maggiethecat

I'm calling the cops. This is confectionery porn.

Nice post, David. But, because of my coming of age in the late sixties and seventies, and the outrageous labor practices of Walmart, I will never give Sam and his fam a cent. Never. Just as I'll never eat eat at Cracker Barrel.

When young I suspected that no beverage in the world could ever taste as good as Orange Crush.

Very interesting! I pronounce it (approximately)absant because, well the French speakers surrounding me growing up pronounced it that way. In French the th is pronounced like t. I don't think I'm a pretentious twit, but y'all have me reconsidering. But I mean, none of you pronounce cognac like cog knack, right? That said, I'd never use the French pronunciation of champagne unless I were drinking with French speakers.

Wow, Jeff, Never? Not even on a long road trip? I'm in awe of you and others on this topic who can be so disciplined -- seriously. When we drive the thousand miles to my Dad's, there's a big insulated picnic hamper in the back seat, the responsibility of the non-driver. Sandwiches, fruit, cold drinks, hard boiled eggs, crudites, rolled up cold cuts. Sitting next to them is a back of salty crumbly stuff -- Cheetos, if I did the shopping. A container of home baking and a huge thermos of coffee sit near my feet. When we pull into Ottawa the interior of the car is even slummier looking than you can imagine -- it takes a half hour to clean up. But you know, we like the automotive picnic tradition, we eat well, and we can escape the chain restaurants on the interstates and the 401.

One word: cookies.

I love Coronation Chicken, and it's a great counterbalance for all those scones and clotted cream. I'm also all about the Scotch Eggs and beer. But to be really authentic for the younger members of the royal fam, I'd suggest cocaine and champagne, curry chicken on the side. Make sure you have a polo mallet handy and a pony chomping up the grass in your back yard. Don't ever forget your hat, but knickers are optional. Edited to add: Don't forget the deep fried Mars Bars -- so authentic. My maternal grandparents were poor English 1920s immigrants to Canada. They were furiously anti-monarchist. My paternal side were third generation Scots immigrants shipped to Canada during the enclosures; um, they loathed singing God Save the King (Or Queen.) I think the wedding is a match between two good looking, not too bright young folks who represent what I loathe, but: I'll be watching! Scotch Eggs and Sausage Rolls in hand, taking fashion notes and crying at the hymns. Tea, of course.

I think you might have it here, from my particular female point of view. If Kerry Beal,is a serious MC cook, as well as being a doc, a confectionery teacher and a mother, it shows how better women than I can swing this! And to all you tomboy cool woman cooks:you rock. I love eating it, but the equipment, the time involved...meh. I'm going to maintain that the tools, the coolness, are mostly attractive to guys, but I'm known for opening mouth and inserting sous vide foot.

That's one way to look at it but once you've driven to those 4 different supermarkets as well as your butcher, I would imagine that the opportunity cost + gasoline gets pretty close to the register receipt at WF. Actually not -- I said I was lucky. None of these stores are farther than three miles away, most within a mile and a half. My WF is within that geographical circle.

In my part of the Chicago burbs, Whole Foods is head and shoulders more expensive than any other supermarket, including the two big chains, Jewel and Dominick's. (I don't shop at either.) I admire WF's cheese case, but that's it. I'm lucky enough to have large Asian, Mexican, Polish and Italian supermarkets in short driving range, as well as an independent with a good butcher. I would spend five times more at Whole Foods for no more choice and rarely better quality. Yeah, "Whole Paycheck" resonates with me.

I like the idea of two runners, one lengthwise and one widthwise. They would hide the flaw and provide personal "place mats" for four people. (If interested, PM me -- I'll make 'em fer free. For you, Great Leader.

Me three -- I use it to rinse off dinner plates and for eggshells and that's about it. That said, I miss the disposal when I'm working in a kitchen without one. I'll chime in with others here from bitter experience: nothing will back up a disposal faster than raw artichoke leaves. They also blew out a new blender in about five seconds when I decided to liquefy them before trotting out to the compost heap.

