Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

…and a burning sense of injustice to juice the soul.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

The willow is too close to the house.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

It’s a new day. Light all those Biden polls of young people on fire and throw away the ashes.

Let’s finish the job.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself. We’re allowed to grow past that.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Cuz I Got Cat Class and I Got Cat Style

Cuz I Got Cat Class and I Got Cat Style

by | 177 Comments

This post is in: 

Long time since a Tunch pic, so here is one for you:

While it looks like he is just sitting there posing, there is actually a method to this position. He is sitting behind me as I sit at the computer, with his back to me, bitching up a storm for some vittles. He knows that eventually I will relent, and then, as soon as I make a move, he can bolt towards the bowl.

He’s fat, but he’s not slow when it comes to food.

*** Update ***

Completely unrelated, but I have to say, I am really, really loving the (GRATUITOUS AMAZON LINK) Viking knives. After Tammy and Brian bought the 8″ chef knife as a house-warming gift, I picked up the 6″ chef, the paring knife, and the 8″ slicing knife, and I just love them. They are weighty and just feel good in the hand, keep an edge very well, and after years of looking for the right knife set, these are the ones. If you like light knifes, though, these are not the ones for you. I don’t know how to describe it, but I cut with my shoulder, and with the weight and handle of these things, with my thumb and forefinger gripping the blade, I can get in a smooth, comfortable rhythm when doing my prep work. I’ve had no professional training, so I may just be doing it all wrong, but they work for me.

The only downfall is that they are expensive as hell, but other than maybe a boning knife, I don’t see myself needing anything else. If I had just bought these few knives years ago, I would have saved a lot of money in the long run. Actually, I’ve come to realize that all those knife sets are just a total waste of money altogether. No one needs 15 different varieties of knife. Hell- 99% of us would be fine with a chef’s knife and a paring knife.

Also, don’t forget Wasted Hippie tonight at 9 central!

Reader Interactions

177Comments

  1. 1.

    Yutsano

    He’s fat, but he’s not slow when it comes to food.

    Videographic evidence or it didn’t happen. And many thanks for the inevitable wifey squee.

  8. 8.

    demo woman

    I’m cat sitting. Miss Moxie (terrier mix) is accepting Alice (a he) grudgingly. We’ve done the chasing, we’ve done the sibling rivalry and now we are at the stage where Alice what’s to cuddle. That is not working at all. Miss Moxie likes her space. Alice is about Tunch’s size and when he hears food being prepared you would think a horse was running down the hall. All I can say is that cats are interesting in their own way. All Moxie can say is go home.

  9. 9.

    schrodinger's cat

    Monkey boy I need food, NOW..
    John Cole @ top
    I love this kitteh! Thanks for the Tunch pic. Do you have any of his pics from his kittenhood?

  10. 10.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    BTW my Mum is on the Queen Mary heading towards New York at the moment. According to the nice man at Cunard that I spoke with yesterday they were battling through Danielle, in very choppy seas. They arrive in NY on Friday, just in time for the arrival of Earl. My Mum is going to be soooooooo pissed when I pick her up at the train station in Fayetteville on Saturday and we have Fiona and Gaston to look forward to. Whoot! I am so doomed.

  11. 11.

    The Dangerman

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    …or I am going to shit in your shoes…

    Just guessing here, but unless John Cole has Shaq sized shoes or Tunch can manage a shoe horn with his paws, shoes are going to be safe from shit.

  15. 15.

    demo woman

    I don’t think Tunch is fat. His head is just small and it makes the rest of him look large. Just a thought!

  16. 16.

    South of I-10

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Glad to hear you are paying attention. No one seems to be talking about Earl, I hope he skips the coast and goes out to sea. But if he goes just left of his forecast, it may be an unpleasant Labor Day weekend. Hope your Mom has a safe trip.

  24. 24.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @South of I-10:

    Believe me I am paying attention to Earl. I have been lied to about a “projected path” for these many years that I say “yeah right whatever” while I stock canned food, water, batteries, oil lamps and gasoline. I am so prepared for this bad boy I will almost be disappointed if he doesn’t hit us head on. Unfortunely NC sticks out from the right side of the US Coast like Jimmy Durante’s nose, we almost always get hit, it is a fact of life.

    BTW as we speak Cueball is rubbing hit butt up against the loveseat to the extent that he is jamming the loveseat into the wall. Hmmmmmm.

  25. 25.

    Poopyman

    I thought Cole was going to bed with a bad toof?

    As far as Earl, we’re watching it here in MD, but not with the interest that you folks in NC should be. My dad and stepmther retired to Morehead City, so I know the drill down there. They’ve both gone on now, so I don’t have to worry about them casually regarding hurricanes as an impending adventure. I remember riding out Floyd with them. They were sound asleep and I was up all night ready to evacuate. WTH ever happened to their judgement?

