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Nothing to add really... maybe Dan's on N. Lamar in Austin. Good breakfast. Or Wok N' Roll on Burnet. There was (maybe still is) a gyros place on Burnet we used to frequent. Ditto on Les Ami /sigh Ditto on the Egg Roll carts on the Drag Ditto on Dirty's.. noone mentioned Hut's?

the difference in wok heat cannot be stressed enough. i would say the difference in temperature between the home kitchen and chinese restaurant kitchen is probably between 50 and 100. what the hell is lobster cantonese?

I feel that the most important consideration in Chinese Seafood cooking is the utilization of Heat. Chinese Wok Cook or truly Steam the majority of Seafood or other dishes. In Hong Kong or China this is done with Stoves fired with Propane, or Kerosene that is elevated up to very intense heat. In the States it's with Natural Gas or Propaine with higher BTU Burners then used in reqular Restaurant Cooking. The Chefs station is set up to expedite all necessary seasonings, codiments and flavors required to finish the dish quickly. Everything fired is made to order with the exceptions of some stocks, dumplings and soups. Traditionally Shellfish are only Cooked to point then finished and served into a platter, cassarolles are prepared to order and served in the Clay or Metal Pots they are cooked in, directly to your table from the stove. The closest to this type of service is generally only available at places where Sardines or other Fish are Grilled outside places in Spain or Portugel on hot coals as is the custom while you watch them being prepared. Often, especially in Hong Kong there are Restaurants that specialize in Seafood where all the Fish and Shellfish are sold live to order by weight verified by the customers shown tableside. On Lantau Island there are waterfront stalls where the Seafood Choices are kept in live ocean tanks until you select your food for dinner where it will be delivered to the restaurant of your choice where they will cook your seafood to order as you request at a reasonable price. Something we should also consider is that the NYC/East Coast preperation of Lobster Cantonese is rarely available anywhere else. It's unknown in Hong Kong and when ordered in Seattle it's not comparable to what's served in New York except when I have with me Chinese friends familiar with the dish who attempt to explain the preperation to the chefs but still it's only so The only place that I am able to enjoy this is at home when I set up to cook it correctly. Irwin

Yes, like most of my attempts to mimic any Asian foods, there is a missing secret ingredient to this. (Of course, I rarely use actual Chinese roast pork, and probably don't use as much oil as most Asian restaurants use in their noodle dishes.) This is like that comment on one of the epicurious recipes where the cook made some Mexican thing but left out the cilantro and cumin and used tomatoes instead of chillies and then complained that it didn't taste very Mexican! I'm not trying to be harsh, but it is sort of funny...before you worry about secret ingredients, you could always start with the obvious ones. For um, "singapore" noodles (if I'm divorced over this, I'm blaming you all), you need the style of curry powder used by HK/Cantonese cooks. It's in Asian groceries and comes in a yellow tin and is usually made in Malaysia. Typical noodles would be beehoon, or the rice vermacelli that you soften in warmish water right before you're ready to cook them until they're "al dente" and then drain them. You can make it with fresh rice noodles (fun) if you like. You'll also need peanut oil or lard, light soya sauce, char siu (the BBQ'd pork, don't get siu yuk or roast pork), shrimp, bean sprouts, green onions, and egg omlette or whatever is in your favorite version (sometimes they use bok choy instead of sprouts, or regular onion instead of green onions, etc). The char siu and omlette gets cut into strips, the onions cut into similiar lengths, the bean sprouts rinsed, the shrimp sprinkled with a small amount of sugar and salt to keep them crisp. Because I don't have the fire power the restaurants do, I tend to stir fry the non-noodle part in the all-clad saute pan and the noodles in a nice cast iron frying pan (or steel wok) seperately and mix them together at the end. The trick is to not overload the pans, let the pans and oil get blazingly hot and be quick. If you can get good versions of this in restaurants, it's hardly worth the trouble of doing it at home. I generally fry the noodle with some of the curry powder and soya, and the onion, shrimp and omlette with more curry powder and soya to taste. Toss them together with the bean sprouts and you're done. I like the bean sprouts to be barely cooked, but if you like them more cooked you could add them to the non-noodle part of the stir-fry. It's true that SE Asian "curries" or noodle dishes tend not to rely just on curry powder and if curry powder is used it's a different animal than the bright yellow stuff. The rempah at our house is made from shallots, chillies, galangal, fresh tumeric, candlenuts, and belecan, but then for Nonya chicken curry we add some curry powder made up to the partner's nonya stepmum's specifications in S'pore and coconut milk. For fish curry, no powder, no coconut, and fenugreek is added. For assam soups or "curries" you add tamarind, etc. I think Singapore noodles get called that because they're yellow and seasoned differently from most other HK/Cantonese food and people think "Singapore" when they see them (why not Indonesia, Malaysia or Macau, I don't know). regards, trillium

Shucks, why would you want to do that? I rely heavily on both of those for most of my cooking at home. A nice wok is a pretty righteous cookware item too. If you don't have a wok, get one and a rice steamer and go to town. i have a spun steel wok (not stainless) which is nicely seasoned. cooked a couple of times in it i have a ricecooker ( a gift) sits unused. i live alone, instant rice is easier.

