jeniac42

You can buy wine in grocery stores here (Ohio). Most of them have terrible selections, but places like Giant Eagle and The Andersons seem to have a decent assortment of low- to mid-priced bottles. They also have someone assigned to work just in the wine area who can help you out a bit; kind of like a wine store, only... less so. Of course, they (like many of the places I've been to around here) tend to stock a lot of California wines, a fair number of Australian wines, and very little French, German, or Italian.

Well, my failure to consume Jaeger is no longer true. Last night (hey, it was a rough night on the floor, right?) I had a Jaegerbomb, which as I recall - and the details are fuzzy here, since I'd had, well, I probably shouldn't detail everything because it's kind of frightening - was some "beer", maybe Bud Light, and a shot of Jaeger. It kind of did taste like Dr. Pepper, but again, I wasn't in a state to judge, really. And lemme tell ya - waiting tables hung over ain't no fun. Smilin' through the pain, that's what it's all about. Smilin' through the pain.

USDA meat labelling information. So I guess the answer is that possibly, technically McNuggets don't have mechanically separated meat, although there might just not be enough calcium somehow for it not to require labelling.

Can you tell us the gist of the article? I can't find it online.

True about the pricing, but the White Meat McNuggets are (according to an article I read in the Dispatch - registration possibly impossible, but there you have it) a test market item and only available in Columbus and NYC. The Ohio pricing is set at $1, but the article didn't give NYC pricing. It also didn't mention any new sauces. I suspect the ingredient list on the McD's website is, therefore, inaccurate for the new-wave McNuggets. But yeah - anti-foaming?!

Lucky Central Ohioans can try the new White Meat McNuggets for only $1 (ish, for five, so I guess that sixth McNugget is really expensive). I have not done so as yet; reading the Sysco catalog with USDA descriptions of what is and is not allowed to be in various types of ground beef has kind of put me off the fast food for a while. And I haven't even read Fast Food Nation yet (it's next to the bed; just have to work up the stomach). Anyway, in the ad I believe they said that "White Meat" includes chicken skin, too.

Actually, Band-Aids might be the best word to describe the scent. I've got half the bottle left at home so maybe I'll give it another go tonight and swirl it around more this time. Will report back later; anticipate Smell-O-Vision transmission at approximately 9pm EST.

I have, horrifyingly, been known to drink and enjoy rum and coke or Jack and Coke, or even Jack and ginger. Or a 7&7. Or things like Buttery Nipples and Irish Carbombs. I have, to date, avoided drinking Jaegermeister. I'll try pretty much anything once. One day I had small amounts of amaretto, Chambord, vanilla Stoli, and heavy cream in the house. To be fair, I'd been drinking before I decided that mixing them together would be a good idea. It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds, but I won't say it was good. Pickle juice and vodka(?!) And I've had gin and Dew. No good. And thanks a lot for the gin and juice. Now it's stizzuck in my hizzead.

Count me as another female gin-drinker. We usually have Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater in the house. Most of the subtleties of alcoholic beverages are still lost on me. Perhaps tonight I should pick up some Tanqueray and... oh, I don't know, some other gin, and do a taste test to see if I can name any of the flavors. And some Campari. I've never broken down and bought any before but someone said "bitter" and I'm all about that right now (been enjoying the Pelligrino Chinotto soda far too much recently). Edited to add: I think gin-drunk is my favorite drunk of all. Doesn't hurt the way wine does when you've had too much.

So basically, it would be really, blindingly obvious that it was bad? I don't know about bananas or bubble gum. It was more like rubber or motor vehicle emission. Maybe it's just mineral-y somehow? Stupidity revealed below: I think Moulin-A-Vent is a Beaujolais too, right? If not, this is (I think) the first Beaujolais I've had, so it could be something that's meant to be there. This is just the first wine I've encountered since I started drinking wine more seriously that was really off-putting in a way. But I really, really like the underlying flavor, so maybe I'll buy another bottle from a different shop and compare.

