fr1p's Profile
Dim Sum Delivery to Cambridge?
I am happy to report that Dim Sum Chef does deliver but only at weird hours (after 4 and such). Any other options. Most pleased with Dim Sum Chef so far!
Green Street Grill: Opinions and Favs?
WHat are some other craft cocktail places you like?
Dim Sum Delivery to Cambridge?
They deliver? Yelp has them listed as a No Delivery. If they do, I'm in Dim Sum Heaven!
Know any Pre-made (NOT COOKED) food delivery services in Cambridge? Sometimes called Take & Bake.
This is exactly what I was looking for. =) Know any others? It would be great to compare. Many thanks, Sallyt!
Dim Sum Delivery to Cambridge?
Hounds..... The title says it all....
There are many good Dim Sum places in the area. I've read the threads, I've visited China Town, and my stomach has been most pleased. BUT.... I live in Cambridge, and other than Mary Chungs (which does not deliver and only does dim sum brunch on Sunday) I have no easy way to satisfy my massive dim sum cravings.
Does anyone know a place that delivers impressive and cheap-ish dim sum in the Cambridge area? Big selections I mean, not just the random Shu-Mai or dumpling. I'm talking about a place that, at the very least, has an entire dim sum section on their menu, with all manner of dumplings and other delectables.
I suspect the answer is no! There used to be a place called Git Lo's dim sum that delivered here, but they did mostly deep friend things, and apparently no longer service the area. Sad sad.
Is there an alternative? Thanks, hounds.
Know any Pre-made (NOT COOKED) food delivery services in Cambridge? Sometimes called Take & Bake.
Hi all,
My wife and I are about to have our first little tyke, so we're fairly sure we're not going to have a ton of time to go dining out anymore (or even cook much at home). Was wondering if any of you hounds know of any "Take & Bake" places in Cambridge or Boston that would deliver, or if not deliver, do a quick pick up service?
For those not familiar, these are pretty common out west and even in the south. I saw a few in Rhode Island, but never here. Basically these are kitchens that pre-assemble meals but don't cook them. They usually deliver the food in large aluminum foil baking pans (can hold a lot of servings, maybe a few days worth) and the idea is that you take them home, throw them in the oven, and boom, you'e got a high quality meal that someone else prepped but which you actually cooked in your home. Great way to save on time without skimping on quality. Back when i was in Rochester, there were even a few well known restaurants that had this kind of service as a side business.
To be clear, this isn't a dedicate Chef's service... it doesn't cost nearly as much becuase there are usually only a dozen or so meals available and you get them in bulk. This is more of a convenience play offered by some restaurants, caterers, and occasionally some chef's who dable in home service.
If anyone knows of any reasonably priced versions of this kind of service that would work for a couple in Cambridge, please let me know. We'd be thankful to have some food-prep help during those first few months of baby work!
Help! Why do my potatoes stay hard ( RAW ) in the slow cooker / crock pot?
Thanks to everyone for the tips!
Help! Why do my potatoes stay hard ( RAW ) in the slow cooker / crock pot?
I was playing around with the idea that my potatoe chunks are too big? But I would think cooking them longer would take care of that. I don't know what's up!
Help! Why do my potatoes stay hard ( RAW ) in the slow cooker / crock pot?
This is my third attempt at making a crock pot recipe that involves chunks of potatoes, and once again, after many many hours of cooking (8 minimum) everything in the crock pot is incredibly tender and done EXCEPT for the potatoes. They appear to be "cooked" but the texture is only slightly softer than raw.
The usual method I have been using (following the recipes I have):
1. Cut potatoes up (cubes or chunks of about 1 inch wide by maybe 2 inches long)
2. Put at bottom of crock pot
3. Add other ingredients (meat, vegetables)
4. Cover all ingredients with liquid (broth)
5. Let it sit for hours on end, at least 8 (medium or high depending on recipe)
Everything else I've put in the slow cooker turns out great, but not the potatoes. They are overly firm, bordering on crunchy. I have no idea what's up.
Any of you 'hounds out there have any ideas? It's driving me crazy that I have to fish out my potatoes and microwave them whenever I do this. I have tons of crock pot recipes that claim you can just slap those potatoes right into the pot raw and magic will happen.
Am I not giving them enough time? Is submerging them the wrong way to go? Why do they have the texture of an under-ripe melon?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
-fr1p
Blood Sausage (boudin noir) Consistency and Fillers.
Ernie,
Thank you for the recipe, my friend. This looks fairly impressive. I think I will give it a swing this week!
-Fr1p
Blood Sausage (boudin noir) Consistency and Fillers.
You actually can get it pasteurized from some meat shops and occasionally from butchers. The pasteurized stuff lasts longer and you don't have to worry about germs off the bat.
Blood Sausage (boudin noir) Consistency and Fillers.
