scubadoo97

Here in Florida we have a long history with crackers

Sara, let me first say I really enjoyed your shows on the Food Network. I look for someone who can teach me something which you were very good at. I want to not only see recipes but advanced technique and even learn more about kitchen essentials like pans, knifes, knife skills and how to do classic cooking techniques. One of my favorite cooking shows is Great Chefs because I get to see short clips of technique and plating. I look for interesting recipes that are easy, delicious and don't take all day to prepare. I look at recipes for ideas and not to follow to the letter unless it's baking. I cook for the family when I get home from work and it has to be good and interesting and done in a hour or less start to finish. I do get to spend more time in the kitchen when entertaining for friends and family on the weekends. I am not into the entertainment aspect of TFN. One of my favorite shows still on the FN is Good Eats. Alton's shtick is a bit much but I learn something about food science and what he feels is the best way to prepare a dish. One of my old favorites on TFN was David Rosengarden's show. He made you feel like there was only one way to do it right, his way. I even liked the Frugal Gourmet on PBS which was one of the first cooking shows I use to watch. More and more I find myself moving away from TFN to PBS or Discover for cooking shows that are not just entertainment although I still wonder how Martin Yan has all his fingers. I wish you great success on your new shows. Alan

I recently made tortilla soup and put cut up pieces of chicken breast to put in it. The scum came up and was hard to remove with the other ingredients that were already in the soup. The scum resembled egg that is drizzled into hot liquid. I was able to pick out some of it and for the record even tasted it to see if it had any off taste because I knew I was not going to be able to skim it off well. It really had no taste so I agree if you remove it and add stock to it, it would taste like stock. It is not bringing anything to the table to speak and not enhancing the stock. My tortilla soup came out great and with the addition of corn tortillas the little bits of scum were indistinguishable from the tortillas bits.

The scum can certainly cloud a stock or soup. I use to keep salt water fish tanks and part of the water maintenance was a protein skimmer. Small air bubbles up through a column of water and removes organic protein waste products which collects as a foam scum. Same thing you see at the oceans edge. I think scum from cooking meats is basically the same kind of thing. Fond is a different animal as has been mentioned. The Malliard reaction caramelizing those bits really create a flavorful by product. Scum adds nothing good so I remove it.

I always start flesh side down whether in a pan or the grill. When it's finished I like to have the flesh side up. For me I get a better looking end product. Hot pan/dry fish is the secret. Butter will add more color than oil but I add it later so it doesn't burn

I use a KA grinder often to grind my own beef. Nothing like hamburgers right off the grinder. I clean meat well of silver skin so that's never a problem. I use to get blood on my tee shirts while standing in front of it as it spat out a little liquid. I solved that problem by using a piece of plastic wrap which I screwed onto the grinder with the retaining ring. It drapes over the grinder providing a splash shield. I find it works better to grind with the meat semi frozen. The fat stays hard and grinds through. Some sinew will get caught up in the grinder but over all it works okay if you don't want to buy a dedicated grinder. I clean it with hot water until the fat melts away and then I stick it in the dish washer. Cleans well.

From my local oriental market I get these ramen like noodle soups in a bowl. I like to add fish sauce and sometimes Thai chili paste or shriracha. A few drops of sesame oil is nice too.

Thanks Toliver. Those little planks of potato were exactly what I was talking about with the carrot. I hadn't seen that post before but it was a good pictorial of basic skills.

dicing carrots is really easy with a good sharp chef knife. First cut the carrots into manageable pieces like 1-2". Then cut a small amount off length wise to create a flat surface. Now flip the carrot on to the new flat side and repeat for all four sides. Now slice thin flat strips. Lay flat strips out, you can even layer them and cut into little sticks or julienne. Gather the match stick pieces together and cut across to make a very fine dice. With a little practice you can do this quickly with all fingers intact and have little to wash. Why pull out a madoline for one or two carrots. With better knife skills I find I use my madoline less and less unless I'm making a tub of shredded cabbage or unless I want very uniform slices.

I have both the Bron and the Benriner. The Bron is a little wider and allows for cross cuts that the Benriner won't do. The Benriner is lighter, smaller and easier to clean. I more often use a chef knife and board but there are times a mandoline works very well for even slices.

I second the recommendation of the Appleton Extra. Better rum and better price IMO.

Thanks for the heads up Ed. I'm in the Tampa bay area and would love to attend. Hope to see you there.

