slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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This is very hard to say, because cooking styles and needs change so much between users. Many people, for example, will likely mention a wok whereas I don't have one and don't feel a need to acquire one.
For me, they are:
12" chef's knive
Paring knive
End-grain cutting board
Several heat-proof rubber spatulas
Several wooden spoons
Apex spatula
1 small saucepan - straight gauge
1 medium sized tall saucepan - heavy disk bottom
1 large stockpot with pasta insert - heavy disk bottom
1 large (11" or more) saute pan or curved sauteuse evasee - heavy disk bottom
1 11" frypan - straight gauge
1 11" nonstick frypan -- straight gauge
1 large enameled cast iron casserole
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Um... all of them?
There is something about making a meal where the primary focus is something other than making the food taste great that tends to produce... well food that doesn't taste great. The only low-whatever meals that are actually good are those where the low carb/fat/calorie/whatever-ness is incidental.
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Oy. That sounds horrible. I guess I've been lucky in this regard. I don't have any relatives outside my immediate family (my parents are both only children) and my friends who do entertain (which are precious few) can generally cook pretty well.
My one golden rule about eating at someone else's house is that I will at least make a show of eating a little of whatever they're serving -- even if it's something I absolutely despise, like eggplant. When I was a little gigantic eyeball, I used to spend the night at my best friend's house fairly frequently. Breakfast was always very wet, runny scrambled eggs. Yuck! I can remember my friend's mother remarking to mine that I was such a light eater. My mother kept her mouth shut... but just barely.
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Oh my GOD, mags! That is one of the funniest airport stories I have ever heard!
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Or, think about it this way. If a friend in Milano wanted some corned beef, which do you think would be better: 1. imported American corned beef bought in a Milanese specialty market; or 2. corned beef from Katz's that you hand-schlepped on the plane?
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I can see this as being a new fancy restaurant term: "Do you like the chopped liver? You know, it was hand-schlepped."
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My point is that Bayless' expertise and experience greatly lowers the "misguided" threshold. If RJ Reynolds paid me to do an advertisement for a 'step in the right direction low tar cigarette' -- that would be me being misguided. If, on the other hand, RJ Reynolds paid a tobacco industry critic and antismoking campaigner to do the same advertisement -- well, that crosses the line from "misguided" into something more.
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Matthew, at some point you just see enough evidence that you can no longer believe someone's explanation at face value
At one point one might say: "Hey, maybe that actor was just misguided when he did those 'low tar' cigarette ads. Maybe he really does think that even lower tar is a 'step in the right direction,' and he just made a mistake." But, at another point one has to say, "Wait a minute... this isn't just an actor we're talking about. This is a guy who doesn't allow smoking in his movies. This is a guy who has read all the research on tobacco-related cancer. This guy has been speaking out against the evils of the tobacco industry. This guy has been involved in media, and he knows how brand avertising works. This guy knew what he was getting himself into."
That is the point I have reached with Bayless. I'm not attributing any intentions to Bayless. There are any number of motivations he could have had for doing it. I'm just saying that I don't believe his half-baked after-the-fact explanations. What I attribute to Bayless is saying "yes" to a big wad of money from a company that he knew stood for everything his expressed core values stand against. That fact seems inescapable to me. I'm not saying that other people don't do the same thing every day. I'm not saying you or I wouldn't do the same damn thing. But, by God, I am not going to pretend it's something else just because I think Bayless is a good guy who has done some things for food -- both of which are things I think.
As I have said before, Bayless worked hard to put himself in the public eye as the embodiment of a certain set of principles. Bayless isn't stupid or naive, and I refuse to accept that he didn't understand something we all appear to grasp with ease. He did something that any person in his position with his experience and knowledge would understand went against those principles. The piper is being paid in the appropriate currency: public perception.
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I have a friend who took back a cryovaced Prosciutto di San Danielle in his bags. That thing was damn tasty.
