Guess I should have been more thorough. Google has made me lazy. I did a quick search for "devein shrimp" that did not return what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I'm all too knowledgeable about the limitations of the internal search in most content management systems.

For those of you in Chicago, I was able to find the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce at The Spice House on Wells in Old Town. It can be hard to come by, especially in the food challenged Midwest.

I just finished this dish and it was a resounding success. My favorite part (aside from eating it!) was deveining the shrimp. For some reason I thought deveining would be a much more difficult process, though I'm sure I could improve my technique to make this go quicker. I looked for a deveining lesson in the 'tips and techniques' but I could not find one. Any tips?

Good point...maybe I should finish all the lessons before barraging you with questions :)

Thanks for taking the time out of your weekend to indulge my whims!

I'll give it a shot. Thanks Joe.

I guess a broader question I have regarding substituting ingredients is how to tell if an ingredient is essential for its chemical nature ala mustard in a vinaigrette acting as an emulsifier or whether it is simply included to add an element of flavor that meshes well with the dish.

The problem I have with most cookbooks is they don't point this out.

Sometimes I want to modify a recipe to make it less complex, less time consuming, and less expensive knowing full well that it will not taste as good, but I find myself wondering if my changes will fundamentally ruin a meal.

Thanks Joe. You really put my mind at ease and I can now enjoy my new knives without worry.

I'm a little unclear about the distinction between honing and sharpening, though, as it seems to be purely semantic.

Also, the advice in the video is for the home chef to hone once a day. That seems excessive and contrary to what you suggest ("every once and a while"). I guess what I need to know is how long is too long to go without honing.

Measuring in days does not make much sense unless the knife naturally loses its edge (doubtful) as some of us will not use a knife every day. Perhaps measuring on a per-use basis makes more sense.

Any advice?

How worried should I be about honing my knife with a steel? I just received a nice set of chef's knives for Christmas and have never used a steel before. I'm worried about doing lasting damage by using an improper angle. Are mistakes easily undone or should a novice really be careful before attempting to hone a knife?

Can wheat-free tamari be substituted for the soy sauce? I'm gluten-sensitive, but I'm not always sure if substituting something like this will totally ruin the dish or just slightly change the flavor. Your advice is appreciated!

Dawn, can you recommend a good oyster sauce without MSG? If you have tips on where to purchase that would also be helpful as these specialty items can be hard to find even at "health food" stores.

Thanks.

Thanks, Tony. That is very helpful.

How long will a vinaigrette keep after being mixed? Can I make enough ahead of time to eat salads for a week? What about refrigeration? How does the presence of egg change how long a vinaigrette will keep?