Dave the Cook

Could you elaborate on "painless stainless"? Something easier, better than Barkeepers Friend? Where does one find this stuff? Where to buy it -- or check a good hardware or restaurant supply store.

OK? Earlier, you said you would switch to halogen lighting. Would you care to illuminate (har) us regarding this decision?

It's hard to imagine that Paschal's Restaurant would have become the de-facto board room of the civil rights movement had the participants not liked fried chicken. Edit: added link; scroll past the hype for the chicken batter mix for the relevant story.

Yes, I'm working on lighting. I'm confused. Isn't there a honkin' big refrigerator to the right? Are you saying that the bookshelves will be open to the left, more or less facing the doorway, and you'd be facing right to use them? The ovens: yes, this is probably a task area. The question is if you'll get enough spillover from the bar, the range and Al's peninsula to cover it. As for the refrigerator, I'm not too worried about light there. You'll have plenty of area lighting, plus they're illuminated internally (aren't they?)

Do the pink ovals correctly circumscribe the main task areas? Have I left any out? Any there that don't belong? I've sketched in potential upper cabinetry, too, though I realize you haven't settled this issue.

Nothing a quick squirt from can of Painless Stainless couldn't fix. Could you elaborate on "painless stainless"? Something easier, better than Barkeepers Friend? It's a water-based spray: all about Painless Stainless. You can usually find it at restaurant supply stores, and sometimes at well-equipped hardware stores.

In the interest of science, and as a service to my fellow eGulls, we just finished off a box o' Banrock Station 2002 Shiraz. Acceptable at the $7-8 tag the bottle usually commands, at the equivalent of $4, it's a very good value. I don't have a terrific wine palate, but neither of us could detect any off-taste from plastic, nor did we note any change in the flavor from the time we opened it to the time we sucked it dry -- about a week, I think. (Well, there was one day it had a sour note to it, but I really need to learn not to drink wine immediately after brushing my teeth.)

Good luck, Homaro. When you've got some time (hah!), maybe you could explain some of the intersting things on your menu.

I'm thinking about lighting a little more. Varmint, what's your latest hunch on your prep area(s)? Will the main one be at the back windows, next to the main sink, or at the bar?

Actually, this might easier with the open shelving Varmint's considering. Presumably, such a unit can be cheaply built by hand. It just needs to be somewhat shallower and shorter than the standard cabinets, with a false back and top to hide the hardware.

I agree with Robyn on this point, and not only for those on a budget. Fluorescents are often overlooked in the overall lighting package, I suppose because they have a connotation of cheapness. But with the latest bulbs, they can be extremely effective at general lighting (and task lighting, when used under cabinets) for a fraction of the installation and maintenance cost of incandescent or halogen, and when properly deployed, they can be almost invisible.

. . . or maybe this answers Robyn's question of what Varmint's going to do with the granite?

Nick: usually what this means is that the base of the fixture (the part that attaches to the celing) is smaller than the diffuser, so the part that houses the lamp(s) appears to float off the ceiling. Here's an example that shows the principle pretty clearly, since the base is black: click

Thank you, Kim! Shameless plug: please read this. As long as we're on detective fiction, James L. Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels invariably lead to Cajun binges at our house.

OK, tell me where I've got it wrong: Let's also keep in mind that you've got a pot rack. If you want to keep that, we'll need to make allowances for it. (Rachel: please note the appropriate use of yellow. )

You need to get in line, Project! As I recall, I was taken to task for this error in the subsequent thread. Note, however, that we ended up at the same place: for cooking purposes, a 2500-watt electric burner is roughly equivalent to an 8500 BTU/hour gas burner, which was the point I was trying to make.

Varmint, can you give us a drawing with the present lighting layout, differentiated as to track and recessed cans? I'm sure there's expertise and experience here -- in a past life, I myself worked for a major lighting company.

Even if it was free?

Thanks, Craig. When you say that it's only recently made a difference, are you implying that carmenere has been used more or less generically in the past, and is only now being labeled as a varietal in order to give it some cachet for marketing purposes?

Confused by whom? And in what way?

Pierre Franey had a great, simple recipe for pork chops: let 'em sit in cumin, rosemary, EVOO and red wine vinegar for a while, then grill rather quickly over charcoal -- a forgotten family favorite that you've just brought back to mind. Thanks. And absolutely, cumin in chili. Lately I've taken to blooming the freshly ground chile and cumin in oil or fat (is this an Indian technique?); it makes a big difference, even in a long-simmered dish.

Somewhere upthread, Varmint said that there was a breaker box in that wall, and it's load-bearing, as well. While you could solve both those problems, I imagine it's an expense that doesn't fit the budget. And you're right about counter space.

My bad; I've been wanting to move the SubZeros for days, but I thought you said that wasn't in the cards. This looks great, Varmint. I think you're going to be really happy with it, and it should serve you well for a long time. What's the next step?

I'd put the sink back where you had it. I think it's going to feel wrong to be standing at the sink and have your forward plane of vision divided like that. Also, although it appears that you still have close to two feet of open peninsula at the range end of the sink, I think you're going to want that as both prep area and hot zone, so I'd be happier with the previous larger space. I do kind of like the additional few inches of depth, though. A detail, but just in case you haven't thought about it: you've squared off the end of the peninsula, which is fine, conceptually. In reality, you want to make sure these corners are rounded to avoid sharp gut-checks as you turn that corner, and of course to protect the Li'l Varmints' heads and shoulders. So what did the in-laws say?

If I had the budget for Corian, I'd do my best to stretch it far enough to get granite instead. (On the other hand, if I had that kind of budget, countertops would almost certainly lose out to a new car.) More practical and affordable, I think, is a mix of materials appropriate to specific areas: wet, hot, cool, work, etc. I think Fat Guy once posted about a friend of his that used both granite and tile to this effect. I'd happily employ these plus stainless steel and laminate to make best use of each material -- and my money.