Nick

But if someone doesn't have the right attitude, there is no way you can teach them real skills. Without right attitude, little can be learned. As I look back over my "teachers" I see that it was "attitude" that they passed on to me most.

Good words. And they apply to all serious work.

We agree on this. Between Lodge and LeCreuset, I use it a lot. But with C/I you can't tell the condition of the fond (or Cajun roux) as easily as in S/S. Also, C/I is slower to heat and (often more important) slower to cool. I use Griswold handed down from my mother and just got a couple of LeCreuset "French" ovens that I'm looking forward to using. You're right, the condition of the fond (I call it, "the stuff on the bottom") is easier to gauge in SS, but I'm not sure it's as good as in the cast. Cast iron is slower to heat and the slower to cool ensures steadiness - just don't try to do much with it on a Jennair electric. I call my friend Susie's, "Darth Veda". Edit: In the cooler and colder months I do a lot of cooking with my wood range. "Steadiness" becomes important doing that unless you want to watch over things constantly. Edit again: I don't have Escoffier's book, but in perusing it I noted his references to the fire. He was cooking over a real fire - not some nice little ring of flames or some other such thing.

Where does Cain's fit into all of this?

Jin - I was refering to women.

Will there be any pictures of pretty chefs in it?

Yes, I think the All-Clad does excell on the stove top - because of the aluminum core that goes all the way up the side. Beautiful heat distribution. And yes, it would make no difference in the oven other than evening out any temperature swings in the oven - then that would probably be insignificant because the heat of the contents would make more difference than that of the container. While I also don't have any formal training in heat, I've been designing and making wood-burning stoves and ranges for nearly thirty years and so this kind of stuff is always rattling around. Movement and transfer of heat and what happens, etc. I do have a 3 qt. All-Clad saute and it's great. Also, a 2 qt. and a 1 qt. sauce pan which is the same only smaller. And a 10" fry pan (also excellent), but since I live alone I use my two 7 1/2" fry pans more than anything else in that line. Actually, I have five of the latter - three still in boxes to give away. They were on sale for $19.95 and couldn't resist. But, there's always a caveat - in this case, nothing browns better than cast iron.

Suzanne picked up on it first, but that's pretty far out.

Sea salt is all I used for the last 20+ years and I don't really know the ins and outs of all the salts. I got into it because I learned that, because it's from the sea, it had lots of good trace minerals - and once I tried it, it was tastier than Mortons. I don't know wines, but there are subtleties to salt as well. As with with Tamari, I put a dab on my tongue and go from there. For years I used Murimoto from Japan. Then a few years ago a fellow here in Maine started "making" it and I tried it and found it to be really good salt. The only thing is that it attracts a lot of moisture in the humidity of the summer and so this year I tried out some Maldon from England. Good salt and it doesn't attract the moisture - but not as good as the Maine salt. I don't have a fresh pack of the Maine salt with the name on it right now but if you want PM me and I'll get it the next time I'm at the coop. Got to get a pack anyhow as I'll start using it again this winter when the wood heat drys things out. The Maine salt is tastier. Most of the good salt I know about comes as flakes/crystals so it has to be ground for table use. Even if it seems dry, dry it more fully in a pan over fairly low heat and it will grind better. Re: your last question, I use it for everything, but now that I've heard so much about kosher salt I'll have to try some. Finally, I only use about a pound of salt per year so in my case cost is not an issue. If anyone has suggestions as to other salt to try I'd appreciate it.

A taste of reality from Texas - Final Meals

Let's not forget Hans Nicolaisen's One Egg Omelet on a sesame bun.

That's about as far as any fruit cake should get.

That's an interesting thought. I use an All-Clad SS 7 qt and like it because it has the aluminum core all the way up to the top so the heat is better distributed. But I wonder if it might not be a good idea to have a little extra heat at the bottom to keep the flow going from bottom to top at back again - thus a gentle stirring while it's cooking. Any ideas? Edit: This from the one who has just admitted above to having used "Better Than Bullion" chicken base.

