Florida

I've been thinking about getting a Bradley for sometime now. However, like many others have noted, I feel there is something lost in plugging in your BBQ machine to make BBQ. So, I have a question for the Bradley owners. When I'm BBQ'ing a pork shoulder, I just leave the thing in the pit until its done. I'm constantly smoking. This results in a very dark, very smoked out, somewhat dry exterior "crust." (I've heard this crust called by the names "Mr. Brown" and "outside"). The question is, with the Bradley are you still getting the crust? Not just the pink smoke ring, but the actual hard, almost black, crust.

Might also want to try Marigold

Right. The two professional critics rated him a full star higher, and Oseland, in his minimal explanation of his rating of MC's food said something about the seasoning of the polenta. ← HA! No "drama" on the show itself so we need to fabricate some here, do we?

Unfortunately, I haven't the time to summarize this, but here is a link to a feminist article concerning Pollan: http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/featur...ollan_on_child/ As you'll note, there are some people who take offense to the notion we should be cooking at all...

beurre noisette (aka "brown butter") is butter that is cooked to where the milk solids are slightly caramelized. This imparts a light brown color and a nutty flavor to the butter. It is often used as the base for simple sauces for fish, pasta, potatoes, or other lightly flavored foods, but can also be used as an ingredient in other recipes. I wouldn't say there are many variants of brown butter, though how much you allow the milk solids to burn will affect the final outcome. Rather, just like butter itself, it is quite versatile and has many uses.

Check out CounterCulture for possible classes in the area. Go to the "Training" link. Another idea is Espresso Zone which offers a variety of products across a range of prices. My personal suggestion would be a tamper. If you call them, they can help you size the tamper to the specific maker.

I going to have to disagree. "Cheese food" is a legal term: Per US Code of Federal Regualations, Title 21, Part 133 Please note use of the phrase "homogeneous plastic mass" Personally, I take the term "cheese food" to be similar to the government warning on the side of a pack of cigarettes.

There is an Italian restaurant here in the city that "focuses on [the chef's] hometown of Puglia, Italy" But when you look at the menu it lists: -Insalata Romana -Stracciatella Florentina -Melanzane Alla Parmigiana I want to send the guy a map of Italy.

So, I’m watching the show last night and I realize this is the same damn show, over and over. There is the “pork scene,” the “tube meat/hot dog scene,” the “sitting in a bar talking to someone local scene,” the “market scene,” the “eating something at the market scene,” the “look at me, I’m eating offal with a smile on my face! scene”, the “street vendor scene,” the “criticism of something irrelevant scene,” and the bonus “blood sausage scene.” The most novel thing about last night’s episode turned out to be the bing commercial. Unlike everything he did in Chile, at least with the bing commercial I had to ask myself "did he just do that?" What's happened to this show? Has the concept simply run its course or can we expect something more?

I'm going to assume you are talking about toasted sesame oil. If that is the case, then you should at it near the end of your stir-fry because sesame oil has a relatively low smoke point. If you add it too early, there is a possibility it can burn. As for rules concerning its use, I don’t believe there are any. I find it goes well with just about everything, but I don’t use it on everything, because then everything would taste like sesame oil.

I'm using a dry cure: 2 oz Kosher salt 2 tsp pink salt 1 1/2 oz coarse ground pepper 1 oz sugar I went ahead and started the cure last night. I figured I'd do what you already suggested - that is, if it feels ready before I am, to rinse the cure and leave it in the fridge until I can smoke it. Given the size of the belly, I don't think it will be ready until at least Friday, so that should work out perfectly. Also, as I am sure is evident from the recipe, I'm making a pepper bacon. Originally, I was going to put another coating of pepper on the belly before I smoked it, but I seemed to have forgotten about the skin when I decided to do this. It appears I have three choice here: (1) remove the skin before smoking so I can put on a coating of pepper, (2) put the coating of pepper on the bottom of the belly, or (3) skip the pepper coating altogether. Removing the skin seems to defeat the point of buying a skin-on belly. Coating the bottom seems counterintuitive. But skipping the pepper outright still seems like the worst choice. Any suggestions?

Is it possible to overcure a belly? I've just purchased a 5lb, skin on pork belly. I have to smoke it either next Saturday or Sunday. I'm trying to ensure it is fully cured by that time, but also do not want to "overcure" it (if that is possible).

It's either that or "foam", and personally I think air works a lot better. Too many other things come to mind when you say 'Foam" as opposed to 'air'. ← Although I have only modest experience with them, it is my belief that "foams" and "airs" are considered by the cognoscenti to be separate and distinct classifications and that chefs like Ferrand Adria would rather smother themselves in agar agar than use "foam" when they meant "air" and vice-versa. "Culinary foam was created by Ferran Adria and there he uses juices and savory essences along with agar and a canister like the one you'd use to squirt out whipped cream. Many chefs now, like Chef Gregg Sessler over at Cava, just use one of those little handheld whippers to foam up juices. He makes a lighter than foam version, "air" in his olive air, which goes with a lamb dish. It's pure flavor. " ← Alinea has a dish where the plate is litterally placed onto a pillow of scented air. The wieght of the plate pushes out the scented air as you eat the dish. To me, this would be quite distinct from "foam," which is both tangible and visible.

