Live chat with Russ Parsons

Join our very own Russ Parsons, the California Cook, for a live chat today at 1 p.m. on latimes.com. Have you been wondering how to choose a ripe melon? What's the best way to cook corn? What's Russ' favorite cold soup? How to grill a perfect tri-tip roast? What does Russ recommend, a gas grill or an old-fashioned Weber? You could even ask him to dream up a menu for your dinner party this weekend. Be there!

-- Leslie Brenner

Photo by Marissa Roth

Comments

[elaine stulberg]

I am going to the El Portal theater next week, the one on Lankershim Blvd., and would appeciate if you could recommend a good restaurant to go to for dinner prior to the play. Am unfamiliar with the area. I do hope you will respond to this. Thank you. Elaine Stulberg

[maria]

i had seen a recipe in the leisure section of THE WEEK magazine by Russ Parsons that looked very interesting and so i tried it.
Salt Roasted Pork: an ancient technique revisited...was the heading.
i'd like you to know that i'm no slouch in the kitchen and enjoy both cooking and trying many different dished from around the world.
this particular recipe is TERRIBLE!
first of all, when i cook any meat, i always add wine. it always enhances the flavor of anything you are cooking. another very important ingredient is pepper. i noticed that your recipe didn't include either of these but since i had never used this technique and was up for anything, i followed the recipe to the t.
it was the worst thing that has ever come out of my kitchen!
the meat was flavorless except for the fact that it tasted like drinking gallons of sea water. i rinsed the meat several times and still could not get the salt out. then the potatoes.....these were even worse. i rinsed and rinsed and then tried to cut off the outiside and still....the middle of the potates tasted like eating salt out of the container.
either this is a terrible recipe in general or....some very important information was left out.
in any case....i'm so upset that i ruined what could have been a beautiful meal due to your horrible recipe.
i think i'll just stick to my own cooking techniques in the future but wanted you to know how irresponsible it was of russ parsons to put this recipe into a major magazine that i'm sure hundreds if not thousands of people tried and i'm SURE were extremely dissappointed.
he should be made to cook this meal himself and eat it all. without rinsing it of with water, as i tried to do in order to save it!
i think he owes everyone a huge apology!
maria : (