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budrichard

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Everything posted by budrichard

  1. I really like the the idea of the Cajun Fryer! Unfortunately, I live in Wisconsin and when its -20F or there is 3' of snow(I'm not exaggerating) on the deck, no one is using any outdoor cooking devices!-Dick
  2. Thanks for the link! My favorite Chef! It's over 25 years ago I acquired his two volume set, 'The Art Of Cooking' and eventually almost all of his works in their original from. All other cookbooks had been just recipes but 'The Art Of Cooking' was also about techniques with color pictures. These volumes are still used to this day with another set acquired for a daughter. Great Chef.! Great teacher!-Dick
  3. Please let us know how the product performs and whether you like it or not. It's a new product so there may be a learning curve on both the part of users and the manufacturer. Contacted the manufacturer and currently they cannot tell me where it is manufactured.-Dick
  4. Based on this thread(no pun intended) I just ordered an once from Saffron.com. All my other sources including Penzy's had become too expensive and we have been without for about two years but the eaters have been complaining. Hopefully the quality is good!-Dick
  5. Most of the cheaper Nori now sold is of Chinese manufacture and not exported by Japan to China. I find that even the Korean Nori is inferior to Japanese Nori. Japanese Nori can still be obtained at places like Mitsuwa but you will pay a premium price. I see this happening across the board. I shop frequently at places like Mitsuwa and H-Mart. Not to offend anyone but in order of quality I find its Japanese, Korean and then Chinese for comparable items. But there are some Chinese items for which there is no substitute and quality is usually good.-Dick
  6. Your tenderloin has not been properly trimmed. If purchased cryovaced as a 'PISMO' you will need to removed the 'chain' and the silverskin to make it edible without encountering the gristle that you did. If purchased as smaller pieces, then Krogers did nothing but cut up a 'PISMO' without trimming. Do the butchers at your local Krogers actually do butchering or is the meat they receive already cut and pre-packaged?-Dick
  7. My Viking is about 20 years old now, the grates appear to have sort of coating or finish and they never have displayed any rust. The gates are periodically put in the dishwasher when very dirty with no problems. So to answer your question, see if Viking grates will fit or purchase a Viking.-Dick
  8. "This doesn't hold true in sushi-world, however, where knife cost appears to be a surrogate for penis size." One has to try to understand the cultural significance of Japanese knives and specifically those manufactured for sushi/sashimi. These are more than a tool for a Japanese chef and will stay with the chef for the rest of his career. The making of the blade also has significance for the maker as well as the user. These are not some mass produced blades made by the hundreds of thousands but individual works of knife-making art made to both satisfy an artistic as well as actual need. Consequently the costs are high as the knives are made by single artisans in Japan, even those sold by Japanese supply houses in the US even if sold under a factory designation. I started 30 years ago with a commercial 23cm blade purchased from a Japanese restaurant supply house in Chicago. It was three part blade and still works very well to this day but it is wearing. Japanese chefs order long blades (33cm) because the knife will wear over the course of their career. My next blade was assisted in purchasing by Murray Carter (a significant knife maker in his own right) and came from one of the best if not the best in Japan. It is 27cm and is ebony/ivory with ebony sheath. These knives rarely make it out of Japan and it is a cultural work of art as well as tool. My last knife was 30cm long as my knife skills have become more adroit, from a Japanese knife maker that I meet at the US Knife Shows he attends. Although not as finely finished, it certainly does the job. As for 'knife nuts', I have collected Custom Knives for over 40 years and have a Graduate Metallurgy background. I would peruse the various Knife Forums but be aware that the collecting and technical aspects often cloud the judgements over use of the knives in question. As for "I think that's a load of crap", certainly a judgement that offers no real help to this Thread. As I stated, Wusthof handles are sized appropriate to the blade length and you must determine what you are comfortable with, I'm certain that you will have a few stores within driving distances that will have a few of the brands to try. For carving I have blades from 6" to 12" and my favorite is a 9" carver custom made for me by Bob Dozier. It would be longer but thats about the length of the average heat treating oven these guys use. It is what I call 'scary sharp'. If you want the ultimate in carver, call Bob and ask for a 9" carver made with the 'Large Elk Hunter' handle, its not cataloged. It comes with a Kydex sheath and should be kept in the sheath because Bob's knives 'bite'!-Dick
