Richard Kilgore
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Posts posted by Richard Kilgore
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Thanks for the tip, orenlund. Tom Spicer has a great reputation for the produce and spices he grows and sources. Is the market open on the weekend?
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I looked at one of these closer and turns out it is more impressive from a distance. Up close the parts look cheaper than they ought to for the supposed retail price. Not so attractive even at a give-away discount. And I usually make coffee fairly up close anyway.
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If you are looking for a general purpose chef's knife, you may want to go for one longer than 8 inches. If I were buying a new one today it would probably be a 9" or 10 " Wusthof or Kershaw. But the best advice I can give is to go to a store, hold them in your hands and rock them on a cutting board to see what you like best.
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Thanks for continuing to report on your meals at Austin Chinese restaurants, Kent. Looks tasty to me!
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00 is good for pasta.
Thanks, Linda. That's helpful. I can do something with that. Can you tell a difference when using "00" to make pasta vs using a US flour?
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Thanks for the interesting chart. It looks like my bag of "00" is a low protein cake flour, right?
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I picked up a bag of Bel Aria Farina di grano tenero tipo "00". Can someone explain what kind of flour this is and what are its best uses. In what way is it different than flours generally available in the US?
And more generally, perhaps someone can explain the system of classifying flours in Italy.
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Yes, my old one has count up, also. That's important.
You may want to check out the various options from Maverick Industries for your probe thermometer/timer. Here's one clickety-click with two probes.
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My trusty kitchen timer has died and I am looking for a replacement. This was a really useful triple timer - small (about 2 1/2" square), sleek, with three timer buttons along the top, hour minute, second and start/stop/memory buttons along the bottom, and clock and clear buttons along the right hand side. Three digital displays stacked in a center square screen. Magnet/clip on back. I got it at Williams-Sonoma perhaps 10 years ago.
I would like to find something similar with three timers built in, but am open to other options. What's out there this year?
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Hi Jenny - it might help if you could tell us a little more about your preferences, including price range, whether you will have a car and how much time you have to get to a restaurant. Wide open spaces and all that, but some places near the Galleria.
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If you do not want to go for the EdgePro, I'll also vouch for the Spyderco. It's a good system that has served me well.
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I think that they tend to run a little dry, Dave. It is sometimes suggested that you keep a water soaked sponge or some such in the bottom to keep the humidity up. There is a balance: too humid and you may lose botttle labels; too dry and you may lose some corks.You may want to make a couple of calls to some manufacturers like Vin-O-Temp to see if they have any humidity specs.
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I saw a Dualit Coffee Maker in a store for the first time yesterday and wondered if any members here are familiar with them. This one was of a large, squared, chunky design, much like some espresso makers. Probably about a 10 - 12 cup capacity.
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You're welcome, nessa. Have you had a chance to check this place out? I'll be interested to hear what your experience was.
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Thanks for the tip, Nessa. I'll have to try them out.
I have continued to get my weekly bean supply from Dunn Brothers on Beltline for the last few years. They roast the beans on site daily and don't sell any that are more than 5 days old. (The best time frame should be 2 - 4 day old roasted beans, according to the coffee afficianados in our Coffee & Tea Forum.) They are a locally owned family franchise operation - first Dunn Brothers in Texas.
They are very reasonably priced, too. In order to encourage people to try more varieties, they sell any half pound for $5. I usually pick up a half pound each of a caf and a decaf. in addition to dating them, they indicate whether they were roasted to French Roast or Full City levels.
We did a rather disgusting coffee tasting at Dunn Brothers a couple of years ago. It was interesting and lots of fun, too. (Real coffee tastings are inherently noisy and disgusting, much like real wine tastings, but I think they have come up with a way to do it without driving away all their regular customers.)
There are now two more Dunn Brothers (different owners) in Frisco and at the Tollway & LBJ (635). Haven't been in either so I can't comment. I think each owner determines much about the content and tone of their shop. The one on Beltline has something going on all the time - live music many nights, local art on the walls, tango dancing regularly, as well as several free laptops and free wifi (which is getting rare these days). Full range of coffee and espresso drinks (hot and cold) - I have liked all I have tried. Wine - have not tried any. Not as fond of their pastries and sandwiches.
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That helps! Try searching in this forum for these restaurants. Many also have wenbsites. Most are in your general area, unless I have indicated otherwise.
Tasting Room at Lola: I have not been, but it has gotten strong reports here for several years.
York Street: Chef Sharon Hague is an award winning chef.
Thai-riffic: There are several good Thai restaurants in the area, but this is still my favorite. Worth the drive up the Tollway to LBJ.
Primo's: for Tex-Mex. Popular uptown spot.
Ciudad: Upscale Tex-Mex/Mex-Tex.
Lannie's Alta Cocina Mexicana: Ft. Worth location. Arguably the best Mexican fine dining in the area.
Peggy Sue's BBQ: Park Cities location. Frequently praised with some uneven reports.
If you know a little Spanish, you may want to stop for a snack or lunch at a taqueria. They're everywhere.
There are also very good Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Middle Eastern options.
I also strongly suggest that you visit the Greenville avenue location of Central Market, perhaps the best high quality food market in the US. Take the tour. It will take you over an hour to walk the aisles.
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I think we may be of more help to you if you tell us what part of the city you are in and a little more, if you can, about what kind of foods you are interested in, if you have a car...and price range. It's a big world out there.
