Toliver

Andie, if you please, how does the water measure doohickey on top work? It looks intriguing.

Are there any other California tomato growers out there who have encountered tough skins on their tomatoes this season? This summer both the yellow tomato plant and the red tomato plant in my mom's garden have borne fruit with tough skins. I've Googled this issue and it seems to be attributed to either the type of tomato plant (some hybrids are bred to have tougher skins so they can survive shipping better) or to hotter-than-normal weather. Up until now, I didn't think it's really been that hot in her area what with the San Diego "May Gray/June Gloom". And I don't think it's the case that she got a tough-skinned hydrid since I think she got the plants from her local Lowe's/Home Depot and they're not really known for selling hybrids. Anyone else have tough-skinned home-grown tomatoes this season?

When my mom makes her potato salad, the "goop" she makes to bind it all together is the same that goes into her deviled eggs. She starts with Miracle Whip (I can hear the shocked gasps now ), pours in a little milk to thin it down, then adds a touch of cider vinegar and plain old yellow mustard to taste. You don't want a runny texture but it shouldn't be as think as just plain mayo (or Miracle Whip, in this case). It's a learn-as-you-go method and, eventually, you will find the right balance. The nice thing is that even if it isn't perfect, yet, the results will still be quite edible.

You may also be able to buy more ladybugs at your local nursery if you're so inclined. They sometimes sell containers of them. It's a great activity to do with kids or grandkids. Consult the directions that come with the containers but I believe you water your garden around sunset and then release the ladybugs onto your plants. Some will fly away but some will stay and hopefully take care of your aphid problem. My mom's tomatoes in Santee have come to a standstill because of the San Diego marine layer ("June Gloom"). She's got green fruit but it's been that way for some time.

NBC had a report (which is probably still on their website) that had a different conclusion. According to their research, people are still dining out except that they're dining out at fast food restaurants. Full service dining has already seen a 25% decrease in business and is likely to see more of a decrease as the economy continues to worsen. Logically, you would think that more people would be cooking at home but NBC found it wasn't necessarily true. Instead, they said people are buying more ready-made food/meals and heating that up instead of cooking the actual meals themselves. They reported that the ready-made meals segment of retail grocery stores has seen an increase in business since the economic downturn. Thie reminds me of the discussion chefzadi started ("Cooking classes for disadvantaged folks") where he said:: If the NBC report is true then consumers in general, not just the disadvantaged, are finding it easier to reheat something from the grocery store than it is to make it themselves. Jacques, Sarah, Martha and even freakin' Rachel Ray have shown good food can be made in a short amount of time. Is the home cook a dying breed?

I was about to toss a junkmail postcard mailer into the trash when I noticed the stamp: The black line is the cancellation mark. I'm jonesing for a papaya now.

Chris, As dockhl said, thanks for taking two for them team. Regarding the "pickle-ness" infusion, would you think this flavor is in the brining? Or introduced in another manner?

I think I have some of your parsley in my freezer. I bought it at Trader Joe's. When I don't have fresh herbs on hand, they work well.

I received coupon for a free chicken sandwich and a coupon for the biscuit version enclosed in my phone bill. The coupons expire at the end of this month but I am sure I will use them before that. The last time I ordered the chicken biscuit and used the coupon, I think the employee rang it up wrong. After she deducted the cost of the chicken biscuit, I ended up paying less than I should have for my other items. I didn't complain.

Let us know how it turned out.

I don't think so. When inserting meat thermometers they always tell you to stay away from the bones because the temperture near the bone is always cooler and you will get an inaccurate reading. Where is that eGullet Food Science board? Or perhaps an SSB will wiegh in on this. ← I thought that because the bone was denser, it would conduct heat better, thus giving you a high false positive. Kind of like the nail through the potato trick to cook them faster. ← Bones aren't dense. If anything, it would diffuse heat. You can read more at Wikipedia "Bones".

Daniel, Thanks for the...er, blow by blow account of your trip. And thanks for taking the time to upload the pics of your good and not so good food. At least the low valleys will make the high peaks taste even better in comparison. Are you definitely hitting Willa Mae's?

