sng sling

I have often wondered this exact same thing. Are there any general guidelines about this? ← If you turn the nigiri over and lightly dip the fish side into the soy sauce, then it should be less likely to fall apart. You shouldn't dip the rice at all, though YMMV. If they are huge, it's better to bite in two than to choke on it....

Now, if I could just figure out a kitchen use for my Leaf Hog. ←

How do the Rosle or the Kuhn-Rikon work on non-round cans? -- Anchovies, foie gras, hams, etc.

I had a problem with pan sauces and red wines going sour/bitter -- someone here suggested red currant jelly as a sweetener, which worked well.

I tried the "Two Buck Chuck" merlot for the first time last week. I thought it was acidic and nasty on first taste and at the finish. The grapieness was more like Welch's jelly -- almost artificial tasting. It reminded me of low cost Japanese "Mercian" wine, which is Spanish or Southern French plonk imported in bulk and bottled in Japan.

The blue cheese - prosciutto combination sounds great --- anything else on the pie -- no sauce or anything??

I've got the same problem with crud in my old grill pan as Rachel reports. After cooking, I put water in it and let the crud soak a bit. A little liquid soap and a plastic scrub pad gets most of it out if the pan. After washing, I heat it on the burner and rub in a little oil. Seems to work fine, but it is only used for grilling -- no sauces or anything like that. Our big problem is the amount of smoke it generates while heating/cooking. Our exhaust fan recirculates into the kitchen thru carbon filters, but can't handle the smoke. We end up pointing a portable fan out the window to clear smoke out of the kitchen!! Are we doing something wrong or does everyone get a lot of smoke w/ cast iron grill pans?? Does this mean the pan isn't clean enough or is the heat too high??

Like Wolfert, I'm a fan of the Lindy's/Villas' recipe. I seem to recall in another e-gullet thread that someone said Saran Wrap doesn't melt at normal oven temperatures. If that's true, maybe Saran would be a more waterproof wrap for the bottom of a springform for those that prefer the water bath type cake?? Since the water bath can't get much above 212 F, the Saran should be OK.

I've had a pumpkin (squash) soup garnished with a floated small toast of pain de epice (Burgundian spice bread)....

I'd look in Tang's Department store (Orchard Rd at Scotts Rd.) -- they seem to have a fairly large kitchen sectin, but not many bargains.

Black cod is also nice covered in a paste of white miso (shiro-miso) thinned with sake and/or mirin, marinated for 30 or so minutes, and baked or broiled (time dependent on thickness and watch distance from the broiler to avoid burning the miso). Similar to the kasu suggestion above....

Absolutely agree with the comments that a good meal in Singapore is more likely to depend on knowing the chef than simply walking in. For upscale western food, we're very fond of Raffles Grill. The prices make it a "special event" place, but we've never been disappointed by the ambience, service or food (one lamb dish excepted). Other than that, I've been underwhelmed by French or Continental food in Singapore. We have a daughter in NYC, and the run of the mill there is in line with the best here. Haven't tried Les Saisons though -- will take your suggestion and see... Mezza9 in the Hyatt is fun, and has been reliable for most cuisines. For Italian, I agree Senso is way over-rated. We used to like to Gaetano's on Club Street, but felt the new La Stella had kind of a cold atmosphere -- food was the same - fine. For Japanese, Akane is excellent, as is Shiraishi in the Ritz Carlton -- mostly Japanese staff, ingredients, and clinetele. We also like Kuriya, but only the one in Great World City, for izakaya type food. [Edit: spelling]

Sometimes at business dinners in China, people mix red wine with 7-Up or Sprite. Gack!!

Until I read this thread, I always said my mother was a terrible cook -- she's relatively competent!! Her worst doesn't even come close to what I've read here -- ground beef sauteed w/ onion, then chuncks of potato and a can of Cambpell's tomato soup poured over and stewed for a couple hours. No spices.

I seem to remember that I read that fresh eggs were best for poaching, frying, and such... and that a hard-boiled egg was easier to peel if it was a few days older... Does this ring a bell for anyone? McGee isn't close by All of this is kind of academic for most of us because we only get supermarket eggs and God knows how old they are.

Fish cheeks are great, but sheep eyes are nasty!! Think of a roasted blueberry (texture) surrounded by a (small) fistful of lamb fat! Best way to eat one is to grab a (right) handful of rice and use it to soak up the fat. Other than than, meals in the Saudi desert were fun and fond memories -- the rest of the sheep was usually delicious.

Sorry FG -- no imagination tonight -- what's the ESB??? When I lived in CT, always stopped at the one in the Bronx on the way to Manhattan. After "Bonfire of the Vanities" the trip had a little more focus! Since I've been in Asia, a stop at the WC at 95th & Cicero en route to/from the parents' has been part of the Chicago visit ritual. My wife's comment was "that's not food!" Been eating them forever -- we used to get coupons for 10 for a buck (about 45 years ago). I was delivering papers then, and we'd get extra copies for coupons to buy enough (30-40) for a family slider treat.

How about shrimp dip -- a staple of 1970's Gulf Coast parties Can of cream of shrimp soup, can of Rotel tomatoes (with chilis), chunk of Velveeta, frozen shrimp. Heat and serve w/ Fritos.....

There may be better brands in the US now, but we buy US-made "Job Squad" towels in Singapore for their thickness. Seem about 2 or 3 x the normal to me....

Deviled eggs made as usual and blue cheese crumbled on top??? Sounds wonderful!

There's a quick recipe from Beard on Pasta that warms a lump of butter in heavy cream and lets it cook down a bit; add a splash of Scotch and pour over the pasta or noodles. Sprinkle shreds of smoked salmon or kippers or smoked sturgeon over the pasta and eat. I like it, but my wife says it tastes like an ashtray!!

Careful!!! When I first moved to Japan, I bought one of those fuzzy logic cookers and was delighted by how well it worked (once my secretary had translated the instructions!). In a burst of creativity, I decided that it would be great for rice pudding, though my Japanese friends were horrified by my plan to put milk, eggs, and sugar into RICE. The milk mixture boiled over through the steam vents, and I was scrubbing boiled milk scum out of every crevice in the cooker and my counters for hours!! The fuzzy logic cookers are slower, and when my wife and I married, my slower cooker went to Salvation Army in favor of a simpler, faster model. Some tips we use for Japanese-style rice (actually use Aussie or California grown japonica as it's much cheaper here in Singapore and very close in quality): Always cook extra as Steven noted. We divide it into portions in Saran and freeze it. Even if you eat it the next day, freezing it and then nuking the packet gives close to fresh-cooked quality without mushiness. A Japanese grocery or food section will have all kinds of neat vegetable, kombu, & nori packets for cooking into the rice for a quick maze gohan.

I've re-built my 1970 The James Beard Cookbook several times, along with the Volume I of Julia Child's Mastering. My Pepin La Technique isn't that beat up, but is missing a corner eaten by our much-loved and long-gone Golden Retriever...

The acid weakens the gluten in the four and helps produce a more tender crust. This is also one of the reasons buttermilk is used in some biscuit, cake and pancake recipes. I had the same question about the vinegar in the Saveur article. Thanks! I thought, though, that the acid in buttermilk pancakes, biscuits, etc. was to activate the baking powder or soda??? Does it also tenderize the flour? How much is needed to get the tender effect w/o making the crust or whatever taste like salad dressing!??