haresfur

Well I just bought a new cook top. Being down to one burner was just too much of a pain Here's my thought process for the purchase and my thoughts now that it has been a while. Gas was out since that would mean getting a propane tank and I didn't want the extra expense and hassle. I liked the idea of induction but decided to hedge my bets by getting an Electrolux hybrid. I think there was only one other brand that gave the choice of 2 induction + 2 radiant burners. With the hybrid I can still use non-magnetic pots and the cost is much lower than all induction. Having 2 burners for a decade or so (plus the Jenair grill) and only one for several months, I figure 80% of the time 2 induction burners will be enough. The advantages of induction for me are: energy efficiency, fast response, high heat, throttles to very low heat, easier cleanup because the cook top stays fairly cool, and less heat sent out into the room. I did have to run heavier wire and install a 40 amp breaker. The disadvantages of the hybrid are mainly the lack of 2 big induction burners, the cooked on spills around the radiant burners (so far that hasn't been too bad and I try to clean up before they get too nasty), and remembering not to pick up spilled bits of food with my fingers like I can around the induction burners . Other features to consider: Burners with adjustable heating areas. Mine has 2 different sizes to set manually on the big radiant burner and 2 sizes set by a sensor on each induction. With ceramic cook tops you need to consider if you want a metal rim around the pyroceram top or not. The rim makes it somewhat harder to clean up but should catch spilled liquid before it runs down the counter. Now about the Electrolux specifically I have a few complaints. None show-stoppers but still... The 2 induction burners share RF generators at max "booster" power so if you try to run both on high, one will ramp down. The literature talked about many levels of control but that was only for the radiant burners. The induction only has 10 levels. So far that hasn't been too bad, but I would like more choices. Electrolux controls the retail prices so you can't really find a deal. There was about a month lead time ordering even though they were going to be drop-shipping. Then it didn't get shipped out on time and when it did show up for store pick-up the free All-Clad fry pan that was supposed to be included didn't arrive until several months later. I don't think that was the store's fault although it could have been. Certainly the local people seemed to be trying to bird-dog it. Overall I'm happy with the price and performance but it isn't the most high end solution.

Eastern Washington State: I got Smoked Paprika at Costco but have never seen it elsewhere (or Hot Hungarian Paprika, but that's a separate complaint), I'm sure there must be crema at one of the Mexican markets but have never looked. Miso from an Asian market or the small health food store. Probably can get pancetta. Everything else would be hard and probably off-putting for some. Could you figure out a way to use pom juice instead of the molasses?

Sounds orgasmic! Seems like something with pomegranate would be appropriate - it is the fruit of love. Maybe real grenadine in the drinks?

Pots, definitely. Not that I'm that great a cook, but I do appreciate a nice pot. I would maybe change my tune if I could actually do a decent job sharpening a knife (I did once get an axe sharp enough to shave hair off my arm but it took days). So my knives aren't that great. ... Besides if the knives burn up maybe the insurance will buy me good ones

Well I guess, to me it tastes too much like molasses and too little like fermented molasses. And it runs roughshod over anything else I've put it in.

IMO the real travesty is that it is nearly impossible to buy real grenadine, even though it is easy to make.

To each his own, I guess, but I find Cruzan Blackstrap to be, well, vile. I like Goslings, Myers and the plain Captain Morgan's Dark you get in Canada (or at least I liked it decades ago). Lamb's Navy is fine in a pinch. Come on by and I'd be happy to serve you the rest of my bottle.

For the many-petaled lotus, artichoke could work. ... 'cus lotus root is too obvious.

