IndyRob

I bought a Kenwood as a present for my wife after she asked for a KA. Price and power seemed to favor the Kenwood, so I opted for that. Later we remodeled our kitchen with a lot of black and stainless steel and a new KA (Artisan) was acquired to match. And the Kenwood was retired to a lower cabinet in another room. By this time it had become established that I was the primary mixer user in the household. The KA worked fine, but at some point I dragged the Kenmore out again. They now sit side-by-side on our countertop. The Kenmore is my go-to bread and pizza dough machine. It's clearly more powerful, and the plastic bowl is easier to clean. The KA only stays because of its looks and stainless steel bowl (better for beating egg whites that might be compromised by fat hiding in plastic). I think that if I were looking for a new machine, I'd try to find one with both stainless and plastic bowl options. Kenmore doesn't appear to be an option in the U.S. anymore.

What am I missing? I think http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/honey-badger (Caution, bad words).

This is a good point. I think there was a time when consistancy was more valued than variety - for good reason. I think McDonald's capitalized on this big time.

Along the cheesecake do-ahead lines, I did a sort of American Kitsch Entreme that was pretty successful at Thanksgiving. While it could and probably should be improved, the reason I'll post it is that it turned out to be very rich, which made the serving size a very narrow wedge - which meant a lot of servings in single springform pan. First do a half batch of brownies in a springform pan (I think I used some parchment paper on the bottom for insurance). Bake that off, cool, and add a layer of chocolate ganache. Then a layer of whipped cream with confectioner's sugar, cocoa, and grated chocolate (which replaced the originally imagined Cocoa Krispies which proved to get soggy in a test). Then prepare some Swiss Miss hot chocolate and add gelatin (originally I was amused at the prospect of a Gelee of Yoo-Hoo but it turns out that Yoo-Hoo is pretty much flavorless). Let that cool and pour over the top to cover. Then in the fridge to get a nice glossy and perfectly flat top. It sliced and held together very cleanly and the individual thin wedges were very attractive (even with the steak knife I was presented with on-site). The finishing touches could have been better (better gloss, some shaved chocolate flower garnishes, a better outer edge treatment) and some more complex flavors (espresso, almond paste, etc.) could have been introduced, but the general concept proved to be sound. The less tested strawberry version turned out to be a structural disaster. Shortbread base, white chocolate ganache (who knew that it burns so easily? Upon checking the web, pretty much everyone but me), strawberry mousse (this was the culprit), and a gelee of strawberry Kool-Aid. I should've went with my gut and dumped it all into a glass bowl with a big spoon, but yielded to my wife's insistence that it was fine. It oozed out onto our host's countertop at the first slice. It turned out that we took almost all of it home whereupon she quite happy to eat it out of a bowl for the next week, often commenting on how good it was. Perhaps it was an insidious plot.

I read somewhere that knife selection is a very personal thing. A knife comfortable for someone with dainty hands might be a knuckle buster for the large handed. Perhaps an adjustable handle might be an interesting design feature (might lead to balance issues though). Or, perhaps a blade that can accept a variety of handles that are all designed for the blade, but suit different people (that really doesn't go to the design goal, though). Another thought is whether a chef's knife really needs a point. I don't think that it is (or should be) often called upon for stabbing things. So perhaps a point design that visually suggests that it's meant to be slid on the block. Taken to a ludicrous degree, it could have a roller at the tip. This would be stupid, of course, but would be a clear indication that it's not meant for hacking away at stuff. [ETA]I was just reflecting on dicing onions. Normally I use one of my chef's knives, but if a santoku is the only one clean at the moment, I'll use that. Upon reflection, in these cases, my approach and mechanics change significantly, so I think you're on the trail of a good idea.

An 85 year-old Grand Forks, ND food writer found herself in the news after writing a positive review of the area's new Olive Garden restaurant. A food blog picked up on the column and led to it going viral. Sure, for most, an Olive Garden is hardly newsworthy, but methinks we point-and-snicker too much(?).

BTW, I've discovered that wolframalpha has densities of various foodstuffs. Type in 'egg', for instance, and among the results will be Serving Density - 1 gm/cm3 (most liquid ingredient densities seem to vary little from water).

Are three or four tines required, as opposed to two? It occurred to me that a regular fork (from Goodwill, a garage sale, or a box in the basement) could be adapted with the help of a grinder. Table forks may not be suitable, but on a whim I looked in one of my kitchen drawers and found a set of three tined forks that came from a set of dubious pizza tools I received as a gift (along with some serrated knives with the word "PIZZA" done in a cutout on the blades). The forks have nice looking wood handles, the metal is stainless steel. The tines are a bit heavy, but that's where a (hopefully) artful application of a grinder wheel would come in. Perhaps followed by a progression of sand papers of increasingly finer grains.

