Dave the Cook

Thanks, Steverino. I had parsed the O and T correctly, but went down the wrong path on the F, thinking it a gerund, rather than a noun. Things just fell apart after that. And now I realize that I've seen ROTFL before. But that Maggie, she's a clever babe, and not above a little teasing, I think.

I have to go along with Fat Guy. I think we've all learned this lesson before: Pronunciation guide to proper nouns

I'm having the same phenomena -- especially around the rim. So I know how you're feeling. The other night I had to fry some chicken. For the good of the pan. You know.

BTW, Suzanne: how's that big skillet doing? Mine's still lagging a bit.

Chudge.

Processing ROTFPWMP...

Processing ROTFL...

Thanks. When you say "cook very quickly" do you mean minutes or hours? If I have to develop a dish using them, I need a bit narrower definition of "very quickly". Appreciate your help. Usually around 20 minutes, but different types vary. Mamster has specified French lentils. If memory serves, they take a little longer (ooh, another qualifier -- say 25 mintues), and they hold their color and shape nicely. Some lentils just disintegrate. Also be careful about too much acid in the cooking liquid, as this can slow things way down. Add your acids when the beans are just about done.

So true.

Nice haul, Anna! Lentils are not like most other dried beans. They do not require soaking, and compared to white or red beans, they cook very quickly.

This is interesting, as in dave Cooks experiments here, he found that the beet sugar caramelized a bit faster than the cane sugar. Please note that I fudged a tiny bit on the exact timing. But certainly beet sugar didn't take longer. The pictures at the top of the story show the results of this part of the test. Beet on the left, cane on the right. Well, I'm not going to start in on it tomorrow. Another part of the problem is that there is no dispute over whether or not there is a difference between different brands of brown sugar. Clearly there is. The Big Question is how different brands/colors perform, and if they offer advantages that can be exploited. But if we could decide what we wanted to find out more specifically, I'd be up for a sequel, keeping in mind that the equipment at Dave Labs is rather rudimentary.

To quote Homer (guess which one?) "Oh sure, Lisa! Pork, bacon, and ham all come from the same animal. And does this "magical" animal have a name?!?! Pig = pork = bacon. I get it now. Guess I missed that episode. Mamster: me too.

I think turnover is the most important factor. Any place that move a lot of spices should be OK. But not all of us have access to NYC retailers, so sometimes on-line is better.

I'm sorry. Can I come back and play?

Maragret -- I had exactly the same experience. I am not convinced that they make a difference in the finished dish, but just the grinding and sniffing is worth a premium. Helena -- Do you think the vendor makes a difference, or are you experiencing variability from one shipment to the next? Related note: I buy mine from The Spice House. (If you don't use the link, be careful to prepend "the"-- spicehouse.com is something else entirely.)In 2001, we made up spice kits as Christmas presents, and needed about 2 pounds of black pepper. The Spice House ground it to my specs and shipped it the same day. The grind was so good that there was absolutely no dust in the bottom the container. Highly recommended.

That's West Coast gastronomy. A Southerner would have at least included pork. I don't think that's "kosher" bacon on the list. Oops. I see no reason why mamster's sense of fairness should exempt him from ridicule.

That's West Coast gastronomy. A Southerner would have at least included pork.

If at all possible, I'm in. But I want it on the record that the Dave household considers blue cheese a pantry staple.

Thanks, Elizabeth. mad props

NSM: Seriously, what would you hope to find out? There are many more variables in brown sugar: in addition to cane/beet, there's moisture, molasses content, production methods. An experiment would have to be very carefully outlined. If you can send samples of C&H (we can't get it here, and they seem to have a more comprehensive manufacturing method), it might be interesting. Maggie: thanks. (Caitie thanks you, too.) Also thanks and Hello to HH from another ex-tech writer.

What a great summary. Thanks, Really Nice!

My Mother spent Thanksgiving with us last November. My brother-in-law brought a blueberry crisp for dessert. Some was still left the next day, and remembering many breakfasts with Mom over a piece of apple, cherry or berry pie, I wanted to recreate a little of that for her. Unfortunately, the crisp was no longer, well, crisp. So I tossed some panko with an equal amount of brown sugar. Then I spooned a serving of crisp into a bowl, topped it with the crumbs and nuked it for about a minute. Drizzled a little cream around the edge. Voila: blueberry re-crisp. I don't know how long they keep, Suzanne, but any breadcrumb that can survive a microwave is worth its weight in gold.

Makes sense to me, especially in cakes and pastries. Not to put too fine a point on it, it also probably ensures thorough mixing at the same time -- no pools of liquid or clumps of flour to suprise you when you think you're done.

Do you mean levulose, Suzanne? If so, then you're sort of right. Sucrose can be broken apart into glucose and levulose (also known as fructose, or fruit sugar). But then, glucose and dextrose are pretty much the same thing, and one form of it is called...dextroglucose. I am just chock full of unused facts at this point. An interesting thing I ran across was a controversy about detecting maple syrup adultered with corn sweeteners. Caveat emptor. I *also* barely passed chemistry, as you can tell. But we both cook, which makes us practical, rather than theoretical, chemists. Also physicists (though not on the order of our esteemed Dr. Johnson. Of course.) Suvir, the distribution of cane vs. beet sugar cultivation is, as you allude, mostly related to climate. But there is also a long, complicated and sad story to be told about sugar that continues to this day. Maggie: Obviously I'm not a pastry chef, either, and I wouldn't presume to advise one. But for most of us, any sugar will do. It might be wise to pick a brand and stick to it, at least for things that are touchy. I swear, there is no greater pain than bare feet on Legos. Especially the smaller ones. Thank all of you for your kind words. (BTW, that is my daughter behind the "glasses." Unfortunately, the picture does not do her justice.)

Snowangel: It's a good time for me to mention how your daughter Diana has charmed me in many of your posts. What a totally swell, intelligent and helpful young woman. It would be a pleasure to divide labor with her. Ditto.