A Taste of MoneyThe Blog

As of January 1st, I no longer get the Food Network or HGTV because Cablevision declined the rate increase being requested by Scripps Networks, the parent company of the two channels. Cablevision claims Scripps was attempting to raise the fee for those channels by 200% and that they could not accept those terms without passing the increases on to their cable subscribers like me. If you ask me, both sides have a greedy wrongheadedness about the value of their offerings. Cablevision charges too much for their services as it is, so they could certainly eat the price increase if they had to. Though I’m not saying they should, because I think Scripps is pretty delusional about the worth of their channels too. But in this day and age, there’s a way disputes like this get resolved- using the arbitration model just like in sports contract disputes. Get an independent arbitrator to listen to both sides and determine what is actually a fair carriage fee for the channels in question. It should be that simple, and at that point, whichever side refuses to go to arbitration is clearly the one in the wrong. Enough said.

As for me personally, I had lost almost all interest in the Food Network long ago. The good shows are either long gone (Taste with David Rosengarten, Molto Mario, the original Iron Chef), or relegated to very obscure hours (Jamie at Home). People that can actually cook, like Mario Batali, have been replaced by cartoonish personalities who annoy us with forced ebullience. So many of the current roster of Food Network celebrities remind me of used car salesmen. But these charlatans aren’t peddling vehicles, they’re selling themselves. They’re trying to convince you that they are fun, cool, and boy wouldn’t you just love to hang out with them. It’s not about food, it’s about them! Nauseating.

Slightly more regrettable is losing HGTV, but only slightly. The only show I watched there was Holmes On Homes, but I won’t miss it too much because it seemed they only had about 15 episodes in rotation and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them all. That’s another thing to gripe about with Scripps- if they are going to charge more for these channels, they should damn well bring the other episodes of Holmes on Homes to the U.S. audience (there are tons of episodes that have only aired on HGTV Canada).

But while the fallout from this battle between Scripps and Cablevision is no big deal to me right now, I do have serious trepidation about the future. You see, Scripps also bought a majority stake in The Travel Channel back in November. Now that is a channel with programming that I do still like a lot. I love No Reservations, Dhani Tackles the Globe, Meet The Natives and sometimes I even find Samantha Brown, Andrew Zimmern and Man v. Food worthwhile. It scares me to think that Scripps and Cablevision could someday upturn this apple cart the same way they took the Food Network and HGTV away from 3.1 million viewers this past weekend. The way I see it, losing the Food Network is just mildly irritating. I’m annoyed only because it has become a part of popular culture and being a typical American with an inflated sense of entitlement, I feel I should have access to it even if I never actually use it. But losing the Travel Channel? Man, I hope it doesn’t ever come to that.

My good friend Jan who lives in Norway knows how much of a foodie I am, and for a while now, he had been raving to me about one of his favorite traditional Norwegian dishes called Pinnekjøtt. Well, look what he sent me this week!

Literally translated, Pinnekjøtt means “stick meat”, probably referring to the way the lamb ribs look. In Norway it is served seasonally only at Christmas time, so it is quite a holiday treat. It is traditionally prepared by drying, curing and smoking lamb ribs, and then rehydrating them just prior to cooking. Kind of like bacalao, but using meat instead of fish. Jan says his mom makes the best Pinnekjøtt, but the packaged one he sent me is pretty damn good too. Here’s what was in the box:

The main bag of meat contains lamb ribs and sausage. The sides are peeled boiled potatoes and a mashed Norwegian turnip called kålrot. Cooking them up couldn’t be easier- you just drop the bags into boiling water for 10 minutes and it’s done. Then just cut open the bags, plate the goodies and it’s time to eat!

There’s something very comforting about this kind of food. The lamb was so falling-apart tender, kind of like meat that you’d find in a bowl of a soup. It was very well seasoned and had that gaminess we associate with lamb but in a mellow, fragrant sort of way. Absolutely delicious. The sausage was reminiscent of kielbasa, with a deep smokiness and a nice firm texture. The potatoes were just potatoes, rather unremarkable on their own. But on Jan’s advice, I saved the cooking liquid from the bag of meat and used that as a sauce. The liquid was rather salty and had that aroma of lamb which really brought the potatoes to life. And to contrast the saltiness of the meat and potatoes, the mashed kålrot was fantastically buttery and sweet, sort of like really good squash. What a meal!

