All Activity

Amazing shots as usual, looks like you guys had a fantastic time. Thanks for sharing. Curious, if you do not mind my asking - the N95's....did you wear those everywhere, or just certain places that were more crowded? Increased local COVID outbreaks or just being cautious as you were closer to the 'source'? Also you should have told them....their 'mille feuille' looks more like 'trois feuille' 😛

Agree 100%. Presence of a brioche bun in particular is enough to get me to order something else. I’m probably in the minority but I find English Muffins make excellent burger buns when I cook at home

@TdeV I think SV , ie low and slow w/o a vac-bag is a different process resulting is an entirely different result : Steam , in contact w the meat , is a bit like water in contact w meat : ie making a stew or soup. the tasty bits wash off into the stock , and its the stock that makes the dish , no longer really the meat. In the Bag , nothing is washed off. and at lower temps , the meat contacts less , so more jus and falvor remain in the meat. my 10 cents on the differences. after all Sous Vide means ' under vacuum ' which is a bit of a misnomer .

"Quail chicken physio" is probably the most adorable phrase I will hear this week 🥰

My work w the IDS suggests there are large temperature differences between the top-back and the lower front . significant ones that require rotating from time to time. and these are notable when the setting is 225 F I would think the differentials are greater as the selected temp increases. but this can be worked with.

Here's something most of you won't have seen before: quail-chick physio. A clutch of eggs hatches out over a span of 24-30 hours, and occasionally the last ones to hatch are slightly deformed by their extra time in the shell. They can often be salvaged, if you gently stretch and straighten their little legs and feet 2 or 3 times/day while they're still tiny. For context, this little guy is roughly the height of a pecan in its shell, but skinnier. My GF has child-sized hands, which makes the chick look larger than it is. Its peers are a bit bigger, partly because they hatched up to a day earlier, and partly because their legs are straight; which means they expend less effort trekking from the brooder (a warming plate, simulating mama's body heat) to the food and water. I've mentioned a time or two that my sweetheart is a ginger, but you'd probably have guessed that anyway from the freckles.

Dinner tonight was taken in a local Xi’an restaurant. First up a 青椒受肉夹馍 (qīng jiāo shòu ròu jiā mó ), green chilli pepper and lean pork sandwich. I usually make these myself, but using beef the way I was taught in Xi’an, a city with a large non-pork-eating population of Muslims. However, these were perfectly acceptable. Then some 凉皮 (liáng pí, literally ‘cold skin’). Liangpi is both the name of the dish and the noodles used. These are made by taking wheat four and making a simple dough with water. This is then washed several times, but the washing water isn’t discarded. It is carefully collected and left to sit overnight. Next day the starch washed out of the wheat has sunk to the bottom and is extracted, then remade into new dough. This is steamed in thin pancakes and sliced into noodles. Liangpi An important ingredient in the dish is wheat gluten which is steamed and served over the noodles with chilli oil, black vinegar, coriander leaf, bean sprouts and cucumber. Gluten The dish is always served cold, even in Xi’an’s often bitter winters.

My spare rib (singular) was not a success. I started the cook early because I had no idea how long it should take. The rib looked good after about an hour and a half. I turned the smoking temperature down to 77C, the lowest setting. After seven hours the final temperature was 96C and the meat was dried out such that I couldn't chew it. But by masticating I was able to extract tremendous fatty flavor. I'm not convinced the GE is holding accurate temperature. I can't measure the chamber temperature with my BBQOVN wireless probe, but I have a Combustion Inc. on order.

No - for less than $800 CDN - no duty

This one's for BC and Ontario only; Mount Becher Buffalo Medium Cheese (that's a mouthful) recalled for Listeria. https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/natural-pastures-cheese-company-brand-mount-becher-buffalo-medium-cheese-recalled-0?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23

I knew I would regret not buying one of these..... I'll wait for Black Friday

ok thanks man

@IndyRob, the roast wasn't a perfect texture. I swear that I did not have the roast long in the hot sauté pan (20 seconds a side x 3) but it was a knobbly shape because of the tied string, so I put a heavy bacon press on it. Usually I like my beef more medium than rare, but his had a medium to medium+ texture and was a bit tough or dry. I'm wondering also if the meat was long in the freezer (I hadn't dated the package). No one on eG has suggested a lower temperature for the sous vide. Of note, this was done in the Anova sous vide without being confined to plastic. Many variables to consider for the next attempt! Edited to add: My rub was a failure; it washed off. It had a lot of salt in it, so the jus was not tasty. Herbs and spices would have helped, I think.

