Will

My approach is to try and use standard (i.e., non-nonstick) pans for anything possible, and reduce my use of non-stick as much as possible. I use stainless-steel cookware, as well as carbon steel, cast iron, and enameled cast iron. Using proper cooking technique, I find that most of the time, sticking isn't too big of a problem, but I won't say that it never happens. Cleanup can involve a little more elbow grease. I don't have a specific need to avoid fat in cooking, which helps. When I end up having to use non-stick on something that doesn't see a lot of high-heat (rice cooker, hot water boiler) for which there isn't a clear alternative for, I try not to stress about it too much. When I buy non-stick pans for family / friends who insist on them, I usually buy commercial grade stuff with PTFE / PFOA -based coatings (Ceramiguard II, usually), on the idea that stuff that's built to handle commercial abuse is probably thick enough and well enough made that it's unlikely to be unsafe to the end-user. However, these pans still won't last as long as standard pans, and may be unsafe to the folks who make them, so it's something I try to avoid. Unfortunately, some people are not that interested in learning how to use a "regular" pan, don't like the extra cleanup that is sometimes involved, and / or want to minimize added fats. If you can convince them to watch the Rouxbe pan-frying video, they may find it helpful: http://rouxbe.com/cooking-school/lessons/170-pan-frying I knew most of the stuff covered in this video, and still found it helpful (despite the freaky voice of the narrator).

Please expand on this. I'm just curious as to what negative connotations you can derive from seeing someone set up for sous vide. To me, it would indicate someone who is a bit hyper-focused on the "technology" side of cooking, and a bit too excited in bells / whistles rather than simple, well executed cooking and basic technique. Just because you can have some techno-weenie gadget doesn't mean you know how to chop an onion. Also, I'd be a little afraid that the same person might be tempted to try out their "molecular gastronomy" out on me. That's not to say that sous vide may not have useful applications in cooking, but having a setup for it at home seems a little over the top. Of course there may be plenty of people who are good cooks and have home sous vide setups, but that's not the conclusion I would reach simply by noticing that someone had this sort of rig in their home kitchen.

Funny. I would probably make some less charitable assumptions if I saw a sous vide setup in someone's home kitchen. Chowhound recently summarized a long thread about roughly the same topic. The summary is here: http://www.chow.com/food-news/84109/top-ten-signs-of-a-bad-cook/

As mentioned earlier in this thread, protein is not actually something that's difficult to get enough of in a vegan diet. But eating a lacto-ovo diet can make it too easy to rely on the crutch of over-using milk / eggs (and of course, chocolate doesn't have to contain dairy). I think that you do have to work hard to make vegan food which satisfies some of these other cravings for fatty, savory, and satisfying foods, and there's no question that it can be labor intensive. Nuts, oils, roux based sauces, blended tofu, coconut milk, emulsions and dressings are all ways of adding fat content or smooth texture to food. There are plenty of things you can use to add a savory component (mushrooms (and mushroom soaking liquid or ground dried porcini), tomato paste, nutritional yeast). Fat Guy - in terms of stocks, I like the roasted veg stock from the big yellow 'Gourmet' cookbook. The recipe is online in a few spots. I put one or two suggestions for packaged stock also, if you want to "cheat" a little. In addition to the Kitchen Basics brand I mentioned, for soups, the Imagine "no chicken" stock is all right. Though I encourage you to make (and reduce / freeze) your own, buying some of the stuff in aseptic packaging is good for "emergencies".

How big a quantity are we talking about? Generally, I don't find it that time-consuming to dice these kind of things by hand, especially if it doesn't have to be perfect. Just think of it as a good opportunity to practice your knife skills. How big a knife are you using? As someone else said, if you're really averse to doing it by hand, you can chop everything in the food processor. The results will be somewhat different; whether the difference is evident in the final product is probably a matter of opinion. Personally, I always chop onions and garlic by hand, because, rightly or not, I've always been taught that chopping in the food processor will result in uneven size, and also may not make as "clean" a cut, which may affect the taste.

