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Look Who's Talkin': Comments, Quips, and Tips We Have Known and Loved

Posted by Adam Kuban, June 19, 2009 at 2:15 PM

There's so much to keep up with in Talk that we almost can't keep up. If you're in the same boat, here's a small selection of topics and responses that have piqued our interest this week.

Father's Day BBQ: BYO Steak Bar

"A good steak cooked right needs no accompaniments. That said, buy some A1 just in case someone brings a lousy cut and/or someone's steak gets overcooked. Lump crab meat seems to go well over steak too. Especially when they're both covered in a mushroom sauce." —cycorider

A Product That Made Me Scratch My Head

"Many things, including individually wrapped 'ready to microwave' potatoes. I mean, really?" —hmw0029

Vegan-Friendly BBQ

"Grill polenta slices brushed with olive oil. Serve with a variety of toppings- marinara, tapenade, fresh tomato-basil-garlic salsa, carmelized onions, corn and black bean salsa, tomato chutney, mint-cilantro-jalepeno chutney, mashed cannelini bean spread, etc. (place some grated parmesan and crumbled gargonzola along with bowls of the other sides for the non-vegans).

"Oh, I almost forgot—roasted garlic. Roast it, cool. Press the cloves of roasted garlic into a bowl for toppings, spreading on grilled bread, etc. This is always a big hit with everyone too. Everyone.

"Happy grilling. Let us know what you make." —CJ McD

[OMG. That's the least of what CJ McD had to say. Lots of great grilling-for-vegans suggestions in there from CJ. Oh, and what did you make, joyyy? —AK]

How Do YOU Make a Tomato Sandwich?

"The important thing for a tomato sandwich is to cut the tomatoes from pole to pole and not across the equator." —Lippy

Summer Reading and Food: Anyone Read These Two or Suggestions?

"As a college professor who teaches in this area, consistent student favorites are Ruth Reichl's 'Garlic and Sapphires,' and Diana Abu-Jaber's 'Language of Baklava.' Also, for wine lovers, I highly recommend 'Wine and War' by Don & Petie Kladstrup. Its a fantastic and funny history of how French wine makers resisted and defied the Nazi occupation (such as sending the Nazi's their garbage wine and labeling it 'reserve')." —surf_monkey

Digital Scales? Recommendations?

"I bought the Ruhlman recommended scale as well. His site links to the My Weigh KD-7000, currently $34.99 on Amazon. Love it." —KB in Toledo

Cash, Credit, Check, or Other: How Do You Pay for Food?

"I usually use debit cards, tho I try to take out cash whenever I can, because if I have cash I tend to spend less. Most places on campus are very plastic-friendly tho so its always tempting. I use checks for rent and bills, and currently I don't have a credit card — it's too tempting for a college kid on a budget. I already have enough debt from loans, I don't want to rack up any more." —listener

[You are wise beyond your years, Listener. Stay away from those credit cards till you actually need them! —AK]

Serious Efforts: Jelly Roll Issues

"OK OK. A few tricks. One is sprinkle sugar (regular) on the cake batter before you bake it. This makes this lightly crunch top which is a barrier.
More powdered sugar is also going to prevent sticking. I use parchment to roll. This would be the time to try the silpat. If you got one." —JerzeeTomato

Food that Freaks Me Out!

"What freaks me out? The fact that since my kids are now in charge of their own lunches, they've gone from organic whole grain bread with no preservatives holding a beatifully homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich to cheese fries! This freaks me out! I'm so sad." —donnie

Cooking with Grandma on Fridays

"At a very young age, my children spent every Monday morning with Grandpa. Although he could get around the kitchen quite adeptly at any meal, he spent a lot of time teaching them breakfast skills; perfect pancakes, waffles, french toast, biscuits, eggs in all of their forms and... Thirty years later, and Grandpa long gone, they still treasure graduating from Bacon University." —czken

Fresh Ginger

"The previous comment about freezing ginger is a great one- if you let it thaw slightly, you can chop off a chunk and use it just as you would fresh. I never thought to pre-grate it and freeze it in chunks, that's pretty clever." —CatBoy

Using Fresh Lavender...

"Go make any kind of fresh fruit pie (peach and lavender are great), and add a teaspoon or two crushed lavender to the fruit mixture. It really brings out the floral scent and flavor out of the fruits." —sousvide

Things Got a Little Cheesy This Week ...

... with lots of people doing it for themselves: My 1st "30 min" Mozz and I Made My Own Ricotta!

Related: It's a Little Quiet in This Corner—Talk Topics That Could Use Some Love

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