Shucks, why would you want to do that? I rely heavily on both of those for most of my cooking at home. A nice wok is a pretty righteous cookware item too. If you don't have a wok, get one and a rice steamer and go to town.

Why? Portugal is a smaller country, therefore with a little less geographic and agricultural diversity than Spain, so unavoidably the 'variety' factor is less powerful. However, Belgium is also much smaller than France, yet the Belgians shouldn't feel any complexes about their great food! I believe Portugal is so strong in so many areas (dried codfish, fresh fish, shellfish, suckling pig, soft cheeses, vegetables, soups, 'conventual' sweets, dry table wines, fortified wines...) and even in cooking techniques (the cataplana should be promoted internationally as a 'double wok', and it could become the next great utensil in kitchens!) that it's just a matter of exploiting them adequately and of working on updates of the traditions for Portugal's cuisine to thrive and its gastronomic reputation to grow.

Going to do the hot pot tomorrow night. Will try it in an electric wok. Going to try: Lobster Tails Dungeness Crab Shrimp bean thread noodles fried tofu eggplant spinach chicken or beef(if I find good beef in the store tomorrow) Sauces 1. Hoisin with bun bread, scallions and cucumber 2. ginger, garlic and sesame oil 3. ginger and scallion 4. chili 5. jalapeno and garlic

This pork belly and daikon dish I pulled out of the December issue of Kyou no Ryouri a popular amgazine/cooking show on NHK. I am probably the only person in the world who buys a pork belly and then proceeds to trim it of most of the fat...... The recipe calls for 200g (less than 1/2lb) of pork belly and 600g (about 1 1/3lbs) of daikon. I used closer to 500g (little over 1lb) of each. The pork is cur into bite size pieces and then sprinkled with a large splash of soy and a large splash of sake and then set aside while preparing the rest of the ingredients. The daikon is cut into a roll cut or other large pieces, mince some scallions and some ginger. Heat a wok and some flavorless oil (I use canola) and stirfry the scallions and ginger for a couple second, toss in the pork (drained of its marinade) and stirfry until the color changes. toss in the daikon and stirfry until coated with oil and then add the marinade that had been drained of the pork mixed with 3 Tablespoons of soy, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar and some pepper. keep stirring until the sasuce thickens and all the pieces are nicely coated, then add 200 ml of water, lower the heat to low and cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until the daikon is tender. It is really easy and really fast and everyone loved! What more can you ask for. It was the first time I made it and I will definitely make it again.

We had a huge Dong Zhi festival at our house and I cooked a 7 course meal banquet style. Here was the menu. Appetizer: 1. Lamp Shadow Sweet Potato Chip (Sprinkled with a little sugar and drizzled with soy, hot oil, and sesame oil sauce) 2. Soup: Hot And Sour Soup Entree's 3. Sweet and Sour Chicken 4. Wok Sweared Green Beans (With Sweet & Pungent Meat Sauce) 5. Spicy Slices of Beef w. Tangerine Peel (With Sichuan Peppercorns) 6. Kung Pao Chicken Dessert: 7. Candied Tangerine Peel dipped in Chocolate

