BadRabbit

Your average person doesn't have room to hold 7 or 8 types of stock on hand and lots of professional cookbooks use odd stocks that you'll probably only use for the particular recipe you're making (as I write this I'm reminded of that picture in The French Laundry with the line of reduced stocks). For example, I don't use duck stock a lot so when a recipe calls for it I've got to decide whether is is worth spending the better part of the day making stock for the one cup of it I need for the scaled down recipe. It makes sense in a professional kitchen because I would have prep cooks to make the stock, there's room to store, and you're going to use a lot of it anyway. You're unlikely to see stocks that you can't find in the can or box in a home cookbook. ETA: I've found that a lot of home cookbook authors who are really just restaurant chefs have a hard time scaling stuff down for the average joe. I've gotten into recipes with multiple component recipes that take well over a day to accomplish and leave me with excess amounts of the components that I just throw out because they either won't keep or I can't think of a way to repurpose.

Edit: Never mind. I see it's already been covered.

Stripping thyme sprigs- I don't know why I just hate it. Cleaning shrimp- As said above- it's just tedious. Shucking oysters- I ran an oyster bar for 5 years. Nuff said.

I have been wanting to make my own charbroil style seasoning rub for steaks and pork chops but I don't have any idea what all is in it. For those that don't know what I'm talking about, it is a nearly black spice rub that (at least in the south) is common as an optional addition on steaks at quality butcher shops. Most of my local shops have some version of it and there is a retail version called Southern Flavor that is sold in most grocery stores. http://www.southernflavor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=47 Anybody got any idea what all is in it? The bottles of the stuff aren't very specific as to what spices make it up.

Outmoded and antiquated business models killed off the Mom & Pops. Wal-mart just hastened their demise. For all the self righteous hatred that the well off like to heap on Wal-mart, the chain is actually one of the reasons why the poor in the US are able to afford a relatively higher standard of living. Walmart's economies of scale and logistics have brought prices down across nearly every category that they sell. The posters on this board mostly belong to a niche market and some allow this personal world view to cloud their view of how other people should live their lives. Ask a real poor person whether they'd rather have local goods sold at a family store or replacement mass produced goods sold for 30% less and they'll choose the cheap goods nearly every time. People barely able to feed their families do not care if the chicken they buy is organic and given plenty of room to roam while it is being raised. They just want their children not to go to bed hungry.

I always assumed it was because it doesn't transfer\retain the heat as well as glassware and plates. Those other things continue to dry even after the heating element has cut off because the item stays hot. Plastic cools off almost immediately.

If I can get them with the roe, I like to just wrap them in tinfoil with a generous knob of butter and garlic, throw them on the grill for a couple of minutes and then serve them whole. They are so delicious there is really no reason to fuss around too much with them. ETA: I don't actually get them fresh or live in Alabama. I can only get them frozen and overnighted.

My wife makes a version of the Moosewood spanikopita that is actually pretty decent. I don't know how much she's changed it but I do know that's where the original recipe came from. I've never eaten anything else from the book so I can't comment on it as a whole. As for my nomination, my wife got a cupcake book for Christmas that is essentially just a bunch of combination of boxed mixes and canned frosting. A recipe looks like this: 1 box chocolate cake mix (prepared as directed by box) 1 can vanilla frosting and then there is usually an additional item like a red licorice stick to use as decoration in coms manner. It's the laziest cookbook I've ever seen. The complexity of a Sandra Lee recipe looks like one of Thomas Keller's next to this cookbook.

You might could run it through a centrifuge to clarify. If the colored solids were separate from the capsicum, then you could remove the colored layer and reblend the others. I'll try it next time I'm at my dad's office and report back.

I disagree that epazote is optional. Nothing in the world tastes like it and to me mexican style beans do not taste right without it.

