eternal

I've used this method with giant, double-cut porkchops and just a final few minutes in the oven at 400 and it worked very well.

I do this work chicken and whole trout. I sear the outside, skin on and roast until done.

On the Blendtec instruction manual they specifically mention that while the machine might move a little, you do not need to hold the jar down onto the base.

I got mine yesterday. Funny enough, I have the same old setup (kitchen aid and red blendtec). I made a smoothie today with strawberries, granola, ice, yogurt and half a banana and ran it on smoothie. THe end result was super smooth. I can't believe your KA was the same consistency. Mine would have been nowhere close. For one, it would pulverize the strawberry seeds and it certainly doesn't have anywhere as close to a uniform texture. I see you didn't use strawberries so maybe that is the difference? Anyway, I'm a fan of the blendtec. I have some mole come up this weekend along with some butternut squash soup.

I find it totally awesome that you didn't have mayo and celery on hand but did have creme fraiche and shallots.

Sitting at the PT today and saw a write-up of the books in Seattle Magazine. It is now, instantly, uncool. Unfortunate, really...

Price shouldn't be a problem for frying. You can just freeze oil when you aren't using it. This also keeps you from doing it often because you need to defrost the oil, fill the fryer, use it, then empty back into container to refreeze and clean the fryer. But the results of twice fried french fries, croquettas, etc are delicious.

Even with these hours? Store Hours: Tues. - Sat. 10 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday – The Lord’s Day (Closed) Monday – Delivery Day (Closed)

Chocolate ice cream. I tried a couple times to make a batch better than the best commercial stuff out there. It wasn't and I think I spent more money. The tomato sauce once surprised me. It is easy to make and it just feels good to have it on the stove. For me, it is pork casings. I mean, working the pig intestine sure is interesting, but getting a good, consistent end product...I'm kidding

The lamb popsicles at Vijs in Vancouver are awesome and easy. We make them all the time. Marinate chops in white wine and dijon mustard (equal parts) along with salt and pepper for at least an hour. 4 is ideal. Grill or sear on high heat for a few minutes until med rare. For the sauce, mix 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tbs fenugreek leaves (not seeds), 20 mL lemon juice together. Take a saucepan and put a little canola oil in it. Add garlic and saute until tender. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric for a minute then add the mix above. bring to a boil over med heat and simmer for 5 minutes or so until thick. Pour over finished lamb and/or use as dipping sauce.

I had discovered that website but its complete lack of structure made me assume this wasn't the website everyone was talking about. Wow. It is absolutely terrible and yet one of the only places to find a lot of information on this stuff. Thanks for pointing me to the right forum. It seems that overall, people love the Berta and KA has pissed off a lot of people with a broken self-cleaning cycle. I guess I need to keep doing research...

I've been debating between two stoves: The Bertonazzi 48" http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/X486GGGVX.html and the Kitchen Aid 48" http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/product/KDRU783VSS/. The Bertonazzi is prettier and while I hate to make a decision based on that, resell value is important. However, the Kitchen Aid has massive burners (2 20k, 3 15k and 1 5k BTU), much more oven capacity and steam injection (which I didn't even knew existed in home ovens). The price is about the same. The problem is that I can't find really any decent reviews on this equipment. Consumer Reports gives Kitchen Aid good marks but what the hell do they know about kitchen appliances? I've started to grow very wary of their recommendations. Does anybody know if this steam injection stuff works well for things like baguettes or is it just a marketing ploy? Also, does anybody know any good review sites? aj madison is about the best i can find and it is pretty lacking. Any experience with Kitchen Aid would be useful too. I think I'm leaning that direction. And man, searching on this stuff leads to endless pages of garbage websites.

I love rocket. Why isn't it found in every grocery store? I shouldn't have to go to the specialty grocery store

I've worked at a software company here in Seattle for 10 years and we've gone through different phases of alcohol in the office. When we were much smaller, we had a bar in the office and once or twice a week, sometime after 5, someone would make martinis for a handfull of people. People might work for another hour or so but then it would turn social. Every once in awhile it would go late. It was never a problem - nobody went to the bar before 5 unless maybe it was a friday and we had finished a big milestone or something - until one guy and girl started meeting at the bar everyday at 5 for a glass or two of wine,. It didn't help that one of them was married. After a few weeks, they stopped doing that and I'm pretty sure somebody said something, On a move to a new office, we lost the bar. When we were purchased by a much larger company, we got a handbook that says no alcohol allowed, but we kept our smaller culture. We bring in art from the Seattle Art Museum and we have an "art-walk" once every few months where we break out beer, wine and food. Some offices also have fridges with wine/beer and it isn't uncommon to see someone with a beer on a friday at around 4 or 5. I imagine that at Yelp, nobody is partaking in the beer until after 4pm. I don't imagine it does your career any good to be seen with a beer at 2pm or drunk at work.

