Mjx

I guess I see that as a backup plan, if no suitable and inexpensive container can be found. I'd rather not have to add the subdividing of the butter to my list of grocery-unpacking tasks, unless I have to. I'm confused; surely a brick of butter that appears to be 4×3×2 inches or thereabouts (longest dimension is 4", anyway), should fit into a 5.5×4×≅3 inch dish..?

That's an excellent idea; I've been locked into looking for wee versions of conventional whisks, so something like the ball whisk wouldn't have even made a blip on my radar, I would have completely overlooked them (but not anymore!). Thanks!

I'm partial to a lot of black pepper, rosemary, and possibly some roasted garlic. Deus Mortus's, anise suggestion sounds good really good (I'm going to keep it in mind for the next batch of burgers I make), but only if you like licorice-y notes.

Are these too large? Thanks Andie, I think the sizes are good, but these look a lot like the last pair of small whisks that bit the dust on me. I should add, I don't have much trouble finding small whisks, just small whisks that are nice and solid. It's not that I'm particularly rough on things, but I really like things to last.

It depends on the person getting the gift certificate: If they're the sorts of people who tend to save the cards and letters they get, they'd probably prefer traditional gift certificates; people who tend to toss these items would probably love you to death for not giving them something else they'll eventually toss out.

Hm... well, to be honest, I'd prefer something a bit more austere looking, although for a small (ideally, 0.75"/2cm or less), sturdy whisk, I'd be willing to put up with a lot (even, say, a pink Hello Kitty one). I'd be thrilled by any suggestions, since I've scoured the internet, NYC, Florence, Parma, Copenhagen, and Århus, and come up with nothing.

How wide is the whisk, across the head, and where did you get it? I've been looking for a tiny whisk, but want one that won't fall to bits in no time; that one looks like the wires are fairly well-anchored.

Might be a good idea to add some fat... what fat percentage does it contain?

Cut it into the sorts of pieces you'd like to find on your bagels! Even if there are general rules, and you somehow transgress them, I doubt anyone will break down your door, and haul you off to a forced labour camp with lousy food . Mini filets sound about right, though, it's how I've pretty much always seen it, packaged in shops.

Nope - you want the milk fat to make the tempered chocolate more 'flexible' and less likely to crack. So probably not your best solution in this case. Could a tiny amount of butter alone be used, then?

That should fit into a lot of the stainless steel butter containers (like the Danesco model discussed upthread) with no problem.

Trust me, the copywriter probably blushes to think of this, unless she or he has a fantastic sense of humour. Not that I'd know anything about this sort of thing (coughcoughcough). I prefer toast to be sliced thick (holds the heat better), crisp and dark golden brown on the outside, hot but not rusked on the inside. If it isn't hot enough to at least partly melt the butter, I find it pretty disappointing. Not that I'll necessarily pass on cold, charred, scrape-it-to-whatever-shade-you-like toast, however.

I like a goodish splash in hot chocolate or coffee.

I have to admit that when a floor is likely to be slippery in spots, I prefer to wear something that gives better traction then a pair of heels, and when working with hot substances, I prefer to have my cleavage (and arms, and legs, for that matter) covered, but hey, TV chefs can slice and saute in the nude and in stilletto heels, as far as I'm concerned, I'm not the one who has to worry about a twisted ankle or awkwardly located burns! This sort of thing does sort of suggest that the producers have doubts about the show's ability to hold the intended audience with culinary content alone, however.

Every time I've brined veal, it's made it mushy. But veal never really seems to need it, anyway (not that that stopped me from experimenting, obviously).

I'm thinking a prep. similar to shrimp (I know lots of people cook all sorts of arthropods intact, but I have a squeamish boyfriend, so shrimp prep means removing head, carapace, legs, etc, so what remains is just a lump of meat, not a recognizable creature).

Dakki? guymovingon? I'm thinking, one of the people active on the knife topics.

Mash your potatoes, add the tiniest drizzle of olive oil, and a lot of mashed, roasted garlic. But you know, we're talking mashed potatoes, so it's going to be a major carb.-fest, regardless

Lots of detailed and well-argued advice upthread. Bottom line is 'Yes', qualified by 'If you keep the temperature low (apart from an initial quick sear, to build flavour) the entire cooking time, which is likely to be quite a few hours'. Hey, curiosity is good, without it we'd probably still be eating a very limited selection of things. Slicing across the grain cuts the meat fibres into very short lengths, so they no longer require much breaking apart with your teeth, so the meat registers as 'tender'.

Vanillin doesn't seem 'bad', as such, just... cheap. It seems strange to find it in an upmarket product; I would expect anything containing vanillin to be priced accordingly. Even if the difference can't be tasted (and this isn't consistently so, at least in my case), if I'm going to give my wallet a kick in the teeth, I want it to be justified.

Those look as though they could be very tasty: they look fresh and crisp. Yesterday (by an odd coincidence) I had the opportunity to buy bagged cricket and meal worm snacks, and felt that, in the interests of, well, everything, I really should get one of each, but ended up getting neither, because the looked sort of damp and clammy. Sort of the way really cheap beef jerky snacks do, the ones that smell slightly of wet dog, and have the vilest texture. Perhaps there's a place in NYC that serves them up fresh?

I'd recommend nearly anyplace in Emilia Romagna; no skiing, as far as I know, but friendly, and the food is hard to top (and I'm speaking as someone who grew up in, and is much attached to Tuscany).

Palm seed Fig Zuppa Inglese Strawberry, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper sorbet Semifreddo, most flavours

I have a similar problem (if it's too loud, it's like being slapped, repeatedly, across the eyes). But I won't even tolerate unpleasant noise levels for good food, because I can't enjoy the food: If a place doesn't have at least some quiet time, I won't go (unless it's a question of not inconveniencing friends who've included me in a dinner invitation).

I use a plate: A single spoon rest would almost never be big enough for whatever I'm doing at the stove at a given time. I've thought about getting a dedicated plate or tray, but haven't seen anything I love.