I had a friend the other day telling me about these "prime" grass finished ribeyes he's been purchasing. I told him that I really doubted you could get prime graded grass finished steak as it would be nearly impossible to get the required marbeling without some sort of grain (or other fattening diet) finish. Well I went to the market where he'd been buying and sure enough they were "premium" grass finished steaks. I ended up buying them and trying them out and just like most of my past experiences with "grass fed" I thought they were just OK.

I think it depends on where you live. Whole foods is considerably more expensive than my local Publix (except for produce which seems about the same). The quality is also better than Publix so you're not really comparing like items though. If I did all my actual food shopping at Whole Foods, it would probably raise my bill by 20-25%. I shop WF for fish, meats, specialty items and some produce and buy my kitchen staples at Publix.

It's not heavy at all, it's a brothy soup, not a stew. The broth is very flavorful but light-bodied. The potatoes add some weight, I suppose you could leave them out but I liked them. Other than that, the ingredients are fish, shellfish, and fresh vetegables. Unless you don't want to turn on the stove at all, I think it would be perfect for summer, a one-dish meal that's really special. I did miss having some bread to sop up the extra broth. I didn't make tortillas. Next time. I made this this weekend and it turned out well though next time I'll change what broth I use. I only had about half as much chicken broth as the recipe called for but I had a good bit of shrimp stock. It ended up being a little too shrimpy. Next time, I'll try all chicken stock or chicken and fish. Also, I cut the corn like he does in the book (into crosssections of the whole cob) but it ended up just confusing everybody as to how they should eat it. I finally just reached in my bowl and pulled mine out and ate it out of hand at which point everybody else followed suit. Overall it was a delicious dish and very little work if you already have the guajillo sauce made.

Belle Chevre is also in Alabama and makes a pretty tasty goat cheese. I've been eating their cheese since they were a pretty small outfit but I'm not sure they still fit into this discussion as they have gotten pretty large. http://www.bellechevre.com/shop/index.php

Artisinal and heritage-style producers seem to be popping up everywhere over recent years in the US and I know everyone here likes to support those kinds of businesses. So I thought I'd start a thread to consolidate the recommendations. I feel like this will let us take advantage of local knowledge and find some products we might not find otherwise. For example, I have two really good producers near me that I regularly promote because I really believe in the quality of their products. Oakview Farms Granary- Fantastic artisinal grits that I think are on par or better than Anson Mills. Their white grits and yellow cornmeal are my favorite products (the cornmeal makes the best cornbread imaginable). Available online, very limited retail locations and in their "brick & mortar." http://www.oakviewfarms.com/Default.aspx Fudge Family Farms pork- AWA certified, outdoor raised pork that is the tastiest I've found in the US. Well marbeled and deep and richly flavored. Until recently he mostly sold to restaurants or in whole hogs direct(I have a friend at a restaurant who would include me on his purchase) but he has begun to sell online now (though he currently only sells chops and sausage online). http://www.fudgepork.com/ Do you have small producers in your area that produce quality products that you enjoy? What are their best items? Are they available online? retail? only direct?

: Cochinita Pibil seemed to always be served with Frijoles Colados (which do have their own creaminess & hearty flavor), Sour Orange pickled Onions, a thin Habanero sauce & awesome, heirloom corn tortillas. A good Pibil doesn't need much... did you use heirloom Pork leg? Fudge Family Farms is not too far from my home and produces some of the finest pork in the country so my pork shoulder was top notch. I think the habanero sauce you mentioned is what was missing. As I said, Bayless doesn't mention any salsa in the book so I didn't make any. Is the traditional sauce a simmered sauce or is it raw? Easiest sauce in the world... put four raw habaneros in the blender, about 1/4 teaspoon of salt (add more as needed), start with half a cup of water (add a little more at a time)... pureee, taste & adjust. The sauce should be the thickness of pulpy orange juice I haven't tasted the Fudge Family Farms pork but the pigs in the Yucatan have a strong / full "free range" flavor that is tamed a bit with the sour orange & achiote.. in California restaurants they talk up the Berkshire pigs alot but they are actually quite bland. Finally, did you use banana leaves? Their flavor isn't strong enough to notice it... but I definitely notice something missing when I don't use them (kind of like Bay leaves in a soup). The Fudge pigs are really delicious. They are actually a hybrid of two heritage breeds (Fudge says they are 3/4 Duroc and 1/4 Berkshire). Most people refer to his as artisan hogs instead of heritage since they are actually his own hybrid. They have great marbeling and a very full flavor. Frank Stitt, Chris Hastings, and pretty much every other top chef in the area uses Fudge. Fudge also raises his pigs outside so I would guess it's closer to what you mean by "free range" than most larger producers. http://www.fudgepork.com/ Got it on the sauce. The spiciness of some chile is what I really was looking for. The first time I make something from a cookbook I like to be very faithful to the recipe and then make my adjustments on the second try. I'll give this a go next time. I did use the banana leaves and I thought they provided some subtle notes that were more obvious to me when I sampled the meat plain than when I wrapped it in a tortilla.

