fifi

Being a certified SSB ( )... I have been following this thread with great interest. We have a lot of SSBs on this site that are far more qualified than I on this subject and if they are not reading this thread, I wish they would and chip in. I am too far removed, in years, from knowing a lot about this subject to comment intelligently. (Read... Hopelessly out of date.) Obviously, strong magnetic fields have an effect on atomic stuctures or we wouldn't be able to use those changes to produce images. My position on whether or not it works... if anyone cares (about my opinion, that is )... I am going to keep an open mind. We know that the effect of magnetic fields on water systems doesn't work. That can be measured objectively. Magnet therapy? Probably not but I think the jury is still out. I prefer to keep an open mind (though skeptical) because the history of science is littered with the bodies of those imminent personages that made strong statements of what can and cannot be true. An opinion... The taste tests are interesting in an anecdotal sense. Even in a double blind method, the sense of taste is too subjective and variable to be a true test. (I consider descriptions of wine tastings equivalent to trying to describe the color blue to a blind man.) You can come closer to the truth with a high enough population to approach evening out the variablity. I wish that twc's many taste tests had all been double blind and performed in an isolated laboratory setting so that the social pressure issues are eliminated. A true test?... That would be demonstration that a magnetic field of whatever strength does change the configuration of the molecules that make up the taste components of wine. Then you would have to prove that the change in configuration actually changes the interaction with the taste buds. I suspect that we don't know enough about either to accomplish that. (But then, I am hopelessly out of date. BTW, if this is ever accomplished, you won't be able to go near a winery with your watches or credit cards. ) Prediction... Nothing conclusive will come out of all of this. There will be true believers and they will enjoy their Wine Clips. There will be those still on the fence, doomed to endlessly scratching their heads. But then, some head scratchers enjoy the activity. (A sense of wonder should never be lost.) There will be those that don't believe it at all and will be heavily weighted in the community that needs a "true test" to believe. If nothing else, the results will be one of the more interesting threads on eGullet. Unrelated note... (Well, maybe.) I do have direct experience with the effect of magnetic fields on bacteria. Some mobile species do react to magnetic fields. There is a corrosion phenomenon called Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC). One type of MIC attacks stainless steel, drilling holes in pipes in a matter of weeks. The very strong preferrence is for the heat affected zones next to welds. One theory is that that zone causes a magnetic field that attracts the buggers to those sites. I have also seen migrations of bacteria under the microscope under the influence of magnetic fields. Does a magnetic field affect the biochemistry that makes bacteria function? Does that mean that there is some effect on organic molecules? Are any of those molecules present in wine and are also affected? (Do I get a prize for knowing how to use "affect" and "effect" correctly? )

tommy... We cross-posted. My patty didn't even have the grill marks that yours did! That chicken sandwich looks really small. At least the sauce looks better than in the other pictures.

I have been known to enjoy the occasional FF sandwich. I agree with FG on the McDs chicken sandwiches even though, it there is a Chick-Fil-A around I will ead that direction. I few days ago, I drove through the new BK that just opened down the street from me. I was in a hurry and needed a quick bite before moving on to something else. I also had a hankerin' for a bacon cheeseburger. I thought I would give BK a shot, mentally thinking the "flame broiling" was the right direction for my current taste needs. What a dissappointment. When I got home with my bag of goodies, I opened the sandwich for a brief inspection and the addition of some pepper. I don't think that patty ever saw a flame or came within miles of a broiler. The bread was awful... too thin and weak in character to hold up to the mayo. ICK! I don't do FF burgers often but I don't remember BK being this bad. Has BK abandoned the flame broiler? Now, I am not inclined to give them a chance on a breakfast order. I would have, but since my McDs just down the street makes the best sausage biscuit in the city, I don't thind I will waste the calories.

You can add veggies if you wish. I have done that. You just have to really like pork fat. (BTW... I do!)

That made my morning! Have fun, you guys.

Be careful, Toliver. That is how eGCI got started.

Cool. Many thanks for taking the time to post that. My next trip will be enriched.

A well marbled piece of pork cries out for a long, slow cook. If you don't have a smoker, I would suggest putting it in one of those Reynold's baking bags and giving it a go at 225 for a good long time. Season it liberally with salt and pepper and maybe poke some garilic in there. Sage and rosemary are welcome additions. Maybe pour a little white wine or beer into the bag. You want it to get to the "pulled pork" stage where all of the fat has rendered and the collagen has broken down to gelatin.

