Dave the Cook

Kiolbasa is one of our favorite smoked sausages, too, even at their relatively high prices. Among store brands of bacon, we also far prefer Kiobasa, which unlike most widely-distributed bacon, is dry-cured -- and also rather expensive. Bacon, however, is no place to skimp.

We make a few spice mixture bases for dishes that we make often: BBQ, Louisiana, garam masala, Cali-Mex, etc. There are also a few mixes from Penzey's that we like: Sunny Spain, Justice, Northwoods, Pico Fruta (the last two contain salt, so we have to be judicious, since the wings have already been salted). The rub is usually one of those, used as-is, or modified according to mood. Sometimes we just grind on some black pepper. In any case, any of these add flavor without wilting the crispness we've spent considerable time and effort achieving.

I see @Kim Shook has already proceeded, but for those that follow: the reason you refrigerate the brine before adding the target food is to minimize time spent in the "danger zone." I'm dubious of most of the things people add to brines. If it won't dissolve in water, it can't pass through the cell membrane. A few molecules might linger in crevices and such -- that's why there's so much pepper in the recipe. Don't be lazy -- if you want pepper on your chicken, put pepper on your chicken.

Good point about weight. For purposes of making stock, one can use whatever one wants, of course. I'd say I'm calling for 1 to no-more-than 1.5 g per liter of finished stock. I'm with you on how to apply heat, and I'm always baffled when my partner makes pc stock that's rich and crystal clear.

Not just flavor, but gelatin, too. A few -- wow, almost 20 -- years ago, I did an experiment to try to determine how much, if any, salt to add to stock. I don't make stock this way anymore, but I still employ the same salt/stock ratio as described in this topic.

Kenji's method works pretty well. A variation of it is our go-to recipe: For each pound of wings (we even use the tips, but that's a separate discussion), we make a mixture of 5 g each kosher salt and baking powder, toss the wings in it and let them sit for as much time as we can allow (minimum 1/2 hour). Then they get a dry rub, get put on a rack in a sheet pan and get roasted in a 450°F convection oven for 25 minutes. Then they're flipped, the oven goes down to 400° and they get roasted for another 25 minutes. The result is very crispy skin, with flavor coming from the rub. We've not found that the overnight rest Kenji prescribes makes much of a difference, although it sounds good in theory. Besides, we often don't know that we want wings that far in advance.

Two things: At first, I thought "1:1 fat:flour" is correct, but "by volume" is not. We're all supposed to be using weights now, aren't we? Then I thought back to the lasagna we made yesterday, which calls for a balsamella: 3 cups whole milk thickened with 1 stick (113 g) of butter and 1/2 cup (65 g) a/p flour. This doesn't follow the "by weight" ratio -- but it does follow the "by volume" ratio. One stick of butter is . . . 1/2 cup. Secondly, the whole thing -- amount of roux and liquid(s) -- depends on end use. You can't get to the 3 cups of balsmella needed for my lasagna by starting with 2T + 2T and adjusting the liquid -- either I will never have enough sauce, or it will never get thick enough.

At the risk of pre-empting Chris, and the further risk of being accused of shameless promotion (the recipe was worked out by my partner, @JAZ), it looks quite a bit like this. Maybe not exactly carbonara, but that little strip of bacon on top brings it awfully close.

It's never easy to follow a class act, and equaling David Ross' performance as Cook-Off Poobah will be especially tough. David led the Cook-Offs for ten full years, from June 2011 (Savory Filled Pastries) to July 2021 (Potato Salad). The Cook-Offs are often cited as one of our favorite features. So we were extremely pleased when Duvel stepped up, offering to succeed David. He has a long history as a knowledgeable, good natured member, and we think the Cook-Offs will continue to flourish under his guidance. To make sure he gets a good start, we've selected an exciting and timely topic, which Duvel will preview for you shortly. When he does, we hope you all will welcome him to his new, challenging role, and ensure his success by participating with your usual glee and enthusiasm.

