haresfur

True, but if you know your style and the amount of malt, you can use IBU to adjust for variation in hops and hit pretty much the right bitterness. The reason I ask is that I was wondering about Peychaud's. I don't claim any great sensory finesse, but they impress me as even less bitter than Regan's Orange Bitters and the least bitter of the classic bitters I know (can you call them bitters? ) I don't think anyone is arguing for rules regarding what can be used in drinks (as long as it doesn't make you go blind, etc. but it really is an arguement about categories, although there is perhaps an undercurrent that certain products are less worthy). I don't think I've ever seen a drink recipe that uses the term "tincture" and that's a problem for the splitters vs. the lumpers. All & all, I think it's like trying to get "herb tea" drinkers to realize they are drinking infusions, not tea.

... and the post WWII height of Martini drinking predates most of the people drinking choco-tinis by at least 2 generations.

Is there a bitterness measurement scale like the one used for hops that can be applied to tinctures and bitters?

And I don't understand why this is frustrating. Don't you smell and taste them first, anyway? Then figure out how they might work for you? Surly mole bitters are a long way from anything used in classic cocktails so you are already expanding the category beyond the classic. Don't get me wrong, if you want to fight the good fight and encourage the name be applied in a narrow way, that's fine with me. Personally, I don't care one way or another and think you are going to lose unless bartenders start to boycott inappropriately labeled bottles. And the manufacturers should probably be sensitive to this and try not to piss off their target market. A long way from rhubarb season here...

I think I may be starting to understand a tiny bit of what you are saying. Scary. I'm also beginning to think that maybe we should retire the term "bitters" in favour of "tinctures" and expand the choices for drops of stuff to put in my drinks. Afterall, except for maybe Underberg and potable bitters, no one seems to use these things for medicinal effects any longer.

Is Edgefield the McMenamins distillary?

The potato is ok. I had already ordered when I noticed they had sweet potato scollop and that sounds pretty good to me. I think it would be great if the shops did tempura, too.

I really like my rice cooker but it's a luxury not a necessity. Nothing wrong with luxuries IMO.

Rhubarb tastes bitter to me. Bitters, as the name states, are there to provide additional bitterness. The cocktail world has just confused the word "bitters" with "tinctures", which can just as easily qualify as nonbeverage alcohol as they can pass the unsuitability tests, even if they do not deliver bitterness. This just shows what happens when we are sloppy with language - we end up with engineers that don't work with engines and bitters that just aren't bitter. What's next? Apothecaries that can't dispense prescriptions? (and yes, that was meant as a joke, not a dig... I may be a bitters maker, but I'm not that bitter!) ... and cocktails that are not cocktails. Like it or not, language is dynamic. In my mind, the question is whether the distinction between bitters and tinctures is useful. I would say, probably a little to the purchaser, although there is probably a wide range in bitterness that would tend to put them on a continuum. To the seller or food writer, probably better to grab peoples' interest with the currently trendy "bitters" (and I think bostonapothecary probably has "just what the doctor ordered", not to mention that apothecaries originally didn't need no stinkin' doctors. )

A corn dog is coated in a fairly thick coat of corn bread rather than flour batter. I think I'll explore some of the other unknown items. I think I'll stay clear of the battered, fried snickers, though.

Duplicate post deleted. Sorry.

The couta bones are a bit much to deal with, although they are large enough you can't miss them! Came as a total surprise. I'd probably go for something else most of the time. FWIW, this came from the ethnic Chinese shop a few doors down from the ethnic Greek, I think. It's too bad that the menu is pretty much the same everywhere. Some day I need to find out what a Pluto Pup is.

How does My First Vegemite compare to regular Vegemite in terms of flavor? Is it just less salty or actually has a different taste to it? I find it a bit hard to say because I find the salt so overwhelming in regular Vegemite. I have MightyMite at home because it is a bit less salty. To me, My First tastes quite malty and maybe not so "dark".

I've been playing with Vegemite in sauces like chili or spaghetti. It certainly can't hurt if used judiciously. Recently, I've used My First Vegemite, which gives you greater control on the salt. I wonder if the Danes are worried about the folate - as was falsely rumored to be a concern in the US. Folate can mask a serious deficiency in B-12. I can't believe that's a huge issue, except in rare cases and the benefits IMO would outweigh the problems. Marmite has heaps of B-12, anyway. Kraft's website doesn't list B-12 in vegemite but do for My First.

