mikeycook

I know this thread is a bit old, but I made the Jacques Torres version of the Nougat de Montilimar and had a question. The nougat came out great in terms of consistency and flavor. However, I was wondering how people store this after cutting without it all sticking together. I have it stacked in tupperware between sheets of parchment (with the glossy side against the parchment) and it is generally fine, but I was wondering how I could package pieces if I wanted to give them as gifts. I used corn starch on my fingers to help roll out the nougat and I was wondering if I should dust them with that. Any recommendations on packaging would be helpful (not for commercial selling, but just gifts to friends).

I have one one of those, I should use it more often though. They are super easy to use, and clean up is not that bad. Run some bread through it when your done and it'll make cleaning easier. ← That's an AWESOME idea!! Now see, that's why I read eGullet.

There was one student in my class who was taking both and also working, so it's definitely doable, but preferably like you where you are not going to be working as well (because he was exhausted). If I had the option of not working and I wanted to take both, I would take them both at the same time. The management program alone is not going to require all of your time.

I have a good farm on Long Island for fresh farm-raised turkey (not heritage), so I don't need to spend that much, but I would be willing to try it (depends on the particulars of the bird). This year, I am trying a wild turkey in addition to the regular farm-raised one just for some variety. That is costing me $71.50 plus shipping from D'Artgagnan for an 8-10 bird. However, all of D'Artagnan's heritage turkeys are over $100 and all of their organic turkeys over 16lbs are as well. Since I have a good source, I probably wouldn't pay those prices and for a heritage I would definitely shop around.

Due to space issues I am trying to keep the number of pans and appliances I ask for this year down, but I have noticed that ice cream makers are now down to a price point where the ones with their own freezing units are affordable (around $250). No more bucket in the freezer for me. I have also had my eye on a deli slicer at some point. Would be nice to be able to slice leftover meats for sandwiches, as well as things like slab bacon, duck hams, etc.

My mother lives in NH and I live in NY, so she always appreciates little foodstuffs from Dean and Deluca or other specialty shops that she can't get locally or wouldn't think to get for herself. I have included things like white truffle oil, belly tuna, fleur de sel, etc. Her favorite item, which I would recommend, is double-strength vanilla extract. My mother loves to bake and it was her favorite gift last year (despite more expensive purchases).

I think this is the biggest hurdle to usage of the computer in the kitchen. There seem to be very few applications to use in the kitchen outside of recipe databases and those usually don't have the recipes you would want (i.e. the ones in your cookbooks). I think that computers in the kitchen will remain a purely luxury item until software starts emerging that actually helps increase your productivity in the kitchen.

Sorry it took me so long to respond. It is a PC. The monitor and processor are a single unit you can put under a cabinet (i.e. hangs from it). The keyboard and mouse are wireless and can be put most anywhere. A friend and I have been thinking about putting together a computer that we can actually cook with, i.e. a touchscreen that is easily cleanable to be able to use in the kitchen, so you don't have to worry about shorting our your computer while cooking.

I think it really depends on who is doing the hiring, but for the most part the management program should be sufficient for the types of jobs to which you are applying. Ultimately, if you want to open your own retail shop, the question is "Do you have the money or do you need funding?" If you need an outside source of funding, your culinary resume is definitely something to think about (assuming you don't have a rich uncle who'll set you up). That being said, I think at that point your professional experience will be much more relevant than your culinary degree. Serving as Head Buyer for Dean and Deluca will get you much further than an ICE culinary degree. Also keep in mind that taking both programs at the same time will be very intensive. If you have to work as well, it might be a lot to handle. If you really want to do both, you might just schedule one program while you are taking the other so you can take advantage of reduced tuition (as long as you sign up while taking another program, a 10% discount for tuition to the second program should apply).

I am pretty sure I saw it at Dean and Deluca a couple of weeks ago, but it is probably going to be more expensive than the other places on the list. If you go to DiPaolo, don't leave without some Parm-Regg. Best in the city (IMHO). The owner's son lives in Italy and hand-picks wheels for DiPaolo (and every piece is fresh off the wheel).

I love the Harrington Hams (speaking as a northern new englander), but they are definitely different than the Smithfields and other southern hams. The Harringtons are smoked over corn cobs and maplewood and don't have an overly salty or smoky taste (it is more sweet - I think they are more sugar-cured). Among southern hams, I have heard that Benton's Country Hams in Madisonville, Tennessee is excellent. That being said, Harrington's is a delicious ham that does not need to be soaked. Also a good opportunity to order excellent bacon and maple syrup.