So I’d like to say thanks to my amigo Jan for a fantastic treat. Now I understand why so many Norwegians choose to have Pinnekjøtt as their Christmas dinner. But with something so delicious, what I don’t understand is why they don’t have it all year round!

I’ve always loved products that are over-engineered. You know, products that are designed to meet lofty standards and survive extreme conditions the likes of which I am not likely to ever encounter. Recently I’ve discovered two products for my feet which fit into this category- Icebreaker socks and Unequal Insoles.

First the socks-

Icebreaker makes a wide array of products from merino wool; everything from underwear to coats. The idea behind all of their products is that merino is an ideal material for clothing that performs well in all weather conditions. In warm environs, the wool wicks moisture away from your body to keep you cool. When it’s cold, the merino keeps you warm, as their website says, “through a molecular process called heat of sorption“. That basically means that when the wool fibers draw moisture from the atmosphere, the process produces heat. It’s just a tiny bit of heat to be sure, but it’s enough that your body feels warmer in wool than in other materials. The merino wool in Icebreaker products is finer, softer and does not itch. And if that’s not enough to sway you, also consider that the material naturally does not retain odors. Their marketing materials say that the record for wearing an Icebreaker product non-stop in severe conditions was 196 days! I don’t know if I believe you can wear anything that long and not have it stink, but that’s the whole point of over-engineered products- you’ll never subject them to what they’re capable of (assuming you shower more than twice a year!), and as long as they perform even close to what they advertise, you’ve got a winner on your hands. These socks are definitely winners. Details such as the fit around the heel and the strength in the toe area are top notch. And best of all, these are the only pair of socks I own which stay snug to the calf so you don’t have to keep pulling them up every hour. Nobody likes socks with poor elastics which continually fall and gather around the ankles like 80′s leg warmers. Get a pair of Icebreakers and put your Flashdance days behind you. Retail price is $16.99 a pair for the Ultralite Crew socks pictured above, but they have a wide range of styles and colors at different prices.

But keeping your feet happy takes more than great socks. The other new product I’ve become a fan of are these Kevlar insoles from Unequal Technologies:

Yes, they’re made with Kevlar, the same material used in bulletproof vests. The revolutionary idea here is that insoles should not just provide cushioning, but actually absorb shock. By using Kevlar to absorb the shock of every step, you’re reducing the amount of impact stress transmitted upward thru your feet, legs and back. These insoles (as well as other Kevlar products) are already being used to great benefit by professional sports teams. So do they work? In a word, yes. Could they be better? Also yes. There are two different pairs of insoles in my picture- the Comfort Insoles on the left and the Sports Insoles on the right. The Comfort ones are thinner and narrower, probably intended for dress shoes. The problem I have with them is the width. I found them a little too narrow so that when inserted into any of my dress shoes, they did not fit snugly up against the sides of the shoe. You could still walk in them and everything felt fine from a comfort standpoint, but it is somewhat annoying when you can feel there’s a gap between the side of the insole and the side of the shoe. The Sports Insoles are wider and fit perfectly in every shoe I tried them in. I would be inclined to wear the Sports Insoles in even my dress shoes, but the slight extra thickness of them would make the fit a bit too tight from top to bottom.

From a performance standpoint though, Unequal Insoles really work. While the insoles feel firmer, not as soft as cheapo drug store insoles like Dr. Scholls, they actually leave your feet feeling better over a longer period of time. I’ve done plenty of walking over the last few days and both the Comfort and the Sports insoles both worked their magic. At first blush, you wouldn’t notice that much of a difference from regular insoles, and in fact each step would probably feel firmer under your feet. But if you were to walk a long distance or perhaps jump and stomp around for a bit, that’s when you would notice and appreciate what the insoles are doing. I guess the best way to describe it is that they dampen any harshness from the impact of each step and it turns out that’s more important than cushioning when it comes to keeping your feet happy. Surprisingly, these insoles also come with a lifetime replacement warranty. The catch is that you can only get one replacement pair per year and you have to pay like $10 for shipping and handling, but still, that’s pretty darn good. Retail for the insoles are $24.99 per pair. Small price to pay for happy feet!

