scubadoo97

Being new to gas (LP) I know what your talking about. I have started using a medium setting and adjusting the heat so it doesn't go past the bottom of the pan. I'm not sure I'm boiling water faster on my gas range top compared to my old electric stove but gas gives significantly better control over the heat.

I drink rum neat most of the time and use short glasses, white wine glasses and have used snifters. I'm not sure what is the best shape for rum but would think something more on the line of a single malt glass like the one listed above would work well with the lip turned out so the aroma was not as concentrated as in a snifter.

My personal preference would be to have specials listed in writing so I can look over them and not have to commit to memory the details of the dish. I would also appreciate prices so as a consumer I can make an informed decision based on perceived value. I think this is what most people would like to see.

I would also think lemon juice.

My maternal grandmother was a driving force in my culinary interest. She was an amazing cook. A Jewish immigrant from Aleppo Syria she brought with her many recipes. She live a good part of the early part of her life in the south so intertwined in the Arab/Jewish food culture came a good dose of southern cuisine. She cooked for her large family for years making all the dishes for all our holidays and events. We would go to her house on the weekends where she would always have a few pots on the stove going and mezze on the table. She always had food in case someone stopped by. Her fried kibbe and baklawa were the best I've ever had any where. Perfect and consistent in size and shape. She was quite good at that. She would make a bowl of dough for kaak, biscuits, apricot candies or what ever and say this will make xx number of what ever and sure enough that was how many she got out of the dough and they were all perfect. She measure most things by the amount that filled her hand. She was meticulous and didn't take too many short cuts to save time. She remained active in the kitchen even in her 90s just needed help to get things together and clean up. She passed away at 94, a few years ago, and we put together a family cookbook that included many of her recipes that we could put together from those that spent time with her when she cooked as well as other family member recipes. Cooking was only one thing she will be remembered for. Her commitment to her family and the wisdom she provided us all will transend even my life time.

On the tail end of our kitchen remodeling. I also wanted a range since I go from stove top to oven a lot. I initially looked at prosumer 30" Wolf and Thermador ranges but then noted that the cook top was smaller than my old 30" range and for the big bucks wanted more. I then repriced the ranges in 36" and got prices around $6000-8000 and that was way outside my budget. Ended up with a Viking 36" range top and 30" Frigidaire double wall ovens. What I like about the Viking range top is all burner have the same heat capacity 15,000 btu to low simmer so I don't have to worry about what goes where. I think the range top was around $2400

For a interesting treat with morning pancakes use cajeta thinned with milk or cream and poured over pancakes or use it thick and roll pancakes around it. Great stuff. Didn't eat much today but did start off with some very slow cooked scrambled eggs that were rich with that creamy texture only low/slow cooking will produce.

We have a couple of presses but if I am looking to get a paste and get all the oils out I will use my chefs knife and salt.

Are you talking cigarettes or tobacco in general? As an off shoot to my culinary obsession I have taken up smoking cigars. Like good wine and spirits, cigars are not smoked for the buzz or as a habit but to enjoy the complex flavors in a good cigar. I like to retire after dinner with a fine single malt scotch, port, bourbon or rum and a nice cigar. It is very enjoyable and relaxing. I know a few chefs and restaurant owners that smoke cigars. I don't think it has a negative effect and the only positive is that they are tuned in to complex flavors whether it is in food, drink or tobacco.

When I met my wife she didn't like fish at all. Bad memories of poorly made fish at home. I started poaching fish and little and little she began to like it. Poaching results in a very mild flavor. I usually don't care for poached fish because there is little flavor to me and a good sauce is needed to contrast the mild flavors. She still doesn't like salmon so when she is out my daughter and I have salmon night. One of my current recipes includes marinating in sweet soy sauce, sweet Thai chili paste, garlic, ginger and a little oil and a few dashes of fish sauce. I will often fine dice carrots for color and add to the marinade. The fish is grilled flesh down and then after flipping the flesh is basted with the marinade. The heat of the grill will cause the sweet marinade to from a nice crust on the fish. The little bits of garlic, ginger and carrots give it some nice color when plated. Salmon is one fish I try not to cook on the stove. I love the taste but hate the lingering odor. Maybe with my new hood this will not be a problem.

