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I am going to make a leap of faith here . . . Maybe one of the problems some of us have here in the west is that we don't really understand gentle heat from the bottom. Part of my "leap" is that we don't understand what that means. Driven by the need to conserve precious fuel, this cooking technique has been developed to maximize the effect of very gentle heat from below provided by the fewest coals possible. I am beginning to believe that we are having to go to extraordinary measures to adapt our gonzo stoves to this gentle bottom heat . . . flame tamers, wok rings, etc. I think I will try the "few coals" under the tagine when I get it. I have my smoker which I can break down to provide a place to ignite a chimney of charcoal. (I am working on an apartment balconey.) Then perhaps, I can get a cheap grill or habachi to sit the tagine on and transfer a few coals at a time under it. I can put my remote thermometer probe in there to monitor the temperature of the ingredients. I can also make note of the temperatures with how many coals I use, standardizing on Kingsford briquets maybe. Oh my. This sounds like a lot of fun! It will probably be quite a while before I get to try this as my tagine hasn't arrived yet. It will have to be cured. Then I have to find that little charcoal grill or whatever. (Not to worry. This internet medium means that I can always bump this topic back up.) Then I have to decide which recipe to try first. Any recommendations?

These are artisanal products so they don't all look alike. I have one that has that bottom shape as well and can use it stovetop with a heat diffuser+ instead of a wok stand. Either will work. Each time you use your tagine the food will taste better than the time before. I can't explain why but that is the one of the main reasons claypot cooking survives alongside all the expensive pots and pan cooking. Remember clay breaks easily so be careful. By the way, the simmer mat reduces the cooking temp 10 to 15 degrees. For example, my heat diffuser slows down the cooking of food to about 185 degrees on low heat. The simmer mat allowed me to reduce the heat by 15 degrees to 170. . Sackville: you are so lucky to have cumin of that quality.

So... I took delivery of my Souss tagine from tagines.com yesterday. Soaked it in water for several hours, rubbed with oil and put it in a 250F over overnight. Some observations: 1. It was very interesting how much it smelled like clay. I could smell clay as soon as I opened tbe box, and when I put it in the oven the apartment really smelled like baking clay for a few hours. 2. As Paula has mentioned, you can really see the flakes of mica throughout the clay. Very interesting. 3. I was a little surprised at the geometry of the base. I had been expecting something that was more or less wok shaped -- which is to say, broadly curved all the way to the bottom. That's what this picture of Paula's looks like to me, and as far as I can tell, we ordered the same tagine from the same place. Perhaps it's an illusion in the photograph? The geometry of mine is more like this: It seems deeper than the other tagine styles, but fundamentally isn't something I'd call "rounded." Is this normal?

This is exciting. My Souss tagine (finally) is set to arrive on Monday and my copy of Paula's book shortly thereafter. I guess I'll buy a wok ring sometime this weekend. So... how soon can I start cooking in this thing? Sounds like I should give it at least a day for seasoning according to these instructions posted elsewhere: Since I live in NYC, unfortunately I do not have a fireplace for wood ash -- so I guess it will be just oil for me. After that, I'd love an inaugural recipe that's really going to show me what this thing can do -- not to mention start infusing flavor into the unglazed clay. Any suggestions?

Actually, I didn't end up using a wok stand. I thought of using a wok stand because I had assumed that my Souss tagine would be more or less wok-shaped with a fully curved bottom. But the tagine I got had more or less a flat bottom. So I ended up using a heat diffuser (~3 mm thick aluminum disk). That worked fine. I kept the heat on my crappy NYC apartment stove on low, but could have gone lower. I was under some time constraints and wasn't able to go as low/slow as I might ultimately like to do. Next time, I plan to try it on the lowest heat setting all the way. Yea, I'm really looking forward to that. Actually, considering how inexpensive these tagines are (my kitchen is full of very expensive stainless lined heavy copper), so maybe I have a peculiar perspective, I may pick up another one. I can see how two tagines would really be best for dinner parties, and that way I could use each tagine for different styles. Perhaps I'll buy a Riffi tagine for poultry and use the Souss tagine for beef and lamb. Is duck used in Moroccan cooking? Interesting. I found that using no liquid at all worked perfectly for me. I looked at those recipes and thought, "these seem to call for reducing the liquid at the end -- something that isn't really easy to do with a clay tagine. . . so I'll just use no liquid at all and probably end up with the right amount/consistency of sauce." So far, so good on that score.