Did a Chicken Noodle Casserole. Below I outline what I did and ask for suggestions for the next step in making it better. GOAL: Goal is a pot of food for quick dinners: Keep big pot in refrigerator. For a meal, scoop out desired quantity, heat to about 170 F in microwave, and eat. Looking for something 'robust', say, hunting lodge food. BACKGROUND: Am borrowing from: Jacques Pepin, 'Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques', ISBN 1-57912-165-9, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, New York, 2001. especially the dish "151. Chicken Pie" on pages 384 to 386. OUTLINE: Started with a Purdue Oven Stuffer Roasting chicken, 7.66 pounds as purchased. For liver, chopped, poached quickly in about 3 T of water, removed liver to a small flat dish, reduced poaching liquid and added it to the dish, let dish cool, and called kitty cat. Happy kitty cat. For the chicken, cut the wings into two pieces, cut the legs into two pieces, cut the breast from the back, cut the breast into two pieces. For the back, removed and discarded the 'red jelly stuff' under membranes on either side of the backbone near the tail. Also removed and discarded other loose material attached to the inside of the back. Heavily peppered chicken skin. Outdoors, in a Chinese steel wok, with about 1 C of Canola oil, over high heat from a propane burner with about 170,000 BTU/hour power, running at about 1/2 full power (low roar), quickly but darkly browned all the chicken skin. Also browned the neck, heart, and gizzard. Indoors, packed browned chicken pieces, along with cooking oil used, in an 8 quart pot containing also 1/2 C dried parsley, 4 dry bay leaves, 1 T dried thyme, 1 T dried rosemary, 1/2 C minced garlic, 4 C Chardonnay wine. Added water to cover. Got about 7 quarts total volume. Brought pot to simmer and simmered for 30 minutes. Removed meat and let drain in a colander set in a bowl. Poured stock through a strainer and discarded strainer contents. Removed and discarded fat from stock. To stock, added 2 pounds pieces of large yellow globe onion, 1 pound of carrot pieces, 1 pound of celery pieces, and sliced, washed large white mushrooms from a package with net weight 24 ounces. Total volume was about 7 quarts; there was just enough stock to cover the vegetables. Simmered for 30 minutes. Removed vegetables and let drain in a colander set in a bowl. Took apart chicken placing diced meat in one bowl and rest in another bowl. Got 3 pounds 1 ounce of diced meat. Breast meat was just cooked. Some of the thigh meat next to the bone was still red. Poured stock through a strainer; discarded strainer contents. Poured stock through cloth, twice; set cloth aside for washing later. Got about 4 quarts of dark fragrant chicken stock. Took stock from under colanders, removed fat, and added to main stock volume. Added to stock about 12 ounces of reduced brown chicken broth from earlier efforts. Reduced stock to 3 C. Result gelled at room temperature. Made white roux of 1 C unsalted butter and 1 C flour. Added simmering 3 C of stock all at once to hot roux and whipped until smooth. Added 4 C of hot whole milk and whipped until smooth. Added 2 C of heavy whipping cream and whipped until smooth. Added 1/2 C fresh lemon juice and 5 T salt. Sauce would coat the back of a spoon and tasted good. The onions, carrots, and celery gave a 'brightness' to the flavor. The mushrooms added a little contrast. Lemon and salt balanced each other and together brightened the flavors. There was too much lemon and salt for the sauce alone but hopefully about the right amount for the final dish. Browned and pepper flavors did not seem too prominent. In 1 1/2 quarts of simmering water, blanched 1 pound of fresh frozen petite peas. Discarded poaching liquid and added peas to vegetables. Earlier efforts showed that including blanching liquid from peas would add undesirable flavor. In 4 quarts of simmering water, simmered 1 pound of hard dry egg noodles for 6 minutes. Each noodle was about 1 1/2 inches long, about 3/16 inches wide, and twisted about 1 1/2 turns. Drained noodles in a colander; discarded liquid. Noodles were nearly fully cooked. In 8 quart pot, combined in layers chicken, vegetables, and noodles. Poured sauce over solids. Got a little too much volume for 8 quart pot -- ate extra. Covered pot and heated through, with occasional stirring, in 250 F oven to center temperature of 160 F. Chilled uncovered and then covered. Put skin, bones, etc., from chicken in pot, covered with water, simmered to make brown chicken broth to use next time. RESULTS: Eating quantity reheated in microwave, results: It's rich. All that butter and heavy cream are quite noticeable. There is a lot of bright flavor from the onions, carrots, and celery. The onions, carrots, and celery, in the traditional proportions of 2:1:1, balance each other so that it's tough to notice any one of the three. The peas are a nice contrast. Might use milk instead of the cream and make the dish more 'meaty' by reducing the proportion of vegetables and noodles. Otherwise, dish is a bit too 'vanilla', too simple. Dish could use some more flavor contrasts. Maybe the noodles might be dark green ones? One approach may be to get the wok smoking hot with only a little oil and toss the sliced mushrooms until edges brown. Earlier efforts showed that in a sufficiently hot wok, can actually get the mushrooms to brown before they can give up their liquid and that such mushrooms can add a smoky flavor to the dish. Maybe some different mushrooms would help? Sure, morel mushrooms, but my uncle hasn't sent any in a while, and the prices are a bit steep! Similarly for truffles! Maybe some bacon could be added somehow and would be good? Or, maybe there should be 1/2 C of diced ham? Would want some high quality ham with good flavor, maybe even with a maple and smoke flavor? Thoughts, suggestions for ham? Maybe stock should get 2 T of Worchestershire sauce? Maybe there should be 1 t of Cayenne pepper, 1 t of nutmeg, some sage? Dry red wine instead of Chardonnay? What might help? Thanks.