I've been looking at an iCEBOX setup, but haven't taken the plunge yet. Good way to keep the computer out of the way.

IMHO, L'Impero should have a star.

I embrace all forms of cattle and drink both organic and non-organic milk. However, I do not assume that Monsanto is trying to make my milk healthier for me. They are trying to make it cheaper (for their profit not my pleasure) by any legal means possible. Polisac was developed to make milk cheaper for Monsanto to produce. In order to get the drug approved, a 90-day rat trial was conducted by Monsanto which the FDA reviewed (i.e. the FDA approved based off a Monsanto report, not their own research). Health Canada, which also reviewed the report "argues that possible adverse health effects of Posilac were not addressed because long term toxicology studies to ascertain human health safety were not required by FDA or conducted by Monsanto." In regards to concerns that milk from rBGH led to an increase in breast cancer, the FDA report says "FDA has examined the literature and finds no definitive evidence of any direct link between IGF-I and breast cancer. Some authors have hypothesized a link, whereas others have expressed that while IGF-I is one of several growth factors and hormones that can contribute to an increase in cell numbers of many cell types invitro, no one factor is responsible for changing normal cells into cancerous cells. " So, essentially, they are saying that Polisac is not causative, but then again no one thing is. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Also, while I generally respect the work done by the FDA, the fact that HealthCanada and the European Union feel differently is something of a concern. While those organizations have their problems, I would assume they are run by the same type of "tree-hugging" scientists that work for the FDA, who I assume are trying to do their best work to assess public health issues as well. As I say, I will continue to use genetically and chemically enhanced food, but I think it is silly to dismiss the concerns of some others based on this research.

Perhaps I am in the minority, but even if rBGH naturally occurs in cows, that does not mean that genetically reengineering it and injecting it back into cows is natural (which is, in fact, what they do). My body naturally produces insulin too, but would giving myself extra large doses of it be "natural"? Natural can still hurt you (whether it does or not is obviously still open to debate).

My mother always used a doctored Bell's stuffing because both my mother and father had memories of terrible homemade stuffings made by their relatives. After trying it a couple of times, I decided that stuffing couldn't be that hard and began trying a number of variations. I have now settled on an Oyster and Pancetta stuffing that is a modified version of Pellaprat's recipe for Oyster Stuffing in Modern French Culinary Art. I use a couple of fresh sourdough pullman loaves (cubed and dried), fresh oysters, and add about 3/4lb. of pancetta that has been cubed and crisped up. I have used this recipe both inside (roast turkey) and outside (fried turkey) of the bird and it has been very popular. I am also having a wild turkey this year, so I have been looking for a secondary stuffing that would be appropriate. As my mind wandered to combinations of wild turkey and Wild Turkey, I am looking at a Bourbon-Pecan stuffing recipe from the D'Artagnan cookbook that I will likely modify (still working out how). For what it's worth, I would still choose Bell's if I needed to go back to a box stuffing (although that will probably never happen).

Just looked at their web site and I am definitely going to try to make a stop.

My wife and I are heading to DC for a long weeked next weekend and I was wondering if there were any unique kitchenware or tableware stores worth checking out. By unique I don't necessary mean one of a kind, but I am looking for independently owned places in general, not the chains (Sur La Table, Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel), which I can go to in NY. If not within DC, Old Town Alexandria is a possibility too, but we may have just a little bit of time there. If there is already a thread on this, my apologies and please point me to it.

My wife and I are planning to go in January for an academic conference (her conference, I am just tagging along) and I have been doing some research as well. The most highly regarded place "seems" to be Alan Wong's, at least in terms of Hawaiian cuisine. Roy Yamaguchi's place gets good marks, as does Chef Mavro. There are also a number of french places that look nice, but since we get to eat French frequently, I have focused less on them. Of course, that's just from my research. People who have actually been to Alan Wong's and Chef Mavro would probably be a better source. Anyone?

