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Hest88

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by Hest88

  1. I'm sad as well. I've really liked how Gourmet has ventured into food journalism in the last few years, and also placed even more emphasis on authentic ethnic cuisine. Bon Appetit, OTOH, seems to be dumbing itself down. I guess we know which approach wins.
  2. I use it for meat dry rubs as well, mainly because that's what my mom did. I really think of granulated garlic as a different animal than fresh garlic. It tastes different to me, and adds a completely different flavor dimension to food. My immigrant Chinese mother would never use anything but fresh garlic for traditional Chinese dishes, but minced garlic on "American" meat just didn't have the flavor she desired. Hence the granulated garlic. If you're not a big fan of, say, beef ribs, try salt, pepper, and granulated garlic which I think gives it a great flavor.
  3. Board, even with Asian food. I just have this thing about washing as few items as possible so I'd put up with the inconvenience of chopping around piles of items just so I won't have to pull out extra bowl. Granted, sometimes I have to break down and pull out bowls for prep, but I do so very reluctantly.
  4. The beekeeper was fascinating. Since I have a thing about dead bugs, though, I think I would have been rather squeamish about the honey.
  5. I've actually been mixing barley and corn--half and half--though I'm happy with all corn or all barley too. What I've been doing is filling a pot with water, throwing maybe 10 tablespoons in (covering the surface of the water), bringing it all to a boil, and then letting it steep for a few hours or overnight. (This is basically due to laziness more than any scientific method--I need it cool down a bit but don't want to watch it, but it secondarily allows it to steep nicely.) Then I strain it into a gallon pitcher and stick it in the frig. Makes such a great cold drink.
  6. Thanks for the great reviews and pictures. (Ah, I miss Lek Seafood!)
  7. Mine are ones mentioned already: 1. Those weird funny sinks that are too small, too shallow, too narrow, oddly shaped so difficult to clean, etc. 2. Glass hoods 3. Electric small appliances such as can openers, juicers, etc. 4. Large enameled cast iron cookware. I have a small Le Crueset saucepan and frying pan that are already at the limit of what I can handle. I would need a crane to handle something like a dutch oven, which I know many love On the granite argument. Here's a closeup of my granite countertops:
  8. Hest88

    Artichokes

    I agree. Those globe artichokes are very watery-tasting. I've also found that even the smaller thornless artichokes suffer from the same problem. I do tend to microwave my artichokes. Not only is it easier but the flavor is more concentrated.
  9. I prefer using aluminum foil for many things, actually, after going using parchment paper exclusively for a long time. For one, I find that parchment paper gets even more brittle after baking and I like the way I can make foil conform to corners. Nowadays I only use parchment for sheet pans (and even then I often use foil unless I'm baking something really devoid of grease--and I actually find that most cookies and brownies don't need additional pan greasing to release cleanly) or if I need to actually cut the parchment to an exact size.
  10. Okay, so I've been going through all the pizza posts, including the last few but still wanted a bit of advice. Now, as a Bay Area gal I have plenty of access to blistery, wood-oven Neapolitan pizzas. However, is something like Ray's where I'd go to get something like a definitive "New York style" pizza so I can finally pin down the characteristics of the kind?
  11. My mom makes the best hot pots, in part because she marinates all the meat in advance. I don't know anyone else who bothers, but of course my mom's method gives it all the extra boost of flavor.
  12. This comes at the perfect time--just a few week before my next NYC trip!
  13. Isn't that funny. We now know that it's totally true that cooking helps the body digest veggies better and, in the case of antioxidants, helps "release" the nutrition. I like how the Chinese believed that before the advant of contemporary scientific studies.
  14. Electric stove: I cooked on an electric stove in college. I got very good at balancing my round-bottom wok while stir-frying in it. Not something I'd recommend--due to liability issues!--but for me there was no way I was giving up my wok, no matter how non-ideal it was, and I was too lazy to drag out the wok ring unless I was steaming something. Which brings me to: Steaming: Yeah, my parents and I never used a bamboo steamer. Steaming meant using the wok ring to stablize the wok, and putting a plate on top of a metal trivel inside the wok.
  15. We also have an air switch. My rationale for getting it was so my dripping hands would be getting water all over the wall every time I flipped on the disposal. It just plugs into the outlet under the sink, though of course you need to have someone drill a hole into your countertop. Unlike Cali, we didn't get ours for $20---I think it was closer to $50.
  16. I dunno. I just suspect she was trying to get the order right. So many people order diet Coke that she probably wanted to be sure you wanted regular Coke so you wouldn't return it. Her memory is probably not so good that she remembered when you asked for refill and certainly not when you returned the second time.
  17. ITA, with some caveats. I will *lightly brush* both my cast iron pans and wok with a copper scrubbie and that takes off any clinging food. I will also scrub harder for burnt on food, and it will take off the carbonized food particles rather well without really damaging the coating. But yes, your general green scratchie sponge isn't going to take off a good seasoning, and neither is some detergent--which I will also use if the food is particularly icky. It just stands to reason--how easy is it using detergent to clean the old grease in an oven? It's virtually impossible. However, I had a heartbreaking incident a few weeks ago which does serve as a lesson. I usually have no qualms about throwing tomatoes or any other acidic food into my old #8 Griswold cast iron pan. It's one I picked up at a flea market many years ago and was midnight black and shiny, obviously through years of use by someone's grandma. Well, I picked up some marinated kalbi at our local Korean market, threw it in the hot pan, and to my dismay, after a few minutes my lovely seasoning started flaking off in large sheets. I don't know what it was about the short rib seasoning, but my pan really didn't like *that* acidity. Yes, I'm re-seasoning it. And sending my abject apologies to the anonymous grandma who cared for it so lovingly for so long.
  18. If you wonder if creating an edible Buddha would be offensive just picture creating an edible Jesus for a Christian wedding. Actually, when thinking about even *decorating* with Buddhas think of whether or not you'd decorate with Jesuses or Marys. ;-) Wedding cakes aren't traditionally Buddhist so I don't think you could offend anyone since there's not really a tradition to contradict . Using lotuses as the flower in your design would be a lovely nod, though.
  19. Nothing. I'd just consider it a learning experience.
  20. Yes, it would be nice to have some data. I'm inclined to think restaurant costs have to have at least kept pace witih inflation or they wouldn't have been able to stay open.
  21. Be still my heart! Another travelogue. Mmmmmm....
  22. We see them here in Chinese restaurants too, all big and scary looking in the tanks. I have no idea how they kill them, but the legs are usually steamed then topped with garlic. Even better is when they top them with fried shallots.
  23. Triple Garden Web. It's really the absolutely best place to go. Warning, though, threads drop off after 60 pages, so if there's an older thread you find useful be sure to copy and paste it into a document or you might not be able to reference it later.
  24. This was a naive and, frankly, silly thought. I'm not sure if he quite understood that when a brand becames big it then really becomes all about the brand as opposed to leading to an informed consumer decision.
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