My editor once told me, "the reason the book has remained in print since 1973 is that you didn't make any compromises." She forgot that I adapted every recipe to be used in a regular casserole because earthenware tagines were not available at that time. What you did was perfect for cooking in an earthenware tagine. Always start cold and slowly come up to temperature. I assume the wok stand worked perfectly. How low did you keep the heat? By the way, grated onion plays a large part in developing' a rich sauce as well as tenderizing the meat in Moroccan tagine cooking. The only other country where I have found grated onion used as a 'bottom layer' in making a braise is Turkey. Keep in mind that cooking in an unglazed pot develops a certain "chee" Each time you use the pot, the dish (same or another) will taste better than it ever did before.

Ce'nedra, This is coming close enough to Central Asian flavor and cooking principles that i would hazard a guess from the Indian POV: give it a try and see how it tastes, Sinify it to your liking! Dylank mentions green peppers, cumin, onions, garlic, potatoes, chicken Liuzhou: chili, Sichuan pepper Cut up a country chicken [i.e. not too fatty broiler], Chinese style, into pieces, bone in say 1 kg, rub with a little salt, turmeric, a little lemon juice if wanted, set aside Cut into halves or large quarters, skin on or off, russets or Yukon Gold type of potatoes [skin adds flavor], do this just before you cook to prevent discoloration, approx.300-350 grams, or to taste Peppers: you can use green and red peppers cut into chunks to be added last; plus get some thai chillies, preferred, say 5-10, depending on how large and how hot they are, and chop them coarsely set aside Cumin : whole : 1/2 teaspoon; roast & powder 1/2 teaspoon Cassia bark: small piece, peppercorn, black or white coarsely crushed: 5-6 Onion: yellow cooking, 100 gm or more to taste, sliced or small shallots, peeled, left whole Garlic: to taste, smashed with cleaver, march-chopped [Chili-garlic paste etc. to your taste], or Korean red pepper powder, kochokaru Tiny amount of tomato puree, or concentrate, not to overpower 14 oz can of chicken broth or more as needed Heat wok, add sufficient oil, fry potato quarters till slightly cooked, remove. In batches, quickly brown chicken pieces over brisk flame, using oil as needed, spatter screen. Brown means chicken and skin will turn yellow or white, and acquire the faintest edge of color. Remove to a dish that will contain juices. Some like to splutter the whole cumin in batches in the hot oil before adding each lot of chicken, but you may avoid this step, and splutter the cumin later. When all complete, see if any oil remaining, not much is needed, a few tablespoons. Now add whole cumin if you have not already done so, to hot but not smoking oil. They will splutter; do not let them burn. immediately add cassia and peppercorn, then onions, cook briefly till limp add the garlic and chopped green chillies, cook briefly add chicken and stir. Mix well, adding your "hot red" element now, be it chili-garlic paste, or red pepper, plus a tiny touch of tomato puree, a pinch of sugar . [Next time add also a tablespoon of ketchup and see what difference that might make]. Add your roasted powdered cumin. Cover and cook on low for a little bit until there is steam, making sure nothing is burning. Add potatoes and then stock and boiling water gradually to build up gravy. Add hot stock in small quantities, letting everything come to boil between additions. Like this: add 1/2 can hot stock, let simmer 7-8 minutes, add next 1/2 cup, simmer 4 minutes, add more stock or hot water. Keep covered in between. Too much acidic element like tomatoes and the potatoes will turn gluey-texturesd instead of floury. Bring the gravy up to your desired thickness. Add MSG if you wish. Add pepper chunks if you desire. Taste. You can now add more roasted cumin powder, roasted Sichuan pepper, sugar, vinegar, etc. to balance the flavors. Note that the very hot gravy will not report the correct balance accurately to your tongue, and what you will taste after it is cooler will be different.

