My husband and I have been on a quest to make some delicious grilled fish. For starters we have a gas grill. No fish basket as of yet (is that necessary?). We are usually grilling striped bass, trout, etc. I love the crisp salty skin that some of those good Greek restaurants can get, which is what I am trying to mimic.

The inside of the fish is stuffed with lemon, aromatics, herbs, etc. We usually slit the skin in a few places and then rub the whole thing down with some oil and salt. We put the fish on after the grill had heated to about 430 or so, threw the fish on, then kept the grill open and lowered the heat to medium-medium low. We have tried it both directly on the grill grate and on foil with no success. It always becomes a slaughter--the skin gets stuck, its impossible to flip and we usually end losing some. Much swearing ensues. Fish usually tastes decent but is lacking that crunchy skin I am looking for.

Any tips on how to improve this process?

I am making my first batch of ice cream and followed a modified David Lebovitz recipe I found on a blog.

I tempered my eggs before adding them to the rewarmed milk, put them on a low-medium heat, stirring constantly. The directions said to bring it up to 170-175 on an instant read, and not to let it boil. It started to slowly boil at about 100-120 and I couldn't get it to stop by adjusting to a lower heat. There was no way I could get it to 170 or even close. Of course, the eggs curdled and all my hard work was ruined.

I need to try another batch this morning for a bbq later today, but want to know why this happened. I have tried to look on-line for some secrets but as far as I could tell, I followed all of them I could find.

I had a nightmare last night that I tried a second batch and curdled them too!

Any advice?

We had a complete falafel melt down the other night. Literally a meltdown and I am not sure what went wrong. I have made the recipe a few times before with no problems. (recipe is listed here in case that helps: http://frenchiethefoodie.blogspot.com/2010/06/fal-la-full.html)

We followed all the directions, (i.e. made sure oil was to 375, didn't over crowd the pot, etc).
We went to fry the patties and within a few minutes they had completely fell apart in the oil. Fell apart to the point were it was basically falafel soup and there was nothing to fish out with a spoon except falafel filled oil. Needless to say, we didn't try another batch.

The only changes I made were to use canned instead of dried (and rehydrated) chickpeas, and to chill the balls a few minutes before frying so they wouldn't fall apart. Would these changes have made a difference?

Any insight is appreciated! They are so delicious when they turn out but I am hesitant to try them again.

I want to make my first batch of pickles and I am not sure where to find pickling salt in NYC. I live in Astoria and haven't seen it any any groceries around here. Any ideas?

How long to I need to let it brine for half sours? Should I use those little cukes I see at the store?

My mom brought my one vanilla bean pod from Hawaii! Yay! I love vanilla, especially the real stuff.

I have never used a pod before.

Any great ideas on what to do with a single pod?

(PS. I have no ice cream maker).

I made short ribs last night and had it on with a side of white bean puree with roasted garlic. They were both delicious. I guess I overestimated how much puree I would need and have way too much leftover (and no more short ribs.)

Any ideas on what to serve this with tonight? Bonus points for vegetarian ideas.

Thanks!

I decided recently that I don't drink enough water during the work day. I always bring a huge refillable bottle with me, and then take only a sip or two.

Any ideas on either how to make a homemade drink mix that is tasty and healthy, or are there any good alternatives out there (say at Whole Foods or something)?

I have done the whole throwing in a lemon/lime/orange and even mint in, which is good but am looking for something with a little more flavor.

Received some new and fresh spices for the holidays. I am looking for some unusual and non obvious ways to use them (you know, other than just rubbing them on chicken and fish).

Here are some in particular that I am excited to use:

-herbes de provence
-jerk (again, other than on chicken)
-garam masala
-smoked sweet paprika (have put this on potatoes which was delicious, but looking for other ideas as well)

Thanks!

Cleaned up an old cast iron that needed new seasoning. Followed directions I found on-line. Applied a thin layer of oil (I used canola) with paper towel, put skillet in preheated oven at 350 for one hour, upside down on the rack.