I bought it at a shop in Taipei that doesn't have an online presence (they have high turnover, so the tea is probably gone now too). This one is interesting - it's not that strong somehow (i.e., I have to use a lot of it), but it is mostly distinguished by the lack of many negative characteristics. I believe it's the same store mentioned here: http://marshaln.xanga.com/628828136/a-tea-walk/ You can purchase somewhat similar (and in some cases older) aged baozhongs from online sources; the taste really depends a lot on storage, re-roasting, etc.. It's been long enough since I've bought any that I can't really recommend any specifically. Teamasters may still carry some (not sure) aged baozhong. J-tea sells a few, but I'm not sure which, if any, of the currently available ones I've tried. I have heard good things about the 1986 dong ding, however (this is a balled oolong, not a baozhong): http://jteainternational.com/tea-shop/aged-oolong-tea/

I wouldn't waste fresh porcini if you've got them (unless you're really swimming in them)! Use them for fresh applications. You can buy dried porcini relatively easily and cheaply.

I don't know if it counts, since food is mentioned in the title and is a central metaphor, but the movie isn't really exactly a food movie either -- Eat Drink Man Woman (by Ang Lee). Some incredible food scenes, including some amazing long tracking shots of a truly enormous (and bustling) hotel kitchen, as well as some great home cooking sequences. It's really worth renting or watching in its entirety if you haven't already (it's currently on Netflix's On Demand service for those who have it), but for those who are too lazy, I'll link to the opening sequence:

It's not that you'd run the risk of getting drunk from it. But folks in 12 step programs such as AA are supposed to abstain from alcohol, often even in cases where it's being cooked with, or is present only in small amounts. I think the point is not so much that it would get you drunk, but that it might cause someone to relapse. And, this thread is about "adults", so probably not an issue in this case, but I believe you also couldn't serve a drink containing bitters to someone under 21. Again, I'm not saying this would be in issue in many cases, but it's something to keep in mind -- it may not be much, but it's still technically not a "non-alcoholic" drink, any more than kombucha or non-alcoholic beer is.

Today, I started out with an aged baozhong... no real details, but I'd guess it's late 90s or early 00s, and it's somewhat roasted, but still pretty fragrant. Then the last of a qianlixiang from Jing Tea Shop, which was Ok but not mind-blowing.

I think kale is traditionally a winter vegetable because it's one of the few things that grows well even in cold climates. So historically, it's been associated more with winter food. In the spring, people are probably sick of the food they've been eating all winter, and ready for something new. However, I am pretty sure it grows pretty well year-round (though chardgirl's comments above about climate are interesting).

That's true, but the same could be said about many alcoholic drinks also if you really want to be a purist about it. And, at the least, I can live with "non-alcoholic 'cocktail'" if it means I don't have to hear "mocktail".

Preserved lemons (the middle eastern style, preserved with salt) are my favorite addition to raw kale salads. My friend put her method up here: http://www.eatsipchew.com/?p=1809

I think there's definitely a shortage of good non-alcoholic drinks that are balanced / not overly sweet. Haven't tried this one, but it sounds kind of interesting: http://www.chow.com/galleries/149/nonalcoholic-cocktails/2363/little-pink-pearl A local place makes a "ginger ale" which is a bit more like a lime ginger soda, with a strong ginger kick (juiced ginger, I think, not just ginger syrup). I think it's just lime, simple syrup, ginger juice, topped with club soda, in a highball glass with ice (preferably a single thin, tall block). Works well with lemon (Meyer or Eureka) too.

If it has bitters, it doesn't meet many people's definition of non-alcoholic. It will work for people who just want to avoid driving drunk, or don't feel like drinking, but probably not for recovering alcoholics.

There are few pans which are solid stainless steel, for reasons which are well explained elsewhere on this forum. So when we're talking about stainless lined cookware above, we're talking about either multi-ply cookware with stainless on the inside, and possibly on the outside, combined with other materials (typically aluminum or copper), or stainless cookware with a disk bottom (again, typically some combination of aluminum, copper, and more stainless). Because of this, the heat conduction will usually be different between a solid steel pan vs. the type of stainless steel cookware the OP is most likely referring to.