The family and I do a week in the Keys almost every year for the last 10+ years to dive and relax. I've been from Key Largo to Key West and everywhere in between. My experience is that the food is mediocre to my taste and we usually stay in condos with kitchens. I bring a cast iron skillet, a cutting board and a chef's knife. With that basic equipment and some good local fare I can whip up better meals than most of the restaurants we have been to. Now back to you need for recommendations. This is by no means a complete list but a few I can remember. By far Key West has better restaurants than most areas in the Keys. There are so many restaurants that I'm sure I've passed up some very good ones and can only comment on ones I've been to. Key Largo- The Fish House for conch style dinning, Harriet's Hideout and Hobos are also popluar. A note, service in the Keys can be real hit or miss. Mostly miss. Islamorada-Stay far away from the Islamorada seafood co. unless you are there to buy fish from the counter. They cater to the tourist and the food poor and the service is terrible the worst I've ever had anywhere. They use to be good when they first opened and were small. Now the place is big and with a mega water sports and apparel store next store, the lines are long and the food and service certainly not worth the wait or the price. Marathon-For a great fish sandwich try a little place called Fish Tales Seafood Market and Eatery. It's under new hands but still good. We stopped in years ago to buy fish and got the know the owner. He would be standing at the stainless cutting table in high white rubber boots while the fisherman were unloading the days catch just behind him. Now that's fresh and turn over was very fast so fish didn't sit in the cases long. Fantastic Yellow Tail Snapper at a very good price. We made eating and picking up fresh fish at Fish Tails a tradition. The Barracuda Grill is a nice place with a more upscale menu. Recommended! Key West-Our favorite place it The Turtle Krawl. There is a place next to it that serves traditional Florida cracker style seafood. Along the board walk in the same area are several restaurants that are okay. Mangoes, Louie's Back Yard, Bahama Mama's Kitchen, Blue Heaven are all popular and I've had good meals there. El Siboney Restaurant for inexpensive standard Cuban fare. Too many good restaurants in Key West. A lot of mediocre ones as well. Have fun!

I have family in Mexico City. When we go for major celebrations the parties start at 11 PM and go till 4-5 in the morning. Breakfast is served and usually includes chilaquiles. Man that taste great after all that drinking. After hitting the sack I usually wake with a headache, a bad case of indigestion but had a great time.

OMG, I'm laughing so hard. That was funny I can't think of any home dinner nightmares but on the eve of my son's Bar Mitzvah weekend we had a large Shabbat dinner at our synagogue with many family and friends. My wife's uncle who is orthodox arrived half way through the dinner from out of town with his large family and made a big fuss over not being able to make kiddish because the wine was blackberry which isn't the fruit of the vine and so not kosher for kiddush. Hey it was Mogen David wine?? The only thing that gets me is when you have several guests who are on many different diets. This one doesn't eat red meat, no carbs for this one, no fish for this one. Please.......I try to be considerate to the needs of my guests but sometimes it can get out of hand.

I drink my rum neat. Some I like Zacapa Centenario 23yr old Appleton Extra Barbancourt 8 yr old 5 star Pyrat XO El Dorato 12 yr old Matusalem Gran Reserva Pampero Anniversario Bacardi 8 Bacardi Anejo Mount Gay Extra Old

I have used a banana in mole. It gives it a very rich smooth texture.

A better way to descale your coffee maker is to use citric acid powder. You can find it in the spice area as sour salt but can find it at a better price if bought in bulk. It doesn't leave that vinegar smell, will not taint your coffee is rinsed well and does a great job of descaling. Most commercial coffee/espresso descalers are citric acid based. A product called Cleancaf has both descalers and chemicals that not only descale but desolve coffee oils. Is food safe and non-toxic.

I have the stainless one but also picked up a pack of 3 plastic ones in 3 sizes from Home Depot. They are scrapers for working with fiberglass. I like them better than my SS one since food doesn't get caught in the round handle. I love my OVE glove and use it a lot when roasting coffee.

I'm partial to our local fish. Groupers, many types of snapper, pompano, permit mahi, trout, snook, red fish and Spanish mackerel. I've even had barracuda which was excellent white, mild and delicious. Not been too keen on cobia, shark or king fish. Also love salmon

I'm in the market for a new cutting board. I have been using a std. long grain farberware board which is starting to seperate. I've been looking at the John Boos boards and wonder what people here recommend and currently use. I would love the end grain boards but they are typically very thick and heavy. Are they worth the difference in price?

Turn down the heat? Seriously the crab is already cooked so you are really warming them and trying to get a good crust. I often brown on both sides and then pop into a hot oven for 5-10 min to warm through.

For anyone that uses the APEX system, is the traditional kit sufficient or do you highly recommend the upgraded kits?

the baking soda and foil method does work and is the easiest method I can thing of. Dip and remove. Can't get much easier.

Agreed, Starbucks just over roasts their beans. What you think is strong is burnt