Dave the Cook

Gas produces water vapor as a byproduct of combustion. Unless you have a convection oven, that water has nowhere to go. This makes baking and roasting less predictable than they are in an electric oven, and can make it harder to produce a good crust on these items. (On the other hand, some moisture in baking can be beneficial, and can actually promote crust -- breadmaking is a good example. The point is the predictability, since water generation will vary with temperature, altitude, oven contents and burner efficiency.) For me, the choice isn't between gas and electric, it's between convection and conventional. Vapor generation from combustion is nothing compared to the ability to circulate heated air in a controlled manner. Infrared broilers can be either gas or electric. For any given temperature, hot air rises at the same rate, regardless of how it was heated. Attendant vapor might make some difference, but in the end, you can't beat physics.

I'll be checking of course, but this is a condominium built in 1979. No basement, no crawlspace, not even an attic to speak of. I had the same thought (the right dresser would work, too), and spent a good part of the afternoon wandering through flea markets, crappy antique stores and furniture clearance outlets. Most of the ones I found were too low or too shallow. The rest weren't wide enough. The 2' x 6' space is perfect, and I don't want to give any of it back if I can help it. But I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I come across the right thing. I'll start checking thrift stores and yard sales tomorrow. As for the top, I'm thinking half granite or granite tiles, half butcher block. Any thoughts here? Let's talk pot racks. Unless I come across something at a yard sale, I don't see paying an outrageous price for a piece of nicely bent sheet steel and single-purpose hooks. Any reason I can't cobble something together from steel tubing and heavy-duty S-hooks? Or even a two-foot section of braced, ventilated shelving? Oh, one more thing: at one of the places I was at today, I noticed a few boxes of vinyl composition tile in a dusty corner. I got a chill, remembering Maggie's checkerboard vision. Sure enough -- two boxes each of red and white at 29 cents per tile. This is decent stuff, too. It's top of the line Domco, which usually goes for about $3 a foot. It's an omen.

Wow. What a lot of great stuff. Thanks, everyone. First, an update: you guys said paint the cabinets, so I did, sort of. They've been disassembled and primed, and I'll do a coat of paint tomorrow or Sunday morning, using some semi-gloss that still appears to be viable. There was also a hint or two that the wallpaper had to go -- enough of a hint that I felt I could act on my own inclination -- so it did. The walls are now a pale butter yellow (also a remnant). I'll total it up later, but so far, all I've bought has been a roll of masking tape, a 4-inch paint roller and cover, and a gallon of primer -- all told, maybe 30 bucks, for what looks like a huge improvement in the way the room feels. So far, so good, budget-wise and value-wise. I also took off the door at the lower part of the drawing -- it goes to the dining room, and never should have been there. There's a bunch of stuff to cover, and I'll try to capture it all, but I'll probably miss something. If I do, and it's important to the advice you're offering, bring it up again, please. How soon -- ASAP. I'll be doing all the work, unless I can find some conscripts. I'm pretty handy, but I can't do finish carpentry. If woodwork will be visible, I'll have to hire someone else to do it. Priorities: lighting, storage, workspace. These three are about equal, with aesthetics not too far behind. I'm a big believer in "form follows function," meaning (grossly oversimplifying), if it works well, it can't help looking good. On the other hand, I also like wit and a bit of whimsy, and I love conceptual design. (I once designed a trade show exhibit that was a stylized version of a wastewater treatment plant. It was constructed from components used to build municipal playgrounds.) I refuse to be concerned about the appliances. I'm too cheap to throw out things that work, so the dishwasher and the range are safe for now. On the other hand, I insisted that the seller buy a warranty for the major stuff. So I'll live with the range, while secretly hoping it dies. Based on a quick survey at Home Depot, I can do full undercabinet lighting for about $100. There is gas in the house, but not in the kitchen. I haven't checked, but I suspect it would be very expensive to make a gas range happen. The water heater and furnaces, both of which use gas, are upstairs. So is the laundry room -- I use "room" in a very liberal sense, as it's literally a closet. High shelves are not possible, as there is no such thing as "high" in this room. The ceiling is just a little over seven feet, except where the lighting is. It goes up a foot above the lenses you see in the ceiling. Speaking of lighting, no one has mentioned the ceiling fan, which must have been over a kitchen table in an earlier incarnation. It has to go. But that leaves a switched junction box in the ceiling -- something to keep in mind for lighting design. I can't discard the idea of eating in the kitchen. My original plan didn't include it, but it turns out to be non-negotiable. Loews says they don't sell the kitchen stuff here. But there are a number of outlets in the area, and I will check them out. Based mainly on what I've read here, I'm considering something like this: A -- A 2' x 6' worktable extending from the wall next to the door into the room. Something like this, though I'd hope to find something similar at a lower cost. If equipped with baskets, the shelves can hold onions, potatoes, tableware, linens, you name it. B -- A 36" or 42" drop-leaf table at the right wall. The worktable leaves enough room for two chairs. It's possible that I'll cut an opening above the table. The opening would face the living room, and would make a big difference in the apparent size of the kitchen. This wouldn't necessarily come out of my budget -- negotiations are underway. On the other hand, this is carpentry I can do, since my ugly technique will be hidden behind sheetrock. It wouldn't cost much, with free labor. C -- A chest like this to hold gadgets and stuff. I think I can get one used for about $100. There's room on top for the toaster and microwave (one of Fat Guy's disposable models, already purchased from Target). Thanks again, everyone.