Uncooked veggies also have compounds that are toxic, carcenogenic, and can lock up vital nutrients. See Steingarten. Moderation, folks. Moderation.

Varmint... I do hope you will have pictures, starting with the brining process, for those of us stuck in the hinterlands.

Ooooo... I am headed for Ireland in a couple of weeks. I will be on the lookout for these.

A bunch of us engineering geeks are in Mexico City. We get a couple of cabs to take us around. Having hit several questionable establishments for the purpose of studying the properties of tequila in its native habitat, we are roaring through the city. We ended up at a restaurant that supposedly has the best soups in the city. I think I remember having a truly excellent chicken soup. Luckily, the restaurant was across the street from our hotel. Our cab drivers were truly guardian angels. The meeting the next morning was memorable. We attributed our "success" (for showing up) to that chicken soup.

I can't see the photo either. Really cool web site. Next time I am in Vancouver I will definitely be there.

I know of your temptation, Chad. I have seen similar deals and thought about it. I just can't do it due to other commitments. Damn! I think I will smoke a pork butt this weekend in commemoration of the pig pickin' and continue to lurk here for vicarious experiences.

In David Rosengarten's Q&A, I asked about his baked chicken slathered with goose fat. He proclaimed that he had a revelation when he did that in a convection oven. I can understand why that might make a difference.

What I think you are not getting is that the alternatives in suburbia are not there. I live in suburban Houston. In the Bay Area to be exact. If I wanted to exercise an option for a Chinese or Thai or taqueria option I would have to travel at least 25 miles into the inner city. There are a few places that can dish out a pho or other options but they are limited and inconvenient. That is the reality for those of us in "fly-over country".

When I have found especially juicy and fresh ginger or galanga at my Asian market, I have peeled it and sliced it up and put it into rice wine vinegar and stored it in the fridge. The sherry sounds like a great option. I think I will get a big jar so I can mooch the sherry.

I have to confess that I didn't even know there was such a thing as sesame leaves used as an ingredient. that is fascinating. (I just had an alarming realization. I don't know what a sesame plant even looks like. Going googling.)

Uuuummm... Translations please? I go to Hawaii a lot and I still don't have a clue as to what most of these things are.

Bravo caroline! I agree with everything you said. And I haven't even had a scotch. (I am eyeing that bottle of rum, though.) What I keep getting out of this thread is (and maybe I am mis-reading) that RB has taken a somewhat extreme (IMHO) position with CC. A step in the right direction? Maybe. Will it feed the world? Probably not. Is it realistic for the masses? I doubt it. Do the masses care? Even more doubtful. But he has taken that position. That makes his BK endorsement somewhat questionable. Hell... I like some of the things Taco Bell makes. And I am famous for being in love with McD's sausage and biscuit and I don't feel that I have committed a moral lapse. What does dismay me is that someone who has taken a really strong position (whether I agree with it or not) seems to betray all that he stands for. That is disingenuous. And the commercial is just plain misleading. If his letter had said something like... "I know that the BK introduction doesn't adhere to my principles but I think it is a step in the right direction so I will support it because I know that strict adherance to those principles is unrealistic for the mass market. You have to start somewhere." I could respect that kind of statement.

Well, after all these years I now know about what to do about the seeds. I have to get back into these things. They are soooooo pretty!

Right now, the only way out that I can see is for RB to say something like... "I really shouldn't have done that." Then donate the money to one of his causes. (Damn... That picture is worse the second time around.)

Check out this thread on lard: Click And another: Click again I am wondering why you are straining the lard. Check out the lard making techniques in the threads.

Add another 3 for me. That Wolfert slow cooking book got me. And then that damned "people who bought this also bought..." caused me to add another 2 Wolfert books to my collection.

Oooo... Oooo... My favorite thing. Now that summer is coming to an end, well in a couple of months here in the Gulf Coast, I can really get back into my "pots of things". Always, around Thanksgiving, there has to be a pot of gumbo. And chile of course. I just finished the last of a really nice batch of red beans. I love long simmered pots! I store the end result in the freezer either in the deli containers that I get at the restaurant supply or in freezer ziplocs. I like to do the ziplocs in single servings, squeezing the air out and freezing flat on a baking sheet. A few minutes in a bowl of hot water and they thaw in no time. My other favorite is slow braising or smoking some hunk of protein. Pork is the all time favorite. I store the portions of meat in foil packets in a large ziploc in the freezer. A few minutes in the DeLonghi convection oven and I have the start of dinner. (I don't like nuked meat.)