I would probably just simmer it with the lid off for ages to evaporate the liquid out, but that may or may not be a good strategy (I've never had it with so much liquid it wouldn't evaporate down in a reasonable amount of time). If it's really separated maybe you could just pour off the watery part?

OK, so the other day I bought a bottle of Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais-Villages (I think it's a 2001 but don't quote me on that). Opened it up, poured a glass, and sat down to drink it. I noticed a smell that I haven't encountered before on a wine, but I don't know much (as stated many times). So I drank some, and I mostly like the flavor, but there's this weird almost latex-like smell that kind of ruins the taste for me. So I'm not sure if I got a bad bottle here, or if that's just a characteristic of the wine, or what. I know it's hard to diagnose this kind of thing online, but just generally: How do you know if a wine's gone off (not just that you don't like the taste/smell)?

I'm way not a wine expert, but here are the things I have done to get started. First, I think Wine for Dummies is actually a pretty good book in terms of giving you the fundamentals and a good basis to go from. I still need to buy a copy (I read the restaurant's copy and find I've forgotten a lot of things and would like to be able to look them up). Second, just start drinking some wines. If you go into a wine shop with decent staff, a lot of times they can point you in the direction of something they like, personally, and you can find out if you like it or not. Then the next time you go in, you can tell them what you thought and they can direct you further. Restaurants with staff that are knowledgeable about wine can serve the same purpose, although your wallet will probably take more of a hit that way. The thing that's actually taught me the most about wine is working in a restaurant that sells it. We don't have a sommelier or anything, but we do have wine tastings for the staff every other week or so, where our wine reps come in and talk about the wines a little bit, what foods we could pair them with, etc. I feel like I know a thousand times more about wine than I used to. I don't know if there's any situation that can compare to this without actually taking a job in a restaurant that has a similar training program, but someone who knows more about wine can probably say. Before I start this list, allow me to point out that my wine descriptions are not great yet. I have a hard time tasting the fruits I'm "supposed" to and even frequently confuse dry wines with lighter ones; mostly all I can do is tell you whether I like something or not. I'm working on that, but meantime, take any descriptions below with a grain of salt beyond my personal enjoyment level. I also don't remember vintages. Just as a reference point, here are some of the wines we sell a lot of (mostly our by-the-glass stuff) and people seem to like: - Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay (apparently the most popular Chardonnay in the US; I used to like it a lot more than I do now) - Beringer White Zin (it's not going to wrestle with your palate any) - Jekel Riesling (used to be my favorite wine; it's a little sweet so you might like it) - Columbia Crest Merlot (eh) and Cabernet Sauvignon (eh) - Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon (haven't had this in a long time so I don't remember) Some wines that I have really liked quite a lot recently: - Pascal Jolivet Sancerre (white) - Murphy-Goode Liar's Dice Zinfandel (red) - Louis Latour Cote de Beaune (red) - Georges DuBoeuf Moulin-A-Vent (red) - Banfi Brachetto d'Acqui Rosa Regale (sparkling, pretty sweet red - try this one, it's neat) - Wild Horse Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - Cambria Pinot Noir I used to hate all wine. Then I hated anything that wasn't white zin or riesling. Then I hated only red wines. Now I like them. Who knew? Maybe someday I'll get it all figured out..! Oh, I had 2 glasses of the K-J chard last night and have to say that by the end of the second I was pretty convinced I no longer enjoy this wine at all.

Of course, if all the cooks smoke, well, where are you then? I also think that feedback from customers (as to whether something is overseasoned or whatever) would make its way to the kitchen and chefs might adjust accordingly. I don't know, though, having never worked in a kitchen that actually prepares anything.