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Geesh! And I thought I was a penny pincher.
I buy bulk packages of towels cheap, and also wait for towel sales at William-Sonoma and Sur La Table for the more attractive ones. They usually have some on sale a few times a year. TJ MAxx and Marshall's are also a good source.
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It has been a pleasure working with you over the past several years, Elie.
Elie has been an articulate reporter on fine dining in Houston, and has contributed informative and delicious posts to discussions on a wide variety of food traditions on both the savory and sweet side. In addition, he has contributed substantially to a number of eG Spotlight presentations over the years. Elie also did a great job weekly with the Houston area eG Food Media Digest and organized a couple of memorable events for Houston area members of the society.
I'll look forward to Elie's future contributions to our knowledge and pleasure in cooking and pastry and baking of French, Lebanese, mediterranean and Italian foods...and whatever takes his food fancy.
Thanks, Elie!
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John, I'm not sure there's much support for your hunch. Moskin interviewed wine-shop owners who told her customers are reluctant to cook with cheap wine. She pointed to a situation where people are wasting expensive Barolo in cooking. I hardly think she's tearing down a straw man. She's commenting on one of cooking's most persistent contemporary myths.
As for derivation, I don't know that there's any evidence to support the claim that the myth mistakenly evolved from the rejection of "cooking wine." The quote from Julia Child certainly doesn't support that claim: "If you do not have a good wine to use, it is far better to omit it, for a poor one can spoil a simple dish and utterly debase a noble one."
That wine shop owners and staff hear this, as well as a lot of other misunderstandings about wine, is not surprising. The average consumer frequently picks up pieces of advice without really understanding it.
Actually, the Julia quote makes sense in its historical context. At the time she wrote that, there were a lot of truly horrible French wines on the market. She didn't say "great wine to use"; she said "good" and there were a lot that were not. Today we are fortunate to have a great deal of inexpensive, pleasant tasting if not complex, wines available from many parts of the world.
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I am sure a glass or metallic loaf pan would be sufficient -- some might even say better, but I have a couple of the EHs and like them a great deal.
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It's nice to have a Le Cruset with a family history. I am not sure, but it looks like staining rather than rust to me. If you wipe it with a damp towel, does the towel turn rusty? Does it taste or smell rusty? If not, try the bleach treatment and see if that doesn't take the stain out. You can also try something like Dawn Power Dissolver (if you can find it) or try gently wiping with Bar Keeper's Friend - a small area first. Nothing seriously abrasive.
Good luck!
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Caribbean Cafe
1000 Webb Chapel at Beltline
Carrollton, Texas 75006-7779
972-4187071
Obscure, almost invisible location...serious Cuban food.
I found this place almost by accident a few months ago. Out of curiosity I had stopped at the donut shop at the same intersection because of the Kolache sign in the window. Coming out again, I noticed the Caribbean Cafe, but could not tell for sure if it was even open. I flagged it, and on a Saturday a month or so later I stopped in to check it out for lunch.
First of all, the interior is unexpected for this small strip location: pleasant peach colored walls with wainscotting and Cuban posters; a bar the length of the right wall with perhaps three tables and a divider separating the dining area - a total of about 40 seats. I tried an Empanada de carne (shredded beef) $1.50, a croqueta (yam and pork) $0.75 and a Cuban andwich (sliced pork, ham and swiss cheese on French bread).
The empanada was the best I have had; the croqueta was delicious and filling and the Cuban sandwich was respectable. All in all a solid, inexpensive lunch. But glancing over the rest of the menu, I was sure I would return.
And return I have, twice in the past month. In addition the the empanada and croqueta I have found the Ceviche de Pescado an excellent appetizer - tart and fresh. My dining companions and I have not sampled from the chicken and seafood menus yet, but the beef and pork dishes have been very good to superb. The Rabo Escendido (oxtail in tomato sauce) $15.99 was flavorful and almost-fall-apart tender. The Ropa Vieja (shredded beef cooked in tomato sauce with red and green peppers and onions) $10.99 and the Puerco Asado (roasted pork) served with potato $10.99 also were dishes we would order again. While the Masas de Puerco Fritas (fried pork chuncks with yucca and mojo) $10.99 was flavorful, it was a little dry for us.
Mains served with black beans and rice, served separately or mixed and molded, and plaintains, crispy or sweet. All got the nod from all of us.
For dessert, hot flaky pastry with guaybaya fruit and cheese. Tasty. With a fine cup of Cuban coffee.
Pleasant and helpful service on all three occassions.
I'll be back.
Has anyone else tried this place?
Note: There is a second location in Frisco. I don't have the address, but will post it later.
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I ordered on-line from Penzey's before they opened a store in Dallas. I have been using their spices almost exclusively for three years now and find them excellent.
Best Kitchen Timers
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted · Edited by Richard Kilgore (log)
I ordered the Maverick ET-7 Remote Cooking Thermometer with two probes from Amazon for $36.99. Time & temp for two items. 100 foot range. They will replace probes that go bad for free, and a check of their website shows that heavier duty, high heat , longer probes are available, too. Just got it in, but have not used it yet. I'll report on how this performs after I have had some experience with it.
I also found that my old thriple timer needed a battery. Duh. Although, in my own defense, I thought that I had replaced it a few months ago. It is still not as loud as I would like, but okay for timing some things such as coffee and tea brew times.