Carlovski

I've been sadly addicted to it for some reason, despite the bizarre scheduling and format. The skills tests seem a bit unfair - some poor lad with a bit of catering college and a year or two in a provincial restaurant being presented with oxtail to bone or a rabbit to joint. Was a bit concerned by the lack of ability of anyone to be able to cook scrambled eggs though. The classic recipe test is interesting but it would be nice to see something classic, and not French! When they get to the end of the week quarter finals though something strange happens. At least 3 out of 4 will revert to something fishy or meaty wrapped in bacon/ham and a either a chocolate fondant, a tart or a souffle. Nothing wrong with that - good dishes, but they obviously panic about originality and decide to serve them with something completely bonkers. Monkish in proscuitto? Fine. With pomegranate juice? Maybe not. Or a lemon tart with cucumber sorbet? The whole concept also slightly annoys me. Everyone wants to have Michelin stars. Nobody wants to cook good food, or have a succesful restaurant. Of course they probably don't want any of those - it's all about being on TV. If you really wanted to work in a top kitchen, you wouldn't be waiting around for a reality TV cooking show. Of course I'll stick keep watching it though!

Good point about the changes in what is acceptible attire. I remember an old episode of Sherlock Holmes where Holmes had invited Watson to dinner. Watson turns up in an immaculate looking 3 piece suit, to which Holmes comments 'Dressing casually are we?' - as he wasn't wearing a dinner jacket. Apparently it was the influence of his American wife...

I think you have worked out why 'taste tests' should be done blind! I can't help thinking their is a certain amount of food snobbishness here though - of course overuse of additives is bad, but when a chef uses lecithin or sodium citrate to improve a dish, it is molecular gastronomy. When it's done in a factory it polluting our food. Playing devils advocate a little here, of course I know the motives are very different but as food enthusiasts aren't we always saying that the taste is the most important thing? If a supermarket offering tastes better than an artisan product or your own offering then why not use it? A lot of supermarket/fast food products are satisfying at first though, normally due to the large amounts of salt and sugar - it doesn't last much beyond the first couple of bites though. I did have a discussion with a friend of mine over the contents of her fridge once - she is normally a good cook and interested in what she eats, but it was full of lots of chemical filled low fat salad dressings and desserts. When I enquired why she said there is no way you can make stuff like that yourself - it has to be full of chemicals (Probably because they are mostly water and air) and she was on a diet. Personally I'd switch to just eating something else that's naturally low fat, but I guess she had a point.

I don't know about other people, but my wardrobe isn't exactly bulging with slacks, jackets and blazers. Yes I have a few suits - I wear them for work and wouldn't really want to wear them out for a meal. If you are going somewhere decent then you should make a bit of effort - but as long as it's clean, vaguely smart and not showing too much flesh then it should be fine. You can where a jacket and tie and look incredibly scruffy (I work in IT - I know!) If some restaurants want to stick to dress codes then it's their business - they can appeal to more of a niche market (Not necessarily a bad idea business wise).

Exactly - it's a different beast to fresh garlic (with somewhat more limited useage). Just like ginger powder has it's use - just not to replace the fresh. I have made some filthy mistakes in the past trying to use it instead of fresh garlic though - combination of inexperience and limited cupboard space!

Navarin of lamb. Best of both worlds. Lighter braises (think more clear and soupy than dark gravy) go well in summer And they have the advantage of once you have done the chopping, and a bit of browning (Although if you are going for the clear soupy option, you might not want to) then you escape from the hot stove and can go sit in the garden - without a smoky barbecue to contend with!

My spice selection is in a mess - needs a tidy up! I also tend to just leave things in the bags I buy them in - probably not great for airtightness, but I do use them quite quickly. My housemate and I also share the basic spices between us - we get the big bags from the world food shop near us rather than the little jars from the supermarket. Anyway, the most used are (in no particular order) 1 - Cumin - seeds and ground (If I'm making a masala for a particular dish I'll roast and grind the seeds, oherwise if I want powder, I'll just grab the ready ground) 2 - Coriander - as per the cumin 3 - Green cardamon pods (I have black too, but they are only used in a couple of dishes) 4 - Pimenton (The brand in the nice red tins) I do have a tendency to overuse this! 5 - Chat Masala powder 6 - Turmeric 7 - Chilli, a couple of types of whole dried, chilli flakes, and a couple of kinds of chilli powder 8 - Sichuan Pepper 9 - Black Pepper 10 - Fennel Seed 11 - Panch Poran mix 12 - Garam Masala Plus a host of supporting spices,cassis bark, cinnamon, cloves, sumac, mustard seeds etc

As I have the joys of a shared kitchen, my freezer space is limited. i don't use it much anyway though, hence me also getting the smallest drawer! But usually I have Frozen Peas - I feel mild panic If I don't have any left An emergency frozen Pizza (Usually stashed in somebody elses drawer as mine isn't big enough!) Curry leaves and kaffir lime leaves - freeze really well Ice - I'm also the designated Ice drawer! Some sort of low rent frozen potato product like curly fries Enough room to stash a bottle of wine/couple of beers for emergency chilling And that's about it - with a full freezer to myself I'd probably start freezing stock and basic sauces, but I don't have the room. I'm never too keen on freezing meat though - I usually have time to go out and buy fresh, and if not, I'll have something else.