Thanks for the links to those other threads, nightscotsman. As someone else said, a lot of frightening and exciting information to be had there. I was 100% sure until fairly recently that I wanted to work on the savory side of the kitchen, and that I didn't have the patience for pastry. I'm not as sure anymore, as I learn more about pastry and it looks more and more interesting to me. The more I read on this board, the less inclined I feel to go to culinary school. I had originally been considering something like the CIA or NECI, but I don't feel like I have 2 years to spend on a program like that. Columbus State has a program that largely consists of externships with a little classroom time (and from what I hear, it's cheap), but the problem is that I have yet to visit a restaurant here where I was bowled over by the perfection of it all - so it doesn't seem like that would be very worthwhile for me. I guess the FCI is still a consideration, but the expense is certainly way up there. I've only worked in one restaurant, and it's set up a little funny (being a fondue place, there isn't much cooking of any sort going on in the back), but I love it. And I'm sure, right now, that this is what I want to do. I'm afraid the enthusiasm will wear off - I remember being so excited about computer science, and the theory of it is still very interesting to me. The disillusionment came when I hit the real world and discovered that the jobs available to me were more like factory work than anything. And I think that could be true in kitchens as well, but I read about chefs and pastry chefs who are dedicated and devoted and want to do things the right way. That's what I want to do. That's who I want to work for. And I like to think I could do it, and be good at it. (Of course, the other advantage food has, for me, is that I've always been obsessed with it, and that hasn't worn off yet; fortunately my taste has gotten better - when I was four I suggested, after watching a Julia Child show, that we stuff a fish filet with canned tuna and bake it - mmmm.) I think I'm at a point where I need to do something real, because I've read everything I can find about what it's like to work in the business, and I still think I can do it. I mean, I've already given up my weekends, nights, and holidays. I have two jobs and, until Sunday, hadn't had a day off in five weeks. I go into the restaurant on my days off to help out where I can and to see how things are because it's pretty much taken over my life, even when I'm in the office. But the closest I've gotten to working the line is expediting and a little bit of prep, and that's not quite enough. I consider myself lucky that my husband is supportive of my doing this and understands (at least in theory) that he will end up a "restaurant widow". I guess most of the reason I'm sitting here writing all this out is that I'm frustrated because, financially, I cannot quit my job right this very minute and go find a restaurant job somewhere. I just hope it happens within the year....

I'm throwing in my underinformed 2 cents just to remind myself of what I learned last Sunday, and to do a sort of fact check (i.e. if you know this is wrong/misguided please let me know). We had a wine tasting for the restaurant with one of our reps and tasted the 1998 Franciscan Magnificat, which, as I recall, consists largely of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. He explained to us that part of the reason '98 is considered a "bad" year for California wines is that the weather was pretty cruddy and then it rained right at harvest time. Apparently growers who sell their grapes to different winemakers are paid the same price/lb regardless of grape quality so there was nothing to be gained by waiting the rain out, but Franciscan took a chance and left the grapes on the vine and the rain cleared up within a week, so the fruit wasn't as saturated with water and the wine came out better. Vrai ou faux?

Oh, and on another point (I hope I'm not appropriating this topic too far away): Am I too old to be doing this? At 23, I wouldn't think so, but %some of the reply in the Grant Achatz thread worried me.% I mean, it takes a while to get stuff under your belt but I'd hate to be unable to work in great kitchens because of age. Excuse me while I look around for justification of getting out of the IT business before I have all my bills paid off...

Yeah, just to be clear, I'm under the impression that the day-to-day work sucks pretty hard most of the time. But at least the underlying thing (food) is something I care about, whereas, say, banking or shipping are not. I'm trying to decide whether to quit my serving job and try instead to work a few nights a week in an Actual Kitchen, although it might be hard, since my day job hours tend to overlap slightly with dinner shift hours.