David had been a member since 2006, which made him quite the veteran. I first "met" him in 2009, when we recruited him for a hosting position. I met him in person at the 2011 Heartland Gathering, where he demonstrated amazing calmness and generosity, offering to help us finish our dish for the group dinner: David Ross: Can I help? Dave the Cook: Sure. Just put a bamboo pick through two cheese cubes, and roll them in flour, egg and panko. Then deep fry them by holding them, by the pick, with tongs, in the fryer for exactly 20 seconds. As they're done, put them on a rack over paper towels. Repeat until cheese cubes are gone. There are about ninety. David Ross (simply): Okay. And then he did it. Perfectly. Later that year, David took over the eG Cook-offs, opening each of them (most of which were the result of his ideas) with a relevant and often personal story. David was also the voice of Gully on Facebook. His disposition, patience and work ethic will be sorely missed around here. I'm not Jewish, but this seems entirely appropriate: may his memory be a blessing.

It's the 31st! One last day to post your birthday "cakes"! Of course, you may donate at any time, in any amount. Just click here, or snail-mail a check (or money order, or precious-metal ingot) here: eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters P.O. Box 1705 Norman, OK 73070

It certainly appears that you can! Nicely done so far, everyone!

I'll try to be brief. eGullet is 20 years old this month (it went on line 4 August 2001, to be exact). That's nearly forever in internet time; my favorite cast-iron skillet is younger. To celebrate, we're asking everyone to bake a cake for Gully. Well, it doesn't have to be a cake. It could be a cupcake, or a pie, or a loaf of bread. Or a stuffed pepper -- even a stuffed cabbage roll. Stick a candle in it, photograph it, and post it here. Like so: And while you're waiting for your cake/pie/loaf/pepper/roll to be done, please consider all that eG has meant to you. We've never run an ad (though for a few quarters, we had sponsorships). Since becoming a not-for-profit entity in 2004, we've remained mostly shill-, troll- and (especially difficult these days) politics-free. And for the last eighteen months, while most of us have been mostly stuck inside, we've provided entertainment, education and connection. All of that is, or should be, worth something to you. <shameless shill> Aaaannnnddd . . . here it comes. Of course we're asking for money. Thanks to the generosity of our Society donors (those members whose names show up in bright blue) and the free labor of our volunteer hosts and managers (the purple people), we've made it 20 years, and we hope to make it another 20. But we can't operate free of advertisements and free of cash both. A buck a year -- that's all we ask, though in fact we'll be grateful for any monetary support whatsoever. (In the US, it's tax deductible!) If you'd like to help with a donation, click here for a "20th Anniversary 20 Bucks" donation, or click here for another amount. </shameless shill> Then come back and post a pic of your birthday victuals, or at least wish Gully a happy birthday!

Welcome! The fish section at DFM is indeed impressive. I haven't been there is a while, but I thought that they had point-of-origin labels on most stuff. Maybe my memory is failing, or maybe they quit doing that. Anyway, the southeastern catch includes (these are things I've either seen for sale at coastal fish markets, or caught myself): Scamp Amberjack Triggerfish (if you see this, buy it) Pompano Grouper Black grouper Many different varieties of snapper, the most famous of which are red snapper (found all over) and yellowtail snapper (found mostly down in south Florida and the Keys) Yellowfin tuna (sometimes marketed as ahi, though it is not) Flounder Mahi-mahi (aka dorado) Striped bass -- this is a problematic name, as the species found in the Gulf is not necessarily the same as you'll find in the Atlantic. Also, it's anadromous, so sometimes it comes from the ocean, and sometimes from a large lake or river. I assume that most of what you'll find commercially is from the Atlantic. But that's the same species as is found on the west coast, so it's not likely to be anything new for you. Spanish mackerel The first three in that list I've only seen in Gulf waters (though my experience is far from comprehensive). The next four I've seen only in the Gulf or the Atlantic off the southern US coast. They all taste good. Except for the amberjack, mackerel and tuna, they all have fairly mild, white-colored flesh. Then there are the shellfish. As you've noted, Gulf shrimp are bountiful. You might not see Royal Reds outside the south, though. I don't really get the appeal, but many folks claim they have a special flavor. They do look unique, both raw and cooked. Eastern oysters used to come almost exclusively from Apalachicola, but that fishery was closed in 2020 for five years. There are, however, new sources -- practically the entire length of the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf coast outside of Apalachicola, both wild and farmed -- for eastern oysters, which are the same species as those that used to come from the Gulf. Flavor does vary according to source. Some are briny, some have melon and/or citrus notes, etc. There's also Florida lobster, which tastes nothing like Atlantic (aka Maine) lobster. If your main complaint about crawfish tails is that they're too small, Florida lobster is for you. I hope that's helpful.