"sushi-grade fish" 1) sushi is seasoned rice. It should be "sashimi-grade fish," except for the fact that 2) there exist no such fish grading standards when it comes to either sushi or sashimi.

That's likely. The cashier or bagger opens every carton of eggs and checks for cracks. ← Playing the pessimist for a moment, they're not checking to see if the eggs are cracked. They're checking to make sure it contains only eggs, a la the Five Finger discount. It's the same reason why sales people/checkers always open a purse when you buy it...to make sure it doesn't contain any hidden items. ← I'd be willing to bet TJ's is going for the customer service. I was at my local TJ's a few weeks ago. I had previously purchased a a jar of peaches where the safety cap was already popped. I mentioned this to the cashier, but then realized I had left the offending peaches at home. The cashier told me to go get another jar and not to worry about bringing in the bad ones. Another time, when I was there, my cashier gave me a 3 beers for free so that I could try them. And it wasn't like he was doing anything underhanded either, as he called the manager over to approve the transaction. In my experience, TJ's stands behind their products. It's easier for them to check for a broken egg then it is for them to have a customer feel like they got screwed. Plus they can pack a bag competently (Whole Foods can as well). I guess that is what comes when a company is willing to pay a living wage. Personally, I like the IKEA model where not only do they force you to pack your own bags, but they make you pay for the bags you use.

Last episode was the best yet. The judges finally had criticisms of the contestant's dishes. Nothing rude or arrogant (nor the piss and vinegar previously noted), just constructive criticism. As a viewer, when all you get are positive comments, you get a very distorted view of dishes being presented. For example, with the tripolita (spelling?), how would I have known the bread was cold if one of the judges didn’t say something? Glad to see Bayless win.

I personally haven't had the opportunity to taste it, but there are a couple of reviews on CellarTracker: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=527249 However, in my past experiences with Grange, I'd say the '03 isn't anywhere near ready to be opened at this point. (If I'm not mistaken, the '03 was just released last year)

Well, damn, that was the first thing that popped into my head! I'll nominate superauto espresso machines -- I don't care what anyone says, you don't need a $3,000 machine to make a lattemochafrappewhip. (Built-in espresso machines from Miele and the like also qualify as stupid indulgences...) ← I'm curious - why the rap on all-clad? ← Really, the superauto espresso machine I get, but what is the deal with All-Clad? While its arguable that All-Clad is not worth the expense, it is still quality cookware. I wouldn't fault someone who had unlimited resources for owning a set.

While a rondeau can be used for sautéing, a sauté pan has a long straight handle, which I believe makes it more effective in actually sautéing than a rondeau would. Personally, I have three rondeau pans, though the only time I would sauté in one of them is if I was building flavors (fond) for which I would continue to use the same rondeau in the cooking process. Otherwise I would use a sauté pan, as a sauté pan offers slanted sides and a long handle to save my hands from being burned. And while we’re throwing around fancy French terminology, I believe the “correct” French term for a stock pot is marmite

Wow! I guess in the land of PTE and Ruination, 90min comes across as being "malt forward." Wish we got the hop bombs you guys get out there. Just had a Stone wine barrel aged 07.07.07 Epic over the weekend. Crazy interesting beer. A unique sweet and sour, grapey tartness hanging on a light, sweet malt backbone. Virtually no hops, but I'm not so sure hops and wine would get along together anyway.

Southern Tier Gemini, a blend of ST's Unearthy and ST's unfiltered Hoppe. A very nice beer with quite a complexity. There is a lot going on here between the yeast, malts, and hops resulting in a beer with citrus hop aroma and a sweet, fruity maltiness. However, it is too sweet side for my tastes and, for a IPA, the hops are certainly playing second fiddle to the malts.

I don’t think the original article was a scathing criticism. It seemed like Hesser was offering a suggestion more so than criticizing. Would also say, I do believe, despite Mrs. Obama not specifically mentioning “cooking,” there is certainly the implication she was not growing the vegetable garden for the pleasure of gardening and for one to enjoy the benefits of growing your own vegetables, you will need to cook/eat them. And while my opinion of the intelligence of the average American is not very high, I do think most people would understand the basic message she is trying to convey: eat healthier. From another AP article: I don’t think she needs to bludgeon us over the head with actually cooking the items she is growing in order for her to get the message across. If Hesser wants to encourage people to cook she is more than welcome, but I don’t see where Mrs. Obama’s lack of desire to cook negatively affects her core message of eating more fruits and vegetables.

Are you going to "Orlando" or "WDW?"

I was in Nassau a few months ago. Ate at the Bahamian Kitchen. I thought the food was good, not great, but it was consistant with my prior experiences with Bahamian cuisine. There was a mix of locals and tourists when I was there, service was friendly, casual atmosphere. Surprisingly enough they have a website: http://www.bahamiankitchen1.com/aboutus.html Their is another place, whose name I can't remember, that is somewhat better. It's located near the bridge to Paradise Island on the New Providence side. It's quite local and far enough off the beaten track to have virtually no tourist activity. Sorry, I know this is so vague as to be unhelpful, but maybe someone else will have the name. I know it was in one of the books I had, but I don't have access to that book at the moment.

Well, if this is all you're trying to say, then I can agree with that. Sure, her attitude makes some people less receptive to her ideas.