Toliver

You can now bid on memorabilia from the show on eBay: Iron Chef America Charity Auction You can also bid on dinner for two in either Flay's or Batali's restaurant and get to meet the Iron Chef in person.

I eat them with varied toppings and sometimes, yes, that includes ketchup. But then it depends on the dog. I wouldn't dream of using ketchup on a sausage-y, wurst kind of dog. But there are some lowly dogs that deserve nothing but ketchup. edited to add: I was happy to discover that in addition to sweet pickle relish for hot dogs they also make a "sour" (dill) pickle relish, too. It came in handy when I needed to add some dill pickle to a potato salad I was making and only had the relish on hand.

Well, I am a little ticked off because it still isn't available in our area. I was sure they would have had it stocked in time for the Super Bowl but that was a bust.

Photography tip of the day: When shooting something with a highly reflective surface, don't shoot straight on or you will get a nice picture of a) yourself and/or b) your flash. Instead, shoot the subject at an angle, off to one side. This prevents flash bounce-back and unwanted reflections. I have never heard of dutch babies before this blog. Is this a traditional dish for your family? Or is it just something you learned how to make on your own?

So, in a proper gumbo, the trinity should still have some body to them when you sit down to eat? I would assume given the time it takes to make gumbo, they would be throroughly devoid of any guise of their former selves having done their duty for God and country.

Regarding the Vietnamese dish "pho", I am not Vietnamese but I work with a woman who is and it's pronounced "fuh", as other posters have pointed out. I always think my cowroker is getting ready to cuss at me when she says "pho".

I don't think I would add them with the trinity. You're adding the trinity to cool the roux down but to also cook/soften the veggies, something you don't really need to do to tomatoes unless you're looking to make ketchup. Talk about cosmic timing...on today's "Essence of Emeril" he made Crawfish Etoufee. He also called it "gumbo" since it was started with a roux. He added his tomatoes when the stock was added. The final dish didn't look very thick even though he had added a slurry to the pot. Is gumbo soup-like in consistency or stew-like?

