Chad

God bless you, Mr. Cutlets. Oh, you forgot hush puppies in the pantheon of approved sides. Yours in meat, Chad

When I'm stuck for stock, I fall back on the reduced stocks from More than Gourmet. I usually keep 16oz. tubs of their "Fond de Poulet" and "Demi-Glace Gold" in the fridge for just such emergencies. They work great for pan sauces, quick soups and just about anytime you'd need a stock but don't have one on hand. Good stuff. And they have duck fat! Whoo hooo! Nothing better than potatoes sauted in duck fat. Sorry for the digression, but these folks make good stuff. I can't detect the weird chemical flavors I've found in other pre-packaged stock reductions. Nice to have on hand. Chad

Or Bass-O-Matic. Indespensible kitchen tool. Almost as good as the floor wax that's also a dessert topping. Chad

Holy crap! The "Where Y'at" page is yours? Every time I try to explain New Orleans to someone, that's where I send them. Nice to have you here. And your apple vodka sounds great. I've never been a big vodka fan. Not enough there there, if you know what I mean. But apple infused vodka sounds pretty nifty. Might have to try that. Welcome. Chad

Oddly enough, Bobby Flay's Bold American Food. Great cookbook. Everything I've made has come out well. I find myself turning to it more than any of the others when I'm looking for new ideas or inspiration. Chad

How are they prepared? I don't think it's entirely inappropriate to call something that has been cooked slowly completely submerged in fat a "confit" -- although it is stretching the definition when the ingredient is not meat (technically, it is stretching the definition when it is not meat cooked in its' own fat, but that's really splitting hairs). There ya go. No meat. No fat. Slow simmering, certainly, but I don't think that defines a confit. What say y'all? Chad

So I think Schneider's recipe, like the one Helenas used in the thread she linked, is baked duck legs. Does Schneider claim that the legs can be stored as if they were non-revisionist confit? Thank you! I was wondering if I was insane (a distinct possibility) or simply ignorant (an even more distinct possibility). I keep seeing things called "confit" that contain neither meat nor fat. Just yesterday I was reading Gray Kunz's "Elements of Taste," and he has both a pickled lemon confit and a ginger confit. Both look more like chunky jams too me (with a little vinegar and they'd be chutneys, I believe). What gives? Is this another instance of a chef playing with a familiar term? Expanding its definition? The recipes are in the "pickles" section, so he might be referring to the "conserved" connotation of the word. Or is he just screwing with us? Chad

Peninsula Grill and Charleston Grill are both excellent choices. I also like 82 Queen, just down the street from Poogan's Porch. Had an excellent dinner there a couple of years ago. Very inviting. We sat in the open couryard, which was absolutely perfect. Menu, as I recall it (descriptions borrowed from their menu): App: Pulled Duck Quesadilla with caramelized onions, roasted peppers, green tomato relish and smoked gouda Entre: Grilled Lamb Loin Chops with blue cheese mashed potatoes, garlic wilted spinach and a raspberry port wine reduction Don't remember dessert. A little more than $100 per person, as I recall, and that was with much (much) wine. Has anyone else tried 82 Queen? Chad

Thank you for the compliment Chad, and for raising that important question, which I am happy to answer. Yes the beard is new, as I trim it, it regenerates so that it is completely replaced every 2 weeks or so. Always happy to provide the insightful and trenchant questions . Could one of y'all elaborate a little (or a lot) on this? I've read about the Baker's Percentage before, but don't know anything about it or how it's used. Thanks! Chad

Ah, but if you unthinkingly stuff them down a garbage disposal while cleaning a dozen fish or so and then turn the disposal on, they will spray a horrifying glurt of scales, blood and eyeballs all over the kitchen. Chad

Hey, that sounds great! Do you have a spare or just a friendly neighborhood black market cookbook dealer? "Psssst, buddy, you wanna buy a cookbook?" Chad

Grrrr. I think someone else in Wichita is playing along . . . and not playing fairly. I was at the library yesterday to check out J&J. I know they have it, I've borrowed it before. Not there. Check the computer -- the book has been reported as "lost." Hmmm Check Torres' "Dessert Circus." Also "lost." And with the same checkout/return dates as J&J. Bastard. Chad

All right, I now have samples of both Pringles and "original" Stax in-house. I will conduct a side-by-side comparison tomorrow. Uh, and if any of you works for Financial Advisor Resource, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers or American Business Journals, Inc. -- this is not why my article is late. Nuh uh. No sir. Chad

Simply amazing. Great job, folks. It's going to take a while to absorb all of this before I start asking questions. Chad ps: Andy, I like the beard. Is that new?

Ack, my bad. I just checked my "Larousse Encyclopedia of Wine." Looks like the northern Rhone ends just below Lyons, where the Burgundy region begins. Sorry 'bout that, folks. Still, it's a good bottle of wine. Chad

Damn you people, I don't need another cookbook -- at least one that my wife knows about. {sigh} I'm in. Go on about your business. I'll get a running start and jump on the merry-go-round when I'm up to speed. Truly, cool project guys. And Seth, try the E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone -- best $12 you'll spend this year. It's readily available, as far as I can tell. I like it better than Guigal's $30-40 Cotes Roti, Chateauneuf du Pape, etc. A good Burgundy bargain.

Matthew, would you be willing to do a full report once you've had a chance to play with it for a while? I suspect a lot of us are following this thread -- and secretly lusting after the 6001. Can we live vicariously through you? Passions, angsts, frustrations, revelations, we'll take 'em all. Chad

"Given that Mrs. Johnston is constitutionaly incapable of producing an edible green bean casserole, Mrs. Ferber has a washing fixation bordering on the compulsive and that neither couple can stand the other, our organization is hereby disbanded." Edwin Johnston, Recording Secretary. Minutes, New Rochelle Supper and Swing Club, 1871 Chad

Hmm, am I the only one who asks the waiter/waitress? When it's a toss up between two equally interesting things, I'll ask -- looking for either a straight answer or that fleeting half smile or lift of the eyebrow that says, "don't order that one today, it tastes like the chef's dog got sick in it." This only works in nicer restaurants. In mid-line & lower places, Tad (which the waitron is invariably named, male or female) will tell you what his/her favorite is, gushing enthusiastically while describing how he and his friends devoured a platter of it before doing the beer bong. sigh. Chad

There's a boat? Chad

3) Did I tell you, or what? It's the tassel, man. Women will get nasty for a man with a tassel. Chad

2) Dude, will you cheer up! We've got food. We've got wine. We've got naked chicks. Will you stop being so fuckin' morose all the time.

The long-winded stories will have to wait a little. Let's start with a couple of captions: 1) Pull my finger Chad

Damn, Jack, another great lesson. Do you not sleep? A quick question. In the plum section you say to add ". . . hot water to cover the tops by at least one inch." But the water in the pot doesn't seem to cover the tops of the jars. Could just be the angle of the photo. Can I assume you mean the tops of the jars? Or is it simply enough water to reach the tops of the contents of the jars? Thanks! Chad

Okay, no one has mentioned the most salient point yet. The wheel on the no-theft carts locks when you pass an electronic barrier. BFD! When was the last time you used a grocery cart that didn't have at least one wheel that locked up? Geez, I seem to get the carts with wheels pointing sideways, wheels that won't turn, wheels that lock and unlock periodically just to see if you're paying attention and the ones with 4-wheel independent alien-guided steering. I wouldn't even notice if a no-theft cart locked up on me. Chad