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FoodZealot

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  1. Another facet of this issue might be, since time is a finite commodity, people have to make tradeoffs of their personal leisure time versus all the other demands on their time. Those who do not regard cooking a meal as leisure (people who are also less likely to read a cooking oriented website), are more likely to choose convenience foods, one shopping trip per week to one warehouse store, and 15 minute recipes. They may sacrifice some nutrition, taste, and experiential value, but they have more time available for kid's extracurricular activities, going to the movies, and watching TV.

  2. jschyun, too bad you couldn't make it, I think you would have liked it. Next time! My usual boilerplate disclaimer applies.

    Scallion Pancake - less like a tortilla, more like a paratha (I think) - layers

    scallionbread.jpg

    Dabing - large sesame bread - crusty outside, moist layers with scallions inside - I really liked this and didn't miss having rice at all

    dabing.jpg

    Beef with Pickled Cabbage in a Warm Pot - not much visual appeal, but nice, gentle flavor - beef, cellophane noodles, pickled cabbage, and rehydrated black mushrooms

    soup.jpg

    Lamb with Leeks - I was hoping for a little more caramelization, some wok hey, perhaps, but still good

    lamb.jpg

    Three Flavors Homemade Noodles (Knife cut) - irregular shapes and thicknesses make for a varied chew

    noodles.jpg

    Chicken with Chinese Broccoli

    chbroccoli.jpg

    I think the lamb and noodles were marked as spicy on the menu, but nothing had any heat that I noticed. There were some minor timing issues in service. But overall, I enjoyed the meal, and I would go back to this restaurant. However, I can imagine that there might be better to be had elsewhere.

    I must admit to not knowing very much about the principles behind what is Halal and what is not, so here is what I found. The short story is: the animal must be slaughtered according to Islamic law, no pork, no alcohol, and all fish and seafood are generally okay. Restaurants should buy from Halal sources only. Here are some resources.

    http://www.bahagia.btinternet.co.uk/food.html

    http://www.eat-halal.com/halal.shtml

    http://www.albalagh.net/qa/sea_food_madhahib.shtml

    And Sun-Ki, let's definitely "break bread"!

  3. LA Times Food Section -- December 7, 2004

    Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com requires registration. You can log on with username "egulleteer" and password "lafood". Some content is in the premium section, called calendarlive.com, which requires an additional fee, but you can see the calendarlive stories below free, for one week.

    Whiskey Reinvented by Charles Perry

    Artisanal whiskeys from the West - St. George, Old Potrero, Charbay, Peregrine Rock, McCarthy's, McMenamin's Hogshead, Lagunitas and Sweetwater are mentioned.

    Tamales at home for the holidays by Corie Brown

    Tamale tips and recipes from Alice Tapp, her daughter Tamara, owners of Tamara's Tamales in Culver City, where they use soy based margarine instead of lard.

    Santa baby, I'll take one in red by Laurie Winer

    Gift suggestions for food lovers and cooks - Demeyere cookware, bamboo cutting boards, cheese knives, Mertens dipping set, Emile Henry tureen and bakeware, Le Creuset enameled stoneware bakeware, a fondue set, and Soehnle scale. With links to sources.

    So simple, so perfect by Regina Schrambling

    Simple fish preparations adapted from Norman Van Aken, Jasper White, and Pierre Franey.

    A sweet taste of winter by Barbara Hansen

    Quince and Almond Clafouti from the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, courtesy of chef Craig Strong.

    Vintage raspberry by Charles Perry

    Raspberry wine from Trader Joe's, with serving suggestion as a fizz.

    Wine of the Week: 2002 Red Horse Ranch Paso Robles Zinfandel Templeton Gap by S. Irene Virbila

    Described by SIV as "unusually focused and elegant" and having "real varietal character and nuanced layers."

    For the record a correction of chef Takashi Yagihashi's former restaurant's name - actually called Tribute.

  4. Thanks for the responses, everyone. I misspoke when I mentioned the curve - it is more of an angle of the handle, not so much of the cutting edge, as shown on this Wusthof. The Forschner has a similarly angled handle. Andie, good point about being away from the cutting board with a long knife.

    I actually had the day off yesterday so I went down to Ross Cutlery. It's directly across from the Grand Central Market. Great place to browse. No giant revelations there, although they will sharpen a serrated edge. If I decide to DIM, the Spyderco sharpening kit was about $70 there. Also went to some of the restaurant supply joints on Washington, and found the DR and Forschner at the lowest prices I've seen.

    HKDave recommended a scalloped edge rather than serrated edge knives. Some manufacturers makes knives with "reverse serrations" which is supposed to reduce tearout. Wusthof calls theirs a "confectioner's knife." Any other opinions about that feature?

  5. Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Keep it coming!

    HKDave, the curve was suggested by Cook's Illustrated, and is more for knuckle clearance than anything else.

    I find myself using the height of the blade as a guide to make a straight cut, so those offsets where the blade ends up being 1/2" or 3/4" tall don't appeal to me quite as much. I very well may end up with a DR or a Forschner, but they seem so light that there would be a lot of bearing down with the wrist and forearm. Seems like cutting thin toasts out of 5 or 10 baguettes would get tiring.