  29. 29.

    demo woman

    A question and a rant.. Is there any way that I can convince my little mutt that it’s okay to have the visiting cat cuddle?

    My rant has to do with entitlement programs. What the hell are entitlement programs? I have been paying for Social Security Insurance and Medicare Insurance. I also pay for private insurance and they aren’t called entitlements. I’m not sure that I can donate to another democratic member until they call bullshit on the repubs rephrasing the word insurance into entitlements.

  31. 31.

    JCT

    Oh my, that’s a “are you deaf or just stupid” look.

    And hah– I can imagine Tunch’s strut is a sight to behold, but with that tail he always looks like he is sitting on some other poor kitteh.

    A nice pic of Tunch really helps wipe the nasty imagery from the G on G “action” in the next thread.

  32. 32.

    morzer

    @demo woman:

    No, and entitlement programs are what the right wing calls programs that save granny from the glue factory or prostitution in her seventies.

  34. 34.

    demo woman

    @stuckinred: Simpson should have resigned and gone back to his hole long ago.
    Another rant..the President needs to give up this bipartisan stuff. It takes two sides to make it bipartisan and the repubs have decided they are not going to deal.
    Winning is more important

  36. 36.

    AhabTRuler

    I’ll stick with my Wusthof Classics, but the most important thing about a good knife is that you should like it and feel comfortable with it, so cheers!

  37. 37.

    Kathy

    Not to hijack a thread or anything, but I am totally with John on the Viking love. I got a set as a wedding gift 20 years ago. Only one I had to replace was the bread knife that got thrown out with a stromboli box (I was plus 4 when cleaning up). If you cook seriously, no tool is more important than a good knife. I learned this when cooking in my in-laws kitchen. The Mom-in-law is nice enough to me but brutal to her knives.

  39. 39.

    Corner Stone

    @demo woman:

    Another rant..the President needs to give up this bipartisan stuff. It takes two sides to make it bipartisan and the repubs have decided they are not going to deal.

    But he has to say those things, and take those actions. President Obama is President of ALL the United States, not just those who agree with him.

  40. 40.

    Yutsano

    @schrodinger’s cat: Yup. Sharp as all get out too. I have to throw him off even though I encourage his cuddling usually. It’s better at bedtime cause he can knead the comforter to his heart’s content.

  41. 41.

    schrodinger's cat

    No one needs 15 different varieties of knife. Hell- 99% of us would be fine with a chef’s knife and a paring knife.

    Tunch doesn’t need knives, he has claws and teeth. I would sleep with one eye open if I were you.

  42. 42.

    You Don't Say

    Tunch is gorgeous as always. He looks like the Daniel Boone hat my brother had as a kid. ;-)

  46. 46.

    trizzlor

    Along the same lines is this wonderful NYT article on getting a complete minimalist kitchen for $300. In particular, I like his response to getting a boning knife: “Really? You’re a butcher now?”.

  48. 48.

    DougJ

    I can get in a smooth, comfortable rhythm when doing my prep work

    If this doesn’t become a top-of-the-blog tagline, then there is no justice in the world.

  50. 50.

    South of I-10

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Well, you know what they say about hurricanes and strange animal behavior. Maybe you should go out and see if your ants are furiously moving their mounds to high ground.

  52. 52.

    Violet

    Recommending kitchen utensils now, John? That’s making me a tad nervous that BJ might be edging a little too close for comfort into McMegan territory. Just so long as you’re not extolling virtues of pink Himalayan salt.

    That photo of Tunch is excellent. The look in his eye… He knows you’re watching him. That’s the whole point. Ha.

  53. 53.

    Corner Stone

    @demo woman:

    Did President Bush know this? Did President Reagan know this?

    I don’t know what you mean. There were patriots on both sides of the issues during GWB’s Presidency.
    And Reagan, he was a transformative figure in the WH. I’m not sure what you have against him?

  55. 55.

    schrodinger's cat

    @morzer: What the hell is Himalayan sea salt? How can it be from the sea and from the Himalayas at the same time? I am confused.

  57. 57.

    J.W. Hamner

    My advice is to buy a honing steel and learn to use it. You’ll still need to get them professionally sharpened once a year prolly, but regular honing really helps the blades hold their edge.

    I’m Shun man myself, but Forschner makes the best “cheap” knives I’ve ever used (as a home cook).

  58. 58.

    cleek

    i don’t even want the paring knife. just a chef’s knife is fine. and maybe a carving fork for stabbing big things that won’t stay still.

  59. 59.

