JAZ

The results were, I think, pretty predictable. I'm sure they were only testing brands available everywhere in the US, but if you add limited availability chocolates, I'd go with See's Candy. Not only do they have a variety of ready-to-go boxes, but if you go into one of their stores, you can design your own box, which is really great. My uncle used to give us gift certificates for a 1-lb. box for Chirstmas, and it was great to be able to get a pound of exactly what we wanted, rather than get a pre-packed box that always seemed to contain something that no one wanted.

I have found The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly to be a great addition to the library. They don't go over butchering, but they do explain various cuts of beef, pork and lamb, and how to cook them. I've used a couple of recipes from the book, and they've been good, but mostly I just use it for reference.

I've tried that same panko made by Ian's. In fact, I bought it at a whole foods in Aventura, FL. I bought it because it was availble in Whole Wheat. However, it is not a japanese panko, definately not the same. ← I did see the whole wheat version, as well as a seasoned type. It isn't as if it's not usable -- it made an acceptable topping for macaroni and cheese (mixed with a lot of butter, that is) -- but you said it: it's just not Japanese panko. And thanks for the information, GG. I know the markets along Buford Highway -- it's just that I don't get to them very often. Next time, though, I'll stock up.

When I first tried panko bread crumbs for frying (a few years ago), I was hooked. When I lived in San Francisco, I could find bags of panko at most markets. I never really paid attention to the brands I got (although there always seemed to be some Japanese writing on the packages, so I assume they originated in Japan) because they all seemed to perform the same. Now that I've moved, I'm more limited in the stores I can get to easily, so I mostly shop at the Publix down the street. I wanted panko for something, and after wandering around for what seemed like days I finally found a plastic jar of panko made by Ian's Natural Foods. I was so happy to have found them I didn't think twice about buying them, but when I used them I was very disappointed. The "real" Japanese panko I was used to was flaky -- you know if you've used panko that it's designed for breading and frying, and the shape means that it performs beautifully for that job. Ian's, in contrast, is like little pebbles (think Grape Nuts). It doesn't want to stick to foods (even floured and egg-coated), and even when I got a reasonable amount to stick, the resulting crust was unpleasantly hard instead of nicely crunchy. Now, I'm sure that I can find decent panko here, but what's the deal with this disappointing fake panko stuff? Has anyone else encountered this? Is Ian's the only brand to avoid?

Obviously I don't have a Western stick of butter here as I type, but I have to say that Wikipedia is wrong on the dimensions. No way is it only 3.125" long (the math doesn't even come out right). And Eastern butter is not packed side-by-side; it's also packed two-by-two. And maybe the difference is not so great that butter dishes can't handle both, but I know that butter dishes in the West fit the Western sticks.

Over on this topic which asks the question why American recipes tend to specify butter in tablespoons rather than by weight, this comment was made: which is, of course true, but it's only half the story. The full story is that yes, the butter companies in the U.S. generally package butter in one-pound blocks divided into 4 1/4-pound sticks, with tablespoon markings on the wrapping. But the other half of the story is that in the East, those sticks are a different shape than the Western sticks. (Western sticks are a little shorter and bigger in diameter.) This isn't something that keeps me up at night, but, having just moved to Atlanta after spending all my life in Western states, it's a curiosity to me that my butter sticks are a different shape from what I've bought my whole adult life. (Incidentally, it also means that I've had to relearn my eyeballing technique for measuring butter.) If you think that it's just due to different dairy companies packaging in the East than in the West, think again. Land O Lakes, as an example, packages butter differently for Western and Eastern distribution. Why? It's got to be more expensive, more time consuming, less efficient. So, why do it? Is there some tradition that dictates the shape of butter sticks? And of course, once I noticed that, all kinds of other questions came bubbling to the surface. Well, one did. Are butter dishes shaped different in the East? Since I use a butter bell instead of a flat dish with a cover, I don't have a Western butter dish to try an Eastern stick on. That question will remained unanswered for now, although I suppose I could go shopping for a butter dish here and see what shape it is. I do know that there's a gadget that measures butter by tablespoon -- you put a stick in and use a pusher and cutter to measure and cut however much you need. The cookware store where I used to work sold them. I always thought it was a pretty useless gadget -- if your butter is already that shape, then chances are excellent that the measurements are on the wrapper, and if it's not in that shape, then it's got to be way more trouble to cut it or shape it to fit than it is to measure out a tablespoon or quarter-cup or whatever you need. I did check out local cookware stores, and in case you're interested, at least some Eastern cookware stores sell Western butter measurers. I have yet to see an Eastern butter measuring gadget. So, what's the deal with the dairy industry? Is there a tradition I'm unaware of, or a reason that butter sticks are a different shape depending on where you live and buy butter? And most importantly, is there an Eastern butter measuring gadget?

