Alcuin

Thanks for the clarification of the terminology. And just to clarify: I wouldn't say the Select Reserve isn't a good drink or it's not a deal at $25, it's just not my style.

Glenrothes bottles their scotches in vintages--the most common one these days is the 1991 which I think normally retails around $65 or thereabouts. Then there's Glenrothes Private Reserve (at least I think that's what it's called) that typically retails for about $40 which is actually a vatted scotch, a mixture of a number of different ages. Vatted scotch differs from blended scotch in that it must be a mixture of single malt scotches and blended scotch can have "unaged whiskey," i.e. neutral grain spirits (vodka) mixed in. I imagine it's the vatted product you're talking about. I personally don't like the vatted scotch much, though the 1991 Glenrothes is excellent. I'd say buy one bottle and taste it before you buy a case--then you'll know if it's worth it or not.

Heresy?! My mom's been making hybrid loaves for many many years now, but I guess the bread Pope hasn't discovered her and hauled her off to the inquisition yet. I don't use commercial yeast in my weekly breads, preferring a nice long preferment. That doesn't make my mom's bread worse than mine, though it is different for more reasons than one. It's one technique among many--there's no set in stone way of making bread and that's a good thing.

I live in Madison, WI. Pomegranate mollases--I've never looked, but I'm sure I could find it Aleppo pepper, Sumac--I've never looked but there's a Penzey's storefront in town creme fraiche--yes crema--yes smoked Paprika--yes miso paste--all the colors of the rainbow sherry vinegar--yes duck--frozen, yes duck fat--yes, but you really have to look around pancetta--yes The pig parts are a bit more complicated: fresh trotters are available easily, but skin alone is not. Fresh bellies are easy to order from a couple of butchers around town, but it's an unusual order for them--there's only one place where I can get skin on bellies and I have to buy the whole thing (though this is not a problem for me). A medium sized Asian market carries belly, pig's head, and things like that but there selection is sporadic. "Side pork," aka unsmoked, uncured belly usually sliced like bacon is relatively easy to find. Luckily, there is a gigantic farmer's market that enables you to talk to farmer's directly so I've got a good source for all things Berkshire (except liver--they're not allowed to sell much offal by law), but at a very high price, all frozen, and only sporadically. They're a good source for me for smoked and fresh pork jowl and back fat though when they're around. I have to second Chris Hennes' caveat that you're talking to an unusual bunch. It's taken me some time and energy to find sources for all the things I want and when I go to butcher stores they're always surprised but excited by my requests. All in all though, in a town like this if somebody really wants to explore food, they can.

I can't really speak to whether overproofing has worse effects from one stage of the process to the next, but my instincts say that overproofing is overproofing and you don't want it to happen either way. That's not saying much though to answer your question about whether its worse in one stage over another--sorry. As to the notion of letting the dough rise until it doubles, I don't think this is really a good way to tell whether its far enough along or not. Different doughs will look different when they're properly proofed and many don't "double" in volume. My sourdough bread for instance just looks slightly puffy when it's ready to be shaped--I don't think it's doubled at that point, but it's ready nevertheless. A better gauge for this is to actually slash the dough and see what kind of air bubbles have developed--if it looks like a weblike network of air bubbles it's ready, if not I give it more time. This is more accurate than looking for "doubling" and I think is a useful rule of thumb that you can apply to a variety of breads.

I'd only seen the thick cast iron woks before and didn't even know a thinner one existed. The idea of a thick one doesn't seem very versatile to me, but I really like the idea of a thin one. I want to get into wok cookery, so I got a 14" traditional cast iron one from the Wok Shop--I'm excited to get it and use it. Thanks for the references and info.

Besides the weight, one problem you might encounter with a cast iron wok is that it holds heat too well. With steel, you can control the heat much better and for the tasks you use a wok for like stir frying or deep frying smallish chunks of food, I think you'd want the control of steel over the heat-retention of iron.

I'd suggest going to a bar with a decent selection of scotches and try them by the glass. There's no easier way to understand scotch and wine than by direct comparison, plus you don't have to worry about having a whole bottle of something you don't like. Then, you can decide what you like easier and go deeper into that distillery or region.

