Florida

I have a feeling "The Melt" will go the way of the Flip camera.

I have a Masterbuilt and just used it over the weekend. For the most part I am happy with it, though there does seem to be a bit of a learning curve in using it. I chose it over the Bradley because 1) it was cheaper and 2) since I still use a Weber Kettle grill and a watersmoker on occasion, I didn’t want to be tied to the wood pucks. Getting sufficient smoke generation was an issue at first. However, I’ve found that by using a mixture of wood chips and wood chunks produces a nice, constant stream of smoke and there is no shortage of smoke flavor in the foods I’ve cooked in it. I would say that I tend to use my Masterbuilt for items that need to be cooked overnight, such as pork shoulders or briskets, while I use my watersmoker for items such as chicken and salmon. However, I’d also say this is just personal preference on my part and not a deficiency of the Masterbuilt.

Knowing that the bags don't cost the store anything, and that in fact they're intended as advertising, does change the nature of the argument. However, you started the forum before you knew this. And, as Kouign Aman pointed it, you posed it as an ethical issue, which tells me you had some doubts about how ethical your behavior really was. Agreed. From my standpoint, the OP posted a question, didn't like the answers, and has spent the last two days justifying his actions. Not even sure the original question has anything to do with the stated purpose of this website in the first place.

Are you being serious or is this a joke?

I agree that the governement has created "a system of affordable abundance" and the fix would be to end government agricultural subsidies. Allow the price of corn, soybeans, and other commodities to rise and fluctuate. If a Coke or a Big Mac costs twice or three times as much, their consumption will drop. The government doesn't need to enact laws banning anything. They just need to let the free market work and stop subsidizing farmers.

My daughter goes to the liquor store with me. She has even “helped” me brew beer (which for a 3 ½ year old involves holding a large spoon and attempting to stick it every conceivable pot, pan, or bucket) and has been on more than her fair share of brewery tours.

I'm going to have to agree with headconnect on this one. Not to be ethnocentric, but the American media is the pinnacle of controversy and manufactured outrage. And while China seems pretty good at making something out of nothing their Controversial figures just never seem to last to long. As for the rest of the world, they seem to be able moderate their stupid people while here in America we celebrate them. So, while I don’t think this theoretical controversial food figure necessarily has to be an American, I do think, if you’re going to be the “world’s most controversial food figure” you’re going to have done some time with the American media.

My homemade tortillas never came out right until I got a press. Not saying it can't be done, I've just had much greater success with the press.

Here in the Chicago area, I'd say it's about the same. My impression is that WF has become less expensive overall in the past 5 or so years. They are still expensive for produce compared with the big produce-oriented markets. Meanwhile their produce has (in my opinion and, again, in my local area) slipped terribly in quality. A lot seems to vary depending on your region and even from store to store in my region. The Lincoln Park WF kicks ass. I go out of my way to go there. What other grocery store can you go to and drink a beer while shopping? That said, I agree with your comment. It really depends where you live. The grocery stores in the burbs are far cheaper, but most of them aren't offering the high end products that WF offers.

I don’t have a copy of MC and I don’t have one on order. However, I am quite interested in the mac and cheese recipe, which is odd, since I hate mac and cheese. Never-the-less, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to obtain the necessary sodium citrate and iota carrageenan without dropping $50+ for a pound of carrageenan that only has a shelf life of one year. (If someone wants to gift me some iota, I will more than happily send you some homebrew. Seriously, send me a PM.) From my research, it appears the sodium citrate is used to stabilize emulsified fat while the iota carrageenan’s purpose is to form a “gel” between the ingredients and stabilize that gel so it can be frozen and thawed. As to the OP, if your intent is to make the queso so that it can be frozen, I believe you will need the iota carrageenan.

I'm actually much more interested in the socio-economic division than the gender division. The price of this book alone essentially ensures only the affluent will be cooking from it.

Joe Robbie Pro Player Land Shark Damn it, the place where the Marlins play has some pretty solid arepas.

How is every other faucet in the house set up? If the kitchen is the only place where the hot is on the right, then it's clearly "incorrect" and the plumber should switch it to be consistent with the rest of the house.

For the most part brown sugar is acceptable, though it will depend on the recipe. However, when I lived in Bham, I used to be able to get piloncillo at Walmart. And there used to be a Mexican grocery on 31 just a few miles north of the mall. That was five years ago so I can't say it's still there, but I'm sure they'd sell it as well.

Doesn't work that way here. Furthermore, no one is going to win or lose an election based off of one principal's decision to ban lunches from home.

Just received mine last Thursday. Arrived via UPS.

