Dave the Cook

Thanks for a great post, Zephyrus. The foie club does sound amazing. If I undestand correctly, you drank all the wine. But maybe you could remember some details about it?

And that works? Or does it only help with the frustration?

Mine are warped, too -- but just the anodized stuff. The non-stick is fine, and I don't treat it all that nice. I don't think temperature alone is responsible. My range probably has a little more than half the output of yours. Warping is caused by temperature differentials, I think.

Tom Collinses?

I'm pretty sure FG just said you get to decide. OK then I choose Big-Ass Mushroom. Perhaps the culogrande mushroom? Gets my vote.

I'm pretty sure FG just said you get to decide.

Why not set a small cake rack on top of the chimney, the way Alton Brown suggests searing tuna (recipe/technique here)? That way, we could char those suckers and get alacarte to take her finger off the Poison Control speed dial.

This also bears repeating. Say it five times fast.

I'm glad to hear there is a social life in Darmstadt. I was there a few times in the mid-nineties and saw nothing except factory and hotel room interiors. But I'm confused by the drink recipe. When I tended bar back in the day, this was the accepted way to make a Cuba Libre (though the rum wasn't usually as nice). What am I missing?

I can confirm this. A little while after FG did his award-winning article on Sandor's (read it here), we had the opportunity to eat at the restaurant and talk to Sandor afterwards. Naturally, the conversation came around to how we had found the place. When I mentioned Fat Guy, Sandor's eyes got wide, and his face turned pink. "He ate everything!" he said. "Full portions! I thought he was going to kill himself!" (Sandor's menu is not long, but what's on there is not Cuisine Minceur.) If you read Steven's article, you'll understand that Sandor probably has a pretty good idea of the many ways people can die, so this was no idle chit-chat. (Of course, if your last meal is at his place, you've picked a good way to go.)

No, I don't think it makes a huge difference when it comes to a full pot, though I'm sure it makes some -- the thicker the liquid, the more you appreciate it. And when it comes to recovery for cooking pasta, I'll take any advantage I can get. But the practical advantage -- for me -- is that it makes the pot more of a multitakser. For instance, the way I make stock (recipe here), I do some sauteeing first, and it makes more of a difference there. However, I have my limits. For instance, I'll spend $50 or $60 on a stockpot in order to get a sandwich bottom. But the capacitance of a fully clad stockpot, while more useful for your scenario, carries a ridiculous price tag. All-Clad's 12-quart S/S clad pot is $310. Edit: By the way, Russ, I've learned far more from you than you will from me. How to Read a French Fry by Russ Parsons has an honored spot on my shelf between McGee and Root.

What's a capacitive effect? It sure sounds useful! It is. A battery is a capacitor; it's helpful to remember that batteries used to be called storage batteries, and therein lies the key to understanding. Capacitors store energy, and release it under certain conditions. If you've got a thick-bottomed pan, the mass can be thought of as a battery that stores heat. When the environment becomes cooler than the mass, the mass releases energy (Newton had something to say about this). If you're making stock, it's good to keep the temperature even, and this effect helps smooth out temperature dips and bumps. A tri-ply bottom is not as good as cast iron (after all, it's a compromise between conduction and diffusion, with not much thought given to capacitance at all), but it's better than single-layer rolled or stamped steel -- and it doesn't weigh as much as cast iron.

Williams-Sonoma, of all places, has a good, inexpensive stockpot with lid, pasta insert and steamer basket. It's 18/10 stainless, with a tri-ply bottom (I don't necessarily agree that this is worthless on a stockpot; the hefty base has a useful capacitive effect). Their usual price for the 12-quart is $69, which is not bad. But at least twice a year, they put it on sale for about $50.

See? I knew those guys were smart.

I think the consensus was that shortening was the best alternative to lard, which is not always available. Fifi summed it up, I think: Plus, the Claiborne recipe called for lard and butter.

I've never used Tramontina, but a close examination convinces me that it is pretty close to Farbeware Millenium in construction and quality. This is not meant to be disrespectful to either line, because I think Farberware Millenium is a good value, especially if you're on a budgetr. You could do a lot worse, especailly if you can get it at an outlet -- Farberware has quite a few of them. I'm with FG on Sitram (a home cook really can't go wrong with either of their lines), but as long as you're in the neighborhood, check out Demeyere. They have a comparably priced line called Apollo that (I think) rivals Sitram in quality of material and perhaps exceeds it in construction. If you're lazy like me, you'll appreciate that Demeyere is the only major top-of-the-line manufacturer that actually recommends the dishwasher.

Fingerprints!

I have four or five mills, none of which work very well. I got to wondering what my Mom had, since hers is at least twenty years old, beat all to hell and still works beautifully. So I just called her and asked. Peugeot. Does anyone have experience with the Magnum? It's highly recommended by Cook's Illustrated and Alton Brown.

I'm pretty sure they do. MatthewB was kind enough to find the Maverick instruction manual for me a few weeks ago. They apply perfectly to my W-S. Edit: it appears to me that the Maverick/W-S and the Polder use the same probe. I wonder who makes them.

Well, there's flour and often water (and not always eggs, for that matter)... It is a great question. I think you're sort of on the right track, Suzanne. My guess would be that because salt is water soluble, and the concentration of salt in the pasta would be greater than the salt in the water, you'd end up flavoring the water with the pasta, rather than the other way 'round. Edit: I'm not sure what the structural effects of having something more than just surface starch dissolve into your cooking medium might be. Also: there's the taste factor. Adding salt to the cooking water gives you far more flexibility in adjusting salt content of the final dish.

There are some interesting treatments in this thread. Odd hunk of beef that the chuck is, "center cut chuck steak" could mean any of several different things, and treatments vary accordingly. Could you be more specific? Is it chuck eye? Seven-bone steak? Shoulder steak? Something else?

Stainless. You can't do the toasting thing in a rice cooker. I've never had rice stick, at least not within memory. Is this a common problem? Edit: now that I think about it, I'm with tommy in the "happen to use" camp. I use this particular pot because it's the right size.

Most of the major fast food chains are in financial difficulty. In addition to what others have said here, I think the situation started, or accelerated, with the introduction of Wendy's Dollar Menu a couple of years ago. To stay competitive, everyone was forced to offer something similar, and they can't make money at those prices. But it's kind of like rebates on US automobiles: no one is willing to be the first to forego them, out of fear of losing market share.

Maybe we should take a few guesses first, and see how close we come. For instance: I think he quit cooking and became an interior decorator. Based on the stunning re-design of his own flat, he was hired as the new featured designer on Changing Rooms.

I'm lovin' it Get used to it -- it'll be everywhere for the next two years. Story here. The link includes suggested alternative slogans from Atlanta Journal-Constitution readers. I'd bet we can do better. Who wants to start?