haresfur

Do you think your science background carries over into your approach to cooking or do you want to get away from it? I tend to the latter, but maybe that's why I'm a mediocre cook. Then again my Dad was a good but wild cook and a good scientist... Thanks for the great and inspiring blog.

Wow! Do you really file your tea by type? A very impressive stash.

NIH appears to recommend not drinking more than a quart of grapefruit juice a day Atorvastatin. However, in the the Health and Human Services publication Medicine by Design they say some people can show an effect at lower levels: My personal, non-medical practitioner thought, would be to avoid those juices completely when going on a drug with possible interaction and then introducing them slowly (in consultation with your doctor) only after you have established your response to the drug. But then, I didn't have a good experience with statins, anyway.

Hmm, how well do you chew your food?

Good for you! If nothing else you will become aware of how strong your desire/dependency is or is not. In college I would periodically fast for a couple of days - if only so I would appreciate dorm food. Now, I periodically detox from caffeine. If I get a headache I know it was time.

Ok, I'm behind the times with this. Any insights on why China is banning Australian lobster? I'm not sure whether I'm more upset about the plunge in prices due to the ban or at the incredibly high prices in the first place. The rock lobster industry says prices have plummeted since China's decision to stop all imports of Australian rock lobsters.

FWIW, my coworker who used to work for Coca-Cola in Africa, said they go to great lengths to ensure the taste is the same around the world, including sustainable water supplies meeting stringent quality requirements. (Of course that appears not to include paying for cane or beet sugar in the USA.) I heard anecdotally about a water supplier here in Australia who was required to relocate his well away from a stream when drilling a replacement. The new well had slightly too high iron and he was not allowed to treat or blend it. And back on topic: Thanks for the great blog, Chris. I need to make some rosemary simple syrup. How do you think an x the brave would be with bourbon?

Well, I can amplify a bit on my experience if you want. I have the low end tilt-head mixer. My 3000 W transformer is certainly big enough to handle any transient demand from the 300 W mixer. So in terms of voltage and wattage, there isn't a problem that I can see. The 50 Hz frequency here is different. That's something I don't understand very well but as near as I can tell from the great internet font of wisdom, the speeds may be about 20% slower. I can't tell but I seldom need top speed anyway. I haven't used the mixer much (maybe now my oven is finally fixed...) but it runs. It appears the same units are sold in Japan where they have 50 Hz - or is it 50 or 60 Hz, depending on where you live? Interestingly, the 220 models appear to be rated for both frequencies. If I were Kitchenaid, I wouldn't advise someone to do it as a CYA. In fact I wouldn't advise you to do it. But I have yet to see any reason to worry about my system and even if it burns out eventually (can't see why it would), I haven't lost anything.

Well, it's worked for me so far, but your electrons may vary. What problems did people have? One thing, particularly with motorized equipment is to be sure you have a high-enough wattage unit for the start-up pulse. That can be around 2 times the rated value, I think. Mine is rated for continuous usage and I chose the size, based on the espresso maker. I believe there are some electronic things sensitive to the frequency 50 vs 60 Hz but even my rice cooker works.

My vegetarian sister always does Indian food for Christmas. If you want something more traditional you can stuff and roast a pumpkin. (Sorry I'm a bit late).

I bought a 3000 W transformer/voltage regulator so I could move my small appliances to Australia. For that price they should make a dual voltage version.

My Sanyo rice cooker has different marks for different types of rice. I mostly make short or medium grain brown rice and find I like to add a bit more water than they call for.

What they said, but don't be afraid to play. One other approach once you have a passing acquaintance with the basics is to buy something new and then try to figure out the best thing to do with it (hopefully the best thing isn't to pour it down the sink and make yourself an old fashioned ). For example, you could buy some Campari to make an Americano and then think "hmm wonder how it would be if I replaced the soda water with gin?". Ok, that's been done, but you get the idea. I have some plum wine just waiting for an idea on what to mix with it. Another approach is to take a recipe that falls short in your opinion and try to figure out what to do to improve it. Maybe that's just adjusting the ratios but maybe it's adding something new. And don't forget that something could be a non-alcohol component. Sometimes we tend to focus too much on the booze IMO. Don't worry, probably nothing you do could be worse than the stuff college students throw down their throats.

