Cheffie3

Basildog: no, I've never worked FOH or BOH, but as a food lover/cook, I hate the way cooks/chefs/linecooks etc are underpaid and I hate when people minimize cooking (anyone can do that....), but make a huge deal of having people skills to be waiters. Being nice to someone for immediate financial gain doesn't take people skills, just common sense. I've even heard of waiters feeling they should be tipped for carry out, which I find ridiculous, I don't tip the bagboy at Jewel and he does much more. Now, don't get me wrong, I know the waiters do their jobs and some do it well, I just hate that they make out like bandits while the cooks are on their feet all day in a hot kitchen.

don't you think that after 8 years you'd be a competent line cook? i'm guessing that it wouldn't take even 1/4 of that time for someone to become competent enough to work a grill in a busy kitchen. and i'll reiterate that most anyone can handle a good number of the tasks associated with restaurant cooking.

Leftover Brats (made with beer) and left over potato salad with lemonade

Here are some sites: Wisconsin: http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/lmi/wages_oesst...state_page2.htm $7.69 is the median for short order cooks and $8.69 is the median for regular cooks California: http://www.calmis.ca.gov/file/occup$/...ion_code=650350 $8-10 is the median for short order cooks and $8-14 is the median for regular cooks

I have 62... I just bought 7 last month that included Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French cooking volumes I and II

I'm sure I'll get attacked for this comment but, I've always felt that the waitstaff should split their tips with the cooks/chef/busboy. Although I always give the customary 15 to 20%, I don't see why they should make $30 plus an hour (assuming 5 tables an hour with average of a $30 tab) for bringing me a plate. What's really sad is that I'll tip higher for good food and the chef will never know. Because of this, I think the government should force restaurants to pay waiters and bartenders etc a flat wage and increase the cost of the food and beverage and have a no "tipping policy". They should then redistribute the funds amongst the employees giving the chefs and line cooks a bigger cut then the waitstaff and busyboy. I'm laughing as a write this because I know it will never happen. But no one ever went back to a restaurant with horrible food because the waiters were so nice. The government should mirror Canada and provide healthcare coverage for all. I'm laughing at that as well. Regarding the 401k plan, every company should have plans even if they can't do employee matches. Also, I disagree that anyone can learn to cook. I've been "practicing" for 8 years now and am still lacking in so many areas.

I'm so sorry to hear about Fabio, I practically fell in love with him just watching the show, he seemed like a real blast...and then as it was going off we saw..."Dedicated to Fabio". That's terrible, my prayers are with his family and friends. Tony, I'm glad you posted this, I was looking all over the web this morning trying to find out what happened.

I like the Cherry and Grape flavors, I prepare as directed except I add an extra half cup of sugar and squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice, I'm 32 and never stopped drinking it. Edit: Added the word "in"

My top favorites are AllRecipe (not a magazine web site, but still a good source) and Epicurious, simply because it allows the readers/cooks the ability to give feedback on the recipes. I can just browse the recipes and count the numbers of stars or "forks" and decide if I should even bother preparing it. It's interesting to note that on Epicurious, most of the recipes with low ratings are from "Gourmet", which is why I don't subscribe to their magazine. Edit: noted that AllRecipe is not a magazine site

I agree that food cooked in the slow cooker doesn't have as much flavor. The last thing I made was Chili and it was bland. But since I still love the concept of crockpots, I'm going to try the suggestions of using whole herbs/spices and adding a little extra. And I'm going to try the recipes from crumbs posts' ( Pensacola News Journal), they sound great and no "cream of" recipes.

I love traditional American cusine and it ranks just as high as French and Italian, if not higher, when it's cooked correctly. But I agree that categorizing american food is difficult. What I love about it is it's straight forwardness and simplicity, because after only 10 years of cooking, I'm finding that the best food usually takes the least amount of work and a few (high quality) ingredients. Maybe this is why American food is underrated? From my limited restaurant experience ( I prefer to cook at home), it seems that the best American fare comes from small "mom and pop" diners vs up scale restaurants. Or if it is American, it's a speciality place such as a Rib Joint, a Steakhouse or a Fish place, it's difficult to find all types of good American food at a single restaurant. Below are some of the foods I've made lately and consider to be traditional American Fare: Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy and Mashed Potatoes Beef and Barley Soup Pork Chops smothered with onions Chili Beef Stew and Buttermilk Cornbread Fried Chicken with Rice and Gravy and Greens cooked in pot likker Salad with Oranges, Almonds and Red Onion with Cider dressing Seared Salmon with Spinach and garlic and lemon Clam Chowder with Saltines Scalloped Potatoes with Roasted Chicken I also find that even when I eat asian, latin or european food, I still perfer the "Americanized" version than the original. As LML says "Fusion"!

