EJRothman

Oops. I copied the recipe from the wrong file. (No, wait -- it was a test to see if anyone was paying attention. You passed.) The amount of mustard is a tablespoon (Dijon type). This gives a pretty strong mustard flavor, but I find the salad ingredients can stand up to it. Fee free to use less if you're not a mustard fan. For the record, I've corrected the recipe in the archive. And thanks -- I'm glad you liked the article. Thanks Janet. And for the record, I'm a huge mustard fan. I even use mustard in tuna salad instead of mayo! -Eric

Has anyone ventured to decide which is better: the all-stainless vs. the coppoer-bottomed. I'd be willing to spend the $99 for the large set, but I like to get what works best. -Eric

Excellent article, Janet. When I opened the recipe for the ham and guryere salad, I noticed that the mustard in the dressing is absent from the ingredients list. Realizing that I am contradicting the thrust of the article - could you please provide the proper amount of mustard for the dressing and possibly the type of mustard suggested. Thanks -Eric

No it's not. I know it sounds logical, but what happens is once your body starts to store calories as fat, it takes longer to reverse that process and start using them to burn energy. So if you don't wake up your system in the morning, the storing of fat process has already begun by the time you get around to lunch. If you eat it. The longer you go without food, the more your body starts to "hoard" what it has. Also, there are good calories and bad calories. Alcohol, for example, while having no fat content persay, has calories. Except they are usually called empty calories because there is little or no nutritional value in them. So under the WW point system, you can burn a lot of points of with a few glasses of wine, thus reducing the amount of healthy calories or food points to take in. Empty calories generally turn to fat quicker because there is nothing in them your system wants in terms of nutrition. How's that for a morning nutrition lesson

hey I've got a fast metabolism, and I'm trying to gain weight.

4 Cups of milk? Why? Do you eat cereal in a large mixing bowl? How much cereal do you eat with it? I have a large bowl. I fill it up to the top. Holds about 6 cups of cereal. On top of that I put a banana, and whatever seasonal fruit I have (in winter I use a pear). Then I pour in the milk until I can see it...sometimes I top it off with more milk as I'm eating if the milk gets low and the cereal is too dry. I don't actually measure out how much milk I use in the bowl, but since a gallon of milk lasts me 4-5 days I am estimating that there's around 4 cups of milk per bowl. And there you have it - breakfast of champions! -Eric Who needs to eat for the rest of the day after that? I feel faint, just thinking about tackling that kind of breakfast Is anyone else thinking this: Jethro Bodine!! who's that?

Ok here's a question for you. I also weight train 4-6 times a week. I'm told by my trainer, that it's protein rather than carbs even complex carbs, that build muscle. You seem to be saying the opposite here. I usually have a combination of low carbs and high protein before weight training, and a high protiein drink or snack afterwards. Am I doing this backwards? Is my trainer nuts? Of course I'm a 43 yr old female Marlene: Don't get my wrong, it is the protein that builds muscle. I also eat a high protein diet (I try to get close to 200 grams/day). That said I love cereal too much to give it up. Complex carbs are very beneficial for the fiber and nutrients that give you. There is also a small amount of protein in complex carbs. I usually have my huge bowl of cereal in the morning (the 4 cups of milk gives a nice protein hit), and a protein drink after my workout followed by yogurt fruit and nuts throughout the day. Dinner generally consists of about a pound of meat, 1 lb of veggies, a cup of grain, and a can of goya beans (quick easy protein). Anyway, listen to your trainer - he's right. I'm also going to be a trainer come this fall. (that's neither here nor there). -Eric

My favorite cereal is Barbara's Grainshop. Also high on my list are the various Kashi cereals. I do eat Wheaties and Cheerios, however. I eat many different kinds of cereal and usually mix 3 at a time. My only real requirement is that the cereal is whole grain. I don't eat any simple starches. To address Marlene's post: I actually eat quite a lot of other things throughout the day. I'm a 21 year old male who weight trains 4-6 times a week. I generally consume between 3500-4000 calories a day. -Eric