Two, bought at the going-out-of-business sale of one branch of a local bookseller (lousy location; the others are thriving): The Breath of a Wok -- Grace Young and Alan Richardson The Best New Recipe, Revised -- Editors of Cooks Illustrated

Braam Kruger ( http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/pendock/2008/06/08/braam-kruger-fondly-remembered/) had the most cookbooks I ever saw. Laid along the floor about 40 ft. I have less than two and a half thousand. and I'm finding a big gap. We have all these books from restaurant chefs. Somehow they get toned down for us. The assumption is we don't have professional cooking tools. Is it the Editor or the Chef, who is assuming? Many Italian homes have meat slicers. Some hunters have vacuum pack machines. In places where the electricity is unreliable people have Anvil gas stoves. At home! But, friends, there persists this image of us; we live in little poky apartmants with a weak hotplate and a low power Microwave. Who makes this assumption that I don't have a Wok? That I don't have a 90litre (95Quart US) pot? That I am not interested in cooking for 80 of my daughter's friends at her 21st party? who is keeping secrets?

Problem is that I love to read the books of cuisine I know nothing about and that leads to my buying more pots and pans (think tagine, wok, paella pan, etc) which leads to my reading more of that cuisine which leads to more cookbooks which leads to more pots and pans and other equipment which leads to my being broke.

The pictures are extremely alluring. I need more recipes, please. Also, I like that street-vendor's wok setup, with the flower-like strainer thingy. Nice!

It is remarkable how many shophouse/street food cooks I've seen in Asia who do deep frying or jet burner wok cooking wearing shorts and flip flops. I'm surprised more of them aren't completely scarred from the waist down.

Ive succumbed and gotten the DARTO # 27. I had to call them to give them my MC number, as Im very allergic to PayPal. they were very nice. I spoke with Nicolas and sent him the eG threads on the DARTO pans. he has enjoyed them. I( decided the # 27 , with the flat bottom and heavy steel will suit me as a sort of Wok ! ( what ever excuse one needs , eh ? )

I use the largest ones the most, in part because the flared edges mean the smaller ones are pretty darned small. The redesign changes that considerably, so it's hard to say. But I'd still say to go with the two largest handled pans. The 15 is very small, almost a novelty. Almost. I end up using it more than I thought I would... usually when the stovetop starts to get crowded. It still gets used less than anything else though. I've always wanted to try the paella version, because i think that'd be great to cook and then serve to guests individually. The only reason I didn't get one of the 15cm paellas is that I fear I'd end up buying eight of them. I am also a fan of the Number 34 paella, though I've never actually cooked paella in it. Thick, spacious, heavy... It's almost like someone took a big heavy cast iron dutch oven and just lopped of everything except the bottom two and a half inches (or however tall it is). For a big, flat searing surface it's hard to beat. Its walls are high enough to shallow fry, as you saw in my chicken video above. It's also where I make my pancakes. It kind of just lives on my stovetop. I use it more than I thought I would. I cannot even begin to imagine how large the Number 50 is in person. It's even thicker than their other pans, apparently. Weighs 7kg. That's over 15lbs, if you count in the King's English. I bet it would rock the party on my wok burner. Definitely a "special occasion" or "professional/catering" sort of thing. Looks awesome though. Anyway, I can't say that I'm feeling the need to buy anything since I already have a full set of handled models. If they'd made a Number 31 available, I would have gotten it and replaced my Matfer. And if I had infinity billion dollars, I'd buy two of every animal and buy a set for you fine folks as well. But I don't. The redesign and the new paellas are an exciting move. One of my only complaints of the Dartos was that the flare was a bit too gradual so that the actual cooking surface of the pan was much smaller than its total diameter would leave you to believe. That lead the pans to cook like they were smaller than they are (though the 27 is still pretty dang big). That's been fixed in the redesign, and the slope of the walls is supposed to improve the saute action. If that's all true, it's a win win. And +1 to the notion of using the little paellas in the CSO. That sounds like a dangerously good idea. Spoonie G and the Treacherous Three's "New Rap Language." From 1980. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

