Malpeque is a variety of Virginica oyster, which is an east coast or Atlantic oyster. A true Malpeque would be a Virginica oyster that grows wild in Malpeque Bay on Prince Edward Island. A great description of the few mayor types of oysters and the enormous differences in taste that result from where they grow can be found at TheNibble.com. Location, location, location. www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/fish/seafood/oyster-glossary.asp I don't believe I have tasted a Virginica farmed on the west coast, but the above site says that the Totten Island Virginica is farmed in Puget Sound. I always assumed what are sold around here as "Atlantics" are flown in from back east, but perhaps that's not be the case. Seems clear that if you cultivate a Malpeque or other Virginica on the west coast it will taste different than that same species grown on the east coast, just as a Virginica grown off Long Island will taste different from one grown in Malpeque Bay. It doesn't seem right to call it a Malpeque if it wasn't grown in Malpeque Bay, but it would be fine to call it an "Atlantic" if in fact it's a Virginica. I had some delicious oysters in the Seattle area last year; I'd love to try some Canadian ones!

Chris, this blog screams out for recipes that combine pork and chocolate. I have a recipe for something you might like. It's a Red Pork Chili that calls for not only chocolate but coffee as well. These flavors are subtle (well, not the pork or the chili of course) but they definitely add a twist. If you want it I will send it along sometime soon. It's what I would want after a cold day in outer space.

Whoa, this thread is running the gamut from "Ewww!" to "You should be able to look your protein in the eye before...etc." An NPR report back in November claimed the latest scientific evidence is that lobsters do indeed feel pain, along with other crustacea. This is how most creatures manage to stay alive: they respond to pain or discomfort by gettin' the hell outta Dodge. They turn tail, retreat or scuttle away as the case may be. If this isn't a hoax, there's a object marketed mainly to the restaurant trade called a CrustaStun, which sends a 3-5 amp/110 volt shock to the critter, killing it in a hurry. There's a picture of it but I didn't want to study it long enough to figure out how it worked. I have never tackled a lobster and I probably never will, but I do cook Dungeness crabs. I put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes first and then drop them in boiling water. I was never told that it stopped them from feeling pain; I always thought it was just so I could get them out of the bag and into the pot without too much trauma. My trauma, that is.

Dockhl's recipe upthread is a nice traditional one, similar to the original recipe I had, altho mine didn't call for adding wine. Wine sounds good, though. I also have taken to making a hybrid broth, using some lamb shanks and a lesser amount of beef shank and some beef marrow bones. I cook the shanks until the lamb is tender and falls off the bone, reserving that meat. Sometimes I will reduce the stock further if it needs it. I don't use the beef shank meat, it seems pretty unappealing. I add the reserved lamb meat at the end. I cook the barley separately, toasting it in a little butter like I do rice, and then simmer it in light stock until still al dente. I add it into the soup about 15 min before it's done. I'm not sure why I do this; I think it makes the broth less cloudy, but I could be wrong and perhaps its just a personal quirk. The turnip sounds like a nice twist--I'm gonna try that (and the wine!) next time. Do the turnip cubes behave like the carrots and hold their shape? I agree: home-made scotch broth will not disappoint.

My mother would agree I'm sure. Campbell's Scotch Broth was her go-to canned soup. I remembered it fondly enough so that when I grew up and learned to make soup I made my own version. Some memories are best left to grow in the dark in peace. The last time I opened a can of Campbell's soup (many years ago) most of it got tossed. I don't remember what it tasted like, but mainly it tasted like salt. $40 would buy a lot of lamb shanks, barley and carrots. I bet you could make your own Scotch Broth and knock the plaid socks off all your relatives.

Okay, I can see the cartoon right now: the cute goat with a chef's toque cheerfully straddling the conveyer belt and dropping perfect crottins while the cheesemonger with his clipboard happily check's em off! the French have such an earthy sense of humor, non?

Is it a sheep's milk cheese, Dave? Crotte means to befoul, yeah? I'm with Suzi, and assume that cheese is some good s--t, c'est vrai? Do I want to know how they age it? We buy a cheese called a Mutton Button here. Maybe what you've got is just a Mutton Butt?