That seems like overkill. Using just an oven (no smoker), I roast English-cut short ribs for 2-1/2 hours at 275F. They're plenty tender, juicy and very beefy.

Way back in 2005 (hard to believe it's been 15 years), a bunch of eGulleteers got together at Dean McCord's (known hereabouts as Varmint) place for the Second Occasional Pig Pickin'. One of the featured events was to be a Fried Chicken Cook-off between me and Brooks. Tragically, Hurricane Katrina made landfall about the same time as we arrived at Dean's, preventing Brooks from leaving New Orleans, and the cook-off never transpired. Still, we met up a few times, though only once in NOLA, where Brooks usually lived, and where he mistakenly but stubbornly maintained I was born and raised. He was a talented craftsman, a damn fine writer, and one of the funniest people I've ever had the pleasure to know. To this day, I think of Brooks every time I fry a chicken.

Cook's Country

. . . you have an excuse to go knife shopping.

Okay, I'm sold on the Edge Pro. Now, which model? We have a combination of American, European (>10 years old) and Japanese knives, if that matters.

Our knife sharpener dude is no longer easily accessible to us. I'm not going to learn how to freehand water stones. I used to have a Chef's Choice, but all that vibrating was nerve-racking to me (and I'm not convinced that even the new models don't take off more metal than is necessary. So I'm thinking Edge Pro -- unless something impressive has come along in the last few months. Anything new on this front?

You might find the discussion that starts here and continues for eight or nine posts to be helpful.

This work quite well, and is the basis for several of the soups we've been making: creamy poblano; leek and potato; garlic with poached eggs, bacon and spinach; curry shrimp and rice; corn with red-pepper puree; carrot with chive oil; and a few others.

Maybe not because it was shorter, but because it was fatter? I would eat this three or four times a week, dental issues or not.

Such helpful responses. Thanks, everyone! As we found out with the quiche, crust is a problem (unless you're the family dog). But we did manage chicken and dumplings the other night, with the chicken chopped very finely and the dumplings having been softened by the sauce. Shredded chicken from a roast chicken, or chicken parts? Our usual method of sous-viding breasts is a non-starter unless we drastically overcook it, and who wants that? Squash-and-onion casserole is a good idea; ground meats, which I thought would be okay, just don't work for her. We have been eating a lot of eggs: poached, scrambled, even gently fried. I suggested tuna salad, but it seems that without celery, it's just no fun. Ooh, risotto! Yeah, that's worked. We might be trying mac and cheese soon (though mac and cheese without a crunchy top is about as much fun as tuna salad without celery). So far, pasta has been iffy. We're going to try some sort of fish with saag aloo tomorrow (potatoes way over cooked and fork-smashed). Thanks again!

I can, and will, eat lentils. However, my partner, who is the one with dental issues, only likes them when prepared with short ribs, a la @Fat Guy. Paneer is tough to come by in our part of the suburbs, but we could make it, or sub queso fresco, or -- my suggestion --- potatoes, as what my partner really digs is the curried spinach, rather than the cheese. If we can get past the lentil issue, then we have to pass the Oatmeal Rubicon (good band name, btw). But I think this is worth a try, actually. Deseeding is smart. We've actually gone back and forth on gazpacho. I don't like it; she does. My problem is that it's not really a meal, even with the avocado. Can I get a dispensation for a few seared (shredded for her) scallops on the side? There was a time when I hated beets, and this would have been a non-starter. But I've come around on them (sorry, @Toliver), so maybe. I think they're pretty close. If we're right, it's an interesting thought for a garnish. Maybe others can do this, but we can't. It's probably nutritious, and might be tasty in a way, but please see above (". . . turning normally chunky soups into smooth purees without allowing them to look like pond scum"). Six years ago, I spent two weeks in the hospital. For the first week, thanks to a "joke" I made that didn't land AT ALL, I was on a puree-only diet. The food was so unappealing that I lost fifteen pounds that week (which of course put everybody into a new tizzy). We're not going to do this, but thanks for the suggestion.