At some point I do think it has to do with freshness. But it also has to do with the ubiquity of those ingredients in their regions of origin. Parmigiano Reggiano is practically falling from the trees in Reggio-Emilia. As a result, she probably started off with really kick ass cheese to begin with. Same thing for the Darjeeling tea. I think the point can also be made that hand-schlepping is much easier on the product than, say, container ship-schlepping or overnight FedEx-schlepping. That said, I wonder whether the cheese wouldn't be just as good if you called up the same place in Reggio-Emilia, got the same guy to pick out a really good Parmigiano Reggiano, carefully package it and send it to you via FedEx (which would, of course, take more than 24 hours what with customs, etc.).
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Who knows what has gone on the mind of Rick Bayless?
He has stated that he believes that he did something worthwhile. That provides some clues.
Sorry, I don't buy this. Are you suggesting that people never do things for one reason and then try to claim that it was for a different reason? Or that people don't conceal their true motivation for doing certain things? I would suggest that people do this all the time.
I'm saying that we don't know.
Are you ready to claim that you know what goes on in Rick Bayless' mind?
I'm saying that every scrap of evidence we have before us leads leads one inevitably to the reasonable conclusions that A) Bayless knew exactly what he was getting himself into, as indeed would most anyone having far less depth of media and publicity experience than he; and B) his after the fact explanations are disingenuous and not to be taken at face value, especially given his thorough and amply demonstrated knowledge in all the areas relevant to the transaction.
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Who knows what has gone on the mind of Rick Bayless?
He has stated that he believes that he did something worthwhile. That provides some clues.
Sorry, I don't buy this. Are you suggesting that people never do things for one reason and then try to claim that it was for a different reason? Or that people don't conceal their true motivation for doing certain things? I would suggest that people do this all the time.
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Well... of course they aren't. Everyone knows what was in it for BK. But I think this speaks directly to the main points of contention in this thread with respect to Bayless and what was in it for him.
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and sam is right.
i don't think their marketing tactics are much different than other companies who rely on brand awareness. ... but these new sandwiches are not the first of their kind. i'll bet that you won't see them on the menu in a few years, just as all of the products that have been introduced and pulled over the years.Ah, but this is the heart of the matter. You understand this. I understand this. Probably most of the people on eGullet understand this. So, shouldn't we suppose that Bayless, who is after all much more experienced in media than we, also understood this when he took BK's money?
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... You then have boneless/skinless chicken breasts to sauté, skinless thighs to sauté or braise and skinless drumsticks to braise (cut off the knuckle first, as this improves the texture of the meat) and bones you can freeze for later stockmaking....
What is the "knuckle" and how does removing it improve the texture of the flesh?
The knuckle is the joint at the skinny end of the drumstick (the end not connected to the thigh). If you cut this off (chop the end of the bone off at that end), it allows the meat to naturally contract a little as it cooks. If you braise it, you end up with something like a little chicken "ossobuco." This seems to have the effect of making the texture of drumstick meat more thigh-like rather than that characteristic (and unpleasant, to me) drumstick texture I think it may have to do with the way the muscles and tendons are arranged, kind of stretched out over the length of the drumstick. If you don't cut the tendons down by the knuckle, the meat stays stretched out and is not able to contract (which is meat's natural reaction to heat), with the result being that slightly dry, mealy texture.
Try it some time. Make a braised chicken dish using just drumsticks where you leave some drumsticks whole and chop the knuckle off others. I bet you'll notice a difference.
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So the ads are all about building brand awareness for BK and influencing the nature of that brand awareness. This kind of avertising is a very subtle thing, and I think what they want is for potential customers to think, at least subconsciously, "hey, BK isn't so bad for a fast food place... they've got those new sandwiches that don't seem that dangerous... I think I'll stop in there for lunch today." Then they end up buying a Whopper anyway.
you have a valid point. but you also seem to have little faith in consumers and in Bayless. not to mention burger king. that's not to say your suspicions are wrong, but, you know.