    Yutsano

    @schrodinger’s cat: Basically really good marketing. Sounds better than Pakistani sea salt and a wee bit sexier. But all it is is traditional salt from an area that was once under the ocean but no longer is. The Himalayan range is geologically rather young compared to others like the Appalachians.

  60. 60.

    demo woman

    @Corner Stone: Did I say anything against them? I was just stating facts.

    As far as the knives go, most folks should invest in a 6″ utility knife and forget the others. A tomato slicer is a real treat though.

    Another rant. Today J.Lee took hostages and closed down blocks around the Discovery channel’s headquarters. I can understand RedState or other extreme sites making it political but I was disappointed with Think Progress. Yes the guy was against filthy anchor babies but he was against all humans. In my pollyanna world left sites should be better than that.

  63. 63.

    Corner Stone

    @trizzlor: I liked the article and most of the advice but s/he poo poos a rice cooker?
    That’s fucking blasphemy. A rice cooker is the absolute best $20 you will spend in your kitchen.
    It cooks consistently good rice with no fuss or muss, you can plug it in away from your station and it takes 30 seconds to clean up after. It also does other things than just rice.
    It’s stupid to not have one.

  66. 66.

    Jasper

    We bought a very good set of traditional knives that I thought was all I’d ever need. But about five years ago, I was given a Wustof santuko knife, and overnight it became basically the only knife I use other than a paring knife.

  67. 67.

    Yutsano

    @schrodinger’s cat: Salts are really nifty, they come in all kinds of colors depending upon the surrounding terrain and mineral make up of the soil. As long as the impurity doesn’t cause illness or fatality it should be readily edible. And the impurities import subtle flavor changes. So find a blue colored salt vein and the underpants gnomes will take care of the rest!

    @morzer: Wow, really? Never had a rice cooker in my 37 years of existence. 20 minutes on the stove and the right ratio of liquid to rice and you’re pretty much golden.

  71. 71.

    Corner Stone

    @schrodinger’s cat: I agree it’s relatively easy.
    But IMO, you set it and forget it and cook the other 3 things you have going.
    It’s consistent, perfect and out of the way.
    Plus, I use mine to cook other things as well.
    Honestly, could you live without one? Sure thing. But for $20?
    Mine has earned 5 times every penny and going to go strong for another 5+ years.
    It’s a great thing.

  73. 73.

    morzer

    @Yutsano:

    I won my rice cooker with great pain. My Korean wife has never forgiven me for purchasing a German model. Nor has she forgiven me for the rice cooker…

  75. 75.

    Ruckus

    @AhabTRuler:
    Wusthof Classics

    15 years, chiefs and paring. Still going strong, stays sharp like forever, however I have to use 3 different stones to get a really good edge. Used to make specialty cutting tools and these are right up there at the top. Especially for the price.

  77. 77.

    cleek

    @Yutsano:
    we’re on our second. luv em, and the happy little songs they play when you press the buttons.

    word of warning: do not run a rice cooker if there is rice between the heating element and the bowl. it makes for a dead rice cooker.

  78. 78.

    Keith G

    @Corner Stone: That’s all they do, it seems. Downing my first. Initially, I was taken aback, but this is a nice change from the IPAs I have been trying as of late.

  79. 79.

    Violet

    @Litlebritdifrnt:
    Thinking of you. Been through two hurricanes and they’re not fun. How close to the coast do you live? Please take care of yourself and stay safe. Hopefully Earl will move on out of there quickly, stay offshore, and the damage will be minimal.

  80. 80.

    Andrew

    Not sure anyone else has mentioned this, but with that different colored tail it looks like he is sitting on another cat, I had to do a double take.

  81. 81.

    BethanyAnne

    I spent $25 on a Victorinox 8 inch chef’s knife last year. I’ve been *so* happy with it. Love the handle, the weight is fine for me. If you don’t want to spend serious money for knives, these are great – they are one of the “default” restaurant knives. I think many folk in restaurants use the 10″, but that’s just not comfy for me (and I gots huge hands). Here’s an Amazon link for the one I got: linky.

  84. 84.

    birthmarker

    @demo woman: Thank you! I am so tired of hearing social security being lumped into entitlement programs.

    If you think about it and run the numbers, what is it, 12 or 13% of your monthly income put away for decades ought to cover your social security, if it were put away and received a normal historic interest of 6% or so.

    You mark my word, IMO the real reason they want to privitize SS is to get the employer out from under THEIR contributions. Instead you’ll have a 401K type vehicle where the employer can make a contribution if they want to. Or some minimal contribution will be required. This is my opinion, not based on anything I can link to, but just watch.

