fifi

Ditto to all of the above. I have been traveling alone on business for over 25 years and have had some amazing experiences. I also like to travel alone on holiday from time to time. Many years ago, I was actually refused service at a New Orleans restaurant. I forget the name of it and they are long ago gone. (surprise, surprise) In Hawaii one time, I was eating in the bar and this guy next to me got to chatting about the live perfromer who sounded like Johnny Mathis. It turns out that he was a tsunami expert from Japan. Fascinating. In Cancun, I decided on dinner at the top restaurant at the hotel. (There wasn't a lot of choice there at the time.) I was seated at a table near the piano where this very distinguished gentleman was playing. At his break he stopped by my table for a chat. I invited him to sit down. Turns out, he was a retired engineer and he and his wife decided to move to Cancun for the hell of it. He liked playing the piano so that was why he was there. He ended up calling his wife and we dined together the next night. She was an anthropologist and had some fascinating information regarding pre-Columbian contact with the peoples of the Pacific. I always have a book with me and I try to carry one that "everybody" is reading so that it might provoke some conversation. Remember that book some time ago Management Styles of Atilla the Hun or something like that? Worked just about every time. The Harry Potter books work pretty well in this day and age.

There is a somewhat typical mole negro (that is what you describe sounds like) here. That will give you some idea of what it is supposed to be like. Even mole negro should not have bitter as the main flavor note. I would guess that over toasting the chiles is the culprit. If you do a search for mole in a recipe collection like Epicurious, you will find that there are as many different types of moles as there are curries in Thailand. BTW... the techniques for making moles is quite like the techniques for Thai curries. Go figure.

Perhaps a better question is: How does one work across the street and not eat there in 20 years?

russ can probably tell us what the compounds are in onions that cause the "bite" and tearing. (I could look it up but I am too lazy. ) Anyway, when you cut the onion, the compounds are released from the broken cells, combine, and presto-chango, LACHRYMATORS! In Mexican cuisine, chopped raw onion is a common condiment served with any number of things. It is almost always white onion. The almost universal practice is to rinse the chopped onion under cold running water. This rinses off the offending lachrymators. (I love typing that word.) I can't imagine longer soaking in whatever would make a huge difference.

Actually, the last time I flew internationally was in late April and the big news on board was that real metal knives were back. Some years ago, there was a budget airline, now bought out or defunct, that had the right idea. In coach, they handed out a "Nosh Bag" that contained a small but decent sandwhich on a roll, an apple (Big Apple, get it?) a piece of candy or a cookie, maybe some pretty good cheese and crackers. The idea was, keep it really simple but good. I think the concept worked.

I fly KLM or Continental to Europe, "business first" class, fairly regularly. I have to say that while KLM is pretty good, it doesn't even come close to Continental. I have even been impressed enough with some of the wines on Continental that I make a note to buy. (I don't know a lot about wine. I just drink it, so I need all the help I can get.) Both do very well in the service department... friendly, efficient, and very professional. But KLM does give you those cute Delft pottery "houses" filled with that vile Dutch liquor before you land. I don't care what airline it is, I always avoid the fish.

No, I don't plan my travel accordingly. But I do remember several years ago having to cool my heels at Sea-Tac for a late night flight. They had this white nappery restaurant where I had probably one of the best steak dinners I have ever had... ever. The price wasn't bad either. It was such a shock that I still remember that steak to this day. (I have no idea what the name was or if it is still there.) I don't go through DFW very often but I could not believe how lousy the choices were in the terminals. For an airport that size and with that traffic load, it was pitiful. At the time, I was stuck waiting for a colleague to come in from Boston and his plane was delayed. The only thing to do was to navigate the confusing automated tram system to the hotel. (Then the damn thing stopped for about 20 minutes in the middle of nowhere with me the only one on board... creepy.) Hopefully that has changed. I have successfully avoided the place for about five years now.

All of the above drive me nuts. I, too, have wondered why half & half and whipping cream continue to use that antiquated packaging. Here are a few more... Those little sealed cups of salad dressing that you get on an airplane... They are now under pressure. It took me several years to learn that you must open them away from you. How about the little plastic envelopes of ketchup, mayo or mustard that say "tear here"? And my new all time favorite: When they vacuum seal a loop of sausage, you have no choice but to scissor it all the way around. I inevitably end up cutting the sausage skin in the process.