Steven, I would be interested in your opinion of the biscuit version. Please take one for the team. There's a mysterious pickle flavor some of us are tasting in the condimentless biscuit (and that some aren't tasting) and I'm curious to see whether you can discern it, as well.

I don't think so. When inserting meat thermometers they always tell you to stay away from the bones because the temperture near the bone is always cooler and you will get an inaccurate reading. Where is that eGullet Food Science board? Or perhaps an SSB will wiegh in on this.

Thanks for mentioning this, Jeff. I'm playing catch-up now. I'm impressed with the cinematography, the lighting, the audio, the editing. For the most part, I like the mix of guests but could do without some of the actor folk. I'm just two episodes in and find Daniel is pretty ballsy, showing up in someone else's kitchen to cook a little something for the evening's get-together as if the food they were going to be served from that restaurant wouldn't be good enough as is. But who is going to tell him "No"? Still, it's fun to hear them chit chat about the chef/restaurant biz as they chow down. edited to add: Was blown away by the $50,000 worth of aging beef in BLT Prime and then that was topped by the just under a million dollars worth of aging beef at DeBragga & Spitler. And Cru's freakin' wine warehouse. I also like seeing the drink masters whipping up a cocktail or talking about wine. "After Hours" is a multi-faceted series with a lot to like.

Thank you Chris and tm for confirming the pickle flavor in the biscuit version. I think it's in the sandwich, too. I had removed the pickle slices from the sandwich but still could taste that flavor which I attributed to the pickle slice "contamination". It would make sense that the flavoring is in either the breading or in the chickien itself somehow. It is quite an odd flavor to taste in the morning with your breakfast food. I actually thought to myself "Has the chicken gone bad?"

The Season 4 Finale is tonight. Set your DVR's and VCR's!

Lilija mentioned the McDonald's discussion where I first posted about the new chicken sandwich. I noticed there is a strong presence of dill pickle with both the sandwich and the biscuit version. I didn't like the flavor combination myself and was able to remove the pickles from the chicken sandwich, but I noticed this morning when eating my (free) chicken biscuit, there was a dill pickle flavor with the chicken biscuit though I don't believe there was any actual pickle slices in it. It's possible they could have brined the chicken in pickle juice. Is this a southern thing with the dill pickle flavor and the chicken sandwich/biscuit? I'm not really lovin' that flavor, though, again, the chicken itself is quite moist and overall I think it's a good breakfast item.

So this would be "re-pickling"? Or "twice-pickled"? "Pickles a deux fois? An interesting concept. The amount of sugar seems rather large. Do they end up tasting as sweet as bread 'n' butter pickles?

This has been covered in previous discussions (on infusing oils with flavor?) but bears repeating. Raw garlic should never be covered with oil. From the FDA: The botulinum spores occur naturally in the soil and you should assume the garlic bulbs you have carry such spores on them. Why take the chance?

I read that this campaign was short-lived. It tested poorly, confused people and sales declined. Bye bye ad account! ← The new campaign has a talking Wendy and is geared more towards women. Quite a contrast to the previous red-wigged men spots which were clearly aimed at bringing men/teen males into the restaurant.

I would if the only KK in town hadn't gone out of business.

Thanks for posting about your bao making. I'll be interested to see what tweaks you and your father come up with for the next batch. That's funny and so true! My mom has done the same with me in regards to a bunch of family favorites. You should sit her down and let her know that you're interested in carrying on her traditions so she can't hold out ingredients on you anymore. Then let her know her cooking secrets are safe with you. Perhaps that will do the trick.

A nice new shiny toasting toy. From the look of those wide slots, you could toast a shoe in each one! It looks like it's a cool-to-the-touch exterior. Is this correct?

This topic has come up before and I recall eGullet member andiesenji posting a photo of a tri-fold "shield" you can place in your oven so the convection fan won't blow directly onto your food. Granted, you shouldn't have to do this if the oven were designed better but it's a way of dealing with the problem without having to buy a new oven. I'm curious about your mention of hot spots. I would have thought that convection would have eliminated any hot spots due to the nature of the circulating hot air. Or is this an incorrect assumption?