scubadoo97

Bob, in my experience the crazing occurred and did not impair performance until after about a year later when I got one small place where the enamel popped off to expose the cast iron underneath. At this point performance would be impaired as it would rust and the moisture underneath would certainly lead to further delamination of the enamel. I full believe that it was the drastic change in temperature that lead to the crazing of the enamel. I have read post by LC owners who have experienced crazing as well so it's not just a problem associated with knockoff cast iron enamel cook wear.

Frenchy's on Clw beach does a good grouper sandwich. They are famous for it and have their own boats so the fish is fresh.

My Inova brand lasted all of 3 yrs before the enamel crazed on the bottom. I'm sure my fault for not treating it correctly. I did a few NKBs in it which really took a toll on it. But for $30 or $10/yr it was a bargain. I now have a Lodge and it is working well. I think the crazing on the Inova occurred due to deglazing when it was so hot when browning meat prior to braising

I've only made octopus once and researched McGee's opinion on preperation. He suggested a quick blanch in water followed by a slow braise in a dry pan. The octopus will release a lot of liquid so it will braise in it's own juice. After the octopus was tender I quickly grilled it for the grill flavor. Worked well.

I've used scallops and or shrimp as a binder. Just puree into a smooth paste and it will bind the fish very well. Refrigerating makes a big difference as well. Once you chill down the cakes they really hold together well.

Sounds good. I assume I'd be eating a lot of raw fish while on that island.

Just got my 1/2 ounce of saffron today from saffron.com. Measured exactly .5 ounces. Looks and smells wonderful. They also sent a complementary 2 oz bottle of their vanilla extract and a bar of vanilla soap.

sazji, the leaves are great for stuffing to make yebrat/dolma/yaprak

I currently have both white and red grapefruit, tangerine and bananas

We will be in LV next month. Suggestions from the other couple who we will be with have been Sensi Nobhill Aureole Red Square Kokomos These are all new to me. They go to LV about every month. I'm not a gambler and am only going for the food and shows. Any feedback and or recommendations on these would be appreciated. Nobhill seems to be at a much higher price point. MM @ the Bellagio looks to have a more extensive menu at the same price.

Thanks for the feed back. I've had a really good experience with vanilla beans from an ebay vendor and this looks like a great place to order saffron.

Anyone ever order from Saffron.com ? I'm thinking of ordering 1/2 an ounce http://saffron.com/

I concur, completely. Some of my favorite meals were at one time peasant food.

a couple of minutes on high should heat up a wet rag to a high enough temp for a long enough time to kill a lot of germs.

I just toss mine in the microwave for 2 min. every couple of days and after washing the raw chicken off the cutting board. I can't imagine keeping it steeped in detergent.

Did you cook it on the stove in liquid or braise in the oven? Flank has so little fat that if the meat is cooked too long past being done it can dry out even sitting in liquid.

Sometimes I like to put them through a ricer for a smoother texture and other times I'm in the mood for a more rustic texture and use the old fashioned bent wire masher. For flavor and texture I add butter, cream and milk or any combination of those ingredients as well as salt and pepper of course. Roasted garlic adds a nice flavor if you want to go there.

Florida is not one of the states where anyone got sick yet it's not on the safe list. Why? What is the common thread that would cause the same illness in 16 states? How are tomatoes grown that would introduce salmonella? Inquring minds want to know. It was a shame to see the grocery stores throw all those tomatoes away. Wouldn't salmonella be killed by the long heating needed to turn those into a nice cooked sauce?

Wonderful news Chad. Congratulations on the book. I have one on order from Dave at D&R Sharpening Solutions as well as a whole boat load of sharpening paraphernalia. I can attest to the fact that without the claw you risk becoming clawless. After nearly loosing the tip of my index finger a couple of years ago I'm curing those babies back and making that claw.

No you are not wrong. I would say some places have creative dishes but not amazing. I ate at Carreta's Sat night for the first time. Some very nice food but this isn't NYC, Chicago or Las Vegas. Here is another nice restaurant on Clw beach. Bobby's Bistro http://www.bobbysbistro.com/menustart.html certainly not amazing but this is Clearwater. Finding good local fish done well is amazing to me with so many mediocre chain restaurants around. Hey I would take fresh fish or shell fish grill to perfection eaten on on a wood picnic table with the sights and smell of the Gulf as a back drop over a lot of over prepared meals. Do enjoy your stay. Let us know where you end up and how it was.

My opinion for what it's worth is that out of the 3 I've tried I like Leblon. It's slim picken here as well and I have seen Pitu which I have not tried but have heard is the bottom of the barrel so have passed it up. So far I've had 51, Ypioca aged and Leblon. The Ypioca aged which I thought would be the smoothest was by far the harshest of the 3. 51 was smooth and Leblon was as but with a little more sugar cane flavor. I drink most of my spirits straight up so it's was no problem to sample these neat. My most recent cachaca cocktail was made with some pineapple chunks and lime muddled with sugar and mixed with cachaca.

← So aren't the two channels related. Just a lateral move from one sister network to the other. I guess the demographics are different on FL than on FN.

I think a lot of wine is bought by the appearance of the label

You can watch them here at Hulu http://www.hulu.com/top-chef

Must head south! Thanks Mark, the photos were wonderful and I see many things that I order in a heartbeat.