Dave the Cook

At IACP last April, canolainfo.org was passing out handy business-card-sized refrigerator magnets. One listed the composition of various dietary fats (picture here. Another listed the smoke points of the same oils. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be replicated on the site. Here's their list: Sunflower, high-oleic: 478F/248C Canola, high-oleic: 475F/246C Peanut: 471F/244C Canola: 468F/242C Safflower, high-oleic: 468F/242C Sunflower: 464F/240C Corn: 453F/234C Soybean: 453F/234C Safflower: 446F/230C Grapeseed: 435F/224C Olive, processed: 428F/220C Olive, extra virgin: 331F/166C You'd think that this would be a cut-and-dried issue, but your citation, as well as (for example) this Wikipedia list, which draws on the CIA and Good Eats among other resources, indicates otherwise. I use refined peanut oil most of the time, unless I find an exceptional price on grapeseed. Maybe it's all in my head, but grapeseed seems to brown better than pretty much anything else I've tried.

I've never done a scientific study, but I believe that finishing up by applying something like this makes the next cleaning easier. Please try it and see if I'm just kidding myself.

Oh boy. I've been letting my top get particularly grungy just so I could post a pictorial. Give me a few hours to put it together. In the meantime, are you polishing your top after cleaning it? That goes a long way towards preventing build-up in the first place.

That's where I first heard about it. In case that matters.

Or a less conspicuous silicone coaster.

I just came across this version of the Golden Dawn, which would also be at home on the equal parts topic: 3/4 oz Laird's Bonded 3/4 oz Plymouth gin 3/4 oz triple sec 3/4 oz apricot brandy 3/4 oz orange juice I'm not sure about this one -- seems awfully sweet-sounding. Anyone game to try it?

Omar Bradley 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey 1 tsp (heaping or not, to taste) orange marmalade 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice 1 dash Angostura bitters Shake, strain over fresh ice into an Old-Fashioned glass. Cherry. Link here.

Thanks for a thoughtful, well-written memoir, Honor. Unless, like you, I am duped, I will never eat roasted Rover. Still, I'm curious: are there preferred breeds for thit cho, or for farming in general?

This is one area (among many) where I think vacuum sealers like these are a significant improvement over FoodSaver machines. The vacuum well is both deep and wide. But, more to the point, because the top of the machine is clear, you can see when liquid starts to go into the vacuum chamber and hit the "manual seal" button. ← This model looks quite similar to one that I've been looking at (actually have one on order) from Cabela's. Their site says it's a Cabela's model, but I seem to remember the person at my local store saying it's not. Anybody know anything about the machine? ← I don't personally know anything about the machine, but having watched the two videos, and having used a FoodSaver V2460 for about a year, I can't imagine any significant difference in utility or maintenance between it and the Pro 2300. The channel is wider and deeper, but you'll notice that it doesn't get very dirty, and that's the case with my FoodSaver as well, so that's a wash. Maybe if you vacuum a lot of very wet stuff, the channel would matter, but I don't think so, since both machines rely on your attention for best results. The 16-inch width of the Pro might come in handy in commercial applications.

In scanning the recipe cards from Tales of the Cocktail, I can across Paul Clarke's Morning Glory, Imperial Style. He's too modest or too busy to post it here, I suspect: 1 oz cognac 1 oz rye 1 t curacao 1 t simple syrup 1 t absinthe 2 dashes Angostura bitters Stir with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Top with 2 oz champagne This led me to the Morning Glory in CocktailDB, which is pretty much the same, except for the use of soda instead of sparkling wine. Nice drink, either way.

On a trip back from New Orleans last month, I gave into the temptation cast over me by a series of billboards on I-85, and stopped at Lagrange Liquor and Wine. Since it's near the very popular West Point Lake, I expected to find a lot of single-malt scotches and a good selection of cigars for the weekend power-boat-and-vacation-home denizens. They had those, of course. What I didn't expect to find was something I didn't even know existed: Cruzan 151. Other than proof, there's no information on the label. It's aromatic -- something like a demerrara -- and of course very heady. I just mixed it in an Atlas. Very nice. Manly, if I may say so.