I graduated from the ICE's culinary management program in September of 2004. I was coming from a background in the internet and financial services, only having worked in a couple of restaurants through high school and college. I was primarily interested in setting up my own food business. The program is split between people who want to run their own businesses and people who want to become restaurant managers. The program I took (the evening program taught by Brian Buckley) used a business plan as the center of the course (i.e. developing a plan for a business you'd like to own). The program covered all of the major components of restaurant design, management, and ownership (food safety, staffing, menu design, etc.) and that ultimately tied back to the development of our individual business plans. Ultimately, I found the program to be very practical and useful. I am currently working on starting my own retail specialty food operation. The morning program, taught by Steve Zagor, I understand as being a little more financially oriented than the evening program. Steve is a former (or current) CPA and has excellent in-depth knowledge of restaurant financials. If that is your primary interest, I would suggest talking to him about the morning program. Brian has extensive experience as a restaurant consultant and has consulted in a lot of NY restaurants, so he is really good at giving real-life examples of the type of things you will need to deal with as a restaurant manager and/or owner. As far as ICE's reputation, I think it is difficult to rank the Culinary Management program specifically because it is somewhat unique among the city schools. As far as the regular culinary programs go, my perception is that ICE is less highly regarded than the French Culinary Instititute, but not by a lot (depends on who you ask). Regardless, I thought it was a good program and I would recommend it, whether you take it by itself or you take culinary or pastry as well. All in all, I would recommend the program, but it is definitely worth setting up an interview to see if the program is right for you. Good luck!

Usually someone brings pies with them, mostly apple and pumpkim, but I must confess that, for the first time, I am buying a cake for Thanksgiving as well, a Red Velvet Cake from Cake Man Raven in Brooklyn. If it goes over well, I may start making it next year (recipe is on the site as well as Food TV's web site).

I am a huge fan of L'Impero in NYC, so I am looking forward to Scott Conant's first book, New Italian Cooking, in just a few days (Tuesday). I put it on my Christmas list, but I am not sure I'll be able to wait.

A pretty good vintage for Burgundy. You may be able to find some high end wines that are still holding up. My birth year is 1961; great for Bordeaux. But by the time it occurred to me to buy some the prices were prohibitive. ← I really wish I could afford the '69 Burgundies from my year, but they are out of my price range at this point. The '69 La Chapelle is something I am hoping to acquire at some point as well. It is a little more reasonable, but not much. Thanks for the notes on the '86s. Time for me to get drinking.

I don't see a lot of posts about collecting, maybe because people don't want to turn this into a site for posting wants and needs (which I completely agree with). However, I am curious what types of wines people collect and why and, in particular, what they are actively collecting now. Do you collect by vintage? Winery? Verticals? Do you collect around a specific event in your life? For instance, I have a collection of about 100 bottles and while there is a good deal of variety, I have a few areas that I have been focused on. 2000 Vintage - My wife and I were married in 2000 and I am trying to put away some bottles that we will be able to have in years to come. So far this includes mainly Hermitage, Chateauneuf du Pape, Port, and a couple of Spanish selections (we spent part of our honeymoon in the Rhone Valley, hence the predisposition). Looking to add some Bordeaux next and maybe an Italian or two. This is the primary area I am collecting right now. Hermitage - On our honeymoon we were lucky enough to taste a 1990 Hermitage La Chapelle and have been collecting hermitage ever since. Looking to get a fairly complete vertical (unless the wines have already gone by) for La Chapelle, Chave, and Chapoutier (although realistically it will be expensive for me to try to get all three, Le Pavillon, l'Ermite, and Le Meal, in vertical). 1986 Bordeaux - This little collection started out by accident. A friend served a 1986 Talbot one evening about 5 years ago and it was incredible. I managed to find a couple of bottles at decent prices and added a number of others at decent prices (Latour, Gruaud Larose, Pichon-Baron, Rausan Segla). Eventually I expect to acquire the top names for the vintage as well (Mouton, Lafite, Las Cases, Margaux, Pichon-Lalande). Other - Working on a small Cuvee Les Cadettes vertical, as La Nerthe was one of the places we visited on our honeymoon (just started with the '97 we purchased there). Also picking up the major vintages of Taylor and Fonseca upon release. Lastly, I have picked up a few bottles for my wife's birth year (1970), when found at a decent price. Still have a Fonseca and a Mouton-Rothschild to enjoy (I was born in '69, so I can't get much joy out of collecting my birth year). I am sure that most others have a more extensive collection, so I am interested to hear from others.

Completely agree on the soup. Made it last night with 2 small acorn squash and the Bayonne. It was delicious (sorry, no pics).