    Bonus points-creating new customers for the financial industry, and using it as an excuse to eliminate all cap gain and interest and dividend taxes. It will be sold as being all about the common man.

  85. 85.

    Martin

    @morzer: We have a microwave rice cooker and it works great. Snap to clean, no plug, no counter space used. Handy if you don’t usually use your microwave a lot and have a smallish kitchen.

  86. 86.

    Corner Stone

    @Keith G: I’ve really, really cut back on my beer consumption the last 5 years or so.
    And when I do so now it’s almost always dark, darker or darkest.
    I have just never cared for IPA or wheat. Although I will say I enjoy a Pyramid Apricot Ale and in season a good Pumpkin beer from Maine (don’t know the name).

    I highly recommend Pyramid Apricot Ale for a couple during the heat once in a while.

  87. 87.

    calling all toasters

    Not having a rice cooker is like not having a toaster: “What do I need THAT for, when the broiler makes perfect toast?”

  88. 88.

    JCT

    + 1 on the Shun knives and the Zojirushi rice cooker.

    Husband laughed when I brought the latter home — who needs that, he said. Mind you, before the cooker he would forget about the rice on the stove maybe once a week. Nailed a few of my pans. No more rice problems here.

    Oh and I would add my nice chinois AND my beloved Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker. Most awesome.

  89. 89.

    BethanyAnne

    Oh saw that someone mentioned the Forschner knives above – same as the Victorinox. Maybe Forschner was the brand name they used to use? Mine has both names on it.

    Speaking of rice cookers, did you notice that Roger Ebert has a rice cooker cookbook about to come out? Linky. IIRC, he came up with the recipes after he lost the ability to eat. Best twitterer evah, too.

  90. 90.

    Corner Stone

    @schrodinger’s cat: I can’t eat noodles any more so most of my stir fry and Asian-esque dishes are accompanied with rice. Plus beef tips, beef stew, and other things you’d pour over noodles now go over rice for me.
    I cook maybe 2 cups of rice (4 after cooking) every week. But that’s just for me as my son doesn’t eat rice.

  91. 91.

    Anne Laurie

    @Yutsano:

    Yup. Sharp as all get out too. I have to throw him off even though I encourage his cuddling usually.

    You can nip just the snaggy tips off his nails, you know. The Spousal Unit uses his human nail clippers, one or two toes per ‘kneading session’ — if Kishkan gets offended and stomps off, well, at least she’s not digging into his leg.

  93. 93.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal

    @demo woman:

    I’m not sure that I can donate to another democratic member until they call bullshit on the repubs rephrasing the word insurance into entitlements.

    In fairness, that’s not the Republicans changing what the programs are called. They’ve been “entitlements” for decades, if not from when they first started. It makes them distinct from programs that are means tested. They have the name because you are entitled to the money you receive from them, no matter what your income is otherwise.

  96. 96.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Anne Laurie: I do trim both my kittehs claws but they grow back awfully fast. Also my boss kitteh does not like to surrender his weapons of furniture destruction all that easily.

  99. 99.

    ruemara

    I am currently surrounded by 2 types of bacon cupcakes, the vanilla cream cheese frosting is cooling in the fridge. My main knives are a triple all steel set from ikea and 2 99¢ store steak knives. I’d love a stand mixer, especially since the first cupcake recipe required too much creaming of this and that, plus mixing of flours, but meh, I can do without just fine. I love my bread knife, but I make bread regularly. Touch my collection of mixing bowls and you will die. And I love my wok, but, seriously, I use 1 medium pan mostly and my cast iron pans, plus my huge calphalon covered 14″ fryer that makes damn near everything without burning.

  100. 100.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal

    @demo woman: No, I don’t know where it’s from. I would also point out that Social Security has a number of features that make it quite unlike any insurance policy you will ever have. The biggest is that Social Security is not prefunded, as any insurance plan would be. It also is not an enforceable contract. It really isn’t the same thing.

    It’s a government program. Government programs have different terminology than private contracts. In this instance, it’s that non-means tested programs are called entitlements. People are reading more into this than they should.

    @birthmarker: Maybe they have, but that’s still what these programs are called. No one is deliberately feeding a meme just by using them. That’s what they are.

  101. 101.

    Comrade Mary

    John, do you have any Young Tunch photos you can share with us? He was 8 months old when you got him, right?

  103. 103.

    Gin & Tonic

    Zojirushi rice cookers are the bomb. They are also great for steel-cut (Irish-style or Scottish) oatmeal. You can program them, too, so your breakfast is ready when you get up in the morning.

  104. 104.

    Anne Laurie

    @Yutsano:

    20 minutes on the stove and the right ratio of liquid to rice and you’re pretty much golden.