I assume that it opened in the space that used to house Sunset Pizza? (It figures that a good pizza place would open after I left.) Still, it'll be good for the neighborhood.

I don't think these ice cube trays make cubes quite as large as Donbert's, but they are nice for cocktails. The cubes are 1-1/4 inches on a side (and they are perfect cubes, which is really nice looking in a drink).

A few comments: As Erik said, many people have never had a well made cocktail in their lives. And as Steven said, a lot of people don't want evangelism; they want what they know. But there's no reason you can't make really good versions of the cocktails that people know and want -- that can be special in and of itself. Take the Cosmopolitan: it's not a particularly complex drink, but a well made version with good quality triple sec and fresh lime juice instead of bottled sour mix is a huge step up from what most people have tasted. (If you can get a guest to try it with gin instead of vodka, that's one more step up in complexity.) Next thing you know, they'll be hooked on Pegu Clubs. Back to the subject at hand, I think that there's a lot to be said for starting by learning how to make what your friends like, but making really good versions, or making similar but better drinks. If your friends don't have favorites, then make the accessible classics like Margaritas, Sidecars and Daiquiris. Then as your group advances, go on to Manhattans or Martinis, or anything else that stikes your fancy.

In one of my cookbooks (Hot Hotter Hottest, I think), there's a reciope for a kind of Bloody Mary course -- tomato aspic made with horseradish, molded into an individual savarin mold (think donut shaped), and served with an iced shot of vodka in the middle of the aspic. I've never tried it, but it seemed like it would be a nice course for a brunch. I'd think your idea would work just as well, in a different way.

My cookware collection includes pieces from a number of manufacturers. One thing that I simply don't understand is why any of them think that riveted handles are a good idea. From what I've read, All-Clad is the leader in making this sound like a good thing, but many cookware lines have them, including Mauviel, Kitchenaid, the new Le Creuset stainless line, and Analon. Scanpan's new line has riveted handles, even though the old line didn't. Why does anyone think this is a good idea? Maybe at one point in cookware manufacturing riveting was the only way to ensure that the handle stayed on, but this is certainly no longer true. Demeyere proves this -- its handles are welded, and in my almost 10 years of working for cookware stores, I've only seen one Demeyere pan returned because of faulty welding, and that was because the lid handle came off (not to malign my customers, but the lid had definitely been dropped). Riveted handles suck. They collect crud; they make it impossible to cleanly scrape the inside of the pan. (All Clad even puts rivets in the handles of its ridiculously expensive measuring cups -- how silly is that?) So what's the deal? Why is Demeyere virtually alone in welding handles to its pans, so that the inside of the pan is smooth?

Although in this topic on recipes for oysters, there are a few mentions of mignonette and the like, it's mostly about recipes for cooked oysters. When I started to eat raw oysters (not that long ago) I generally went for cocktail sauce, partly because it was what I was used to with shellfish, partly because I wasn't really sure I wanted to taste the oysters themselves. As I got more adventurous, though, I changed to mignonettes, then to just a squeeze of lemon. I'd generally try whatever sauce came with the oysters, but in most cases, found that I the sauces hid rather than highlighted their flavor. But last week at Restaurant Eugene (in Atlanta) I had oysters topped with a granita made with pickled ginger and vodka. It was a revelation -- the flavors all went together so well that now I can't imagine eating oysters any other way. So now I'm wondering if there are other toppings out there that are worth trying -- ones that complement the oyster flavor rather than mask it. Not that I need to find anything better, but I'm willing to try. Any ideas out there?

