steverino

I used some canola oil a few weeks back to fry some taters and chicken- y'all think it's safe to fire up again? Obviously it's going to be brought up to temp high enough to kill any bugs... I smelled it, and it seems ok.. any input would be appreciated.

"Lovingly Prepared" - ummm ... yeah. "Award Winning" - even better with "Our Own" in front of it. If it's award winning, tell me what award and where. "Hand Selected" - I recently saw this on a chain restaurant mailer for fish, of all things. Yeah - how bout "lovingly" hand selected from the lowboy by the slammed line cook . "Perfectly Seasoned" - don't even get me started. And it's cousin "Grilled to Perfection". Grrrr... "Fried to a Golden Crisp" - or somesuch. Brilliant. "Tuscan" or "Toscani" - Give me a BIG fucking break! Gawd, how pretentious! "Insalada Caprese" - Perfectly legitimate. For maybe two months of the year. Your "vine ripened" tomatoes that taste like unripe pumpkin don't fit here. "Cherry Wood" - As a former custom furniture maker, I had to include this. "Can you make my desk out of Cherry Wood?" Shaking, with heart palpitations: "Are you sure you wouldn't like it to be "Mahogany Wood" or "Maple Wood" or "Oak Wood" or "Hickory Wood" or "Pine Wood" or whoa. got a little woozy there. Steve

Ah yes, the classic "simple" project sauce. A mere 14 ingredient, nine step , three and a half hours preparation-and-cooking tomato sauce. ← Sam - I just about fell out of my chair! And, Project, I must say that you put the "detailed" in "detailed recipe"! As long as I've been kickin' around here, your posts have never excluded any pertinent information. So, Sam - I'm a big fan of Pomi - would you recommend any other particular brands? The pure simplicity of this sauce is something that I'm thinking Pino Luongo (sp?) would get right behind, being of the "no more than 10 minutes for marinara" school. (except for the 20 minute cook time, of course...) Best, Steve

Perhaps it would be worthwhile to determine what soup you consistently sell the most of, and make that available every day. Monotonous, yes but customers vote with their wallets. Rotate your other soups on a somewhat regular basis, and keep an eye on what is selling well. Adjust quantities that you prepare, and see how that works for a while. Just my two cents. Good luck! Steve

I like to use a metal "tea ball" for herbs and bouquet garni applications. It works great, and the chain is a great way to keep track of it in the pot. Something like this: http://www.organize.com/tea-ball-stainless-steel.html Steve

"Saint Bourdain" is a self - avowed (and admittedly ashamed) fan of Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese. I must admit I'm a fan as well! To each his or her own. You go, Padma. Steve

I can heartily recommend these videos - this should get you started nicely:

That's freakin' funny!

Gingerbeer- Run away, run now, run far. My guess is that as time progresses, you will find that this pinhead finds A LOT of things you like "gross and stupid". As far as me, well, I'm married to the best woman on the face of the planet, so the term "pet peeve" probably wouldn't apply. I find it rather funny that at the end of a delicious beef stew I prepared, there's a nicely organized little pile of mushrooms off to the side of her plate. So, I simply slide them on to my plate. If I do, say, a 1/4" dice, no problemo. She likes the taste, doesn't like the texture. A bit "slimy" for her palate, I guess. Me? I don't need no stinkin' fruit in my salad. Nor with my meat, with rare exceptions. Steve

It's curious - I hadn't heard of resting Monkfish, though I have had good results with it in the past. Yesterday, however, I came across this Gordon Ramsay clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBQYqJ3wT78 The recipe he cooks sounds and looks delicious as well. In just over 2 MINUTES! Steve

Certainly no need for disclaimers on the photo, Magictofu - if it tasted as good as it looks, it must have been wonderful!! Steve

Truly good writing, Steven. As always. Steve

Liz- Almost all bread doughs benefit from a "retard" - a cold ferment. Check out http://www.pizzamaking.com for more pizza info than you could imagine. Check out Peter Reinhart's "The Breadbaker's Apprentice". That single book took my breadmaking to levels unknown before. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b_0_11?u...fix=breadmakers Good luck - making bread ROCKS!!! Steve

Mom would fire up a big batch of popcorn, stuff it in a bag while Dad was loading the convertible with kool-aid, blankets and pillows. Then, with breathless anticipation, all of us kids would pile in, and head to the DRIVE IN MOVIE THEATRE!!! YAY!!! There was a little playground in front of the giant screen, where the young bucks and buckettes would burn off the last of the day's energy before the first movie started. We'd all head back to the car, have a little popcorn and kool-aid, smack our little lips, and drift off into a contented nap/sleep. Mom and Dad would have a little "quality time", and in the intermission between features, we'd be awakened to witness fireworks coming from behind the screen. OOH!!!! AHHHH!!!! We'd all tumble back into sleepyland, and Mom and Dad would have a little more quality time - actually watching a movie without youngsters' interruptions. A win, all the way round, and memories that will never die. I would magically wake up the next morning, never having felt myself carried in by the strong arms of my Father. Ahh, yesssss!!

...people smoked in grocery stores? and... DOCTOR'S OFFICES?!?