Removed it, let it cool down. Now there is many sticky areas from the oil. Why did this happen? What did I do wrong and how can this be fixed?

Hi

Received one from a friend. Not quite sure what to do with it, how to make it shine in a worthy recipe.

Got any ideas?

My husband got me a magnetic spice rack, with about 20-30 tins for my birthday. We want to go to Kalustyans and stock up.

Any recommendations for what not to miss there? I will obviously get the basics but am looking for some fun things to add to our spice repetoire.

Thanks!

Making dinner for guests tonight and don't feel like running out into the rain for more potatoes. Have enough if I combine both (2 of each) but not to use just one kind.

Any ideas of how to combine the two into a yummy side? Brisket is the main entree.

PS. One guest is opposed to "white fatty things" which means no sour cream (at least obvious).

Thanks!

Are you out there? I have a few cookbooks but am looking to all you foodies.

Serving it for a gathering this next weekend, and looking for something that will satisfy the vegetarians as well (I know, I know you pork lovers). Preferably a recipe that will lend itself well to various topics such as cilantro, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Thanks!

We just moved to a new apartment and are having some friends over to celebrate in a few weekends. We are expecting any where from 8-15 people. We will be having a bunch of apps but want to do a main dish that can be put out and eaten throughout the night (no sit down dinner). Preferably something that says "autumn", that can be mostly prepared ahead of time, and will hold over well on the counter or in the oven . We just were at a party that had yummy tacos and sliders, so would rather not copy those. We thought of doing a big pasta bake but wanted to see if there are any other brilliant ideas out there.

Any other fall ideas are welcome. We are going to also have mulled wine and spiked cider.

Thanks!

Need some helping grilling a half chicken (in one piece) we got from our CSA.

For some reason, I have only grilled a chicken piece by piece. My friend did a beer can chicken, but that won't work here.

We use natural charcoal.

Any advice? How long should we be grilling this puppy? On or off the coals?

I just got a cast iron skillet from my aunt and uncle. It has been around for quite some time so I need to clean it up and season it.
This is my first cast iron, so am not really sure what to use it for. Other than eggs, any one have any great recipes/ideas that make this pan better than others?

Help!
I am at a total loss.
It is hot, humid and rainy. I don't want to go to the store, but did just pick up my CSA share. Here is what I have to work with:

baby eggplants
zucchini (and a few other baby summer squashs)
chard
scapes
beets
green tomatoes
4 ears of corn
a few favas
carrots

Other stuff I have laying around
chorizo
rice
various beans, chickpeas
feta
gouda
(pasta is out because I am GF)

Any brilliant ideas?

I have a huge beautiful head of Napa cabbage I picked up yesterday from the CSA.

Anyone with any great ideas out there other than in a stir fry?

I love ice cream. Love it. I do love soft serve but recognize that the best is creamy, flavorful and usually hard.

Where can I get great ice cream in NYC? (We are not talking tasty delight here folks, or Mr. Softy for that matter).

Help!
It is only week 2 of the CSA and already I have a large carry over of greens from week one. They seem to be mix greens for braising or cooking (not really for making salads or eat raw--think chard, etc).

Any ideas? We have done the saute up with some garlic but you can't do that every day. I also did something with fish, greens and tomatoes which was delicious but am looking for some more inspiration. I get more today also!

Thanks!

We had a bbq yesterday but were so stuffed with all the other food, I didn't even get a chance to bring out the huge watermelon that I bought.

I sliced some up today, which we snacked on. I don't know how many more watermelon cubes we can eat though. I wanted to make agua fresca but I read you really need to use seedless melon and I don' t have the patience to pick out all the seeds of this big guy.

Any great ideas?

Any good ideas for a bunch of (possibly stale) leftover blue corn chips? They may also be a bit crunched as well. I hate to throw all of them out....

My husband and I are on the cleanse so there are some restrictions:

No dairy, no white rice/carbs of any kind, no corn. Basically just a ton of veggies, fruits, nuts and brown rice.

How can I make tilapia be tasty with these restrictions? Can anyone come up with some creative ideas?