Toliver

I recently tried the new Jack's Blazin' Chicken Sandwich. It's supposed to have "ghost" chile sauce as a condiment. Meh. I didn't think it was all that spicy hot. I couldn't discern any heat or flavor coming from the "ghost" chile sauce. The only spiciness I experienced came from the pickled jalepeños. The sandwich doesn't live up to the hype.

There's always the eGCI.

I bought these chips again and they're not the same as before. They don't have the same heat. Not even close. My only guess is that when I originally bought them I must have either bought a rogue batch that was heavy-handed on the horseradish and/or the horseradish heat/flavor fades over time (just like the hotness of real horseradish fades over time). So when I bought the chips this second time, they could have been sitting on the shelf awhile and the heat just faded away. It's disappointing to say the least.

I was watching an episode of Anne Burrell's "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" on the Food Network. In the episode, she made her version of Beef Bourguignon, stating that it was less "fussy" than most Beef Bourguignon recipes (I think she actually mentioned Julia's very involved recipe for the dish). Anne basically streamlined the dish for her tastes. I went online to the Food Network's web site to download the recipe and there was this rather interesting tidbit at the end of the recipe: How "1984" of them. This posted recipe was credited to Anne Burrell but there was no notation of what changes the Food Network "kitchens" made to the recipe. This brings up so many questions, the leading one being "So is it still an Anne Burrell recipe"? Has anyone else encountered something like this before?

"KFC brings back its fabled Double Down" He says "...the most talked-about product in KFC history..." like it's a good thing.

They're back in the news again: "California City Declares Sriracha Hot Sauce Factory Public Nuisance" I wonder what "...enter the factory and make changes..." means? Push the "Off" button?

Paula's back in the news...again. "Paula Deen shutters Uncle Bubba’s — without bothering to tell her employees" Paula...such class. This was the restaurant at the center of the now infamous lawsuit. The shuttering seems late in coming.

What kind of cooking equipment will he have access to for the demo? If he chooses potatoes for his demo, then keep it simple. With a microwave, he can easily make mashed potatoes from scratch. Pre-wash the potatoes and dry them before bringing them to the demo. Just remember to pierce the potatoes before nuking so they won't explode in the microwave from the inner steam. For the demo, nuke them, peel (or don't peel them...it depends on the kid...some won't go near mashed potatoes with the skins mashed in. Using thin-skinned red rose potatoes is ideal for a quick mash...you barely notice the skins) and mash the 'taters. Nuke the milk and butter til warm, mix into the mashed potatoes and add salt & pepper. Done. If he's using something like a Russet (with its thicker skin), he can do what the cooking shows do and pre-cook some potatoes before his demo starts so they will be cool enough for him to peel them for the demo. Have him practice at home making the recipe. The amount of milk needed will be ballpark, since every potato is different when mashed and sometimes he won't need it all, other times he will, depending on how thin/thick he wants the mashed potatoes. Easy peasy.

Two items I've tried recently and liked them both: Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Multigrain Pita Chips with Sesame Seeds (couldn't find a link on their web site) I got tired of their regular drab pita chips (always bought the garlic flavor and it always disappointed me as not being garlicky enough) and tried this flavor with my hummus. They're not as stiffly crisp as the regular pita chips. They have a nice crunch but it's not enough to break a tooth on. Their sesame seed flavor is really nice, too. I give them a thumbs up. Trader Joe's Cheddar and Horseradish Potato Chips (click) Wowy Zing Zowy! These should really be named Horseradish and Cheddar Potato Chips because the horseradish flavor is very prominent...so prominent they have a heckuva horseradish "heat" kick to them. These are not chips for a wimp. The cheddar flavoring was okay. If you eat too many of these chips then the cheddar flavoring seems to lean towards the "what the hell am I tasting?" direction. They're ridged/rippled chips which is also nice. It gives them a nice crispiness. A very addictive potato chip. It's funny that Trader Joe's recommends their Caramelized Onion Dip with the chips which I find too sweet of a dip. I'm envisioning more of a pot roast dip or a meatloaf dip for these chips. Quick! Someone invent the recipes!

Just a bump up to congratulate Steve on a little blurb by Ted Allen recommending Rancho Gordo beans in the April 2014 issue of Food Network magazine.

I know they sell silicone ice trays to make ice shot glasses. I wonder if the silicone trays would be oven safe? It'd be easy to make with cookie dough using these trays, assuming they'd easily release after baking. Just a thought...

Andie, thanks for the link. The OXO grape tomato slicer is just silly. Take two large-ish plastic storage container lids that are the same size. Place one lid on a kitchen counter, top side down so that the edge lip of the container lid is facing up. This provides containment for the next step. Place the grape tomatoes on the lid. Gently place the other lid on top of the tomatoes. Guide your sharp slicing knife through the tomatoes horizontally, using a light pressure on the top plastic lid to "hold" the tomatoes in place as you slice them. Easy peasy and you just saved yourself twelve bucks.