Hi guys,
I've made some blood sausage in the past but am just now getting into the swing of it. I've been thinking of using onions & rice or onions & oats as my primary filler, but i have some basic questions:
What ratio of blood to filler should I be aiming for? I'm tempted to do half and half, or MORE filler than blood, with the idea being that the final product will be a little heartier, but I am worried it'll be less blood sausage and more bloody grit.
Any advice for a novice blood sausage maker?
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
I just watched this video.... it's mostly pseudo-scientific idiocy. Where's the data? Where's the proof. The information referenced here seems mostly political, and not very science based.
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
I'm very interested in this part: and the lipid study linking saturated fat to heart disease has been pretty thoroughly debunked by the scientific community lately, especially when one realizes that hydrogenated oils were included in the "bad" group, muddying the results. @@
Can you point me to some of the data concerning this?
Yeah, the foggy thinking on "canola oil is a pesticide, so it must be poison!" is vexing and shows a lack of critical thinking, you are right. Just because something is classified as a pesticide doesn't mean it is a problem for humans. Many oils meet pesticide spec because they block the ability for pests to breathe through their shells via "spiracles" (the breathing holes along the sides of arthropod bodies). Humans use lungs to breathe, so unless you are pouring oil into your lungs, you're unlikely to have the same problem.
But it is pretty amazing how weirdly defensive people get on this topic, even though it basically boils down to "hey, just show me some proof instead of speculation." It's almost like nutrition is turning into a belief system for some people.
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
Agreed. I was hoping to get some people on this thread who could provide me with some "Canola oil is bad because of X and here's the science to back it up" style comments, but it's already degenerated into "I hate corporations" and "yeah man, but WHAT IF, like WHAT IF, brother???" type stuff.
I'm completely willing to never buy another bottle of Canola oil again if anyone can give me some sound reasoning and research. They wouldn't even have to twist my arm.
Though I do get the taste issue (which I don't have a problem with personally).
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
Nice and all, but what I think ipsedixit is getting at is that "liking" the idea of knowing your farmer doesn't actually have a practical value. it's just something that makes you feel better. All things being equal, what matters is dependable access to good quality crops, and that -who- provides those crops is only part of the consideration. "dumbing down" of seed stock is sort of a nebulous attack (Reposado) as is the idea that there would be no other alternative (adopting a GM crop doesn't mean wiping out non-gm crops). That's not to say I'm a huge fan of these practices, but to defend ipsedixit: Having a distaste for something is different from outcome-based practicality. On a personal note, I take part in a lot of local farm stuff here in Cambridge, and frankly, the local farmers deal with a lot less scrutiny than the big corporate farmers... i'm less worried about a megacorp. If Monsanto were exposing its products to harmful chemicals regularly, you'd likely hear about it. If your local farmer (who operates out of the back of a truck or through a small coop) does the same, no one's the wiser. Just sayin'. Local doesn't mean safer.
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
... Except for like, the ability to let farmers in difficult agrarian regions plant hardy crops fortified with life saving nutrients that will potentially improve the lives of millions.....
http://www.goldenrice.org/index.html
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
Dude, did you even read the article you linked to? Money quote:
At the conclusion of the study, the authors surmise that such an astounding defect may be due to the diet of hamsters raised in the laboratory. They write, "This pathology may be exacerbated by elements of the food that are absent in natural food, such as genetically modified (GM) ingredients (GM soybean or maize meal) or contaminants (pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, etc.)." Indeed, the number of hairy mouthed hamsters was much higher among the third generation of GM soy fed animals than anywhere Surov had seen before.
Surov warns against jumping to early conclusions. He said, "It is quite possible that the GMO does not cause these effects by itself." Surov wants to make the analysis of the feed components a priority, to discover just what is causing the effect and how.
... uh, so basically even the guys running this yet-to-be-published and reviewed by the scientific community study are already padding it with the "yeah, so there could be other variables we missed" statements.
That's not exactly strong science on which to base an assertion that we're "burying our heads." That's about the same logic as the anti-vax crowd uses to try to link autism to childhood vaccines. An unpublished study that no one has even been able to review the setup of, and for which the methodology has not even been made fully transparent? Really? And the rest is just the hack author slinging around ominous language (because, you know, -he's- unbiased).
Just show me the science. I'll convert to any viewpoint with verifiable, repeatable evidence.
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
Ditto, I have no inherent problems with GM foods (some of which are saving lives all over the world) and haven't seen any research to indicate any actual problems with it. I mean, given the choice, sure, natural is nice, but I'm not convinced GM foods pose any danger.
Canola Oil: Why all the hate?
Alright Hounds,
I've been doing some research into oils recently, skimming the boards here, and I notice a disproportionate number of posts saying things like "Don't use Canola oil, it is the devil" etc.
Most of these posts make some kind of vague assertion without any backup, some of if fairly ludicrous (canola oil is made from rape seed, rape seed was used to make mustard gas, hence canola oil is dangerous like mustard gas, etc).
