dcarch

My store no longer sells store ground beef... This is store ground beef: http://www.komu.com/images/news/ground-beef.jpg This is not: http://www.filipino-food-lovers.com/site-images/beef_giniling/ground_beef.jpg The bottom photo is representative of what my store is now selling, but not the actual package. Its packaged at some factory elsewhere, Stamped with a expiration date and heat sealed in the plastic tub. Im just creeped out I think the second way allows them to inject the package with carbon monoxide, which makes the meat pink. dcarch

I have a feeling you are not going to be a vegetarian soon. :-) You should have asked for the blood also. Good for many recipes. dcarch

Get a few expensive thin blade knives and keep them razor sharp. Get in the habit of slicing food, not chop. Watch a few sushi cutting videos. dcarch

Pre-seasoning cast iron cookware is not for your benefit. They do that to prevent rusting. Rough surface helps non-stick-ness. The food is lifted off some of the cooking surface, and the seasoning in the depressed areas will not get scraped off as easily. You see many Teflon cookware have rough surfaces. dcarch

They do sell long blades with carbide tips. dcarch

Yes, very easy with a carbide blade. Or do this, my way of halving a big frozen turkey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdqR9ZV-8_4 dcarch

Yes off-topic. You can also consider a fun and interesting way to salt your food. Get a nice block of Himalayan pink salt block, either drag you food over it or scrape some with a knife over your food. dcarch

For large bones, I frequently freeze them, wrap them in plastic and cut them to pieces on my table saw. It goes very easy and quick. For marrow and soup bones. dcarch

Really? http://www.mrmrslink.com//pics/2010/0811/081110_FlatheadLake_01.jpg dcarch :-)

Liuzhou, is it true that in a New Year's feast, there has to be at least one vegetarian dish? dcarch

Takes a long time to clean that handle. dcarch

"---Anyone know what it is?" Regular pork deep frozen with thick frost on the surface? dcarch

Somehow in all recipes, all olive oil must be extra virgin, and all salt must be Kosher. dcarch

Salt keeps the rice dry, giving the illusions that the rice is so dry, therefore it can also keep the salt dry. Salt has what is known as Hygroscopy property, which means it has the ability to absorb moisture. dcarch

I wonder if there's a way to get some color and roasted-like flavor with the microwave. Maybe by zapping the squash after giving it a light coat of oil as was mentioned upthread with garlic and onions. They do make containers which will allow you to brown in a microwave. dcarch

Not that I've noticed. Perhaps The style I have come across and was referring to was what is commonly referred to as Chinkiang vinegar which is the only one I come across in the local shops.. Chinese vinegars are, I find, generally less acid and more mild in taste than what we may find in the west, although I wouldn't go so far to call them sweet. The one that I use is actually called sweet vinegar. It is sweeter than balsamic, I cook that with ginger and sesame oil for dipping. dcarch http://img.21food.com/20110609/product/1305783273207.jpg

"---Indeed vinegar, particularly black vinegar, ----" ​Aren't there two kinds of black vinegar? Sweet and not so sweet? dcarch

I can totally understand that you feel I am making this up. Tad's Steak, ( Not Ted's Steak) a NYC chain steak house, once came up with this insane idea when microwave ovens were first becoming popular. They opened a restaurant where patrons were give a menu. After selections were made, the meals were served to the patrons totally frozen. That's right, I said totally frozen. At each table there was a microwave oven for every two customers. The eaters would use the microwave to heat up their frozen meals. No. The restaurant was not in business very long. dcarch

You can buy duck web (uncooked) here in stores in NYC. They are like chicken feet except boneless. I have no idea how they manage to remove the bones. dcarch

Try out some battery operated ones then decide. dcarch

By wet, I meant water in the food composition. All food has water, including bread crumbs, flour, etc. In the air, water can be either steam (water droplets just below 212F) or moisture. Moisture is humidity and invisible and can be at any temperature, depending on pressure. Moisture becomes steam below dew point. You can see you breath in cold air. Therefore Alton Brown was probably talking about hot moist air, what we commonly call steam when water is boiling. dcarch

Not to say that I am better than Alton Brown. I can't seem to make sense of his theory. Perhaps I am stupid. 1. When hot oil hits wet food, the surface water vaporizes from boiling, which keeps the water layer below from boiling. 2. Whether hot oil is halfway or deep fry total immersion, the dough/breading is never hermetically sealing the meat, steam will always find a way out. I don't think KFC pan fries their chickens. They don't seem to have problems of the coating falling off. Perhaps the problem has to do with the following? 1. When you fry chicken with skin on, fat from the skin will make adhesion tricky. 2. Store bought salt water injected chickens give out to much water the moment they are heated. I will have to try AB's method the next time I feel like having fried chicken, just to see. dcarch

You do have to be aware of the following: Water boils at 212F, it prevents temperature getting higher than 212F. However, if you microwave food with a lot of oil or fat, that can be a problem for many plastic containers. Oil does not boil until over 400F. There is nothing to keep temperature below that if you microwave oil or fat. dcarch

Is Shark's fin soup still popular? dcarch

"Think of all the starving people in China!" No wonder, I am so starved looking at all those insanely delicious and beautiful dishes. Thank you for sharing. dcarch