Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

This series has been very fun and inspiring to read. I've readjusted my relationship to meat since meeting my vegan girlfriend. I wasn't even a hardcore meat-eater before, but it was still hard to throw out so many things I was used to to come up with meals we can both eat. I also didn't find it so drastic or painful, although once in a while I just have to have a burger, and my girlfriend is okay with that.

I would also say that the best equipment purchase I made was getting a pressure cooker. Makes cooking beans and whole grains so much faster.

This is wonderful. My girlfriend usually buys Wild Wood Aioli (I know, I know - it's what they call it). But at $6 a jar, I wanted an alternative. My first attempt at vegan mayo with just lecithin and water was not entirely successful, so I'm looking forward to trying this technique. And I'm thinking how great caramelized onion mayo would taste...

Never mind faux meat - where do you get off spelling habanero wrong?

The indignant comments here are priceless.

I wish I could eat this meal - or any Achatz creation, for that matter.

I'm amazed at all the hatred here. I might be the only one in the "Yea" column, with caveats. I will say that I did purchase one of the DVD sets and accompanying book, and was surprised to discover that I was "subscribed" to receive the next book/DVD set unless I canceled. I can't say I care for that part of their business model.

That said, I love the TV show and I enjoy having the website subscription. I too wish they were more authentic with "exotic" ingredients I can easily find in Seattle. But I love that they really delve into the science of why a recipe/technique works (or doesn't).

I've had this as queso dip (sans the burger), and I love it. I'm not sure why Velveeta get the thumbs down while American cheese gets the thumbs up. But it's nice to know I can make this without buying a whole shameful carton of Velveeta.

According to chowhound, Muir Glen's fire roasted tomato with chili is a superior stand-in for Ro-Tel.

I am an omnivore, and my girlfriend (of 6 months) is vegan. I'm still learning and adapting, but I made a mushroom risotto that made her swoon.

Why would you need a roasting pan for 1.5 lbs of meat? I have a hard time believing you don't have a skillet, or casserole dish, or something else that you can put in the oven. Also, no rack needed - not for something that small.

As for the slow cooker - sure. You could braise a turkey breast - just be mindful of the temperature. If you go too high or too long you can easily dry out a turkey breast - even if it's surrounded by liquid.

@dinty_moore - Definitely salvageable. The best way to get rid of that amount of rust is to soak the entire pan in diluted vinegar - 1 quart of vinegar diluted in a gallon of water. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Then scrub the rust off, and proceed to dry it and season it. You might need to strip the seasoning (or what's left of it) first, in which case it's a bit more involved.

Full procedure is described here:
http://blackirondude.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-cast-iron-skillet-reconditioning.html

You could do this with longer pasta - if you presoak it so it's pliable. There's a handful of entries on Ideas in Food exploring pre-hydrating pasta - both with water and flavorings. The resulting pasta also cooks in mere minutes.

Wow - defensive much? I know people are pretty passionate about pizza, but I don't think this "contrarian" opinion is bringing out the mob-with-pitchforks Girl Slice expected.

As for me, I love pineapple paired with Salumi's artisanal pepperoni. I realize that this may be considered an insult to such a delicious meat product, but I gotta tell you - it's f'in awesome. I absolutely refuse to eat pineapple on any other kind of pizza, and as a pizza call center employee, I assure you I've heard some truly awful combinations come down the line.

Well, the academic thing would be to say that salchicha is a general term for sausages (so says wikipedia too), but for all intents and purposes it means weiner (fun note: perro salchicha = weiner dog). I remember seeing this on No Reservations San Francisco. Sizewise it was ridiculous, but Tony liked it. Most of the clip can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xixRxmalmT8

I also had way more than 1 dozen muffins worth of batter - glad to know I'm not the only one. The rest went in a loaf pan, so we'll see how it turns out.