We use to grab a taste of raw ground meat as kids. And when my grandmother made raw kibbe not much made it to the table. Not exactly, she made a lot but there was a lot of tasting by anyone close by before it left the kitchen.

The sushi restaurant my daughter goes to has a case of chop sticks in cases. I thought people brought their own and stored but she informed me that they are given to regular customers as a bonus for patronage.

Thanks Richard. I have read those threads over and over to get a handle on the subject. I did let the pan heat well before adding oil so there was no food sticking, just the oil on the side that splashed up and turned to a brown glue/varnish like layer. I have that on the exterior of some of my older SS pans but not the inside. I will try letting it soak overnight if real stuborn and stick with the Bar keepers Friend. I guess that's what kept me using non-stick or cast iron in the first place.

Well I gave the 12" CM copper bottom skillet a try tonight. I had some plantains that need to be cook and so fried some up and they cooked well. Gas has given me a significant improvement in control of heat which is quite evedent when cooking things that are prone to burn like sweet plantains. One thing I've noted with this gas range top, is my pans seem hotter on the sides then they ever did on electric. In fact the plantains on the sides were getting darker faster than the ones in the middle of the pan. I am not use to using stainless pans a lot. Clean up was not too bad but I had some baked on oil on the inside side of the pan that was a bear to get rid of. Cleanser did it but a abrasive sponge and plenty of soap didn't touch it. Nor did a stainless scrub bud thing. The copper changed to a light brass color around the edges of the disc and around the periphery of the disc where the flame tips were hitting the pan. Is there a way to bring back the copper color or was it like painted on?

Here's one that would end up a little on the pink side. Mai Tai (Pineapple variation) 1 ounce light rum 1/2 ounce triple sec 1/4 ounce Rose's lime juice 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice 1 1/2 ounces orange juice 1 dash of Grenadine 1/2 ounce dark rum Shake all but the dark rum with cracked ice. Strain into old-fashioned glass. Top with dark rum. Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry I really don't know what went into the Mai Tais we had in Maui but I do know they used crap rum. Nothing you would want to drink even on the rocks.

I just picked up the 8 pc copper bottom set of Chefmate cookware. I thought this was tri-ply but I guess not. It was $79.99 and included an 8" and 10" skillet, 1.6qt and 2 qt sauce pan with lid and a 5 qt dutch oven with lid. I was disappointed that it didn't come with the 12" skillet so got one and a 3 qt sauce pan to add to the set. Still not bad for the price. I didn't see anything that said tri-ply on the other Chefmate pans without the copper and they seemed less sturdy and lighter in weight. The handle did not have the big rivets that the copper one has. I may first play with the extra sauce pan and skillet to see how they work before opening the set. I am cooking on LP gas for the first time. Always had an electric range and now have a 36" Viking range top. A question for those that got the $99 set from Target or Amazon. Are the sizes of the items the same as the copper set? I may end up taking this set back and getting the tri-ply on line if it is that much better. Advice from those with experience?

skirt steak is readily available at our local Publixs grocery store, but they ask a high price for it. $5.99/lb now a days. I remember when you couldn't give this away.

I have done this twice. It doesn't happen with my cast iron which I associate with hot but when I have use a stainless pan and removed it from the oven I have grabed the pan without thinking. I also have used the oven mitt or towel over the handle to remind me. Once was enough but twice? OUCH One thing I will never do again is to try to make boiled peanuts after partying late at night. We had a picnic to go to years ago and wanted to make some boiled peanuts to take. Came home late after way too many drinds and put a big pot of peanuts on the stove to boil. Woke up with a layer of thick smoke just above my face. The peanuts were ashes and we were luck to be alive. Oh college days.

The only problem I have with a fridge and frezzer in my garage is the increase in electric cost. They have to work harder in our tropic heat.

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.