Bon Appétit Digest – March 2005 – 8th Annual How Amercia Eats Issue Contributors this issue: Uber Chef Mario Batali, writer Amely Greeven, Restaurantuer and cookbook author Sarah Foster, author and Chef Douglas Rodriguez. Gorgeous cover photo of a Sausage and Wild Mushroom Pizza! It must be a recurring theme but comfort food takes center stage, again. Very odd…this is supposed to be the Reader Survey issue but hardly any of the reader responses are listed inside. Go figure... Also, there are 3 (annoying) pullout booklets in this issue. Two are ads, one isn't. Starters – “Quick Bites from the World of Bon Appétit” by Hugh Garvey "Food as Fashion" – It’s a quick look at the convergence of Food and Fashion, e.g. Todd Oldham designing a mosaic art piece for Wish Restaurant in South Beach’s Miami Hotel. "Three Questions for John Fischer" who happens to be a waiter trainer (actually the assistant professor of service at the Culinary Institute of America) "They Say Illegal, We Say Delicious" – A short list of foods that can’t come into America and what we’re missing. Ever hear of Chianina Beef? "Neighborhood Watch: Silver Lake, Los Angeles" – It’s a brief look at this up and coming hot culinary scene. "Let’s Go Escargot" – Escargot to go…buy a can of Henry Maire’s Wild Burgundy Snails. www.igourmet.com "Traveling with Taste" – It’s a look at four culinary tours coming this spring. Chilean Vineyards, anyone? "Yuck!" – A short list from the Reader’s Survey of the least popular food items of Bon Appétit readers: Squab, jerky, rice cakes, cardoons (a huge cousin of celery) and quail eggs. "Matched to a Tea" – Set aside that wine…food is now being paired with tea. R.S.V.P. – Readers’ Favorite Restaurant Recipes Recipes: “Chicken and Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Morels and Fava Beans” (the Royal Scotsman Train of Scotland); “Coconut Cream Tart with Macadamia Nut Crust” (Herbsaint – New Orleans); “Open-Face Crab and Artichoke Melt” (First St. Café – Benicia, CA); “Blueberry Lavender Cookies” (Julius Meinl Café – Chicago); “Thai-Style Spicy Shrimp and Noodles” (Millie’s – Richmond, VA); “Baked French Toast with Pecans” (Steep Acres Farm Bed and Breakfast – Williamstown). “Dinner with Friends” by Rozanne Gold It’s a simple menu for six, perfect for that cold spring evening. Recipes: “Shrimp, Cucumber and Mango Salad”, “Wine-Braised Leg of Lamb with Garlic”, “White Beans with Tomatoes and Spinach” A side article has some shrimp hors d’oeuvres suggestions. Kitchen Tools of the Trade – “Singular Sensations” by Dorie Greenspan Some dishes need their own specialized equipment. Dorie takes a look at the Crème Brûlée Torch, the Whipper (the canister that makes whipped cream), the Waffle Iron and a Tangine. Wine & Spirits – “Breaking the Rules” by author and Master Sommelier Andrea Immer Robinson Andrea says to learn the rules of wine pairings but then don’t be afraid to break them. Rosé with that steak, anyone? She lists some pairings to try that break the conventional rules like: Baby Back Ribs & Riesling, White Fish and Red Wine, Seared Foie Gras with Pinot Noir, Churrasco Steak with Pink Bubbly and Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Manhattan. Drinks, Etc. – "A Honey of a Cocktail" – A recipe for The New Bee’s Knees, a cocktail made with honey. "WineSpeak without the Geek" – A brief blurb on the book “Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine” Bon Appétit Tasting Panel Report – “Premium Piedmont”Six of the top scorers out of 83: Michele Chiarlo 2000 Barbaresco ($35) Giovanni Manzone 2000 Barolo le Gramolere ($46) Ceretto 2000 Bricco Rocche Barolo Brunate ($ 70) Pio Cesare 2000 Barolo ($72) Bruno Giacosa 2000 Barbaresco ($90) Roberto Voerzio 2000 Barolo Cerequio ($225) “Take a Dip” by Douglas Rodriguez Douglas offers up three new salsas, Recipes: “Hot – Roasted Pineapple, Basil, Serrano and Saffron Salsa”, “Hotter – Roasted Cherry Tomato and Shrimp Chipotle Salsa”, “Hottest – Four-Onion Salsa with Pickled Jalapeño” People and Places – “Confessions of a Sugar Addict” by Pamela Redmond Satran In this humorous essay, Pamela is having an affair…with sweets. Restaurants – "Hot Seat" – Fiesta Americana Grand Aqua in Cancún. There is an annoying insert in this section that may look like an ad but is a small pullout section from Bon Appétit listing the Top 50 hottest Restaurants in the country. Restaurants – Going Out – “Love on the Line” by Heather John A look at some cooking couples who are heading up some of the best new restaurants in the country. It’s the next generation of Mom & Pop. Bon Vivant – “What’s New. What’s Hot. What’s Good” by Laurie Glenn Buckle Interesting dishes patterned with distorted & enlarged Wedgwood patterns – www.clayinla.com An “ergonomically designed” salt cellar that looks like it was designed by the Blue Man Group – www.emilehenry.com Anti-bacterial soap & lotion concocted by Chef Yossi – www.chefyossi.com A hip Wonton Handbag by Citrus - www.citrushandbags.com Coffee cups with art from contemporary pop artist Jeff Koons for the Illy Collection – www.illyusa.com A royal bowl/wine coaster designed by Arne Jacobsen for the NY MOMA – www.momastore.org Stackable glass(!) containers that can go from the oven to the table to the fridge – How practical can these be? – www.showlifestyle.com A Mille Crepe Cake with custard – www.ladymconfections.com A classy Dinner Party Journal – www.pamelabarsky.com Colorful pewter rimmed dinner plates – www.tabulatua.com Striking looking egg cups in pastel blue by Nigella Lawson – www.nigella.com A 50’s vintage print child’s apron – www.chefwear.com 5 Limited edition Lalique black crystal vase designs (expensive!) – www.lalique.com A demitasse-scented candle by Fresh – www.fresh.com Birthday candle shaped flatware in pewter by Bugatti – www.vietri.com A sleek Cuisipro julienne peeler – www.cuisipro.com A knife sharpening system that looks a little like hands praying by Füri Pro Knife – www.surlatable.com “How America Eats 2005” Interestingly, Bon Appétit designed the recipes in this issue based upon their readers’ survey. “Constant Cravings” by Kristine Kidd, Selma Brown Morrow and Molly Stevens Naughty carbs and lots of them! It’s the comfort foods we like best. Recipes: “Grilled Ham and Gouda Sandwiches with Frisée and Caramelized Onions”, “Sausage, Red Onion and Wild Mushroom Pizza” (Cover Recipe), “Baked Potatoes with Rib-Eye Steak Hash” A side statistic from the reader survey states Comfort Food, Artisanal Food, lots of small plates and people who eat are all “In”. Pink cocktails, raw food, supersizing and tap water are “Out”. “Flash in the Pan” by Rick Rogers It’s an instant party with a Spanish twist. It’s a “Buy it/Make it” gathering. Recipe: “Paella with Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas” A side article suggests some Spanish ingredients and where to get them. Reader survey says: “My secret to a great party is cooking the entrée and buying everything else.” “Made-for-TV Dinner” by Sara Foster It’s a retro menu for six with a few modern twists. Recipes: “Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf with Mustard Mashed Potatoes”, “Mustard Mashed Potatoes”, “Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Parsley”, “Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisps with Cardamom and Nutmeg”. “Family Style” by Sara Foster A slow paced Sunday Dinner full of comfort foods. Recipes: “Chicken Cacciatore”, “Roasted Asparagus and Arugula Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette”, “Chocolate-Cherry, Pistachio and Raspberry Ice Cream Cake”, “Hot Fudge Sauce” “Chic Cheeks” by Mario Batali Mario made beef cheeks the hot item in his NY restaurants. Now you can make them at home, too. Recipes: “Braised Beef Cheeks with Celery Root and Polenta”, “Classic Tomato Sauce” A side article provides a source for beef cheeks if you have trouble finding them. www.preferredmeats.com “Objects of Desire” by Emily Luchetti Sometimes only the decadent dessert will do. The wonderful photos by Mark Thomas will make you want to lick the page! Recipes: “”Bittersweet Chocolate with Walnut Fudge”, “Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Sundaes”, “Lemon Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust”, “Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese and Butterfinger Frosting” “The Wizards of Oz” by Martin Booe Martin tastes his way around the wine country of south Australia. Recipe: “Dukkah” (an Egyptian blend of nuts & spices. Dip bread slices in olive oil and then in the spices and eat) Fast Easy Fresh. – “Quick Dishes for Every Night Cooking” Recipes: “Avocado and Mango Salad with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette”, “Antipasto Salad”, ‘Steamed Snapper with Ginger, Lime and Cilantro”, “Scallops with Hazelnuts and Browned Butter Vinaigrette”, “Broccoli Soup with Chive-Cayenne Oil”, “Veal Chops with Creole Mustard Crust”, “Chicken Breasts with Pistachio-Cilantro Pesto”. A side article suggests some health-smart books, tips and more. Too Busy to Cook? – Fast and Easy Favorites from Readers From reader Joy Ackerman of Ohio: “Chive and Garlic Mashed Potatoes”, “Strawberry Butter”, “Butter Lettuce and Radicchio Salad with Strawberries” From readers Joan and David Oswalt of Pasedena, CA: “Baked Ribs with Spicy Blackberry Sauce”, “Cucumber-Kiwi Salsa”, “Warm Spinach, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Salad”, “Easy Apple Spice Cake” From reader Eli Gorelick of West Orange, NJ: “Cuban-Style Picadillo”, “Coconut, Caramel and Rum Flans” Feedback – End page Q & A with actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith (from the “West Wing”) She’s a foodie!

