kitchenhacker

well... you know... paper combusts at fahrenheit 451... (or thereabouts)

I'm in Champaign, Illinois. It is a small city, but we have a decent-sized international population due primarily to the University of Illinois. Off the top of my head, I know where to find: --creme fraiche --Mexican crema --miso paste --sherry vinegar --duck (fresh or frozen) --pancetta --at least some of the less common pig parts I have some sumac at home, but I think that came from Milwaukee... I think that I could get some (and maybe the pomegranate molasses?) from a Middle Eastern grocery, but I'm not sure.

That doesn't sound promising, but I will try not to have my hopes shattered.

The Chicago Tribune has an article today that talks about some other changes between editions. Portions have gotten larger.

I have a bag of frozen mangosteens from my last trip to Trader Joe's. I bought them because... well... because they were there. I don't know if it was a good idea. Do mangosteens freeze well? Is there a trick to defrosting them? Any suggestions on what I can use them for (compared to fresh mangosteens)?

Various combinations of roasted vegetables, cheese, and dips/spreads (hummus, bean, baba ganouj, pesto, etc.) can make for great sandwich fillings.

Carmelized onions, pecans, and chopped apple.

Will do. I'm about 2/3 done on a read-through. So far I have mixed feelings. It might grow on me, though. In general, my impression is that the book has a really ambitious goal that would be near-impossible to meet. The advice I've seen so far has been good, but often pretty basic.

I can see the argument both ways. On the one hand, I'd like to see someone starting off in that direction. On the other, I can understand the desire to have this text stand on its own as a resource, without trying to draw preliminary conclusions. Ultimately, I'm sympathetic to what the authors chose to do. Putting this book together was probably a serious effort. Using it to derive theory is arguably a wholly separate project... and requires a wholly separate skill set. I don't know whether or not it is even a job that the authors of this book are cut out for. (They might be, I just don't know.)

I'm reading Think Like a Chef right now. I've only just started it, but it looks like it is really focusing on teaching you how to... umm... think like a chef. That wasn't helpful. Sorry. It looks like it will focus on helping you develop basic techniques that become second nature to you, good instincts, and the ability to improvise. I don't know if it will follow through on these promises. I'll keep you updated.

Paul, I think the point of the Flavor Bible is to be the foundation upon which such theories can be created. We haven't really had an explicit catalog of what has been done before... which is probably a prerequisite for serious theories of flavor.

The recipe here seems pretty popular on the Internet as a corn syrup substitute. It is basically a simple syrup variant made with a bit of cream of tartar and salt. I'm not sure what the purpose of cream of tartar and salt are in this. Anyone know?

Yes. I just read through this over the weekend. It's definitely an idea-starter, which is one of my favorite things in a cooking book. I'll probably be reviewing it on my website within a week, but I sort of wish that I could turn the book into a website... as chrisamirault says, it begs to be put into a database. Cross-referencing could result in some really surprising and potentially exciting combinations. That said, my contrary nature definitely got a hold of me while reading it. I'd see a suggestion and immediately want to try a substitute for it. (Oranges go with that? Well, wouldn't key limes be better?!?)

It might help if we knew what was in the rest of your ketchup recipe. Alternately, you might consider simply turning to another ketchup recipe that doesn't use corn syrup. There are plenty of them out there. That said, if you just want to sub something in for the corn syrup, agave nectar isn't a bad choice. You could also mix up your own syrup with sugar and water.

Buy whole chickens. Not only are they less expensive that way, but you get extra bits (necks, backs) that can be put to good use in soup. Eggs. Don't underestimate the power of the egg. They are inexpensive and ultimately versatile. They can serve as the basis of a meal. They can add substance to another dish (mixed in with rice and beans, for instance). They can be an unusual accent (a poached egg on top of a pizza? maybe.). Save your vegetable trimmings (the ends and skins of things that you don't plan on eating) in a container in the freezer. When the container is full, make a vegetable stock.

I've been toying with the idea of large (say 14" square) tiles. There's no particular reason that you can't mix ceramic tiles with wood (or other material) tiles, and this would give you a variety of surfaces for different uses. What about bamboo? It deals with water and bacteria better than wood does.