Big Joe the Pro

Good article, thanks. I agree with the assessment of Emeril, his presense on Top Chef is enjoyable.

Hey, no worries. I've been rewatching season 5 (Stephan, Fabio, Carla and the guy who won). I'd forgotten how unpopular he had been with most of the contestants. He came across to the others as egotistical, bossy and hard to work with. It's really in stark contrast to this current season (the finalists all thought he was 'a great guy'), isn't it? I wonder why the big change?

Uhh...or grandfather, father or uncle? Just thought I'd add that in since we're on the subject of stereotyping.

THAT'S what I'm talkin' about. It's gotta be the bikini in what, last season, or was that two seasons back now? I remember the other Mike and Tiffany were there so it had to have been All-Stars on what, British Virgin Islands or some such place.

It might be funny to mention some of our favorite moments of the show? Mine's season two (had to look on Wikipedia to narrow that down to specifics as I couldn't remember) when Mike wanted to get a six-pack of beer with his food at the store checkout and Sam talked him out of it. Remember that guy? He also started 'boxing' at Chef Tom (who didn't look too pleased). What a corker! Sam Talbot is running his own restaurant in NYC now, I believe? Ok, what are some of the funny, interesting, stupid, silly, etc. things that you remember?

The better half gets the good stuff (the leftovers) so I like to do sandwiches and soups. Soups are nice because, obviously, you can cook a big pot and then freeze individual portions. I normally do split-pea or a Mexican=style black bean. They're healthy too! Hope that helps, Joe

I'll miss Stephan, he was entertaining. He seems to be quite the ladies' man as well. Did you see the bear in the preview for the next episode? What silly and unnecessary thing will this be; kill, skin and cook a bear using nothing but a butter knife? Who's going to win this thing? My money's on one of the women, probably Brooke.

I wish I could eat fried chicken but I used to be really chunky so I gotta be careful... Oh, I forgot about that REALLY irritating woman who hosted season one so I should've given Padma credit for having done nine seasons so far.

Padma does seem to be more assertive and outspoken at judge's table so I'm wondering; is this on her own initiative, has she been told/asked to speak out more or is it editing? She's probably the reason I started watching the show in the first place and she's still major hot IMO (and will always be younger than I am!) but maybe it would be better if she just stuck to the sympathetic T & A role? I kinda have to disagree with the poster(s) who questioned her credentials; I mean, after ten seasons, even if you spend most of the time in the salon and on the phone with your agent while practicing your poses in front of mirrors, I would think she should have learned something about food by now. Maybe not. I like Chef Tom, maybe he boozed it up a little too much this episode or his chef friends brought out another side of him. His cryptic and skeptical comments on his walk throughs in the kitchen while the chefs are prepping or cooking are what I enjoy most, he didn't do that this episode. Maybe he was busy scouting locations for a new sandwich shop. Stephan thought that Kristen should've stuck up for herself more at judge's table, I still wonder if it would've made a difference.

Unfortunately no, I'm living overseas and Bravo won't let me view it.

Haven't been on the forum at all for what...maybe almost a year? Having a kid running around will keep you busy, huh? Anyway, I just rewatched the restaurant wars episode. I've seen every episode of every season multiple times and I don't remember the last time one made me feel so perplexed and unsettled. Running it through my head while in bed last night (my form of counting sheep I guess) I was thinking that Kristen (hope I spelled that correctly) did the right thing, she took the blame for what she controlled and got the sack for it. However, having just rewatched it I'm thinking that maybe she should have divulged more of the kitchen machinations that lead up to the final product (Kristen being frustrated that it took Josie so long to make the broth and that fact that Kristen felt she couldn't put the gelatin in as she had originally planned). Does anyone feel that it would have made a difference had Kristen spoken up a little more? Kristen clearly didn't leave herself much wiggle-room during the planning and execution stages. Kirsten had a lot of talent I thought for someone so young, it's sad to see her go. I recently rewatched season 9 from Texas and am also glad that the chef-testants haven't been physically pushed and punished (cooking outdoors in searing heat to gondolas, skiing and target shooting in the frigid north) as they had been last year.

Hey, I just stumbled upon what looks like an excellent glossary of types of flour available in China in English, Chinese and pin yin. The link is here, hope it helps! Also, a little off-topic but; I just got an email from Pantry Magic Corporate saying that they've been trying to get the new Beijing store (near Worker's Stadium) to close down since mid-February for 'serious non-compliance'. What's up with that? P.S. I'm not connected to that bread web site or Pantry Magic in any way, for you jaded, snarky-types lurking out there!

Sorry to hear your garlic isn't good quality. It's fine in Beijing so it must be a freshness issue. My relative in Illinois grows large crops of it, last year was horrible for garlic in his area, too wet I believe? Anyway, keep your fingers crossed? Are the bottled varieties worth using?

I usually: put the dried ones in a (largish-rice) bowl cover them with tap water cover the bowl with cling film pierce it a couple times with a knife and then zap it in the microwave for about a minute then let them soak about an hour. I'm not sure exactly where I picked that up at, America's Test Kitchen possibly? I've never tried any other way so I've nothing to compare it to but perhaps I should try another way? This seems to work out ok however.

