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?!?

Fat Guy - 5 words- Set it AND FORGET IT! The Showtime rotisserie is truly amazing. Thai seems to be my stumbling block. Steve

So what are YOU eating for Super Bowl Sunday, Steverino? I'm thinking braised crow for us! ← No need to go to all the trouble of braising, Kim. Really. Steve

Randi - I have been following your thread for quite some time, and have swallowed a good amount of vitriol along the way. If these very few complainers are paying for their meals, what would would be wrong with politely (as possible, if possible...) telling them that their money is no longer good here, and that they would most likely be much more satisfied elsewhere. Essentially, they are no longer welcome. I know this is probably a fantasy, but it helps me in my little corner of the universe. Oh - and I would likely not be polite at all. "I'm sick of your complaining - you're not allowed here any more. How many times did you think your own children were ingrates? Well, go have a gander in the mirror and let me know if you like what you see!!" Ahhhh. I feel better. But, well, keep up the GREAT work, Randi. You have many supporters. Steve

I'm a big fan of king crab legs with drawn butter and a nice rare strip steak. Steve

ChromeDome- I recently came across a Marco Pierre White video on youtube, and he shows his approach to fish and chips. Being a Briton, his approach is different from what I've read so far in this thread, but you may gain some ideas, or just play with it for "shits and giggles". He simply uses ale, yeast and flour. Check it out: Steve

Many years ago, as a new step dad with no prior children of my own, I made a startling discovery. A whole frozen chicken takes a long time to thaw in the garage fridge. Like 3 freakin' days. THE FIRST THERMODYNAMIC LAW OF CHILDREN: Items in the inside fridge thaw much faster than those in the garage fridge. The fridge in the garage is opened infrequently, i.e. when I get a beer. The inside fridge, where three children had ongoing lengthy investigations, was opened much more often, for longer periods of time. I would recommend taking the chicken out for 10 minutes or so, every few hours. This would emulate the first TDLOC, and would probably thaw the chicken in 24 -36 hours. Best, Steve

Thanks, all! The whole foil thing is curious to me as well - the chef also has a thing about "shiny side down". I don't know if this could be another topic or not, but I'm going to do a little looking into that as well. Peace- Steve

I am currently working for a catering company, and the chef likes to put film, then foil over hotel pans before cooking rice, beans, meat, etc. The wrapped pans are then put into convection ovens at temps from 250 - 350F. Could any person of science enlighten me as to potential hazards? I've searched the internet and found nothing of much use. If possible, please enlighten me. Citations and / or links to studies would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks! Steve

Considering all the wet kisses and other fun body fluid exchanges that goes on among humans, I also find the repulsion to consuming breast milk a bit weird. ← Like Hummingbirdkiss, outside of a glass of milk, I've not met many "variations on the theme" that I couldn't make friends with. And as far as "other fun body fluids" , hear hear!