Chris Hennes

According to their testing, it tastes better. They don't know exactly why, perhaps something reacting with oxygen.

I keep around a dull 10" chef's knife for the express purpose of dispatching lobster (which is sorta stupid, considering how infrequently I eat lobster). I don't find that a sharp knife works any better, and I prefer the (relative) safety of a dull one when dealing with slippery thrashing sea-bugs.

Sugar. Like nearly all children I had a sweet tooth and would gladly eat whatever sweet thing you put in front of me. Now? Not so much. A bite or two and I'm done.

Kim, did the wrap come across as greasy (or I should say, greasier than the bun version)? I think my concern is related to the ability of the dry bun to absorb some of that grease, which would just kinda dribble off the tortilla.

OK, OK, I know in this topic we're supposed to be limiting the mockery to things we actually own. But seriously? $32?!!! Wow.

Wait, liking Tater Tots is shameful?! Damn! I wasn't ashamed of it until now...

What the heck is a garbage bowl? Is that like the $2 plastic bucket I put scraps for the compost heap in?

I am also ashamed that I tried to mince garlic with a knife for a while, but I sucked at it and went back to my garlic press.

I do not simply tolerate Dominos thin crust pizza: I like it. With onions. Hold the oregano.

We have a number of very active topics here related to charcuterie: to list just a few... Making Bacon Making Sausage Making Guanciale Making Pastrami Meat Grinders Meat Slicers Sausage Stuffers Smokers Cellars and Chambers for Curing and Aging Clearly then, there is a TON of interest in the topic. We have a HUGE cooking topic on Ruhlman and Polcyn's book (two of them, actually!): Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie": 2008-Present Cooking & Curing from "Charcuterie": 2005-08 But not much else discussing the other books available. In particular, I own Aidells, Bruce Aidells' Complete Sausage Book Child & Beck, Mastering the Art of French Cooking v. 2 CIA, Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen Kutas, Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing Marianski & Marianski, The Art of Making Fermented Sausages Ruhlman & Polcyn, Charcuterie Of these, I think Ruhlman & Polcyn's Charcuterie is maybe the best book for beginners. Some of the recipes are not particularly interesting, but the foundations it lays are solid, and it's very approachable. From there, Marianski & Marianski's The Art of Fermented Sausages is a very technical, in-depth treatise on dry-cured sausages and is an excellent reference. The others primarily serve as sources of recipes for me: some good, some not so good. What books am I missing? What are your favorites?

Chris, that's what I do, basically. They are spring-loaded on mine, so you have to hold them in place, though. They work ok.

I must admit, I like the Big Mac. Now, McD's has introduced a new wrap-thingy based on the Big Mac. Annoying website here (warning, audio...). Something about the idea seems vaguely disgusting, even to me. A McD's burger wrapped in a tortilla? No thanks. Your thoughts?

Or if you were using it as a serving vessel as well as a cooking vessel.

Thanks for the explanation, Dougal - shows you what I know about chemistry! So my salt pile does approximately nothing at all, and the humidity is just in the right range on its own. I wonder why my experience is so different from others here? Local environment, I suppose? Though at this time of year I would expect the interior air in Rhode Island to be pretty dry!

At the beginning of the curing process I put in dry salt, not wet: I want the salt to absorb as much moisture as possible from the air. And there is a lot of air circulation in mine from the fridge fans.

Another possible answer is to use a weak vinegar solution to wipe down the sausages and prevent the mold from forming at all. While the mold may be aesthetically pleasing, if it doesn't taste good...

Have you eaten sausages from other producers that you can compare yours to? I've eaten a number of sausages that were sold (and eaten) casing on and mold intact, without any negative flavors that I could discern. Are you sure the mold on the exterior is to blame for the flavor problems, and not the recipe or other aspect of the production?

Did you eat it with the mold still on, or take it off? I think in some respects sausages are like cheese: some people like the rind and some don't. I'd be curious to know how "moldy" it tasted if you remove the skin entirely, as well, as I saw them doing at the Calabria Pork Store.

I must respectfully disagree about the appropriateness of substituting black pepper for white: to my taste the two have basically no flavor elements in common, and the only thing they share is the name "pepper."

Regarding your question about poaching: yes, simply poaching at the desired finishing temperature works well, that's my usual method. Make sure your machine is well-cleaned, though: it's not something you usually have to worry about when just doing normal sous vide in plastic bags. When you start eating the bags, you need to be a bit more careful .

Thanks for the photos, they are very helpful. What's the advantage here, over the conventional method?

This is my first attempt: I was cleaning out the fridge before leaving for the holidays and had a whole cabbage left, so I just tossed it in the brine and let it go while I was away, with no extras. I have no moral objection to additional flavors, but I haven't personally tried it.

SheenaGreena, I'm actually using Ruhlman & Polcyn's brining method for making my kraut, so they certainly don't think there is any problem with adding water; the recipe calls for several liters of it. As long as you added enough salt to make up for the loss in concentration I think it should be fine.

I only drink coffee, black, and use tap water 99.99% of the time. If I happen to have a leftover bottle of water from a car trip I will use that up, but have never noticed any particular difference. There are too many other niggling variables that affect the flavor of the coffee much more than the water seems to that I'm not sure I could ever ferret out the difference.

You could consider ditching the brown bag and upgrading to Bentos. Not really a specific dish idea, I know...