The 35 Paella pan is finally here! Here's a pic of it next to its smaller G1 siblings for scale. I appreciate the refined fit-n-finish of the new pan. As many of you know, the handles of the original pans have fairly sharp edges. One day I'll get around to grinding them down. Darto has clearly heard our concerns, and so they took the time and effort to slightly round off the edges from the handles, underside of handles, pan edges. Much appreciated! The pan came with a protective coating of wax, or something or another, that just took some elbow grease, dawn, hot water, and a stainless scrubby to remove. As far as seasoning, I admit I don't really fuss or buy into the multi-layer baking process. I own these 4 Darto pans, a boatload of Lodges, other carbon steel pans and woks, and all I've ever done was "sacrifice" a couple of eggs during 1st seasoning. I just heat up a neutral oil till smoking, throw in the eggs, a load of kosher salt, and just "scramble" till the eggs dry up. Again, as many of you likely know, if you just put oil in a pan, it can gunk up and turn sticky. The eggs serve as both an oil sponge and a towel of sorts that allows me to rub the oil in the pan smoothly. Dump out the eggs and salt, wipe it down with paper towels, and done. Time to get on with normal cooking. I don't know if this helps or just inflames the "seasoning" argument, but this is what I do, what I've done for a couple of decades, and all my various iron / steel pans are super slick. I plan to use this pan extensively for Tapas on my 26" Weber kettle. I burn white oak and cook the tapas over open flame in my Darto pans, Columbian black clay pans, Spanish cazuela, etc.

Well, I mean, I use them as a sub for cast iron, except it's glassy-smooth from the factory (once you scrub the epic amount of coating crap off them). For thin carbon steel, I have a wok

The original Victor's Cafe on Columbus betw 70th and 71st ST. - The BEST Cuban food! (Never wanted to try the one on W.52nd) Al Buon Gusto - W.72nd betw. Columbus and B'way Tuesday's West - Columbus betw. 71st and 72nd Ratner's (East Village) Ginger Man - around W. 64th or 65th Dairy Restaurant - W.72nd betw B'way and West End Blazing Salads (W. Village) Hot Woks and Master Wok (same location on upper W. Side) Cantina (Columbus around W.71st)

I found that blanching extracted a lot of the ginger flavor. I got the idea for steaming back in the very early '80s when I was in the kitchen of a restaurant down the block from my home at the time. I always walked up the alley and went through the kitchen and was familiar with the family (Hunan House, Reseda, CA) I would usually stop and chat and on one occasion I saw ginger cut into matchsticks in a steamer basket and portions were added to stir fry in the woks. I asked about it an was told that the ginger was too tough to go straight into the mix so it was steamed until tender and it retained all of its flavor, unlike boiling or simmering it (as so many recipes instruct). I tried it with sliced mature ginger root and the results were exactly what I was aiming for - which is why some of my ginger pieces are quite large.

I've been experimenting with using a stir-fry pan for cooking steak. Stir-fry pan is what William Sonoma calls it. You might think of it as a stainless steel flat bottom wok. I find the generous sides of the pan reduce splatter significantly. Plus I can turn off the smoke alarm* and get the pan smoking hot. The first attempt was not half bad. The outside was a little charred and there was a hint of gray, but the rest was a lovely pink medium rare. Last night I tried again. I probably got the pan even hotter and I reduced the already very short time. The crust was overdone. The inside was what one might charitably call "blue". I would call it raw. I couldn't chew it. I would masticate a mouthful as best I could to extract some flavor and then had to spit it out and try again. But there was no gray! @CantCookStillTry any luck finding hing where you are? *not to make light of tragedy a house in the neighborhood burned down this weekend.