I had good luck with bobateadirect.com, not that I'm a matcha expert. grade A matcha

Like Trader Joe's in the US, you have to experiment and figure out what you like, then hope they continue to carry it. I buy low-end tuna for the cat, chocolate as above, some of the chocolate biscuits, some processed food I'm embarrassed to admit. I use the organic coffee. The chicken seems ok and the bacon is leaner than I've seen at the major stores. I've bought some decent cleanskin SA wine at 6 bottles for $10. The liquor was drinkable but I deserve better. The tater tots & hashbrowns are ok but I was disappointed that the hashbrowns were preformed bricks instead of just shredded potatoes that I could use for other things. Oh yeah, the 4 L tins of Australian EVOO are pretty good for everyday use.

What's the deal with 'minimum chips'? Ever since they offered it in a shop, I've been happily ordering fish and 'a dollar's chips'. No one has said, I couldn't do so, although some places you really don't get many chips. I had bream last week and it was very nice. No one around here seems to have flathead.

I hate chopping parsley beyond reason. The curly stuff grabs my fingers in a desperate attempt to escape the knife. Creepy. Italian parsley is better but tries to paste itself to the board so you don't get a clean cut.

What, no Winnipeg cream cheese? There was a time in my life when winnipeg cream cheese on stoned wheat thins was the perfect, untoppable snack. I miss easy perogy (or whatever your choice of spelling is ) access, or even people who know what they are. These days I just make my own. They freeze great, so I make a big batch to have plenty for the freezer. I haven't cooked it yet this week, but we really like it. And because it needs high heat for a short time, it's pretty quick. Gerg loves it in a roo-steak sandwich. Don't delay, give it a try! But be warned, the smell when you take it out of the package is very strong Funnily enough, I have a bottle of Stones in my cupboard. I mostly use it in cooking though - should start thinking about drinking it too! I don't remember Winnipeg cream cheese. But my mother made what she termed "Winnipeg style cheesecake" which is extremely gooey like it was undercooked. What do you cook with the Stones? I can see that it would have possibilities if you can cut the sweetness. I seem to have messed up the url for the Ginger Envelope. Try this

Rock lobster season just opened in Victoria. According to the report I read, prices will be about $80 a kilo. I think I'll pass. eta: Just for comparison to CA.

I have a zester that makes nice thin strips. For that matter, if you cut them over the glass, there's probably no need to twist with your fingers. They do make pretty curls to hang over the edge of the glass, though. Then your customer could have the choice of dropping it into the glass or off the side.

Ooh, Winnipeg! ... Do you miss any particular foods or ways of eating from the prairies? Let's see... I miss fresh pickerel (walleye). And being able to order fried pirogies in the pub. I haven't tried to eat 'roo yet (although I'm sure the Dalmatian has). How did it turn out? I should try it, if only for ethical reasons - kangaroos emit much less greenhouse gas than cattle. For mixed drinks, Australia is a great place to explore ginger with Cascade or Bundaberg ginger beer (gin gin mule), candied ginger to infuse into vodka, and Stone's ginger wine (Whisky Mac; Ginger Envelope. The last one has become one of my favorite drinks.

As a former Winnipegger in Australia, I'm enjoying your insights and looking forward to more.

2 oz Wild Turkey Rye 1/3 oz Ikea elderflower syrup (approx - I adjusted up from 1/4) 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters 2 dashes Regan's orange bitters The Regan's bitters make all the difference in knitting everything together.

Actually the banana slicer was originally aimed at families with small children. Kids can use it where one would not want to turn a child loose with a knife and unlike anything with a blade (even plastic ones) they are acceptable at schools. Really? My one year old just eats them whole. I peel and he chows down. Big giant bites for Mr. Piggy. He eats a whole banana in one sitting. It's one of the few fruit he'll actually eat, and he eats them about one every other day. Very picky in that some days are banana days and some days are not banana days. There's no telling. It's for having sliced bananas in cereal. Consider having to slice bananas for 7 kids who want their breakfast all at once. Having one or more of the kids handle this chore is helpful. You can slice a banana with a spoon, although I think my SO is terminally weird for doing so. It does save a utensil. My vote for the stupidest gadget is an old classic - the flat plastic or wood thing with different size holes in it for measuring spaghetti portions. How hard is it to grab the right amount, and what's wrong with leftovers, anyway?

Joy! The local Dan Murphy's liquor store now has Wild Turkey 101 rye ($50). I'm so enjoying my Sazerac.