Dave the Cook

Did no one else reading that story follow up on the trove of bad ideas listed? Fellow eGers, I give you: the Velveeta Martini, Mayo-nog, Oreo wine, Curly-fry vodka, and last, but not least, mustard Skittles.

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I don't know if there's a lesson (or something) here or not: ITEM: Two weeks ago, we set out to purchase a small flank steak for a stir fry. We changed our menu when we saw the price: $28/lb. We changed again when we saw the price on outsde skirt steak: $27. I may be get-off-my-lawn old, but I remember when these cuts were undesirable and therefore cheap. Like short ribs and hanger yadda yadda yadda ITEM: Yesterday, we set out to buy a couple of pork chops for the grill. I was prepared to pay a premium for some sort of heritage pork, and for the services of a genuine butcher (a rare fixture in suburban Atlanta). So, I just collected my pig parts and didn't look at the price until I was putting them in the fridge. I remarked to my partner that the pork chops were $13.65/lb. In unison we shrugged and said, "Well, cheaper than flank."

Not to derail this topic, but at this point, it's worth remembering Margaret McArthur's article for the Daily Gullet, A Pocketful of Dough.

I haven't tried grilling afterwards (not because I don't think it's a good idea, but because we didn't have a grill set up), but I've had success with 165°F for an hour, followed by 20 minutes in a really hot (maybe 450°F?) oven. Needless to say, a good plan for drying the wings before grilling/roasting is essential. In case it matters, this was done under the supervision of not-yet Top Chef Richard Blais, after sort of failing at a chicken-wing "confit, which involved giant pots of whole wings and enormous amounts of chicken fat, cooked in a restaurant oven overnight, using only the heat from the oven's pilot light.

Seems like it would work well in a Summer Negroni (we've had this at Bourbon & Branch in SF and Restaurant Eugene in Atl): equal parts gin, Aperol and Lillet (blond).

This is a lot of criticism and speculation that is not supported by facts, and beyond that is borderline racist and sexist. Lakshmi spent 20 seasons on Top Chef, where she is also an executive producer. Her show Taste the Nation was not about ethnic food, unless food that originated on this continent qualifies as "ethnic." That show is rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and won a James Beard award, something that, despite the credibility Gail Simmons seems to lend to Top Chef, has never won, except in connection with the show, which is produced in part by . . . Padma Lakshmi. She hasn't written *a* book, she's written five, including three food-related books. She managed to keep up with Salman Rushdie -- no intellectual slouch himself -- for the three years their marriage lasted. She speaks five languages and has appeared in numerous (and quite varied) TV shows and movies on three continents. Yeah, fake.

We could confuse the issue with theory and internet-science links. But it seems like a relatively cheap and harmless experiment. Why not just do it, and see what happens? Please let us know.

Not @lemniscate, but I believe "PBR" is Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.

Ninja has a clever design with the two drawers (i say that without having read this entire topic; perhaps two drawers is common configuration), but it appears to me that the drawer size means that a whole chicken will be a tight fit. Overall, the unit looks pretty big, but if I'm reading the specs right (my Danish is rusty), neither drawer can be much wider than 7-1/2 inches.

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I wouldn't be so ready to blame the Instant Pot people for this debacle. Even though it probably is their fault. The company and its brands have a confusing history of rapid expansion and acquisition, not all of which has to do with the viability of their product (not that that always matters). It's pretty easy to say this is all due to mistakes made at Instant Pot (and I can think of a few), but remember they were forced into being roommates with very mature brands like Corelle, Pyrex and CorningWare, which almost certainly require different marketing strategies. I myself have never been enamored with product management and marketing strategies designed by engineers.

Am I the only one who thinks those things look an awful lot like what we in the US call English muffins, which are also made from a yeast dough, are pan-fried and served in a split fashion? (Image courtesy of Amazon.)

Anyone who's eaten at White Castle or (in the South) Krystal has already taken this one for the team. They're not superior. They are different.

Thermapens are 60 bucks for a limited time.

I apologize. Immediately upon seeing the above photo, it all came rushing back to me like the hot kiss at the end of a wet fist.* We had had the same batter/thickness/breadiness issues, and now that I think about it, the leftovers were not as good as usual. At the time, I resolved to take a look at the recipe to figure out what might be done, or what I might have done wrong and transcribed here. Of course, I'd forgotten about all that by the time I related the recipe here. I've got a frying project coming up and I might test improvements (assuming there are some) afterwards. * Points if you can place the reference.

Seven bucks, although when I looked it up, I found that Smirnoff isn't nearly as expensive as I thought it was, and I withdraw my objection.

I meant to to say that this is a terrific idea that we will steal. Also, "'Spätzle!' I cried" should be the climax of an Agatha Christie novel. Also, also, you're paying too much for vodka.

That's pretty close to what we do, which is put it on a little rack in a 1/8 sheet pan (similar to this (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)) and cover it loosely with a paper towel. Your tenkasu / agedama were likely okay because there was no moisture coming from the shrimp.

You didn't by any chance keep the leftovers in the fridge, in plastic?

Woo! I am very impressed. Any tasting notes re: russet v. Yukon gold?

A few comments: Salamander: not a great cost-to-benefit ratio. I'm with @gfweb. A good countertop oven will do. I'm also with him on the Miele steam oven. We don't have one, but the place where we ran cooking classes sold Miele appliances. I was not a fan of their basic wall ovens, but the steam oven was pretty impressive. Frankly, I'd be concerned about getting home service for a Rational oven, anyway. Rolling butcher block: I quote @Fat Guy from my first topic on kitchen renovation. I think it's still true: "I'm negative on anything on casters or anything that swings up or out. If you're a high-impact cook those types of things just aren't stable. People will swear up and down that they are -- they have this special kind of locking caster or this one is really much more stable than the norm -- but if you pound and hammer like a restaurant cook you'll wreck those pieces pretty quickly." Pot filler: I would never install a water source that wasn't over a drain. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like an accident waiting to happen. If necessary, get an extra-long hose on your sink faucet or spray head, and make sure it retracts properly. Fridge: In my experience, your refrigeration needs will expand to fill your refrigerator. As for thinking ahead, you'll find a number of members here who have SubZero refrigeration and are happy with it. I can only say that I've known several people IRL who owned SZ. Not one of them was happy about it. They a) are expensive to the point of embarrassment; 2) may be large on the outside, but they're pretty small on the inside; 3) are unreliable; 4) are expensive to repair, when you can get someone to service them. As for layout, the work triangle is one good theory, but it often can't be applied, or won't fit, or doesn't easily adapt to your work habits, plumbing or electrical layout. Think about it, but being dogmatic doesn't necessarily pay off.

Sorry to disappoint, but I have no deep knowledge of Mexican, Central American or South American food, other than what I pick up here and there. I can sum up my experience so: usually, I like to eat it. Looking at recipes on the product's website, It looks like rice flour is used pretty much the way other cuisines use cornstarch: as a thickener, as bulk starch, and as a coating. I will note that the company got its start as a producer of wheat flour.

Pfft. This guy could own -- own, I'm telling you -- the Hispanic rice flour market in the area.