I don't think it's a matter of faith. It's a matter of understanding how advertising and brand marketing works. And this is how it works. Many times, a company will heavily promote a certain car or sandwich or whatever... not necessarily because they think their advertisements will sell a zillion cars or sandwiches. It's all about building brand awareness and imparting a targeted impression to a certain demographic.
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Uh, Sam, you mean maybe gribenes?
We goyim with roots in the South call them "cracklings."
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Interestingly, I've never really had a bad experience at Fairway...
Obviously you're one of the troublemakers, then!
For some strange reason, I seem to have a very good instinctive sense of crowd traffic dynamics (probably helped me as a running back). So whereas some people often find themselves at Fairway standing in a spot where every single person coming around a corner bumps into an arm, I am somehow able to understand that no one will bump into me if I stand just 6 inches to the left. I am also able to weave my way through a thick crowd very quickly.
I am constantly amazed at how poor the average person's understanding of crowd traffic dynamics can be. All these people who stop at the top of a crowded stairway to look around; those who run into a subway car, stand directly in the doorway and then bristle when the 15 people behind bump into them on their way in; those who walk onto an escalator and block the left hand side where people are walking up; those who stand in large groups chatting in the middle of a Broadway sidewalk and seem incredulous at the people brushing by and walking through their coversation, etc. I don't think it's because they're stupid (although clearly this is the case with some of them). I think it's because some people look at these situations and automatically sense the way the crowd is flowing, but not these people.
I've thought about this recently because I have friends who are constantly having people bump into them in the grocery store, on the street, in subway stations, etc. whereas it hardly ever happens to me.
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Interestingly, I've never really had a bad experience at Fairway... and I shop there at least twice a week on a regular basis. FWIW, I never, ever use a cart.
Part of the pushing and shoving problems at Fairway and Zabar's, I think, has to do with the fact that they're just way more crowded than the comparable establishments during peak hours (Fairway is a delight during off-hours). I've been in all the usual suspects (Vinegar Factory, Eli's, Agata & Valentina, Grace's, East Side Citarella, Dean & Deluca,West Side Market, etc.) during peak hours, and they just don't compare to Fairway in terms of people-per-square-yard. Nothing in Manhattan comes even close to Fairway the day before Thanksgiving.
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I haven't used it, but you can see some nicely detailed specifications here.
>snip<
These are very good, if not great specifications. In general, top commercial lines like Sitram Profiserie and Pagerno Grand Gourmet feature a thicker aluminum base and a heavier body. That said, if you feel it is important to have an absolutely edge-to-edge disk bottom (which I don't feel it vital in most applications) then this line might be very attractive if the price is right.
I am happy to read that you approve of Scanpan Steel.
Well... I wouldn't say I'm 100% behind it. The specifications are interesting, if not first rate. But whether or not it is worth it largely depends on price. Looking at price, we see that Amazon is selling a 2.5 quart Scanpan Steel saucepan with lid for 80 bucks on sale. Bridger Kitchenware sells a 2.3 quart Paderno Grand Gourmet saucepan without lid for 64 dollars and a 6.25" Paderno Grand Gourmet lid for 15 dollars for a grand total of 79 dollars. So they're around the same size and around the same price.
So, what are the pros and the cons of the two pans in terms of functionality? The Scanpan pan has an aluminum base that is the same diameter of the pan, supposedly covering the entire base of the pan (although this is technically impossible, as I explain in my eCGI class in the sections on disk-bottom designs). On the other side of the coin, the Paderno pan has a heavier body and a significantly thicker aluminum base at 7 mm opposed to Scanpan's 5 mm aluminum base. Furthermore, if you already happen to have a 6.25" lid, or if you don't think you'll need to use a lit on that pan, you can save yourself 15 dollars on the price of the pan.
