Toliver

I don't think mushrooms would caramelize in the normal sense of the word since they don't contain the natural sugars that are found in onions. I think if anything they would shrink into almost nothingness when cooked as long as a confit is normally cooked but they should add an overall umami-ness to the confit which is pure gold as far as I'm concerned.

Interesting to me, now that I type this, that I've never tried the bread soaked in milk. I've used everything else - bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, even instant oatmeal, but for some reason, bread soaked in milk just didn't sound that appealing. However, after reading your post, I'm definitely going to do it the next time I make meatloaf. What kind of bread did you use? Just a white bread with a good crumb - something like Italian or French? Jaymes, my mom does the same thing (milk soaked bread) and just uses whatever bread she has on hand. As an FYI...the combination of milk and bread is called a panade. I discovered this thanks to Cooks Illustrated's recipe for meatballs that was brought up in the eGullet meatballs discussion. The starch and milk combine to soften the meat so it will be less dense. It works for meatloaf as well as meatballs.

McDonald's is doing surprisingly well in France: "Ronald McDonald: A 30-year romance with France" I think it's interesting how McDonald's changed the way it operates in order to better assimilate into the country and win over the customers.

I was thinking along the same lines. Your attempt may be all in vain. What makes the pizza in Italy so different from your homemade pizza? It may be something ethereal in their water, their produce (and soil), their olive oil and other ingredients, even something in their air.

I can't speak to the freezer hot & cold spots problem, but refrigerator hot and cold spots are a known issue. For example, if you want a frozen item to defrost more quickly (but safely), they say you should put it on the bottom shelf because it's usually the warmest spot in the fridge. I have a friend who uses a 5th wheel for camping and she always uses a small battery operated fan in the camper's fridge to help circulate the cool air more evenly. I suppose you could do the same with a household fridge if you were really concerned about getting rid of hot spots.

Bacon's not over, yet... For the bacon loving survivalist or gamer who can't be bothered to cook: Tac Bac - Tactical Canned Bacon

She's actually in the Top 5 in two other categories, as well: NY Times Best Sellers Does this set kind of record for a cookbook (in hardback, yet) to reach number 1 so many years after originally being published? I'd like to think she'd be thrilled with the resurgent interest not just in her but in cooking, as well. A tip of the chef's toque to Saint Julia.

Which is why it makes sense to use these pre-peeled cloves in a high volume kitchen, like those of Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen. But what does the home cook do with a mega jar of pre-peeled cloves from Costco? They'd go bad before you could make dent in them.

Adding cheese is just gilding the lily. It's not part of the original sandwich but is a decadent addition.

I have lived in So Cal all my life and have never seen the 1000 Island as a "standard". I thought it was just an approximation of McD's "secret sauce". ← Katie, I think you were right about the avocado. That says "California" more to me than Thousand Island dressing. Wihch came first? Thousand Island salad dressing or McD's secret sauce?

This has got to be a joke: "KFC tests new sandwich with 'bun' of fried chicken" OMG. Did Paula Deen help them develop this?

It may be heresy to some but my mom freezes her peeled cloves of garlic. This is garlic that will eventually go into baked or cooked dishes so it doesn't matter that the freezing will make them a little mushy when thawed. But that does pose a question for those who purchase the mega jars of peeled garlic from Costco-type stores...how long do they last in the refrigerator? Are they treated with something to allow them to keep or are you running against the clock and an expiration date once you open the jar?

I've had a nice rice salad with sliced/diced up artichoke hearts but I have no clue how it was made. It was quite good. Does anyone have a recipe for something similar?

