Nice Cookies

I will be moving into a new place soon and I want to get some nice kitchenware. I want to buy quality stuff that I will only need to buy ONCE. I am thinking that I atleast need:

Knife set w/ Steak knives – What is good?
Pot/pan set – What metals? Nonstick?
Quality cutting board – Wood or Plastic?
Blender – Cuisinart?
Mixer – Kitchenaid (artisan or pro?)
Kitchen Tools (shears, and other utensils)
Baking Tools (trays and such) – silicone stuff?
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I love cooking, but watching Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen makes me want to up the ante a bit. Apart from reading/doing a bunch of recipes, what are some good sources for advanced cooking knowledge?
Work in a restaurant.
make mistakes on someone else’s nickel.
Food network helps you get the basics down, then you can either do culinary school or experiment on your own.

basil, fuckers.

Why not use one of those loittle herb gardens from tv?

Already had a cabinet not in use and some flourescent bulbs in the garage
I’m growing basil too.

Chia herb garden
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Hey all, I am about to start school at le cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts boston, Im just wondering if anyone is attending it? or anyone has attened a different le cordon bleu school. Thoughts on the school? was it worth it? or would you have gone to a different school? Im happy to be starting school. I have been wanting to start learning more about food for a while
the head banquet chef at my work went to one those schools and said she loved it. that’s all the details i have though
A good friend of mine went a few years back in L.A. He said it was cool and learned a lot but not worth it overall.
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I seem to have bad luck with roommates.

I own my own home, and I am a single person. 20 months ago, I decided I wanted to share my house with a roommate who will pay me rent and split bills so I could have more financial flexibility. I would charge him $400 per month and split the bills 2 ways. But, at the same time, my coworker / friend broke up with his girlfriend and needed a place to stay – quick. Its a 3 bedroom house, so I had room for him and told him he could stay rent-free for a couple of weeks before he moves on. So the agreement was that the first roommate gets a $25 discount off of his $400 rent for putting up with another roommate and he only pays 1/3 of the bills instead of 1/2. My coworker is to pay his 1/3.
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If you’re into food and wine, I highly recommend the Saratoga food and wine festival (in Saratoga Springs, NY). The Grand Tasting is Saturday, Sept 6th at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and tickets are still available for $80.00 a piece. There is typically over 200 wineries represented as well as many local restaurants.

I have been there 3 years in a row and this year will be my fourth. I have been to food/wine festivals all over the tri-state area and this one is always my favorite.
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parents are visiting my apt for the first time next weekend… need to impress since they are always condescending to me. tried those sprays you can pick up at your local grocery store but they aren’t that good.

basically i need something relatively strong to get the smell of beer/chicken/ketchup out of here.
i’d start by making sure that you thoroughly clean the place. vacuum the carpets and floors, then steam clean the carpets and mop the floors. dust all of your furniture (use a cleaning polish). maybe get an air purifier if for whatever reason you’ve got "moist" air. also try out some air fresheners from bed bath and beyond.
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Welcome to the Kitchen.

Give me some suggestions, guys. Any ideas for sticky threads? I’m thinking maybe one for where people can post a recipe that they are going to follow, and then take pictures of the process would be fun. Also, a sticky with helpful links and resources would be a good idea, too.

On the liquor aspect.

A few ground rules:
1. Keep all discussion tasteful and relevant.

2. This is not the place to come for frat party tips. Nothing along the lines of “We’re having a kegger tonight, which beer will get us all drunk for cheap?” or “What’s a good jungle juice recipe?” Feel free to discuss microbrews or homebrewing recipes: the more refined facets of beer.

3. Say more than, “I love brand X of wine.” Tell us why you like it, what foods complement it well, how much it costs, where you can find it, etc. The more information you can give us, the better.

Any other suggestions? Any topics that would be good for a sticky? Perhaps homemade cocktail recipes? Let us know!
oh shi… i’d have to actually clean my cooktop if i were gonna take pics
the picture thread idea is good. I’d participate if I owned a digital camera. I’ll be sure to hot-link this forum whenever there’s a food thread in the main forums too
Thanks for the input, any more suggestions? Read the rest of this entry »

My favorite under $15 wine recomendation:
Estanice Cabernet Sauvingnon
Average Price $12 in VA. Available in most wine retailers
Tasting Notes:
Every year its a consistantly good bottle of wine. I have never had a bad vintage. It will easilly age for 10 years, however is always drinkable now.
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I told Dee a few months ago to go to a sports shop to get like a Jansport of Eastpack book bag because the ones she usually gets falls apart half way though the year. Well she didn’t listen to me, like anyone does. Well it finally feel apart and she got a new one. Guess what? I does not fit in her locker haha. I started laughing when I heard that. She also gets those stupid one with the wheels on it anyways. I’m going shoe shopping tomorrow. Hopefully my dad buys them because I don’t have any money. Plus he never buys me anything anyways, except food and I don’t have to pay rent. Doug downloaded a bunch of Blink songs for me so I’m burning them now. I only have dial up so it takes awhile to download. I work tomorrow at 5. Still no calls.