I thought I was aware of some of the various levels of adherence. (I'm not Jewish)I had lived with a Jewish family when I was in High School, (not very strict) and a few years ago I did a Chinese Demo for a Temple, and was required to have all my foods checked by the Rabbi, buy all Kosher meats, and buy a new wok. (very strict) But one time I was at Moishe Peking, in NYC, with a Jewish friend and she was explaining the various restrictions, including differences between countries. She grew up in a Kosher home, & was a strict observer. I asked her is she ever wanted to eat ice cream as a dessert, after dinner, say as Pie A la Mode . She said "Sure! But all we had to do was go outside the house and eat it on the front porch." !!!!?????

Hey guys, some people were saying they didn't use hoisin that much, then I saw in another thread people were using it for a sweet bean paste substitute which I do too. I thought id share THE recipe that uses the most hoisin in my house (because we make it every couple weeks or so). Its the old Mobu Dofu, mapu, mapo, however you choose to spell it. Its a big favorite. Lately we've been adding spinach or boiled longbean as well when the tofu goes in. This recipe came from sh.com many, many years ago and they didn't give any source credits for it (and I have paraphrased). Our mods: use chili shrimp paste instead of dried shrimps - easier, use combo ground bean and hoisin instead of sweet fermented flour sauce, add several pickled thai chilis with the initial aromatics saute, and peppercorn oil is such a bitch to make so we usually use chili oil (but if you ’re willing and have some precious szechuan peppercorns you want to sacrifice for it - it adds an awesome flavor) Bean Curd in Sauce 1 lb fresh bean curd (tofu) 2 oz vegetable oil 1 ts dried shrimps, soaked and chopped 2 ts sweet fermented flour sauce (or sweet bean paste or hoisin sauce) 1 ts scallions, chopped 1 ts fresh ginger, chopped 1 ts garlic, chopped 3 1/2 oz minced pork (lean is ok) 5 ts soy sauce 2 ts rice wine (shaoxing) 2 ts fresh cilantro, chopped 3 1/2 fl oz high stock (homemade chicken) 1 Tb cornstarch in 1 tbsp water 3 Tb peppercorn oil 1. Place the bean curd in a heat-proof bowl and steam for 10 minutes. Remove, drain, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Set aside. 2. Heat oil in a wok over high heat to just warm. Add the shrimps, sweet fermented flour sauce, scallions, ginger, garlic, and pork. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, and stock. Stir and bring to a boil. 3. Add the cornstarch-water mixture and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Add bean curd and green vegetable if using and gently fold together, pour into serving dish. Add cilantro, sprinkle with the peppercorn oil, and serve.

BettyK and anyone interested: The recipe for KAY MAH: INGREDIENTS: 3 EGGS 1 CUP WATER 2 1/2 CUPS FLOUR 2 TBSP. RAISINS 2 TSP. BAKING POWDER 10 CUPS OIL ( FOR DEEPFRYING) 6 OZ. MALTOSE 1 tbsp SESAME SEEDS 1 1/2 CUPS SUGAR PROCEDURE: 1. Sift flour and baking powder together onto the pastry board. Spread to form a hollow in the centre. Add eggs. Blend the flour and eggs together with your fingers. Then knead the dough thoroughly until it is smooth. 2. Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/6" thick.Cut it into 2" wide long strips. Dust the strips with flour so they don't stick together. Stack the strips, then cut into thin noodles (across the width). Separate these noodles and again dust with flour. 3. Heat the oil in a deep pan (wok). Shake off excess flour in a strainer, then lower the noodles carefully into the hot oil. Deep fry the strips 1/3 at a time until golden. The noodles should sizzle and float up quickly.( I keep them moving, turning with a Chinese lie lay untensil to keep the colour even). Lower the heat if they are turning brown too quickly. Remove, drain and place noodles in a large platter. 4. In a small sauce pan, add the sugar, maltose and water. Bring to a boil then simmer and stir over low heat until the mixture is like syrup and pours out as a thread. Pour it on the fried noodles and mix immediately, carefully, thoroughly. 5. At this point, IF you want raisins, you can put them onto the pastry board. Then, put the noodles from #4 on top, pat into a big square about 1 1/2" thick. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. These can be stored in a closed container for several days.

