Toliver

My mentioning of her name was to convey the shortcuts Jacques would be taking. You know the quality of the food he will make will be far better than anything Sandra could make. So ignore the specific name and just go with the idea behind my analogy. As Jacques and others have shown for those who find they are "time-crunched", it is possible to start with something that is pre-packaged and still end up with something quite edible. Obviously, you (and most eGullet members) who enjoy making a meal from "scratch" are not the intended target audience for this show. If anyone has disdain for this show because it's not "real cooking", I suggest changing the channel.

It sounds like the ceiling was a two-part job. That they sprayed ceiling "popcorn" on the light box indicates to me that it was exposed to the room at one point and they wanted to make it look "pretty" . And other than opening a hole in the ceiling and looking inside the nether regions to see what's in there, I'd go with a portable X-ray or MRI machine. And as long as you're going to open a hole in the ceiling to take a peek, I say rip it all down. If there are pipes or ductwork, paint it white or red and be done with it (It looks like there will be some sort of duct work since there's a duct plate/register in the ceiling. But it mave been added when the ceiling was lowered and can be 86'd and put back like it was before). It will be interesting to see what kind of wiring they did on the fan.

You could always try making Smoked Brisket Egg Rolls. I'm thinking you could freeze them, too.

Some carrots just grow bitter and woody, too, and the gas has nothing to do with that. It's their nature, though this is changing, even as we speak, in the carrot growing industry.

I think your assessment is 100% correct. Sorry to disappoint some of the posters but this show isn't going to be about techniques. As is intimated in the show title, it's going to be about good food created in a quick manner. Think "Julia meets Sandra Lee" except you'll want to eat the finished product.

Dave, Lowered ceilings aren't usually lowered to hide ductwork. I've always assumed (yes, I know where that gets you) that the lowered ceiling was just to hide the lighting hardware so the light would look/be recessed into the ceiling. I see by the pics that you started poking around up there. Did you find anything other than the lamp kit (and perhaps a dead critter or two)? Were there any blue prints of the original renovation made (when the ceiling was lowered)? That would show any pipes/ducts that the lowered ceiling might be hiding. What if you 86'd the light panels, hacksawed off the metal grid and go with the suggestion of track lighting? Removing the panels & grid would also free up room for a hanging pot rack.

Yes, there are some some odd nominees on the list. I see Jasmine in San Diego on the list described as "full service" execpt that they're mainly a Dim Sum place. I never knew they even had a regular menu.

I always overlooked this trait. I was used to seeing her on the "Cooking Live" show and having to finish everything in one hour so I knew she was pressed for time. As rude as it is, I figured she was just trying to finish their sentences to be able to move on to the next dish or process.

You're quite right...it may not be. His recipe states: That's how Jacques likes his salmon...feel free to cook yours as little or as long as you want.

Man, that sounds good! Now I am wondering how a horseradish-based dipping sauce would go with the smoked brisket egg rolls. Not a Southern slant, but it could be the start of beautiful friendship.

40 to 45 minutes according to the recipe on his website: Click Here.

Her FoodTV bio doesn't mention it but she previously cooked on some of the FNTV "Melting Pot" shows.

Lordy, Lordy, Lordy..."smoked brisket eggrolls". My mind (and appetite) is reeling with such a possibility. Can the "Southern Food Culture" forum get their own eRecipeGullet? And can we get the recipe for the eggrolls? Where is that damn drool smilie?

I forgot to mention in my previous post that we also have a "Chilehead" Thanksgiving, thanks to my oldest brother. He makes a batch of stuffing with diced jalapeños (that gets hotter and better the next day!) and something that he calls "Cajun Gravy" which is turkey gravy with hot peppers from my other brother's garden. He is also responsible for injecting the turkey with a garlicky and spicy marinade as well as putting on a rub before deep frying it (my mom also oven roasts a "normal" turkey...and we invite enough people over so it all gets eaten!). So, not really an "ethnic" Thanksgiving but a Chilehead Thanksgiving.

I saw an episode this weekend that aired on Fresno's PBS (KVPT) station. It went by surprisingly fast. In the show, ironically, one dish that he made was melon with proscuitto (see the "William Grimes on 30-Minute Meals, No fan of Rachel Ray, he...." discussion).

