Dave the Cook

I agree. What I like about the idea is that it reserves space for found spirits, unless you stuff it with underwear and socks on the outbound leg, in which case you're on your own. But even a two-gallon bag won't enclose the canister. Assuming you have a standard 750ml bottle: bag it, then put it in the can. Seal the can with duct tape -- belt and suspenders.

I see that Messermeister has two fish-bone removal tools: the fish tweezers and the fish pliers. The latter seem more accurate, and that little spring thing that looks like it would pop them back open would elevate them above just getting a small pair of needle-nosed pliers from the hardware store. On the other hand, I find that a pair of hemostats works just fine, and gives you some McGyver/Alton Brown cred.

I've got three of them now. I'd been throwing them away, but it occurred to me that they might be in some way useful. Unfortunately, no purpose has presented itself. So in the spirit of "The Crown Royal Purple Bag" topic, I appeal to the membership: is there an afterlife for CAF cans?

That's a very solid choice. I don't have any experience with their gas units, but I have a Char-Griller Smokin' Pro, and it's been great. Here's an eG-friendly Amazon link to the unit ChefCrash suggests: click.

I've come into possession of a good few bottles but it seems that there's still a number of areas without bottlings?!? Last week's Splendid Table featured a piece by Lily Jamali that implied that Angostura supplies will continue to be spotty for quite some time. The factory has been taken over by the government and seems to be in disarray. The clip is worth listening to: Julie Reiner and Dave Wondrich (aka Splificator) make appearances. Audio here: click (go to 22:41).

Mixed eggs set up at about 165°F. You'll probably get a few more degrees from the extra yolks (yolks handle more heat than whites) and the lemon-juice dilution. At 180°F, you'll have scrambled eggs.­

We used to have just such courses. They were called "Home Economics," and, I'm sad to say, it was my generation that ridiculed them to the point that they were excised from the curriculum in favor of more "relevant" classes. We watched an episode of Jamie tonight. It's a bit contrived -- the whole DJ bet thing seemed like a set-up -- but his plan is a winner, on the whole. Using a simple stir-fry as a hands-on exercise was a great idea. Yeah, you can teach about shopping (and it's an important skill), but showing how to create a meal in less time than it takes to get in the car and negotiate a drive-thru is more inspiring. Get peeps to buy pre-cut peppers, garlic and chicken breasts first (and cut a little ginger), then you can move the stakes. Baby steps.

Nice. This seems to confirm Janet's earlier supposition:

I wish there was on eG, as on Facebook, a Like button. Sparrow, there's so much to like -- nay, LOVE about your pix. The Stone (I'm in awe) the eggs and the sorta Dalmation. Thank you. Not to mention the Stud o' Utensils, which is awesome. Ok, I'll give it a try. Daniel Webster? That's a good guess. I'm totally stumped. It's such a good guess that it's correct. There's a Webster rocking chair, too, but that's not in the kitchen.

Wrong side of the Atlantic, Maggie. I'm not certain that it's Sheffield plate; I'm guessing based on the dates that I know, and the fact that the copper is showing through in some areas. It could be a combination of Sheffield and electroplate (on the fancy parts).

In age, this beats anything else in my kitchen by at least 130 years, and maybe a few more. After me, I think the next oldest things are a GE handheld mixer (I'm guessing it's from the early 70s), then a skillet from the original Cuisinart cookware collection (1978?) I hope we don't have to actually use the stuff we post here. The fragility of this set (not to mention that I rarely need that much vinaigrette at one time) mean that it's purely decorative. Then there's it's provenance: I inherited it from my mother, who inherited it from her father, whose wife's family had inherited it from the original owner generations before. Here's the monogram: This set actually belonged to a rather famous person. Anyone care to guess who? Here are your opening clues: Seems to be Sheffield plate, so . . . . . . it was probably made prior to 1840 or 1850 "W" monogram

Besh eschews most of the spices and herbs that Prudhomme uses: white pepper, thyme, garlic powder, oregano, Tabasco. The two recipes have bay, black pepper and cayenne in common. No added salt in the Prudhomme version (as I recall, you don't need it.) Chef Paul calls for six hocks, while Besh settles for two. No andouille for Besh, either. There are technical differences as well: Besh sautees the aromatics in bacon fat before adding the beans and seasonings, then cooks straight through to the end. Prudhomme dumps everything in at once, then does that two-step (or three, depending on how you count) simmer where he removes the hocks about an hour in and adds andouille 45 minutes from the end. Besh garnishes with scallions, and removes the meat from the hocks, while for Prudhomme, the hock itself is the garnish.

We discussed soapstone in this topic. It seems that if you like the way it looks (and will look over time), it's a great material. Did they give you a quote for installation?

This seems to be the preferred solution (something like this?), though the more of that air you can pump into your kitchen, the better. Employing a whole-house solution means you're going to have a stiff breeze throughout when your fan is on high. (I remain unconvinced that you need such a powerful exhaust fan, though.) This is a little misleading. What manufacturers did was scale down their commercial units for home use. A typical medium-duty Wolf range for a restaurant kitchen has 30K BTU burners; burners on domestic models are 15K to 18K BTU. I don't have one, but I'd be leery of installing a water source where there's no drain.

2 oz Smith & Cross, dash of Prunier d'Orange, squirt of lemon, Hess House and Fee's orange bitters. Thanks for the notion.

On first glance, 1400 CFM seems like overkill, unless you've got a long run of duct (it would be great if you could post photos and a floor plan). However, if you're really sold on something that powerful, make sure you've got a serious source of make-up air.

At the other end of the price spectrum is the SpiceCare system. Five bucks per container, but it's an interesting approach, and the shape is potentially more efficient than something round.

Its the older ones with the UN-coloured contact patch that you need to be careful with on glass tops. The coloured enamel probably got put there BECAUSE of glass-topped cookers .... I have both types. Neither is a problem. Even the uncolored versions are enameled on the bottom.

Would those be these, Steven? Small, stackable, not too expensive. Minimum order is 100, though.

I have a ceramic-top (I assume that's what you mean by glass), and use Le Creuset on it all the time with great results, and no harm to either top or pot.

Some research reveals that Jose Andres (no slouch as a cook) makes aioli without egg. I'll have to try it.

I've never heard of a 3/4 sheet pan, and I'm trying to make sense of them. Could we see some linked examples?

I don't have anything to add to Paul's good advice, except to suggest that while you're at the restaurant supply store, pick up a few quarter pans, as well as racks for both sizes (make sure the racks fit before leaving the store; you'd think the standard size of sheet pans would be reflected in a similar way for racks, but it's not). Maybe it's just because I'm usually cooking for one or two, but I use the quarters at least as often as the halves: for pre-salting meats, roasting small amounts of vegetables or (with a rack) game hens, as holding trays for burgers.

I've yet to see a recipe for aioli that didn't include egg; aioli is simply mayonnaise enhanced with garlic. In restaurants these days, you see a lot of further additions, especially capsicums. Red-pepper aioli is common, which I suppose makes it a cousin of rouille (some recipes for which do not include egg). For maximum flavor, I'd infuse the oil with roasted chiles (many of the flavor compounds in chiles are fat-soluble), then follow Pam's suggestion of puree-and-sieve with another batch of peppers.

Upon further reflection, these proposals leave out restaurants that are indisputably fast-food places if they're located in dense urban areas. New York and San Francisco are two places I know of where real estate is often too expensive to allow parking, let alone a driveway and window.