Dave the Cook

There seem to be almost as many ways to do this as there are eGullet members. But it's hard to beat: Fat Guy's Guide to Hard-Cooked Eggs

That sounds more like a smoke-derived coloration. It might be due to real smoke, or if your suspicions about the industrial naure of the product are on target, from smoke extracts, or even a nitrate treatment.

Go here: Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications Go to item 116D (page 36), Chuck Eye Roll. If you cut the roll crosswise into one-inch (more or less) slabs, you get chuck-eye steaks. Is this what you saw?

To each his or her own, I suppose. There's no doubt that brining alters protein texture, and certainly the flavor effects are not to everyone's taste, as your amusing hyberbole illustrates. But 1) pork belly is often subjected to a similar technique; 2) despite the simplicity of the theory and the ease of application, a surprising number of people don't seem to be able to get brining right; 3) if it's turning your chicken pink, you're definitely doing something wrong.

erm. Here, too.

OK, I'll grant that it's not the best use of an expensive cut of meat -- I'd use spares or shoulder chops -- and if I were going to do this, I'd at least treat them to real stock. But no one's explained why this is fundamentally a bad idea. Braising ribs is an honored technique that predates Weber grills and pellet-fed smokers. (In a rare disagreement with fifi, I can't concur that beef stock is a bad choice. It's usually weaker in taste than chicken stock. If you don't believe me, make a cocktail of half chicken and half beef and tell me which dominates.)

Well, I'll tiptoe in here and ask, what's wrong with this? I don't think it's something I'd do, but I'm not seeing the tragedy (aside from the three-hour thing, which will most likely leave them FOB and unable to make it to the grill). Skimmed and reduced, the jus should be mighty tasty. Should I be ducking now? Why?

Try starting with this, and adjust to suit your taste: 1 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup fruit juice (no pulp; I suggest starting with apple) 3/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup 2 T Worcestershire sauce 2 T neutral oil, like safflower (canola) 1 T sweet paprika 1 T granulated garlic 1/2 T granulated onion 1/2 T black pepper, finely ground 1/2 T dried whole-leaf oregano, finely crumbled almost to a powder 1/2 T dried whole-leaf thyme, finely crumbled almost to a powder 1 t cayenne Combine the oil and spices (but not the herbs) in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Allow to cool before injecting, and combine well, each time, before filling syringe. If you're brining, and your recipe includes sugar of any type, you might want to leave it out the first time you try this, especially on poultry.

Jeez, fifi. You think I just make this stuff up? I can license the ceramic plasma process if you can do the diamond, which we'll need for the cookware. It's the quantum foam that's going to be a problem. I left a message with Stephen Hawking. (That guy has a really creepy-sounding answering machine, btw -- at least I think it was a machine.)

I'm sorry. You must mean this: Assuming they're really stainless steel, and not chrome-plated steel (Ducane seems pretty proud of their stainless grids, so that probably is what they are), I don't think you run much risk of ruining them. Most likely they are SS 304, which is serviceable up to 1550 F/ 850 C. (It's possible they are SS 316, which has an even higher service temperature.) Since this is well above the temperature of a self-cleaning oven, I think you're safe. They will almost certainly discolor, though, if normal use hasn't already done that. A good scrubbing with Bon Ami or Barkeeper's Friend will take care of that, and it won't affect their usability, anyway. But before running any risk at all, you might try the following, if you haven't already: Using a brass or stainless steel sponge on the grates after the post-cooking heat period, or after the grill has warmed up for use. Soaking in detergent (diswasher or laundry detergent, not the liquid stuff that you use in the sink), then a modest scrub. A five-minute bath in a coat of non-toxic oven cleaner, followed by the clean-up recommended by the cleaner instructions. All of these are approved treatments for stainless steel. If they don't work, then you don't have much to lose, and you might as well try the oven. But! (Pay attention, fifi, and anyone else who neglects to read the manual.) Every manufacturer I checked recommends removing the oven racks before running the self-cleaning cycle, so you're going to have to lean the racks against the sides of the oven, making sure not to let them touch the oven's heating elements. No one says what their racks are made of, but given their appearance, the way they move against the wall supports and the fact that they're supposed to be removed, I'm guessing that they're chrome-plated steel. (Above 750 F/400 C, chrome plating loses its luster and self-lubriacting capability, and becomes rough and slightly pitted.)