I do this a lot of times too, but there are some things I wouldn't do it with. Hard boiled eggs are one of this things that spring to mind as I don't think they'd cool as quickly as necessary without a serious ice bath. Another thing would be greens--they're too plentiful often and the ice bath allows you to deal with their volume most efficiently. I think for things with a lot of surface area matters: asparagus works with running because it's long and skinny so the mass is stretched out, allowing for faster cooling and less need for the water bath.

ok, that sounds like the deal then. I decided to go with the flat pancetta for my first try and cut the recipe in half. That way if, for some reason, it goes bad, I only lost a 2.5 pound piece instead of a 5 pounder. With that curing salt it kinda puts my mind at ease anyway. ← Plus, if you're worried about hanging it, I've heard you could keep it on a flat rack in the refrigerator. The problem with that might be that it might dry out a bit, but I think this will work too. I've never tried this though. Does anybody else have experience with drying flat pancetta in the refrigerator? Good luck with your belly. ← It works fine in a regular fridge. I've commented on this before. Leave it in there 20-30 days on a rack. ← That's a long time--it doesn't dry out to much with all that surface area and such a long amount of time?

Thanks for the references. You say you're a convert to stresa. I've thought the purpose behind the roll was it's compact shape (which I need--space is a premium). Are there any other advantages to rolling beyond that? On the other hand, are there any advantages to stresa beside the fact that it's easier?

ok, that sounds like the deal then. I decided to go with the flat pancetta for my first try and cut the recipe in half. That way if, for some reason, it goes bad, I only lost a 2.5 pound piece instead of a 5 pounder. With that curing salt it kinda puts my mind at ease anyway. ← Plus, if you're worried about hanging it, I've heard you could keep it on a flat rack in the refrigerator. The problem with that might be that it might dry out a bit, but I think this will work too. I've never tried this though. Does anybody else have experience with drying flat pancetta in the refrigerator? Good luck with your belly.

With the recipes Ive read it states that the room has to be 60F with about 60% humidity. The coolest area in my house (besides the fridge) is a spare bedroom and the coolest that gets is about 70F. Is the temp that important? I'd hate to waste 5 pound of pork belly, that stuff's not cheap! ← 50-60F with 60% humidity is the ideal. I'm not really hitting that ideal point, but I'm not worried about it because if something bad starts to happen (mold growth, rot, or too much hardening of the meat due to too low a humidity), I'll just refrigerate (after washing with a vinegar solution if it's getting white mold--green mold and its a goner). As far as I understand it, hanging improves the texture and deepens the flavor but you don't have to go all the way so refrigerating and freezing won't hurt it. So basically, I'm taking a chance but it's a chance I'm willing to take. It still smells delicious, so unless it's moldy on the inside, I assume it will be delicious and fine. Maybe I'm wrong in this assumption, but I figure since I've used pink salt the one silent killer, botulism, won't be a problem and rot (unlikely since it's cured, unless the cure didn't properly penetrate) which would be easy to smell or mold, easy to see if I check, would be my only problems. It's only for me and I trust my senses to tell me if something's not right. If I were doing this on a grander scale, or dealing with something that had a casing on it, I wouldn't leave it out at room temp--I'd have a curing set-up just for this made.

as an aside, You Don't really need to roll it . Just hang it for a couple weeks. ← That's true, I think that's called pancetta stresa. If you do roll it, though, it has to be rolled very tightly--open space in the middle could be a haven for bad mold. I've got one right now which I hung last Sunday--one more week to go. It's just hanging in my kitchen, but so far so good.

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. ← I've had this problem too. I bought it because it was cheap and came recommended, but when I've used it the results were not so good. How do people use it? ← It's a little rough around the edges and somewhat tricky to use where you might put a Jamaican, for example, but I can't imagine it not being awesome in a bowl of punch. Anybody able to vouch for this? Am I going to have to make a bowl of punch just to find out? ← /Slaps head/ Haven't thought of that. I'll have to try that, maybe tonight even. ← So, in the interest of science (and putting off work I have to do), I made the Mississippi Punch from Imbibe! 2 oz cognac (Courvoisier VS) 1 oz bourbon (Bulleit) 1 oz Jamaican (or not--Cruzan Blackstrap) half a lemon 1 1/2 T superfine sugar The Cruzan Blackstrap does work here, but only after being wrestled down by 3 oz of other spirits. And it's still kicking. The molasses is not overpowering as it normally is and gives the drink a nice rich backbone. It's definitely dominant for the most part, but in a good way--even though it's only 1/4 of the base spirit here, this tastes like a rum drink, not a cognac-bourbon-whiskey drink, because of the strength of the Blackstrap. I like it, but it makes for a very straightforward, richly rummy drink. Using another rum, needless to say, makes for a very very different Mississippi Punch. Thanks for the tip thirtyoneknots, I kind of can't believe I haven't tried this before. I'll have to look for other drinks that will tame this rum, or just drink more Mississippi Punch's with it when I'm in the mood for a belt.