My friend and ex-coworker Mike is a really talented photographer. He doesn’t take pictures for a living, but he probably could. Recently he took a picture of Grand Central Terminal that really grabbed me. As someone who has been thru GCT a zillion times, there’s a very familiar feel that the image instantly evokes. It’s the sense of majestic space, and of activity and purpose that always seems to be in the air at Grand Central. But usually our real world experience of the place is frenetic and impersonal. What Mike captures here is the terminal during a relatively quiet time of day. Still with people milling about, each with their own places to go and things to do, but emptier than usual which makes the place feel more like my own. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but it’s kind of like how Boston used to feel to me in the summertime. Since Beantown is such a college city, it had such a different vibe during summertime when school was out. To me, it was like getting the city back to myself during those months, like I was more connected to it. That’s what Mike’s photo captured for me about Grand Central Terminal. And of course there’s the American Flag as a focal point in the image, seemingly watching over the room, lending an air of security, unity and pride.

But enough gushing over the photo. Let’s gush over what’s now hanging on my living room wall!

Since I loved the photo so much, I really wanted to have it printed to canvas, but the only question was how to go about getting that done. A Google search turned up so many different companies that do this sort of thing that it was hard to settle on one. Thankfully Mike himself had a great recommendation- Pixel2Canvas. While he hadn’t used the service himself, he had heard lots of good things about them from his photography buddies. Now that I have my canvas, I can definitely say, believe the hype, Pixel2Canvas absolutely rocks!

The term for this type of art production is giclée printing. Really it just means it’s a fine art print basically made using an inkjet printer, but giclée sounds so much cooler, doesn’t it? Of course there are all kinds of inkjet printers, inks, canvases, coatings and finishing techniques, so the quality differences from one printing company to another can be quite dramatic. With little experience in this sort of thing, I can’t comment on the technical merits of the printer or ink choices made by Pixel2Canvas, but there are a few things I can point out.

The mounting option I selected was a 1.5 inch gallery wrap. In a gallery wrap, the image is extended around to the sides to create an attractive presentation suitable for hanging without a frame. In order to create the gallery wrap without sacrificing any of the image from the front of the canvas, a digital technique called cloning is employed. Basically that involves copying the parts of the image around the edges in order to add an additional 1.5″ border around the original which looks like the it’s part of the image. One of the cool things about Pixel2Canvas is that they can do this cloning for you, free of charge. Here’s the result:

Pretty nifty, eh? That’s the sort of thing where a fine attention to detail really matters because the mounting has to be done in such a way that when the canvas is stretched, the edges fall precisely on the transition between the original image and the cloned border. As you can see, Pixel2Canvas absolutely nailed it. I love the way it looks from any angle.

Now for the even finer details. Have a look at this closeup of one of the corners of my canvas:

Just look at how tightly and cleanly the corner wrapping has been executed. While researching different printing companies, I saw several examples of gallery wraps from other printers that were loose, uneven and just kind of sloppy looking. The way Pixel2Canvas has done things, you can tell how much care they took in the process. The other thing I’m thrilled about is the canvas itself. Notice the texture of the canvas is a much tighter, finer weave than standard art canvases. This is Pixel2Canvas’ Luxe line, and for my taste, it provides a better look for photographic prints. And best of all, it’s actually less expensive than their traditional canvas. This fine 24″x36″ piece of artwork on my wall cost only $160! The only mild gripe I have is that it took a while to have my order fulfilled. From the day I placed the order until I received it was 20 days. I’m sure you can find other printers that will be faster, but you don’t want to sacrifice quality for speed, especially for a gallery wrap where shoddy workmanship will be readily visible.