It's not heavy at all, it's a brothy soup, not a stew. The broth is very flavorful but light-bodied. The potatoes add some weight, I suppose you could leave them out but I liked them. Other than that, the ingredients are fish, shellfish, and fresh vetegables. Unless you don't want to turn on the stove at all, I think it would be perfect for summer, a one-dish meal that's really special. I did miss having some bread to sop up the extra broth. I didn't make tortillas. Next time. Great. I hadn't had time to look at the recipe but I remember the picture in the book looking spectacular. When I hear "hearty" I think "heavy" which is why I inquired about that.

: Cochinita Pibil seemed to always be served with Frijoles Colados (which do have their own creaminess & hearty flavor), Sour Orange pickled Onions, a thin Habanero sauce & awesome, heirloom corn tortillas. A good Pibil doesn't need much... did you use heirloom Pork leg? Fudge Family Farms is not too far from my home and produces some of the finest pork in the country so my pork shoulder was top notch. I think the habanero sauce you mentioned is what was missing. As I said, Bayless doesn't mention any salsa in the book so I didn't make any. Is the traditional sauce a simmered sauce or is it raw?

In the US is where it's very difficult to find pure cream.

I really don't have any problem with modern gums etc... except when I'm trying to do something with a product that's a little unusual and the gums get in the way. It has never bothered me about cream until I was trying to make butter. I'm not one that is scared of modern ingredients. I think the health risks to most of them are greatly exaggerated if not completely false. ETA: It also ticks me off I can't buy unpasteurized milk with which to make cheese but that's another discussion.

That's amazing, at least to me. You'd think they'd have at least one version that was unadulterated. You might have luck finding pure cream at a health food store or farmer's market. I feel certain they'd have it at Whole Foods but that's not that close to my home. It was really just a science demonstration for my daughter anyway.

Could the cream you got hold of be specially intended for coffee? I've never heard of stabilizers being present in other sorts of cream (I just took a look at the supermarket cream we have in the fridge, and it contains only cream [38% fat]; I always have to be careful to not turn it into butter when I'm whipping it). Although it may not be the only culprit, it seems to me that carageenan would definitely interfere with breaking, since that's part of the reason it's there. Carageenan is also a thickener, which suggest that the fat level is fairly low, making it less than ideal for butter production. Almost all supermarket heavy cream has carageenan in it where I live. I intentionally looked for cream without it but it was nowhere to be found (even in the "gourmet" stores).

This method works great for regularly sliced bacon but I find it makes shoe leather out of the thicker stuff.

I tried to do this the other day with my daughter. I dropped the cream into my Kitcheaid and turned it on. It never came together. Even after 20 minutes I still had just cream sloshing around in the bowl. I've made butter before and never had this problem. The only thing I could think of was that maybe the carageenan levels were too high in this particular cream. Any ideas on what may have happened?

My hashbrown casserole already has onions but I might try adding some dijon and maybe some chanterelle mushrooms. The purple potatos idea sounds interesting but I'm afraid the old folks wouldn't even try something that looked so alien to them.