Richard Kilgore

Heating the sides of the pan directly should be the only reason for burned food. If you have gas burners, just watch that the flame does not go past the disk and up the side of the pan. If electric, avoid having the pan on a burner larger than the disk.

I have two Sitram Catering evasees (9 1/2 " and 11 ") and now an 11 inch Sitram Profisserie 4.3 liter (5 qt.) saute pan. The aluminum disc on the saute pan is almost sharp edged, so I will try smoothing it slightly with steel wool. I also note that it has four spot welds on the handle, in contrast to eight on the Catering. Some room for debrie to accumulate between the welded plate and the pan, but this may not turn out to be a practical problem if it washes out easily. I chose the thick aluminim disc of the Professerie for the saute pan, based on Sam's idea that it would hold heat better than the copper disc of the Catering version, and that the latter is not really needed with an electric stove. Report to come after a little experience with the saute pan. (I should add that the Sitram lines are a bargain on Amazon due to the free shipping and frequent $25 off purchases of $125 or more. All in all, the saute pan cost only about $40.)

I suggest waiting even a little longer...long enough to do the oil and ash aging treatment that Paula recommends. My rifi now looks like a 25- 50 year old pot. (I think there's a photo on this thread somewhere.)

From the article:

I don't have the book yet. When it arrives, I'll spend some time with it and pick out something to do. I think you can order it on Amazon, but I preferred to buy it from Chef Folse. The CD appears to be a real plus, and I'll probably order it after getting familiar with the book.

I've had the Magnum Plus for a few years and I love it, but I wish it came with some kind of "coaster" or cover for the bottom. I keep it in my cabinet and there's always a collection of pepper underneath. Drives me crazy! ← My new Magnum came with a coaster. Perhaps this is a newer addition. You might contact the company to see if they can send you one.

I also have become a Magnum convert. Ugly, ugly, but this grinder puts out a huge amount of pepper rapidly and maintains a consistent grind. It will not grind as finely as my Puegots, but I need a larger grind most of the time anyway. The Magnum replaces not the Peugots, but a 12 inch tall Olde Thompson grinder that I found a convenient length, but it would not grind as fine as the Peugot, nor as large as the Magnum, and was not good about holding a consistent grind at all.

I have deleted several inflammatory off-topic posts. Disagreement is fine, but let's maintain a civil discussion and keep it on topic so that we can continue to discuss this news story.

For those of you who are new to tagine cooking and may have missed it, here is a link to an extensive thread on Moroccan Tagine Cooking. Paula Wolfert, who is working on a book on clay pot cooking, provides a great deal of helpful and fascinating information on curing tagines and tagine cooking, and other members have also posted photos of their tagines and tagine dishes. Anything but an authentic Moroccan tagine does not hold much interest for me. I got one of the tagines from the tagines.com site that Paula referred us to and that Andie mentions upthread here.

Just wanted to mention that you can order The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine directly from John Folse: clicket-click right here.

There are several threads on scales, as well as an eGCI course, the Q&A of which also has a lot of relevant discussion. You can now get a high quality kitchen scale for considerably less than $130. I got a MY Weigh KD600 as a result of the discussions and it has been great. Paula Wolfert got the same one and likes it a lot. It appears the KD-7000 has replaced it, the only difference being the new model apparenty has a beep function of some sort, and it will handle up to 15 lbs instead of 11 lbs. It's still only $44.90 US plus $7.50 for the AC adapter, plus a little for shipping. eGCI Course: The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Stunning, Doc. I can't wait to see the rest. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your trip with us.

Sur La Table carries heavy duty aluminum cake pans made by Magic Line -- both solid and removeable bottoms. Also check your local restaurant supply stores for heavy duty aluminum pans from makers such as American Metalcraft. They come in two and three inch depths. I added some from both sources last year, and they are far more useful and durable than grocery store cake pans.

A friend asked recently for a suggestion for a Chinese restaurant to take an out of town guest for a late lunch. The guest was staying at the Anatole, so that made most of the restaurants north of 635 impractical. I searched and based on the Dallas Observer review by Mark Steurtz and one by Dotty Grifith in the Dallas Morning News I pointed him to Chef Hsu. Located on Harry Hines Blvd. Between Walnut Hill and Royal Lane, Ms. Grifith gave the restaurant 4* for both food and service, but 3* for atmosphere, suggesting this might be a sleeper. My friend's party of three arrived about 2:00 pm and had trouble getting waited on in the midst of the lunch buffet crowd. They were eventually brought a menu that had more typical Chinese-American menu items on it. Puzzled they asked about specific dishes that Dotty Griffith mentioned in her article. Finally the light went on and the waiter said, "Oh, you want the good menu." All in all, they thought the food, when it came, was very good. He suggested going at night with a group for the good menu, and asking for a private room.

Here are a couple of the many threads that turn up with a search in this forum on the word "chinois". Best chinois designs How much straining is too much?

A somewhat less expensive version is the one made by Matfer. If has a synthetic frame and ss mesh. No stand but it sits securely on top of a stock pot. About $55. I'll try to find a link. I also have a China Cap --- chinois shape, but perforated metal instead of mesh screen. In making stocks I usually pass it through the China Cap first and then though the Matfer chinois. I have used cheesecloth in a sieve, and it is not a bad solution for small amounts of sauce or stock ocassionally, or for such as draining yogurt, but a chinois is well worth having if you make stock and sauces more than a couple of times a year.

If you sharpen a knife, you are sharpening to some particular angle. The question is, are you sharpening it to a useful one or leaving it to chance. You may not be any more motivated to take care of your knives by sharpening them ocassionally and steeling them as frequently as each time you use them, as you were previously. Although it makes a big differences, many people are not.

I received a Michigan Maple edge grain cutting board and it is tonight soaking up Boos oil. It's a 15 X 20 X 1 3/4 with a carving ring on one side. It is a substantial chunk of wood; shipping weight was 14 lbs, and the shipping carton probably accounts for less than a pound of that.

A seasoned cast-iron skillet is fine for something like a roasted chicken, unless you are cooking something acidic -- tomato sauce, wine in the deglazed pan sauce and such. It's hard on the skillet and some people report a slightly metallic or off taste to the sauce. I also use enamelled LC baking pans and earthenware baking pans for roasting vegetables. A half-sheet pan also works fine.

Tim Love's new tapas restaurant, Duce, expects a May opening (6333 Camp Bowie). And Love's NYC location for Lonesome Dove Western Bistro is shooting for a September opening. Taverna Pizzaria and Risotteria plans to open in Ft. Worth in the former Zoe location. Date unknown. Kingfish is expected to open this week in Colleyville. Inexpensive grilled seafood by chef David McMillan, and located below his 62 Main restaurant. Source: Bud Kennedy in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram, 8 March, 2006. Please send notices of openings, closings and changes to me at rkilgore@eGullet.org.

The tennessean.com reports that eGullet Society member Chef Sean Brock will leave the Hermitage Hotel for McGrady's Restaurant in Charleston in two months.

Yikes! Rockfish, a restaurant chain here in Dallas, is selling crawfish today for $7.99/lb.

I get 149.99 for the 6 3/4 in white. Other colors are 219.99.

That could be...or it could be a price change. Amazon prices on LC change frequently, and sometimes there is one color choice that is drastically reduced. This is one good reason to always check each color choice, and to price check from time to time -- unless, of course, you are in a hurry and just have to have a specific color.

Interesting that the Le Cruset enamelled cast-iron bacon press is made in Thailand. I noticed one other LC piece on that site is made there. I wonder how much of their production is being moved out of France?