So thanks to Michael Wan for his amazing photo, and to Pixel2Canvas for their outstanding craftsmanship in bringing his work to life in my living room. I absolutely love it!

It was over a year ago that I ate at Ad Hoc in Yountville, CA. It’s one of Thomas Keller’s restaurants, but this one is unique in that there’s no menu and the food is served family-style. Unshackled from having to adhere to a static menu, the chefs are free to feature the best of whatever products are available to them each day. I had such a wonderful meal there so I was incredibly excited when I heard Michael Ruhlman was going to be working with Keller on a cookbook featuring Ad Hoc’s family-style recipes. Well, I’m thrilled to announce that Ad Hoc at Home has just been released and I received my copy this week:

The book is absolutely stunning in every way. The first thing you notice is the heft, weighing in at probably over 3lbs. Visually, it’s the most impressive cookbook I’ve seen since Ruhlman and Keller’s other collaboration, The French Laundry Cookbook. As you can see from the picture above, the photography is so beautiful and vivid that this would make a fine coffee table book. But don’t be fooled by its good looks, this book is meant to be used in the kitchen. Unlike The French Laundry Cookbook which has gorgeous photos but dishes that are too fussy and elaborate for the average home cook, Ad Hoc at Home contains a wealth of practical information, tips and easy, sensible recipes.

As I did an initial skim through the book, I was struck by how many little gems of insight it contained. Not just raw facts and recipes, but also a peek into Keller’s mind and how he thinks about things in the kitchen. Why we should ditch our tongs in favor of palette knives. Why cooking asparagus in water washes out the flavor and what to do about it. Using vinegar as a seasoning tool. Basic categories of techniques home cooks should master. Versatile items to stock your pantry and refrigerator with. Dishes for the home cook’s repertoire which offer possibility for variation and creativity. Even the difference between the two major brands of Kosher salt. There were just so many excellent little a-ha! tidbits and insights.

When you think about it, what do you really want in a cookbook? Some are great as reference books for specific recipes. Others provide great illustrations of technique. Some include valuable little tips. But for me, especially when it comes to books written by great chefs, what I’m looking for are any nuggets of information to help unlock the mysteries of why their cooking better is so much better than mine. Why is it that when I taste a carrot at Charlie Trotters it is practically life-changing, but when I cook one at home it is just a lifeless veg? That’s the sort of thing I’m always in search of, whether it’s from cooking shows, magazines or cookbooks. And you know what? Ad Hoc at Home delivers on all of that and more. Great recipes, clear instructions, gorgeous pictures, helpful tips and even philosophical insights. A cookbook that is every bit as practical and usable as it is gorgeous to look at. Is it the best cookbook ever? As Kanye West might say, “Imma let you finish, but Ad Hoc at Home is one of the greatest cookbooks of all-time!”

Over a year ago the NY Times published an article about the “miracle fruit”, a tiny berry that produces a curious but temporary affect on the tastebuds- it transforms certain flavors, most notably making acidic things taste sweet. It was shortly after the article came out that Kat placed an order for some berries via mail order. Not surprisingly, the NY Times article created such a wave of demand that the berries were sold out and Kat’s order was placed on hold. But over a year and a half later, voila, the purveyor came finally came through.

The picture above is a super close-up. The berries are actually about the size of a cranberry. You can see a slight frost on them because the fruit is delivered completely frozen. It turns out that this is pretty important. Kat received the berries in 2 different shipments, one that ended up slightly thawed and the other completely frozen. The effects of the slightly thawed berries only lasted for about 20 minutes whereas the completely frozen ones lasted well over an hour.

