jsolomon

Uhh, Dave, you're off by a ways. Kelvin is the absolute temperature scale. 250 F = 394 Kelvin 225 F = 380 Kelvin 4% difference 425 F = 491 Kelvin 450 F = 505 Kelvin 3% difference However, 225 is 13 degrees over the boiling point of water, and 250 is 38 degrees over. 54% difference. This has a large difference. But, temperature change according to Newton *grab differential equations textbook* states that the rate of temperature change depends on the difference of temperature between the object and the environment. So, you're parallel to the right track. Your advice is spot on, though. Practice!

Col Klink and Batgrrl, first things first, congratulations! Being a near-confirmed bachelor, I've never been in the situation, but people turn to me for (misguided) advice, so here is my shot. I think you're definitely on the right track with pre-fabbing and freezing things. My suggestions: make and freeze 2-3 different preparations of several different meats so the bun can have a choice. For instance, chinese braise, traditional roast, smoked pork/chicken/beef. It may be a bit challenging to watch 2+ pots of braising pork + beef + chicken + mutton etc. etc. Freeze these in 1-2 oz portions and separate as Rachel said with snack-sized and storage-sized freezer bags. Make and freeze several different starches. Rice, beans, taters, squash, noodles, etc. Store similarly... 6-8 oz portions? Consider making and freezing several veg, but the microwave may be good enough, depending on the appetite controller's affability. Have several sauces available to mix all of the above with. The biggest suggestion I have is keep things around with the major appetizing flavors we taste on the tongue. Salty, sweet, and sour. My SIL's latest pregnancy, no one could cook in the house. But, I could get a fair amount of food past her if I asked her "do you want something sweet, salty, or sour?" Prepare that outside using the grill, sauce it up, and chow down. The big suggestion: have fun and joy in the wonderment of pregnancy!

I'm with reesek. I tend to put acorn and butternut squash in my winter soups that I also put ham hocks into. They just love each other. Those soups are on "the list".

In one of my groups of friends, one person says "juh LAH puh no" Gives me shudders.

The love of pepper jelly has also made it into Middle America. I'm a fan of hot pepper jelly on crepes with sausage. Yum... hangover helper breakfast. But, chemprof, I have to ask, how can habaneros be worse than sulfur-lab day for the organic lab students? That day always gassed me out of the building.

The way chemicals, especially drugs work in your body is that they do shape-fit interactions with other chemicals in your body. There are chemical differences between caffeine--in coffee, theophylline--in some teas, and theobromine--in chocolate. Each because they have different--but very similar--chemical compositions, fit slightly differently in their "keyholes". But, it's not that simple because there are many chemicals that these caffeine-alikes fit in. Theophylline affects some more strongly than caffeine, and vice versa. It's just that caffeine seems to affect the nervous system more strongly and in a longer lasting nature than theophylline. But, if I want a caffeine buzz, all I need is a cup of homemade hot cocoa. Gets me everytime.

The smell I LOVE is roasting coffee. None other like it. Wow. The smell I abhor? Hominy. That is my food nemesis. If I were superman, hominy would be my kryptonite.

Invite eGulleters? Good pork chops are so delicious on their own that I really hate to jazz them up with much other than salt and pepper to set off their natural flavor. Grill them or sear them off and cook to just under medium. Elsewise, I would say smoke some if you have access to a smoker. You may also want to peek at the brining course on eGCI.

It's my creative outlet... the first time my lavendar honey bread came out with the perfect balance between the two, I could have had a wisdom tooth out and not cared. It's also my way of communicating to my friends and loved ones. You know, those things that are so hard to communicate... like: you screwed up babe, and you're gonna get burnt toast until you apologize Oh, wait, I mean the other communication... But mostly, it's my way of having cheap therapy. Yesterday, the simple act of sharing my food took all of the disappointment of not receiving all of the raise I was promised (40% of my base salary as a promised raise reduced to 8%, then strangely upped to 27%). I was extraordinarily pissed until I shared my food and the young gal I shared it with was asking me for the recipe and questions about technique. It made it all momentarily better.

