Comments on: Valentine’s Day Despite It All

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:33:38 +0000

Wow, that does sound good. We have a rotisserie as well for our grill, but Owen’s in charge of it. You do it yourself? Hey, I’ve got a secret for you. The only time I don’t cook is when Owen agrees to grill something. I’m not taking that over. But I will suggest it soon.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:30:31 +0000

He said they were dry also! Argh!

Re your husband’s “fine,” I think that’s more positive than “okay.” “Okay” means he didn’t eat any more of them, but he was humoring me by eating one. They are almost stale enough to throw out now.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:36:20 +0000

I’ve concluded the same about roasting chicken, especially at high heat, the results of which I prefer (crispy skin!). My solution is to roast them on my grill with a Weber poultry roaster. I’m sure there are other brands as well (I have a ceramic version for my oven by Chicko, although don’t think it would work on the grill). The chicken stands up on it, a la “beer can chicken,” with a receptacle for liquid (I add wine, rosemary, garlic) and a “plug” to hold in the steam. I keep my grill around 500 degrees, so the skin is incredibly crisp, the inside is falling-apart moist, and the whole thing is done in an hour. No mess (other than the roaster). I highly recommend, even in the winter!

By: Charmian@Christie's Corner

Charmian@Christie's Corner — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:38:51 +0000

I was laughing when you said you were married so long you knew what “okay” meant. My husband says things are “fine” and I used to flip out, but realize it’s his seal of approval.

If it makes you feel any better, I once forgot the sugar in a chocolate cake made with cocoa. Ick…

By: Erica Peters

Erica Peters — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:19:27 +0000

Let us know if that works!

By: Michele

Michele — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:49:57 +0000

He sounds like a good sport!

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:24:21 +0000

Thanks Erica. That is a good point, to not always tell people how easy it is, a trap that food writers fall into all the time.

My next strategy is to buy a roasting pan. Maybe then my roast chicken won’t spatter as much.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:20:52 +0000

Yeah, I think we’ll go out for that one! Less to go awry.

By: diannejacob

diannejacob — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:20:28 +0000

Thanks, good to hear. Cutting, Mardi. It’s all about condensing and being as concise as possible.

By: Erica Peters

Erica Peters — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:40:48 +0000

I have to say, that in addition to the smile this brought to my morning, I also just love when talented cooks admit that cooking is not always easy. Writers tend to scold those who don’t cook “real” food every meal, without acknowledging that life sometimes gets in the way, that home-roasted chicken is easier to ruin than buying a rotisserie bird, and that clean-up (and do-overs) mean that “real cooking” can take much longer than “convenience foods” (especially for the inexperienced, but even, as in this story, for the very experienced). Life is short; some people love cooking; for those who don’t, a list of baby steps towards healthy eating can be more useful than exhortations to devote themselves to cooking. (Baby step we’ve adopted in my house: “If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, you’re not hungry.”)