To use the berries, you pop one in your mouth, scrape the pulp and the membrane off the seed using your teeth, and then use your tongue to move the pulp all around your mouth for a couple of minutes. The longer the pulp is in contact with the tongue, the more effective the berry will be. The flavor of the berry itself is pleasant. It’s a little sweet, not particularly tart and just tastes kind of like a generic berry of some sort. You definitely don’t feel like anything interesting is going on in your mouth while you’re tasting it and you really wonder if it will actually do anything. But have faith, it is working its magic. After a recommended minimum of two minutes, you are then able to swallow what’s left of the pulp, spit out the seed and get on to the flavor tripping. Here was part of the spread of food items we experimented with:

The most pronounced affects of the berries come when tasting anything with sour acidity. As such, my favorite items were limes and lemons. The berries seem to only affect the sour aspects of foods, so it’s not as if everything just tastes like pure sugar. In fact every food item still retained its own integrity of flavor, just with enhanced sweetness. For example, you could still taste all the subtle floral nuances of fruit, so limes tasted like really good limeade and lemons like lemonade. Raspberries and blackberries which tasted mouth-puckeringly tart before the berries tasted sweet and fragrant afterwards. Grapefruit and strawberries were particularly enhanced, tasting like the best specimen of those fruit you’ve ever tried. Spicy things like tabasco still retained their heat, but tasted like a sweet hot sauce instead. The berries also had an effect, though more subtle, with things that had a bitter component. Brussels sprouts for example had its bitterness rounded out into a pleasing subtle hint of sweetness (perfect for me, since my favorite way to make brussels sprouts these days is with sweet ingredients like raisins and balsamic). Similarly, the flavor of Guinness transformed into something almost chocolatey. We also tried dipping salt and vinegar potato chips into sour cream and the result was awesome with the sour cream almost tasting like butter. Also surprisingly delicious was a store-bought lemon hummus.

Throughout the flavor tripping party we would always go back to the lemons or limes as the benchmark to determine if the effects were starting to fade. With the fully frozen miracle berries, over an hour later the limes still tasted like limeade, but things like strawberries had started to lose their sweetness. Two and a half hours in, my tastebuds were completely back to normal and that was the end of the flavor trip. And for those of you wondering if there were any side effects, the answer is no, although I think some of the guests had stomach aches, not from the berry but from eating so many crazy different things in one sitting. I mean, when’s the last time you had fruit, pickles, hot sauces, vinegars, veggies, hummus, chips, sour cream and blue cheese and washed it all down with beer and clamato? Good times.

Eric Ripert’s new cooking show Avec Eric on PBS is a nice addition to the otherwise crowded food television landscape. It’s filmed in vivid high definition which really makes a difference, not just in the food porn closeups, but also the places he shoots on location.

Only three episodes have aired so far, but it looks like every one will follow a three part formula. Things open with a segment in the Le Bernadin kitchen where a different station is featured each week. We get to meet the staff member(s) responsible for that station as they explain the products they handle and how they work with them. In HD, the quality of the ingredients is stunningly apparent and you also get a sense of how clean, calm and orderly everything is in Ripert’s kitchen. It’s so cool to get a peek at the inner workings of the restaurant like that.

The second segment of each episode is filmed on location someplace where Ripert either sources his ingredients or is exploring and learning about new things. So far, two of the three episodes have featured places I’m familiar with from my trips to California the last few years, namely David Kinch’s restaurant Manresa and Hog Island Oysters in Tomales Bay. Both were really interesting segments. I didn’t know that Kinch has an exclusive relationship with Love Apple Farm where everything produced there is for use by Manresa. This frees up the farmer, Cynthia, from worrying about selling her product so she can just focus on her passion for growing things. Also interesting is the process of trial and error they use year after year until they manage to grow things that taste the way they want. Oh and there’s one particularly amusing moment where we watch Ripert’s expression as he tastes one of Kinch’s dishes. It’s as if he’s so overwhelmed by how delicious it is he can’t control himself so he punches Kinch in the arm and euphorically says “gimme a break, this is fantastic!”. Great stuff.

Then Ripert closes out each episode from his home kitchen in Manhattan where he shows us how to make a dish. His home kitchen is of course gorgeous, clean and spacious. And as you’d expect, his recipes have a beautiful simplicity and sensibility to them. More than anything else, it’s this opportunity to watch the master performing his craft (in HD!) that makes Avec Eric so enjoyable. From his obvious respect for his raw ingredients to his deft and delicate touch with every action in the kitchen, it just kind of makes you say, man, that’s the way to cook!