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For two years I worked in my company's New York office. The boss who was a serious gourmand (and cooked in his corner office) knew her well. I was lucky enough to meet her and join the two of them for many New York lunches. She more than anyone encouraged me to get serious and learn to cook; something I've never regretted. In those days, I thought the New York Times film critic was the best in the country, read everything he wrote. I followed Ms. Sheraton that way, too. And, yes, I have many of her books.

Sorry to be adding this so late in the thread... I, too, loved St. Estephe in Manhattan Beach in the day. John Sedlar is Chef/Owner of a Santa Fe restaurant in a hotel here. Eloisa is the restaurant; in the Drury Hotel a few blocks east of The Plaza. As I recall Sedlar had a partner in St. Estephe who is also a New Mexico native, Estevan Garcia. He also cooks in Santa Fe but they are no longer together. Eloisa is among the very best Santa Fe restaurants. Space is large and the kitchen is visible from a counter if that is important.

Someone I've read and "followed" for many years. Clipped and saved his columns and, now, own his books. Of course, I wish him the very best. To be sure, I'll read him again wherever he lands.

Bon ApetitFood & WineLouisiana Cookin'Louisiana Kitchen & CultureFine CookingSaveurCook's IllustratedSome read porn; for me cooking and wine publications are my porn. Oh, and I particularly like Cajun and Creole food hence the two Louisiana publications.

+1. This was going to be my own comment. I find an offset handle a must where particularly crusty/dense bread is involved.

I'm a transplant To New Mexico, now living in Tesuque on the north side of Santa Fe. Chile is taken seriously here and that grown in Hatch is taken very seriously. Hatch is in the southern part of the state and is quite small. The farms are mostly all family operations, nothing big or "commercial". Year-in and year-out when the chiles are harvested - anywhere from late August to early October - all over town here in Santa Fe vendors pop up in parking lots with roasters attached to propane tanks and banners saying Hatch Chile ! Some tout Soccoro Chile. The man that cuts my hair in Albuquerque was born and raised in Hatch and still owns the family property there though it is no longer actively farmed but for a few rows of true Hatch chiles just for family. We have a good laugh each year about the commercialization of New Mexico chile. The State Legislature has passed bill upon bill trying to rein all this in with little success. The truth is most of the chiles sold as New Mexico chile for sauces and the like are grown in Mexico regardless of how they are labeled. http://www.hatchchilefest.com/

Anyone who eats three meals a day should understand why cookbooks outsell sex books three to one. - L. M. Boyd

Two here in Santa Fe. Produce selection/prices/weekly specials are quite good. For me, the reason to visit. Here they carry Rosie chickens.

And, bonus ! Betty and Veronica are there, too.

In a word, no. Pity, too because once-upon-a-time I thought his opinions were ahead of the curve, cutting edge. Now it seems more like he is simply "shilling" for people with products.

San Francisco Chronicle Food Section over the years has had many articles on the variety of butters readily available in supermarkets often with Tasting Panels. What follows are links to a selection of articles. Organic Butter Tasting Panel SFC Tasting Panel Organic Butters General Discussion of Butters and What Makes Them Different (note last half of article is recipes) San Francisco Chronicle - Butter Another Lengthy Article & Tasting Panel's Preferences (at the end of the article Article II with Tasting Panel European Style Butters & Tasting Panel (KerryGold is #5) SFC Tasting Panel - European Style Butters

Add me to those who've already been critical of the the new, improved Bon Appetit. What is most telling (imo) is Gyneth Paltrow on the cover. Yes, she is excellent actress and the cookbook is better than many and I do know Father's Day is soon upon us; still. There is a place for an article/review of this book and its somewhat different premise in the magazine. To make it "cover material" implies that it is the most important topic in the magazine which does not portend well for where this publication is heading.

For me this method is simple and reliable. And, I have no problem doing it with fish though only with thicker cuts of fish fillets; salmon, halibut and sea bass. I would not do it with tilapia, or sole.

A search for "Propane BTU's vs Natural Gas BTU's" yielded many useful results including the following: http://www.propane101.com/propanevsnaturalgas.htm Doing a total kitchen remodel in an older house that was all electric in Tesuque, New Mexico at 7600 feet altitude, I specifically wanted a gas cook top. A six burner Wolf was my choice. Cook tops are available for propane rather natural gas. Note that Tesuque is close to Santa Fe but natural gas is not available due to considerations involving crossing Indian land and the electricity can frequently go out during summer thunderstorms. The higher the altitude the less efficient propane is. That said my propane usage is low and a stock pot of water comes to a rapid boil (for pasta) in ~ 6 minutes. Hope this helps.

An after-the-holidays followup note... To all who recommended possible problems with sprayer holes or sprayer arms that might not be rotating, note that my dishwasher is not like the ones used as demonstrator models at some appliance dealers; usually the "high end" places. It does not have a see-through door so if it is running I can't really see if it is running properly. That said, when off, all of the holes look clear. I did slightly adjust a clip that holds the heater element in place since it looked like it might cause some resistance to proper arm rotation. This did not improve things, however. What has made a difference is switching from Cascade (the soap of choice for more years than I can count) to Finish - Powerball soap (thanks poster mhjoseph). Used three times now with much improved results if not totally perfect. And, thanks to Beanie for the link to Gardenweb. I've visited there in the past but it never occurred to me to look there for this issue. I will buy the referenced product if it looks like the Finish product is no better than Cascade. Happy New Year to all here and thanks again for everyone's thoughts.