Not today, but last Thursday we made it to Zig Zag and all I can say is "WOW!" Ok, I can say a bit more. Tried to go for a drink or two before dinner but we were a bit early so back up the stairs for a bite. Good thing. We are definitely light-weights - Getting right to the punch-line we had great cocktails, overshot the hotel a bit walking back (I would probably have kept going and ended up in Lake Union), were in bed by 9:00, and up early enough to drop EMP at SEATAC before the traffic got bad. Back down from Pike Place we scored the best stools at the bar for watching Murray work. Ordered the first drinks off the menu, I had an Armistice (I think) and emp had something with gin, chartreuse and other good stuff. Yum. Pretty soon we were sharing tastes with our new best friends on either side, as they rotated into the line-up. After that we put our selves in Murray's hands with him asking me to narrow it down to dark spirit and bitter and seeing I didn't make a bad face at the mention of Fernet Branca. Hushed voice from beside me as it was being prepared, "Is that a Toronto?" I didn't have a clue until Murray told me it was. Wonderful. "What's that?" comes the question from emp's side. "A Toronto" I say knowingly, and pass it over. She's drinking a taste of muddled cucumber, hot sauce and gin. Nice but a bit too spicy for more than a tiny bit IMO. We taste an Aviation from over that way, and the Creme de Violette, and some gin, and something with Laphroaig and ginger-beer... I ask for anything with rum and we decide on dark but not too molassesy. Out comes a taste of a Venezuelan rum who's name is lost in the haze followed by a Coin Toss. I look over and emp has a glass full of crushed ice, mint, sugar, and absinthe (maybe something else too?) Sweet, with a taste that is enough to drive you crazy even if the thujone content is low and you don't suck them down in rapid succession, tempting though that may be. I feel a bit like the time I went to a restaurant and had a perfectly prepared piece of halibut - why do I bother trying to cook fish? Every drink was great, it was fantastic to be able to dry things with ingredients that the State stores don't stock, and the people were great. Thanks Murray!

Whole wheat bread.

Sad to report I have nothing to contribute this month -at least that I'm willing to admit to. Let's just say caramelized-onion infused tequila was not one of my better ideas Hope some other forum members can take up the flag.

Hydrochloric acid is volatile. So is hydrofluoric acid I suppose (if you want frosted glasses - it etches glass). Not saying hydrochloric is or isn't present in booze, intentionally or not, but it could be.

I nominate the Dark and Stormy. Too frequently, I find myself driving home from work thinking, "It's a dark and stormy night." Darn tasty and if nothing else it is a drink with staying power. Dark and Stormy

Pizza is a blank canvas and no academy should determine what to paint on it. IMO anything goes (not that I like everything, but it is great that the only limits are the cook's imagination). For a good time check out the Japan forum pizza thread. Pizza in Japan On the other hand, I could be talked into banning overly doughy crust; yuck!

Picked up a bottle of Ikea elderberry syrup when in Seattle last week and just compared it to the mini-bottle of St. Germaine I picked up a while back. They are very different IMO. Interestingly the St. Germaine tasted sweeter and had sort of a melon flavor to me. The Ikea syrup was more acidic with less of a flower taste. I'd have to say that the St. Germaine taste was more interesting but both should be mixable. Needless to say, the Ikea price is more attractive. Oh, and thanks Chris, the New Old Fashioned is quite tasty but I had to sub in Peychaud's bitters.

I partially agree with you. I think it depends on what is within tolerance and what it outside tolerance. I question your idea of a 50% error - at least for the major ingredients. I'm no expert but I suspect a practiced bartender can free-pour many drinks within my tolerance. I tell people (on the rare occasions it comes up in conversation) that a good chemist is one who knows when to be "sloppy". Ironically, the greatest % errors are in the small additions - where you find dashes instead of micro-pipettes. But my point is that it may be possible to emphasize precision to the point of losing soul. Well maybe that's the difference between classical music and the Dead. How much room do you make for improvisation? It can be there in both. I just just don't have the expertise to tell when you guys are deviating from performance to performance. I agree, for drinks or any art, the changes should be mostly deliberate, but I don't mind leaving a little room for serendipity.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about the above. Part of the art may be to allow for human variability. Your example implies that there is a "right" way for a drink to taste. Maybe it would be more interesting to have multiple similar but different variations on a theme. Think about wine: part of the fun is that a 2002 Chateau de Pompous is different from a 2003. And maybe a slow Wednesday drink should taste different from a busy Friday one. Bonus points for matching the drink to the ambiance and double bonus for matching it to an understanding of the customer's mood. Just a thought. I'm sort of coming at this from a pottery background: You can use various sorts of machines (like jiggers ) to make pots uniform but IMO you risk losing their "soul". Or if you prefer a musical analogy, would you want a live concert to sound just like the CD?

