Dave the Cook

You're lucky that's all you lost.

The very thought of a Kyocera mandoline makes my fingertips shrivel.

Welcome™, David. Are there really 8778 more of you? Maybe you could post a few paragraphs about the DeKalb Farmers Market. I haven't been in several years. Is it still as great as it used to be?

(Stella! STELLA! I FOUND ONE!)

I think you're remembering a shortcake recipe. Is this it?

I knew I should have used a smilie.

That is sad. The way Apple used typography in their advertising was revolutionary. Any comments on Alton Brown's book? I like the guy a lot, but I think the book design is a mess.

Yes, but never for a pie crust.

Jason's picture has at least cleared up the mystery of why this pan is so inexpensive. It's now clear that these are factory seconds -- they've riveted the lid handle on upside down.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

This is disappointing -- and surprising. It used to be a great place (five or six years ago; I haven't been since), and in the last year or so, it was overhauled. Guess it didn't take. I love the concept, though.

Because there's only two of us? You might also try your local Publix. Maybe it's only because I'm in suburbia -- meaning you might not have the same luck out in Rutledge -- but I've been having success lately by cultivating butcher/fishmonger relationships at the store near us. (I must thank Col. Klink for prodding me to do this.) They actually seem to want to be helpful, and though some of them have the brains of a catfish, at least they try. They willingly cut steaks to order (and they've been having some great sales on ribeye, strip and Porterhouse lately), grind chuck and brisket for my burgers, and brought in real oxtails and English short ribs on request (they even stock tripe!). Another big plus for me is that their chicken and pork is minimally processed -- no injecting or tumbling. This is entirely unlike Kroger where most of the chicken and pork is "enhanced" (their term), and when I asked if they would grind a hunk of meat for me, I was told, "I don't think we can do that." Kroger seems to work almost entirely on a commissary system. They can order things, but they can't do much at the store. Publix claims to have fresh fish deliveries six days a week (may just be in the 'burbs), and again, if you insist on having your own sniff of the product (to which they will assent), you can do pretty well. OTOH, Publix doesn't do nearly as good a job at produce, health foods or non-foods (you can't buy a lawn mower or DVD player there). Still, I've handed over most of my business to Publix, because of the meat situation and because it turns out that Publix, despite its reputation, seems to be cheaper. Also -- no loyalty card. Now I go to Harry's for produce (it's on my way home from work), and the occasional extravagance. You probably know most of this, and the rest we could do this by PM, but I post in such detail in the hopes of drawing Atlanta-based lurkers out of the shadows.

OK, Lily. I finally lost it on the Joyce -- saltine crumbs and Big House Red everywhere. Somewhere in all of this is a new sig line for somebody.

Are you sure some of these aren't really verbs?

She's talking about one of the few places in the world where you can calmly fly fish for Atlantic salmon in the midst of a caribou stampede. Truly amazing.

I think I'm just going to leave that one alone.

ive been to this beach it is wild...heres a pic from when i was down there last Spring... Did you bring the mountains with you, Awbrig?

I believe the waterfall and sculpture was done by Catherall's wife.

Goldfish is owned by Tom Catherall, not Buckhead Life. Nevertheless, he is well-respected in the city, and has several very good properties: Prime, Noche, Twist, and my favorite, the late lamented Tom-Tom. Goldfish is a conceptual experiment (how would you describe it, joler?) that seems to be paying off. They serve a lot of people a lot of pretty good food. I think the place seats 300.

Matt has it right about the properties. Fat Guy is right about availability. I rarely see 18/8 anymore. There are a whole bunch of different SS mixtures used for many different purposes. I suspect that the "300-series" that FG refers to denotes the engineering descriptions of these products according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (other countries have their own standards organizations and numbering systems). For instance, 18/10 steel is also AISI 304; AISI 316 is 19% Cr, 12% Ni, 3% molybdenum; other formulae include different amounts or alternate components like carbon, titanium, etc.

Stella, The Fish Market has a retail section where you can buy the fresh/live version of whatever is on the menu that day. Usually very good stuff. Have you been to the Harry's/Whole Foods in Duluth? I have had pretty good luck there, as long as I am patient with English skills and insist on close inspection. Maybe an Atlanta-eGullet field trip is in order...

A little clarification: In the expressions 18/8 and 18/10, the first number refers to chromium, the second to nickel. Since these are percentages, the two-point difference infers a substitution for some other element in the composition. In the case of stainless steel, this is iron. Hence the negligible difference in weights. Chromium is mainly responsible for the stainless property. Nickel content may be manipulated in order to create a material that is more or less malleable at lower temperatures. Note that the high-carbon stainless steel used to make knives (which is much harder than the steel use to make pots, pans and utensils) usually has no nickel at all.

Now THAT is more than likely! Especially since you followed the directions (closely enough) as stated. What can happen in restaurant kitchens is that the "official" recipe gets lost and then recreated from (imperfect) memory; or someone makes a change that becomes part of common practice without becoming part of the official recipe. Or field conditions change -- maybe a particular brand of ingredient drops off the market, and the substitute just doesn't perform the same way. And the home cook might use an entirely different set of brands and equipment -- all of which perform differently from those at the source. These are only a few reasons why a "restaurant" recipe doesn't yield the same result at home that one gets at the source. What got my back up here was the almost immediate assumption that the recipe was "erroneous" -- and by extension that the source was somehow guilty of obfuscation or worse. Also that people were so willing to suggest making substantial changes, without knowing all the circumstances of the experience. Bad science. That's the way! It wasn't immediately assumed that the recipe was wrong. It was assumed that Ellen had been meticulous in her craft, since she was after a specific result, and seemed to be sure that she was going to get what she wanted as long as she followed the recipe. The fact that it produced an acceptable cake indicates that the recipe she followed worked. The fact that it did not produce the cake as advertised indicated that the recipe was wrong. There is an assumption here (later confirmed by Ellen herself), but it's a stretch to call it bad science. [soapbox] I don't see where intent makes a difference. A recipe that is wrong is a recipe that is wrong, regardless of how it got that way. This was from a published, consumer-level cookbook, not a professional collection. There's no excuse for not testing recipes, and testing them under the conditions that the reader is likely to encounter. The purchaser of a cookbook has a right to expect that what is in the book will be accurate -- that's part of what they're paying for. [/soapbox] Nothing personal, Suzanne. I have a great deal of respect for you, your experience, and your opinions .

Lizziee, I never doubted that you were, and I was sincere in my thanks. I just don't get it -- seems unnecessary. Everything else here makes sense to me. Based on this report and your previous posts, I'm going to blow a Border's gift certificate on the cookbook.

Used to pour it straight out of the envelope onto vanilla ice cream. Flavor was secondary to the sugar and citric acid rush. Lately, whatever Jinmyo recommends.