Many thanks for the photos and especially the Chinese names, they'll be a big help next time I go to the market. I didn't know we could get porcini mushrooms, I'd been bringing them from the States. We can get risotto rice here in Beijing at Metro and also at some local shops & markets that cater to foreign foods. This is a search I did for it on Taobao. Thanks for the tips about the King Oyster mushrooms, I'd been trying them in stir-fries where they definitely don't work so well. Ok, happy cooking.

Americas Test Kitchen recently started an online school. I know nothing about it except that it costs $20 a month and I believe theres a trial. Ive learned a lot from their shows and books myself.

Well, I do have paper towels but I guess I don't use as many as others. If you're cooking Chinese food twice-a-day there's a lot of oil that builds up on stuff. It's a different language and culture here as well. Difficult and time-consuming to explain fully.

Ok, I was able to get some Oxyclean in the US (five lbs. of my allotment though, ouch!) and it works wonders. I only use a quarter scoop in some hot water to soak the towels for a few hours before washing them and it's made a huge difference. I won't describe the condition of the soaking water afterwards. I haven't been able to find Oxyclean here in Beijing but I was able to find two similar sounding products at Jenny Lou's (a small chain store that carries stuff for people who cook something besides Chinese-style foods). Please see attached photos. Has anyone used either of these products? They're not cheap as it's what, about 6.3 RMB to the dollar these days? Thanks for your help.

Seriously? What was the term before that?

Hopefully this is an interesting note; I was at a supermarket here in Beijing the other day and noticed that they had two kinds of beans, one especially for fish. I'm guessing that the fish ones are less salty?

I scored a largish-container (one that looks like a small version of the restaurant-sized spice bottles) of Spice Islands California Onion Powder at Sam's Wholesale Club when I was in the States awhile back. I'd bought a Chinese brand here locally but it caked up like a rock, got tired of messing around with it. There's got to be something in it to keep it from caking but I'm not really sure what it is (no enlightenment on the label). Perhaps that's why they call it a powder rather than granulated.

That pisses me off when they do that. Sometimes I pony up, sometimes not. I'll have to ask my Chinese friends and colleagues about tipping. They don't seem adverse to it like the Japanese do. I mean, they don't normally do it here but they realize that it's expected abroad. I just hope that my countrymen (in the US) can recognize and understand the differences between Chinese and Japanese (and that Chinese tip fairly, they have to keep up their end of the bargain!). The Japanese I've known have all been so condemning of the horrible service they receive when in the States. What do they expect when they don't tip?!? Japanese seem so demanding as well. A Japanese woman was telling me about some minor screw up by the staff in a hotel in Southern China. She wanted a written apology from the manager? Give me a break...

The maid wouldn't have looked at you expectantly if you had been a local person. The hotel probably caters to a lot of foreigners who don't follow the local customs of not tipping. Regarding the original thread, service has to be really horrible for me not to tip.

Cool, thanks for addressing my enquiries. Now, about the meaning of life...? Seriously though, it sounds like a great gig. I've been doing my present job (for about fifteen years, not related to cooking) because I enjoy it. Money isn't the most important thing. It's good you don't have to work OT. One of the most striking facts in the chefs books I've been reading lately is the amount of hours they put it. Doesn't seem healthy to me. It reminds me of a gig I had (a long time ago) in a hotel State-side. Nowhere near as large a scale as a Casino on the Vegas strip but a good organization and a union shop. It's nice to have the union to keep the managers from walking all over you in my opinion. The only think they care about is their share price it seems. I miss working in the food industry sometimes and that's surely why stories like yours resonate with me and so many others. Nearly half of the US population had some sort of food-related job in their misspent youth? I don't miss coming home wiped and smelling like maple though! Ok, I for one am waiting for more. Throw in some gratuitous sex out back by the dumpsters, gun running in the toliets, the fork-in-the-road taken while on a vodka bender and/or excessive drug use in forgotten broom closets and your audience will increase exponentially w/o a doubt, ha ha!

Thanks for the stories. I guess Anthony Bourdain would've started posting on the Internet 'back in the day', luckily he had "The New Yorker" (I believe it was) to recognize his talent. Does anyone else find the phrase 'back in the day' to be an oddly compelling strange twist of words or is it just me? I find it so odd I feel forced to put it in quotation marks. Anyone know who coined it? Anyway, I have a couple questions if you don't mind. You can ignore them if you prefer, I wouldn't feel slighted. Maybe you could work the answers you'd care to give into future installments? I'll be here. > What's the average starting pay for a cook's helper? > I would imagine that the casinos are union shops (which is ok by me)? > Do you work eight hour shifts and are they consistently at the same time of day (i.e. always mornings)? > Is OT available and is it strongly suggested you accept it or it is totally optional? > Are employee meals free and are they buffets and/or all you can eat? > What's wrong with Imperial Palace? It sounds like a Chinese buffet? Ok, thanks again.