Ask the Profussor – Snowed Under

It snowed in Albany yesterday.  Not just the first few flurries of the season either.  It snowed big fluffy flakes that actually stuck and accumulated.

I was not expecting that.

This is what I get for banking on global warming and not putting the snow tires on in October.  But life goes on.  Heck, I’m still supposed to get three more deliveries from my CSA.  Plus I’ve signed up for the additional 40-pound box of storage vegetables.  I love potatoes.  And onions.  Can’t wait to see what I get.

Anyhow, after unloading a bit yesterday, today I feel like I can take up the gauntlet again and answer all of those questions that were asked in the past few weeks that have somehow managed to go unanswered.  I do take your questions and comments very seriously.  And if you ever want to have a beer with me, all you need to do is ask (and find a date when Mrs. Fussy can stay home with the kids).

Now, how about those questions?

James has a fastidiousness about hot dogs that rivals my own.  He wrote:
What about charcoal grilled or deep fried hot dogs that have a crisp exterior and could be served on a toasted instead of steamed bun? There you have the crispness to match the velvety texture, the saltiness of the hot dog to balance the sweet, and the acidity to cut through the fattiness. I would also like to know your feelings on sweet pickle relish as a hot dog topping.

I must assume a deep fried hot dog is different than a corn dog, but I must confess I’ve never heard of such a thing.  Still, I think it will have to wait in line behind the deep-fried buffalo hamburger Mr. Dave wrote about many months ago, for when the time comes to do some serious gastrointestinal harm.

But back to your question.  While there are additional flavors and textures provided by the cooking method, a deep-fried hot dog is still fundamentally a hot dog, and should be served with mustard.  Corn dogs are different, because they are more cornmeal than hot dog.  And while a chili dog can handle a bit of ketchup, as I argued in the post, it still calls for mustard to cut through all the fat.

The way I was trained to eat frankfurters on the streets of New York City was with mustard, sauerkraut and relish.  And that preparation will always hold a special place in my heart.  When in Chicago I’ll eat them in their regional style, although the color of the chi-town relish always creeps me out.

Ryan wanted to know more about the stuff I buy and use:
What kinds / brands of containers do you use for freezing things like stocks / soups / beans, etc?

In my heart of hearts I know it’s not good to put hot food into plastic containers.  But dammit, I do it anyway.  I live an imperfect life.  I don’t compost.  I use conventional deodorant.  My clothes are made in sweatshops probably with child labor.  And don’t even ask how shameful my chocolate and coffee are to the welfare of others.

There is part of me that is intensely loyal.  And that part of me buys Gladware.  Primarily because I did a lot of work for Glad back in my advertising days, and I spent a lot of my time and energy helping to promote the brand.

For stocks I like to take them and condense the hell out of ’em so they can be frozen in ice cube trays.  I’ll take a frozen condensed stock cube and throw it into a dish for an explosion of chicken flavor, or I’ll just melt one down in a mug of hot water for a nice and warming instant cup of soup.

Ewan, feeling flush with excitement from the last AskTP, had two burning questions:
1) Well, if we’re doing questions… have you found a local source for good chorizo?
2) Hmm. How about a coffee tour?

It may be surprising, but meat doesn’t play a very big part in my life.  I haven’t had the need to look for chorizo, but if I really wanted to find something good I would probably consider a road trip to Poughkeepsie.

Coffee on the other hand plays a very big part of my life.  But I would think that before there was a Tour de Coffee there would have to be a cupping class.  Or maybe two.  This would be a lot less damaging than a Tour de Wing or a Tour de Pizza.  It will certainly be something that I roll around in my noggin.

KB’s comment got picked up in my sweep because it included a question mark:
The problem is that when places are that off-putting to begin with, a lot of us won’t ever get to try the yummy food, ’cause we can’t get past being treated with suspicion and scorn just to eat their food. I mean, it’s enough of a challenge for us when we don’t necessarily understand the menu or know what we should order — it’s downright intimidating when that’s combined with the “what’s this white person doing here?” glower. You’d think they’d be happy that more people want to try their food.

This is why the good food goes to those who are brave enough to eat it.

Whether that’s the deft hand that snatches the chicken’s oyster from under the carver’s knife; or those who thumb their noses at E. coli O157:H7 by continuing to order hamburgers medium rare; or people who order cabeza tacos from a restaurant on wheels that seems immune to health department regulation.

I think the key to success in an unfamiliar situation is to simply be gracious and humble. Try as best as you can to fit in, and leave your inner ugly American at the door.  Act as if you are a guest in someone else’s home.  Be appreciative of the food, gush a little, and eat what you’ve been served.  Maybe your good example will make it easier for the next interlopers that stumble into this den of tasty treats.

