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If you lost the bowl or container for your stick blender or 'boat motor' just use a flat bottom round coffee cup. I do, because my immersion blender did not come with it. You can use whole egg and if you have problems with the mayo just use another tsp to tablespoon of water to help the emulsion.

I would agree with others that even though there is a science to it, it's not all 'that'.

But you gotta give props to Kenji. His 'job' per se is to help people and get people 'in tha know' so they will try it and it will be demystified for them.

Thanks for all the comments and replies.

I have found that I can even watch full length videos at some of the PBS websites both locally and nationally.

I was also able to find http://videos.pbs.org where they have shows of Julia Child, Maid in Spain, and Every Day Cooking. I think I will check the Video Pod-casts of PBS for food shows as well on my i tunes.

I used to watch Justin Wilson and Yan Can Cook back in the day.

About 20+ years ago I worked in Landry's Seafood and Olive Garden (started as saute chef worked up to MIT program - Manager in Training) and both pre-cooked their pasta, weighed and portioned, then 'baggied' it. Kept it in big square plastic cambro's with fresh date stickers on them.in the cooler. You would go to the cooler to pull what you needed for the refrigerated drawers on your line.

The method was to drop portions in pot of simmering water with basket (water was usually salted and had lemon juice) for about 30 seconds to a minute then throw directly in saute pan to add 'mis en place' to finish the heated dish.

But pre-cooking the pasta was the standard preparation, big pot of water, healthy dose of salt, cook to al dente. Drain, rinse (sometimes using ice on top) with cool water to stop cooking, let drain dry a small time, start weighing, bagging, and dating.

Sorry people, RONCO knew this a long time ago...that's why they sold those (Plexi/fiber?) glass tubes and told you to cook your pasta in it. It came with a lid and the instructions were to pour water that had come to a boil in it, then wait so many minutes and use their 'special' lid to drain it. WOW insta pasta cooker! (sarcastically making fun of the commercial)

Of course many of you may have missed it, it came on late at night on cheap cable channels.

First tip about Trader Joes pizza dough, take it out of bag and seperate into two balls. Because the standard size pizza peel and/or pizza stone for using at home can only take one pizza rolled thin from half of this dough. It makes two thin crust pizzas for me. About as big round as the peel I am using.

I didn't read all the comments but I have used the pizza dough from trader joes...first you got to let the dough sit out (cut it out of bag and seperate into two balls as per my instructions above) room temp for at least an hour (I think there are still instructions on the bag for this)...then flour the counter, rolling pin, and dough ball. Start rolling it out like a pie crust...I get mine thin and round. You know because the thin round pizza dough will fill the peel (or approximate 12 inch round - my peel is about 14 inches across).

I crank the oven up to 500 (preheat) about 40 minutes before making pizza, give or take. I slide the dough unto the peel (after flouring the peel) and then give it a little shake forward and back to make sure pizza dough is not sticking. then add sauce and toppings, slide on pizza stone in oven...and wait. It ranges from 8 to 14 minutes for me.

As others have said, if it keeps pulling back or resisting stretching, wait longer as the yeast produces more bubbles and relaxes the dough so you can roll it out to where you want it without it retreating.

I got my stone and pizza peel for standard home ovens at Bed Bath & Beyond pretty cheaply, you can always use a flat sheet pan, the back of it, or parchment paper to slide the pizza in.

Hope this helps. Thin, crisp, crunchy pizza with still a little chew.

In Jaque Pepin's PBS techniques video he does and explains all this, even preventing the inner green color from appearing...wonderful and quite a few years old. And real simple to do and follow.

No need to re-invent the wheel, or boiled egg...just go to your local library and/or find Jaques DVD.

I liked Jamie Olivers magazine that he started putting out, not sure what subscription cost though...and I did like Delicious, Olive, and a few others from the UK but thats because they are not from here where I live (US) so the perspective was nice because it was new and different, and even some of the ads were interesting...but with time I am sure they would get old too.

A few thoughts:

The knife (as one person said) may be a more personal purchase, but maybe not if you spend more money on it than he would!

Cast Iron skillet would usually be a good recommendation, but being in an apartment with a small kitchen, those things tend to smoke to much...and its not about controlling the heat. Its about 'seasoned' cast iron heating up.

But consider this, I bought 2 twelve inch COMMERCIAL non-stick pans from Sam's Club (because at that time they came in two AND Sams has a commercial restaurant supply section now - BUT NOT COSTCO DARN IT!) pretty cheap and they are made from thick aluminum under the non-stick coating...2 years later they still have the coating. I pulled the rubber handles (good for oven temps up to about 350) off and threw them away, cook on top, finish in oven. Works wonderful. Heavy duty, lighter, and less smokey than cast iron.

Get the kitchenaide mini processor (3 cups model) not the cuisenart. The reason being is because the 'catch' for making the motor work is a long piece of plastic protrudcing down from the lid, prone to breaking off! Kitchenaid, not so much small 'catch' on both sides of lid that doesn't protrude past the lip much, even if you manage to drop the lid on the floor and break one, you can still swivel the lid to the other.

As someone mentioned, electric hot water kettle. Starts things that need hot or boiled water much quicker.

Is he a serious tea or coffee drinker? Bodum (french press) goes good with that electric water kettle.

Small microwave as already said.

Coffee been grinder for grinding spices or coffee.

I buy bar towels in bulk from Sam's or Costco's, there just like the ones in commercial kitchens I use...and there cheap.

Immersion blender, as already said. This thing should be a must. Its terrific.

My pasta roller still comes in handy for (duh) pasta, and also: pita bread, rolling thin tortillas, flat bread...etc.

If your going to spend some money on him, buy a nice kitchen cart with storage underneath...then he can roll a 'chopping' island around to use and store these small appliances underneath when not in use.

Ok, I'll stop here...I cook professionally as well as not letting my small kitchen in my apartment keep me from cooking extensive and 'fine dining' meals at home.

@therealchiffonade - no, I am not entertained by it...and I like you, quit watching after the first season.

There's nothing there to be learned, or appreciated. Its just another night-time drama opera...so since its not even remotely entertaining or usefull I went back to watching Diners, Drive-ins, & DIves...

THAT at least is comedy that sometimes makes me hungery - thats more the Hell's Kitchen ever did for me!

More reasons to start cooking and eating at home more, pack lunches, picnics, romantic picnics...and remembering to patronize the good Restaurants.

In my home town in Huntsville Alabama a lady has started a commercial kitchen in which she prepares meals for a specific amount of days (with menus for you to pick from) for the busy people that don't want to cook but want good food. http://www.sshuntsvillesouthal.com/

But here the benefit is that if you come in and adhere to all the regulations you can put together your own meals with the prepared products (under supervision) for a discount off of your meals. (plus it gives you a chance to spy out how they do things, sanitation, hygiene...etc)

Pretty darn good Idea...its located in a strip mall/shopping plaza. Big front glass windows that you can see in from the street.

Grossest thing ever? Probably when I worked for a take-out pizza joint and the girl running the cash register spit a 'big nasty one' (throat clearing) in the middle of a pizza then covered it with cheese and toppings. The customers were 'default' on one of her mom's 'properties'.

I reported her after she confirmed she actually did it by bragging about it...the only redeeming factor is that hopefully the oven cooked most of the chances of disease or bacteria out of it.

Melon.

Fruits like melon balls or chunks cut up with a lime-honey 'dressing' of sorts...or a yogurt drizzle or sauce, creme fraiche

Slice of honeydew, cantelope, watermelon...etc.

Gazpacho's...

tyronebcookin