trillium

I'm interested in making either of these, but can't find any hints on salt/cure ratios and seasonings. I'm guessing the lardo is very easy to make, and I have 6 fresh pork kidneys that could go into a salumi if the partner doesn't get to them first. I thought nduja would be a good candidate, but I can't find a recipe. Anyone? thanks, trillium

Here is what I use at work. It's my favorite option for frequent handwashings where you still need your grip. regards, trillium

When I've cooked things for vegetarians that usually need smoked pork I use a little bit of morita or chipotle (the dried kind) or smoked paprika to add smokiness to a dish. The smoked paprika is pretty potently smoky. You might try any of those with your smoked turkey to up the flavor. regards, trillium

Turkey jook rules at our house, and is a tradition carried over from S'porean side of the family. We make it with the carcass and then garnish with bit of meat and all the skin (after it has been crisped under the broiler) in addition to all the regular jook toppings. I came up with the skin idea, and every year I love hearing about what a genius I am when we eat it. regards, trillium

Can you talk about how it's different? I usually use Nick Malgieri's recipe. I'm excited about this year's because I candied a bunch of bergamot peel in addition to the orange and lemon. I've been hoarding them all year (in the fridge). regards, trillium

Baker & Spice (I think that's their name?) was advertising pumpkin and pecan pies for T-day. I had a small pumpkin tart thingy from them and it was really good. The custard was set perfectly, and there weren't too many cloves in the spices. regards, trillium

Actually, it was the notion you posted elsewhere that having an oven that could go really low and steady (was it salami, or something like that?) could be very useful. Down here, with air conditioning and all, finding a place for dehydration or bread rising can be difficult. That, plus the reputation of KA as being a serious range (see "yuppie kitchen sculpture," above), kept it in my mind.Right. That was me lusting after the duel-fuel Bosch range in a PM. With my luck the stupid, ugly and smelly ceramic disc range from the 70's in my soon-to-be new house won't crap out as readily as yours did and will wait until 1 day after the new home warranty is expired! One of the justifications for the Bosch was that it could go really low and steady and that range is perfect for the beginning of making salami. Or proofing bread or dehydrating the 5 lbs of chanterelles I had to buy because they were such a good deal at the farmer's market. And then, you know, it could be a bad sign that Sears bought K-mart, right? Guilt by association and all that... so obviously, that rules out the more economical Kenmore.... Very cool! Isn't it nice when all that due diligence crap actually pays off? I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a pre-T-day delivery, and waiting to see how you like your new range. Please say a prayer to the patron saints of new home owners that my nasty range will follow yours to the grave. regards, trillium

Woo-hoo! Not bad for a fancy schmancy range! So what made our intrepid hero of the budget remodel pick this particular one over all the other contenders? Did you really take a roasting pan and a beach ball to the store? regards, trillium

This might not be exactly what you wanted as an answer, but it's very very easy to make your own pancetta tesa (think flat pancetta), pancetta or guanciale. I make a year's supply tesa at a time, along with curing the two jowls that come with the hog. But you don't need a hog to make tesa, you can get very respectable slabs of pork belly from any decent asian grocery that you can turn into tesa yourself, very easily and safely. Really. Some spice, some wine and garlic, some salt and a little curing salt. Easy. If you can make amatriciana, you can make pancetta tesa. And if you can find someone who raises pigs and feeds them something that makes them taste extra yummy (like whey or nuts) then it will be even better. I think the tesa and guanciale I make can rival anything I've eaten in Italia and I've served it "raw" as you've described. Good stuff! regards, trillium

I think stickly speaking the term "barbeque" is referring to cooking in slow heat in an oven. When you grill something over open fire, it should be called "grilled". A lot of people mis-labelled their dish. (e.g. "Come to my house to do some barbeque!", and they refer to grilling some hamburger patties on a home "BBQ" stove) ← Okay, but you can cook something slowly on a wood or charcoal fire (ribs are a great example). Has anyone tried making char siu on a charcoal or wood fire, and if so how did it stack up against the oven version? ← It's lightyears ahead of the oven version, and the oven version is good! Grilled char siu is fantastic. regards, trillium

