scubadoo97

Typical Mexican chocolate is made with roasted and ground cacao nibs, sugar, and cinnamon with chiles and other spices sometimes added. It is not tempered and does not have the smooth texture you would want in an eating chocolate. It is quite grainy and hard in texture. It is best used to cook with. From hot chocolate to mole

I keep mine in the freezer and they keep for a really long time. Never thrown any out due to age. The other reason to store them in the freezer is pantry moths. Dried chiles for me have been a big source of pantry moths.

I have a Solis Maestro Plus which is around 7-8 yrs old and still grinds the morning brew for drip. Not great for espresso but for other methods of brew it's totally adequate. The Plus has a heavy base so it feels more substantial than the basic Maestro. One thing that also is quite nice on these grinders is no static or very little. It doesn't make a mess like other grinders.

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Totally agree and I pegged Carla to win the QF based on Dan being the guest judge. Overall a good episode except for the QF. They each did exceptionally well. I was wondering how they were going to choose the looser based on their comments.

I've always believed eating a little dirt keep the immune system active and gives it something to work on instead of me.

I did exactly that on my electric range for many years. I would just lay the peppers, or what ever directly on the coil and they blackened quite well

Always great food on this thread. Toss a chuck roast in the smoker this morning

I grew up with an all electric kitchen and until the point that we re-did our kitchen 4 yrs ago I had always cooked on electric. We installed a propane tank and a gas rangetop. Now I love cooking on gas but the first thing I noted was water too longer to boil. I can attest to the fact that the sides of my pots get too hot more often than not but I love the control I didn't have with electric.

I recently received a Vitamix 5200 in the mail. Totally pleased with the blender. Soups and sauces as smooth as silk. I was not too put off by the price although I admit it's steep. I've gone through at least four hundred dollars in cheap blenders in my life. I hope this one will be the last one I buy. I really like the rheostat speed control over preset push button designs.

That reminds me ODG 114 is also a really good buy. I think I paid $23

For some reason I can't find Old Fitz by me. Old Forester but not Old Fitzgerald and they sure aren't the same thing.

I was recently boning a batch of chicken thighs and took a few of the skins and scraped most of the fat out with a knife then placed them in a hot pan to further render any fat and crisp them up. No grease on the tongue and they were really good. My wife refused to even try one. Oh well.

I cook most all my meals so don't feel I need to go without what I want since the cost per plate is a faction of what it would be if eating out.

El Dorado 12 in my parts is around $20. A good buy in my book

Here is a picture of my electric smoker. It's a 30 inch Masterbuilt Electric Smokehouse. A couple of modifications are pictured, the first being a cold smoke generator and a vent stack is fitted with a small CPU fan which I sometimes use when making jerky. The MES can accept chips, small chunks and pellets for smoking.

I have a business associate that sends me the fruit of the month package each year. Outside of the pears the fruit is not much better than what I find at my local supermarket except that is a little prettier because it was hand selected.

It should be noted that "sushi grade" is has no real official meaning and there is no regulation with the use of the term so it is essentially a marketing tool. You need to trust your source for good handling practices.

My vinaigrette is done off the cuff depending on what's available in the fridge and what's for dinner. Basics acid choices are usually sherry, red wine, rice or cider vinegars, citrus on hand (love tangerines) but limes and lemons are usually handy as well. Zests is used if citrus is used for the acid. Mustard to emulsify shallots or garlic for flavor at times Sometimes something sweet to cut the acid like a drizzle of honey. Oils used most often are EVOO, vegetable oil or a combo Ratio of oil depends on the acidity but usually 1 acid to 2 oil sometimes 1 to 1 if it's a low acid vinegar like rice vinegar or if honey was used to cut the sharp acid flavor. Rarely 1 to 3 since I find that too oily for my tastes. Salt and pepper are standard but other spices can find their way in there like cumin and zatar as well as herbs dried or fresh if I've got them. I have several small jars that I save for making dressings. Add all the ingredients and shake well

The HC barrel proof is excellent.

they are pretty easy to make.

I'll use my EdgePro to set and a new bevel when re-profiling but use my Shapton glass stones to resharpen as needed. I use a leather strop loaded with liquid or dry chromium oxide to maintain my edges until sharpening on stones is needed.

I've been buying Crown brand corned beef and rubbing and smoking them to make pastrami. The Crown brand weighs in at 110 calories/4oz with 220mg of sodium per serving. I give these a day or two soak in water to significantly reduce the sodium level. If not, even at this low sodium level compared to other brands it is still too salty for me and I don't shy away from the salt shaker.

does bourbon count?

Silly to continue this further but I had to ask. How do you feel about a the use of the term private chef? Obviously this person may not not be in charge of a team of employees and it often only in charge of producing meals for their client. Not unlike a home cook.