edwardsboi

With all the different lines Reidel offers, which one would you choose and why? There's an obvious difference between Reidel's Sommelier series and their oveture series. But, I'm having trouble discerning the differnece between the other Reidel lines, espcecially the ones I've listed in the title.

What's the best glass mixing bowl out on the market? Pyrex? I'm looking for one that I can put on top of a pot to use as a double broiler.

Of course, you'd expect food articles from food magazines that are specifically all about food like the now deceased Gourmet, Bon Appetite, Cook's Illustrated, etc... But, what are the other best foodie articles from non-food magazines? Right now, all I can think of is the New Yorker magazine for its food issue and Vogue for its articles written by Jeffrey Steingarten. Am I missing anything else?

I'm interested in that as well, or at least, the best value. The handles of mine broke off so I need to buy a new set.

Does Reed Rocket have any problems with a tough nut like a Brazil nut?

Do you know if Oxo stainless steel bowls with that plastic exterior could work as a double boiler? I don't know why they have that plastic exterior on a stainless steel interior, but I'm concerned if the plastic would interfere if I tried to do that.

What happens when you boil water the previous day, and then let it cool? Then, you heat up that water again for coffee and tea? Shouldn't that be better because you've precitated out the calcium minerals the first time around, or would that make the tea and coffee worse?

When we talk about regional cuisine for this country, I have some idea what Southern cooking is, what Southwestern cooking is, etc.. But, I have no idea what California cuisine is- what characteristics does it have or what common ingredients does it uses. When you think of New England cuisine, you think of something like the clambake. Or, with Southern food, you think of something like fried chicken. But, what's the quetinsial Californian dish. I've read that Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck are leaders of Californian Cuisine, but I don't see what unites their style of cooking.

What's a good versatile nutcracker that I can use to crack both nuts and shellfish like lobster and crab claws? I used to use one of those plier-style nutcrackers, and they worked fine for shellfish. But, I had trouble with nuts like hazelnuts, where it didn't do a good job of separating the nut from the shell without breaking the nut into pieces. In fact, I ended up breaking the nutcracker when I tried to use it to crack Brazilian nuts. When I researched nutcrackers, it seems Reed Rockets was the best nutcracker for cracking nuts. But, its not something that I would use to crack shell fish. Plus, I'm more likely going to use it crack shell fish rather than cracking nuts so the ability to do the former is important. At the same time, it was incredibly frustrating and time consuming trying to crack nuts when I used those plier nutcrackers. Any suggestions? Or, do I need to get two separate crackers- one for nuts and one for shellfish. In that case, what would be the best cracker for shellfish?

I also see that Oxo has expanded beyond kitchen tools like garden tools and waste baskets. Are they as well designed as their kitchen tools, or has Oxo bit off more than it can chew? After using that salad spinner for awhile, I finally understand your frustration. That white thing is a real pain to clean- its gotten all dark and dirty. I end up having to use a toothbrush to clean it.

What should I look for in a container to store coffee beans? Would the Oxo pop-up containers work to keep the beans air tight and fresh? Since they're clear, is it a bigger issue if the container is not opaque or if the container is not air tight? Or, are they assuming you're going to store it in the fridge so it doesn't matter if its opaque or not. Or, do I need one of those vaccum seal containers that uses batteries?

Anybody have any experience with the Oxo mixing bowls? But, you should be able to find heavy gauge stainless steel mixing bowl at restaurant supply store, right? And, how do you tell if they're heavy gauge or not? What hallmarks differentiate a quality stainless mixing bowl and a non-quality one? I want to be able to use it to make creamy, scrambled eggs, double-boiler style.

Its for two recipes- tuna tartare with yuzu and wasabi and chilled watermelon cocktail with yuzu.

What would be a good Chinese vinegar substitute for malt vinegar? Rice wine vinegar?

If I use an Oxo pop container to contain something smelly like that, will that odor linger with the container? Once I use a container to hold something like fenugreek, does it have to remain the fenugreeek container because the odor will otherwise permeate anything else I store in it?

I'm going through one of Kylie Kwong's cookbooks, and it seems like she uses malt vinegar in almost every recipe. Is malt vinegar really that common of a chinese cooking ingredient, or is this just one of Kwong's personal idiosyncratic touches? I don't want to buy a bottle of malt vinegar, only to find out that I won't use it for anything else?

What's the 411 on Oxo's pop-up containers? They seem a bit expensive, especially if you buy a bunch of those containers. Do they really work, ie does it really create a air tight seal? And, is there a difference between these two Oxo dish racks: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/190-9450863-0146341?ASIN=B001Q9X2OK&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B001Q9X2OK|OXO_Softworks_Steel_Dish_Rack&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B001Q9X2OK&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001 and http://www.surlatable.com/product/id/211733.do?mr:trackingCode=3A081E39-59B3-DE11-93DB-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA They look the same to me, but one costs $40 at Sur la table and the other one costs $27 at target. Any opinions on Oxo's dish rack?

I need to buy some sherry vinegar for some gazpacho and salad recipes, but I don't really know anything about this ingredient. What should I look for? Is it true that you should only get sherry vinegar from Jerez, Spain? And, does anybody know anything about Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar? When a recipe calls for sherry vinegar, would Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar be too sweet?

Does combining lemon and grapefruit juice approximate what yuzu juice should taste like? Or, is it better to just buy yuzu juice?

Reading the thread about mirin, I was surprised about all the different types of mirin and how you needed to read Japanese to pick out the right mirin. Since yuzu is pretty rare to find in America, do you run into the same problems with yuzu juice in America where you have to be careful about what type you buy? How do I know if I'm buying quality yuzu juice? The ingredients should just be mostly yuzu, right?

I just want to confirm if I understand this correctly: hon-mirin is bettter than most types of mirin, but 3 year mirin is better than mirin and hon-mirin? Do I need to recognize any specific japanes characteristics to know its been aged 3 years? And, what else do I need to look for to know if its a quality bottle of mirin?

I have a question about gazpacho and tomatoes that I've never understood. I always hear that you should never put a tomatoe in the fridge because it destroys the flavor. Yet, for a gazpacho, you need to chill it. How come putting a gazpacho in the fridge doesn't become an issue with regards to the flavor of the tomatoes you use in the dish? Can you tell us what the recipe was? I tried looking for it, but you need a subscription to Cook's Illustrated to get access to that recipe. And, what's the traditional vinegar for gazpacho- I've seen various kinds from sherry vinegar, white, etc..

Did anybody get charged or fired for that? I'm just curious where the line is in the kitchen with regards to abuse?

What's the most outrageous, vicious abuse that a chef has committed upon his co-workers that you've witnessed? From the stories I've heard, it seems that a chef can get away with stuff that would be unacceptable almost anywhere else. I was reading about Tom Aikens, and almost every interview inevitably mentions how he was fired for branding a 19 year old trainee with a searing hot knife. But, then the same article also says 'allegedly' so I'm not sure how true that story is. Does anybody have the full story about what really happened?

In this economic climate, I've started to stop by and shop discounters like TJMaxx, Ross, etc.. And, I've been finding a wide range of kitchen equipment from Oxo, Le Creuset, All-Clad, etc.. that show up sporadically. Are these products all seconds, and how would I know if there are seconds or not? I know some of those companies have their own outlets so I'm curious why they'd agree to sell their seconds to an outside vendor and make less profit on that transaction instead of selling in their own stores. Does this mean that there was something wrong with them so that even their own stores wouldn't sell them?