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A while ago, to learn the ins and outs of Horseradish, I began making my own mustard. I have managed some really really good varieties, (one with black mustard seeds, rice-wine vinegar, horseradish and Kabocha squash) and some really god awful ones too. I recall that my grandmother used to make her own ketchup too. it wasn't all that good. has anyone made their own condiments before? care to share experiences?

Never do I buy ANYTHING because it is endorsed by someone famous (at least not consciously), but my friend got Jamie Oliver's T-fal stuff and I liked the hefty weight. I haven't used them so I'm not sure how they perform. What are your thoughts? I've always gotten my cookware from resturant supply houses because I refused to spend the money for a name. I used another friends All-Clad Copper Core sauteuse and I was amazed at how well it performed. I guess for 350 bucks it better!!. Jamie/T-fal is very reasonably priced and it's my 40th B'day on Monday so my DW wants to buy me a set.

I'm looking for a good source for hot sauce by mail order in the USA. Are there any great web sites where hot sauces can be ordered? In particular, I'm looking for a source for "Inner Beauty Real Hot Sauce", a personal favorite that seems to be impossible to find now. I sure hope they haven't gone out of business. So, I like a spicy hot sauce, but one with good flavor in addition to heat. I'm guessing I'll have to find a substitute for my favorite "Inner Beauty". Any experts out there who can suggest a good alternative? Any suggestions for excellent on-line suppliers who may be able to help by providing both expertise and a good selection?

i for one love the pickle & cole slaw that you get with a sandwich. however, a girlfriend of mine who used to work at a diner, said to NEVER eat them. i didn't ask for the details but i got the feeling it wasn't pretty. sometimes i take her advice, sometimes i throw caution to the wind. i think it depends on what the pickle looks like. if it's nice and green and crisp, i will eat it. if it's limp and doesn't look fresh then i pass. you can't go wrong with diner coleslaw so i always eat that. your thoughts?

Hello, When I ate at the Mandarin Kitchen in London, I had the opportunity to try a dish whose main component was jellyfish. Recently, I found some jellyfish in North Carolina of all places. Does anyone have a good recipe for jellyfish? Sincerely - Weka

Article here.

I finally dived into the wonderful world of making homemade ketchup. Everything was going fine until I hit "spices" on the label. I've been eating tubfuls of this stuff for decades and I've never been able to detect any particular spice notes. Any ideas?

The menu at Spamjam is definitely one of a kind: There is a Spam hero sandwich, Spam club sandwich, Spam spaghetti, Spam macaroni, Spam potato chowder, bean soup with Spam, Spam Caesar salad, Spam poppers and Spam meals with rice for the Filipino palate.

Mr McGee: I think the subject of preserving food is fascinating. Who started pickling food?

ok, in every asian grocery i go to (mostly vietnamese, in my neighborhood) there are always these vacuum-sealed packages of pickled mustard. like tofu skins, green tea, chinese sausages and tofu, there are always big boxes of these. so i bought some, and i'm not sure what to do with it, in part because i don't know what it tastes like. also, today in the store i saw another package of it that said in big letters THIS PRODUCT MUST BE COOKED BEFORE EATING. but this package doesn't say that. and the recipes i've found all over the web don't say that. i know i have to rinse and/or soak it to get some of the salt off, but that's about it. anyway, what do i do with it? what does it taste like? thanks for any help.

Just got some St. James Extra Old last week...and boy is it nice stuff. I really am a fan of the color (a beautiful reddish tint), although I'm not sure that it's natural... I was just wondering if their nomenclature has changed; in the MoR profiler, it didn't list "Extra Old"... What are your opinions on this stuff? Tastes a little similar to Barbancourt 8 to me, although my tastebuds aren't THAT refined...think I might like the B-court better... Bruce

I was in my local wine store today and decided to pick up some Scotch. I was in two or three minds about what to get until someone went in the back and pressed the above bottle into my hand. It appears to be a house blend from the well known London spirits merchants, though their Web site gives no hint this even exists. It tastes its age, costs all of $30 and it's bloody good. Has anyone else come across this before? Perhaps it's a U.S.-only bottling?

"Curry leaf and gongura pickles are great with steamed rice alone.. or with anything else. " I was surifng through old threads on egullet and found this statement in one of Suvirs posts. 1. What is Gongura? I recetly read aout it somewere else as well, How does oe make it and does anbod know if it is available in Bombay. 2. Are either of these pickles available in Bomby? Rushina

for pho fanatics: i've been to pho houses in which the only herb you're given is basil, and to ones in which you're instead given cilantro, and also to places that give you both. is there some sort of regional or traditional variation at work here? or is this a case of things changing as pho leaves vietnam and comes to the u.s? furthermore, at the vietnamese restaurant we had dinner in last night there was a bit of a commotion when the young woman at the table next to ours asked the waiter for plum sauce to go with her pho. he recoiled in horror and said that plum sauce would not go well with pho. due to a language barrier (he's vietnamese, she's a young anglo-american) it wasn't clear for a while as to whether he thought he was being asked his opinion on compatability or refusing to bring the offending plum sauce. since i'd overheard her complaining to her companion that she'd mistakenly laced her broth with too much hot sauce i attempted to intervene and suggested she amend matters with the provided hoisin sauce instead. at this point she informed us all (much to the waiter's consternation) that in d.c she was used to eating pho with plum sauce. eventually, a more english-fluent member of the staff was summoned, some plum sauce was procured and everyone, except possibly the original waiter, was happy. now, i'm no authority on pho or vietnamese cuisine in general. all i know is what i've eaten in a variety of establishments in los angeles. i've never encountered plum sauce as a condiment for pho before. is this yet another regional variation or is it perhaps the case that the restaurants in d.c referred to may have been pan-asian restaurants that happened to have plum sauce on the table as well? i suppose it is also possible she only mentioned the d.c thing to not seem foolish. anyone?