    I have ADD; 20 minutes is too long to stand over the stove but plenty long enough to get distracted if I don’t. You can’t take my rice cooker! (Can’t wait for Ebert’s recipe book.)

  105. 105.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Anne Laurie: You don’t have to stand near the stove, after the water comes to a boil you can reduce the heat shut the lid on your sauce pan and walk away, after setting a timer for about 15 min for white rice and 30 min for brown rice.

  106. 106.

    Yutsano

    @schrodinger’s cat: It really is a set and forget thing once that lid goes down. In fact, you CAN’T open the lid and futz with it once the simmer phase starts or the end result will be library paste. I get AL’s point here too though: sometimes you get caught on something else, forget you’re cooking the rice, and an hour later the fire alarm gives you a not so subtle reminder.

    AL, there is another solution here: risotto. You have to stir it every one or two minutes and keep a close watch on it. Unless you cheat like I do and bake it.

  107. 107.

    Corner Stone

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    You don’t have to stand near the stove, after the water comes to a boil you can reduce the heat shut the lid on your sauce pan and walk away, after setting a timer for about 15 min for white rice and 30 min for brown rice.

    And my issue is I already have 2 or 3 things I’m using timers for. And the day has long since passed where I could keep a running multi-log in my head of all the things I was thinking about.
    So the rice cooker absolves me of guilt.
    God forgive me, I just want one thing in life that’s easy.

  108. 108.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Yutsano: I agree. I actually like the texture of the stove top rice better, especially when I am cooking something delicate like basmati. I like each grain to be separate. For this you need to wash the rice in a couple of changes of water and use ratio of 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice.

  110. 110.

    Susan Kitchens

    For those of you in California, here’s one for you from the closing statements of the CA Senate debate….

    That woman who grabbed Fiorina’s hands & said she’s never voted but is voting for Fiorina for her grandkids? Her name is… Meg Whitman.

    –courtesy Russ Warner, candidate for congress in 26th district (vs David Dreier)

  112. 112.

    Comrade Mary

    @schrodinger’s cat: If I’m on another floor of the house, I can completely burn grains on the stove, audible timer or no audible timer. I almost burned hard-cooked eggs to the bottom of the pan once, too. I guess I have to get in the habit of turning on a computer alert as well.

    Yeah, ADD all the way.

    EDIT: And moments after typing this, I remembered I had eggs on the stove downstairs. What should have been gently scrambled eggs has turned into a golden-brown fritatta. Could have been worse, obviously.

  113. 113.

    Julie

    I like K-Sabatier stainless steel. I like the weight, feel and handle design of K-Sabatier. I don’t care for a carbon steel. It reacts with acidic foods, changing the flavor of the food, and staining the knife. Sabatier is also a good buy right now, since the Euro has tanked.

    Tunch is a cute and distinctive looking cat, but the tail looks like Frankencat. To me, he looks like a cat with a good cat allergy detection system, but then they all seem to zero in on the person with cat allergies.

  114. 114.

    Yutsano

    This seems appropriate for this thread. The little cartoon elephant is adorable too.

    @Comrade Mary: I have a Canadian friend with Asperger’s who is not allowed to cook alone. It’s a shame because he’s really good, but if he’s off in another world things will burn very quickly.

  115. 115.

    Corner Stone

    @schrodinger’s cat: Sure, but do you absolve me of guilt? Can you tell me RIGHT NOW that you will hold my hand, look me in the eye and tell me that I’m ok for using a rice cooker?
    Can you? CAN YOU??

  117. 117.

    Susan Kitchens

    Re timers on computers… If you’re on a Mac, I recommend a little freeware app called Pester.

    I work at home and use it to time things in the oven, and to tell me to check the laundry so it doesn’t sit in the washer for days hours and hours.

  118. 118.

    Corner Stone

    @Julie: I’m a little sad to say I was more turned on by the images I saw when I googled K-Sabatier than I have been by anything else in a long time.
    Sigh.

  120. 120.

    Yutsano

    @Corner Stone: SociaIist cutlery? Mon dieu!

    @Comrade Kevin: So who will be the first to start fluffing her as the next great savior of the Republican Party?

    And if the Mariners do not score in this inning they are dead to me.

  121. 121.

    someguy

    @demo woman:

    I can understand RedState or other extreme sites making it political but I was disappointed with Think Progress. Yes the guy was against filthy anchor babies but he was against all humans. In my pollyanna world left sites should be better than that.

    The racist bigotry and anti-immigrant sentiments make him pretty clearly a right wing terrorist. So he has a few enviromentalist sensibilities. Big deal. But I think we’re supposed to ignore him because, you know, we’re not supposed to talk about right wing tearwrists. Seems to me you’ve internalized the Republican talking points on right wing terrorism and feel uncomfortable talking about it at all.