I'm always worried about searing after sous vide. You've spent so much time coaxing it to the perfect temp, and then you blast it with heat. I think that's why blowtorches are so popular. In my experience with SV chuck, the meat gets to the perfect texture, but somehow lacks character.

Check your PMs

I really like my CSO and there are a couple of things it doesn't do well anymore. I like my APO too, but I LOVE my CSO. So, since they came out with an updated model, I decided to get it. I like also like some of the features that the current one doesn't have. My APO is my second one, replaced under warrant. I don't trust it to last.

Well, I cobble it together and never make it exactly the same way twice!

When I read about that meal, I failed to notice that it was indeed, the return trip. Thanks for making me take a second look.

Liverwurst on heavily seeded bread that has been toasted with a little fresh tomato salad.

Simple pasta with bacon, shallots, peas topped with parm.

Weird... when I click the link, it takes me to the first post of the return flight meals. First up are the photos of the menus, then photos of the first meal. Next post is the 2nd meal, followed by a post with the snack, followed by the pizza... Let me know if you don't see it and I can link it again....

Seriously, I got an inexpensive little two slice toaster from Amazon that I reviewed. Makes perfect toast for me!

Toast.

When I started teaching, I became friends with a teacher who became sort of a mentor in non school things. He made wine, smoked meats and threw great parties. One annual party was his birthday party and he smoked a whole pig for that occasion. About as often as not I was the bartender. At one party, I overheard two other teachers tell him that their years long quest was to find the restaurant that made the best Country Fried Steak. I can't describe what I thought about that but Don Quixote and Sanjo Panza who set out on a quests with little chance of reward came to mind. Now decades later my son has started that same search for the Chicken Fried Steak they had at the high school cafeteria and I am old enough to understand why people crave food they had while growing up. I found a reciipe that had the right taste but still something was not just right. Charlie found a school cafeteria cookbook with Country Fried Steak in it. The revelation was that instead of using a cheap, tough but tenderized piece of meat, they used seasoned ground beef pressed out on sheet pans and baked, then cut into individual sizes. It was seasoned with salt, pepper, dehydrated onions and some flour. I am baking hamburger paddies and then treating them like the recipe below. Probably the last thing to do is find the right thickness for the meat. So far it has been too thick for his liking, but otherwise it seemsllike we are on the right track. Chicken Fried Steak recipe from Threadgills - Recipe By : Threadgill's - The Cookbook ISBN 1-56352-277-2 Threadgill's meat seasoning mix 1/2 cup kosher salt 4 tablespoons black pepper 2 tablespoons white pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons granulated onion 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 4 tablespoons granulated garlic 2 tablespoons paprika Mix ingredients well. Store in a glass jar or plastic container. Keep tightly sealed. Shake before each use to prevent settling. 8 6 ounce tenderized beef cutlets -- at room temperature 2 eggs 2 cups milk -- at room temperature 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons Threadgill's Meat Seasoning 2 cups frying oil -- preferably canola Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl and set this egg wash aside. Combine the flour and meat seasoning in another bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Use a 550 degree thermometer to check temperature. The oil should pop loudly when a drop of egg wash is dropped in. Dip each of the first 4 cutlets in the egg wash mixture. Dredge them in the flour, then dip them back into the egg wash, and very gently place them in the hot oil. As you carry them one at a time from the egg wash to the skillet, hold a plate under them to catch the dripping egg wash. There'll be a regular explosion of noisy oil a-popping. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until breading is set and golden brown. Gently turn them with a long-handled meat fork or long metal tongs. Be careful. Cook another 3 minutes. Carefully remove them from the skillet and drain on a platter lined with paper towels. Let oil reheat and repeat process for other 4 cutlets. Serve with White Cream Gravy and Mashed Potatoes.

I don't have an answer, but for anyone interested, Gavin Webber just posted a rather interesting video on how PH affects cheese texture - from gooey to stretchy to hard....