Toliver

Is there a difference between the two or is this just a regional name difference? My mom used to make salmon patties when we were youngin's and, looking back, I now recognize them as the budget stretcher they were. They were pan fried and she never made a sauce to go with them so I wonder if that may be the difference between croquettes and patties. I despised them as a kid and haven't eaten them in over 35 years. But I enjoy salmon now so perhaps it's time to get the skillet out again. Brooks, did Brooksie have a recipe written down?

Paula Deen's "Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding" is quite good though bordering on being quite Sandra Lee-ish. As long as you're spinning the dish (borrowing the best elements from the original classic), now I'm wondering if you could do something like a banana pudding tiramisu, using rum or banana liqueur perhaps. The permutations are endless...

What's with all the "traveling" shows on the Food Network? I've just seen a promo for the new "Giada's Weekend Getaways". From the Food Network website: Hello? Isn't Chris Cognac already doing this? And didn't Rachel Ray do this on "$40 (and bad tips) a Day"? Or Rachel Ray in "Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels"? Or Paula Deen's sons in "Road Tasted"? Or Bobby Flay in "FoodNation with Bobby Flay"? Or Mario Batali in "Ciao America with Mario Batali? Or Alton Brown in "Feasting on Asphalt"? Or Dave Lieberman in "Dave Does"? Or Al Roker in "Roker on the Road"? Or George Duran in "Ham on the Street"? What's next? "Paula Deen Hits the High Seas" where she tastes all the buffets on a Carnival Cruise ship? Talk about beating a dead horse...it's turning into a one-concept network. The lack of ingenuity and innovation seems to be more and more evident with each new show.

One word: jello Word. edited to add: The jello is a classic by Rachel Perlow. The pic is from the last eGullet pig pickin'.

Something new: This didn't have the peanut butter flavor that is so present in their peanut butter cups, which I think is a drawback. It had crunch. It was not as hard or as firm as a Butterfinger candy bar, but it did have flakey, crunchy layers of what is labeled as "crispy peanut butter candy". While this "candy" didn't taste very peanut buttery to me, it did remind me of the toffee-like candy in a Butterfinger. It also reminded me a little of the new Butterfinger Crisps candy bars where those are "lighter" (not as dense but still having that Butterfinger taste) versions of the regular Butterfinger candy bars. The nuts in the exterior chocolate coating are quite small chunks...think peanut pebbles. They were small enough that I almost thought they were crispy rice like you get with a Million Dollar Bar or a Nestle's Crunch Bar. Would I buy this again? Probably not since it didn't have the strong peanut butter flavor that usually comes with a Reese's candy product, e.g. their peanut butter cups.

Aside from eschewing the bread-noodles-rice, I also suggest limiting your beverage intake, at least during the beginning portion of your dining experience. Liquids fill you up rapidly. They'll gladly refilll your glass...it costs pennies to do so and you'll have less room for those pot stickers they just brought out from the kitchen. The local chinese buffet I like used to be a regular chinese restaurant that served great food. Their buffet items never change (so no specialty items) but you can still order off the menu if you're craving something not in the buffet. Busloads of Japanese tourists (heading for the nearby Indian casinos) regularly stop to eat at this buffet which is why they added sushi. Another tip...bring a jacket or sweater. Some buffet restaurants crank up the A/C in an attempt to move the diners out quicker.

While cooking dinner during my Christmas vacation, I discovered that the pastry cutter can make quick work of finely chopping that skillet full of ground beef or ground pork (or whatever) while it's browning. Alton Brown would be happy to hear that.

I'm with Sunny... Navy Bean soup with some extra ham hocks added in. Word.

I am bumping this back up thanks to Fat Guy's post in the "Interesting lesser-known culinary catalogs" discussion in the Kitchen Consumer forum. While perusing the Kitchen Krafts web site (what? you want me to actual do some work while I'm at work? ) I stumbled across this stainless steel thingy (actually, it's a "Stainless Steel Tart Tamper"). It reminded me of the stainless steel mushroom that fifi posted about in Post #1 of this discussion. While it may not have the sharp edge for getting under your fingernails like the mushroom had, it looks like it could do a pretty good job of smashing garlic. This may be a good substitute for all of us who've been coveting her mushroom.

Bumping this back up... Pepsi Holiday Spice seems to be MIA this season. Anyone see it in their area?

By Googling the name of the candy, I discovered you may be out of luck. According to this website the company has stopped making them. The Old Time Candy website has them listed on their "Discontinued" page. From the Google search results, there were some nostalgia candy websites selling gift baskets containing something generically called "Reeds Candy Rolls" which could be anything from butterscotch, root beer, etc. But they weren't selling the individual rolls. You may have to email those nostalgia candy websites individually to see if they sell the specific flavor you're looking for. Good luck.

A previous discussion on this topic: "Carrot Greens, why doesn't anyone eat them?"

You should read "The Great Pastrami/Smoked Meat Experiment, Getting to the bottom of things" discussion for tips. Pastrami starts out as corned beef. Chef Fowke's pastrami blog might help get you on your way.