  122. 122.

    burnspbesq

    Obama missed a major opportunity to shut down the Iranian nuclear program without bloodshed today.

    He should have made a bet with Ahmadinejad on the US-Iran game at the world basketball championships. All of their nuclear shit against a fully equipped carrier battle group.

  123. 123.

    Anne Laurie

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I do trim both my kittehs claws but they grow back awfully fast.

    Yeah, that’s where the Spousal Unit’s “sneaky human tool” technique is so handy — it’s not a full-bore TRIM, just a leedle gnip at the very end of the cat-claw like you’d do with a hangnail. Kishkan keeps enough nail to swarm right up the wooden porch support, but she doesn’t make holes in our flesh right through our clothes.

  124. 124.

    JamesC

    I do all of my kitchenwork with a broad, heavy and easily sharpened Chinese cleaver. European chef’s knives feel too flimsy and insubstantial in my hands, and don’t work nearly as well as post-prep spatulas, much less chop through root vegetables and meat as easily. I’ve not found a reason to use anything else. One good knife, and maybe a paring knife, is really all you need.

  125. 125.

    Corner Stone

    @Yutsano: I don’t even know what I would use some of those blades for in the kitchen.
    But for some reason they totally spoke to me.

  126. 126.

    Anne Laurie

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: From his photos, Tunch is actually small-boned, which makes him look (even) fatter than he really is. You notice an extra couple pounds on one of your ballerinas a lot more than you do on a linebacker.

  127. 127.

    Susan Kitchens

    @Comrade Kevin: I tuned in late, so I only heard it from point just before questioner asked about Prop 23 and Global Warming* — from what I could tell, Carly got her focus-group tested buzzwords on, what with use of death tax &cetera.

    Then again, Boxer did, too, with Made in America and Big Oil.

    Looking for online location to replay debate. Because I need an excuse to drink tonight?

    *my fingers first typed “warning”

  128. 128.

    Corner Stone

    I use a chef’s knife, a santoku and a quasi paring knife.
    The santoku is razor sharp and will cut you across the intertrons. I love that fucking blade.
    The chef’s knife does 70% of what I need, and the paring knife is for things I cut for my son’s lunch. (cheese, vegetables, fruit)
    I could use the santoku for most of everything but it seems dirty and sacrilegious somehow.
    I love that fucking knife and I don’t care who knows it.

  130. 130.

    Dee Loralei

    I went to a culinary academy after college and bought a set of Wustoff Tridents. I’ve had them for about 25 years and still love their weight and heft.

    But seriously, rice cooking? Bring the correct amount of water to a boil (2x the amount of rice you are cooking), with the butter and salt. Dump in the rice and stir to distribute evenly, bring it back to a boil, cover the pan and turn off the heat and DO NOT lift the lid for 30 minutes. The rice will be perfectly cooked, all the water evaporated and will just need a wee bit of fluffing with a fork to serve. ( This is for folks who do not have rice cookers.) And I understand many folks love their rice cookers, but for those of us who don’t have them….

    And this is a fine way to cook hard boiled eggs. Same technique, minus the butter and salt. For the folks who don’t want to think about one thing whilst they are cooking.

    LitBrit, I hope things between you and Earl go well and your mom has a mostly safe trip over.

  131. 131.

    Violet

    Sheesh, have I stumbled into McMegan’s blog by accident? “My titanium JuJitsu propeller knife is the only knife I’ll use now. I used to have a Ghusendeit diamond bladed paring knife with a sapphire sheath handle, but once I tried the JuJitsu, there was no going back. My apples are too important to be pared by the likes of a Ghusendeit.”

    Bunch a foodie snobs. Sheesh.

    My knives are a motley crew. They work okay. I sharpen them when necessary. People don’t complain about the food. I cooked for two years with only a Swiss army folding knife. More than one knife is a luxury.

  133. 133.

    Corner Stone

    @Violet:

    I cooked for two years with only a Swiss army folding knife.

    I am going to laugh about this for a long time. Thanks.

  135. 135.

    Yutsano

    @Violet:

    Bunch a foodie snobs. Sheesh.

    At your service ma’am.

    My knives are a motley crew. They work okay.

    Only point that really fucking matters. Any chef worth their salt will tell you that the knife that feels comfortable in your hand is the one you get regardless of cost. If it’s two bucks or $200 it doesn’t matter, all that matters is the feel in your hand.

    @Mark S.: Hee. I cheat. I’m actually mispelling the word sociaIist. There are three I’s in there.

  136. 136.