I'm with jschyun and Hest88. Everyone should get to eat what they want. I get very annoyed when I'm out with people that don't let you order feet or organs or a whole fish because they have trouble with "faces". I get impatient with people who want their delicate sensibilities to rule what is ordered at the table. What is that saying? Dress to please others, eat to please yourself? As the round-eye of a couple, I'm always willing to try something, and keep trying it, even if I don't like it the first time. That doesn't mean I will eat a big plateful, but over the last decade I've actually enjoyed or looked forward to eating things that I didn't like the first time around. It taught me that most dislikes are really just cultural biases. Of course, there are things you just can't ever like! In our house, I get the cottage cheese all to myself, and the partner gets the durian all to himself. Neither of us refrains from eating it because the other person doesn't like it. I think meat health and processing worries can be legitimate, but in that case I would search out beef farmers to buy your meat from, instead of just giving up beef altogether! regards, trillium

The "Original Mai Tai" at Trader Vic's was the drink I had when I came of age in San Francisco. I had 2 of them, and was very disappointed when I didn't get carded. Then we went out to dinner at Postrio, my first spendy dinner ever, and I remember worrying when I walked down the stairs from the restroom. They were marble maybe, and I was wearing high heels. I was really worried I was going to fall flat on my face in a very undignified manner. I've only had them once or twice since, but they still do pack a wallop! regards, trillium

I make char siu at home too, I like using the shoulder, not the loin, because it's juicier (ok, fattier). I make my own marinade, and I think one of the essential things is the fermented soya bean paste (I make it from Yeo's soya beans, or use the pre-mashed Thai one), along with the 5-spices and garlic. I cook it very similiarly to what hzrt8w posted. And Dejah has it spot on, you need to hang it, much easier to cook it that way. I use heavy duty paper clips that I've bent into an S shape, and crank up the heat at the end to get browned, charred bits. And I totally agree that the pan of water underneath is pretty important! regards, trillium

Popcorn stuff is supposed to come of really easily (for the most part) with water. Like you spray it with water, let it soak in and it will start falling off by itself. So I hear, anyway. My mum painted over hers using a paint sprayer she rented. It looked a ton better, and is easier to keep clean because she put so many layers on they're not sharp popcorns anymore, and can be dusted. regards, trillium

They make something they call matte enamel like JAZ said, here in the US you mostly see it on grill pans and fry pans. It's a little sparkly almost, and rough, and finishes similiarly to a raw cast iron, but doesn't react with acid in its bare state. And they do make casseroles and ovens with that interior coating, just not for the North American market. I have a couple of the marmites in 2 different sizes with this finish and I adore them. I think they were originally for the Australian market. Go figure... I also have some really old Le Creuset ovens that don't have black knobs, they have a cast piece for the handle that is coated in the same enamel on the outside as the rest of the pot. They're coated inside with a grey enamel. Lastly, I have a crepe pan that is raw cast iron, no enamel at all, and is made by Le Creuset. HTH! regards, trillium

I know it's recommended in a number of cookbooks, and supposed to be very chic, but I don't like juniper berries with deer or lamb. I'd rather drink a gin-and-tonic before the meal, than mix them together. ← I didn't like juniper the first few times I used it either, and I think the trick for me was adding much, much less, and balancing it with some herbs on the other end of the spectrum. Juniper gives a slightly sweetish taste to me, and too much does something to my mouth similiar to licorice. I find it balances well with a strong herb like bay (I get them fresh from my mum) or rosemary in combination with plenty of thyme and black pepper. I'll crush 2 or 3 and add them to a good sized piece (4-5 lbs). I wish I could find someone to get game from, I grew up eating deer and goose, and I really miss it. regards, trillium

Can I but in and ask what kind of ventilation you decided on? Or anyone else with an informed opinion, for that matter. We think we're about the buy a house with a kitchen even worse then the one Dave showed, it has a hood in there from the 70s. The good news is it vents outside, but it sounds like it's going to expire at any moment (same for the electric range). regards, trillium

Brining, brining, brining. I always use the Cook's Illustrated method and it works well. PM me if you want a copy, I have it as a text file. regards, trillium