Replying after the fact... My mom uses them every Thanksgiving. The turkey cooks in a shorter amount of time when compared to normal turkey roasting that she's done in the past. One year she tried the "jiggle the turkey leg through the bag to check for doneness" method and the leg bone came completely out of the meat. It was fall-apart tender. The skin does get browned but it's not crisp. The last couple of years we've split the bag open the last 30 to 45 minutes which seems to help. But the skin won't compare in any way shape or form to a turkey roasted without a bag and that has been properly basted. edited to add: This year's turkey was 22lbs. and was completely cooked in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Having seen a repeat of this last episode I have a question: Why was the pomegranate juice bad? Was it intentionally bad and put into the kitchen pantry on purpose to see if any of the contestants would catch that it was bad? If it wasn't supposed to be bad, then where is Bravo buying their ingredients? At some third-hand leftover discount house where dented cans go to die?

Here's a website in Holland that sells a 1000 gram bag. As for the US, a lot of ex-pat British Goods sites sell them at varying prices. Here's an example (at the bottom of the page). You might also try contacting the Slow Food people to see if they know of a US source.

Testing a roasting pan using a method that won't likely be used by the very people who will be purchasing it does beg questions of intelligence. Perhaps then not of the author but of the editor who okayed this piece. edited to add: Does anyone have the infused anodized pan? I've heard the exteriors don't clean up as nicely as the old Calphalon line.

Me. I don't. How am I going to take the roasting pan from the oven to the stovetop to deglaze and scrape up all the concentrated bits of roastey goodness if there's foil all over the inside of the pan? ← But then in your case, the deglazing basically cleans the pan. So his "bake it in the oven til it's crusty" doesn't pass muster either.

I notcied that, too...he's Mr. Cranky Pants Chef this season. Perhaps he's disappointed in the overall output of the contestants or he's not happy about the babysitting he has to do in the kitchen since the "bottles of olive oil" cheating incident.

As a home cook, I think his methodology needs work so his final evaluation is suspect as far as I'm concerned. First off, what home cook doesn't line a pan with foil for easy clean up? I also lean towards overkill and spray the roasting pan with a non-stick spray and then line the pan with foil so it's always quite easy to clean up. In my kitchen, this makes just about every roasting pan a good roasting pan in regards to clean up. And he uses a rack with all of the roasting pans but not with the first pan, the granite enameled pan? Is this because it didn't come with one? He's an idiot then. Put a rack in the granite enameled pan before putting the turkey in it. Duh. You know you've got a spare rack leaning to the side of that cupboard in your kitchen. Another question...because the first pan tested came with a lid this means he has to use it? Again, he's an idiot. Leave the lid off. None of the other pans came with lids. Why use a different roasting method (using the lid) with this one pan? Besides, if you leave the lid on you're braising not roasting. Maybe he needed a roasting pan for the holidays and convinced his editors to pony up the money for a test. I wonder who gets to keep the pans.

I was disappointed that I couldn't find Trader Joe's Garlic Herb Cheese spread that came in the little tubs. They seemed to have all the other flavors but not the garlic. I should have asked if they stopped carrying it but forgot about it by the time I got to the checkout. I still haven't forgiven them for discontinuing their Tamari Cashews. I bought a bag of their Toasted Sesame & Ginger Potato Chips to try. I'm still trying to decide whether I like them or not. They have a sweet note to them and the ginger is there but it's quite subtle. Evaporated Cane Sugar, Corn Syrup and Pineapple Juice are listed as ingredients and Ginger is the very last ingredient so no wonder it doesn't have a big presence. I don't taste sesame at all. The ingredients list Sesame Oil as an ingredient and that's it in regards to the sesame. They're okay, I guess, but nowhere near being a "destination" item.

Here's a recap of the episode from the FoodTV web site: The Hungry Detective in Washington, D.C.

A previous discussion with some safety tips for deep frying a turkey: "Fried Turkey, some safety and other tips & techniques"

Something for the chef or home-chef in your life: "Chef's Knife Earrings" The page seemed to take forever to load, so fair warning. Also, look towards the bottom of the web page and you'll find a chef's knife pendant, whisk earrings and a utensil brooch. edited to add: The earrings were mentioned in the latest edition of Chile Pepper Magazine in the "gift suggestions section". Another item mentioned in the issue that is sort of food-related, depending on how you use it...this would come in handy for the traveller who doesn't speak the language: "Point It: Traveller's Language Kit" by Dieter Graf. It's a collection of photographs for most of your needs while travelling when language is a barrier. It's no longer in print, which is surprising given the reviews.

I am amazed that the "squeeze bottles of olive oil" accusation was left dangling by the producers. How many cameras are covering this competition and you're telling me no one got it on videotape? That's some seriously poor production planning for the show. Of course, we're not talking about CBS here, who had cameras covering every angle of the Big Brother house. Bravo seems more like the K-Mart of television channels. Look at "Project Runway" where the finalists are bid goodbye to work on their final collections unsupervised so it's no wonder Jeffrey was accused of cheating. Obviously Bravo didn't invest the money needed to provide ample camera coverage in the kitchen. Whoever conceived of and built the set should be fired. Or whoever thought they had enough cameras & crew should be looking for a new job. Shoddy, shoddy, shoddy... And the previews for next week's show have Chef Tom stating that he now had to be present in the kitchen for all future competitions to prevent such cheating in the future. C'mon...talk about wasting someone's time...