Personally, for this pan I'd choose Paderno Grand Gourmet for the heavier body and thicker thermal base. That said, the prices and specifications are close enough that choosing Scanpan Steel here wouldn't be a terrible choice.
You think Paderno Grand Gourmet is expensive? I think it's one of the most reasonably priced lines available.The reason why I think Paderno Grand Gourmet is more expensive is because I plan on buying about 10 -13 pieces. So a set would be the best way to go. And Paderno GG doesn't come in any sets. Therefore, in order for me to aquire any, I have to buy them individually.
You want to replace pans you already have but are unsatisfied with, right? I gathered from your earlier post that you were not currently entirely without cookware. Assuming this is the case, I would caution you against buying a set and trying to replace everything at once. This is for several reasons:
- There is no one cookware design that works best for all cooking applications. If you buy a set, you will effectively be spending big money on a couple of pieces that aren't the best design. For example, if you get a set of Scanpan Steel, you'll end up with a disk-bottom frypan.
- If you replace all your cookware at once, you won't have the opportunity to examine your cooking needs and practices to determine what the best kind of cookware might be for each specific cooking task you want to perform. For example, many sets come with a 9.5" sauté pan. You may find that you don't really use a sauté pan much (most American home cooks don't). Or, if you're like me, you may find that a 9.5" sauté pan is too small to be particularly useful. In these cases, you have wasted money on that pan.
- Most of the time, you don't need to have high-end cookware for every pot and pan in your battery. For example, inevitably you will find that some saucepans are used mostly for boiling water, steaming vegetables and that kind of thing. There is no reason to spend money on a piece of cookware used for these purposes.
- You will end up missing out on some of the big sales where you might get some great high-end stuff at a ridiculous discount. For example, a 1 quart All-Clad Stainless saucepan for 17 bucks, or if you want more aluminum, you can get the same size saucepan in ALl-Clad LTD for 20 bucks. Or maybe you want a frypan... you can get a 7.5" All-Clad LTD frypan for 20 bucks. Want something bigger, maybe in nonstick? You can get a 12" Calphalon Commercial Nonstick frypan for 20 bucks -- 85% off the retail price.
This, to me, means that cookware sets are not the great deals they appear to be.
And [Paderno Grand Gourmet pans] will cost a lot more since I need lids
! I do prefer glass lids more but none of the good stainless steel cookware w/out riveted handles come with glass lids.Actually, compared to Scanpan Steel, this does not appear to be the case.
I'm curious as to why you prefer non-riveted handles and glass lids. I couldn't care less whether the handles are riveted, and find that most of the heavier cookware does have riveted handles. As for glas lids, I think they're asking for trouble in the long run. I know I've never dropped a metal lid on the floor and had it break into a million pieces.
Personally, I prefer a straight gauge frypan over a disk bottom frypan. That leaves out Sitram, Paderno and Demeyere Apollo. Demeyere makes good ones for the Sirocco line, although extremely expensive. For that money, you might as well get copper. For less money you might also seek out a good deal on an All-Clad MasterChef frypan. Or, really, think about getting a nice carbon steel or black steel frypan if you don't think you'll be putting a lot of acid into it. You can't beat it for the price.And how are their frying pans?
Ummm, I was actually referring to Sitram Profiserie's frying pans. Should I stick with non-stick frying pans? I will mainly use it for eggs.
Right... that's what I was saying. I wouldn't recommend any of the Sitram frypans, any of the Paderno frypans or Demeyere Apollo frypans because they employ a disk bottom design. I think a straight gauge (i.e., same thickness and deployment of thermal marterials on the entire piece of cookware) design is best for frypans.
If you want a pan mostly for cooking eggs, you could do a lot worse than the Calphalon Commercial nonstick pan I referenced above. That said, 12" may be way too big for your use. If you want a smaller pan for eggs, I would recommend picking up a carbon steel or black steel omelette pan. They are sized according to the number of eggs they are designed to cook (i.e., a 2 egg pan, a 3 egg pan, etc.) and are cheap enough that you can easily afford to have one or more of these pans reserved exclusively for egg cooking.