For what it's worth, regarding buying the whole peeled cloves of garlic, the recipe testers at Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen also use this product in their recipes. They found the difference between this product and fresh peeled garlic in cooked/baked dishes was negligible. It depends on who you listen to. According to Alton Brown, crushing the garlic breaks down more of the cells walls allowing for a stronger more intense garlic flavor. The smaller the pieces the more garlic flavor. See the Good Eats "The Bulb of the Night" show transcript by clicking here. Scene 6 details the chemical reaction taking place. edited to add quote and link

Wendy's and Arby's have announced that they will be test-marketing double-branded restaurants. The article: Will dual-branding work for Wendy's and Arby's? The article also mentioned that Tim Horton's and Cold Stone Creamery have some double-branded stores. Has anyone been to one? I'm curious as to how much the menus vary when compared to single-brand stores.

It could be a vinegar mother has formed. "Gelatinous" is usually the word to describe the celluose fibers of the mother. Congratulations.

Run. Do not walk. Trader Joe's Maple Leaf Cookies. OMG. A deceptively simple little maple-ly sandwich cookie double-stuffed with a vanilla cream filling. There are only 15 cookies in a box which can be a curse (because you want to eat more) and be a blessing, too (because you want to eat more...but shouldn't). Any other fans of this cookie out there?

Can you share the recipe for the Cataline dressing?

Think of the standard side dishes for fried chicken and then upscale them: Mac'n'Cheese - Truffled as stealw suggested or some crab, perhaps Slaw - I like Susan's suggestion...You can go a zillion ways on this...from the classic to asian to whatever A potato dish - From potato salad (a local deli serves a "Red, White & Bleu" potato salad...red bliss potatoes, mayo/sour cream and bleu cheese crumbles) to the classic mashed potatoes with cream gravy or upscale potatoes like Marlene's Potatoes Madeleines Greens or green beans Hushpuppies, perhaps. Of course, with friends and family you'd serve a jello dish but I'd stick with wedding cake.

I bought a package of their Pumpernickel Pretzel Sticks and was surprised to taste the flavor of caraway seeds. Since when does pumpernickel have caraway seeds? Are they confusing pumpernickel with rye bread?

The article in the Los Angeles Times: Denny's is sued over high-salt food From the article: Some eye-popping numbers (the highlight is mine): The current US RDA is no more than 2400 mgs of sodium. So is Denny's just a scapegoat, meaning aren't all chain restaurants just as bad? Or are their sodium levels truly egregious?

Something new this year that we didn't get to try...I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of it at the recent San Diego County Fair (aka the Del Mar Fair) but you can Google Image it: The Zucchini Weenie It's a hollowed out green zucchini stuffed with a hot dog. The entire thing is then battered and deep fried. It boggles the mind. Is it a corn dog? Is it deep fried zucchini? Is it the best of both worlds or the worst of it? My family and I were also saddened by the missing food vendors who had appeared at the fair in previous years. They seemed to have less vendors this year. I don't know if the fair board was charging vendors more for their space at the fair or if more vendors opted out due to the economy. They spaced the vendors out more to make it look like there weren't less vendors but you could still see it. So we had to do without the Colossal Burger this year, aka a Heart Attack on a Bun. It was a double cheeseburger topped with bacon and pastrami and was quite good and shared with everyone in the group so you got just enough to taste but not enough to kill you.

Uhm, yeah. The sad part is that you stayed after the insult (yes, it was an insult) and gave them your hard-earned money in return for being treated like a 5-year old ("No, you can't have your appetizer now. You'll get it when I decide you'll get it."). But, hopefully, you've learned from your experience. You are the Consumer and you are King which is well worth noting especially in this terrible economy. That you're eating out at all, and at a full service restaurant no less, puts you in rare company these days if the statistics are to be believed. Remember we vote with our wallets. We decide "I like what you're doing so here is my hard-earned money so that you may continue and stay in business." That idiot didn't deserve your money.

Congratulations to Tony and the others working on this show for their Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Nonfiction Series". They also received Emmy nominations for: Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Porgramming Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming

Can you post recipes for both? I am just curious as to why the crab cakes would have more of an assertive presence than the beefiness/umami-ness of the burger.