Where's the money shot...the finished (cooked) rib eye?

McDonald's learned a very expensive lesson and is now eating crow wings: "McDonald’s Tries Cheaper Mighty Wings" They're now priced 5 for $2.99. They will be sold at that price until the 10 million pounds of leftover inventory is gone. The price drop will certainly put the wings on my radar when I go back to McD's. Will it make a difference for you?

Taco Bell announces a new breakfast sandwich: "Taco Bell Rolls Out Waffle Taco in Breakfast War with McDonald's" So it sounds like the new Taco Bell breakfast item is basically a McGriddle, except the syrup is on the side, not baked into the waffle. If you think about it, it's kind of silly that they made it look like a taco instead of a flat sandwich. But I guess it might be easier for their customer base to digest (pun intended) if it's made to look like the rest of their fare. Does McDonald's have anything to be concerned about with this new entry into the fast food breakfast wars?

I saw a recent television interview with Wolfgang Puck, who will be catering an upcoming Academy Award after-party, and he pronounced the ingredient as "Kwin-OH-a", instead of "KEEN-wah". I guess I'm in good company. I was disappointed to learn that Mise en Place was pronounced "Meez-on-PLOSS". As as child, I learned to read phonetically and thought it was always "Meez-en-PLAYCE". Don't get me started on "Acai" or even "Beethoven" (BEETH-oven ).

JIB has introduced a new specialty burger: The Bacon Insider The hamburger patty has bacon mixed in with the beef, it has strips of bacon on the finished sandwich and the condiment is Bacon Mayo. Has anyone tried it yet?

That's funny. My dad was a heavy smoker and had no sense of taste towards the end of his life. However, he bypassed the salt shaker and grabbed the pepper mill instead. His food would end up quite...black...before he could eat it. He used the spiciness of the black pepper to open up his sinuses so he could taste something...anything. He was a big fan of Tabasco sauce for the same reason. Three of his four kids (myself included) are chile-heads to this day after watching him spice up his food all of our lives. None of us smoke, though. I've posted elsewhere on eGullet about the huge amount of salt some TV food show hosts/chefs use. Anne Burrell on the Food Network literally throws fistfuls of salt in her dishes. That's the thing about the judges on Top Chef. They'll make a comment about something being too salty or under-seasoned and then you'll hear a throwaway comment from a guest judge say something like "Mine was perfectly seasoned" and then you're not sure who is correct. It's too subjective and becomes meaningless in the end as a judging parameter.

How ironic. The city of Los Angeles passes a law banning plastic grocery bags and the state turns around and replaces them in the landfills with single-use plastic gloves.

Costco also sells a pre-made mashed potatoes product that is decent. It comes with 2 "tubs" of potatoes per package and is easily heated in the microwave. It's convenient for seniors who don't cook for themselves anymore.

Me, too. Rub with oil, sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt. Skin gets really crispy. Yes to this and this. My mom always rubbed Crisco on the exteriors. Same end result...crispy skin. And a suggested rule of thumb is to always bake extra potatoes. Refrigerate the extras and dice them into chunks (with the skin on) the next morning for home fried potatoes. Yum!

I am trying to recall past years of Top Chef finales. I thought it would get down to a final three which I thought was the norm for the show. A final two is going to be less dramatic. Especially given that Nick is a loose cannon (one week great and the next week, not so great).

I popped into my local Costco last night to get items for an upcoming Superbowl party and saw a menu change in their hot dog/pizza stand. They're now selling a BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich with a layer of cole slaw for $4.99. The sandwich is large. It has a paper "collar" around it to aid the employee in making the sandwich. They put the bottom of the bun as a base inside the collar and put the shredded BBQ beef brisket on top of it. Then they add a layer of cole slaw and finish it with the top of the bun. The sandwich was good. The BBQ sauce wasn't too sweet and not at all spicy. It was odd, though, that they weren't using shredded pork in the sandwich which is what you usually find with BBQ sandwiches that are served with cole slaw on them. If I had to quibble about anything (besides their use of shredded beef when it should have been shredded pork), would be that the layer of cole slaw was a little too thin, but that could just be a variable that depends upon the person making the sandwich.

Yes, what Lisa and others said...breadcrumb/coating. Also, you could save them for the next time you have soup or chili where you'll crumble the crackers anyway. Yeah, that's it. They're not broken crackers...they're pre-crumbled crackers.

Here's the transcript from Alton Brown's (from the Food Network show "Good Eats") show on chocolate chip cookies: "Three Chips for Sister Marsha" (click here). He explains how changing the ratio of the white sugar to the brown sugar impacts the final baked cookie.