Wait wait wait.... you mean a cup isn't just a cup? There are various kinds of cups? Now I am going to get really confused and have to do some research.... I've been using the same measuring cups for everything... They aren't even the same from manufacturer to manufacturer! And yes, a liquid cup is typically, though not always, about 16% smaller, by volume, than a dry cup. The rule I use is: if you can pour it, use a liquid measure; if you can't, use a dry measure. So for sour cream and mayo, I use dry. For honey, I use liquid. I have no idea if this is "correct." It seems to me that using the same device every time is much more important than which one gets used. edit: oh, yeah, you really ought to be using a scale anyway . . .

Whichever one tastes better.

Two problems: temperature control above 550 (you can have hot or amazingly hot, but nothing in between); and the safety interlock, which is there for your protection and will have to be disabled. Certainly this would void the warranty, if one is in force, and probably give your insurance company whiplash.

With legs? Or maybe I mean feet. Well, andiesenji might be referring to a footed spider, since that's the origin of the term, I believe. But once electric ranges became all the rage among my grandma and her peers, they adopted the word for anything of frying-pan shape.

The oven reaches about 900 F/480 C (locking and unlocking at about 600 F). I've used it for cast-iron grill grates -- cleans the gunk off and strips the seasoning -- with a light wire brushing and re-seasoning, they're good for another summer. A spyder (or spider; you see it both ways) is a term that covers frying and saute pans: a shallow, wide pan.

I had dinner at Herbsaint very recently. I'll post at length when I can string together more than two minutes at a time, but I give it a big thumbs up. Herbsaint emphasizes Lousiana-influenced American bistro food (if all those adjectives add up to something intelligible). It's informal, with an extremely well-executed menu and a decent wine list -- as well as a list of very interesting wine specials by the glass. I didn't get to Bayona, so I can't compare the two. I suspect that it wouldn't be a helpful comparison -- they don't have the same goals (except a general dedication to good food), price points, or even clientele (unless you're an eGull). Upperline is a stand-out in a city full of exceptional restaurants. The duck etouffee, green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade, roast duck (with peach-ginger or port-red wine sauce), oyster stew, bread pudding and creme brulee are the best of their kind. I recommend the Louisiana Purchase prix-fixe, if they're still running it when you get there, and I'd go for the accompanying wine flight -- nicely matched, with generous pours. And yes, Jason's threads are excellent.

snif At least we'll always have . . . Thanksgiving . . .

Another point of agreement. Or is that two? I'll try the remoulade, for sure.

I am not talking about your divine 'maters, Brooks (the first of which I consumed this afternoon on a slice of fresh bread and butter, thank you very much). I am talkin' 'bout limp, hot, wrinkly cucumbers nestled obscenely up against a crisply fried chicken breast. ewwww.

Chick-fil-A only gives you one per sandwich. Check with Jason and Brooks, though. They're each due for a package soon. Not what their website indicates: official pickle quotient per sandwich note the give away plural ... In thirty years of sammiches (my best guess is a thousand of them), I have never gotten more nor less than one slice per.

Chick-fil-A only gives you one per sandwich. Check with Jason and Brooks, though. They're each due for a package soon.

See, I like the pickles on the Chick-fil-A. I even ask for extra. Watch for a package in the mail.

Pickles belong neither in tuna salad, nor on a Chick-fil-A sandwich. I can't believe they're still making this mistake.

Pork stock is awesome stuff. It's great not just for sauces, but for soups, simmering beans, and making certain types of etouffees and gumbos as well. Chicken in the form of stock is far more flavorful than beef, and I think it could withstand the addition of a few bones of other types without deleterious effect, but I'm not sure you'd gain anything, either. I've made stock from smoked bones. For that matter, smoked hocks are part of my standard red beans and rice recipe. However, it's not amenable to reduction greater than about 50%. After that, the smoke flavor takes over. But I'm pretty sure this is more or less how Liquid Smoke is made, and perhaps it would be useful as a seasoning agent. Say yes to trotters.