I use it, too, but because I brine rather than rub, I calculate the amount needed using what I call the Bertolli Displacement method. For a five-pound belly, it calls for 16.6 grams of pink salt. (Keep in mind that not all of that will migrate into the meat.)

That's a scary and potentially dangerous misprint, reinforced by the note that says that sodium nitrite is sold under various names, which might be true but is misleading, since pure nitrite isn't used in curing. In Charcuterie, the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons (12 grams) of pink salt, which would include 0.75 grams of nitrite. By my calculations, that's a reasonable amount for a five-pound belly, though you could probably get away with less.

My mom's favorite summer cocktail used to be the Tom Collins. I was probably underage when she taught me to make it for her -- with powdered (as in 10X) sugar. I wonder if she picked up the recipe from an old cocktail book, not knowing about the change in terminology. It tastes fine, even if the appearance is well, cloudy.

Have you tried reducing Coke? Richard Blais still serves a dessert that features cola "rocks." They start with a few liters right out of the bottle and cook it down to a syrup, then pour it into a sheet pan, freeze it with nitrogen and break the sheet into rocks. I don't think they add anything to the syrup while cooking it. The end product still tastes quite a bit like cola.

As far as I know, only Bradley makes them. But you know, Jeff, if you and a few thousand of your closest friends bought Bradleys, we could create a market . . .

I wouldn't bother with a coating. Just use a good smoked ham (Prudhomme recommends Cure 81, fwiw) and adjust your overall seasoning. Or use andouille or a smoked sausage like kielbasa.

I think you've got a pretty good idea there, but if a substantial variation would be interesting, there's Shrimp and Andouille Pasta. Just sub mudbugs for shrimps.

You're spot-in with the typical recreational use of X + Coke: it's an ounce of two of spirits and four or five of cola in a beer stein. That's a recipe for getting drunk as fast as possible without having to actually taste the liquor. Gary Regan lists more restrained proportions in Joy of Cocktails: Cuba Libre 2 ounces light rum 1 ounce lime juice 3 ounces cola Bourbon and Coke 2 ounces bourbon 3 ounces cola These respect both the spirit and the mixer, and make for more interesting cocktails.

Just to reinforce the cost lesson, today I smoked a 5-pound brisket, two full baby-back racks and 18 large chicken wings. Spreading the dollar-an-hour cost over that much food just makes it inconsequential. I should also point out the price of the basic Bradley has dropped dramatically in the last six months or so. I've seen it advertised at well below $300. So the capital investment is getting smaller, too. There's a point to which Chris alluded that explains why I like the Bradley so much: it simplifies the creation of good product by separating the cooking from the smoking. This lets me concentrate on one aspect or the other -- control my variables, in other words. I know there's an old-school mentality about all-night smoking over a low fire, but I think that speaks more to tradition, camaraderie and expressions of machismo than to good food. I'm all for staying up all night and drinking beer, but that doesn't lead to good culinary judgments, in my experience.

I'll say. With a new weekend upon us, who's volunteering to do the same for rum?

I think that little red flag has a bulb-of-garlic crest. Botulism (Clostridium botulinum) lives in soil, as does garlic. Botulism also thrives in low-oxygen, pH-neutral environments (above ~4.6, with some exceptions), like say oil. Cooking doesn't do a good job of killing it, though the actual toxin is destroyed at 176F. More information here.Since they grow on trees, lemons aren't particularly susceptible to C.botulinum.

Is it too late for Creole tomatoes?

The AJC did a write-up recently: http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/no.../riverside.html I haven't been there yet.

Seeds can add a little heat, because they're next to the placenta which, as you point out, is where the heat is produced. I take them out, just like with bell peppers, unless I'm blending them into a sauce.