I was really fascinated by your essay about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in the book and specifically about the funny/sad dilemma of the English coffee grower who is literally sitting on a mountain of the best coffee in the world but would not sell a pound of it since he cannot dictate his price. Are there any new developments with this individual? Is he still growing and storing his coffee? Is there anywhere in Houston you go to for great Cabrito? Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge with us. Elie

A friend asked me about this today because he was offered the aforementioned combination while tailgating at the Bears/Eagles game yesterday here in Chicago. To my knowledge, this is not a typically "Chicago" thing. He'd never heard of such a thing and neither have I. I could see possibly including some unsweetened chocolate in batch of chili (still doesn't sound promising to me), but finished semi-sweet chips as a garnish is new to me and frankly, doesn't sound appetizing at all. Has anyone encountered this before? Any idea about the origin of such a combination? =R=

And what do you thing goes well with grilled cheese?

From my memories as a small child in Toyshan, I recall a treat that I loved and that was grass jelly (?) or leung fun. The taste was an acquired one and in later years, I found that it was not as cherished a treat as I remembered. The cool, thick, black, jiggling mass, swimming in simple syrup that was reminiscent of eating distilled essence of grass with a slight bitter after taste took some getting used to. My question: How many of this board have "enjoyed" this earthy treat, if indeed you know what it is? A positive answer to both parts of the question tells me that you are a real Sinophile.

Chefs from Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles are listed with those from San Francisco and Miami yet to be announced. Did one of your favourite chefs make the list? Take a look! Full press release.

I'm throwing a Jamaican-themed party this weekend and am looking for a Jamaican restaurant that makes good patties (won't have time to make some from scratch!) Thx

and, presumably, have more than just a pretty face and a lot of pep? maybe even some idea about wines? asking too much? A bubbly Rachel Ray of wines?? (not the best choice of adjectives, I suppose...) scroll down to read the second story on this ...

the story on condiments ... Personalities are based upon the love of: salsa, mayonnaise, barbecue, hot sauces, salad dressings, and horseradish ... Didn't even think there might be an Association for Dressings and Sauces ... who knew?? while not too scientific, but then what is?, this made for a pleasurable read ...

I LOVE pickled ginger. In fact, in some instances, moreso than sushi or sashimi itself. When I was first introduced to sushi, it was my least favorite part of a sushi meal. Now it's the opposite. Besides sushi/sashimi, what other uses for pickled ginger are there? And how do you make your own? What goes in the pickling solution? Fresh pickled ginger (not premade) is undyed and a pale beige in color, whereas the premade version is a slight tawny pink. Any suggestions? Soba

Recently, I've taken a liking to Korean "Jelly" teas, in particular "Citron" tea, or Yujacha as it is called in Korean. This is stuff that has the consistency of and looks just like very runny marmalade, with thin slices of citrus peel in it. You add a spoonfull of it to about 12oz of hot water and stir. Very sweet. It also works really well as a sweetener for regular black or herbal tea. You can buy it in Korean supermarkets. http://store.yahoo.com/enjoyingtea/cihotea5.html http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=538 They also have other types of jellified teas as well: Omija (1) http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=409 Omija (2) http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=410 Jujube http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=537 Ume http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=539 Ginger http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=542 Plum Honey http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=543 Red Ginseng Honey http://www.kgrocer.com/index.asp?PageActio...PROD&ProdID=544 Information about Korean Teas: http://english.tour2korea.com/food/about/b...ddt/ddt_tea.asp

We have threads in the Louisiana Forum on Tasso, Gumbo, Turducken, Andouille, and many other forms of food that are (or used to be, anyway) fairly unique to the Bayou State. Right now there is a foodblog being penned by Ronnie Suburban that has some excellent photos of the mise en place involved in cooking Gumbo. One of the pm's that I recieve here at Louisiana Central is "Where do I get great Jambalaya when I am visiting your wonderful and exotic homeland" (in truth, no one has ever phrased it quite like that, but I am still waiting ). I would like to hear where you think the best is (both here in Louisiana and where you live) and if you would like to share a recipe or two, that would be great. My favorite is at Coop's Place. A dive of a bar and restaurant on Decatur St. in New Orleans. It is chock full of ham, shrimp, sausage, and comes in a nice but not too wet rice and tomato mix. I really love it. And the best part of this particular dish of Jambalaya is that being bar food, it is really cheap. My kids love this place ("Dad, that guy is wasted!") and it is the center of many of the more eccentric organized events in the French Quarter. Truly a local joint. I highly reccomend it. So let's hear it. Jambalaya For Everybody!!