vice

I'm lucky enough to have a friend who farms oysters. When he comes over to parties, he'll bring a couple 5-gallon pails full. We usually stand around shucking for half an hour or so, and the platters empty out just about as fast as we can fill them. However, it's not all that bad, for a couple reasons. First, you're shucking, so you get first dibs when you decide you want an oyster. Second, and by far more importantly, people's interest wanes pretty rapidly (inconceivable I know), which leaves you with a bucket full of oysters. I can tell you there's no better feeling in the world than realizing you've lost count of how many oysters you've eaten. Incidentally, oyster knives have some subtle differences, and which one you prefer probably comes down to personal preference. I like a longer blade that tapers at the edge like this one. The Oxo looks a little shorter, but it would probably be fine. Whatever you do, just don't confuse that one with their clam knife.

pray tell, how are you making them?

I think this is a key point. Practice -- making the same or similar recipes again and again -- will eventually make clear that many recipes that initially seem disparate reduce to a common theme (or ratio perhaps?). In this sense, Ruhlman's book is not necessarily a "cure" for recipes, but may rather represent a short cut to the extensive practice that ordinarily would be required to attain comfort with winging it in the kitchen.

I recently picked up a used 5-cu.ft. chest freezer to handle the overflow from my rather small refrigerator. One of the biggest benefits is that I can have sooo much ice on hand. I keep a bin in the regular freezer and have twelve trays on deck should everybody I know stop by at the same time for drinks. Yep, (I've felt weird when I've caught myself thinking this, but) it's pretty close to bliss. Nothing strikes fear into the heart of the cocktail enthusiast like the thought of running out of ice.

Indeed. Nicely demonstrated under 'Ethos' on Pegu's website. Not a swizzle being swizzled, but the technique's the same.

From David Wondrich's Equire Drinks column (link): I would only add that I see no reason not to use the overproof as long as the recipe is adjusted to bring the final alcohol content within reason.

I recently visited a friend who is apprenticing at a farm that certainly falls under the category of "free-range, humanely-raised livestock producer". My stay happened to fall on piglet castration day. If done correctly, castration is a very quick process involving a small incision that does not require surgical closure. That said, it is not "pretty" nor easily reconciled with an idyllic vision of bucolic serenity. The piglets can feel it - they make you more than aware of that fact. However, I don't know how much of a difference anaesthesia would make. Yes, less pain would be incurred from the incision, but there would still be soreness afterwards. Moreover, I suspect (as evidenced by the pre-incision squealing) that simply handling the piglets causes as much or more stress than the incision itself. I think it needs to be realized that rearing livestock in any manner requires a certain degree of handling that may, at times, be stressful to the animal.

Vice, I have found that the recipe in Cucina Simpatica, their cookbook, is easy and rock solid. I usually blast the heat, myself -- tasty char or aggression, I'm not sure. As for grilled pizza, well, the gang's working on it over here. ← Good to hear, Chris. As it happens, I have some dough maturing in the fridge right now that will have a date with some coals later this week. Now I just need to pick up some scallions...

Does this imply that using it on intact nonstick surfaces is ok?

I was looking up drinks featuring ginger ale tonight and noticed that these two are identical as far as I can tell. In any compendium like the Savoy, you're undoubtedly going to be treading on similar territory with some drinks, but this is the first instance I can recall of an exact duplication. Are there others? Curious too, considering these are only a page apart (in the '99 Pavillion edition). Figured someone would have noticed somewhere along the way.

Well color me unobservant. That's a no-brainer if ever there's been one.

Well-prepared food. In the end, this is of course a matter of personal preference, but what's in the pan ought to be paramount when deciding which pan it's going in. If delicacy akin to that needed for a fish fillet is required, use a pan that allows easiest access. I have no problem cooking more robust items in a rondeau without compromising their quality, and so I do.

Just curious about this. The main difference between the rondeau and the saute pan is the height of the sides. When frying, won't the high sides on the rondeau get in the way when you go to turn or remove food? ← the intermediate height of the sides is such that it is still easy enough to get in and turn or remove food, while preventing much more grease splatter than a saute pan. this is especially beneficial when cooking items that only need to be turned one or a few times (i.e., pre-braise browning, pan-fried chicken, etc.) ← The higher sides of a rondeau are definitively inferior to those of a saute pan. Easier is easier. ← Well, that depends: to repurpose an earlier comment of yours, fact or opinion? It's easier to me to have to deal with an extra 2 inches of pan than to have to clean the stove. Even with a splatter screen, the stove gets messier with a shallower pan.

a gold Cuban-style rum would get you close (FdC, Bacardi, Matuselem)

Just curious about this. The main difference between the rondeau and the saute pan is the height of the sides. When frying, won't the high sides on the rondeau get in the way when you go to turn or remove food? ← the intermediate height of the sides is such that it is still easy enough to get in and turn or remove food, while preventing much more grease splatter than a saute pan. this is especially beneficial when cooking items that only need to be turned one or a few times (i.e., pre-braise browning, pan-fried chicken, etc.)

as much of London as one could reasonably acquire in a fairly removed setting, meaning, i imagine, that compromises may have had been made (again, not that plymouth is a compromise). this puzzle sounds like a job for a certified cocktail historian. if only we knew where to find one...

Yep, chopped clams, garlic, olive oil, parsley, lemon zest, and my standard mix of fontina, pecorino, and parmiggiano. A fantastic combination.

for the DIYers out there, instructions to build your own bbqguru-type temperature control device that also posts smoker status on twitter: click

been on a mezcal kick recently, and this seemed intriguing. ordinarily, i enjoy rather tart cocktails, but if i correctly interpreted the spoonful to be a teaspoonful, this is a bit too acerbic even for my taste. will give it a shot again with half an ounce of agave nectar or rich simple.

I use a no-knead method for pizza dough with great success. See slkinsey's description. To my taste, salt is needed - 2 tsp per kilo of flour. I roll mine when I'm going to grill it and haven't noticed any ill effects. There are still plenty of air pockets that inflate when the first side is cooking.

Depending on how hot your coals are, you might need to monitor doneness very closely. I use a spatula and tongs to peek under the crust and rotate on and off the heat to achieve the proper level of charred spots. Then I flip it onto a cutting board to apply toppings, then slide the whole works back on. Rotate again while monitoring the underside and to melt cheese. Your toppings will not be cooked at all during the grilling process, so pre-cook if necessary and have everything warm or at room temperature.

So then fine-grating could be a good alternative for those who don't want to make large quantities or can't pony up for a juicer. I can squeeze a significant amount of liquid out of grated ginger. Certainly labor intensive for one or a few drinks, though.

how about microplaning some ginger and infusing in simple, then straining? may be a more attractive option depending on your preference for serious elbow grease (muddler) vs. shredded knuckles (grater)...

From the Savoy: Dinah Cocktail Harry's Cocktail Mr. Manhattan Cocktail (scroll down) Then there's Toby's Juliet & Romeo, and don't forget your Queens Park Swizzle (and its variations)...

Up in Santa Barbara, I stock up on Harry's Berries twice a week. Yes, they're expensive, but everyone I've convinced to give them a shot has made the switch. They are hands down the best strawberries around (these parts, anyways). And I used to work on a farm where I could guarantee the time off the vine was only as long as it took for me to reach my mouth. There's a mason jar with Seascapes (Gaviotas just showed up this week) and Cazadores reposado in my cabinet right now. I tasted it over the weekend and it was phenomenonally good already - hard to wait another week...