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

Posted by Adam Kuban, October 9, 2009

There's so much going on in Talk week to week 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.

"Lost appetite? I am not familiar with this adjective-noun combination." —smallkitchen

The Perfect Fried Egg Sandwich

"So, my husband will say to me, 'I'ma have a fried egg sandwich!' and he'll promptly schmear white toast with mayo, lay on a fried egg, yolk broken and swirled but not solid, several leaves of lettuce, 2 slices of tomato and 2 slices of crisp bacon topped with another mayo'd slice of toast. I tell him, 'That's not a fried egg sandwich; it's a BeLT.' He scoffs...." —BobbieAnne

Can You Cook What You've Never Eaten?

"This is a really interesting topic. I think that you can like the way the dish comes out, but it is possible that it isn't totally authentic just like @yukiyummy said. There are a lot of recipes that are just adaptions that may sway from the real deal. When I want to make something that I've never tried I either research it thoroughly or use a recipe from a chef whose recipes I trust and is known for cuisine from that area. Also keep in mind that a dish doesn't have to taste one way. My mom is from Italy and is one of six kids. All of her sisters cooking taste different but are all the real deal. As long as the same types of flavors are being used...its all good" —rumanddiet

What's Your Favorite Food When Drunk?

"Pizza!" —burgerblogger

[Isn't this ironic? Or did I just Alanis-ize that term? —AK]

Will You Miss Gourmet Magazine?

Gourmet's premiere issue, the January 1941 "Holiday Issue." Click to enlarge. [Photographs: Adam Kuban]

"I will absolutely miss Gourmet mag. I am a huge Ruth Reichl fan and I really felt that she helped bring food politics and slow food topics to light." —constantlyhungry

"Yes, but as long as I still have my Saveur I'll be ok." —BrooklynBaker

"I've missed it every since Ruth Reichl took over." —Lippy

Do You Know Where Your Hamburg Is Coming From?

"...Reality is and always was, ground meat isn't 100% safe to eat rare, whether it is beef, pork, chicken, or turkey. Where did your butcher get his meat? from the same guys who do the trimmings for the burger makers. Perhaps you don't read about the dozens of recalls by small meat companies for e coli, salmonella and listeria, that aren't big enough for press notice. The problem is the people who refuse to cook food safely, and blame everyone else for their ignorance or laziness. Get a meat thermometer, use it correctly, clean and sanitize your equipment, be responsible for your actions. if you are going to eat rare or raw meat, be aware there is a whole world of different food poisoning options available, besides e coli, to you and a whole world of parasites that can be obtained as well." —Meat guy

To Tell or Not To Tell...

"The owner of a restaurant once told me, 'If you don't tell us what's wrong, you're not giving us the opportunity to fix it.' Grit in the food is definitely something that the kitchen should be made aware of, so that they can prevent other marred dishes from going out." —cybercita

Do You Preheat Your Oven When Roasting and Baking?

"Generally for roasting, no, you do not need to preheat the oven. Say for something like potatoes or squash, it does not make any difference. You are just getting a head start if the items are in the oven as it is preheating. Beside, caramelization of things like potatoes happen at high temperatures, which they will eventually reach anyways. However, I would not advise you to start roasted meats in a cold oven...." —jo_wang

The Best Hot Sauce

Y'all did see this, didn't you?

"At least comparing Tapatio with Cholula is comparing apples to apples. Sriracha, Tabasco and others are great, just not the same type of sauce. Each has its use. This is why I have, like, a dozen hot sauces in my fridge." —Lorenzo

Ew! Moldy Wooden Spoon!

"The mold spores are living inside the veins of the wood, and even if you do get them out, they'll rather quickly breed and emerge again. Toss and be safe." —MMinNYC

Recipe Development

"Personally, if I was handing over recipes that a business was going to use to create their products, I'd want to keep the rights to the recipes and any variations of those recipes. Right now, it's probably not a big deal to you or them, but if they ever get famous or publish a cookbook, you've still got the rights to the recipes you created." —dbcurrie

Friday's Chicken. Okay or Toss?

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

"I'd eat it. But, then again, yesterday I consumed egg salad that I made on Monday...from eggs I'd hard boiled last Thursday...that had a 'Best By' date of Sept. 21. I may not be your 'go to' on this." —Amandarama

What Did You End Up Doing for Pro-Style Pot Pies?

"Hello! I'm still working on the idea and execution. I still haven't found a solution that would work in my situation. My fire time has to be less than 10 minutes as the students are literally standing there waiting for their order, but the turnover idea might be the way to go and would work well for students." —Sailordave

[I always like when there's follow-up discussion about Talk topics. Thanks for checking up on our friend sailordave, dhorst! —AK]

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