    Violet

    @Corner Stone:
    It’s true too. I cut bread with it, spread butter. Cut all fruit. Cut all vegetables. Imagine camping without a stove. The knife was essential.

    @Yutsano:

    Any chef worth their salt will tell you that the knife that feels comfortable in your hand is the one you get regardless of cost. If it’s two bucks or $200 it doesn’t matter, all that matters is the feel in your hand.

    Yep. And a good chef can make a great meal with a crappy knife, a beat up pan, and a few miscellaneous ingredients. In the end it’s the company and conversation that really make the meal.

  137. 137.

    asiangrrlMN

    TUNNNNNCHIE! Oh. Mah. God! It has been too long! This pic is excellent. He is NOT fat! I have this pic as my desktop now, but for some reason, it duplicated itself, so TWO TUNCHIES! And, I third the request for baby pics, Cole. Happy sigh.

    Rice cooker: I haz. Cannot live without.

    @morzer: OK, I’m with your wife on the German thing, but tell her that this Taiwanese American woman will let go of her rice cooker when you pry it from her cold, dead fingers.

    Oh, and TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!

  138. 138.

    Mark S.

    @Yutsano:

    There are three I’s in there.

    That seriously took me about two minutes to figure out. I felt like one of those guys trying to decipher the Rosetta Stone.

  139. 139.

    suzanne

    I gotta say that I have been converted to the Church of the Rice Cooker, too. I’d actually come to think of rice as my nemesis, because I’d left it on the stove and burned it or turned it to glue so many times. My husband insisted on registering for one for our wedding, and in the eight months since, I haven’t fucked rice up ONCE. Yay me.

    However, you can have my KitchenAid stand mixer when you pry it from my cold, dead… yeah. Like your mom.

    I bought my mom one of those Forschner Victorinox knives, and she loves it. She was watching “America’s Test Kitchen”, and they rated the Forschner chef’s knives higher than some knives that cost ten times as much, so I won some good daughter points. I need some better knives in my kitchen, so I might buy myself a couple. I have this cheapie set that I got in college, and I only have three of them left, and they’re all dull and sucky.

  140. 140.

    Yutsano

    @Violet:

    And a good chef can make a great meal with a crappy knife, a beat up pan, and a few miscellaneous ingredients.

    Been there done that. I’ve had quite a few lean times in my life where I had to make do with whatever the hell I could afford, and the end result was still shared and enjoyed by all.

  144. 144.

    JamesC

    Whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves? A great meal with a crappy pan? It doesn’t matter how “l33t” your kitchen “skillz0rs” are if the pan heats unevenly. You don’t need Wustofs to chop through acres of vegetables, but for food’s sake get a decent skillet. Preferably one that can conceivably stay in one piece after you’ve bashed it against a skull a few times.

    Teflon-coated or not, up to you. But if you’re living with folks that tend to be a bit… absent-minded, I’d advise against. My sis burned through two so far…

  145. 145.

    Corner Stone

    @suzanne:

    I bought my mom one of those Forschner Victorinox knives, and she loves it. She was watching “America’s Test Kitchen”, and they rated the Forschner chef’s knives higher than some knives that cost ten times as much

    I believe Keith G mentioned these a while back. He indicated he had been in pro kitchens and these were solid.
    I could be wrong but I think that’s right.

  147. 147.

    Corner Stone

    @Violet:

    It’s true too. I cut bread with it, spread butter. Cut all fruit. Cut all vegetables. Imagine camping without a stove. The knife was essential.

    I am loving it. Lovin’ it.

  150. 150.

    Mnemosyne

    @BethanyAnne:

    Speaking of rice cookers, did you notice that Roger Ebert has a rice cooker cookbook about to come out? Linky. IIRC, he came up with the recipes after he lost the ability to eat. Best twitterer evah, too.

    G has resisted letting me buy a rice cooker for years, but now that Roger Ebert says they’re cool, he wants one.

    Men. At least he doesn’t watch football.

  151. 151.

    suzanne

    Jesus fucking Christ. I am watching the Arizona Governors’ debate, and Jan Brewer’s idiocy might possibly exceed Sarah Palin’s. My God.

  152. 152.

    Comrade Mary

    For those of you keeping score: I just went downstairs to get the house settled for the night, and found that I had never turned off the stove after rescuing my eggs. Luckily, I had moved the pan.

    Seriously, my attention span is shot. But I have hacked my way through some painful CSS tonight, so it’s not all bad.

  153. 153.

    Violet

    @Mnemosyne:

    G has resisted letting me buy a rice cooker for years, but now that Roger Ebert says they’re cool, he wants one.
    __
    Men.

    Ain’t that the truth. Annoying doesn’t begin to describe that phenomenon. And it’s a feature not a bug.