It's a different story these days. Once where you had hand-drawn illustrations and covers they now have cookbook companies that specialize in professionally publishing fundraising cookbooks for local organizations. My mom is a member of a retirees association and they have "published" a collection of recipes for the last couple of years. They provide the recipes to the cookbook company. The cookbook company inserts the recipes into pre-made book templates. The cover is a generic cover (my mom's organization's cookbook was titled "Our Family Favorites") and generic "filler" pages are added (pages with info like measurement conversions, cleaning tips, etc) to pad the page count. If you find any recenty published community cookbooks, most likely there will be info inside of it detailing how "you, too, can publish your own cookbook and raise money at the same time...just contact us". It's an entirely different ballgame these days!

Last night's 100th episode had tater tots with toothpicks stuck in them for spur-of-the-moment hors d'oeuvres for Emily's "bachelorette party". Shades of eGullet! Lorelai mentioned "pizza stacks" when they getting ready for their "Cop Rock" marathon. If they were on the tray Rory was carrying, what was on top of them? It almost looked like a stack of pancakes with a blob of marshmallow cream on top. I am obsessing too much! And I think I spotted a Maxine cookie jar on the counter when Lorelai went to open the kitchen door.

It's unfortunate that she tested only crock pots. All crock pots = slow cookers but not all slow cookers = crock pots. As I've posted before, I use the West Bend Oblong 5-Quart Slow Cooker and it works quite well. The "crock" (separate from the base) can be used on the rangetop, too, which makes it versatile. Her winning crockpot got some pretty mixed reviews on Amazon.com.

It's a yin-yang thing. It's an attempt to provide flavor balance with the saltiness of the cured ham. For most people, it works. As for cilantro, my mom can't stand the flavor. This means when the "kids" do the cooking, we can't make a lot of mexican dishes that we like in deference to her. Curry is "iffy" for me. My mom took "How to make Chinese Food" classes back in the '70's and made a curry chicken dish that I swear tasted like she had dumped maple syrup over the entire thing. Ruined curry for me for life. I like nutmeg but can't stand it in a bechamel sauce. But if you leave it out, you're left with just a white sauce. Such a quandry!

I remember Sara doing that on her show. Somehow, I also think Julia Child was involved/mentioned (did she use the same trick/truc on her show?). The metal rod was kind of like a red hot poker. When inserted into the water, it came back to a rolling boil immediately. The rod must have been heated on an open flame.

Can you remember any ingredients? I've found a couple different versions on the internet: Here's Rachel Ray's version While Rachel's recipe doesn't have lemon juice in it (most do) Rachel serves the chicken over Orzo with Lemon Zest. In the recipes that do call for flour, it's just used for dredging. You can omit it completely (as Rachel does) and season the chicken itself (as opposed to the flour) and brown the chicken without using flour. I'd recommend finding the recipe that come closest to what you had and if it calls for flour, just omit it. edited for spellling

Wow, it's just not my day. I tried looking for the Tamari Cashews but it seems they're either all sold out or they've stopped carrying them. I got the Wasabi Cashews instead and I'm not impressed. They could be peanuts for all I can taste. There is a little cashew aftertaste but it's pushed way into the background by the crunchy Wasabi coating (the same they use for peanuts). Live and learn! Since I was going there on my lunch break I grabbed a salad-to-go thinking I got the Chinese Chicken Salad and discovered when I got back to my office I had the Caesar Chicken Salad instead. You know how you get your tastebuds primed for one thing only to get something else? I am batting 0 for 2 today! I did get their Roasted Garlic & Shallots butter. It'll give me something to compare against when I try to make my own compound butter. I hoped to find cream cheese, too (getting ready for the SuperBowl), but it wasn't in their dairy case and in hindsight I bet it was over with their cheeses which I bypassed completely. Yikes...I need to go home.

That looked familiar to me, too. A friend gave me a recipe for something similar though the base is nowhere near as thick. The base is graham cracker-ish with a touch of coconut, a cream cheese mixture constitutes the middle layer and it's topped with a chocolate layer. The one drawback with the recipe is it needs to be refrigerated so I'm not sure if it's the same thing as what is pictured. But it's tasty! edited to add: On behalf of all eG chileheads, Thanks for the great blog, Andrea!

Practice. Practice. Practice. Over time, you will develop your photographic eye. I would also recommend you take a look at some of the photos being posted recently in the "Dinner!" discussion in the Cooking forum. For example, take a look at Jason's photos and you will see some of what you are missing in your photos. Your photos are shot wide. You see the place setting, some of the table, wine glasses, etc. Which is fine if you're illustrating the entire table setting of a restaurant. Sometimes you will want to do this, to be able to say "Here is the ambience at our table". But if your intention is to show off the great plating and great food, you need to zoom in a lot more. If the food is your subject in both of the photos you've posted, their significance is almost lost in the openess of the photos. The stark white of the dinnerware is overpowering your food. Your lighting looks good so I would recommend concentrating on the food itself and framing it a lot tighter. Zoom in. Fill the lens with food and perhaps a little bit of plate to give as a point of reference. I think this was discussed earlier in this thread. I believe the consensus was to always ask permission first before taking the photos, which makes sense. It is rude and inappropriate, which is why you need to get permission first.

