Fat Guy

I bet a smaller number of eggs in plastic would have worked, but we wanted eggs in shell. So much to talk about with sous-vide eggs. I think a new topic is in order.

The eggs came out of the fridge about an hour before we started. I don't know the exact solution to the problems we had with the eggs. Maybe this method just isn't any good for eggs in shell. If the chicken hadn't come out so nicely I'd just dismiss the beer cooler altogether. But now I may be curious enough to experiment a bit. Posted from my handheld using the Tapatalk app. Want to use eG Forums on your iPhone, Android or Blackberry? Get started at http://egullet.org/tapatalk

When my friend Sean, who over the years has been my partner in many a weekend-warrior cookery project, turned me on to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's article about his beer-cooler sous-vide hack on Serious Eats, there was little doubt what we'd be doing with our Saturday. Lopez-Alt contends that many sous-vide-type applications can be replicated using zipper bags and a beer cooler full or hot water. His presentation is compelling. He does a comparison of steak showing that meat cooked the beer-cooler way and the Sous-Vide Supreme way is indistinguishable. He doesn't claim this is a total replacement, but that for relatively short cooking times it works admirably. We decided to cook two things in the beer cooler: eggs and chicken breasts. We wanted 147 degree (F) eggs and figured that thin chicken breasts would cook nicely in about the same amount of time as the eggs (45 minutes, we figured). We worked in F because that's how Sean's Thermapen was set. We consulted some of Nathan M.'s tables and realized that we'd be slightly overcooking the chicken but we wanted to be able to do everything together. We also consulted Chris Amirault and Chris Hennes who suggested aiming for a final temperature of 146 F, the theory being that with a cooler you lose about a degree F every 15 minutes so you need to start a little high and finish a little low. Earlier in the afternoon we did some temperature calculations with the cooler filled only with water, testing every 15 minutes with the Thermapen. Starting at 151 F we got: T -45 151 F T -30 149 F T -15 148 F T -0 146 F That was right where we wanted things, but we figured food would suck up some energy so we decided to start at 152 F. The idea was that we were going to make an approximation of ramen, starting with a broth made from all the Thanksgiving bones that were in the freezer, and adding 147-degree eggs and chicken to the noodle soup. To seal the bags we followed Lopez-Alt's advice to lower the zipper bag into water almost to the top to squeeze out the air. We put a little stock in each bag for flavor. The chicken came out beautifully. I make no guarantees from a food-safety perspective but if we're all alive tomorrow then it worked. Unfortunately, the eggs just didn't work out. When I started to peel one of them it had a totally raw appearance. I poured it into a bowl of hot broth but that didn't help. In the end we threw some eggs into the pasta water for a couple of minutes to bring them up to temperature. Of course they lacked the texture we had been hoping for, but at least they were edible. I guess without a circulator the bottom and top of the vessel don't stay the same temperature. The chicken was basically floating but the eggs sat on the bottom. Happy New Year.

I've used the Dole pineapple and not noticed that, but pineapple is also the only TJ's frozen-fruit product I find acceptable so I've been using that. I also use a no-brand 5-pound bag of frozen strawberries that they sell at Fairway, where I shop. And I use some Richfood products, because they're the cheapest and they're fine. I use frozen fruit exclusively for blended things, usually mixed-fruit smoothies or frozen desserts, so I'm not absolutely committed to every ingredient being the best. I also look at price and will generally do a mix of fresh and frozen, as well as fruit that I've frozen myself (bananas especially).

Chris, thank you for this tremendously informative and engaging eG Foodblog.

I've got to hand it to the Dole people, they do really good frozen fruit. I believe I've tried every variety and had no complaint. And Trader Joe's frozen fruit is surprisingly bad, given how great a lot of TJ's stuff is.

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Craftsteak launched in Las Vegas then came to New York. The New York branch is now closed and Las Vegas still thrives. There may be some other examples. I'm not sure. Lotus of Siam New York seems to have no buzz at all. I wonder how things are going down there.

Tasting blind but not very rigorously, early this year I wasn't really able to identify regular, Mexican and Kosher-for-Passover Coke. The three samples tasted slightly different, with inconsistent carbonation and sweetness levels, but there was no clearly superior one. By contrast, Fox's U-Bet syrup tastes a lot better around Passover time when they switch from HFCS to sugar, so much so that blind tasting to confirm it would be superfluous.