Great article....it always takes me at least 2 hours to cook a decent meal, and I'm glad to hear someone else say it "faster isn't always better"!

I normally cook bacon in a skillet on top of the stove, however due to the comments, I decided to try cooking it in the oven. I liked the fact that it freed up my stovetop for my omelet, fried cubed potates, and tea kettle. I also liked that the bacon did not curl...it stayed flat and I could focus on the other foods while the bacon cooked. I wasn't too crazy about the taste though...it seemed less salty than usual, almost bland. I also found that draining the oil from the jelly roll pan was a bit difficult. For these reasons I'll continue to fry it up on the stove. However, I would still consider it an option if it's absoultely necessary (cooking for a crowd, NO stove top space etc) Once cooled I store bacon fat in the fridge and use it for a variety of things. It's good for browning meat or onions for a soup, stew or chowder, it gives it a good base flavor.

Suvir, I called Surroundings and visited their website "surroundingsflowers.com", but I just can't afford their prices. A regular gift basket is $250 and a customized one is $125. But thanks for telling me about them...when I need to get one special gift for one special person, I'll get it from here. Everything looks so beautiful But right now, I have too many people to buy for. Thanks again....

I'm not sure if this was mentioned before or not, but two Fridays ago I turned on FoodTV at 6:30 expecting to see Food911, but was pleasantly surprised to see Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) with her own show. I like the show, she's seems natural and straighforward. And the food looks great. They've also added a show on Saturday called Paula's home cooking with Paula Deen. Her show seems pretty good as well. Or maybe I'm just so happy to see some new faces on FoodTV. Either way, they are worth a looksee.

Fat Guy and Suvir....thanks for the recommendations!! I was too late to order from Alex's and when I called Peanuts, overnight shipping was going to be over $140, thanks to my procrastinating. So, I did order the sweet trio of peanuts for myself and will have to scramble on Monday and Tuesday to find a nearby store with gift baskets or something similiar. Thanks again.

Fat Guy-Thanks for the alternative. Although I've sent the Towers from H&D, I 've never actually eaten them (first mistake of gift giving). I talked to a co-worker and he said he gets the H&D towers every year and thinks it's overrated. So maybe you guys are right about the fruit. I'll have to take your word on Alex's, since I'm just now ordering my Christmas gift and hope it's not too late.

Wow! I can't believe how Harry and David's are being trashed here. I love their Carmel Moose Munch with Cashews and Almonds, Banana Creme Balls and Chocolate covered Blueberries, and don't mind paying the higher cost. I also ordered 10 of the Tower of Treats 2 Christmases ago and my family still raves about how good everything was. I planned on doing the same this year until I saw that shipping would cost me well over $100. I guess my family and I don't have very discriminating tastes. Granted, the three things I mentioned above are the only things I buy when I go there, the other stuff just doesn't tempt me. Oh well to each his own.

Suvir, I can't remember exactly what I ate, but am fairly confident it was standard Mexican faire. Chips and Salsa, Tacos and or Burritos. I say this because when I try a restaurant out for the first time, I stick with the basics. The reason I was disappointed was that the food was simply okay, sort of bland and not memorable. And trust me, I can remember certain dishes from 17 years ago!! I'd still give it a second shot though....it may have been an off day, or maybe my taste buds were off...who knows.

I ate at Frontera Grill about 3 or 4 years ago. I can't remember what I had, but I do remember being disappointed, as I watched Rick on TV numerous times and the food looked so good. The best part of being there was seeing Bayless at the bar, taking a rest.

Well, I used a frozen young Butterball and brined it...the entire turkey was moist and flavorful, not too salty. Sadly I worked 11 hours Wednesday and when I bought the turkey that night, I did not read whether it was already flavored or not. I used the Cooks Illustrated recipe. The site below has tips on brining. Happy Cooking! http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html

boaziko...thanks for the recipe, it sounds really good!

The biggest mistake I make is not following my KISS (Keep It Simple Sister) rule.

This was my menu: Brined Turkey (from Cooks Illustrated) Giblet Gravy Cornbread Dressing with Sage Sausage Whole Cranberry Sauce (canned) Macaroni and Cheese Green Beans Biscuits Sweet Potato Pie

Saffy, Nickn and PJS: thanks for the tips about cleaning and storing. And no, I haven't given up on clams, I even went to the store last night to buy more, but the shells were open so I opted for the canned variety. Thanks again!!! Cheffie