Thanks Suzanne for your expert input. I will stick with a folding steamer. Thanks Sam for your explaination of a saute pan. I am still learning to cook. I don't think I want to make my food "jump".....cause they will jump out of the pan and onto the floor. Yes, I will stick with the wok. I am in still search of a fry/omelette pan. May I please have some opinions on the following pans: Calphalon Commercial Nonstick 10-Inch International Griddle/Crepe Pan Sitram 9.5-Inch Stainless Steel Non-Stick Open Frypan Scanpan Classic 9 1/4-Inch Fry/Omelet Pan Also, what do you think of this? Is it useful?....or not? (like that steamer insert) Scanpan Steel 9-Quart Covered Combination Cooker Thanks, Amy

There are still areas in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines that use Palm Kernal Oil and Coconut Oil for stir frying, but it doesn't get used often for deep frying as it easily becomes solid after use and often becomes rancid if kept at warm tempertures. The majority of Coconut or Palm Oils are commercially refined and processed for special uses for export and not for domestic markets. The oil of choice seems to be pourable vegetable oils for the majority of cooking applications as the Wok is mostly used for stir frying, deep frying or braising together with using skewers on charcoal. Overall the amount of oils in the average diet are lower then that consumed in the colder Asian climates, where it's been traditionally assumed that in the cold climates its beneficial. Irwin

Jason: There is avast disparity about the oils used for most Asian Cooking, especially in the USA. The oil most commomly used in American Chinese Restaurants is whatever Vegetable Oil is most reasonably priced in 5 Gallon Containers. Where there is a choice the most popular oils are Peanut or Soy Bean. For enhancing Flavor, Taste or Finishing Dishes the Toasted 1st press Seseme Oils or Refined Peanut Oil are utilized. For Chinese Cooking in Hong Kong and China, where the favorite Peanut Oils are produced locally they tend to have a lower smoke point then our domestic oils, plus invariably have a residue peanut taste. This generally is alleviated plus adds a tasty character to the oil by putting some sliced Ginger and Garlic into the Hot Oil placed into the Wok before actually starting to cook the food. Thois is strained off from the hot oil, removing the Peanut Tastes. Thisis sometimes attributed to the unique taste of Hong Kong Chinese Food. The other major Oil used for Cooking in Hong Kong is a rendered type of Lard imported from Holland that combines Beef Fat together with Pork Fat [often imported from the USA into Holland] that is shipped by the Boatload into Hong Kong and China in 30 Kilo Containers. This fat is also given the Garlic, Ginger Treatment before being used for Cooking. It's also the preferred shortning for most Bakeries. It's the most reasonable priced Oil Product. It is especially popular in Peking and Shanghai Foods. For Taiwan the most popular Oil used is Rape Seed Oil imported in Large Containers and Drums as well as Peanut Oils. Most of the other countries also import various oils in Bulk for repacking, but receive mostly vegetable and nut oils. The Japanese and Koreans both are capable of refining oils, and even are manufacturing them in Australia, Canada and the United States but still continue to import Lard and other Solid Fats. The type of Seseme Oil that is used for Deep Frying is oil that has been filtered and refined so that there is no Seseme Taste remaining, very similar to our refined commercial Peanut Oil. This is the prefered oil that is used in most Tempura Restaurants in Japan traditionally. There are many variations on Oils that are used for Flavoring or Marinating Different Foods, even for preparing Chili Oils or Codiments. In a Japanese Department Store with a Retail Food Court you will find a very large selection of Seseme Oils, that are more expensive then the finest Olive Oils in our Gourmet Shops. Irwin