4 Cups of milk? Why? Do you eat cereal in a large mixing bowl? How much cereal do you eat with it? I have a large bowl. I fill it up to the top. Holds about 6 cups of cereal. On top of that I put a banana, and whatever seasonal fruit I have (in winter I use a pear). Then I pour in the milk until I can see it...sometimes I top it off with more milk as I'm eating if the milk gets low and the cereal is too dry. I don't actually measure out how much milk I use in the bowl, but since a gallon of milk lasts me 4-5 days I am estimating that there's around 4 cups of milk per bowl. And there you have it - breakfast of champions! -Eric

Ok, I went shopping for the ingredients today. Goddman supermarket had a tiny bottle of cardamom for $12. Spices are the biggest ripoff in supermarkets! But no specialty stores on campus, and I am too lazy to go anywhere else (even though i'm in the middle of Philly) so supermarket spices had to do. Originially I was going to mix cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Except I could find ground allspice. I swear, every time I get a recipe the store has every ingredient except the one I need. So, anyway, I was looking through the spices, trying to figure out what to do, and I settled on Apple pie seasoning! According to the ingedients, it's cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. It should (hopefully) work fine. On another note: I am planning on toasting the quinoa before cooking. Should I do this in some oil? That was my original plan, but now I'm thnking this might result in a gloopy, cereal-like consistancy instead of fluffy. Suggestions? This is going to be cooked at 10am EDT on Wednesday, April 16th, so hurry up and get your two cents in! -Eric

I eat a massive bowl of cereal in the morning with about 4 cups of milk in it. (I kid you not). It's all skim. Anything richer than that is quite nausiating. -Eric

I'm making a pilaf with Quinoa for Passover. (it's legal as has been discussed elsewhere on e-gullet). I want it to be simple - just quinoa, currants, slivered almond, lemon zest. Anyway, anyone have any suggestions as to a spice I can add it enhance the flavor. I was going to use cumin, but my god damn supermarket didn't have it ground, I don't have a spice grinder, and no access to a speciaty store in the immediate area. (I'm at school and don't have many of my cooking supplies and also don't feel like traveling off campus). Anyway, I'm looking for a spice/combo of spices that will accent the simple, sweet/tart flavor of the pilaf. -Eric

How about "new" sashimi (Nobu) -Eric

Price being no object, I think that SoHo Spices make the most intriguing spice storage. -Eric

Interestingly, Morimoto seems to have taken some of the dishes at Nobu with him. Last November my girlfriend took me to Morimoto's for my birthday. I had the $80 omakase. Out of the 7 (i think) dishes I was served, one was the toro tartare prepared the exact same way, and another was the marinated cod w/ foie gras (I don't recall any eggplant) prepared the exact same way. For the record, I thought both were fabulous. The sweetness of the cod sauce was balanced by the fat in the foie gras. The question is, who first created these dishes? Was it Morimoto or Nobu? -Eric

According the MoMA online store, " it stores up to 15 knives." Maybe you can shove your other knives in there anyway. -Eric

This one calls for a whole chicken cut into parts, but I see no reason why you couldn't use thighs alone. Definately bone in, skin on or off a personal preference. This dish is fabulous. By way of the New York Times: CHICKEN WITH TWO VINEGARS Time: 55 minutes 1 3- to 4-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup Champagne vinegar or other white wine vinegar 4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped 1/2 cup French chardonnay or other white wine 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 6 to 8 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped 1/3 cup heavy cream. 1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat, and saute chicken until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes a side. Transfer chicken to a platter. 2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet. Add the red and white vinegars, and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a spatula. Add the shallots, and saute briefly until they become translucent. Add the white wine, and bring to a boil. Return chicken to the pan, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, then transfer chicken to a platter. 3. Add chicken stock and tomatoes to the pan. Stir with a wooden spoon until tomatoes begin to break down and form a sauce, about 10 minutes. Add heavy cream, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and return chicken pieces to pan. Cook until chicken is heated through and coated with sauce, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve, if desired, with steamed rice or small tubular pasta like ziti.