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. ← I've had this problem too. I bought it because it was cheap and came recommended, but when I've used it the results were not so good. How do people use it? ← It's a little rough around the edges and somewhat tricky to use where you might put a Jamaican, for example, but I can't imagine it not being awesome in a bowl of punch. Anybody able to vouch for this? Am I going to have to make a bowl of punch just to find out? ← /Slaps head/ Haven't thought of that. I'll have to try that, maybe tonight even.

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. ← I've had this problem too. I bought it because it was cheap and came recommended, but when I've used it the results were not so good. How do people use it?

There are some false analogies in your argument. Mescal and calvados: I can't find Laird's BIB in my area, so I'd have to use calvados. The issue is availability and I don't think the availability of bonded applejack is the same as the availability of 100% agave tequila in this country. So subbing one apple brandy for another just doesn't seem like that big of a deal. If anything, it shows the cocktail neophyte that there are acceptable and non-acceptable substitutions. Triple sec and grenadine: Again, there are a number of widely available choices in the triple sec area but not so much for grenadine. Not everybody wants to make their own grenadine, no matter how easy it is. And again, she's not speaking to eGullet. I could make a better drink, using calvados, right now if I wanted to, easily. But I've been making drinks for a while, have a reasonably well stocked bar, and have my own homemade grenadine. When I make drinks for people or talk to them about it, they're always blown away. I tell them how easy it is and then spend the next five minutes or more telling them every ingredient, step, and technique they need to use for a great drink. About half way in, I realize how detailed and painstaking it all is and their eyes have glazed over. I've realized that if I can teach them how to make an Old Fashioned, that's the best way to start. Getting them to realize things like "respecting the ingredients" is a revelation to most people. Is Rachel Maddow a great cocktail ambassador? Obviously not to you, but maybe to others. On the whole, does she seem to know and convey some good information? I'd say yes. Did she convey any wrong information? I'd say no. Also, I should note, I don't have cable television and even if I did, I wouldn't have time to watch Maddow's show anyway. She seems like a different, and interesting choice for a news program though, but I don't go for that kind of thing usually. I just don't see what's so horribly wrong about this video and I've seen much worse things done in bars that what she did there (which is one reason I stopped ordering drinks at them and decided to make them myself). edited due to some double posting

Read the comments for the video, people obviously love her and it's not for her cocktailian acumen. That said, she does pack some pretty good info into a two and a half minute video: what "bonded" liquor is; the importance of fresh juice; what calvados is and the difference between that and applejack; the importance of measuring; the importance of proper shaking (even down to the too cold to hold rule of thumb). Why does she use glow in the dark industrial grenadine? Probably so as not to extend the video by a minute or more so she can explain how to make some. Or so that she doesn't recommend a grenadine that most people can't find so they can actually make the drink. Remember, she's not speaking to eGullet, she's speaking to people who love Rachel Maddow and who probably know nothing about drinks. She's given them some tips to produce a better drink, even, I'd argue, with the flawed grenadine and calvados. This is probably a better drink than most of the target audience of the video are used to. In this case, the ends probably justify the means.

Beautiful--it looks so summer-y. How's it held together?

I almost always make boules using a cheap dutch oven I picked up at Marshall's (no need to abuse my Le Creuset with 550F heat). I've been doing 70% hydration lately (down from 75% which I'm beginning to think is not necessary for a bread of this sort). I usually proof in a banneton in the refrigerator, even if I'm not going to retard for a long period of time (this allows for a slightly better margin of error for overproofing, I think). Then, when it's done proofing, it's usually a bit stiffer from the cold, making it fairly easy to handle. I flip it, slash it, and carefully drop it into the dutch oven. I've found trying to flip directly into the dutch oven to be difficult to do with precision (I'm using a 5 quart), so I don't try that anymore. I agree though that with breads that have to have really high hydration like ciabatta, parchment onto a stone's the only way to go. I like to remove it half way through too, because even if it's subtle the parchment does act as a bit of a heat barrier and I don't get the kind of toasty crustiness and color I like from the parts of the loaf in contact with the parchment.

Yup. ← I've done this but I have to say I don't like the way the parchment affects the shape of the loaf. I've found that the crinkles of the parchment impress themselves on the dough and bake them in. They may be subtle and most people wouldn't notice them but I do. A dry floured towel works just as well so I use that instead (when I'm not using my banneton that is, and that's rare). I proof seam up and invert, as usual. edited for grammar

You can use a regular basket lined with a towel (preferably of linen) that's floured and bone-dry. The parchment wouldn't stick if you baked on it, so you'd have to proof it seam side down and transfer it to your stone or dutch oven on the parchment to bake if you wanted to do that to ensure there's no stickage.

Look for a brotform instead of a banneton. They come in all kinds of shapes, even oval.

Totally true. A home cooked meal is more than the sum of its parts.