Joe Blowe

"...gun barrel tannins." wtfits?

You know what they say: Great minds travel alike!

I just counted, and I have 28 Google Maps -- North America, Europe and Asia divided into cities, states and regions of interest . Of course, my POIs are mostly food-related, with a splash of hotels, museums, shops, etc. Personal notes are attached to most of the entries, along with links to eGullet discussions and the like. Google makes it easy to add new maps on a whim, like a "Baguettes of Paris" or "XLBs of Shanghai" map. And it's free, easily accessible from your Google account or Google Earth, and you can pre-cache the maps before going into an area with spotty cellular coverage. I, for one, welcome our new Google overlords

Havana Club Or, um, anything Cuban

Not available in the U.S. does not equal contraband. But it's a good question: Are there any factory/artisan produced liquors from around the world (but not moonshine or old absinthes) that are absolutely prohibited from importation into the U.S.? My guess is no. But to answer your question, I really enjoy the bottle of Glengoyne 21 y.o. that I picked up last fall at Heathrow

I just thought maybe the name and picture (click on the bread names) of what you're looking for might be on that page -- but let us know if you take up the fine hobby of baking Spanish bread

I don't speak/read Spanish, but maybe the name of what you seek is buried somewhere on this page: http://www.franciscotejero.com/recetas/indexrecetas.htm Panecillos de Viena perhaps?

If one is concerned about accuracy, then it's time to get a scale.

Tips on reconstituting dried starter can be found on Carl's Sourdough page

Based on the above, the bread recipe I've created through trial and error happens to use 12 grams of Kosher salt (which is a different density than table salt); or, salt is at a baker's percentage of 2%. The "wet" weight of my bread is approx. 1,075 grams, and the final baked weight usually comes in at an even kilo... I assume that the total amount of sodium per loaf is in the neighborhood of 4,800 mg.

I have no vendor suggestions (Google is just a couple keystrokes away ). But, if your area is anything like ours, a pharmacy (chemist) is just about the last place you'll find anything for the winery or brewery. You could try a Whole Foods-type grocery, or maybe there's a good health food store in town?

The noodles aren't moving -- it's the dried bonito shavings sprinkled on top that are moving (which was also noted by a commenter in the linked video).

Sounds like the Laguiole at TJ Maxx/HomeGoods

The Picardie will remain in our household forever -- miniature grenades notwithstanding We have a cupboard full of 'em, and even more in our storage shed; Duralex's ongoing corporate restructuring and flirtation with bankruptcy a few years ago scared the bejeezus out of me, and I proceeded to back the truck up...

Unless one breaks in the dishwasher... then it's not so fun. Ask me how I know

Some pics of a particularly nice can of Kirkland albacore opened a few days ago: http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/4241/kirklandalbacore1.jpg http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/8707/kirklandalbacore2.jpg

From Build a Better Gin and Tonic: Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance yet to try any of those syrups

For your standard lunch variety water-packed albacore, there's only one word you need to know: Kirkland. P.S. Sometimes a crappy can sneaks on through the line, but I'd take a crappy can of Costco tuna any day over the grocery store brands. And, yes, I'm aware that Kirkland tuna is manufactured by Bumble Bee P.P.S. I'll see your Ortiz and raise you Tonnino (still haven't coughed up the dough for Nardin).

Google-fu http://or-ka.com/eng/_layout/documents/TheSmokingGun_UsersGuideEN.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigade_de_cuisine Probably somewhere in there...

I've had success boiling them individually

Correct me if I'm wrong (I haven't searched recently), but the stretch-and-fold technique rarely gets mentioned 'round here: http://www.sourdoughhome.com/stretchandfold.html You can disregard the recipe and just follow the videos for the process. This method can be used for almost any recipe, low or high hydration. With stretch-and-fold and no-knead, anyone can make great bread without a electric mixer...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't 'plancha' simply the Spanish word for 'griddle'? Any stove top smooth griddle, or camping griddle, could be referred to as a plancha I suppose... But, whenever I hear the term, I immediately think of one of these bad boys!

Please elaborate