You can buy a countertop magnetic knife block. Here's the link. -Eric

I'd have to say that a "gadget" has to have some sort of mechanism. It can't be a scoop or a bowl. It must have some type of moving part. It must also make the intended job easier. -Eric

What's the difference bwtween candy rasins and rasinettes? no chocolate? -Eric

Well, unfortunately, there isn't. For Ashkenazis observing the rituals, all grains are out, as are legumes such as peas and beans, as well as corn. Anything fermented. And, btw, olives are out as well. And only pickles specially prepared for Passover are permitted. Yup, the list is long.... I have seen Passover noodles, but I don't know what they are made of, and I don't know how they taste. Frankly, if it's not a real noodle, I'm not interested. I have read on several sites that quinoa is OK for Passover. I don't know how strictly observant the people hosting the seder are, so if you make something with quinoa in it you may want to bring printouts from the Web as backup! Barley is always out. I think spelt is very iffy. I checked out the "quinoa question" and it turns out that quinoa is ok for passover. Thanks for the tip, Stephanie!! -Eric

I dislike knife blocks because the repeated contact with the wood can cause wear to the blade. If using a knife block, you can put the knives in the block with the blade facing up to reduce the wear. I personally like a knife roll, but that is mainly because it fits my needs. I'm a student and my year is divided up between 2-3 different cities and houses. The roll makes transportation easy, and storage convenient. If I were setlled in a home I would favor the magnetic bar. Anyway, you may want to try a knife roll, or if you really have a lot of knives, maybe a knife case. MetroKitchen has a large selection. -Eric

Well, unfortunately, there isn't. For Ashkenazis observing the rituals, all grains are out, as are legumes such as peas and beans, as well as corn. Anything fermented. And, btw, olives are out as well. And only pickles specially prepared for Passover are permitted. Yup, the list is long.... I have seen Passover noodles, but I don't know what they are made of, and I don't know how they taste. Frankly, if it's not a real noodle, I'm not interested. If you bake, take a look at this recipe for Marcy Goldman's Matzoh Buttercrunch which I discussed on the other Passover thread. Trust me, if you bring it to the dinner, everyone will be thrilled. http://www.arthurschwartz.com/diary/archiv...s/00000102.html I'm disapponted about the no grains, etc. rule. The buttercrunch sounds good, but I don't eat desserts, so it's not really my thing. It's quite inane - if you think about it - that grains and legumes aren't allowed but sugar is. They are all carbohydrates, and there is nothing remotely leavened about grain. I guess I'm just bitter, -Eric

Ok, I'm going to an Ashkenazi sedar for passover and am trying to think about what I can make. I'm not responsible for any of the cooking really, and mainly want to bring something that I know I'll enjoy eating. I'd ideally like to make some sort of grain dish, but I know that most are forbidden in Ashkenazi tradition. So I'm wondering if there are any exceptions. I am specifically thinking about a pearled barley rissoto, but for all I know that'll break some other laws. (For instance the butter or cream would make it "dairy" and I assume there will be meat on the table). I'll ask the host what the specific rules are at her house, but she's pretty strict about them, and if I bring anything that breaks her conception of what is allowable, I'm going to need to show up with documented proof that it is acceptable for Ashkenazi sedars. Anyway, my point was, does anyone know of any acceptable Ashkenazi grain recipes (barley, quinoa, spelt, etc.) There's got to be something! -Eric

I thought I discovered this in the most recent Food section of the Washington Post - but now I can't locate it. Anyway, check out the Julie/Julia Blog. Some crazy woman (Julie) decided to to tackle all 536 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in 1 year - 365 days. She started doing this on Aug. 25, 2002. It's still going strong today. I've linked the very first post. I think this is being turned into a book after all is said and done. Anyway, it's quite enjoyable, check it out! -Eric