Can it ever be as good as I remember? Almost never. I didn't eat a lot of fast food or junk food growing up, but I certainly ate my modest share of chips, oreos, coke, hamburgers, fries and street pizza. Since I got a Weber grill I've never looked back when it comes to commercial burgers. I don't eat at fast-food restaurants, but even rarely do the fries at upscale bistros seem as good as they should. I find that in order to meet my nostalgia criteria I have to remake most stuff from scratch--then it tastes as good as I remember. Oreos? No. The chocolate cookie isn't bad, but the cream filling tastes like palm oil and corn syrup or something and is far too sweet. I find that I like Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers; they taste a bit like the cookie part of the Oreo--not too sweet. Skippy and Jif? Awful. Tastes like sugar and plastic. Campbell's Tomato Soup? Bad. I've got a recipe that does the trick using canned Italian tomatoes and good chicken broth. Thomas' English Muffins? Nothing to write home about. There's far too much great bread out there now. Sugar Pops? Didn't they used to taste like sweet corn? Now they taste like styrofoam and and who knows what else. Hershey's Chocolate? It no longer tastes even a little like chocolate. And here's the big category: Chinese restaurant food. It's what my family ate almost every Sunday night. I've tried, but I've given up and started to shop in Chinatown and make my own. I just can't find any Chinese food that doesn't seem like a salt lick or that isn't swimming in oil. Vietnamese restaurants function for my family--especially when my daughter was growing up--like Chinese did way back when. Cheetos? Yes, I have to admit, they still taste fantastic to me. I try to restrict my salt, so this is forbidden fruit, but every once in a while they are perfect, just as they always were. I could never duplicate them, nor do any imitators come close. Add a Bloody Mary and it's a complete meal. I don't believe these products are much different now than they were fifty years ago. I'm sure it's me; most stuff that tastes good to many ten year olds just doesn't taste good to me.

Technically speaking, corn is a starch. My mom does the same, though. She'll make corn but then will also make another veggie dish. Is it an Old School thing? The thing that drives me crazy is [sTANDS ON SOAPBOX] when someone brings doughnuts to my workplace. Invariably, someone will take half a doughnut. Half. Not the entire thing. C'mon, people! Channel your inner Homer and take the entire freakin' doughnut! Is it really that difficult?! Do you really think someone else is going to come along and take that remaining half of a doughtnut that you tore in half with your fingers that have been typing on your computer keyboard or dialing your phone. Have you ever stopped and looked at how dirty the number pad is on your office phone? And you used those same fingers to tear that dinky little dougnut in half and expect someone else to eat the remains because you just can't bring yourself to eat an entire doughnut? Grow some stones and take the entire doughnut back to your cubicle! Then eat half and throw the other half away if you don't want it. We don't want it either. Thank you. [DISMOUNTS SOAPBOX]. ← I share your distaste for finger-torn rejects, but there's a very basic solution for those who wish to discourage such a tacky practice, grow no stones or eat only a nibble. Have some plates and a sharp knife in the mini-kitchen. If someone brings in a box of doughnuts or bagels or sticky pastries, someone like you can cut a number of them into neat quarters in a sanitary fashion and put them on a plate. That way those of us who simply want to be reminded about what a good (or bad) doughnut tastes like can have our cake and not eat it too. Or those who realize how truly bad the ones with sprinkles are can then try a buttermilk without tossing most of two doughnuts, eliminating much waste. (Although personally it gives me a heady sense of power to throw heart-stopping sugar&fat vehicles into the trash, that's a pathetic solution and trails some guilt in its wake.) If no one at your office has thought of doing this yet I would be surprised if there weren't other internal organizational issues. So, wield the knife and you will be perceived as brilliant and thoughful. Win/win!

For me, whether or not I feel good about a stranger touching me has a lot to do with some completely inexplicable moment in time and is specific to that person. I know that most of us do have a personal space that's comfortable most of the time. I feel like I have a threshold into that space, and some people can cross it happily, and others can't. When I'm talking to someone--and this doesn't only apply to strangers--I don't like their face two inches from mine; partly it's because I can't see them well enough if they are too close! However, some strangers can touch me and it feels nice, depending on who they are and how they touch. I might perceive a touch by one waiter as very sweet , and feel weirded out from the touch of another. I don't bother to try to figure this out, that's just how it is. Chemistry and connection among strangers has a mystery about it, doesn't it?

Wow. Color me stunned. I confess I never thought birds were that smart, but perhaps that's because my only experience with them was my friend's former Cockatoo named Stardust. Stardust was not the brightest critter. And he only loved my friend. Loathed his fiancee to the point where he'd shreik at her and flap his wings and make his head feathers stand up. He was quite jealous. He also ate the windowsill right off the wall. Mean, destructive and not too smart isn't what I usually seek in a pet. Ernie is sweet and smart. Now I want a bird, but I want a guarantee that it'll be just like Ernie. I'll see what I can find out and report back on the Shank's sandwich. ← We had a Sunday Conure, which is a cross between a Sun Conure and something else I think; we got him as a hand-fed baby. He was very beautiful, but he was loud loud loud. The neighbors at the other end of the block could hear him scream. And he screamed all the time unless he was on your body somewhere or the center of attention. Affectionate? Yes. But he loved us to death and we couldn't take it anymore. You had to spend every waking minute with that bird just to keep him quiet. Perhaps some conures are quieter or more mellow? Lotta research is advised before getting a bird! And if you like to wear earrings your life--or at least your lobes--are at serious risk. That bird did have a very sophisticated palate, however.