Well, the good thing about the internet is that the idea counts. The virtual cocktail sounds tantilizing. Hope you continue the R&D and report back.

What is it about liking your work that means you don't deserve decent compensation? I know that isn't what you believe but it's effectively what people think about a lot of jobs - school teachers, scientists, ministers, etc. I'm not in the industry, I go to restaurants for good food. Good service is a bonus. If I get good food and lousy service, I'll probably come back. If I get lousy food and good service, I probably won't. If I get lousy food and lousy service I won't be able to complain about the lousy food and have it made right and I surely won't come back. The consumers would probably be better off if we were charged a base amount for serving the food and were expected to tip the kitchen. It's not that I don't appreciate good service but I suspect that the tipping system doesn't improve the quality. If I get poor service, my tip is likely different from someone else who got the same. And I suspect that if I tip low it is mostly it is written off as my being a lousy tipper in general. I could talk to management but frankly, if I am disappointed with my server, I more than likely just want to get out of there and don't feel it is my obligation to bitch to management. Unfortunately, under the current system it is pretty difficult to justify tipping the kitchen fairly. I'm already paying about 15-20% more for the meal than its cost (for average service). I really think it is only reasonable for the tips to be split with the kitchen if we are to have a tipping culture. And this stuff about management increasing their take-home by offsetting tips with reductions to hourly wage is total BS.

What about peaty single malts? Does that fall under "funky" or is it something else?

I haven't done the comparison in your first question. But with regards to the second question, for me, there is enough grenadine flavor in most drinks to justify the hassle of homemade. ... But there is very little hassle. I used Katie's half-hot half-cold method and it turned out great.

Pineapple-infused rum and cranberry juice on the rocks with a couple of dashes of Fees orange bitters on top. Just what the dearly beloved ordered. I put some brandy in mine which wasn't really an improvement. The pineapple upside-down cake made with rum-infused pineapple turned out pretty well, too.

Interesting I guess this cooler ferments with wild yeast. Wonder if it is imported on the skin or just from the air. Sounds like it is worth a try since it wouldn't cost anything if you were buying a pineapple already. Chris, I'll have to look for the little cans of juice. Somehow I thought pineapple would just juice up like an orange. Off to infuse some rum...

I think maybe a topic to discuss all drink-things pineapple is in order. Just made some not very good zombies last night. Probably had something to do with not having any orgeat and a lot of issues getting the sweetness right. But my main questions right now have to do with pineapple for drinks. First, do you make your own pineapple juice? How? I cut a bunch of chunks and ground the heck out of them with the mini-processor that attaches to my immersion blender. Ended up with pineapple sauce. Strained what I could through a tea strainer and got about half juice, half foam. Made do with that. Should I have just gone with a can of frozen concentrate? Second, I was using a Delmonte Gold pineapple. This is a pretty new variety with more sweetness and less acidity than others. The spears were pretty tasty after sitting in the drink but this can't be true to older recipes. Do you find you have to adjust for the acidity in your pineapple juice? How would I go about it? Are there other varieties that are preferable for mixing drinks? Finally, given the tastiness of the spears and the other half sitting in my fridge, I was thinking of soaking it in rum or something for eating/garnishing. Any recipes you would be willing to share? Oh yeah, any hints for cutting the things up without losing half the fruit trying to get rid of the last deep brown nubbins? Hope that's enough to start but please add anything else regarding the finer points-pineapple.