I've seen the purple cauliflower at my Farmer's market. I haven't had the urge to buy one...but I've seen 'em there. As for slicing the cauliflower, I have a rather large Forschner knife (10") that I use to slice up the head. It makes quick work of cutting up the beasty. I have an even longer and larger Forschner sitting in a drawer in case I need to audition for a Wes Craven film. I tend to buy a head of cauliflower that, when cut up, is often too big for one sheet pan. But I cram it all in and then it steams instead of roasts. I also use a foil-lined pan for easy clean up. I use regular foil and spray it with Pam. I hadn't thought of using the "Release" (non-stick) foil. I've been treating my roll of "Release" as if it's made of gold. I should probably use it more often. Thanks for the idea, fifi.

You're correct. I was looking at the data from '65 to '85. The 10% increase came later after that first study. Though you label this 10% increase as significant, the researchers don't think it's big enough to justify today's sense of "no free time". From the end of the paragraph: An interesting side note in some of the studies is that the researchers think our actual perception of time here in the U.S. has changed since the days of our parents. And overall, women are still getting the short end of the stick, so to speak. As it's been noted by others in this discussion, women still do a day's "paid" work and then come home and do a majority of the housework. We're such bastards, ain't we?

She has this weird bias against cold pasta salads, too, as if they are a crime against humanity. That being said, I agree that she is a pretty good teacher, too.

At the last couple of family Thanksgivings my brother made Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes. He doesn't use the orange-fleshed yams but the yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes when making them. He bakes the sweet potatoes and roasts a head of garlic along side for about an hour. Once cooked, he takes the potatoes and garlic out of the oven and scoops out the insides of the potatoes. To this he adds the roasted garlic (as much or as little as you want), a touch of prepared horseradish and sour cream (basically it's mashed sweet potatoes...guess you could add some butter, too). He spoons this mixture back into the hollowed out potatoes and puts them back into the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Take them out and stick some butter on top and have at it.

Funny you should say that. I started a discussion a short while back, "The Eating Out Generation, What used to be special, isn't anymore.", because a mucky-muck from Food Television was quoted in yet another discussion as basically saying the same thing: As for all the arguments that today we have less "free" time today than we used to or than our parents did...this is a misperception that has actually been given a name by the researchers: "time famine". There have been studies researching this and it was shown to be a false perception: This particular study attributes today's perception of less free time due to the available free time being filled with scheduled activities (as opposed to sitting on the couch and just "vegging"). This is also verified in another time use study (see page 20 and the pages following). We have the time to cook our own meals. We just perceive incorrectly that we don't.

Suzanne, just an FYI...you can link directly to your post (instead of having to scroll). Find the post you want to link to and click on the post number located in the upper right corner of the post. A little window will then pop open displaying the exact URL of that post. Use that as your link and it will go directly to your post...no scrolling needed. Ta-da!

Here's a sample of one: Lodge Grill Press They're sometimes called a "Pig Iron". I used to clean the grill in a campus cafeteria while in college. It wasn't the most fun thing in the world to do but you could see the results of your effort when you were through (as opposed to dishwashing where the stream of pots & pans never seemed to end). We used the bench scaper and rags. Also used the cleaning brick that fifi pointed out. It dissolved into nothingness by the time you were through cleaning the grill. We used cider vinegar and rags for the final wipe down. The grill was still hot as you cleaned it and there ain't nothing in the world as bad as getting your sinuses full of vinegar steam. Needless to say, I developed a talent for not breathing while cleaning the grill.

Sounds like you will really enjoy his new show coming up on TVFN "Bobby Flay: Chef Mentor", where he has a group of young chef-wannabes and he plucks his new protegé from their midsts. Apparently he was plucked (mentored) when he was a wannabe and now he wants to return the karmic favor...with the cameras rolling.

From what I've seen on the web there are a couple theories of origination. First Theory: "Chow" (actually "chou") is Chinese Pigden English meaning "miscellaneous cargo". Second Theory: "Chow" is Chinese Pigden English for "food". If the first theory is true, then it's easy to see the natural transition from it to the second theory. Given that there isn't just one recipe for "chow chow" but that it can be made from a variety of ingredients, seems to go hand in hand with the "miscellaneous" aspect of the word derivation.

My mom keeps completely "American traditional" with our Thanksgiving dinner, but my aunt always makes the traditional Bohemian family dish Pork Roast and Sauerkraut in addition to the turkey and all the trimmings for her Thanksgiving dinner. It's like having dinner with dinner.