Fat Guy: Thanks for the estimate of 125,000 BTUs/hour for the power of the burners in US Chinese restaurants. That puts in perspective the King Kooker propane burner I have, claimed to have power of 170,000 BTU/hour. Uh, it's only for outdoors! If it's covered with snow, then the snow melts quite quickly once the burner is lit! This burner was made in Louisiana and is sold for cooking pots of shellfish at beach parties. It's crude but rugged and effective. The burners now being sold for deep frying turkeys seem to be similar. Over that burner, I heated my cast iron skillet too hot and cracked it. Going out to buy a new one, sadly discovered that these are now collectors' items and no longer sold new. Instead all we have are imitations that do not have a machined interior. So, at a local restaurant supply house, I got a steel saute pan such as you are describing, and, from a mail order vendor in San Francisco, I got a steel wok from China. The handle on the wok looks like something I would bang out of a piece of steel pipe in a few minutes in my workshop; the rivets look like a student's embarrassing first efforts in high school metal working shop. So far, the rivets are holding. Actually, the wok works well over the propane burner. My wok is now a fairly uniform smooth dark black on the inside. I've tried to imitate what the inexpensive US Chinese carryout restaurants do but have not found the right proportions of the ubiquitous chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, chili peppers, tangerine peel, black mushrooms, black beans, corn starch, etc. My stack of Chinese cookbooks tries to be too authentic and is not much help. Big bad bummer. Someday someone will actually write a book on what those restaurants really actually do and really actually show people how to do such things at home -- really, actually, not just some literary fictional fantasy. From what I have seen in, and cooked from, the books I have, one of those Chinese restaurants cooking such things would go out of business in a week. For the wok, I'm finding that it's terrific for browning chicken pieces. I put a lot of pepper on the pieces, put some oil in the wok, turn up the propane flow loud enough to hear, light the thing, assure my kitty cat that a fighter jet is not about to run into the house, wait for the oil to smoke, and brown the chicken pieces. The high heat does nice things to the pepper. Then I poach the chicken pieces, etc., and make a chicken casserole, last time, two chickens, about 7 quarts. I have yet to try the saute pan but may soon: Once again bought an aluminum saute pan with enamel on the outside and Teflon on the inside. Using that pan to fry hamburgers three at a time over the propane burner has nearly ruined the Teflon. So, should be moving to the saute pan soon. For the mysterious subject of 'seasoning', here is some simple advice: (1) When the pan is new, clean it once to remove any oil left from manufacturing. (2) Use the pan, for frying, with oil. (3) When cleaning the pan, just remove any liquid oil and stuck food and don't try to remove the burned oil. In the cleaning, it's okay to use some detergent, water, and abrasive, just don't try to get off all the browned or blackened oil. That's it: Keep this up, and soon will have a beautifully 'seasoned' pan. That is, for 'seasoning', basically just use the pan; that usage is enough to provide 'seasoning'. Seasoned steel is a terrific cooking surface. Over high heat, there may be a really big difference between a steel wok and many steel saute pans: The wok is beautifully convex on the outside with nearly constant 'curvature' everywhere. So, as heat makes the steel expand, the shape will remain convex. No way will 'dimples' appear. A new saute pan is also convex on the outside, but the curvature varies a lot, and usually the bottom is flat. So, as heat causes the steel to expand, no telling which way the bottom will bend. So, dimples are likely, and the result will no longer be convex on the outside. I still have one cast iron frying pan, just the right diameter for making crepes or pancakes. I cook the first side in this cast iron pan and cook the second side in a Teflon pan. I do use a Teflon saute pan for making omelets. For French toast, I have an old Westinghouse electric something that can cook four slices at once. The interior is a nearly indestructible rough non-stick surface. But I fully agree with you that a saute pan should be steel or cast iron; I want nothing to do with frying on a surface of aluminum, stainless steel, or enamel. For your main question "So why don't we see more of them in home kitchens?" Ah, that's just rhetorical, right? If not, then here's the answer. Not just everyone will see the answer right away, so I will have to explain! In the US there's an image, a norm, an expectation that the kitchen is the 'sphere of influence' of the 'little woman': She is supposed to be a good wife and mother; in the kitchen she is supposed to do well feeding her family; success here is nearly as serious as all of marriage, motherhood, and life; her pride, self-esteem, public image, and success in life itself are in the balance; here truly perfection is the minimum acceptable standard; cleanliness is next to godliness; and everything should be shiny, glossy, beautiful, and totally spotlessly clean. She should look like the image of ideal of motherhood, in long, soft, full skirts, that any child with a skinned knee would rush to. She should wear a perfectly white apron, the perfect whiteness a representation of the perfection of her duty and work. Then, in this context, a pan is a piece of sculpture to provide a communication, interpretation of those emotions, experiences. That's why for decades Farberware polished the outside to a mirror finish and used shapes and curves somewhere between Rococo and Donna Reed. And, now, you, Fat Guy, with "why don't we see", want to replace all those cherished images of marriage and motherhood -- the tiny delicate shoulders, pretty little hands, demure face, great sympathy, empathy, affection, and dedication, which must carry the future of our civilization -- with something burned, black, greasy and merely pragmatic that sounds like, and might have been stamped from, the hood of an old Ford. Shame, shame on you! Is nothing cherished anymore!