Yep. Saw that one. Maybe I'll pick it up. Thanks

It's been a year and a half since we spent a week in San Sebastian wandering the streets and eating way too many pintxos and i'm looking for a good cook/recipe book on the classics and some of the more modern ones hitting the fancier bars. Most of these were simple things, like raw salmon on mayo on toast or anchovies on toast with roast red pepper, etc. I know this seems quite simple (and it is!) but still looking for a good guide to get started. Any suggestions? Amazon has a couple but the reviews and pictures don't give me a good sense of what is in them. thanks

I picked up one as well. Now to put the ole KA on craigslist. Should I hype the new gear i just put on it?

I agree with most of these as well. There's a local sushi restaurant, which is actually very good. One of my favorites. But on their fresh sheet the last two times, they've listed Copper River Salmon. Copper River Salmon season starts in May and ands a few weeks later. There is no way this is fresh. I ask the waitress about it nicely if it is fresh or frozen and she tells me it is fresh. I'm with clients at that time so I don't push the issue but it annoys the hell out of me. I sometimes sit sideways at an open bar because I have a knee issue, but I would immediately turn forward if somebody came in looking for that spot.

I believe SSam bar will call you when your spot is ready too. I like Ssam bar for dinner and Noodle Bar for lunch. The space at Ssam bar just feels more like dinner and noodle bar feels more like a place where you eat and leave. I don't know how else to explain it. Both are great

I've been to Sparks twice and the first time was magical. One of the best steaks I've ever had. That was several years ago. I went in Feb of this year and was fairly disappointed. The steak was pretty tasty, but not among the best and the wine selection just annoys me. If you are paying top dollar, then I'm sure you'll love it but I hate going to a place and the cheapest option is 70 bucks/bottle for less than mediocre wine. The wait staff is also that old school we don't care about you type as well. I won't be going back.

We are also in the market for a new range. We just bought a new house and the range is the one thing not upgraded already. There is a 30" space but I'm thinking I want to cut out a cabinet and move to a 48" space. I like the (relative) price of the Bertazzoni and the look but some reviews say the oven temps can range quite a bit and there is no pre-heat cycle - you need to guess when it is at the right temp or add a probe to the oven. The other option in the same price range is the Kitchen Aid. It has LCD controls and is dual-fuel for the oven. There's the annual Albert Lee appliance sale this weekend so even though I might not be able to do the work in the immediate future, I might take a chance on a stove there if I find the right price. Any opinions on 36" versus 48"? I really want a griddle and I get that, I feel a 36" model won't have enough space for the 4 burners.

It's tough for me to handle the price tag right now but I would love to try a few recipes and techniques. When you get around to the e-version, one that allows you to buy different sections (like lonely planet does) would be awesome. I'd love to try the mac and cheese recipe, for example but I will have to dig around for a different one for the time being. I would gladly pay $5 for it. I understand that this might be difficult because there is a lot of background information needed and I also understand that this isn't just a recipe book. Having said that, primers of different techniques for smaller amounts might be useful for those without the case to burn on the entire thing. You'd probably have to build an app to handle this type of thing (I can speak from the experience from spending a year on the road with a kindle that the lonely planet e-versions don't work so well because of the formatting problems), which is further investment and giving 30% to apple would also suck, but just speaking from a consumer viewpoint. Glad to see everyone is loving the book.

We've been looking at homes and we've noticed these ranges in a few of the places that have been recently remodeled or built. An agent said that builders were starting to use them because they were less expensive than Viking and others in the same class, they look great and they are cheaper/simpler to repair. Does anyone have one? What do you think?

Generally in asian places were they are fried and not gigantic, i eat them. I used to hate that a few years ago but some time in China changed my opinion.

I'm also jealous. Japan is a great place and a lot of fun. Have been there three times, the last time for two weeks as part of a year-long trip around the world. On that trip we flew into Hiroshima and then slowly made our way to Kyoto for a flight out of Kansai. Our big splurge was a ryokan in Kurishiki - I am 90% sure it was this place http://japanican.com/hotels/shisetsudetail.aspx?ar=33&sar=3309&st=7111012&dt=20110217&sn=1&pn=2&rn=1&hp=s2#shisetsumenu and the food for dinner was excellent..and so was breakfast. People are right though - there isn't much to do here so arrive early, walk around the pretty part of town and then settle into your ryokan early and take advantage of the bath. Other highlights are Myajima outside of Hiroshima. Yes, it is very touristy but it is still beautiful and worth going to. We stayed at a hostel near the ferry that leads to it and it was a lot of fun for Squid ball night. Our very drunk, young japanese hostess provided hours of entertainment and of course the hostel was super clean - though there were no privates. You can't miss Tsukiji in tokyo. And in Kyoto, I highly recommend renting a bike and riding around. The main parts of town aren't that far apart and really, this is a town where you can get really "templed-out". I would recommend stopping at one of the famous rock gardens either right when they open of 30-45 minutes before they close. It'll be the most quiet then and that's huge. Have fun!