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We just got Restaurant Depot here and I find their "to the trade only" policy bizarre. Every other place in town couldn't give a flip. Guess I won't go shopping there. Restauant supply places are Nirvana for baking sheets, pans and all sorts of things.

I can get chicken backs and carcasses at the Asian market. I do usually add wings and a whole chicken so I can "rob" the breast meat. Besides, whole chickens are usually cheaper. Beef is getting difficult to get anything cheap enough to make stock from. (Geez! Oxtails must have become the latest Houston gourmet fad.) When ribs go on sale, I start looking. Then I may add some brisket. Bones, especially knuckles are hard enough to find that when I do run into the treasure, I snap them up and put them in the freezer. For the mainline groceries here, HEB probably has the best selection. But . . . You better be there when the butcher puts them out. Zoom! They are gone. Veal . . . Forget it. I just can't find anything, and I draw the line at making stock out of veal chops. Pork necks and fresh hocks are starting to show up. I have never done it before but I need pork stock! I usually reduce some and leave some "fresh" as I find that the unreduced stock has a lighter flavor that I like for some soups. But . . . My favorite thing is that I now usually retrieve the fat. I basically "clean it" by bubbling over very low heat. Then I decant the clear fat into little jars and put in the fridge. Um . . . Nice chicken fat for veggies and potatoes.

Absolutely nothing that I ever wish to see again. I am too short. I have no idea what is in that little cabinet either. I haven't looked in 3 years. When my tall son was here one time, he looked and said "EEEWWWW!" about the dust and grime. My reply was "What dust? I can't see it, therefore it does not exist."

Thanks for bumping this up. I just bought some lovely pecans and Granny Smith apples for other purposes but I know where some will go. Moderators note: This is a merge of two topics.

For the stainless saute pans and such, don't forget the ever popular Chef Mate line at Target. Just be sure you get the tri-ply. I bought my kids sets last year because the deal on the set was just too good, $99. They have compared them very favorably to friends' All-Clad. You can buy individual pieces. I don't normally favor sets. Also check Target for the Chef Mate all purpose pot. It has a pasta and a steamer insert and a nice, heavy clad bottom. Never, ever pay full price for Le Creuset. If there is an outlet near you, they also have incredible deals. Mario Batali has a new line of enameled cast iron out that looks really good. The prices are good, too. And Target has this new offering.

For God's sake, YES! Please come back! Words fail me. That is about the most bizarre review I have read in a long time. I have the feeling that the reviewer was playing one of those weird games where you throw together a lot of random words and try, with futility, to make some sense of whatever lands in your lap. What a mess. And in the course of the review, the esteemed reviewer manages to insult just about everyone in a 60 or more mile radius. EDITOR!

Drat!!! Another book to buy!!! Gee . . . Thanks a lot, guys. This is exceedingly strange. I woke up this morning with a strange yearning to make terrines. I don't make terrines. I don't even have a terrine to make one in. And I know zip about it. I have made Speckle Belly goose liver pate once in my life several years ago. Now you know why this is exceedingly strange. And, what do I see at the top of the Cooking forum? Following in my father's footsteps, I do try various meaty tricks from time to time. I am actually going to try the Corned Ham for Christmas. Am I the only bad person that reads cookbooks before they get wrapped and gifted away? You have to develop a technique for peeking in without breaking the spine or ruffling the pages. After all. You would certainly want to be sure that the book is a worthy gift, wouldn't you.

Dim Sim ... You are absolutly right. I have had the same thing with currys. I really don't know what the difference is. I will say that with my gumbos that the final result is not any different. When served over white rice as it should be, it is not any different. I do know that when the oil doesn't break out the gumbo is richer. But that is a minor thing.

Actually, I added to the on-going Texas topic and corrected the species names for the plants in question here. I can't imagine anyone trying to cook this culinary wonder. It is so sublime as it is in its crisp and salty self. To wilt it is a crime in my mind.

At least it is comforting to know that the phenomenon is not just with me. Just out of curiosity, what was the temperature of your stock when you added it? I am thinking that may have something to do with it, especially since the stock was added into my batch with the oil break-out a lot warmer than I usually do.

Richard Kilgore actually found them and pointed them out to me. (The rat! ) I am actually thinking that the spreaders (cool sharks!) or the salad set would make a good gift, not too costly for what they are. But, I am really thinking of getting four place settings. I don't do more than four for a sit down very often anyway.

My ultimate Court of Appeals, The Gumbo Goddess, is "stirring the pot" for Saint Peter. And . . . as I said somewhere above, probably in more ways than one. I will do some hard prayin' and maybe will get a sign. In the meantime, I am thinking we need a McGee on this one. There may be something going on with the dissolution of the starch, acting as a binding agent with the oil, that has something to do with the temperature when the liquid is added and incorporated. I dunno. My knowledge of chemistry is failing me here. I will say that when more oil stays in, the "sauce" has a more silkey and rich texture, as you might expect. But that is a fine point that not everyone might notice.