  9. "What are some of the best brand and models of knives that are currently on the market? " There is NO best brand. All you listed will cut well. You will read all sorts of opinions on Metallurgy, shape and style and that's what they are, opinions. You have to from your own opinion. As suggested find a store where you can at least handle each knife as hands are different as are handles. The handle on a Wusthoff is in relation to the blade size so depending on whether you hand is small or large, that will determine blade length. Your budget will certainly enter into the decision for this and future knives. I like to keep all my knives in a couple of basic families for similar cutting feel. There are some cusotm makers that make blades that are what i call 'scary sharp' but that is not the subject of this Thread. What I would do is stay clear of the mass marketed low cost blades as they usually cut fine out of the box but are a bitch to sharpen. For the record i have complete sets of Wusthof Cordon Bleu and Wusthof Classic with a set of Japanese traditional blades and a number of Customs made for me for individual needs. All in all the Cordon Bleu get the most usage except when I need a shape not manufactured in that line. "What are most professional chefs using in their kitchens?" Chefs are like the rest of us and use what they like. They advertize what they can get paid for.-Dick
  10. Finally settled on a technique for roasting Hatch chile's. I used my convection oven at about 450F, turning at most once until the skins become crackly. Roasting until the skins are black loses the flesh. worked quite well, was controllable and now the 20# are in the freezer. but it is time consuming to de-seed and strip the flesh from the skins!-Dick
  11. Rod Browne has cultivated the Maine 'Day Boat' scallop trade, so named because the boats go out for only a day, sadly as Posted, Maine Regulations require shucking at sea for whatever reason. But Browne Trading does sell Taylor Bay farm raised Bay Scallops in the shell by the bag. You can open them with a butter knife and eat everything. I have have on occasion been able to get live scallops in the shell and usually have cooked the roe as I do with all fish roe. I don't know of a culture which eats the roe raw. I like the prep suggested by one Poster and will try that next time I have some roe of some sort. Of course the most famous roe in the USA is shad roe, a sublime delicacy! BTW the problem with ordering from the source Posted is that Overnight Shipping will easily equal the cost of whatever you are purchasing.-Dick
  12. 20 #'s of Hatch Chile's arrived yesterday by way of UPS 2nd Day from Chile-Express. There are many on-line vendors but this source is from a prominent farmer and although pricey, the Chile's arrived fresh and fast! Roasted a bunch over a Weber yesterday. This was a 'hot' variety and smaller and thinner than a typical Pablano with not as much meat under the skin. Consequently, if the chile was roasted to a dark color, no meat left, one had to get the skin just stiff and then I scraped out the flesh. Very difficult to impossible to skin and keep the Chile whole. Made Quesdilla's with corn tortilas, cheese and Hatch Chile's. These Chile's have a flavor a little like an Habanero and varied from medium hot to hot. Very tasty. Now I have to get more lump charcoal and keep roasting and scraping and then freezing. Quite a treat from the Pablanos we get here that have had the heat bred out of them entirely.-Dick
  13. Salt IS hygroscopic and will draw the moisture out of just about anything that has chemically free water in it. Salts of any kind are desiccants, just look at the Egyptians and their mummies. The theory is all wet.-Dick
  14. "Dick, That's really interesting. Has the case been settled? " Case was settled for monetary penalty and that's why I got a check for about $25. Have not heard anything from the DeBeers settlement which could net me a lot more money for the rock i bought my wife!! Even Engineers have trouble figuring out what the Power Ratings quoted mean! If you try to talk with anyone technical, its' a dead end.-Dick