I just used this book over the weekend. Cooked the salpicon (p 148) as well as the shredded chicken in tomato-chipotle sauce (p 34), both of which I enjoyed. Got to say, this cookbook is one of my favorites. It’s amazing the flavors Bayless is capable of developing from recipes with so few ingredients. And, as with all Bayless books, he gives many simple variations for all his recipes.

Cue Seinfeld episode here.

Is there a fundamental difference between a Ford Escort and a Koenigsegg. I mean, they're both cars, right? Four wheels and an engine. What's the difference? I've had I-can't-tell-you-how-many modernist foams that were more flavourful, more aesthetically pleasing and added more to the dishes they were part of than whipped cream ever did to pumpkin pie. Which brings us back to the idea that there are well-prepared modernist foams that serve a useful purpose, and poorly prepared ones that add nothing, but to dismiss all of them with a sweeping gesture is simply unfair. I'm at a loss to explain this. Some people like them, some people don't. This does not seem like a difficult concept to understand.

So is it just the term foam you don't like? 'Cause I could just call it "whipped Tabasco sauce," too, but I suspect you'd still object... It’s not the term per se. It’s how the term is used by foamophiles to backhandedly defend foams. In general culinary use, the term “foam” describes what we would all think of as “modern foams.” For example, the ravioli with Tabasco foam listed above. Now, when we go to restaurants and see the term “foam” on the menu, this modernist foam is the type of foam we all tend to think of. For better or worse, modernist foam has come to be known simply as “foam.” I didn’t give it that name and if it was called something else, I wouldn’t feel any more warm and cozy about them than I do now. So, are there other types of foam, the “traditional ones?” Well, yes, but no one calls these “foams.” No one says I’m going to have some “strawberries with sweetened vanilla cream foam.” And for the most part, the foam “haters” don’t hate these substances, that from a scientifically accurate perspective could be considered foams, but no one ever calls a foam in the first place. However, for some reason, some smart-asses like to play the “gotcha” game and say something along the lines of “well whipped cream is a foam and you don’t hate whip cream now do you? So it’s only certain types of foam you hate.” Ha ha, gotcha! It’s just like the term “organic.” About every six month or so, some dipshit gets on egullet and starts mouthing off about how all food is organic because all food contains a carbon molecule. Golly gee, thanks for clearing that up for all of us. At the end of the day, I don’t care for foams for the reasons I listed above. However, if AaronM or Grant Achatz want to use foam at their restaurants, I’m not going to stop them or say they shouldn’t. I’ve eaten at Alinea and some of the dishes came with foam and it wasn’t as if I sent them back with a message to “get this foam off of my plate.” If someone wants to use a foam, I’m fine with that, it’s their restaurant, they can do want they want. Of course, it doesn’t mean I have to like it either.

No, trying to draw artificial distinctions between different types of foams is semantically indefensible. You say "we all know what we're talking about," but what are we talking about? Foams made in an iSi canister? Egg-white foams? Lecithin-based foams? (Which are more properly called "airs," though even I find that pretentious.) What about Versawhip foams? Methocel? They're all similar, but all have different applications, textures and flavour-release properties. Or is it not the production method but the application that defines the "objectionable" foams? Are foams OK on desserts, but not on savoury courses? I think this Thanksgiving I'm going to serve my pumpkin pie with a "sweet cream foam" and see if anyone objects. Well, as long as we're being perfectly clear, the insulation under my house is foam and my wife has a memory foam pillow. I find both of them to be entirely inedible. As for the serving of "pumpkin pie with a "sweet cream foam"" please do so. Let me know how it works out for you and how many people (count them please) ask why you didn't just call it whipped cream?

Put me in the camp that doesn’t care for foams. I find that they are often flavorless, rarely add anything to a dish, and are not aesthetically pleasing. And when we use the term “foam” I think we all know what we’re talking about. No one says “sweet egg foam” when they mean sabayon or “cream foam” when talking about whipped cream. It’s a bunch of semantics bullshit trying to conflate the two.

IMO, no, it doesn't look appetizing.

People like to wait in lines because everyone else is waiting in line. Herd behavior and conformity I suppose. I used to work at Houston’s and it was common for us to go on 3 hour waits on Friday and Saturday nights. Now I ran the kitchen, so being busy was good, but logically I could never understand why people would wait for so long. What was even more quizzical was many people, after that three hour wait, would just order a damn burger and fries. Why would anyone do this for? Personally, I’m rather impatient and I can’t stand waiting. However, most of my meals out involve my 3 year old daughter and since she eats dinner at 5:30, I eat dinner at 5:30, and most places aren’t on a wait at that time.

I'm still waiting as well. Also, apparently I was not privy to a color choice.