  154. 154.

    Mnemosyne

    @Violet:

    Yep. He doesn’t have many typical guy habits, but the ones he has are annoying. I still don’t understand why he has to leave the cabinet door open after he gets a glass out. It’s not like it’s that much more of an effort to close it afterwards.

    And I should say here that if there’s a female cleaning gene, I somehow missed out on it. Living with me is like living with a dozen frat boys, except I leave yarn and yogurt sitting out instead of beer and bongs. So I don’t have high standards for these things (well, any standards, actually).

    I buy my own milk now because of his other lovely habit of finishing the carton and then putting the empty carton back in the fridge. Why? Why? Why?

  157. 157.

    Violet

    @Mnemosyne:

    And I should say here that if there’s a female cleaning gene, I somehow missed out on it. Living with me is like living with a dozen frat boys, except I leave yarn and yogurt sitting out instead of beer and bongs. So I don’t have high standards for these things (well, any standards, actually).

    Ha! Me too. My house isn’t spotless. But I do have standards. For instance, please don’t use my natural bristle vegetable cleaning brush to wash the dog crap off the bottom of your boots.

    I buy my own milk now because of his other lovely habit of finishing the carton and then putting the empty carton back in the fridge. Why? Why? Why?

    LOL. That would make me crazy. I can’t stand the drinking out of the carton when the carton contains something that other people might also drink. Would it kill you to go get a glass? Really?

    @Yutsano:
    Love it! Especially the blow torch and the creme brulee.

  160. 160.

    Yutsano

    @Violet: I was a touch worried I might have to provide a bit of context there. Then I figured the song would say it all even without me putting a background on the situation. And yes I have said many a time “MEN!!” too. The number of times I mouthed off like that to the Dawg alone…

  161. 161.

    Mnemosyne

    @ Yutsano:

    Ha! He’s not that bad, fortunately — I held out for the one straight guy in America who liked Sense and Sensibility and when I found him, I married him. ;-) Still, those annoying guy habits pop up from time to time out of nowhere.

    @ Violet:

    I’m far beyond “not spotless” and verging on hoarder, and yet for some reason I have a few pet peeves. Globs of toothpaste in the bathroom sink will bug me more than a crusty pot sitting in the kitchen sink for a week. Twice-monthly cleaning people saved our marriage.

    @ asiangrrlMN:

    That’s the weird thing — he knows it’s empty, and he puts it back in anyway! I really do not understand the logic.

  163. 163.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Mnemosyne: Once you have them, you cannot take them out. FYWP no likey. And, sigh. Alan Rickman….

    My ex knew there were only three drops when he put it back in the fridge. Oh, he knew, all right. Little shit like that is why I could never live with someone. I am way too finicky in my own slob-ness.

  164. 164.

    Yutsano

    @asiangrrlMN: There is what is known as a “mess tolerance”. It is the point at which regardless of schedule or temperament the arrangement of the messiness in the house WILL get addressed. And that level is different in most humans. I’ve found that compatible mess tolerances translate into much happier relationships.

    And yes my kitchen is the cleanest room in my house. My bedroom is perpetually a wreck.

  166. 166.

    MattR

    @asiangrrlMN: I need things to be relatively clean from a sanitary point of view, but I am a pack rat so I don’t have much of an issue with piles of clutter.

  169. 169.

    MattR

    @Yutsano: OMG. I honestly think that was the biggest source of friction between my mom and me growing up. She would get pissed about the “mess” in my bedroom and would clean things up. I was lucky if she didn’t throw out something I needed/wanted because she thought it was unimportant. But no matter what, there would always be things that I could no longer find because the pile that I knew they were in no longer existed.

  170. 170.

    Yutsano

    @MattR: I have warned folks, in no uncertain terms, that they are NOT to go through my room and touch any of the stuff in there to move it unless I have given the express okay for that to happen. And yes this is something I will get hostile about.

  171. 171.

    MattR

    @Yutsano: Yes, yes. A thousand times, yes. And it is also a driving force when looking for a house to buy. I need storage for all my books, comics, magazines, electronics, etc. But I also need space to have dressers and desks and other spaces that I can pile stuff up on.

  174. 174.

    Robert Sneddon

    Here’s a picture of a Japanese “sharp things” store I occasionally visit. They sell kitchen knives and cutlery. Warning: big picture.

    Hand-forged damascus is not cheap — the big cleaver in the display box on the upper right costs about 1500 bucks American.

  177. 177.

    The Other Chuck

    Another +1 for Shun, tho I’m not as much a fan of the santoku — way too curvy a blade. The 6″ Analon santoku I use instead is awesome. Nice rubberized grip, and a honking heavy blade.

Comments are closed.