A Free Guided Fishing Expidtion to Isaacson and Steins

I felt really intimidated going into Isaacson and Stein for the first time. I didn't want to look like I didn't know what I was doing. I was afraid of asking anyone questions for fear of bothering them, or being seen as an idiot. The piles of whole fish made me feel inept in my inability to clean them. But, it was all in my mind. People here are nice and there's nothing to be intimidated of!



So you can make the most of your first I&S fishing expedition, here's 8 tips for smooth sailing!

1. Know the hours: They have weird hours. They're never open past 4:15 during the week, although they are open 8-1 on Saturdays.
   
1. Try to make it in during the week: its worth it. Saturdays are always busy busy and the selection is picked through. I go on Fridays when its pretty low key. If they're not busy, the staff is way more willing to shoot the shit and help you pick out the right fish for your dish!
2. Go early. If you go on Saturday, try to make it there as early as possible to get a good selection.


2. Know the process:
   
1. Grab gloves: There's a box of plastic gloves on the table on your right when you come in. You'll want them to handle the fish.
   
2. Get your fish weighed: When you've decided on what you want, take your bag of fish to the table to the right of the door. Guys behind the table will weigh your stuff and give you a receipt.
   
3. Pay for your fish: take your receipt to the guys at the window on your left and pay, cash or credit.





3. Check the signs: Signs above the fish tell you more then just the name and price. It will also list where the fish come from, if its farm grown or wild, and if its fresh or previously frozen which guarantees you know what you're getting.
   
   
4. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If you're not sure which fish will work for your recipe, how you want it cleaned, or what's the best stuff at the moment, ask someone. Just don't be offended if they don't give you a long answer. If they're busy, they can be brisk. It is a whole saler after all. I've always found them to be very helpful!
   
   
   
   
5. Get Your Fish Cleaned: Once you've paid, get in line at the two cleaning stations to the left of the payment windows. After your fish is cleaned, tipping is suggested. I have to make a confession, I never have (eek!). These guys are so covered in fish juice, with thick rubber gloves on, I don't know where to put the money. Give it to them... put it in their pocket.... I've never seen any one else do it either. If anyone has advice on this, I'll take it!!
   
   
6. Use the Fish Bones in Stock: If your getting your fish cleaned, keep the bones and head. You paid for it, and you can use it for stock! They also usually have fish bones in the back corner you can buy for stock as well. I only use whitefish bones though, bones from salmon and other dark varieties make a really fishy stock which is definitely an acquired taste.




7. Be Prepared:
   
1. Don't get grossed out: This place is stinky and there's dead fish everywhere. There's fish juice all over the floor. Like Cat B says, "Don't wear flip flops".
   
2. Fish can rot: Raw fish and seafood are very delicate. Make sure you can go straight home afterward or carry a ice chest with you.
   
   
8. Park your car! They have parking spots out front. How lucky! Well if you have a car.

Shortcut of the Week: A Quick Rise For Yeast Dough

Slow Food for Fast Living is our mantra. What can be more slow then making a yeast dough and needing to let it rise. There are many nights when I've got the ingredients for pizza, but I don't want to wait the hour or so it would take let the dough do its thing.



Here's a quick trick which gets you homemade dough in half the time!

• While making your dough, preheat your oven to 200 degrees. When you dough is kneaded, turn the oven off. Cover the dough in an oven safe bowl with a towel and place in the oven. Your dough should rise in 30 minutes or so.

A homemade pizza in half the time and you'll be everybody's favorite friend.

You Put the Lime on the Corn Cob and Eat Them Both Up

A corn stalk from Ira's parents' garden

In the Midwest, nothing says summer more than sweet corn. Whether you like it BBQ or boiled, corn is a staple for any harvest meal.

I grew up, like most other Americans, slapping tons of butter all over my ear of corn and chomping away. A couple of years ago, my friend Meena, shared with me her Indian family's method for seasoning corn which is delicious, easy and low fat.



All you need is a few slices of lime, salt and garam masala. If you don't have any Garam Masala, you can use curry powder or chili powder. On a small plate, pour out a small pile of salt on one half and the garam masala on the other half. Take your lime slice and dip it in the seasonings until coated.



Take seasoned lime and spread over corn cob so the juices of the lime mix with the seasonings and are pressed into corn cob. The lime with the seasonings tastes similar to the salty butter yet also add a spicy tang which compliment the creamy sweet taste of the corn.



That's it, your corn is ready to be served with your dinner. Eat up and enjoy!

Cookware First, Second Hand

Beside buying cookware new, you can always buy second hand. As I said before, my other pieces of enameled cast iron have been collected along the way via eBay, thrift stores and garage sales.



I swiped this great design piece at a garage sale this summer. I bargained the price down to $5.00, pointing out the severely rusted bottom, which had not been coated in enamel; a scam on my part as rust is really easy to remove with steel wool. (Never use steel wool on enamel coating though!) I got it home, scoured the rust off, and was able to recognize the old Revere Ware logo.



This is a real vintage piece, as Revere Ware doesn't make enameled cast iron any more, favoring modern non-stick Teflon (yuck!).

Cheap Le Creuset and such are a bit of a find at thrift stores, as they have gained mass popularity lately and are known to most clerks who take advantage marking them way up. However, every now and again, you might get lucky. This is a replica of a pot my Dad is constantly gloating about buying for only $2.50 at a small town thrift store in Michigan. So there are some deals out there, but good luck finding them at city thrifts.


Vintage Le Creuset originally posted by eBay seller Maggs775.

I got this picture off a current eBay auction which currently has no bids and has a minimum bid for $16.00. Not as good as $2.50, but what can you do? There are a few chips on the edge but I don't think its a big deal as it won't affect your food. You may have to watch for rust developing there, but sometimes you have to suffer for a nice vintage design.

eBay is also a great place to find used cookware, as they have tons of Le Creuset and other enameled cookware listed.



Here is an awesome vintage red skillet (in perfect condition) my sister got me for Christmas last year for only $15.oo!

You'll find a lot of eBay sellers hawking liquidated wares for near to full price, but scattered within, there are some good deals. I just did an advanced search for cast iron Le Creuset under $50 and there are four pages! Here are some great finds:


Vintage Blaze Sauce Pan listed by eBay seller Bozo1234

With three days left, this vintage sauce pan has no bids yet, minimum bid starts at $9.99. Ah, this fine specimen will temporarily fix my vintage cookware craving.


5 Piece Vintage set posted by eBay seller Halloo2.

Here is a 5 piece vintage set with two sauce pans and a fry pan (with no enamel coating in the base) with only 2 days left for $25.00. Wow! In case you haven't noticed, I have a real affinity toward the vintage Creuset with the hollow tube handles; they look great and aren't supposed to get as hot.

This Baking dish is currently at $0.99 with one bid with only a day left!


Le Creuset Baking Dish posted by eBay seller PittsburgPugs

Plus all the proceeds go toward benefiting Bruce the Pug, so basically its a win win!

Literally the list goes on and on. Beside eBay, Craig's List is also a great place to search. Check out this awesome post on BackGarge.com which tells you how to do multi-city Craig's List queries and set up an RSS feed to alert you if any of your preferred items comes up! Thanks BackGarge, informative as always.

So get out there and perhaps this Le Creuset Pear Casserole dish could be yours!


I know its stoneware and not cast iron, but lets not quibble over details!