Now that it finally turned cold enough that I can stand to turn my oven on, I made chicken braised with sherry vinegar, served with grits.

A little late, I know. I've heard good things about Rathbun's but if you're not tied to those choices, I'd recommend Restaurant Eugene. I had a great dinner there recently, plus they have a very good bar as well.

I always cut onions in half through both the stem and root. If I'm dicing, it gives me a bigger flat surface, and I prefer to slice along that axis too. If you don't trim the root end too much, it holds the halves together pretty well. I rarely use less than half an onion, so this works very well for me.

I believe that it was out of production (or distribution) for a while, but it's back on the shelves. (At least in the San Francisco and Atlanta markets.)

I've been using a magnet for my knives for years, but unfortunately, there just isn't a space for it in my new kitchen. I don't have the drawer space for an in-drawer knife block, but for several reasons I'm just not crazy about blocks on the counter -- they never seem to have the right sized slots, they collect crud in the slots and they take up way too much room. I saw this block at Bed Bath and Beyond and thought I'd give it a try. The "Kapoosh" blocks use an insert of tightly packed platic fibers that let you put knives in anywhere instead of being limited to pre-cut slots. (Click here for a better view of the insert.) Seemed like it was worth trying. I got the larger block because I have a lot of knives and also liked the looks of the stainless model. Unfortunately, the lower section is only about 4 inches deep, so it was virtually useless to me. I have one knife that could fit there. And although the back section was the depth of the whole unit, I still couldn't fit my slicer (10") or bread knife (9.5") in it. Plus, I don't know how the reviewer possibly fit 15 knives in the smaller unit. I managed to fit three 8" chef's knives, two utility (6" blades), my 6" chef's. I could possibly have fit one or two more small knives, but that would have been the capacity. So I read through this topic again and ended up returning it and buying the block mentioned here: They're still being manufactured, although they now have a base rather than being hollow. (The knife blades don't touch the bottom.) The inserts are removable and the unit can be washed, so I won't have to worry about the crud factor. It doesn't take up much room at all, and not only do all my knives fit, I also have room for several more -- more if I wanted to crowd them a little. Here's a current link to the item on Amazon. I'd still rather use a magnet, but given the alternatives, I'm very happy with it.

My Mom used to blanch and freeze corn from Dad's garden, and there was nothing better in the middle of winter than to thaw some out and taste summer. Not that all frozen produce is of that quality, of course. But it does show, I think, that the freezing process isn't inherently bad for vegetables.

Iceberg lettuce. Yeah, it's not very flavorful, but it's crisp, which makes it great for things like (American style) Chinese chicken salad or tostadas.

At the cookware store where I used to work, we originally sold the "unseasoned" molcajetes, which were very rough inside. If you ran your fingers inside, you'd end up with fine grit from the stone on your hands. These came with the instructions to grind a couple of batches of rice, as you said above. However, the later version we started to carry seemed to arrive "preseasoned" -- they were much smoother inside, with little grit or even powder inside. Those required no treatment before use. That might help, if you're still wondering (and you haven't yet used your molcajete).

I just found a bottle of Inner Circle rum at a new liquor store, so I finally had a chance to try Dave Wondrich's "Both Indies" cocktail from his Killer Cocktails book. 2 oz. Inner Circle rum (115 proof) 3/4 oz. lemon juice 1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum 1/4 oz. Grand Marnier Shake over ice and strain into a chilled glass. Float a couple of drops of Angostura bitters over the drink. At first, it sort of reminded me of my Velvet Daiquiri when I make it with dark rum. But after a sip or two, it revealed a lot more complexity. I'm not sure what it would be like with a different rum, but it was great with the Inner Circle.

Ever since I tried Fegus Henderson's recipe (the link above), I've never prepared marrow bones any other way. It's so easy, and so good. Here are some photos from my blog earlier this year:

Erik, I saw MB Creme de Cacao at John Walker not too long ago.

I'm not a vodka drinker, but I have to say that the Mandarin Blossom Hangar One mixed about 4 to 1 with Lillet Blonde (shaken and served up) makes a really great drink.

I've made phyllo triangles filled with with farmer's cheese and used warmed pepper-and-garlic jelly as a dipping sauce. They were a big hit.