Hi Tommy, Same here! I cook most of my main dishes in my non-stick Circulon wok and I love it!! Amy

LOL! (Bunsen!) For really great heat from a portable stove, you need propane, but they can be a problem in a closed area because of the gas. There are portable units that can be connected to the natural gas line. Then there are induction woks. Very high heat (BTU - 45,000) --- VERY expensive. The patio wok units use propane, too. They are portable and expensive. Viking has some units, but I believe they are propane or can be connected to the gas lines. For plain old butane, you won't get the BTUs of propane, but you can get some almost as hot or maybe hotter than your gas stove. Regular stoves range from 7000 BTUs to 14,000 BTUs. That may all have changed since I last looked into it. I have four different butane stoves, but the best one, by far, is one by "Iwatani". They make a couple of models, but my favorite is the "The Cassette-Feu 30-FW ". (This is not the same Cassette au Feu that is often advertized,, and was one of the first butane stoves to appear on the market. I have one of those, and the heat output is very low.) The Cassette-Feu 30-FW has a unique feature that is worth the $60-$70 I paid for it: Normally when a butane can reaches the end of the gas, the flame slowly goes down and stays at a low level for awhile before it finally dies out. Very ineffective for wok cooking. Not the 30-FW. It keeps the high flame until it is just about out of gas. The flame goes down quickly and then goes off. Also, the can stays in place by a magnet -- not an outside lever that can pop up. This model has a BTU of 12,000. Not the same as a restaurant range, but with an adjusted stir/frying technique, you can do a good job. Their other model is less expensive, and has a BTU of 10,000. Maybe others have other experiences or ideas?

Just so I wasn't mistaken: I have no objection to Whole Foods, Wild Oats, etc., I just find them expensive. Except for bulk dry goods an bulk herbs, which are a great deal. And I don't mind paying for fish. So you touched on some of my favorite places already: Pacific Mercantile: Decent fruits and veg, fish (esp. if you just want a small piece of tuna or the like to cut up yourself for sashimi), condiments, Japanese pickles, tea, rice, etc as would be expected. Octopus and fish roe for my 9-year-old and funky candies the other kids like. They also sell a commercial wok ring that I covet but have no room for in my kitchen. Staff speak very good english which is often not the case at other places. Pacific Ocean: One of my first jobs in Denver was at a Cherry Creek restaurant - the cooks and I would sneak out between shifts to shop there. It's still like going abroad. Cheap fresh herbs, asian vegetables, an entire isle of noodles...I like browsing through the kitchen equipment (more commercial wok rings - can anyone tell me how to rig one up in the back yard?), amazing barbecue. I go back and forth on the fish there, but at least you can prod and sniff an poke at it (very much unlike Marczyk's). I forget the name of the other place perpendicular to it on the south side, but I've never much liked it there for ill-defined reasons. Marczyk's: I have it on authority from a good friend that Peter is a great guy. He did give me a free oyster once while I was shopping, so I see no reason to disagree. (I left with a dozen.) I was, however, once scolded by the butcher for touching the shell of an oyster in the case (wanting to see if it would close) which I found annoying. Why have an open case otherwise? I'm sure he had good health dept. reasons, but I do like to get close when I'm paying that kind of coin. So I have mixed feelings about the place. Great cheeses. I continue to go, but don' rely on it yet as a mainstay. Oliver's Meats on 6th Ave: The best butchers around. They can make recommendations on how to cook/make anything - from demi-glace (you can also just buy it) to pork sausage to fish. Need frog legs? Hog casings? Duck breast that isn't frozen? A $30 steak? The clientelle can be a little snooty (who else can afford prime) but the guys behind the counter are anything but. I couldn't recommend them more for fish, meat, and first-rate knowledge they're willing to share. Speaking of Oliver's - can anyone remember the name of the bakery across the street? It makes the trip to Olivers worth the dash across sixth during rush hour for the one-two punch. As an aside - also across the street is Clair de Lune. Ate there once for a significant anniversary; I wanted to like it more. The whole story is great - chef scales down to do what he wants to do as an owner/operator, but I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be. But I digress... And I will get the name of my favorite bakery over in Northwest Denver. It's down the end of 32nd St away from Mondo Vino and all the shops. Hands down the best; I believe it's the Denver Bread Co. or something to that effect? Albertson's on Alameda and Broadway: It's no great secret being a chain, but that's where I tend to gravitate for everyday Mexican ingredients. They do a lot of volume so things tend to be fresh and inexpensive. For those who don't mind shopping online: I used to live in the Bronx and have fond memories of shopping on Arthur Avenue: http://www.arthuravenuebronx.com/ I too need to confirm some addresses before I post anymore, since I navigate more by instinct or compulsion. i.e. Komart for stinky kimchee down on Havana - passing Sir Loin on the way - another excellent butcher. I forgot who mentioned it - looking forward to Parisi's - I haven't really found an Italian place that grabs me yet. Spinelli's on 23rd is good for some things; I do buy all my pasta there. Thanks for your contributions and I'll look forward to reading more. Is anyone interested in commericial equipment/cutlery suppliers open to the public? I have two - any guesses?

