weinoo

What about out on the porch/deck?

Yes, I'm certain if Nigella flogged it, I'd like it.

What's with the tin foil? Let that thing get dirty!

Officially opening this week. Congrats, Chris, aka @Hassouni! City Paper has a nice story about it... Watch out, Amsterdam Falafel!

Yes, immediately toasting again and the times are shorter (I think).

I definitely could do that, or could've done that. But I felt like maybe a new one would be more fun, since I didn't have any of the weird attachments for the old one. And - the new one is certainly lighter!

While I don't agree with @paulraphaelregarding sherry vinegar vs. balsamic (I mean, a splash of PX vinegar on strawberries or vanilla ice cream does NOT do the same thing as a splash of 25 or 50 year-old Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale does), I too have a full shelf of vinegars from Despaña. They're great for vinaigrettes, something I'd never use that high-end Italian stuff for...they're different products, meant for different purposes. I mean, no one is comparing a fantastic pata negra with a good prosciutto - they're different products altogether. And salt is salt, but I'd rather use fleur de sel to finish a dish than a schtickle of Morton's, no? On to the pans - they're exactly what a paella pan is supposed to be. I have at least 8 of their cazuelas as well, in different shapes and sizes. I love Despaña for shopping in person! However, on line, I often look to La Tienda - they run some nice sales, and I've always been happy receiving a delivery of goodies from them! Take a look at the paella pans they offer.

Oh yeah - I have one from the70s that is a monster (the cord could have been used on a major power tool)...it's now in storage, as it finally had an issue with the latching mechanism on the bowl, and I figured I deserved a new unit. The Cuisinart (DLC-2011N) I bought 6 or 7 years ago has always, and continues to work just fine. I still think they make the best product (food processor, that is) for home use, though they don't make them like they used to.

I never empty the tank either. And I've never run anything through the system other than good old NYC tap water.

That sounds very good. I cooked a pound of Rancho Gordo flageolots in the IP yesterday, but not under pressure. I over-night soak brined them because they were from an older shipment, and were close to their "expiration" date. Then I brought them to a boil in the IP on the sauté mode. Boiled them for about 5 minutes. Powered it off, added an onion cut in half, a carrot and celery cut into chunks (my plan was to remove the vegetables, but I ended up only taking out the onion), a few bay leaves and a splash of olive oil. Back on high slow cooker mode for a few hours...they actually were done in about an hour and a half, which is when I added a can of diced tomatoes, more salt, and cooked them for another hour or so on low slow cooker mode. Quite delicious.

At this point in my life, I look at it as if someone else can really use the money, it's not at all expensive if I can really use the blueberries (and they're great). It helps the economy writ large.

No, they're much more realistic than that! They're kinda cool.

I got the same exact batch!

I have these at home...they're not bad, but I think you have to accept that the flicker isn't going to look exactly the same as a real candle. The reduced fire risk is certainly worth the cost of batteries; we lived in a building with a bar on the ground floor years ago, and a fire was indeed started down there with candles.

Sometimes I even warm the plates on top of the CSO - while it's in use.

I love celery. Braised celery is, perhaps, the apotheosis of its existence.

When we've been to shows there (at one of the arenas - I've vowed never to see another show at Citizens Bank Park) and stayed downtown, we've always used the subway. At other times, we have driven down and drove back home post show...but I was younger then.

That's a bedroom in NYC.

No way to make room - I'm full up.

Kewl. So, do tell - who was the gifter? If I had the room, this is probably the appliance (or even the smaller 115) I covet the most.

I like Roman pizza. And I need an apple tini.

My take is that in Italy, the cultural ramifications will amount to zero for Romans, Perugians, Genovese, Florentines, Milanese, et al. They'll all do it there own way, caring not a wit what a Neapolitan might think.

I'm pretty sure that brining, like kashering, was a technique used to draw the remaining blood out of a recently slaughtered animal. When people realized that perhaps it made stuff taste even better, that made it even better.

It's funny how you decide what's engineered and what isn't. A martini is a simple drink, just a few simple ingredients, same as your coveted Neapolitan pizza dough. And things with very few ingredients, as you well know, are the hardest to make properly, be it a classic cocktail or pizza. And an apple-tini might not ruin your martini, but's it's not a martini; it's just called one.

For frittata, I preheat the oven while I'm working on the stovetop. Then, I go into the oven for about 8 minutes at a low temp - about 300℉ (149C), on convection bake. If it needs a little more time, I check it every 2 minutes or so - I like the frittata to be pretty well set. Keeps the eggs nice & tender.