Is it possible to add additional info about lids and handles on the cookware guide? They are determining factors on selecting cookware. NO?I don't think that the lid or handle designs contribute meaningfully to the performance of the pan (except in special cases such as an enameled cast iron casserole, and in those cases there is no meaningfull difference between manufacturers).
- There is no one cookware design that works best for all cooking applications. If you buy a set, you will effectively be spending big money on a couple of pieces that aren't the best design. For example, if you get a set of Scanpan Steel, you'll end up with a disk-bottom frypan.
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Quick... register with Falk Culinair instead!
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I agree, mainly because that's what I said back on page 41, except you said it much better and with more words.
More words, unfortunately, would appear to be my calling card. But I would never presume to say it better than you, kind sir.
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My actual feeling-- and one of the reason I condemn Bayless for going along with it -- is that BK introduced these sandwiches and the promotions by Bayless, Raye, et al. not necessarily because they thought they would be selling a lot of them and making money from it. I am sure that their core money makers are and will continue to be burgers, fries and soft drinks. Rather, I think it's all about BK seeing which way the wind was blowing in terms of the public perception of fast food establishments and health. So the ads are all about building brand awareness for BK and influencing the nature of that brand awareness. This kind of avertising is a very subtle thing, and I think what they want is for potential customers to think, at least subconsciously, "hey, BK isn't so bad for a fast food place... they've got those new sandwiches that don't seem that dangerous... I think I'll stop in there for lunch today." Then they end up buying a Whopper anyway. This is just like the car manufacturers that run tons of television ads about their new "hemi" engine (whatever that is) in order to further the notion that they offer family cars with balls under the hood. The real effect of these campaigns is to confer that impression to the entire line of automobiles, not just the expensive "hemi" cars.
If BK discontinues or seriously ramps-down the new sandwiches in 6 - 9 months... mission accomplished. This is why I condemn Bayless somewhat for doing this endorsement. Whether he sought to do so or not, his face in BK commercials does have the net effect of helping BK sell more of the kind of food he has been campaining against.
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Well... it sounds like they are still going to be selling anodized aluminum cookware, just with some kind of schlocky nonstick surface treatment and a new brand name.
I hope they don't sell all their stuff with a nonstick coating. Am I the only one who really doesn't like nonstick?
I have always wondered why Calphalon didn't make a line that was anodized aluminum on the outside with an inner lining of stainless steel. If you look at this image on their site, the sauté pan looks like exactly that, but I can find no line that looks like that.
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Here is an idea:
If I were you, I would start buying and eating a lot of whole chickens. It has been noted here in the past that one can often buy a whole chicken for less cost than two boneless/skinless breasts. What you should do is take all the skin off of every chicken you buy, cut it into quarter-sized pieces and freeze it. Also, trim all the fat from the chickens you buy and toss that into the freezer bag with the skin. You then have boneless/skinless chicken breasts to sauté, skinless thighs to sauté or braise and skinless drumsticks to braise (cut off the knuckle first, as this improves the texture of the meat) and bones you can freeze for later stockmaking.
The morning of the dinner for your friends, put the frozen chicken skin and chicken fat into a saucepan with a heavy bottom over medium heat until the fat renders out and the skin is nice and crispy. Fish out the skin and sprinkle it with salt. You have just made chicken skin cracklings. You can set these aside to cool. Save the chicken fat.
When you make the mashed potatoes, substitute the rendered chicken fat for the butter you would normally use and fold in the crisp chicken cracklings immediately prior to serving.
Updating the Kitchen Essentials
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
Interesting. I could never do that, because I make too much pasta (need to have a pasta pot for that) and I cook too many things with an acidic component. That said, I could probably get by (albeit with constraints on what I could do) if I removed everything from my list but the chef's knife, a wooden spoon, a saute pan and a stock/pasta pot.