There's definitely a learning curve. Good thing bread is cheap.

That particular batch was made with Trader Joe's sharp-cheddar "pub cheese." It can also be done with cream cheese of various kinds, egg salad if you make it fine and tight enough, hummus if you make it thick, peanut butter, and various other spreads. You can also work with two spreads, like peanut butter and jelly, if you want to get really fancy, using one for the first set of layers and the other for the between-sets-of-layers filling.

You need to achieve sufficient firmness in one way or another, so things can hold together and be cut. A spread with some substance to it is a good idea. Also, refrigerating for a couple of hours before cutting can help. The choice of bread can make a difference too. You want a bread that's not too different in texture from the filling, otherwise either the filling or the bread gets crushed. A sharp knife is a must.

I believe what you're looking for is the Polder model 898. It's wearable and does count-up. The only thing I'm not sure of is how long it beeps. Most Polders do 30 seconds, I think.

A friend got the ThermoWorks (same makers as the ThermaPen) timer and it is awesome. I see it is on sale this week for $15. http://thermoworks.com/products/timers/extra_big_loud_timer.html The digital timer I use cost $1 in a dollar store and is a piece of junk but does its job adequately. You can't actually see the numbers from more than an arm's length away, and if you want to set 29 minutes you have to push the button 29 times, but it does count down and beep as needed. I used to use the timer on my Polder temperature thing but I wrecked it. My favorite timer is the Lux Minute Minder, which is a mechanical dial timer. You twist it to your number and it goes. It's only good for longer times, though, since its precision at something like a three-minute setting can best be described as hilarious. It's good if you're in the 15-60 minute range.

My current thinking on soaking, upon re-reading McGee after discussion with slkinsey, is that it's not a question of being a total waste of time but rather a choice about the desired final texture of the beans. No-soak = you get gradations of texture like al dente pasta. Soak = uniformly soft throughout. That's why I was wondering about the short soak you did. I'm thinking of cooking some beans today myself. I've lost track of the spaetzle. What happened or will happen there?

Did you say you soaked the beans while you were doing prep? Is there any benefit to such a short soak?

Mitch, I think milk is part of what defines the spaetzle flavor and texture for me. Is anybody out there using water with good results?

We're in the process of discussing whether the main meal today will be Chinese, Thai, or Indian. Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Can you say a little more about the specifics of your kitchen and storage situations, as well as what kinds of meals you need to create? Are you preparing three meals a day for yourself, or are you supplementing with a meal plan, or eating a percentage of meals out?

Dorie Greenspan's herb spaetzle, sauteed with mushrooms. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Herb-Spaetzle-234152 Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

My wife just bought me the large perforated. I'm very excited. Will report back when I use it.

Around here they sell Bays at Walgreens. I have no problem with the refrigeration since English muffins generally wind up in the refrigerator or freezer anyway. It has been a long time since I tried one so I don't have a real basis for comparison but I remember them being fine. And I think they're the ones that come pre-split, which is convenient.

That's a nice touch on the cinnamon rolls. There must be other applications for that trick too. Also means you don't have to grease the pan or use parchment. Do you happen to have a photo of the finished product? Those flour dispensers are so amazing, they could be the basis for a whole religion or something. I have to look into whether there's a comparable device that can be acquired today. My thought on English muffins is that it depends how you define the standard. If you make Thomas' the standard, then nothing gets you 100% of the way there. Thomas' have a certain texture and thinness that nobody else quite replicates. And once you're used to splitting and toasting Thomas', nothing else behaves exactly that way. Most of the competitors are slightly thicker and require a little more toasting time. Probably the best English muffins in the universe -- at least the best I've had by a very significant margin -- are the ones served at La Grande Orange Grocery. I've been to the one in Phoenix a bunch of times and I think they originate in the LA area. But I have one friend who was like, "What is this crap? I want a Thomas'."

Chris do you utilize Trader Joe's at all? English muffins are one of many staple items I've switched over to the TJ's list. I think TJ's "British muffins" are slightly better and slightly cheaper than Thomas'.

That's really impressive (the bags). I underestimated you, and your whole family.