I was reminded of this thread as we again were invited to join my son and his wife at a Chinese buffet restaurant today. Again, I was not enthusiastic about it, but at least, I was assured, there would be the unlimited crab legs. As it turned out, no, there were no crab legs at all. But they had added some sort of (barely acceptable) Texas toast. So I had the bread I longed for in my previous post (just two posts up, I think), but no crab legs. Ironically, after coming home I found myself watching the Vegas episode of No Reservations again. In this, Tony Bourdain expounds upon his own buffet strategy - eschew the starches, and go for the expensive proteins, because the starches are meant to fill you up. (which, in fact, I was using as a justification for bringing my own bread). It turns out that my son inquired about the crab legs, and was told that there were too many people coming in and eating only crab legs. Oh, and there was another new item on the Chinese buffet - Pizza. Much of our conversation centered on how crowded the restaurant used to be. Clearly, premium protein offerings on a buffet are akin to a high wire act. Balance is everything.

It seems like there is very little downside to giving them a go. You're risking, what, a few eggs and some water (if you're making pasta), maybe some yeast (if you're making bread)?

I had to wait to get my wife's opinion on this (as she is the more consistant consumer of the Colonel's fare), but I think we're agreed that the core product is largely the same as in the past. But also that they've come out with a lot of crap products in the interim ('though she likes the current wings). I do think that the golden cultural age of the Bucket o' Chicken has passed us by. It used to be a family event. But I suspect that it's more about us than the chicken.

I don't know nothin' about nothin', but I think you need, if you haven't already done so, to get some sort of sign up indicating that there is a fantastic transformation in progress.

There is a big Sriracha thread already, but I'd like to ask about a more specific application. For me, I think the best recommendation from that thread is sriracha on scrambled eggs. From that, I find that like to dot my eggs with sriracha, so it occurred to me that a spherified caviar form could be cool way to add a visual element to the introduction of novices to the practice. I read all the spherification threads with interest, but really have never had the desire to experiment with all the forms. But this application, I feel, is one I really want to do. So, for those so versed, what is the proper path to Sriracha Caviar?

My parents discovered the KFC pot pies years ago, and were well impressed. I thought they were good (very pretty as well). But I think they lacked the bottom crust. And I think the commercial I just saw for the current ones might have suggested that.

I think we need a special episode of Gordon Ramsay's F Word where seared scallops, prepared by equally expert line cooks, are served to 100 diners - 50 of which are gently turned with tongs, while the other 50 are coaxed onto their backs with kind words. I suspect the results would be 50-50, with no preference detected.

It hits my ears as presumptuous. It's kind of like the opposite of coming back to the table and asking how everything is. It may be meant as a wish, but is too close to a command, IMHO.

It would be easy to destroy quite a variety of things with hemostats. Likewise tongs. But you don't have to use a death grip just because you're using a metal tool. Even before this, from watching an interview with Keller I felt that if I were qualified and fortunate enough to work with him, it would only be a brief period of time before I would have to exclaim "Oh, come on..."

Seal-a-Meal bags can be used and can cost about half as much. They are a thinner weight though.

I haven't seen any problems in Indiana. I'm not sure about the ultimate quality or provenance of the variety of garlic we get, but in terms of it's serviceabilty, it seems quite good. No black spots, or growing chutes. The paper is white and dry and intact. The bulbs are firm. However, if I buy too much and let them sit, well, that's another story....

I started out with a bad feeling about this episode, but changed my mind. Yes, it was gimmicky. But I do believe that winning a challenge in adverse circumstances is worthy of advancement to the finals. But early on, I thought that if the last elimination came down some silly test, I would be outraged. But as it happens, the last challenge was pretty much straight up, despite the biathalon - which didn't really affect much (although if someone had broken a hip, that would've presented a dilemma). Rabbit vs. Arctic Char in a real kitchen. Game on. As it turned out, whatever the advantage gained in the biathalon was for naught. The underdog Bev lost but finally got her props. I don't agree with the 'jumped the shark' sentiments. If season 1 is the benchmark, Top Chef has alternately under- and over- acheived over the different seasons and variations. This will definitely not be my favorite season, but there are other worthy candidates for the worst.

(Internet gremlins stole my original post, but the upshot is....) If a 'group of foodies' are involved, I suggest making an occasion of it (with food and drink) and let each member take those volumes that they have a chance or desire to pass forward. Let these good works be done in memory of the deceased. The estate is unlikely to realize any form of significant remuneration (i've had a bit of experience in this - books don't sell), so the loyalty should fall to the books themselves. Half Price Books is also an option. They'll only pay a pittance for books, but the better ones will end up on properly categorized shelves perused by the public.

The best sears I've ever acheived have been in a dry pan, with pre-salted sreaks. However, the temperature of the pan was about 765 degrees f (cast iron skillet on a grill - pan seasoning ruined ). At stove-top temps, I'm finding that I prefer the results with a bit of oil.

Would salting the steaks prior to assembly mitigate the food safety issues?

It's about paying (or not) for bone. If you can find a good buy on whole chickens I'd do that and roast them whole. If I were doing this I would do that and then set the second priority on a big batch of rice. If you accomplish only these two things well, it won't be a complete disaster. As both of these may take some time, I think I'd work myself from vegan sauces and ingredients, through to vegetarian, and then to proper chicken gravies. Serve in a buffet ala carte style and let people take what suits them.

This made me reflect and decide that there is a hint of sweetness in my deviled eggs. I certainly do not add sugar, so I thought a moment, and then walked over to the fridge and pulled out a container of store brand mayo.... Yep, included in the ingredient list is high-fructose corn syrup.