Wow. I just wanted to say I'm very glad I stumbled across this thread. It's given me a lot to think about. I've been torn for a while over whether I should go to culinary school or just work in restaurants. The information here makes me think that working my way up is a better way to go; but then, if everyone else is getting a diploma, might that not become a de facto requirement to work in fine dining places? I mean, if you've got all these graduates willing to work for $8/hour because they can't find anything better, why would you employ someone without a piece of paper from a school? (That's slightly overstating things, but it's a concern I have.) What I haven't been able to figure out yet, in spite of reading a lot about it, is just how hard it is to break into the business without going to school. I think that's something I'd have to try to do myself to really understand it. I mean, I already see, just from waiting tables, that I have a few connections in the Columbus restaurant scene; I can only imagine that working in a kitchen would be the same way, and networking's good, right? I'm one of those bored IT people. I hate doing what I'm doing, and I want to cook. (Of course, now I'm not sure if pastry might be something I'd want to do... oh, decisions). I harbor no delusions that I will ever make as much in a restaurant as I do right now as a computer consultant type. But I think that if you're doing something for 12 hours a day it should at least not cause you to want to gouge your eyes out 99% of the time. I've tried the work is for money thing and it makes me miserable, which perhaps reflects poorly on me, but I'd like to try doing something I love. I have, of course, the idealistic notion of someday owning a restaurant, or at least working for one, where quality and principles and what have you are of the utmost importance. I am a perfectionist at heart and, to give some example, have been known to go in on my free time and clean the restaurant I currently work in for not much financial return. OK, I've started just rambling now, so I think I'll cut myself off for the time being....

Wow. I thought I was finally starting to get the hang of wine and then I read a thread in this forum and it really hits me how much I've got left to learn! (Not a bad thing, mind you.) Just out of curiosity, is the Brachetto mentioned (and sorry if this was stated explicitly; I've had a little Moulin-A-Vent this evening and am rather sleepy) by any chance the Banfi Brachetto d'Acqui, Rosa Regale (or something like)? I tasted that last week and liked it. I'm definitely going to use some of the recommendations from this thread. The main thing that's stopped me from trying more sweet wines is the fact that they are a) hard to find around here and b) kind of expensive. But with recommendations I'm sure I can order some through our wine reps.

Spreads are great (I love olive-based spreads). I tend to look through How to Cook Everything and a few other books for ideas, and I'd love to hear some new ones. Luckily I have a fridge at work so I can keep my egg salad cold. I wouldn't want to eat it if it sat out all morning... *shudder*

Would that maybe be the lambic ales? I've (apparently) never had a real one, just a Lindeman's that we sell at the restaurant (supposedly much sweeter than the real thing; still pretty good though). We have Kriek and Framboise, and I've also tried a Cassis elsewhere.

Does anyone know what the difference between hamantaschen and rugelach is? I grew up eating what I now label "rugelach", being a cookie with a cream cheese dough and apricot or nut filling. We didn't really have a name for them but they seemed to be pretty commonplace in Pittsburgh (along with a few other things, like pirogi, that maybe aren't so common elsewhere - my husband had never even had a pirogi at all until he met me, let alone eating them in the school cafeteria...).

I generally pack my sandwich components separately to avoid sogginess (does this make me hopeless?), so that shouldn't be a problem. The meatloaf is a good idea (and believe me, I've done it), but what I want is things that are pretty complicated that either reheat well or make good sandwiches. An example of something not terribly complex, but fun enough to take up some time on a weeknight: Bake bread (using bread machine), make mayonnaise, boil eggs, make egg salad, and take that as a sandwich the next day. Or maybe some type of roasted meat to throw on some bread, but that's not very complex either. I like broccoli slaw which involves lots of chopping, for example. Don't ask me if I'm making any sense, it's been a long week

How does one (being, shall we say, not employed as a chef) go about finding somewhere to buy these high-end chocolates? I'm not opposed to mailorder but if I could find something local (Columbus, OH) I'd be happy. I know where I can get Callebaut and Scharffen Berger, but have never laid eyes on Valrhona, etc. (Would you believe they had a story in the local paper a few weeks back with a chocolate tasting, but no sources? Grrr.) I'm not exactly God's gift to baking (don't have the patience) but I do like to play around every now and again.