Here in pdx we ordered an American Bronze from Green Pastures Poultry. Their chicken is really good, and the Broad Breasted White (no kidding, that's what they're called) we bought last year was good too. The head of the poultry farmer's co-op swears there is no difference between the two breeds, but I have to see for myself. I've heard they have smaller breasts, bigger legs and a stronger taste, since they can still run around (unlike the broad breasted whites) and eat stuff other birds wont. Green Pastures are super pricey chickens and turkeys but when I try to even buy a rocky jr. I don't like the taste any more. I'd rather eat poultry less often and eat theirs. regards, trillium

I don't think so. My guess is that it is a Thai product that is trying to benefit from the reputation of the Phu Quoc region. Read this article in Time Asia for an explanation. I think they are trying to protect their place name, but it might be too late in the US. regards, trillium

Or think of it as good weight-bearing exercise that will keep you from bone loss and help you work off whatever it is you're cooking to eat! I hope I'm still lifting mine when I'm 80! To answer the OP's question about what is the best size, it depends on what and for who you usually cook, but I think the round ~7 qt is the one pot I wouldn't want to be without. My mum, otoh, loves her 2.5 qt because she only is cooking for 1, and doesn't do lots of leftovers. I used to go to the Nut Tree outlet, and they have a really nice selection. I think their next big sale is in December, but almost every holiday they have a sale and mark things down a little (I didn't even know it was Columbus day until I saw the sale). regards, trillium

So I finally got to the relish last night, and Brooks, I'm wondering what your mum assumed you knew regarding the red bell peppers. They vanish from the recipe after appearing in the ingredient list. I went ahead and used red ones because they were quite reasonable at the farmer's market, and they do make the relish pretty. Since I wasn't sure what to do with them, I treated them like the onions and tossed them in some salt to drain. I couldn't find pickling spice anywhere, so I mixed up some of my own from some recipes off the net. I wasn't sure if Ball pickling spice contained what seemed like optional cardamon and mace blades, so I went ahead and added them to my mix. I wasn't sure how long you were supposed to steep the spices in the sugar and vinegar mixture, I think I ended up doing it for around 25 minutes. I didn't know exactly what she meant by "can immediately" but since this is a high acid deal, I just ladled it into steralized jars with hot lids and skipped the water bath. I did find that I didn't have quite enough liquid to solids, so a few of the jars have air pockets in them, but I'll just eat those first. I was very happy with how it tasted, and I imagine it will get even better with time. I didn't find it too sweet at all, and it had a very nice savory, piquant character. I mostly followed the recipe, except I chopped up a few cayenne peppers and added them. We're looking forward to testing it on some old fashioned hog casing hot dogs in a few weeks. regards, trillium

Here's what I did. Rubbed the roast with a little ground up corriander, cardamon, allspice and plenty of salt, cayenne and pepper. Washed the frikah and soaked it a bit to losen the chaff. Cooked it until tender in salted water. Roasted the lamb (along side the duck leg and tarbais bean braise, but that's a different thread) low and slow, and then drained the frikah and tossed it into the roasting pan to deglaze it and soak up the roasting "juices" (mostly spice infused lamb fat) and let the roast rest on top of it until it reached room temp. It is very, very tasty, and waiting in the fridge for a mid-week supper. It really didn't need broth, it has a very forward, flavorful smoked wheat taste, and a nice chewy texture. Thanks for all the ideas. regards, trillium

They are 'normal' cuts, just not to you. Aren't cultural biases fun? Many Asian grocery stores, even small ones, that sell meat will do their own butchering because the 'right' way to cut up the animal (beef and pork mostly) differs from American butchery. It's where I would buy jowls if I had trouble finding them. If you don't see them, be prepared to ask, with lots of smiles and gestures. You can find all kinds of good stuff at these shops, even if you are only prepared to use them in a more western based cuisine (all parts of the pig, tiny pencil thin eels, caul fat, beef shank, quails or duck legs around $1 each, etc). regards, trillium

So the shoulder is not boneless (oops). I'm thinking of a long slow roast in the oven to render out the excess fat and the frikah served along side. regards, trillium