Trev

ElsieD, Larry has it right. You don't need or want nitrate in your bacon, and saltpeter is way outdated too. If any of the bags are opened and don't have succinct directions for use I'd toss them also. The maximum concentration in Canada (last time I checked) is 200ppm sodium nitrite for cured meats. There's a bit of math involved but once a concentration is worked out, a decent sized bag of mix will cure a huge amount of bacon. I made a large zip-lock bag of cure and wrote on the outside of the bag the grams cure/pound meat (or grams/kilogram) for the standard cure. With the math already done I've been using this same bag of cure for almost 2 years now. It takes all the guesswork (and uncertainty/fear) out of it.

I've only been making tortillas for a couple years but I seldom get them to puff up. Still, they are cooked through and not burnt. I always use a dry cast iron pan on a med-high heat and I just adjust to keep it below the smoking point. I'm going to have to try to use a little more water in my mix and see if I can improve on my existing mix. I also need to lay them in the pan more gently because I sometimes get the spots that were mentioned earlier as a result of them not being rolled onto the griddle slowly. I'm leaving for Mexico on Tuesday and I'm hoping to have time to stop at the local tortilleria and check out their mix, if they'll show me. I'm sure they have lots of helpful tips too, if I ask the right questions.

I like food so damn hot it makes me sorry for quite a while afterwards. But in a few days I'll do the same thing over again, I just can't seem to help myself- the endorphin rush or something... I don't know...

Awesome, Darienne. Perola's is packed to the rafters with stuff. Spent way too much money there, although I haven't been there in several months now.

I've got several different sizes of the kind that andiesenji demonstrated. They work great.

We have a Frigidaire and it makes terrific ice, so I'm happy with that. But, I've never been to a hotel that could make ice worth a shit. Every single one has weak, crappy shizzle-ice that barely cools a drink down before it's gone and needs replacing. Why do they insist on doing this? Even high class joints seem addicted to crappy ice making equipment.

I'd have the contractor switch the feed lines and just change the indicator colours using nail polish. The colours are only visible when the faucet is actually running anyway.

If it's in the curing stage then it's normal for it to release a little liquid and create a bit of a brine. Bacon does the same thing during a dry cure. All is well. If it's not curing then I'd say that's not normal.

I think I would have to be in a particular mood to seek that out, and that is rare indeed. I much prefer privacy and quiet conversation. My wife, otoh, is quite gregarious and likes this kind of thing. To be quite honest, I find way, way too many people eat with their mouths open and have poor table manners in general. It just kind of pisses me off so it's best for me to avoid it.

I've used annatto seeds to colour a paella. It affected the flavour slightly, but not in a bad way-- just gave a slight 'bite', for lack of a better word. The seeds are like rocks and I had a hell of a time grining them down to the texture I wanted. The colour was a lovely... orange? LOL

My mom taught me a few things, but mostly it was my dad's love of rich food that I acquired. Mom was an excellent cook; she had to be with 6 kids, 7 if you count dad. Dad taught me how to burn stuff on the grill and not get worked up about it, it was more of a concern if we spilled some of our beer from laughing too hard. I loved that about him.

Me too. Not a wine drinker at all (gasp). My wife and son both appreciate a 'good' wine but I have only had a very few wines I actually liked. Not a beer drinker, either. Dark rum on the rox, that's where it's at for me, as long as it's not Bacardi.

Hello all, good a time as any to jump on in I suppose. I'd say tequila. We always get good tequila for a great price in Mexico, but it's expensive here in Canada. I went through a bit of a phase trying to use it with salmon, etc. and it was okay but I didn't find a recipe that I loved and moved on. It's too expensive to waste, and less get's in my mouth that way.