Mjx

Presumably it goes for less at a lower-end, non-Manhattan market? It seems to be fairly widely available around here, but I've never paid much attention to it or the price. In the US, I'm very rarely outside of NYC, so I have no idea. If you do happen to notice the price of Lurpak in your area (please don't go out of your way for this!), would you mind letting me know? It's idle curiosity, I have to admit, but I find this sort of kind of intriguing.

A quick online search didn't suggest suggest any reliable, formal statistics. I'm not even certain whether/how such a study might be done. The impression I get (from discreetly looking over people's selections at Bed Bath & Beyond and Shoprite, and the crowds at Sur La Table, Broadway Panhandler, and the cooking wares shop at Chelsea Market) is that there's been a split: A minority seems to be taking cooking more seriously, and the majority seems to be cooking less, and relying increasingly on prepared elements. I think many people have a sense of such a dichotomy, and that it is likely to perpetuate itself, as those who cook less may allow themselves to be convinced that there really is something esoteric about being able to create even a decent meal, and that, lacking the requisite expertise, they are better off relying on prepared or partially prepared items to make their meals.

Recently, I saw Lurpak butter priced at USD 8 in a higher-end, Manhattan supermarket. I blinked, and did the math. In Denmark, Lurpak is the basic supermarket offering, the Danish equivalent of Land O'Lakes in the US; good, but ordinary butter. It retails for about DKK 16/250g (about USD 3/close to 9 oz), of which 20% is Danish sales tax. It's good, and there are differences between European and American butter production processes, but there are European-style (i.e. cultured, higher fat) butters produced in the US that are every bit as good, which don't cost nearly as much. On the other hand, in Denmark you can pay nearly USD 50 for a Microplane grater. Many members seem to travel quite a bit: What have you found to be inexplicably marked up, when it is retailed outside its country of origin, and what do you make a point of buying when you travel, for this very reason?

Minor detail, but Viking is a US company, so getting service shouldn't be a huge deal.

It may have to do with the group of people I know (I'm not claiming it to be a representative sample, by any means, but it runs to several dozen people), but the ones with the nicest kitchens freak over the idea of anyone wanting to do something more elaborate than slice bread or make a cup of coffee (this may change dramatically, once they have children). Our kitchen is nice, as far as appliances go, but can get a little gnarly, since we use it heavily (so, we are considered rather eccentric).

You and Katie have a point, but when the expression on the cook's face during the meal is one of mingled embarrassment and stoic endurance (and the ample leftovers are thrown away, because she can't bring herself to face eating them again), it is sad, particularly since this sort of thing is almost inevitably the result of believing bad information, and far better results would have been obtained with less effort. I should note that I offer to stand in as cook for her on every possible occasion, for which she is very grateful (and knits me the most beautiful sweaters); some people just don't like to cook!

This thought crossed my mind, but I assumed I was being needlessly cynical. I'd add that many of those I know who do have state-of-the-art/luxury kitchens wouldn't dream of soiling them (or the adjacent living room, since these are often open-plan kitchens) with anything as messy as cooking. The crusty interior of our 'fancy' Gaggenau oven (I have this irrational fear of setting fire to our kitchen if I use the self-clean mode, and the deposits have resisted every available chemical oven cleaner) is an unending source of horror to certain friends, who treat kitchen appliances as collectible items.

The US is huge, and I know this complicates things, and unfortunately, a lot of standard EU brands (e.g. Miele) are marketed as luxury brands in the US. In Denmark, everything comes with a 2-year guarantee, so service is reasonably good. I believe a number of other EU countries have similar guarantee/service arrangements. I have a hunch that the costs and issues related to purchasing and servicing units from EU countries have more to do with the natural desire to protect US economic interests, than anything else. Miele is an okay brand, but if you're going to spend the extra dollars, anyway, I'd recommend looking at Gaggenau units, which are built really solidly. We have have one of their stovetops and one of their ovens, and neither has diappointed yet. If we hadn't been able to get the Gaggenau appliances at a reasonable price, we would have gone with Miele, which is pretty reliable. Siemens units aren't bad, but can feel a little chintzy. http://www.gaggenau.com/change-country.do http://www.miele.com/international/enint/home.htm There are plenty more, these are simply the ones I know best.

As I noted upthread, I mentioned the possibility of omitting corn syrup only because it can be a source of the sorts of off-flavours she described. Inverted sugars certainly do make recipes that include them much easier to work with than those that rely on sugar alone, but it is possible to make most, if not all sweets without them (you do need to be more careful, with regard to crystallization).

If 'tips' actually stands for 'to insure proper service', nothing. I suspect that's a back-construction, though. If tipping is what pays most of someone's earnings, as is the cases with a lot of waitstaff, it's actual tipping; everywhere else, it's bribery/security money, or an outpouring of unusual gratitude.

My first thought was 'What?', because I do the data entry for a company that arranges bids on home appliances, and all the big, middle-ground, industry leaders (Siemens, Miele, Electrolux, etc.) offer combi-ovens, steam units designed to be paired with standard convection ovens, and so on. Getting something like a salamander means installing it separately from the rest of the stovetop, but a couple of companies offer them. But this is in Northern Europe. In Italy, not much has changed since I was a kid, and in the US, that also seems to hold true. My guess is that some cultural tendency determines whether or not cutting edge technology shows up in a nation's kitchens. cbread is probably right about getting most home cooks to try new things, but manufacturers in Northern European countries work around that, by simply discontinuing things (glass stovetops are now standard, and each year more of the models on offer are induction).

Your mention of Mongolian barbecue reminded me that one Mongolian technique for preparing a whole sheep involves the use of a flamethrower: I'd say that this is clearly just waiting to happen, especially for anyone seeking a good, 'manly' concept for a restaurant chain (waitstaff could be sourced from Hooters/Spearmint Rhino).

Yeah, I had been thinking of that discussion, but many (most?) of the meals described there were spectacular disasters from the word go (if I remember correctly), whereas I was thinking of meals that could have been good, but the ingredients were maltreated: the meal equivalent of the nice-to-gorgeous fabric that is turned into a really ugly garment or outfit.

Sometimes, if it's nice and crunchy, I just eat the skin. Flabby skin I avoid. When we roast a chicken, my boyfriend and I may be seen frantically pulling the skin off the portions we haven't plated, so we catch it before it softens. I rein in calories by eating less food overall, rather than eating 'normal' amounts, and skipping the things I love.

Some meals begin with ingredients that have potential, but the project is gunned down by by faith in a lousy recipe source, indifference, or misguided ideas about time/calorie saving. These are the meals that make you nearly weep for what might have been. The other night I had a meal that consisted of roast pork, baked potatoes, and mixed vegetables. I like simple food, and this could have been great. Unfortunately, the pork was dried to the point of beginning to curl, because when it reached temperature, it was decided to keep it in the oven, until the potatoes were done. Even after a couple of hours in the oven, the potatoes remained hard, and their cut surfaces were coated with a reduced-calorie butter substitute and 'Mexican spices', the primary ingredient of which was, apparently, soap powder. The vegetables were a bagged mix in an alleged 'pesto sauce' that was a disturbing shade of chartreuse. These were stir-fried, then kept warm and covered over low heat, for about an hour. The cook (a genuinely sweet person, who unfortunately hates to cook, and really tries to cut time and calories) was candidly displeased with the results of the meal, but said she just couldn't bring herself to spend more time on it. As a guest, there was no way I could be that frank, but I keep thinking about it, and the fact that these 'nearer-miss-than-you-think' (as opposed to trainwreck from initial conception, right on through) situations are far from uncommon. So: Any similiar tales of woe?

One of the sets of measurements was probably an afterthought, might even have been added to the original MS by an editor.

My parents became vegetarian when I was about two or three, and were also big on health food, sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and so on. On the one hand, I really do appreciate their instilling in me a sense of the importance of thinking about food. On the other hand, thinking about food also led to my conclusion that, in general, the entire 'substitution' concept is questionable: You can't effectively substitute whole wheat flour in, say, angel food cake, just because it is supposed to be healthier; Home-made peanut butter, made with lightly salted nuts, on Arnold's whole wheat = child will not eat lunch; Carob drink powder becomes acceptable if you add a lot of instant coffee to it; Honey cannot be counted on as a sugar substitute; Nut loaf (substitute meat loaf) is a bad scene.

Get back to the authors about this: I remember seeing that they spcifically wanted to be informed of any errors that were found.

One of my favourite desserts is a gelatin, flavored with citrus juice and ginger (fresh or grated, depending on what's available); a miniscule pinch of salt keeps it from tasting insipid, and a little sugar rounds it out. I use 10g/0.35oz gelatine for each 100cc of liquid, and let it firm up overnight. Once I've dissolved the gelatin, I add the juice of a lime, lemon, or half a grapefruit, and enough water to bring the volume up to 600cc/2.5 cups. Anyone make something similar, but with different flavorings? I've heard of several Asian ones that use ingredients such as orange flower water, cardamom, and (I think) coconut milk: anyone tried these?

That's a good example of something I'd never, ever buy. I make big batches and freeze it. Same here, with regard to making, rather than buying (but I don't usually make enough to freeze).

Yes, that was a point I made... I've never come across an actual scientific study of this topic, and did not indicate that I had; in fact, this I was questioning their existence. The relationship between perceptions in popular culture and reality is not what I'd describe as 'close'. I'm going to answer these in reverse order: Watching what people choose to eat, particularly when they're unaccompanied/unobserved (while sitting and reading a book in a park, for example, or in their homes, when they know you very well) can be an indicator of personal preferences. However, it isn't unusual for women modify their eating behaviour (consciously or not) in public, particularly around men. So, a woman's decision to have a salad ('No dressing, please!') and some mineral water, when she's eating out should not be assumed to be an indication of preference. Actually, the original question was 'What is the manliest restaurant in America?', the dissection of what the concept may or may not mean is just a fun bonus. If 'manly' means having the whole 'man' thing served up on a plate, non-stop, I think whoever mentioned places that have a 'bear' clientele nailed it... but I doubt that's the desired answer.

Yep... what I said (and had a massive fight with my mother about, a week ago) at the top, the 'box-in-the-fridge' thing is a no-go. But I'd bet its sells the majority of boxes of baking soda!

Baking soda definitely works as a deodorizer. What are you doing wrong? Snorting it? You can "deodorize" by masking with another scent. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) cannot. You can deodorize by absorption of air molecules, such as activated charcoal; Sodium bicarbonate has no ability to absorb. It can, however, possibly deodorize stinky shoes by direct application to neutralize the offending source if it is of acid based. dcarch There was a discussion in CI about the effectiveness of baking soda paste on cutting boards that smelled of onion/garlic. That is, they actually experimented, and found it effective for this purpose (I have no recollection of the mechanism involved, but I believe they described it, at least in general outline). I'm quailing at the thought of looking thought several dozen issues of CI, but I can look it out, if you want..?

That assumes that the population of this forum consists of an accurate picture of average men and women...something that should be pretty easy to dismiss, at least with regard to any questions involving food. 'E.g.' means 'for example': I could add further examples, including my observations of what I've seen people eating in a number of different countries over a couple of decades. I would add that I wrote 'suggests' because this is my impression, not something I'm presenting as conclusive fact. However, I do believe that, if we adjust for the tendency of many women to worry about what they eat/are seen eating, the difference in food preferences (when it coms to meat and starch) between men and women is probably not significant. So, my guess would be that, regardless of how 'manly' a restaurant purported itself to be, its menu would probably be pretty much the same as that of any other of whatever genre it belonged to.

I'm afraid you've misunderstood me: While political correctness is of minor interest to me, scientific correctness is not, and an unsupported statement cannot be described as representing fact. Men, as a group, have higher metabolic rates than women, but metabolic demand is not the principal determinant of choices and amounts of food consumed by human beings, particularly not among the bulk of the US population, as is evident from the rates of obesity and other conditions related to nutritional excess. I'd pursue this further, but I realize that this is line of discussion is dragging the topic rather far from the identification of the 'manliest' restaurant going