I agree that proportion is all with this. I used a good quality olive oil in very moderate amounts--like really what amounted to about 1 little drop per bite. It never occured to me that colored salt would be nice, but that's probably because I never have any. The gray sea salt that we use is also very chunky, so we routinely give it a few grinds in the mortar/pestle to make it more friendly before using for anything.

Hi, what about the bulk dried cranberries at Berkeley Bowl? My husband does the Bowl run, and believe me, if they cost $16 per pound he would never buy them. If those aren't organic (and I don't know if they are) I'm sure you could get organic ones at Whole Foods or Farmer Joe's, also in bulk. The new Farmer Joe's has the largest bulk food selection I have ever seen.

I have one. You can come 'n' git it. Nothing lasts forever, but cast iron is a contender. Mine is un-enameled Wagner Wear/Griswold, which I believe is pre-Lodge and a little heavier. I just can't stand the smoke and grease of indoor grilling, so I haven't used it for years. I wouldn't call it a thing of beauty--but I venture to guess that for most of you who have and use one it's the least pristine pan in your kitchen. I found it much harder to take care of than my regular cast-iron skillets.

My mother is looking for a private dining room to host her 90th birthday and someone recommended this place to her. She hasn't eaten there, but she looked at the space and liked it, likes the location and the people were very nice to her. I looked at the proposal they gave her and neither of us were that excited about the menu. It seemed rather old-fashioned, with the word "fricassee" appearing twice, and other dishes "encrusted" and "breaded." Anyone eaten there? Other ideas? She's dead set on not having this party in the theater district.

Crixa and la Farine are both very good. I've always been partial to the fruit tarts at La Farine--my family always preferred fruit tarts to cake for birthdays--and can't really remember what their cakes are like. Right now I am into their Irish Soda Bread toasted for breakfast! You might also look into Masse's Pastries, which is in that strip along Shattuck near Saul's, over at the Walnut/Vine area. I haven't had their cakes for a while, but they make a dynamite traditional cake (and by that I mean it actually has flour in it!) with walnuts and a chocolate layer and I can't remember what else, and people swooned whenever that cake was served.

It's important to remember that a healthy diet is not synonymous with a weight-loss diet. Losing weight is one of many reasons to be on a healthy diet. Everyone has different health needs. After having 18 inches of his intestine removed for a precancerous lesion, my husband needs a very high fibre diet but he also needs a diet with some fat and lots of protein. I need a diet low in cholesterol and salt. Neither of us is overweight. If I spent as much time eating as I do thinking about food and cooking it I would be. I'm with you mizducky when it comes to carb-phobia. The Atkins and Southbeach diets are meant for a relatively quick weight loss. Anyone who goes on that low-carb type of diet should have their cholesterol tested and have permission of their doctor. One unfortunate consequence of those diets is that they give people the impression that carbs, including complex carbs, are unhealthy and in and of themselves fattening. Pasta Alfredo is high-calorie, but that's not primarily because of the pasta. I don't understand exactly how those low-carb diets work, but it isn't because "carbs are fattening." In fact, complex carbs that provide a hefty dose of fibre are the opposite of fattening if they aren't eaten with a self-defeating sauce. When anorexics are starting the process of what is called re-feeding--that means getting as much fat and nutrients into their bodies as quickly as possible--nutritionists will often advise them to eat lots of simple carbs but to go easy on high-fibre foods. High fibre complex carbs make you feel full and as a result you are benefitting from fewer absorbable calories; not getting enough bang for the buck, as it were. Almost no one in this culture escapes having an issue with food, one way or another. As a result, it can be a mine field to discuss healthy eating with people you know and love, let alone with strangers on a thread. If your doctor doesn't tell you to slim down when you weigh 300 pounds he's remiss. If he tells you and you can't listen, you're in the same boat with lots of other people. Denial is huge, and sometimes it takes a close call before a change is made. I think the best way to encourage healthy eating in this venue is to submit to the appropriate threads recipes that you find healthy and fabulous, whatever your definition of healthy. That way we can up our percentages for inspiration.

