budrichard

"Any suggestions on using these bones? " Garbage, that's where mine went.-Dick

Who supplies the tenderloin? If the School does, find out if you can cut a whole tenderloin for a classic Chateaubriand and then learn the technique which involves using the head of the tenderloin, fashioning into a large cylinder by wrapping cloth around the meat and using a pounder and then tieing. If you supply the tenderloin, find a source for dry aged USDA Prime which although more costly will help your judges. Good luck.-Dick

Where are you located? The wood that is classically used is Hinoki wood or in the USA it is called Port Orford Cedar. Much of the wood used in Japan is reclaimed and in the US comes from old growth and in fact is shipped to Japan. I installed a 10' sushi bar in my home and had wanted Hinoki wood. The quote from a Japanese Restaurant Supply House in Chicago (Yamasho)was $6000 about 10 years ago but the real problem was that the quote ended up in mm and because of the conversion over that length, the board would have been almost 2" short. It also began to seem ridiculous to me to ship wood to Japan, have it cut and then ship it back to the US! A source of Port Orford Cedar in Oregon could not supply a 10' piece. I tried all resources available on the Internet. I settled on John Boos end grain 4" butcher block counter-tops for my cutting surfaces and the 10' bar piece is John Boos edge grain 1&3/4" maple. So to get a high end piece as you pictured you will have to deal with a Japanese source, for Hinoki wood it will be expensive and then their is the measurement system to contend with. Where is the restaurant pictured? What you want is not simple both monetarily, and culturally.-Dick

"They're still making some knife shapes that aren't made by other manufacturers, and some people like the feel of a heavy German chef's knife." You are certainly correct! Try to find a 13" 'Bone Splitter', Chef knives from 3&1/2" up to 14". All my cutlery including steak knives is Wusthof other than the custom pieces. The range extends to oyster openers, lobster shears, fish shears and a multitude of kitchen tools as well as three versions of the 10" chef and two versions of the 12" chef. No other manufacturer makes such an extensive range. What knife sellers don't tell you is that 1. the handle varies in size with blade at least for Wusthof. Since many of the on-line boutique sellers were started by women or cater to women they rarely have the larger sizes as well as the 'Heavy' versions for a man's hand. This is true of the entire Wusthof line. 2. The cutting ability of the hi-carbon steel used is basically the same throughout the line and its not like picking up a Bob Dozier knife or a Japanese custom Yanagi where any slip or touch of the knife is an instant cut. I did pick up a 12" butcher knife recently from Dexter with Sani handle for breaking down large rounds of sirloin for our dog (80# Australian Labradoodle fed a raw diet). Wusthof did not have a knife that big and the Wusthof Super Slicer we were using required more wrist. First non Wusthof commercial knife I have purchased in a decade.-Dick

Takeda makes a whetstone with a unique handle. http://www.shop.niimi.okayama.jp/kajiya/en/catalog_en/03.pdf It is easy to use. If you encounter Shousui at one of the US Knife shows he attends, you will find him constantly sharpening his blades using this gadget. I have one and its certainly sufficient for the four knives that he has made me.-Dick

My Viking has three racks. For a really big turkey, I have to remove one rack, other wise the three racks handle whatever I want to do. A commercial oven cleaner is then applied to the racks every few years or so in the garage . The sides of the Viking are removable so all cleaning is done exterior to the actual oven.-Dick

I've just about had them all, from the supposedly 'Heritage' turkeys which I believe are just usually just Broad Breasted Bronze a commercial variety that looks like a wild turkey to the white ones, Broad Breasted White and on to wild turkeys that I have shot myself. We have a local grower that I have purchased a fresh bird a few days before thanksgiving for many years. This year he was sold out and my turkey is a 'White' butchered on last Monday. The wild turkey in Wisconsin mainly feeds on acorns and has a little more of the flavor I usually associate with squirrels, I rate them very good but because I usually shoot them well before Thanksgiving, I break them down in more manageable parts and therefore have not cooked one whole. I find no difference between the bronze and the white varieties. Where I do find the difference is between one that has been in the pipeline for a month or two and one that is slaughtered a few days before cooking. All the 'heritage' turkeys that I have found readily available are sold frozen and I just don't purchase my turkeys frozen. Those turkeys that are basted in a chemical cocktial are of course not even considered I don't know what you mean about a turkey sold as "with no anitbiotics" as 'natural'. I thought that if commercially produced some sort of antibiotic is used? All the rest is hype to me. -Dick

In fit of stupidity, i purchased one of these hams at Whole Foods a few years ago. Nothing special and a lot of trouble to travel to a Whole Foods that had the ham and then to find a place to park on top of the store in Evansten Illinois. Mail order from Nueske's is far simpler and much much better. Don't forget to try the bacon, it's also the best I have found.-Dick

I'm no fan of 'molecular gastronomy' and haven't and don't intend to eat at elBulli, have none of the collector books published by Ferran http://www.amazon.com/Ferran-Inside-Story-Bulli-Reinvented/dp/159240572X but did find this work at my local library and skimmed the book. Certainly if you are a fan of this sort of thing and Ferran, it would be a worthwhile read of the history behind the man and the restaurant as the book is well done and extensive. I read that the European version had pictures. Anyway I learned as much as I wanted to know additionally about Ferran and it was a nice addition to the material one sees on shows by Bourdain and others.-Dick

As an update. Yesterday stopped at the Former Sam's Wine on Marcy St, now Binney's and there was Fred Rosen greeting customers as he has for decades past. The display and layout of the store is changed to provide shelving to about the 5 foot level and a clear view of the store from one end to the other. There were many wines and wine sizes that are still available that one doesn't readily find at other stores such as many Magnums and double Magnum of various Champagnes. But if I had to make an educated guess from just the display changes alone, the wine selection is not what it once was but certainly just about the best i know of in the Mid West. It was pleasure to talk with Fred again and reminisce about old times. Fred of course was wearing a Binney's shirt!-Dick BTW the Sam's store in Highland park opened a few years ago is now defunct as with a Binney's store already about two miles away, it was not needed. I'm not sure what Binney's exactly got out of the deal other than the Marcy St location and elimination of the competition?

For a brine cured (City Ham) