OrleansAg

Great post! I live in Seattle now...not a Popeyes in sight. In college, I baptized all my friends with Popeyes at MG! I must have said to my wife a thousand times..."Do you know how much fried chicken I ate growing up?!"

I've used Pyrex before. But the one I used yesterday was a ceramic pie pan. Thought I'd see how that worked. Thanks for the ideas. I think I will definitely try two things next time. 1) making sure my filling is room temperature or warmer and 2) trying to cover the edges of the crust during the pre bake, since those are not covered with filling, they have time to brown during "actual" pie cooking. For clarity, the recipe I used from CI was for the crust only. I found another mixed berry recipe online.

When I make pies I generally use the Foolproof Pie recipe from CI. I pre bake to try to avoid a soggy bottom. However, when I add fillings and bake it seems like the edges of the crust are always overdone, too brown and dry. I've tried covering the whole pie for the first half of baking and trying to cover just the edges with aluminum foil (kind of a pain). Any advice or techniques? Not pre-baking? Using two temperatures? Thanks for any thoughts...

Thanks, didn't even see that thread.. The pecan pie recipe used light corn syrup and brown sugar, but I felt like it had a "maplely" taste that I didn't want.

I whole-heartedly agree. I just moved here and had a sandwich there a few weeks ago. Wow! 12 napkins later, I was a happy (and really full) man.

I tried a Pecan Pie recipe from Cooks Illustrated. The crust was great, but the pie filling was not as good as I would have liked. Flavor-wise. I was wondering if anyone has any recipes they would recommend or share. Also, while I'm at it, I'm looking for a great sweet potato pie recipe.

Scarlett (since you seem to be very knowledgeable) or others. Great thread on the exact topic I was looking for. Yeah eGullet! I recently moved from Cincinnati to Seattle. In Cincy, I took adult evening cooking classes and some culinary arts curriculum classes at the Midwest Culinary Insitute. Do any culinary schools have hands on classes? Also, do any of you know of any other food groups or clubs? I know that is vague, but I'm new and would like to re-engage with my passion: Food and those who love it. Thanks!

Anybody been yet? I, obviously, have not been yet.

Sorry, been AWOL for a few weeks. Happy New Year all! Talked to my friend that is doing some managing with Gimchi. They opened on the 21st, not sure if it was advertised much, sounded like a soft opening for now. He said it was Korean and Japanese Sushi. Not Korean sushi. Of course, I will be sure to go when I am back in New Orleans next. But if anyone eats there, I'm curious of your experience. And can pass it along to the mgmt if constructive

Try the Abita Brew Pub Abita Brew Pub

Todd, A friend of mine is opening Gimchi in Metairie. You're talking about the one behind the Safari carwash next to a bank I think. Funny you mentioned it because when I was down in New Orleans another friend of mine and I were talking about it. What he told me is that it was definitely a Korean focus but with sushi, not sure if just sushi bar or other Japanese fare. I didn't go in it, but he said they had put a lot into the restaurant and that they would have a nice bar for happy hour and typical New Orleans late night drinks. I they were planning on opening pretty soon. I don't know much more than that...but maybe I can poke around to find out more.

My wife and I have been on a pizza kick as well. Simple ones as well, sauce (homemade or bought), cheese, herbs. That's usually it. For dough sometimes we make our own and if we think ahead we'll put it in the fridge overnight. But lately we've been using premade dough from Trader Joe's. And usually that sits in the fridge for a few days. We have had great results from that kind. Taste and "flexibility"

Thanks for the info. It's nice to see it in action vs. the stock picture. I was thinking of getting that, but I'm also looking at their knife magnets. They are circular, so a bit different than traditional bars.

Ahh... I was thinking it was some sort of cooking program

Thanks for the advice so far and the site links. I will definitely follow up on them. And, for some reason, I always forget about Craigslist as a place to see job openings. Also, I understand the point that many of you are making about people being swept up in the 'glamour' of the Food Network and getting a very unrealistic idea of the industry. I get that, and that is why I wanted to take some culinary classes to see if indeed I was "swept up" or not. And also try this board, reading, taking to chefs/cooks, attending trade shows, etc...and I can tell you that thus far, I don't feel like I am offbase about my passion. But, like I've said, I know I am in a different position agewise/lifewise than some others starting out, but I have some other talents and strenghts that could help me too. But again, thanks for the advice and links. Just helpful to hear other perspectives. Oh and SundaySous, what is an angry 8?

I hear ya. Working for $10/hr at this point is a non-starter. But I also realize that starting any food related business with no background would also be a poor investment. So I am trying to take classes and make some contacts. But, you're right, that is definitely an option at some point. Oh, and enjoy New Orleans. Not sure if Pat O's is the best place to actually watch the game, but you'll have forgotten about it after the first Hurricane.

I’m not sure if there is a more appropriate forum (or existing thread) for this topic, but I know there are a lot (obviously) of society members that are employed in the culinary industry. And, I am trying to explore a career track change to that area. Let me explain… I am 30 and have been working for a large corporation for about 8 years. Pay is great, people are nice and I have progressed upwards. I have a B.S., MBA, and M.S. and a lot of experience in purchasing and negotiation. My point you ask?…well, I have no passion for what I do and like many people who come to this point I am trying to determine if I “stick it out” for a job I don’t exactly hate that pays well, or try to find my way to an area that I can really dig into and love. I love to cook. I have always loved to cook. As my handle suggests, I grew up in New Orleans, and of course food is a religion there. I read the Professional Chef in my spare time, try my hand at stocks, research knife sharpening techniques (for Pete’s sake!), and I have even enrolled in a local culinary arts program (Midwest Culinary Institute), taking weekend classes. Yet, taking one class a quarter will never get me to that goal. But it’s a start and it exposes me to local Chef Instructors and cooking opportunities. People ask, “What do you want to be?” and “What specific area of the culinary field do you want to work?”….and I wish I had a good answer. I guess I am trying to find a place where I can leverage my business skills to continue to earn an income (can’t outright quit…I have a kid) and continue to participate in culinary classes. I am going to try to attend some trade shows (IFT, NRA, RCA…) figuring that might help me make more contacts. And, of course, I have been diligently exploring culinary websites and job sites. Also, while I do not have restaurant experience, I do understand the rigors (time, lack of $, getting chewed up by higher ups, etc..) but with my background and the fact that I am not 18, I think going to work as a dishwasher first would be quite difficult, so I am not sure if that is an option either. I realize this is a bit of a personal post, but I figure this is the audience that may understand me the best. So, I’d appreciate any ideas or thoughts or advice you may have. Or even if you just want to tell me to get off my butt and make something happen! (I know, I know…) Thanks

I've seen them on eBay.

I have a Mercer brand knife carrying case for my knives (have assorted brand knives in it, but nothing abnormally sized) that I have from my culinary school set. It's a good solid case, but I was curious if others in the field could recommend some cases that were a little more interesting that the basic black one. Thanks!

Nice thread. I actually did a whole paper in my culinary arts class about Cayenne Pepper. To add to the "confusion" , what I found out is that (agreeing with most of the posters) cayenne pepper is not a blend of other spices with chiles (like Chili Powder), but solely ground chiles...but not always only cayenne chiles. It can be a blend of chiles and is usually distinctive because it's ground very fine. And FWIW, for Chili Powder, I really like Gebhardt's if I use premade

Thanks shadow. Looking forward to going there. I live in Cincinnati, so it's a short trip.

Also, a non food reco, if you can, rent a car and drive down to the cape point (cape of good hope). It was an amazing drive, not to difficult with some nice places to stop off and eat.

Went a few years ago, so not sure if this is outdated. But we had a great seafood meal at a place call 'The Codfather' (nice name) I think it was in the Clifton or Camps Bay area. Also, there is a place in the Waterkant district call the Cape Quarter with a great wine bar, a sushi place, and italian place. All very nice, not South African per se, but we enjoyed it. Oh and one more in Cape Town called 'Five Flies'...very nice place, higher end.

A bit off topic of a great dinner....but... My wife and I went to the Winelands and stayed in Franschhoek. We toured Spier, and it was nice, but we had an amazing basket lunch at a vineyard called Boschendal. You call ahead and order a basket and wine, then pick it up and eat out of the grounds. It was a very nice experience. One of my favorite of the region. Enjoy your time there, it is my favorite place on earth!

Anyone heard any updates on the restaurant?