Richard L's Profile
lime chicken soup
Traditionally, it's a Yucatecan dish called sopa de lima or sopa de limon (Google will get you lots of recipes for ideas). The spices you may be missing are allspice and mexican oregano. Many recipes call for cinnamon as well, but I don't particularly care for it. I usually squeeze a couple of limes and add the halves to the broth which gives a slight bitter flavor. Another (non-traditional) addition I like is a little adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers.
Revival Market
I wander by every now and then (especially if I stop by Penzey's), but today they had the best selection of Rancho Gordo beans that I've seen there. It's also very convenient to buy Anson Mills grits and cornbread in small amounts. And of course the lard.
How to Find Home Vinegar Making Supplies..
http://oakbarrelsltd.com carries oak barrels and mother of vinegar. I've got a toasted barrel for red wine vinegar and untoasted for white wine vinegar. The wooden taps sometimes drip a bit, but I've been very pleased with the barrels.
Kitchen Torch Recommendations, Please
I agree with the larger butane torch suggestion (Iwatani is one brand). The hardware store propane canisters are tall enough to be quite tippy while the smaller butane torches sold for kitchen use just don't have enough heat output. Restaurant supply stores are a good source for both the torch and the canisters.
Since the OP was interested in safety, I think that probably rules out the red hot irons and the fire to heat them in.
please help me choose a knife steel/whetstone
I don't know how I ran across this, and I apologize to the spouses of the truly obsessive, but:
http://sharpeningstonereviews.wordpress.com
This is sure to give me hours of entertainment and hundreds of dollars of sharpening stones.
please help me choose a knife steel/whetstone
I really have liked the Shapton Glass stones because of the no-soaking. They have introduced a Pro line that is well reviewed, but I have not used it. I have not used the Naniwa stones, but the availability of a 2-sided no-soak stone is very appealing for travel/second home use.
Perfect Quenelle Spoon?
I use Nigella Lawson's Tablespoon and demi-Tablespoon measuring spoons. They've got a relatively deep bowl and the shape works for me.
Installing Japanese knife handles
I recently got one of Devin Thomas' "mid-tech" knives with a Wa handle on it and like it so much I'm thinking of going for one of his custom knives. You might try to e-mail him and see if he has any suggestions. Be careful, though. Looking at his bars of damascus steel could get expensive in a hurry.
Okra tonight
Leave them whole, brush with a little olive oil, grill until you get some black marks, and sprinkle with sea salt.
Survery: Your knife sharpening method
Mostly b), but on occasion g) with an EdgePro. I mainly use 4000 and 8000 Shapton stones, and occasionally a leather strop when I'm feeling particularly obsessive.
Knife Toolsteels... What Do We Really Know? An Earth-Returning Counterexample
What I want to know is how the chainsaw is on slicing ripe tomatoes in the kitchen. Would you mind slicing up a bushel or so in the kitchen and posting pictures?
KitchenAid Artisan Burr (coffee) Grinder
Is this the same as the Pro Line burr grinder? That shows as still available from Amazon.
sour cherries
You could also turn them into Cherry Bounce like Martha Washington would.
Wire racks for half-sheet pan
Williams-Sonoma sometimes has them in stock. Lionsdeal.com carries them for a lot less ($3.87-- they call them "pan grates") and also carries the size to fit quarter-sheet pans. I have ordered some of the 1/4 sheet size and they have been shipped, but I haven't seen them and so can't vouch for the quality.
Kitchen Island/Carts
I second the Metro recommendation. They're quite sturdy, you can get a butcher block top, and easy to adjust/customize. Not terribly cheap, though. The Container Store carries them if you one is nearby.
Gumbo in Houston
I second the Danton's recommendation if you like dark, thin gumbo. I can't stand the light brown, overly thick and floury stuff that most places serve.
replace Sabatier?
He may also be attached to the French shape of blade rather than the German one. If you want to replace the Sabatier, www.thebestthings.com has some old carbon steel ones that I like a lot. They also have them in stainless, which have the same blade shape but I don't think they take as keen an edge.
Bon Appetit Issue with Kitchenware and Furniture?
The April issue had an article on "50 Easy Kitchen Updates."
What is your favorite vintage kitchen item?
How about aluminum storage canisters? I have a set from my wife's grandmother (in order of descending size): flour, sugar, coffee, grease. The grease one has a built-in filter for bacon fat.
Recommendations for cookware for vacation rental
If available, I recommend IKEA. It's not great, but it's stainless steel, cheap, with a disk bottom. Also, many of the pots have measurements printed on the inside, so when someone steals the measuring cups (I know, why would anyone do that? They do.) you can approximate. A supermarket non-stick pan is fine because it will be destroyed. Utensils are difficult; I don't like the IKEA ones, but as long as you've had to walk through the store, they'll do the job. Knives? All the other posters are right. Go cheap; anybody who cares will bring their own.
Suggestions for an Usuba Bocho (single bevel)?
Check with Kevin at Knifewear in Calgary. The website is knifewear.com. He carries a line of Masahiro single bevel blades that includes a 165mm and 180 mm usuba. Both are roughly CA$ 100.
Kramer Knife - What is this all about??
Actually, he has closed his waiting list as his backlog is 3+ years. These auctions are about immediate gratification as well as status and performance. Kramer is one of the few custom knife makers who focuses on kitchen knives.
making demi-glace
On the other hand, I just found Glace de Veau (reduced veal stock) in the freezer case at Whole Foods. I am normally too lazy to prepare the classic demi-glace and just use reduced veal stock (with a little tomato paste and madeira or sherry), but you could dilute a package of this to re-constitute a veal stock and proceed from there to make a sauce espagnol with 1/2 of it, etc. until you got back to a demi-glace. That would save the first 14 hours or so of the process.
need a "border" style Mexican cookbook
You might take a look at "The Border Cookbook" by Cheryl and Bill Jamison. For Tex-Mex, I like Robb Walsh's "The Tex-Mex Cookbook."
Question about kitchen torch
I find the hardware store propane torches to be too big and tippy. I found an Iwatani butane torch at a restaurant supply store that is much superior to the mini-torches (which I agree are next to worthless) but is also shorter and more stable than a standard propane torch. It has a self-ignitor.
Mac Knives: Three versions... Should one be in my kitchen?
I have an Ultimate series gyuto with a 10" blade that is indeed a wonderful knife that keeps an edge for a long time. It was my most used knife for several years. However, in that price range you do have lots of options. My current favorite knife is a 240 mm Hattori gyuto FH-7 from japanesechefsknife.com that currently sells for $255. The handle is slightly more rounded than the MAC knife making it a little more comfortable for my hand.
Request for make-ahead recipes for serving room temp, buffet style...
The Thomas Keller Biyaldi (the base for the dish in the movie Ratatouille) is beautiful, vegetarian, and holds well at room temp. You can get various various versions off Google. It's a pain to make without a mandoline, though.
