KennethT

Yes, and I looked at their selection - I just go online to their website nypl.org and log in - then I can search, put stuff on hold, etc. My first entry into Singaporean Nyonya cooking was a book that I borrowed from the library. I have a couple things on hold right now, waiting for them to bring to my local - who knows how long that will take nowadays. I have Suvir's book and one Jaffrey book on hold....

Received as a gift years ago.

Pla pacific cod neung manao... Thai steamed pacific cod with lime juice. Made with chicken stock, a ton of garlic/chili, palm sugar and fish sauce... and a ton of herbs (cilantro, Thai basil, laksa, mint) mostly from my garden (the cilantro was purchased)

My parents had the whole series and I did a lot of cooking out of them when I was around high school age. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of them then and even more so now (especially regarding various SE Asian cuisines which I have a lot of experience with).

If everyone had a friend like Kerry, the world would be a much better place.

I had the opportunity to visit Dual today. I was out of turmeric (the horror!) and didn't feel like walking all the way up to Kalustyan's... while I was there, I had a good look around. All in all, it's a pleasant place to shop - between the music and the scent (were they burning incense?) I felt like I was in a yoga studio. Their prices are definitely better than Kalustyan's - but they don't have nearly the variety. Where they had a few different kinds of chilies, Kalustyan's has like 30. Where they had "black peppercorns", Kalustyan's has at least 10 different varieties - and yes, I've tried a bunch of them and they're each distinctive. But if I'm out of cumin or something or don't need something super specific like either my beloved Vietnamese peppercorns or the Sarawak peppercorns, I'd definitely go back.

Thanks for this. I do a lot of wok cooking with induction - I have a flat bottomed carbon steel wok that I use with a mid-priced (about $350) high power (3500W) 240V induction unit. Like a few of the ones above (like the Avantco), it has 10 power levels - from 400W to 3500W. For many things, I find that I really would like more power levels - and with the thin carbon steel, I don't think I've ever stir fried at a power level greater than what it calls 1200W. Any more than that and things burn before you can move your hand from the control panel and lift your wok scoop. One of the issues with the mid priced burners is that to decrease the power from maximum, they just turn the max on and off - but it's not pulsed many times per second, it's pulsed like 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off or something like that. If I have a small amount of liquid in the bottom or frying something in a little bit of oil at 800W, you can see it boil (or fry) for a few seconds, then nothing, then it starts over. This burner also has a few hot spots that's no big deal when boiling large quantities of water, but is a big deal when stir frying with thin carbon steel. I actually originally got this induction unit to bring large quantities of water to boil quickly, which it does well. I was planning to get a high power Vollrath as my main burner since it is adjustable in 1% increments from 1 to 100 with a knob, which they say makes it perform just like gas. And rather than just cycling on/off, it actually adjusts the power to the coil continuously and has a large expanded magnetic field so you can flip food and lift the wok/pan off for a second and it won't beep at you with an error message. I've just been waiting to save up a bit since it's kind of pricey. But I like the idea that I could potentially use it for my wok, but also with standard pots/pans, whereas the wok burner can only be used for woks. I don't have much storage space (NYC kitchen) so it's not like I can have an extra burner that I only use occasionally - otherwise, I would definitely consider one of these wok burners. Who knows - once i get the Vollrath I may find that it doesn't do a super great job with the flat bottomed wok and will look at these also. The one thing I didn't like about the Sunpentown is that while it has 20 adjustment levels, it's lowest setting is 1300W, which may still be too high for some things...

Bumping this old thread.... I have 1 Indian cookbook and it is absolutely horrible. I've been thinking about Indian food more lately and was looking for a book or two. It would be nice if the book(s) organized recipes by region rather than necessarily by "soup, starter, main course" etc. Any recommendations?

Keitt mangoes are great late season mangoes. Last year a friend in LA sent me a box of them. I've never seen them sold in NY. If you let them ripen on the counter they get super sweet and the flesh is almost like a custard. Messy but delicious. There are some Vietnamese growers in Florida who grow a few different Thai varieties that are fantastic - some are even better green of which I'm a huge fan. I think my wife likes the green mango more than the ripe ones!

Most of what they have is not wild, despite their name...

Agreed. I paid the $50 and now get free shipping. After just about a month or a little more, it has only 1 more shipment to have paid for itself. Prices and quality are great - my only complaint is that some things will suddenly be out of stock and they don't tell you when it'll be back...

You could go the Venetian route and do a beef cheek risotto - when my wife was on a wine press trip to the Veneto region, they served it to her and the rest of the group almost every day! I think duck would do well also, both staying within a traditional style.

Those look like fantastic oysters. What do the Chinese usually serve them with? The French have mignonette, the US (and UK?) have cocktail sauce, the Thai have nam jim seafood.... I have no idea what the Chinee3 do.

Fish Cheeks on Bond St. has a happy hour - $1.50 each... the oysters are pretty good, but they serve them with a nam jim seafood which is utterly addictive.

I cook arctic char in a similar way to what I do with salmon - it's similar but milder and not as fatty.

Usually, oysters at happy hour are offered by the half dozen and dozen. Some places that have more than 1 variety usually have 1 type (the least expensive, 'commodity' oyster) for the $1 or $1.25 each (sold by the half or doz) but the special oysters - usually local Long Island or West Coast, small production types, go for $3-4 each and can be purchased by the each. When the Mermaid Inn was open in our neighborhood (soon to return I've heard), we used to get maybe 3 dozen of the happy hour oysters (and maybe 4 of the special ones for dessert) plus a couple other appetizers and have a nice dinner.

Yes. $3.75 each, 22 for a half dozen, 40 for a dozen

I made this dish again last night, but rather than elk, used bison. I missed the slight gaminess of the elk. I also added some beech mushrooms (shimenji) and they were a great addition. Love this dish.

Actually, the CSO has firmware. So does your InstantPot. Anything with a digital display that can change with response to external stimuli - turning a dial, for instance, is run by firmware on a chip. Even most "dumb" ovens have a controller (hence firmware) now. It's just that some firmware is rewriteable and others are fixed. The CSO's firmware is most probably fixed - why pay for a rewriteable chip when the device in whole has no connectivity to be able to rewrite it? But appliances with WiFi or Bluetooth have a way to contact the Mother Ship. So, the company can go the typical software route which is to release the first version before it's actually truly finished. It may have bugs. Not as much functionality as it could possibly have based on teh hardware inside, etc. But because it is updateable, it doesn't need to be perfect on release. They can release patches at their leisure and work out the problems over time, making sales all the while.

That beef roast looks amazing. I rarely ever eat beef anymore, but I would gladly have yours as my "once or twice a year" indulgence! Your story of the Chinese food in a can cracked me up and reminded me of the awful lunch we had in Beijing in a very pretty tea house in a park. The tea was ok (way overpriced) but I could have sworn that the meat/gloppy sauce came out of a can. Basically the only thing edible was the rice.

Yes, pruning is very important. I am often amazed how cutting a plant back (some of them quite severely) result in a bigger, bushier plant! I initially found it counter-intuitive.

Interesting that they tell you to put it in bright light. From what I was to understand, mushrooms don't really care about light - other than being in direct sun which will overheat it.

Where does one get Caesar salad, dumplings and chicken strips all in the same place?

whoops... Nai

It seems that the chef/owner is from Barcelona but spent a time in Japan and loved it. PX hoisin was some sort of thin, syrup textured sauce - evidently made with hoisin and Pedro Ximenez (a sweet sherry made from VERY ripe grapes then sun dried before pressing then aged oxidatively). It was really tasty.