Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Gee, I must have missed it.

What was the "concept" again?

Just wonderin'

Add this to the list of future yard sale items.

I standard wire type masher works just fine, although I upgrades to a masher that has a grid of 1/8th inch holes covering the bottom.

It work very well and you can control the texture.

Speaking of yard sales, I bet you can pick up the old standard masher for about a quarter or dollar at most.

Here's a suggestion that should work.

Just use the chips for the first 60-90 minutes while roasting the bird.

I use mesquite and/or hickory chips and in the case of a larger piece of meat, I use the chunks.

You'll get some smoke flavor, but not all the way through the meat.

Of course, I come down on the smokey taste that improves the next day.

Once other suggestion, baste the bird after it starts to brown.
I use a bit of cider vinegar and cherry or pomegranate juice.
It'll brown the bird and you'll serve a really gorgeous looking bird.

Be sure to let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Let's not encourage any self-respecting bagel place charging extra for toasted bagels.

It's the old slippery slope argument.

BLT? That'll be 25 cents more for toasted bread.
Whole wheat? Another 25 cents.

If these bums get away with charging for toasted bagels it's only a matter of time before they start nickel and diming for everything.

What's next?
Charging for water. (Oops, I take that back).

I grew up eating bagels one way - fresh and untoasted.

In NYC I'm sure you could walk less than a block and find another bagel place.

As a long time subscriber, yes I'll miss Gourmet.
I learned a lot about new foods, trends and ingredients that were interesting.

Since I love to cook, I used some of the recipes for inspiration although some of them weren't practical in terms of getting some specialized ingredients.

As with many magazines, some issues were more interesting than others, but over all, I can't think of a magazine that I'm going to replace it with.

Gourmet also sponsored many events usually in NYC that gave me the impression that they were fostering new chefs, new food ingredients and trends along with technical information.

Although the economy hasn't help matters at all, let's put the blame where much of it belongs - Poor management from Conde Nast.

It seems they had no limit on spending when it came to their Hollywood parties etc.

They should have spent more time managing their valued parties instead of hobnobbing with the swells.

Woebel's Sweet and Spicy Mustard - well balanced, not too sweet at all. Then again, I find a lot of honey mustards way too sweet.

Gulden's Mustard for a spicy, yet mild and found everywhere here in the Northeast.

Well, this is the first time I've ever heard the term "menu whisperer"

I'm either lucky in ordering, or maybe I can now claim the title of menu whisper ... that'll confound anyone I'm eating with.

Here's how I choose.

Is it something that the restaurant, joint, or hole in the wall is noted for.

Is is something that is made fresh?

Is it something that I usually wouldn't cook because it's very time consuming and would rather have it served by an excellent chef?

Is it creative or intriguing?

Variety is the spice of life.

NO Chain restaurants!

Although there are some great BBQ places mentioned above, I still remember a great BBQ place in Anchorage Alaska where I was stationed in 1970.

Along with the BBQ, they had an excellent green chile salsa that they must have made on premises.

Then again, after eating in the chow hall, a BBQ'd anything would have been great by comparison.

How about a cold cucumber soup that's made in a blender or food processor?

A couple of cool cukes.
About a cup of cold stock (your choice)
About a cup of fat free sour cream
1 Clove of garlic or a shallot.
1 or 2 Tbsp of dill.
Some fresh parsley.
1/2 Chopped sweet onion

Blend til almost smooth.
Chill in the refrigerator.

Garnish with diced cukes,some onions, and a few cold shrimp, and whatever else you'd like.

Quick and easy and very refreshing.
And NO cooking necessary.

I've got 3 knife blocks. OK, maybe you don't need that many knives, but there are times when you need a specific knife for a specific job.

As many advised already, I'm very, very happy with my Henckels 4 Star knives. Henckel's produce everything from low end budget knives (not worth the price) to higher end professional grade 4 and 5 Star Knives.

They'll last a lifetime with minimal care.
I always use the steel before I put away the hand washed knife.

If I could only buy 4 knives, I'd recommend :
1. Chef's knife - I like my 6 or 8 inch (depending on what feels comfortable to you.
2. A 3 or 4 inch paring knife.
3.Boning knife - perfect and easier to use to trim from the bone or removing silver skin from a tender loin.
4. Bread Knife - versatile for more than just bread.

I use these knives on a daily basis and have for 30 or 40 years and they're in great shape.

I've given the basic set of knives for wedding presents and it's nice to go visit my friends that have been married for 25 years and their knives are in good shape.

There's nothing worse than going to someone's house and using their dull, beat up knives.

I'd go the the 4 Stars or if you prefer, Wusthof makes a good knife too, but don't go for these sets that are $50-100.

Most of these go on sale and that's when I'd buy one or two, then add others over the years.

For $1,000, I'll get the knives, buy a plane ticket and deliver them to you and give you a lesson to boot, and still have change.

HTH.

PS: I've tried the santoku, and still go back to my tried and true 6 inch chef's knife. There's a reason that design works so well.

You can't beat the clear, birch beer here in S. New England.
It has a clean wintergreen flavor and goes great with a burger or pizza.
Pepe's pizza serves Foxon Brand that is still made with sugar - none of that articificial junk in Fresca.

Another good local brand here in CT is Hosmer which is all made with natural ingredients and sugar.

I did try a red birch beer somewhere else ( i don't remember where) and there was no comparison.

Clear Birch Beer gets it's natural flavor from the black birch tree. If you scrape away the outer bark, you'll get a green skin and that beautiful aroma.

Single handed pepper and/or salt mills. Love my Peppergun.

Books on mushrooms, new, old, for indentification, cookbooks. etc.etc.