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fischersentropy

Serious Heat: 25 Things To Do with Hot Sauce

rub discreetly on the rim of a co-worker's drinking glass to spice up the afternoon...

cooking demo based on movie scene

There is a lot of really good suggestions here, and maybe this is a cop out, but I decided to go with Willy Wonka and make chocolate truffles. After all, most people love chocolate. I am also bringing peanut butter and jelly cups (like Reese's but with jelly in them as well), chocolate covered strawberries, peanut butter and pretzel marshmallows, so if you are in Friendship Heights on Saturday around two...you might just want to stop into Bloomingdales.

As much as I love Julia Child, and definitely see the relevance, the bulk of her recipes cannot be demonstrated in fifteen minutes with one portable burner and twelve inches of prep space.

I am really surprised no one suggested pastrami on rye from "when harry met sally"--that was my very first thought...

why are there so many internet recipes that just don't work?

I understand that people post recipes that I wouldn't like or ever make (including a rib recipe I saw that called for ribs and a bottle of KC masterpiece), but in particular, I have been disheartened by baking recipes that have no sense of proper proportion. I found one donut recipe which turned out atrocious. So, I cut out 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and add another tbsp of butter, and voila, amazing donuts.

The thought had crossed my mind, that this person found a recipe, and in order to not be accused of plagirizing, just changed ingredient amounts at random...just a thought...

Ideas for stale/leftover cereal ?

breading for french toast

Waffle Party!!!

mochi waffles

Cook the Book: '660 Curries' by Raghavan Iyer

my first experience with Indian food was an all you can eat buffet when I was about 19. I have been addicted to samosas ever since.

Needed: a meal that would win a man's heart!

One last thought, if you have the kitchen space for it (and this isn't a first date). Have your mis en place ready, and have him help prepare the meal with you--now that's my idea of a good date.

Needed: a meal that would win a man's heart!

I suppose I have a slightly different perspective than most, as I'm a professional chef. Needless to say, most of the women I attract are far more interested in me cooking for them than cooking for me. That having been said, I've always appreciated the effort, and never critiqued.

My advice to you:

1. Buy quality ingredients--if you can, get your produce from the farmer's market. If you are making pasta, go to the Italian deli and buy the fresh made.

2. If you cook anything heavy with garlic, I would strongly recommend something minty for dessert. After all, you wouldn't want your date refraining from a thank you kiss because his breath reaks.

3. Keep it simple. Anyone is going to be more impressed with a well-cooked simple meal than a poorly cooked complicated one.

4. I vote against the meatloaf--to me that conjures up mom. Personally, I love nothing more than a stir-fry with really fresh vegetables, and a light sauce (not a cloyingly-sweet Kikoman sauce). Or some fresh shrimp (not "thawed for your convenience" shrimp). If you haven't had fresh shrimp (and most people haven't--that stuff at the grocery store is generally previously frozen) they will be a revelation.

5. I also vote against anything with beans or collards or probably even beer too (though I love all three)--there could be awkward consequences. A liquor drink that pairs with the meal or a nice wine adds elegance.

6. Lastly, if you make something seasonal, I think that shows a depth that most home cooks don't have.

casual lunch in nyc

I will be starting out from Chinatown, but we are hoping to hit Central Park and/or MoMA

Recipe Request: What to Do with Corn Bread?

I like to grind it up and use it as breading for fried chicken.

Thoughts on Tonight's Iron Chef...

If any of you watched the original Iron Chef (Japan), you probably realize that there were always actresses and other non-foodie people on the show. Shouldn't part of the challenge be to impress everyday people? I think it's a far greater challenge to please both ends of the spectrum, than to simply focus on food-obsessed people. After all, that's what real chefs have to face on a daily basis, particularly hotel chefs.

What makes a 'Celebrity Chef'?

This is an interesting question which Ruhlman addresses in his "Reach of a Chef." I think the frustrating part for professionals like myself is that in order for one usually to reach the celebrity status, they generally must forgo that which makes them famous in the first place. This, in turns, leads people to begrudge them their ability to cook. Even Bourdain had to recant and admit that Emeril was an extremely talented young chef who utilized his charisma to establish an empire. I think the real question is: when a chef becomes a celebrity, is he really still a chef? Not to argue semantics, but (and I know most avoid the word because it sounds pedestrian by comparison) shouldn't they really be celebrity cooks or just plain celebrities? After all, aren't Emeril/Bourdain/Colicchio (these days) more of an entertainer than anything else? Particularly Bourdain and Colicchio who don't even cook on tv.

What's with the tiny hamburgers?

Not to upset you further, but I made leftover sliders in honor of thanksgiving with a thick turkey slice, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce (yes, Oceanspray jellied) on a mini brioche bun.

cooking demo based on movie scene

I am doing a cooking demo that needs to be tied into a movie. It needs to be a popular movie (as the cooking demo is in a bloomingdale's). The other challenge is that I don't own a tv so I can't just go out and rent a movie (although if it was on YouTube I could watch it). Please help. The last movie I saw was "Food INC." but they are looking for fictional movies not documentaries.

looking for a good food book or cookbook to read

I am a big fan of writers like Jeffrey Steingarten, Michael Pollan, and John Thorne, and cookbooks as diverse as El Bulli to Chez Panisse cooking, but I haven't stumbled across anything recently that has caught my interest. Anybody have any suggestions?

BTW, am definitely not interested in Paula Deen or Rachel Ray books.

top chef not up to par this season

Does anyone else feel like this year's top chef is half-hearted this year?

1. They are in New York city with some of the most talented chefs in the world, and instead they continue to trot out their old friends Gail and Rocco as judges.

2. Why didn't they actually prepare their food on the today show? What's the point of the mock skit then?

3. Martha Stewart, the Foo Fighters--really?? Sounds like they are trying to diversify their audience at the cost of the show's quality.

4. A lot of the cheftestants seem more like real world characters than top chefs...

5. Is anyone else sick of this Catch-22: If it's simple, Tom and Padma say that it should have been more complicated, and if it's more complicated, then Tom and Padma say that it should have been simpler.

6. How about a challenge where Tom cooks head-to-head against the cheftestants? Or is his knife set as dusty as Rocco's? I understand and respect what Tom has done, but some of the challenges have been quite intense, and I'd like to see Tom put his money where his mouth is.

looking to join a blog

There seems to be an overabundance of blogs, therefore I feel reticent in initiating my own. Not to mention, my posts would be sporadic (usually confined by my free time or requirements for work). However, I would still love a forum to share some of my own creations and ideas. I lean towards the whimsical (one of my published recipes is for coffee and doughnuts, with Krispy Kreme ice cream and coffee-flavored hot fudge).

I am the executive chef of a major-chain hotel with 16 years professional experience.

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