Is the Powell's cookbook store the one on Hawthorne? Bread and Ink Cafe was a favorite brunch spot of mine when visiting Portland. Uwajimaya looks amazing. I didn't know about it. How's the asparagus this year? I'm guessing it's too early for cherries. Do you ever get over to the dry side? Looking forward to more baking tips.

Last night I went to a different F&C shop from my usual and ordered Couta (Thyrsites atun). After I ordered the owner said he really liked it, and they gave me 2 large pieces. I didn't know a fish could have so many bones! Big ones through all the flesh. I basically had to deconstruct it to eat, which sort of negates the point of the batter, I guess. But the flesh was very firm and the taste not bad. I think if I were to get it again, I'd pay the extra to get it grilled since you have to mince it apart to get the bones out of the middle. Any one else tried it and have opinions?

I don't use a lot of milk so UHT is great IMO. Much better than about-to-turn regular milk. Milk around here doesn't seem to keep well - particularly the stuff in plastic bottles. When I worked in northern Canada, we would get milk frozen before it was flown in. Lasted longer and kept the food cool, too but didn't taste so great. I suppose you could freeze UHT just to use as ice blocks, too. That being said, one time when I was cycling in England I asked for UHT milk in a small town and got a whithering reply about fresh milk. And that was the freshest, best, milk I have ever tasted. Felt kind of sick after quaffing a liter, though.

Ok, but if it's not boiling, why is it bubbling? Where you don't have a mixture of different boiling-point liquids, the bubbles would indicate localised attainment of boiling temperature. This would be where there is not enough energy input to raise the temperature of the entire system to boiling point, the heat losses from top and sides making them cooler, while the heat input at the base will make it hotter than the average of the whole panful. I think 'Simmering' describes the (near steady-state) condition where heat transport away from the base is not always fast enough to prevent hot spots (and/or nucleation sites) from reaching the liquid's boiling point. Ok. This makes sense. But it does point out the limitation of trying to define "simmer" as a specific temperature. The temperature at the base is just at the boiling temperature but the surface of the liquid will be a little below. And the boiling temperature (temperature at which the liquid becomes a vapour) depends on the composition (e.g. salt content) and the pressure (altitude).

A strap wrench for opening jars. Dirt cheap at Harbor Freight in the USA. I keep 2 sizes in the kitchen.

Ok, but if it's not boiling, why is it bubbling?

Yeah, Multnomah Falls in Oregon unless you believe the Twilight movie where it is just outside Forks, Washington. Need another clue to narrow down the guesses, though.

Shhh! They might start calling the bitters "potable" and taxing them as such.

I'll never buy the pet mince at Aldi again. Twice I've got bad bags and you know it's really bad when the dog can't hold it down.

I don't think this is correct. At boiling the amount of heat in the water is essentially constant so any additional heat from the burner either goes into boiling the water faster or is lost out the sides or top of the pot. When you add a given amount of pasta it takes a fixed amount of heat to bring it up to boiling temperature (or if you prefer it saps a fixed amount of heat) no matter how much water. So no matter how much water, the stove has to add the same amount of heat to bring it back to boil except for the fact that a larger pot will be losing more heat to the environment. It seems to me the smaller pot will drop to a lower temperature but return to boiling faster. I suppose the temperature drop could have an effect on how well the pasta cooks - particularly for pasta that cooks quickly but I'm skeptical. I think the biggest problem of a small pot is crowding increasing the chance of the pasta sticking to the bottom of the pot and to each other. That can be addressed through stirring so it really depends on how much you are willing to baby-sit.

Yes, the plate needs to be bigger or the cup smaller Actually, I quite like this one because it has a good sense of movement, like someone was hurrying to get their coffee and cookies. The top cookie needs to be in focus and I'd reduce the other side to only one or two. With some fill light I think it would tell a good story. A bigger plate might not work as well because it seems like there is tension in the cookies and the cup competing for space on the saucer. ... I suppose I'm anthropomorphizing a bit much