I just want to know what the problem is, and -if- there is a problem, can anyone point me to any research (actual science, not vague assertions by some health guru) that indicates there is anything actually wrong with Canola oil.
To summarize the negatives:
1. Rape seed has some toxic components. (but to my understanding, Canola oil's processing completely negates that)
2. Canola oil creates free radicals at high temperatures. (is that true? and if so, can someone show me any research that actually shows a negative effect of those levels of free radicals on humans?)
3. Canola oil can taste nasty at high temperatures. (fair enough, although I haven't had the problem in my own cooking).
From where I am sitting, it seems to be a pretty good source of Omega-3s and healthier than animal fat.
Anyone want to clarify these gripes with some science? I would like to make good decisions, but so far all I see on this topic is vapid and unsubstantiated rumor mill stuff.
Thanks, hounds!
Eating Raw Beef and Raw Steak - need guidance
Alright, Hounds, here's a question:
I've recently had some fairly tasty Ethiopian dishes involving raw beef. It occurred to me that the dishes, while tasty, are really just a mix of basic spices (berbere') and raw cuts of beef. Hence, I'm pretty sure I can make this at home for pennies on the dollar.
But, for some reason I can't get over the "eating raw beef" idea when I combine it with home preparation. There's some special psychological voodoo that lets me believe that a professional kitchen somehow is safer for raw beef prep than my home kitchen.
So, I'm wondering: How can I obtain, process, and consume raw beef as safely as possible?
- Can I just go get a nice cut of steak from a grocer or butcher, wash it off, carve some slices, and wamo, dig in? Or is that very unsafe?
- Do I need to shave off the surface layer of the beef cut, to get rid of aerobic bacteria?
- What am I missing here?
- In a different thread, a hound recommended dropping the raw meat into boiling water for a little while to get rid of surface bacteria. Would that pretty much do it?
From my understanding, ground beef is dangerous due to the mixing of surface bacteria with the meat, so does that mean I have to remove the surface of the steak I plan on using?
Hounds, unite, and give me your knowledge!
Eating Raw Beef and Raw Steak - need guidance (moved from Boston board)
It's my understanding that most of the harmful bacteria are indeed aerobic, that is, they only live on the surface of meats as they require a more oxygenated environment. So dropping the meat into boiling water for a quick bath might do the trick? Any thoughts?
Eating Raw Beef and Raw Steak - need guidance (moved from Boston board)
That's a great idea. And thanks all for the input so far!
Eating Raw Beef and Raw Steak - need guidance (moved from Boston board)
By the way, the dish I had was called Gored-Gored, which is sometimes very lightly cooked, but mostly raw. Here's a photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosemania/102736621/
Good Asian Markets on Red Line near Central Square? (Sushi suitable fish would be good too!)
Thank you! New Deal sounds awesome!
Eating Raw Beef and Raw Steak - need guidance (moved from Boston board)
Alright, Hounds, here's a question:
I've recently had some fairly tasty Ethiopian dishes involving raw beef. It occurred to me that the dishes, while tasty, are really just a mix of basic spices (berbere') and raw cuts of beef. Hence, I'm pretty sure I can make this at home for pennies on the dollar.
But, for some reason I can't get over the "eating raw beef" idea when I combine it with home preparation. There's some special psychological voodoo that lets me believe that a professional kitchen somehow is safer for raw beef prep than my home kitchen.
So, I'm wondering: How can I obtain, process, and consume raw beef as safely as possible?
- Can I just go get a nice cut of steak from a grocer or butcher, wash it off, carve some slices, and wamo, dig in? Or is that very unsafe?
- Do I need to shave off the surface layer of the beef cut, to get rid of aerobic bacteria?
- What am I missing here?
From my understanding, ground beef is dangerous due to the mixing of surface bacteria with the meat, so does that mean I have to remove the surface of the steak I plan on using?
Hounds, unite, and give me your knowledge!
What to do with Frozen Kale?
How about in regards to dishes without butter or cheese? I'm hoping to add some Low Cal dishes to the great ideas you guys already posted.
What to do with Frozen Kale?
I happen to have a lot of frozen kale onhand as I make kale and lentil soup for the cold winter months.
Does anyone know of any good uses for Frozen kale other than this? Any recipes that feature frozen kale as the main ingredient or that can make something lovely out of this overlooked bit of vegetation?
Pop your frozen kale recipes up!
Boston's best
Salts in Cambridge is a winner. The food is inventive with a classical flair. the space is small but inviting, with a romantic touch. Very nice indeed.
Molecular Gastronomy in Boston Area?
Fellow Hounds,
I'm interested to try some examples of molecular gastronomy here in the Boston area. I've tried some very interesting creations overseas, but never sampled any US experiments in the science.
Are there any restaurants or eateries in the Cambridge or Boston area that have good examples of dishes founded on the principles of molecular gastronomy? I would love to know.
-Fr1p
