dcarch

OK, I got this from a friend: 菱粉 = WATER CALTROP starch. 馬蹄粉 = Water chestnut flour dcarch

I did this long time ago (Yes, long time ago there was a thing called Whiteout) Whiteout bottle for the body, little brush inside the bottle for the tail, and #2 pencil for the legs. water caltrops can be enjoyed cooked or raw. dcarch

I don't know how indigenous corn is to China, I know corn silk has been in use in Chinese herbal medicine for many centuries. dcarch

Is that similar to the arrowroot mentioned earlier? I have used it and it is a much more delicate starch No, It has nothing to do with arrowroot. It is a very strange looking fruit. http://amylamsg.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/1271189917_e32f06054d.jpg I think you can still buy the flour in a large Chinese store. dcarch

Water chestnut (WATER CALTROP, not typical water chestnut) flour I believe was more traditional. dcarch

"---What are the drawbacks of installing such a system at home? Increased gas bills? " I think they are all electric, not gas. "---Much prefer the Zojirushi water boilers but hubby has an issue with leaving them plugged in overnight. " Touch the outside of the container, if it is warm, then the unit is not insulated well. If it is cool, then plugging in overnight will not use much power. They will not start a fire. There are safety thermostats built-in. dcarch

"You have almost got me thinking of poaching from the neighbor who has masses of the day lilies. At what stage are they best?" They need to be very young. I cover them with fallen leaves from last fall before spring to kind of blanch them. What vegetables you can grow in the shade that is so delicious? dcarch

Harvest of Daylily stems from my garden. dcarch

Jenni, yes, very delicious Kerala meal. rarerollingobject, thanks for posting the recipe for the Crispy Thai pork belly. That is a dish I will have to make soon, after looking at your picture. ChrisTaylor, that roast, rolled lamb shoulder sure looks well roasted. SobaAddict70, That Bento box lunch makes lunch something to look forward to, and the dinner is not so boring as you indicated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I still have some duck in the freezer. Sous vide duck breast medium, on beet green with wild rice stuffed pepper. Duck goes well with wild rice, and wild rice goes well with bell peppers. dcarch

If you are really going to have your last meal-------- Try Googling "last meals death row" dcarch

I would use the set for "mise en place" in the kitchen. They take up less room on the counter then round dishes and you can stack them. dcarch

Some how that just doesn't look like it is a good design for bones next to a dinner plate. I have two sets. I normally use them for nuts and dips. dcarch

Looks good. I bought a pack of frozen scallops from Trader Joe's. It was labeled "Sashimi Quality". But I sous vided them instead. You may want to grow some Perilla. While not a perennial herb, it re-seeds readily. You get so much every year. dcarch

I'd like to think that it does, indeed, offer better release, but... no. That's very disappointing to hear. So purely for aesthetics then? To begin with, damascus blades are decorative, functionally it is not meaningful in kitchen uses. You pay a high price for having that. Damascus is meant for battle field combat situations. dcarch

"-----No. The blue is unburned, therefore cold. The hottest part is just ABOVE THE TIP of the cone. ---" I see what you are talking about. I think we are talking about the same thing. The diagram you linked to is missing some information. The typical well burnt flame has three parts, not two as shown. I am talking about the bright blue cone and you are talking about the dark blue cone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bunsen_burner_flame_types_.jpg -------------------- BTW, the torch can burn way beyond the flame. it can melt plastic, burn your kitchen towel, scorch your kitchen walls up to 12" to 18" away from the flame. Make sure you are not near anything that you don't want to BBQ. dcarch

rarerollingobject, I just bought a pamelo. You dish of pamelo with prawns, etc. is very interesting. I think I will copy you. I may add an idea of my own. I may add sautéed pamelo rind. Kim, thanks. The sauce for the duck was honey mustard. Many well made dishes. In particular the omelets. I was following the “Best Scrambled Eggs” thread. I think yours is the best. robirdstx, lovely grill marks on the rib eye steak. SobaAddict70, thanks. Beautifully photographed delicious flounder and asparagus. I just used up my ramps. I will have to get some more to try out your Spring vegetable risotto. ------------------------ Duck breast, sous vide cooked to medium. Black garlic flavored. Wild rice (real wild, not farmed) with crab meat. On Daylily stems sauté in duck fat. dcarch

Are you sure about that? High pressure gas exits the orifice thru a Venturi cavity that draws in air and mixes in the torch head. The gas/air mixture burns completely, which is indicated by the blue flame. The blue cone is where the burning temperature at the hottest. I use a propane shop blow torch, I have never experienced propane taste or smell on the food. In any case propane and butane are highly volatile; they will evaporate immediately even if they somehow are deposited on the food. dcarch

Kim, Have you gotten a new camera? I have noticed a significant improvement in your picture qualities. (the dishes are not bad either ) dcarch

Here is an idea you can try out. After you have played with your pictures, then use your graphics program to do a horizontal flip, left to right, right to left. Immediately you may see the kind of things you do that you like looks very different the other way. dcarch

It taste like endive, without the bitter note. Really nice and tender. dcarch

Do you have a town recycling center where you live? See if you can find a throw-away large screen rear-projection TV. The front thin plastic is what is known as a Fresnel lens. It can be used to make a very powerful solar furnace. It costs a few hundred dollars to buy one of those lens on ebay. Make sure you wear sun glasses if you make one. the foucused ray is very bright. It is many time more powerful than a solar cooker. Here is one that I have made. It will set a log on fire in a few seconds. dcarch

Kim, What a great way to celebrate Cico De Mayo with chicken enchiladas. toolprincess, I like your classy beer/ margarita glass. ChrisTaylor, Too poor to buy whole, live lobsters? You have been eating too many lobsters too often. That’s why you are poor. LOL! menuinprogress, Did you make that Sicilian sausage? That’s amazing! Borgstrom, 3 days brine, 4H smoke, 3 days sous vide for a Reuben sandwich which can be eaten in 5 minutes! I will have to tell someone about this!!!!! LOL!! rarerollingobject, ugly looking horse radish made into a sauce for fine-looking Beef carpaccio. And I say your garam masala grilled chicken shows you got your cooking mojo back. Prawncrackers, that’s a parade of beautiful dishes. Kayb, good looking brisket. It is not an easy cut of meat to use. Jenni, thanks for posting all the wonderful vegetarian dishes. They keep everyone eating healthier. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I am on a real (not farmed) wild rice kick. dcarch Sous vide duck leg on wild rice and hosta shoots, crispy duck skin on the side. Sous vide rack of lamb for Mother’s Day on wild rice with ramps and shitake mushrooms.

Go to Zabar's and get a whole bunch of stuff to make your own lunch, than walk over to Central Park and have a nice picnic. Have you been to Zabar's? If not, you have to. Children's Museum is not far from Museum of Natural History. dcarch

OK, just MHO: dcarch I corrected color, and cropped a little. The definition of the cookies are not clear, looks like just one cookie. I delineated the cookies more. I changed the perspective. The original picture lookes like the coffee is going to spill. The picture is off center for no reason.

If you like, I can enhance your photos to show my ideas. dcarch