*emoticon running with cleaver aimed at Chris' head* Actually, you may have something there. I did add the stock a little warmer than usual (usually cool to room temp) because I had been reducing it a bit in a separate pot on the stove for both the gumbo and tomorrow's turkey and dumplin's. I had taken it out of the reduction pot and put it in one of those big two quart Pyrex measuring cup pitcher things and was letting it cool down on the balconey. It was pretty warm but not hot. I didn't have any problem with it incorporating smoothly. But, about an hour into the simmer, the oil started breaking out. I have no clue whether or not the temperature of the stock has anything to do with it but it might. My technique/temperature of the stock does vary depending upon what I am doing and where the stock has been (fridge, pot).

Thank you soooo very much, GG. That is just what I need. Another "must have" book. Can anyone find that amazing mushroom soup recipe that Anthony Bourdain posted? I can't find it. That is one dynamite recipe.

*bumpety bump* I have been processing multiple turkey carcasses into "turkey bone gumbo" which is a lot like my basic teaching recipe here. I now bring up a mystery that has plagued me for years. Why is it that some batches of gumbo have the oil "break out" and some don't? I just skimmed a double batch that started with 2 cups of oil and 2 cups of flour for the roux. Of course, the sausage has some fat, the turkey about none. But with this last pot, I got back almost the whole two cups of oil. Some batches I get some oil to skim, some just about none. I have no clue what the differences might be. Anybody have a clue?

OK . . . These are ridiculous. But, being a fisherman and about to build a house on the bay, I may have to do something with these. Fish utensils! The design is so clever, and somewhat funny.

A warm welcome to you Lori. I get a lot of mileage out of the Cook's Illustrated Soups & Stews book. But, I have to confess that I generally use cookbooks on the topic for inspiration rather than following recipes. I love the heavier soups and tend to improvise given what is in my fridge or pantry that needs to be used up. I am currently considering a pot of turkey pasta soup to use up the rest of the smoked turkey stock. (Most of it went into gumbo.) And . . . Don't forget to search RecipeGullet. Entering "soup" in the search field will give you a list of about 65 excellent recipes. Our members tend to enter tried and true recipes there. I guess I use my Le Creuset most often for soup. But, I am being won over by the clay pot crowd. Now that I have my flame tamer, I may be doing more of that. But, the LC and similar enameled cast iron is a good starting point. It provides a heavy pot and the enamel means that you don't have to worry about acidic foods. It also has other uses for braising, chili, oven cooked beans . . . Well, you see what I mean. Please join us over in the topic Susan linked to and let us know what you come up with. Finally! This far south, the soup season is upon us.

If you haven't seen it, Chufi's topic on Dutch cooking is nothing short of amazing.

I get the same sort of feeling when I get a PM from someone who tried one of my recipes. It is sort of like watching one of your kids get a diploma or something. That beef recipe is so good that if I ever get my hands on something as exotic as Wagyu beef shoulder, that is how I will cook it. I just had leftovers for lunch, dunking some good bread in the butter, and it was sublime.

That is an extremely cool idea! I intend to steal it.

Check out preserved lemons, and limes (scroll down) here. If your folks would be into cooking with them, they are a good gift. I used some of the calamondin in a pork roast here. I used some of the lime in chicken with tequila.

I agree on the vegetable stuff. I am particularly suspicious of celery leaves. In fact, in some stocks, like the smoked turkey stock I just did, I only add a little onion. It probably won't make any difference in the gumbo but for the soup I am planning, I want a more "purist" stock.

Let us not forget about the great eGCI course on making stock. It is the basics but a great place to start. I know that my stock making has been immeasureably improved. This sounds like the next level. Carry on.

Well . . . If you have a bunch of really smart guys with time on their hands, no telling what they will come up with. (Been there, done that.) I have a vision of a high tech shrimp net deployed out of a torpedo tube or something like that. That is about the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I would think that guys that pull off what you do every day, have the planning skills that you have developed, would be absolute gold in any kitchen. If I ever win the lottery and get to have my own butler/chef (think Fritz in the Nero Wolfe books) I want one of you!

I am interested in why you always wanted to try that place. I think I have noticed it in passing but nothing made it say "try me." We have a similar place down here in the Bay Area, The Italian Cafe in a strip center at Kirby and NASA Road 1. It has been there for years, is BYOB and has some of the most spectacular Italian food I have had anywhere. Mostly, only the locals have a clue. Luckily, that has been enough to keep them going for many years. Is this one of those type places?