I have both propane and super butane but use a cast-iron grill pan heated over a domestic wok burner because my wife complains of off-tastes on the meat when I use either of the torches. Plus the pan allows you to put grill marks on the meat like it has been traditionally cooked.

This is where a wok seems to be especially handy. Rest your meat against the side of the wok and pour oil from the center. Any juice dripping is going to hit a dry wok and slide down the side, minimizing splatter.

I wouldn't flavor the dumpling filling with vinegar or szechuan peppercorns but would suggest you make a soy based dipping sauce using both. Try something like 4T soy, 3T water, 1 T sugar, 1 T vinegar (regular vinegar works well -- but this is a good place to use black Chinese Chengkong rice vinegar if you have some available), 1 clove minced garlic, 1t minced ginger, a little sesame oil, and some (a little) of your Szechuan peppercorn salt. MSG is sold under the brand name 'accent' in the spice section of most grocery stores. If you find it and want to use it, it will add a nice savory and tasty quality to your filling. You can still make the dumplings taste quite good without the MSG. Dumplings and wontons are similar but with different shapes, skins and fillings. By the way, Szechuan pepercorn salt is meant to be used as a condiment for dipping roast and fried foods into. It is usually made quite easily at home and I have never seen it sold prepared already. To use Szechuan peppercorn as a flavoring agent in a dish we usually just use straight peppercorns which have been briefly warmed ('toasted') in a dry wok for a minute and then crushed with a mortar or in a little spice grinder (chop them with a knife if you lack this equipment). Send me some. We can't buy them in the US any longer! Illegal! Stupid!

jo-mel: You REALLY like cats and understand them. Of course, the TV Sagwa was created by Ms. Amy Tan and crew; someone there, likely Ms. Tan, knew very well what a total sweetheart little girl kitty cat would be like. Good to see that such sweetness crosses oceans well. "Current kitty cat sounds lucky to have you. When she realizes that her life is now for real, you might have her eating minced chicken --- if it is served on the proper plate, of course!" She was hungry at the back door, came in, and stayed. My vet got her shots up to date and said that she was altered and healthy. Mostly she just realizes that if the TV is on, then she can climb on my chest, get covered up with the sheet and blankets, and do her best to block my view and breathing. Or, if I am working at my computer too long, then she can come to the stairs, say "meow", and get me to follow her back to the TV. I just got back from grocery shopping with two 7 pound Perdue Oven Stuffer roasting chickens. Tomorrow I will cut them up, brown them in oil in a Chinese wok outdoors over a 170,000 BTU/hour propane cooker (King Kooker, from Louisiana intended for heating large pots of seafood at beach parties), brown some onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, stew all of it with white wine, parsley, thyme, pepper corns, and water to cover, separate and chop the meat, keep the onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, discard the skin and bones, strain, defat, and reduce the stock, combine with roux, milk, cream, S&P, and lemon juice, combine with the chicken, vegetables, and some blanched little peas, heat through, and keep for dinners next week. It's 'Blanquette de Oven Stuffer' except not intended to be delicate; it's really meaty, with lots of flavor, including some browned flavor. So, my kitty cat will get the livers!

Thanks both to David and Lisa for the information. I had forgotten about letting the edge of the steamer overhang the pot. And you're right...the wok does take up a great deal of room. Thanks again, Darienne

I don't use mine often, but if I do they're on the cheap not very heavy wok. That way they don't sit in water. Work very well and I might rinse them if there's something stuck, which is not likely with steaming. Just don't put stuff with sauces on it in there. Any germ will be dead via cooking anyway. I'd NOT use soap on them though, as that soapy water will most certainly get into the bamboo. I don't use soap on my wok either, just a brush and warm water.