Well, I grow tomatos, make my own pancetta and bacon, I bake bread, make mayo

So far I'm doing ok......

By prepackaged I mean a mixture of ingrediants that you could have done yourself.
Such as a cake mix. If your making a cake from a recipe and the recipe says "1 box Cake Mix", or your making a curry and it says "1 tblsp curry powder", or "1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce". The point is that the packaged product could have a profound effect on the outcome of the recipe and shouldn't come out of a packet.

For that matter any recipe that calls for the use of a prepackaged product (unless of course you cruising the Nestle site, what else do you expect there?).

I smoke turkeys, fish, ribs, chicken, bacon, brisket and a whole bunch of other goodies.
You will NEVER see a bottle of liquid smoke in my pantry!!!
Nowhere near the real thing

I was reading this wondering when someone was going to mention baking soda.
Not a slurrry in my world, it goes on dry and is left overnight then poped in the oven the next day for a really crispy skin. No issues with the baking powder, just dust the bird as you would with flour. no need to go crazy, but do it the day before, very nice.

Red miso could be a new healthy substitute for pink slime...

I always took the approach: weigh when you bake, measure when you cook

Notice I mentioned keeping it for a few days.
Not meaning to imply this is a product that has a
long shelf life (months). Too much acid or salt
would make it unusable in the form it is meant to
be used in

Burn the cobs on their own first to see what the smoke is like.
Hardwoods burn cleaner than softwoods (less resin). If the
Cobs burn with a thick dark smoke dont put them near food.
Toxic

Using vinegar in the recipe will give your product staying power in the fridge. Without an acidic you need to freeze the sauce if you plan to keep it for more than a few days.

Learned this from making gumbo. Fry the okra before adding it to your dish. Frying seals the okra. When you add it after frying it will hold it's shape better and not turn everything gooey.

I like separation by country or culture. Directs me into what flavor I might be interested in. Otherwise....SEARCH......based on my primary protein. Then I cruise thru till something catches my eye.

I'm a big fan of Lamb curries. It's like making a stew with stewing beef.
Cook over low heat for the day (at least 3 to 4 hrs) to get the meat broken
down. Test it once in a while to see where its at but dont be in a hurry.
The long slow cook lets all the flavors meld nicely. I usually buy a shoulder and break it down myself.

My favorite PHO is a spicy version from Central Vietnam.
I add the basil, cilantro and lime in moderate amounts.
When I scoop up the noodles I apply the Siracha and Hoisin directly onto
the noodles nott into the soup. This way the broth is unadulterated but you
get the Siracha/Hoisin blast direct from the noodles. Best of both worlds.

Here's a good curry site

http://www.spicytasty.com/

Found this link:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/536484

Mutton here is from a 3 month old sheep.
According to the article the "mutton" used at Keen's is 10 months old.
Too young for this mutton.

Everything I have read tells me I need to give it a long slow cook.
How do they prepare the mutton chop?

Good point! I've seen older chickens for sale in some Asian stores here. I should try one as I'm sure the flavor is different than what we are used to. I just picked up some mutton (3yr old sheep) to try. We are used to lamb (1yr old sheep), which I enjoy. The mutton should yield a stronger flavor. I'm looking forward to it.

"so do you expect all recipes to be retroactively updated?"

No but certainly there are many newer recipes that do not reflect any of this.
Shrimp cook in about 2 minutes (or less). How many recipes call for cooking
for 5 minutes or more.

Just a pet peeve....

Another pet peeve....

Overcooking food.
How many recipes have I found that cook the crap out of the food.

Overcooking food is a misguided attempt to be safe. Today's food standards don't
require over processing. Case in point the new temperatures for cooking pork have officially been lowered as of last year.

I NEVER buy cooked seafood. It's dry and rubbery. They over process it.

Take a look at this CHOW thread on cooking corn. I cook mine till it's just hot (3min).
Not saying you can't do it your way, but not for me.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/861874

Dont know if they ship to where your at but one of these would cover all of your bases:

http://www.whiskytastingcompany.com/i...

If your curing Pancetta you need the salt as part of the cure, I just cut it down by about 50% on average. I don;t know how some of these recipes work with the enormous amount of salt they are using.

I'd love to make a real Southern roux with a pro to see if I get mine as dark as it can be. I believe I get mine dark enough but you never know until someone gets it darker.

Maybe its just more distinct to me as I'm not from there.

Try some Cajun cooking. First time you make a really dark roux you'll get an idea of a "nutty" flavor that actually integrates with the meat your cooking with.

Take the can back to the store and get your money back. Take said money and buy fresh ingredients as per a recipe you've looked up on the net for a Thai curry. Make said recipe from fresh ingredients and enjoy a meal that will taste worlds better than any crap out of a can.
Seriously!

If the internal temp of the pork was greater than 150, probably was, then you have more if a ham than a bacon. That will give you some of the color issues your having. To make bacon you have to ensure that you do not exceed 150/155 internal temp. The pink salt is used as your temps are so low that it does not kill any potential salmonella or botulism, at higher temps these bacteria will not survive.

If you've salted and rubbed according to directions your fine. The bake will take careof everything else. I'm curiouse as to what you are making. If it's bacon don't let the internal temp get over 150deg. If your cooking it higher than 150 then there was no need for the pink salt.

So whatcha makin?

Yes I use cococnut milk. Not aware of it being sweet. Check the label to see if they add sugar to the coconut milk (in which case get another brand) or adjust the sugar in the recipe.

New term for the millenium - - FOODIE

Much less pretentious!