  15. Whether or not this mixer actually produces 1.3HP, the following Class Action got me money back on my John Deere riding mower and shows that mislabeling of Horse Power is endemic across industries-Dick https://lawnmowerclass.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ERFBh3K68f0%3d&tabid=149&mid=669
  16. Bad decision based on inadequate technical understanding. The USA model needs 60 cycles/sec electric power to operate efficiently and safely. Operation at 50 cycles will cause the mixer to operate slower and depending on how the rpm's are maintained may cause the mixer to draw more current than it was designed for. There is a reason that appliances are designed for the Country in which they are sold and it's the electrical supply system. From Wiki BTW "Unless specified by the manufacturer to operate on both 50 and 60 Hz, appliances may not operate efficiently or even safely if used on anything other than the intended frequency." -Dick
  17. I have a KA Pro Line KSM5, 325 watts, machine shop industrial grey finish, purchased about 20 years ago. Handles everything with no problem, a real tank. We also use it to grind meat frequently since the dog gets an all raw diet in part ground sirloin (lower fat). I would look for a used one on Craigslist or maybe ebay or local. It's pretty easy to tell if it's OK, they either work or they don't. Kitchenaid is NOT the same company as when owned by Hobart. Many of their products are now from off shore. I wouldn't be surprised if the WS KA mixer was assembled in the USA of foreign parts. Even Hobart is sourcing off shore. they have a new lower cost slicer, but it's made in China if you ask, which I did before ordering. Not for me. Companies today are not interested in quality or longevity, they are all under the pressure of the 'Street' to provide maximum earnings without regard to product performance or customer satisfaction.-Dick
  18. So, has anyone ACTUALLY used the 'Pressure Magic' to fry chicken? What were the results? Is it worth the money to purchase a 'Pressure Magic'?-Dick
  19. It's called Broasting and the process and equipment has been around for decades. http://www.broaster.com/fdsvceqp.htm I first encountered Broasted Chicken in Wisconsin which makes sense since the company is in Beloit Wisconsin. The process makes GREAT fried chicken as you theorized but the equipment is too pricey and industrial for the home environment. As you also theorized, attempting to do such a process in equipment not designed for the process would be unsafe at the least.-Dick
  20. I've prepped many a live Geoduck but they are very expensive and I know of only one place to obtain live in the Chicago area. The video is very good for the actual preparation of the clam but we only use lemon as a seasoning for the siphon. Most sushi Chefs I know, with the siphon in two pieces per the video, will then a piece off the siphon for an order and make cuts at parallel to the long orientation of the siphon on the outer surface and about 1/6 of the way through the siphon. The piece is then cut into portions at a right angle to the long orientation of the siphon. A slap on the cutting board and you watch the clam curl indicating its freshness. Sashimi or sushi is just a step away. Oil or any other seasoning really detracts from the clam. The body can be used in chowder or as demonstrated, fried. We use only 'honey' Panko flakes for a better color and taste. "I wonder if it's necessary with the geoducks." Geoducks require no purging. -Dick
  21. "Even at the $6 to 7 per Dozen at the local farmers markets" In Wisconsin the going rate for farmer raised eggs is $2/doz. The farmer I purchase from has them free ranging but this is not Yuppie country and most farmers could care less about organic. I would suggest that you deal directly with a farmer that raises eggs outside of the local farmers market. I have found that many individuals at these type of things are not selling what they personally farm and or products of questionable origin. A little work in sourcing out the local producers should yield lower prices and maybe higher quality.-Dick
  22. I don't believe your technique qualifies as poaching. EOT for me!-Dick
  23. I've never pickled any eggs but egg shells are carbonates and vinegar is an acid. Basic Chemistry will tell that an acid will react with a carbonate and if enough acid, completely dissolve the carbonate.-Dick
  24. The original Post did not specify that the Vermouth would be diluted. I'll stand by my assertion that poaching in Vermouth will not be particularly palatable. Now if highly diluted maybe but even a 50/50 mix of wine to water is too much. I have poached a lot of fish in my life and I always use about a 15% white dry wine mixture.-Dick
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