Well, that's called depth of field. Part of the image is in focus, part of it isn't. There's nothing wrong with that as long as the subject of the picture is the part that's in focus. The macro setting is really intended for taking physically close-up pictures of objects, like an extreme close-up of the inside of a sunflower, for example. Macro is discussed in earlier posts in this topic. The problem with your second picture is also the same problem with the very first picture in this discussion (the egg picture). The focus of the picture really wasn't on the egg itself but it looks like it's on the mat instead. For your cat cake picture, the focus looks like it's on the writing, not on the cake. Get out your manual. I would suggest setting your camera to the Auto-focus Single mode setting. This will set the focus when the shutter release button is pressed down half-way. I am assuming you have some sort of "target" in your viewfinder. This is probably where the Single focus is set (your manual will tell you where it is). In your cat picture, with the Single Auto Focus mode, I'm guessing (since I am not familiar with your camera model) that you would frame the picture so the subject (the cat in this example) would be centered under the viewfinder "target". You'd depress the shutter release half-way to set the focus and then you would move the camera to re-frame the entire picture properly all while keeping this button half-pressed (if you don't keep it half-pressed, you will lose your auto-focus). Once everything is framed correctly, then press the button down all the way, taking the picture. It sounds clumsy and complicated to have to do this, but after taking more pictures, this will become second nature to you and you'll do it without even thinking about it. Besides, if they don't turn out, you can always delete them and try again. I hope this helps.

Take a look at the tripods at Amazon. Most have customer ratings so you can see what the pluses and minuses are. After that, go to a camera shop and handle the tripods/monopods/unipods yourself. The higher-end models will be light-weight, transport easily and should have a "floating head" on it which will allow you to level the camera without having to adjust the legs. Prices range from the affordable to the professional ($$$$). You get what you pay for. Here's a unipod/monopod. And here's a tabletop tripod. It can't hold very heavy cameras, according to one of the reviews which makes sense looking at the legs on it. If you're only shooting food, a tabletop tripod (perhaps another model) might be the answer. Also note that you may want to stay away from tripods that are advertised for video cameras. They will often have friction controls for camera movement which you won't need for still camera work. Unless, of course, you also own a video camera then one tripod can be used for both. Otherwise, it may be superfluous.

Yes, a tripod will help stabilize your camera and may help reduce blurring. Can you describe or post some of the blurred pictures? If you're shooting under reduced light conditions the shutter will need to stay open longer which increases the chances of having a blurred image due to camera movement. A tripod could solve this problem. But a blurred picture taken under normal light conditions (which means the shutter isn't open very long) can be caused by incorrect focusing. On www.megapixel.net, I did a search for a review on your camera. Here is their description of the focus abilities of the DSC-V1: So now my question to you is, what Focus setting are you using on your camera?

In college, my art professor held a class potluck dinner at the end of the year. Our assignment was to bring ordinary food that was doctored to not look ordinary to examine how our sight influences our hunger. The professor's contribution was deep blue mashed potatoes. My dish was a tuna dip from a recipe a high school friend had given me that looked coral pink and lumpy (my friend would bring it to all of our parties...it tasted great but looked horrible). No one at the dinner touched either the blue mashed potatoes or my dip. Sight plays a big part in how we eat and what we eat...

I attended college with a woman from a wealthy Iranian family. She told me they used to eat bananas with a fork and knife because the well-to-do didn't eat with their hands. America was a shock to her, to say the least.

I like to use the Reynolds Aluminum Foil "Hot Bags". They're basically pre-formed heavy-duty foil sacks with one side open. I slide the roast and other goodies inside and then just fold it closed. They can also be used on the grill. I make a "white trash" brisket. I put the roast in the bag, top it with a packet of that lovely onion dip, add some BBQ sauce and a about a cup of red wine. Slow roasted, it just falls apart and I think the gravy this makes is scrumptious.

Last night's episode had Lane's mom hosting a Korean Lunar New Year party(?). Her mom told her she had to come or she would lose face so Lane invited her bandmates to the dinner to spite her mom. One of them attempted to get up during the dinner to go to the bathroom and he was yelled at by a little boy to sit down until dinner was over, otherwise it was bad luck. So I was wondering if this was true, is it considered bad luck to leave the table during a Korean New Year dinner? Or was this just dramatic license? The disappearing Toblerone from the rooms at the inn was another food-themed plot point. Toblerone beats the heck outta thin mints on the pillows!

What a dichotomy considering the Chinese tradition of "Lushui Zhi, Questions About This 'Master Sauce' ", where braising liquid is used over and over again, day after day. It's pure in the sense that it is strained and boiled so it's pure sauce, but it's such a constantly evolving melange of spices & herbs & meat juices that it could be called anything but pure ("Mutt Sauce"?). As for all that rinsing, I'd stick with K.I.S.S. and keep it to the one pot. Who needs the extra work?