Everyone's comments are really helpful. I have answers for all the questions, but no time to write them down. Things are moving very fast -- I'm off to paint the cabinets now (excellent and cheap suggestion), and need to meet the cable guy in an hour. I'll be back later -- with interim pictures. Thanks, everyone.

For a variety of reasons that I won't go into here, I'm moving from a very nicely equipped space to the undistinguished kitchen you see here: The issues: - The range and dishwasher (both KitchenAid) are both 24 years old. I have no idea how well they work, but I am not sanguine about the range. It's that raised ceramic disc design that preceded today's flat-glass top ceramic designs. (I have an adequte refrigerator.) - The counter space next to the refrigerator will be occupied by a toaster and a microwave. This means the only reasonable work space is between the sink and the range. For weeknight dinners, this space is probably adequate for prep. But there's no place to set down hot sheet- or roasting-pans, and if I want to knead bread dough or roll out pie crusts, I'm going to be challenged. - I have a lot of pans, and a lot of tools and gadgets. Cabinetry is paltry for the former, and drawer space is inadequate for the latter. - We need room to put a small table (and chairs) in the room -- big enough for two people to have morning coffee, if one is reading the paper. - The floor (sheet vinyl) is also 24 years old. It's cracking, yellowed and brittle. -The wallpaper sucks. - The ceiling is 7-1/2 feet, although the lenticular panels you see actually hide a one-foot-deep recess that contains four four-foot twin-bulb fluorescent fixtures. Regardless, the space seems much smaller than it really is because my head is so close to the ceiling. - I'm sure there's more, but it escapes me at the moment. I'm sure it will come out in the course of the discussion. - I am nearly broke. I can spend $1000 on this. OK, maybe, $1500. Help me increase my work space, raise the roof, solve my equipment storage problems, lay me a new floor, get me new appliances, and leave enough space for informal dining -- and do it all for the same budget that Paige Davis would stick to.

Did you guys lose William already?

erm. OTOH: How to Cook a Wolfe, by maggiethecat and Dave the Cook. And let's not forget Inspector Maigret.

Damn. Fried pies and caramel cake. I am really beginning to regret missing this road trip. (BTW, John, it's not that hard to astound Varmint.)

I've only driven the I-55 route once, so I have no recommendations, excet the Chevron station just west of Jackson has excellent boiled peanuts, and is open 24 hours. As for a real New Orleans breakfast, I'd suggest The Old Coffee Pot.

I find that I need to change the liquid/solid ratio to do the panfry thing. Most recipes are 3 to 4 parts liquid to 1 part cormeal. This makes a soft polenta that's perfect for immediate serving. But if I'm going to fry it up, I cut the ratio in half, spread it on a sheet pan in the desired thickness and let it chill thoroughly. It's easy to cut in portions once it's chilled. Of course, if what you've got is too loose, you can always do grits grillee a la maggiethecat: spread them on a sheet pan, brush with duck fat, and run them under the broiler until brown and crisp on top. edit: cross-posted with e.j. I really don't think the fat makes a big difference. I've done them in EVOO, peanut oil, butter and bacon fat. You have to adjust the temperature a bit to avoid burning, but they all work.

896 pages, in all.

Yup.

Great list, Rob. Bonny Doon's Big House Pink is pretty decent, too. All three are available at Cost Plus for $8 (in Atlanta, anyway). The Goats are $7 there, and I think I've seen the Gascon for $7.49.

All that talk about Teflon made me forget what we were supposed to be talking about. I use the sheet-pan approach, too. Heavy-gauge 1/4- and 1/2-sheets are available at and restaurant supply outlet, or on line from places like http://www.BigTray.com. If you can't get decently heavy ones, nest two thin ones for warp (and "whomp") resistance. Also, buy the fitted racks.

I just spent a few minutes going through the Calphalon site. Of course, they've radically reduced their non-stick offerings in the last year. But this is telling: In the answer to another question: So: 1) Marlene, I'm impressed that your pan works so well; 2) I'm surprised that Calphalon ever offered such a piece, and that W-S still sells it.

Right. And maybe don't breathe, if you can help it. But what temperature do most broilers reach? 700 F? I haven't done the math (and I'm not going to, but for anyone interested, energy decreases as a square of disatnce), I'd bet the temperature at the pan is borderline for PTFE decomposition (648 F).

I agree it's iffy. But unless you've got an infrared broiler, and as long as you don't mind replacing the pan every couple of years, it will probably be alright.

Nighscotsman posted a recipe for Blue Cheese Ice Cream in recipeGullet.

Please see the statement from Melanie Young, James Beard Foundation Awards Director, in this related thread.

Thanks in large part to Bruce Cole (at sautewednesday.com), we've received the following from Melanie Young, James Beard Foundation Awards Director: Our current membership hiatus prevented Melanie from posting this herself.

Following is an excerpt from an e-mail we received from Phyllis Isaacson, Director of Information Services at The James Beard Foundation. (Since we're in a membership hold at the moment, she wasn't able to join and post herself.) Please refer to the entire message here.

We've received the following from Phyllis Isaacson, Director of Information Services at The James Beard Foundation. (Since we're in a membership hold at the moment, she wasn't able to join and post herself.)

Cool! Congratulations.

I'd be surprised if Monica has much, if anything, to do with the cover of her book. These things are usually handled by the publisher.