So... I hate to be the nosy one, but was your luck better than mine?

Those aren't fish... those are boasts

Find a mother and make vinegar? Edit to add: for personal consumption, baked sausage (Italian-style-ish) with grapes is divine. You may also want to see if there are any places which might take donations of grapes, i.e. soup kitchens, schools, churches... I assume they're pleasant enough out-of-hand.

I'm surprised no one has hit on my fave when I'm too tired to cook or do dishes... call up a friend and invite yourself over! Then again, I'm single without kids...

No, no. Dragons eat virgins, not vegetarians.

Good luck! But, you may want to read my posts and disregard them. I got dumped that night. 'sokay. Her e-mail address, phone number, and everything else have been shredded, forgotten, etc, etc.

I should add the caveat that my Caloric brand stove is so much of a pile of crap that I can't even cook pasta for 2 on it when I have company. The unfortunate end result is that cooking--my favorite pasttime--has been a damned frustrating chore for the past 6 months. So, I don't cook like I used to. Jason, can we get a :despise: smiley to contrast with so I can appropriately vent my spleen about my POS stove? Yet another reason to switch apartments.

Being unmarried, single, broken, etc., etc., I do things like pork braises, roast chicken (which smokes up my apartment ) enchiladas, stir fry, lo mein, cereal... and I wash it down with milk, water, beer, or wine... and occasionally coffee

Milk soap and water with a cloth, then wipe with a damp cloth (simply clean water) wipe with food grade mineral oil. This may not help, though. The rubber may simply be old and degrading too fast. It happens. Your other bet would be to replace the gasket with a modern silicone equivalent. You should be able to find some food grade gasket material that you can cut to fit.

Base for protein, acid for bone... What the acidity in the wine may do is make the bone more porous and allow some of the flavors from the cooking of the bone better access to the rib meat. But, wine, being a biological product filled with (yes, this is true) the spilled contents of grape cells and yeast cells is quite a milieu of wonderous proteases, polymerases, ligases, restriction enzymes, etc etc etc some of which may still be active, most of which are not anymore. To say that it's the acidity of the wine doing all of the work... eah Suffice it to say it does something... magical

I'd love any recipes for pickles (cukes or otherwise) But, what's this about Nebraskans not liking spicy things? :grin: -jared

Just remember to pick one up off of eGullet so you can make sure he'll have adequately prepared by reading this thread. Anyone know an eGer who's single? Bueller? Bueller? Yes, Ben. I'm here. And single. Edit to add: and I know CPR just in case I get there slightly too late.

I'm 27 and still a bottomless pit. You can see evidence http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=49221]here. Most any saucy Mexicanish thing is good and stretches well with rice. One of my favorites is to stretch homemade enchiladas with rice. Once fabbed, those freeze well and are microwaved well also. They are made well with pork, chicken, turkey, beef... and on and on... cheap, too. Potato salad was always a good one for me, as were baked potatoes. Most teenaged sprouts don't mind nuked baked potatoes. Stir fry is usually really good as leftovers, as is lo mein, and those use lots of rice/noodles which are cheap cheap cheap. Those would also be good teachers of the cooking arts to the sprouts. Best of luck!

Damn, you posted it before I could! Bourbon in bread pudding

How about the idea where you burst into the kitchen of a local eatery as Samurai Chef and introduce your sidekick La Emigre, and then save the day? Damn, mixed metaphor. I was thinking meat-packing plant.

I made these for a VM cast party one time (my girflriend at the time didn't cook and was one of the narrators). They were a hit at the party, and after dropping them off I was invited to stay, but there was too much progesterone in the air for me... It was interesting trying to make them in a dormitory kitchen with only the front desk's cooking utensils... Surprise Surprise reminds me of the old gag about "Tuna Surprise"