True for the blind judging, but on ICA they cook with the same "secret ingredient", no?

Two things: judging should be "blind" (judges don't know who prepared which dish), and cheftestants should cook using the same ingredient(s).

1POINT, Buddy Halsell, the proprietor of the legendary Dixie Pig BBQ in Blytheville, MO (and inventor of the BBQ chopped salad) used to cook his butts as fast as possible, never more than 3-4 hours or so. He later used that method at LC's in Heber Springs, AR. In fact, he used to make fun of his brother, who had a BBQ shack near Little Rock for taking 12-16 hours to smoke pork.

Having lived in NW Indiana for 50 years, I can navigate around Chicago and its environs. I didn't mean to intimate the OP should go to Dyer for a sandwich...but it's what I do when I come back for a visit. Beef stands are ubiquitous around the city; there should be no problem finding one convenient for the OP.

The first place we hit on the way from the airport is Pop's in Dyer, IN for a "beef"...Italian beef sandwich, that is. You cannot get this outside of the Chicago area. I live in Georgia now and have Bari beef send me their 6-lb box with au jus, 8 Gonnella loaves, and a jar of giardinera every now and again.

Pantry ingredients can be used successfully here, a particular box mix is not required. My wife makes microwave cakes (resembling souffles) from flour, sugar, cocoa, milk and a few other things. Nothing magical about it.

Agreed; the book can't possibly help his restaurant biz. It's one thing to be the bad cop on MasterChef; quite another to extol the practice of disparaging and ripping off patrons.

Clams, I am curious as to why you would think WH is any better (food wise, health wise, or whatever) than the others you disparage. They all do the same thing: throw eggs, potatoes, and meat on the flattop and fire away. And the "good diners" and "mom & pop places" do the same thing. Actually, the menu at WH is pretty limited, especially since they do not offer pancakes. For my money the "best" breakfast items are often provided by what are known in Chicago as Greek restaurants.

OK; I didn't realize the timeframe.

http://www.bm-auer.com/Gaja.htm

I have not yet read the book, but it would appear that at least some wine "authorities" think Gaja makes some fine barolos. And I think he does know his stuff. Owning 3 or 4 vineyards and a dozen or more restaurants will do that for a guy.

I heard the same thing. Apparently this mini-series was "in the can" months ago.

Brown rice is high in calories, as are many foodstuffs. However, your own definition of nutrient value may differ from what others think. A standard serving has high levels of magnesium, niacin, and selenium, for example. Fiber is above 10% of the daily recommendation. Rice can be incorporated into a healthy eating plan; to demonize it for personal reasons is uncalled for. And the glycemic index has proved to be a useful tool for those concerned about blood sugar levels. I am also a diabetic, and sympathetic to the tribulations of other diabetics. My observation is to do your own research and experiment with everything that goes into your body.

Chicago has the largest Polish population outside Warsaw. There are numerous bakeries making paczkis ("bismarcks", in english usage) there. I have not seen authentic versions outside of the major Midwestern cities.

The Pump Room is about as far from what the OP wants as one could get.

For over 20 years I have prepared a weekly dinner menu (Mon-Fri) on Sunday, just before our weekly shopping. My wife would have it no other way now; it makes shopping easier and eliminates the "what shall I make for dinner tonite?" question. I also keep a watchful eye on the freezers/pantry to ensure we are not ignoring any items for lengthy periods. Works for us.

We will be in Charleston Dec 23-26, and staying at the King Charles Inn. This is not an inn or B&B, but we feel this is the best value in the Historic District (plus they have free parking). We are having dinner at Magnolia on Christmas Day, and other dinners at High Cotton and Poogan's Porch. They all have websites. FIG and Chef Mike Lata are almost directly across the street from King Charles and Jestine's is next door. For substantially more bucks head to Husk, Charleston Grill, McGrady's, etc. The place we like for breakfast and lunch is Barbara Jean's near the Old Market.

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Poogan's Porch
72 Queen St, Charleston, SC 29401

Charleston Grill
224 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401

Barbara Jean's
214 Mallery St, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522

Hah! When I read the topic I thought: "Dublin, as in Ireland?" No, apparently it's Dublin, PA. Come down to Dublin, GA, where I live. We'll be having turkey from Southern Heritage BBQ. Of course, there's also Ricks BBQ, Martin's BBQ, Robinson's, Elenma, and, of course, the ubiquitous and crappy Sonny's.

I have never heard of "seasoning with fresh beans"............

95% of the canned pumpkin crop comes from central Illinois, so the localized weather conditions have a huge impact on the market.

sasicka, I don't get the point of your reply. Why can't one find Russian caviar because the Czech Republic is in the EU? There may not be any, but is that because of the EU issue? It can be had in the US and it's not in the EU.

In the Air Force we always had SOS with hamburger. Our favorite way was SOS on toast with the eggs on top (reverse order of Will Owen's), chased down with half-white/half-chocolate milk and coffee. This fueled us on midnight shifts in the area known as the Bavarian Siberia (Hof, Germany).

You might not like the responses, but it's your premise that's flawed.

My mother used to make vegetable soup with leftovers accumulated during the week and a beef knuckle. Typical ingredients were corn, cabbage, tomatoes, green beans, celery. etc. She made a huge pot, then set it out on the unheated back porch for a few days. I can still conjure up the taste of that soup.

To which "honor" do you refer? I'll assume you mean the "pioneer" label. But anyone who has watched "Floyd on Fish" knows that his style was indeed "pioneering".

The late British chef/TV personality Keith Floyd was the pioneer of cooking on TV. His adventures in cooking seafood are legendary. Whether in a sandstorm in the Kalihari or a windstorm on the Thames, his shows were entertaining.

When I lived in Germany I went out with my wife to gather wild mushrooms. We came back to our apartment house with a good-sized basket of them. We asked our landlady, Frau Schmidt, if they looked to be edible. She said "they look good, but who can be sure?". We threw them out and went to the local market where there was a forager who knew what he was doing.

Once fruit is off the tree it does not continue to mature (ripen). It will most likely get softer, and may develop a bit of juice, but it does not get "riper." As they say, "...look it up."

Vegetables like tomatoes (OK, I know that botanically it's a fruit) have been bred to have less juice, tougher skins, and uniform shapes to facilitate machine picking. They are harvested in an unripe condition, gassed to retard ripening, and shipped in vast containers to stores far, far away. No wonder they taste like styrofoam.

AB might be a fierce critic and have his own TV show, but his cooking career in the kitchen at Les Halles was pretty pedestrian.

I don't see a lot of upside in keeping a large assortment of sauces on hand. Other than the broad differences between tomato/vinegar/mustard bases, there's little to separate one from the other IMHO, although there are those that are more sweet, hot, etc. Certainly not when you factor in cost (ingredients in that $7 bottle cost around a buck). I'm in it for the flavor of the meat, anyway, not the sauce.

It's the "cult of BBQ sauce", closely related to the "cult of hot sauce".

Good advice from all the posters. However, having been a backyard chef for 40 years I've simplified my approach to ribs.

Rub baby backs with Cajun seasoning (usually Tony Chachere's). Cook on grill over moderate heat until meat pulls away from bone, usually 2 hours or so. I use a briquet/lump/woodchunk mix and vary between direct/indirect heat depending on temp. Let rest while you get the rest of the meal on the table.

We generally eat the ribs without anything other than additional Cajun seasoning. If we have folks with us who prefer sauce we pull out Stubb's Original.