Just to bring this full circle, I know the original post is from 2004, but the AOC slow-cooked cavalo nero recipe is available online: http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fow-sos28-2009jan28,0,3039776.story

I often do the same - blanch / parboil greens in salted water. But one quick and dirty shortcut is to microwave them for a few minutes (or until almost tender) in a glass bowl loosely covered with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Then just toss them with oil and some garlic / lemon / breadcrumbs / whatever. Works pretty well for any dark leafy green. I don't think that Lacinato / Tuscan kale vs. the standard leafy kind is the main difference in terms of tenderness, but depending on the season and depending on when the kale is picked, there tends to be a lot of variation in how tender kale is. But unless you like your kale really tough, it can require a decent amount of cooking. If some links to "that other food forum" are permitted, I think there are some good ideas for kale in these three threads: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/785029 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/716424 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/743253 and, more locally: Another Suzanne Goin kale recipe (besides the AOC one) that I like is this one: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/12/dinner-tonight-orecchiette-with-braised-kale-and-cauliflower-recipe.html vegetarian without the anchovy.

Carbon steel (or black steel) is more similar to cast iron than to stainless steel. With seasoning, it will become more "non-stick" than pans with a stainless cooking surface, but less non-stick than "non-stick". One key difference is that carbon steel (like cast iron) can be reactive with certain foods, for example acidic foods. So you wouldn't want to use carbon steel / black steel for cooking a lot of tomato, vinegar, beans, and so on, especially before it's well seasoned. I have a De Buyer, which is pretty thick and solid, but also on the heavy side (actually weighs more than a Griswold cast iron skillet of the same diameter that I have). Town food has some Asian-made ones which are quite economical. http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/town-food-equipment/34811/p375304.aspx Mafter Bourgeat or De Buyer if you want something a little fancier or more traditional. http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/matfer/062004/p369411.aspx

Another great Indonesian dish that features peanut sauce, and can be made vegetarian, is ketoprak, though the rice cake for it might be a bit hard to find or make. Kecap Manis (a sweet, thick, soy sauce based thing) is indispensable for Indonesian cooking, even though it's another bottle of stuff to keep around. It works well in stir-fries and other dishes too.

A bit of a cheat, but a little liquid smoke will impart a subtle smoky taste that might help scratch that itch (for people who really like their greens that way).

Tonight's dinner, a suggestion from a Japanese friend who's also a chef. Iri Dofu, a Japanese tofu dish, served on top of white rice. http://justbento.com/handbook/recipe-collection-mains/vegan-iri-dofu-iri-doufu-garlic-chives I added mirin and carrots to the recipe, blanched the tofu in salted water rather than microwaving it, and used scallions instead of garlic chives, which I thought might be a bit overpowering). Now that I've made it once, I'd probably try to do some other sides as well to make this a real meal.

If you have / get more kale, especially lacinato kale, I'm a big fan of this dish: http://www.latimes.com/features/la-fow-sos28-2009jan28,0,3039776.story If prepared right, (either skip the par-boiling or do it very quickly), it develops kind of a chewy, but not tough, texture. Works great without the chicken stock; you can brown a little tomato paste for an extra savory kick. Haven't tried them myself, but a lot of people swear by 'kale chips'.

I own a lot of cookbooks, both vegetarian and not. But I think I cook out of non-vegetarian cookbooks way more often than out of vegetarian ones. This is not to say that folks shouldn't buy vegetarian cookbooks, but it's also worth looking at the cookbooks you already have. In a lot of cases, there are recipes which are already veg*n, and / or which can be trivially modified to be (obviously this is more true with some cuisines than with others, but I think it's very helpful to think about food you already like and are comfortable with when trying to eat more vegetarian meals). Love Alice Waters's "Chez Panisse Vegetables", which is not a vegetarian cookbook, but has lots of great vegetable recipes, and lots of good information about choosing and storing vegetables. I also like Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty (hope to get her Hunan cookbook sometime too) - not only are there some great vegetable and tofu recipes, but also some basic sauces and cooking techniques that can be applied to vegetarian cooking.

I'm vegetarian, so cutting out grain isn't really an option for me (I don't eat dairy, though, and most of the time, my sugar consumption is low to moderate). By eating often, and trying to eat complex carbs more than simple carbs, plus trying to focus a tiny bit more on proteins than I had in the past (as well as starting to eat eggs at home only in limited quantities), I feel like the situation is pretty manageable. Whole grains tend to keep me full for a pretty long time; I don't have the same kind of crash I might have when eating a lot of simple carbs. I'm not obsessive about it either - I'll eat white rice and white flour in moderation. I do try to avoid heavily processed foods when possible.