That's a great story. As I said in a different thread, it's important to recognize the "lowly" people and how much they contribute. We often forget that and only recognize the chef of the moment. What kind of shrimp were they? I've only used our little Maine shrimp and Gulf shrimp. Never tried the farm raised stuff.

With the admissions in the potato salad thread of so much use of Hellman's and Miracle Whip, I now admit to using "Better Than Bullion" chicken base for the last few months. It's not too bad. Before you recoil in horror, remember that I'm only a home cook and usually only make stocks in the winter when my wood range is going.

Jeez Jinmyo - Just as my next potato salad was coming together in my mind, you had to do that? Guess I'll be headed to the store along with everyone else to get some Miracle Whip too. Stand by store managers, eGullet is on the move.

Smell it, look at it, listen to it, and taste it.

I don't know if they can be classified as buffets, but if they can, the best I've had are at good openings - of the art type.

I'm with you. My mother was a good cook but never got the hang of lima beans, liver, or turnips. When I was young we used to spend winters at our house in Florida (New Symrna) and the public grammar school often served black-eyed peas which were awful. Right up there with lima beans. But years ago I had some black-eyed peas cooked by a friend and they were delicious. It's all in the cook.

Worse: I'm a trained cook with an MBA God save us all.

Are you in the Marines?

The Knife Merchant does have good prices (at least on Wusthof). Just went there and checked it out. Their prices on All-Clad are list - or above. I probably don't have to tell any of you this but you can get some of the best prices at Ebay. I've probably bought around $1000 worth of Wusthof over the last year at significant savings - bought them as gifts. "Hodyschmo" and "Chickrub" are excellent to deal with as is "The Knifeguy".

Day boat fish is generally better - IF - it's been well taken care of after catching. Promptly and cleanly gutted and well iced. Some people (I was going to say "guys" but more and more women fish now) take care of their fish very, very well and others not quite so well. But usually day boat fish, or boats that go out for two or three days is better than fish from a big dragger that's out for 10-14 days. Also on the big boats the first fish caught get a lot of weight on them by the end of the trip. Then also, even with short trip or day boats, there's how well the fish are taken care of after they leave the boat. If you want good fish there needs to be a succession of people all along the way that care about the fish and want to give you the best they can at a fair price for what they're delivering. The same goes for shrimp and scallops. I'll see if I can get a local diver to post his thoughts on the latter here. And yes, I like to see how something was caught on the menu - if for no other reason than supporting a smaller owner/operator boat than a fleet of corporate boats that care for nothing but the bottom line.

A Squire will work just fine. My next to last Tele ('88) is a Squire made in Japan. The day I wandered into the store there were six Tele's to choose from. Expensive re-issues down to the Squire. Tried all of them - without plugging any in. That Squire played the best. Haven't played it since I got the Mexican. Maybe I should put some strings on and try it again. Main thing is how do they play. If it doesn't play good there's no point in having it. Taylor. That's a nice axe. I tried one out at the same shop when they first came out. I wish I'd bought it. Sound was kind of a cross between Martin and J-200. Sweet and played good. Edit: Besides playing good, it's got to sound good. You don't have to plug it in to tell. Edit again: Sorry to get so off-topic what with guitars and road stories.

That's the way to break down. I broke down once in Georgia (front universal that had been going to hell starting in Daytona.) Didn't have the tools and didn't want to get it worked on in Florida. Got over the Georgia line on 95 and turned off at the first decent exit and stopped at the place I thought might be right. Those folks treated me more than decent. I didn't have much money to get back to Maine and they put it on a lift, dropped the driveshaft, put in a new front universal, took the rear one apart and greased it, put it all together and got me back on the road for $39. Sure was happy. But, I didn't end up with a Melody Maker. That's a breakdown worth having.