    Jackal, that breadbox is sweet. Coincidentally, I'm actually shopping around for a deli slicer, too.

    chromedome, normally, my strategy would be to get the cheapest thing that does the job reasonably well. But I also wanted to see if there was something above the el cheapos that would justify the extra few dollars. I found out about Ross Cutlery, and I'll be stopping there to consider some options. The gentleman on the phone also mentioned the Spyderco sharpening kit by name, so I'll check that out as well. I agree with Richard that throwing away a dull knife that could be sharpened doesn't make much sense. Again, thanks, all.

  6. Thanks for your comments. I guess there's two other factors in play here that I forgot to mention. One is that I'm not a professional yet, and I don't expect it to get so much use as to need replacement that quickly, and the other is that I'm crazy enough to spend the time sharpening the thing, especially if I end up spending $50 or more for it.

    Do most people here think of their serrated knives as being somewhat disposable or at least having a limited lifespan?

  7. Admin: Many threads merged in as they come up.

    I'm doing some factfinding before purchasing a proper bread knife, and I'd like to get some firsthand opinions from you all. I've done some searches, but haven't found a thread specifically about serrated bread knives. I'm expecting this to be a single purpose knife, mostly for heavy, crusty breads and crisp baguettes. Currently, I'm using a 8" serrated knife, which has been okay, but I want a knife that's longer and has curve to it.

    So far, the leading candidates are these two: the Wusthof 10 inch Crust Buster Serrated Knife, which is from their stamped series. I haven't handled this one, but I generally like Wusthof, and it has the shape that I think I want. This is about $50.

    The other is the pick from a Cook's Illustrated comparison, the Forschner 10.25 inch Fibrox Bread Knife. I've handled this knife, and while I'm sure it would be serviceable (especially at the price), it didn't impress me enough to make me want to buy it without looking around further. This is about $28.

    I'm hoping not to have to shell out $80 for a forged one, like this Wusthof Classic 10 inch Super Slicer, but I suppose I will if it comes down to it.

    What do you say? Have another favorite? Thanks for your input!

  8. Akiko, it's close, but not quite as fragrant than I was hoping for - I'm guessing it's because they're beyond ready to come off the tree. The rind of the fruit is a bit spongy. My first project is to make some fresh yuzukosho and compare it to two different brands I found at the market.

    I thought only kefir lime had the double leaf, but clearly this does as well. I bit a leaf to see if it had flavor, and it does, but not as pronounced as kefir lime. I might throw a few leaves in soup as an experiment.

  9. I was able to find a yuzu tree at a Japanese nursery near me.

    yuzutree.jpg

    yuzucloseup.jpg

    helenjp, thank you for your other responses. The nurseryman said that yuzu trees drop their leaves and I can stimulate growth and fruiting in spring by scratching the surface of the soil and adding mulch. I'll probably move it into a slightly larger pot as well. Does this sound right? Any other tips? Thanks.

  10. LA Times Food Section -- November 17, 2004

    Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com requires registration. You can log on with username "egulleteer" and password "lafood". Some content is in the premium section, called calendarlive.com, which requires an additional fee, but you can see the calendarlive stories below free, for one week.

    A THANKSGIVING FEAST

    Each dish, as amazing as it can possibly be by Russ Parsons

    An anthology of recipes spanning the entire Thanksgiving table. The bird by Judy Rodgers, potatoes by Daniel Boulud, cranberry sauce from Lydia Shire, stuffed cabbage from Michel Richard, apps from Thomas Keller.

    Deglazing: It works like magic by Leslie Brenner

    Advocates a pan sauce instead of gravy.

    A carver's confession by David Shaw

    To the carver, belong the spoils.

    Congeniality by the bottle by Leslie Brenner

    Comparative tasting of styles of wines to match with Thanksgiving - consensus this year seems to be Beaujolais cru.

    Roasting Pans: Stick with these by Cindy Dorn

    A hardware shootout.

    Enjoy the feast without all the fuss by Leslee Komaiko

    An overview of local restaurants who are serving Thanksgiving dinner.

    The feast's perfect match: Beaujolais crus by Corie Brown

    Tasting notes of various Beaujolais crus.

    Bastide's extreme cuisine inspires opposing views

    Letters about the crushing review of Bastide

    A poet's touch in the kitchen

    Regarding the feature on Maya Angelou.

    HOLIDAY SOS

    The case of the shrinking pies by Donna Deane

    Turkey day Q&A

    The bread winners by Barbara Hansen

    Leavened options for Thanksgiving, with sources and prices.

    Thanksgiving Preparation Guide

    I'm too lazy to link all the articles here, but various articles and reference information about turkey, stuffing, mashers, etc.

    A California Thanksgiving

    Nine photos of what the recipes are supposed to look like.

    How to carve a turkey

    A handy cheat sheet

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  11. Not necessarily the best of their respective genres, but here are some of my favorites near $10/person with table service.

    • Versailles on Venice Blvd
      Sham on Santa Monica Blvd near Lincoln in SM - lamb shawarma lunch special
      Mishima or Yashima - nabeyaki udon
      Lares on Pico & 34th in SM/West LA - carne adovado or anything with carnitas
      C&O Trattoria on Washington Blvd in Venice - half orders are enough
      JR Seafood - Santa Monica Blvd near Westgate in West LA - lunch specials

    I'll take one for the team and go verify the price of that Mori Sushi bento...

  12. Mr. McGee, thank you for participating in this Q&A.

    I'm curious about your take on umami in general, any new developments in the area, and how these developments might be applied by cooks. Would you know of an information source of the amounts of measured glutamates in various foodstuffs?

    Thanks again.

    ~Tad

    edit: to make clear

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