Wow, this is a very hot issue, especially at eG. It would be foolish to ignore some very hard truths and reasonable generalizations about the rate of obesity in this country, the dangers it presents, its relationship to diabetes and heart disease. Everyone needs to assess his or her own risks; if staying healthy was easy we would see a very different picture in this country. So many things conspire against us: money, resources, access to good foods, time to make good food, lack of education, poor health care, denial and gluttony. At one time or another I have suffered from them all. Yeah, some people have all the luck: they are overweight, eat pork belly with abandon and live into their nineties. But truthfully, not that many. I wouldn't dispute the idea that there is a genetic predisposition to being overweight, but that doesn't mean you won't fall prey to the many related health problems. It just means, sadly, that you probably have to work harder to keep the weight off. My dad wasn't overweight and swam regularly, but was diagnosed with angina and died of a heart attack. I have high blood pressure and borderline high cholesterol. It's about simple math and risk-taking. I want to see how my kid's life turns out, so if the odds of that happening go up by eating bacon only twice a year and having hummus for an app instead of brie, I've decided that's worth it. My chances of getting run over by a train don't change. But it's always good to look where you are going.

I've always read that egg whites should be beaten in copper, or failing that, in stainless steel, but I never knew why. If you google "beating egg whites copper" or some such thing you will find an amazing amount of chemistry is involved. Beaten egg white is by nature unstable because as you beat, the protein molecules are being stretched. A copper bowl actually releases copper ions into the egg whites and helps to stabilize them and adds to their structural integrity. Stainless steel has a minimal ion transfer and that is why many sources recommend adding cream of tartar to compensate. A glass bowl comes in third. I've always used stainless steel, but I don't bake a lot and, aside from the risk of overbeating, never worried much about it. Perhaps the modern hi-tech plastics provide a better environment than the older, more non-porous ones; it does sound like adding lemon juice or cream of tarter is helpful if not using copper.

I am not a big fan of standard Heinz or other commercial ketchup. And once I started to make my own I never looked back. It's very easy to make, takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and uses as the base 1 28 oz. can of Italian tomatoes. My original recipe did not include this, but I add a little of my favorite BBQ sauce during the cooking process and that gives it an extra kick. I use it to "frost" my meatloaf and on burgers or any other things you might use ketchup for. It makes at least a pint and lasts well in the fridge; we're not heavy users in my house so I don't have to make it very often.

I'm sure Bobby Flay has many rubs for steak, but his recipe for Cowboy Steaks was printed somewhere a coupla years ago and it's my go-to for grilling rib-eyes. So, for what it's worth, here's a BF dry rub. The recipe says to rub the steaks and let them sit for an hour before grilling. He says it's good for four 12-16 oz steaks. 1 Tbsp kosher salt (I think this is way too much salt, so I use less) 1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika 1 tsp garlic powder (I don't like garlic powder, so I use less or sometimes rub in a little fresh pressed garlic) 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper (I often cut back on this and add in some New Mexico ground chile) 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp finely ground coffee (grind it fresh!) '

Try2cook...a fantasy in pink! I totally forgot about this, but my mother used to always insist on having saltines with chocolate ice cream, so clearly she was ahead of the curve. I'm sure that when I was young and stupid I made it clear to her what a bad idea I thought that was. Not to break any important traditions, my daughter, home from college, looked at us like we were total idiots when our jaws dropped over our ice cream the other night.

So I'm spending my five minutes per month whipping through Via Magazine and see a small snippet about a restaurant in Marin County favored by Mario Batali for its pizza and its ice cream dessert: vanilla ice cream--served soft, looking for all the world like carvel--drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. So I had to try it at once. I used a very nice local organic vanilla ice cream and made no attempt to soft-serve it, dribbled on some good olive oil and then a pinch of gray salt...and...it...was really good! It took about six bites to adjust after a lifetime of ice cream on my home planet, but suddenly I needed another bowl to make sure how good it was. Has anyone else had this, I mean besides this restaurant's fan club? Has it been all over the place and I just never noticed?

It would be sad to think that the processed fast-food nugget, which is a way to provide a poor quality product in a crunchy inexpensive package, came before simple boneless fried breast-meat pieces. If nuggets came first, that would be sort of like, "You've seen the cartoon now read the book." I'm guessing the motivation came long before the desire to please children (or those so sloshed they might be in danger of catching a bone in the throat) and followed the same pattern as many other fried foods that found their way into sandwiches, like fried oysters or fish, making those foods more economical and more portable. The chicken had to be boneless and sized in long pieces to fit in a roll. So my vote says the "fingers" made with real chicken right off the bone came first.