Brown crabmeat refers to the brown, gooey stuff you find in the cavity of the shell. I'm not exactly sure what it is anatomically - the crab equivalent of a liver I guess! It has the most intense crab flavour, but a lot of people don't like the look of it, or the texture. It quite often gets incorporated into sauces rather than served on it's own. If I'm making pasta with crab (One of my favorite dishes) I make the sauce by gently cooking the brown meat with garlic, chilli and olive oil, add the pasts and just through in the white meat right at the end to warm through. I have made it with just the brown meat too, when I'm saving the white for something else.

Maybe a bit pedestrian, but what about hummus (I've no idea how actually to spell that, I must have seen about 10 different spellings over the years). The lebanese know how to turn a suburban middle class pre dinner dip into something more special. I've got a recipe for broad bean hummus somewhere too, but unless you are somewhere hotter than me it's a bit early for them.

Sounds fine to me. First of the seasons Jersey royals is a fine choice. Not quite sure what Wild mushgrooms he is going to get this time of year? Morels maybe? And don't call it dessert, call it pudding and suddenly it sounds perfect.

I managed to read the article, and I'm fairly sure I haven't got a subscription! Maybe it allows a couple of article reads for free?

Bit of a UK specific one this, but Walkers crisps are running a campaign to get the public to vote for a new flavour crisp (Chips to our American cousins) It's a very clever bit of marketing, they have got special display stands for them and a lot of Pubs are stocking all 6 'contenders' as well as selling variety bags in supermarkets. I have seen a lot of people buying all 6 and getting into heated debates. The flavours on offer are * Builder's Breakfast (Red) * Cajun Squirrel (Green) * Chilli & Chocolate (Brown) * Crispy Duck & Hoi Sin (Purple) * Fish & Chips (Orange) * Onion Bhaji (Blue) They are all fairly tasty - except the Chilli and chocolate, which is just wrong (I like the flavour combination in general, but on a crisp it just feels weird). Winner for me at the moment are the Onion Bhaji one. Anyone else got any opinions?

A bit TOO daringly rare for me! I know Trichinosis is virtually unheard of these days and I know that the bugs get killed off at medium rare temperature anyway but I still have an ingrained reaction against it - a blush of pink I can live with but not that rare. Maybe I'll come round, I used to eat steak well done!

Similar state of play in the UK - most chinese restaurants and takeaways offer a generic and dumbed down menu. Most restaurants actually do prepare authentic dishes, but they are never on the English language menu. There are a few around now that have realised that some westerners are after more authentic flavours, but they are still the exception rather than the rule.

Well it's not far from me - i work in Winchester but I don't drive, which makes the whole Little Chef concept a bit pointless for me.

I agree - in particular the way they usually top them with pork!

In the UK we do struggle to find decent pizza (Though I have heard tale of a crazy maverick in Brixton - clicky). However a fairly recent phenomenon is that the best pizzas - well the most edible anyway aren't found in takeaways, pizza places or Italian restaurants but in the increasing number of bars that have fitted proper Pizza ovens. realising that it's a way to knock out decent food with a minimum of staff and with fairly low food costs. Plus it makes quite a nice centrepiece if they have it on open display. Me and my housemates went to one tonight (2 for 1 on tuesdays!) Being the UK it had some wacky choices, and maybe more toppings than a purist would appreciate, but they are mostly well thought out. They do have a crispy duck pizza - it's actually quite pleasant, if you don't actually think of it as a pizza, but the ones we ordered were good (note to self though, if you are ordering to share, don't get one with a soft cooked egg!)

Out of interest here are the menus that the kids get in Hampshire (In the UK - not New Hampshire!). See Here Not bad - a bit of a way to go I feel, and I'm sure most of the secondary school kids will go for the snack bar Pizza type options at every opportunity, but a lot better then when I was a kid I'm sure.

Matthew - brilliant. Just brilliant. I think everyone should be forced to watch at least the eggs episode.

I find this quite interesting - In the UK wine sales have for a long time been dominated by big name supermarkets. Most of the wine sold is from large wineries, often selling 'discounted' wines that surely never sold at the original price. However it hasn't completely destroyed the independent retailer or the specialist chain outlets. And things have actually been improving recently with competition between the major supermarkets 'finest' and 'extra special' own label wines (often just rebadged wines from decent wineries) actually producing some quite decent bottles.

Just noticed that the Chesil Rectory in Winchester has relaunched itself. Not been yet, but the menu reads well - bit more rustic than it's previous incarnation. They are apparently charging a flat £10 markup on all wines too. Should do well in Winchester in theory - not that much choice considering the amount of money knocking around - a lot of people got unduly excited when a Brasserie Blanc opened! Start of a Hampshire culinary revolution? Well this this and Atul Kochar's Vatika at Wickham Vineyard is a start.

I tend to use the method recommended by Matthew Fort - heavy pan, low heat, a light splash of oil and a long slow cook. Cooking in liquid seems wrong to me - but I suppose it's no different to making a sausage casserole (Actually, not a bad idea for dinner later - got some Puy lentils knocking around somewhere) - just without all of the flavourings, but if they don't penetrate the skin then why not?

Is there a difference in the steaks that would benefit from this sort of extreme aging? More/less marbling (I have this nagging feeling that some of the incredibly marbled cuts I have seen on some of the 'meat porn' pics on egullet might not work so well, but can't really explain why!), feed, breeds etc?

Of course no browning is probably better than the half hearted attempt with a nowhere near hot enough, and overcrowded pan.