What amazed me, when I was cooking on Daddy's cheap electric stove (as opposed to my cheap gas stove) is how much faster water came to the boil on the electric range. It was dramatically faster. Of course, most Canadian kitchens feature an electric kettle, which heats up your tea water FAST. But even without the kettle,this gas fan was amazed at how fast a pasta water stock pot came to the boil I still think the cook has to be more alert on an electric stove. On/Off is something important, and I believe a plain gas range is useful there.

Montreal, like Chicago, is a gas town. My brother and future sister-in-law threw a party before their thirty-odd years ago wedding. (Quite a party -- I opened the door to a stark naked man wearing a baby seat on his bum. Rugby culture.) Montreal was also a hash town, not a grass town. (I'm going somewhere here. Hang in.) The communal sniffing of choice was called Hot Knives. You'd lay a couple of cheap table knives in the flame until they were red hot, then lay a chunk of hash over them and everyone, especially rugby players, would inhale. Those knives got literally, visibly, red hot. I don't have an electric range around to test this side by side, let alone the hashish, but I've always wondered about the Hot Knives challenge. Those knives got hot so fast -- could it happen on an electric stovetop?

Dave, I've always been a proponent of gas, but you've made a darn compelling case for electric ranges. When I but my next stove I'll be giving electric careful consideration

Because the thought popped into my head and I'm interested in what other folks here think.

Chris, I SWAGged it -- I counted the number of posters I know are women and doubled it. Not scientific at all.

Of course we've all been following the "Cooking With Modernist Cuisine" topic.It's amazing. I'm fascinated that the posters on this topic, are conservatively, 90 per cent male. Ladies (with the exception of the always inquisitive Anna N.)why aren't we all over this topic? I can say the obvs: Boys like toys, whether in the garage, the office or the kitchen. Even dudes who flunked tenth grade biology and never took physics just love the tools and the science of Modernist Cuisine. And the results on the plate, of course. My eye on the female citizens of eGullet tells me that my sisters aren't science impaired. We like to cook, have brill skills, and yet this topic seems like either a snooze or an fun fest of male passion and nerdiness. My excuse is easy: I can't afford the book. What's your's, Sistergirls? Is it a difference between female "real food" v male "This is the most fun since I learned to program in Basic?"

Stores here in Chicagoland are still profligate with free plastic bags, but my Dad's grocers in Ottawa charged a quarter a bag. I might have to make your brisket for Easter dinner!

Put your feet up, Pam. I'm excited to see what you'll post tomorrow -- rest up now.

My father was the go-to guy for grilled cheese sandwiches when I was growing up. But what we truly yearned for was a "Cheese Dream Supreme", a relative of toasted cheese. Toast a crumpet and butter it so every dimple brimmed.Top with bacon (cooked) and slices of sharp cheddar. Broil until brown and bubbly. My brother and I would come to blows over the (very) occasional leftover.

179, 443. I'll make a managerial decision and say "Modernist " counts as six.

I'm interested and amazed about the chafe-in-line behind a couponer. This has never happened to me,probably because I don't go to the Chicago versions of Publix and Albertson's. (Jewel and Dominicks)The places I shop have good sales, but never coupons. I find this topic totally fascinating because it's so alien from my grocery shopping experience.

Be very afraid , Mitch. My coffee beans live in the freezer and I've been known to refrigerate gin. What kind of Society Shibboleth have we flunked? I don't think I've done a weekly shop in my life; no matter the clutter of condiments in the fridge door, my Barren Wasteland is: nothing to cook for dinner.

If you're too young to remember the Flying Burrito Brothers, you're too young to remember the Salton Hot Trays. They held everything at a perfect temp before serving, and doubled as plate warmers. I don't think Salton makes them any more, but a little Googling will find you something similar.I'm in mourning still for mine.