Christine was confused and delighted when she wrote:
Mexican Radio is coming to Schenectady?!

Yes it is.

Speaking of Steve Barnes, he recently had a question which I responded to promptly.  But just in case you missed it the first time around, his question and my answer are here.

Otis, despite what he may want you to believe, wasn’t “just sayin…” anything:
if you don’t ask the shopkeeper for a desired item that is not in stock, how do they know you want it? Just sayin….

They don’t. I guess secretly I want to live in a place where there is some wine and liquor store where the owner has a passion for sherry, or vermouth, or something that is a bit off the beaten path.  And I want to believe that the Capital Region is such a place.  There are so many independent merchants, there has to be at least one place that has what I’m looking for.  Surely it’s just a matter of finding it. 

After all, the Tournament of Pizza revealed that I just may be able to get the Fiore Sardo of my dreams from DeFazio’s in Troy.

Speaking of which, Kim D. who loved both top pizzas in the Tournament of Pizza asked:
is it possible for there to be a tie?

I suppose that it is, but it’s extremely unlikely.  The winner is determined by the point spread should the judges be deadlocked two to two.  If both pies got the same exact score, I’m not sure what would happen.  But this year there were a few nailbiters.

AC had a long list of questions about the inner workings of the AOA TOP. Here they are:
How difficult was it to identify which pizzas were from which shops, round to round? Clearly, picking out the Pasquale’s pie wasn’t difficult (cornmeal crust). But what about the other shops? Could you easily identify which pizza was from which shop despite the ‘blind taste test’? If so, how hard was it to be objective in the judging and not play favorites?

Renée can identify a scary number of pizzas in round one.  I find it to be much more difficult.  Perhaps I have a hunch about where a pie came from, but it’s not always correct.  This year, the garlic powder on the crust was a dead giveaway that the slice was from Lou-Bea’s.  But I wasn’t able to identify which slice in Saratoga Springs came from Pope’s.  However, by the time the semi-finals roll around, it’s pretty clear which slice belongs to which shop.

When it comes to evaluating the slices, personal feelings for the makers really do not enter into the evaluation.  Generally for me, there is something about one of the slices that is a dealbreaker.  For example, while I tend to have good feelings for Paesan’s despite their use of screens and their policy of bubble popping, their round two sausage pizza failed in its crust and its topping coverage.  This to me was a greater failing than that of Pasquale’s.

MattW should have come up, said hi, and asked me in person, but instead he wrote this:
I would like to know why the Profussor is always wearing flip-flops even when it’s cold out like yesterday?

My fingers get very cold.  My toes don’t mind it.  When it is warm enough to melt snow, don’t expect to see me wearing socks.  Unless for some reason I need to play dress up.

Cindy shared a story where she asked herself a rhetorical question, but I’m claiming it:
I picked up the jar of powdered creamer, read the ingredients and said to myself, “WHY am I consuming this stuff?

Here is another secret confession.  For a while in high school and college I loved powdered non-dairy creamer.  Not even in my coffee.  Just on its own.  It reminded me a bit of astronaut ice cream.

Cindy, with an eye toward Philadelphia asked me an age-old question:
As for the cheesesteak: you may have posted in a previous entry your thoughts on the age-old rivalry between Pat’s and Gino’s. But since you’re contemplating a cheesesteak this weekend, it seems appropriate to ask: which one do you favor?

I went through a whole cheesesteak cycle.  I started with Jim’s on South Street, evolved to Pat’s, and then with the wisdom of age returned to Jim’s.  At Jim’s the steak is provolone with onions.  Pat’s was whiz with onions.  But honestly, since I turned on to the pork sandwich with provolone and rabe, I’ve left the cheesesteak and have never looked back.

Jon in Albany starts the lighting round with this question:
You’re an Iggy Pop fan?

I’m a Talking Heads fan, but I like Iggy Pop’s work.  Not so crazy about this pop duet, but I thought its weirdness worked for a post title.

Nancy wanted to know:
sooo are you bring some of that unpronounceable wine to thanksgiving????

I bring some.

Mirdreams also has dreams of hot chocolate, she wrote:
Love Otis’ suggestion for homemade “instant”. I wonder if you could freeze it so it would last even longer?

Honestly, I think the time to defrost the paste would take longer than it would to mix up a fresh batch.  It’s really a quick and simple preparation.

Cindy asked:
Daniel, have you ever tried Dr. Frank’s Rkatsiteli varietal?

No, but I do like unusual varietals, and will now keep a lookout for this bottling.  Thanks for the tip.

JN asked a question to which he isn’t going to like the answer:
Do you know if there is a liquor store in the Capital District that sells Lins’s absinthe?

Yes, there isn’t.  But you can buy it online, here or here.