Ask Me Anything: Let's Get Salty

This week we go saline and talk what type of salt is right for whatever you're cooking tonight. We also talk about cooking classes for kids, how to get better at knife skills and so much more.

Hello! We’re doing things a little out of order this week. If you’re new to Spilled Milk, I usually answer your questions every Friday, but this weekend I had a wedding to attend! So Sunday night it is.

Paid subscribers who would like me to answer questions about whatever is on their mind (do I really like haggis? what restaurants have knocked my socks off lately? how beans might just save the world?) can leave them in the comments section below. Ask your friends for their questions, too!

A little housekeeping: Here’s the knife skills video I mentioned. Here are some of my favorite cooking tunes. And here are some of the sources for kids’ cooking classes that I mentioned: Rouxbe; Gronda; Jacques Pépin Foundation.

This week’s questions

Tanja: 

Sometimes recipes call for “fine sea salt.” How different is that from regular table salt, like Morton’s? 

George: 

Dude, I so want to eat a tuna head right now. It’s your fault. What have you heard about web-based cuisine/cookery classes for kids?

Mimi: 

We need to buy a new grill and only have space for one. We’ve always had charcoal but are thinking about getting a gas grill. In your opinion, would we regret that?

Craig:

We are researching our next trip, to Greece and the Cyclades. Just starting to look for what we should pursue in the eating department.

Enchantee:

I signed up for the wait list for the Solato home machine. But it looks like it might be too big for my kitchen if it is anywhere near the size of the commercial machine. Any idea on the price of these, Andrew?

Ellen: 

Have you ever been to Norfolk or Virginia Beach? If so, what restaurants have you been to? Also, do you listen to music while you cook? What are some of your favorites? 

Alexandra:

It’s almost strawberry season where we live, and we always end up with more strawberries than we can eat. What can we do with lots of strawberries if our enthusiasm gets the better of us again this year?   

Kal: 

Do you need to descale fish before you cook it whole? 

Eugenie:

You chopped the onions roughly in your bean soup recipe. I wish I could chop onions that looked even that good. Do you have any tips for a lifelong onion butcher? 

Jeff: 

Something I have always wondered about is how do chefs keep their dripping sweat from getting in the food? Especially notable are the contestants on “Chopped,” where they are hurrying about cooking and the sweat is just rolling off them. I imagine restaurant kitchens are equally frantic and hot at times.

Pamela: 

Do you prefer to cook alone at home, or do you like having sous chefs, etc., like at work? 

John: 

Did you pick up any vinyl for Record Store Day?