MM's recipe sounds like a different animal that I have to try. The Jiffy based recipe is the old standby around here. The good thing about it is that you can do all sorts of things with it and it still works. I have added things like jalapenos, green chiles, other cheeses, sauteed onion, leave out the sour cream (cause I didn't have any), you name it.

Odd... Culinary Parts is my "go-to" site. I searched there and came up empty. Sounds like if anyone has an interest in the copper bowl, they need to nab it now.

This just in... Lowes has the 4 1/2 quart classic for $168. clickety They have had it at that price for months now. (Our interest in that model is because it is a direct replacement for the one that died.)

ACK! This is the only place I was finding the copper insert. And they say it has been discontinued! Fantes. (scroll down) Anyone got any bright ideas?

Welcome NWsFirst. HotDamn. Third post and you have already opened my eyes. I have been following this thread as my sister needs to replace her KA. I had no idea that you could get a copper insert for the bowls. What a smashingly cool idea!

My sister just brought me a copy of the food magazine "Cuisine at Home". It was a gift to her so she has no idea where it came from. A search here has a couple of mentions and says that this mag is pretty basic and for beginners. It is similar to CI in that there is no advertising. The web site here is by subscription. And now to my point... What blew me away in the magazine was the photography, not the artsy/beauty aspects, but how effective they are. They use a lot of photos to illustrate different steps in a dish and/or techniques. And the photos are "staged" carefully to get the idea across. In the June issue there is a photo of a "simmer" on page 33 where they captured the gentle bubbling just right. I can't say too much about the recipes (though those scones my sister made this morning were dynamite) but, as a study subject for food and technique photography it is worth a look. Even though the web site is by subscription, they let non-subscribers see enough to give you a flavor of what they are doing with the photography. (They also have video on the site.) Click on the "Take a Tour" tab and wander around.

Attractive young couple with 6 huge aerosol cans of whipped cream =

I don't know why one wouldn't want to use 1:1 unless they are trying to save fat calories. Any less and it is not "loose" enough to keep it moving so that it browns evenly. I suppose it is less important if you are making a light roux. edit to add: I vote with Mayhaw Man on the peanut oil.

Welcome aboard. I am in Houston and hate raw fish but glad to have you here anyway. Have you found any sushi tacos yet?

Thin patty nicely browned on a griddle, onion, lettuce, cheddar cheese, bacon, mayo, toated bun with sesame seeds. Then there is the bean burger that I get at Tookies in Seabrook TX... griddled patty, onion, cheddar cheese, refried beans, picante sauce and... FRITOS! I am not kidding. I have been eating these for about 25 years.

Not necessarily. Alcohol is a polar molecule and, in mixture with water, does not boil off at the temperature that you would expect. In fact, it takes extraordinary methods to "distill" off pure alcohol. There was a thread here somewhere (I can't find it) where the amount of remaining alcohol when cooking with wine or other spirits was astonishing.

I have tried the Prudhomme method a couple of times. The first time was a complete disaster. The second time was not a disaster but just didn't have the same flavor. I guess that roux is one of the few things that Paul and I don't agree on.

russ is correct in this. That is why gumbos (especially the dark sort) are often served with file at the table or have added okra to the mix.

uuummm... In Cajun cuisine, butter is not used for a dark roux. Only for the light variety. Originally, lard was the fat of choice. More recently, peanut oil. I still prefer lard.

Whoo Hooo... Found it. Thanks, robyn. (Why didn't it come up with the search thingy.)

That won't make any difference at all in thickening properties. The thickening property is relative to the carbonization of the starch and has nothing at all to do with the fat ratio. However, a low fat ratio may leave some starch untoasted. To me that means a badly made roux without optimum flavor development and the attendant risk of burned bits. Why anyone would want to skimp on the fat is beyond me. The 1:1 ratio is strictly a physical thing in that it is easier to stir and get even toasting of the flour grains. When you do the math on the ratio of roux to a particular recipe, skimping on that doesn't usually mean much at all in a particular dish as far as limiting fat. If you are after limiting fat, you probably shouldn't be cooking with a roux at all.

Oiless roux has to be an abominization of civilization. For shame.