Yes, you are correct. So what exactly will call for a sauté pan? I have a Circulon Wok that I pretty much do all my main cooking on. I just need to replace my saucepans and stockpots and frypan which are either warped, useless or teflon is coming off, respectively. Sauté pans are useful for... (wait for it)... sautéing. The sauteing process is where ingredients (usually in "chunk" form) are jumped around in the pan over high heat so as to brown them evenly on all sides. A sauté pan is also useful for times when you would like to fry something, then add liquid and a lid for a quick braising/reduction. I also like to use a sauté pan for making quick pasta sauces, because I can toss the not-quite-cooked pasta into the sauté pan along with the sauce to cook for the last minute or two. If you're happy with your wok (which is a pan that I personally don't care for over a standard residential heat source) then you probably don't need a sauté pan. Seems like a standard steamer pot to me (which is to say, a pot that fits on the top of a pot of simmering water and has a perforated bottom to allow steam to pass into it). I don't do a lot of steaming, so I can't tell you exactly how it works. But it's not clear to me that an expensive steamer insert works any better than a cheapo folding steamer you can get in the hardware store for 3 bucks.

Hi Sam, After over a week's thinking and re-thinking and calculations and making lists. I have decided to take your advice and carefully select the pieces that I need instead of buying a set. That way, I can still try out different brands. Yes, you are correct. So what exactly will call for a sauté pan? I have a Circulon Wok that I pretty much do all my main cooking on. I just need to replace my saucepans and stockpots and frypan which are either warped, useless or teflon is coming off, respectively. Non-riveted handles is for sanitary reasons. Food can get stuck under the rivets. Also, I hate to bump into the rivets when I wash the pots. I guess we are just used to no rivets. But I can live with rivets on the fry/omelette pans and wok. I have never used carbon or black steel pans. And I don't think I will feel comfortable using one. So I will stick with your Calphalon recommendation. Or a Scanpan non-stick.....also. Sam, what's your take on this http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...0DER&st=kitchen Sitram Universal SS Steamer? Does it work well? Thank you for your time. I really appreciate your input. More are most welcome. Amy

I love table-top cooking so could you be kind enough to go into more detail on this burner and pot that you mention? Thanks. Since one picture is worth 10,000 words, here are pictures and descriptions of a burner and a pot similar to the ones we use. We don't usually shop at the Wok Shop, as they are pricier than other Asian goods store, but you can order from them if you can't find what you want locally. The butane burner gives a nice high heat and is nearly odorless. All the ventilation you really need is to crack open a window nearby. We use a spicy broth on one side of the pot, and a mild one on the other. Butane Burner "yin-yan pot" (I suspect the Wok Shop made that name up).

HomeEc. cooking stations!! How I disliked giving classes in them! No control! It's hard to be everywhere at once. Teen-agers listened to directions, but adults went their own way. I would explain and do a dish from scratch so that all all could see the preparation and procedure ---- then the groups went to their 'station' to do it themselves. I could hear the comments: "Just toss it all in at once - that's the way I do it at home." / "She said NOT to burn the garlic!" / "I just cut it all up, any old way --- it all tastes the same." ARRGGHHHHH! The interests have changed over the years. At one time people wanted to do Beggar's Chicken, or Tea Smoked Duck or some other dish that required special preparation. But now they want instant food. I do Basic Wok/Stir Fry classes, and Basic Dim Sum every once in a while, but for the most part I try to follow a theme. Just Chinese soups, or fish, or a region, just sauces, interesting vegetables beyond broccoli, noodles, all steamed dishes, a lunch menu, casserole/sandy pots ---- whatever catches my fancy. Some is total hands-on, some is partial hands on. I can do pretty much whatever I want. No more than 8 people and all Chinese cooking. I've given up the demos at different organizations, and catering. Now it is just Spring and Fall classes for an adult school. I use my gas stove for things as they cook, but I use my butane stoves at a special round table for the actual cooking -- like stir/fries or deep/fries etc. Without those stoves, I would be lost. I used to have a small propane stove with a quart tank and a loooooong hose. It was very impractical. The tank itself would freeze up, and the whole thing scared me. When the good butane ones came out, it was a God-send! There are different kinds. If you decide to get one, let me know so I can give you some tips.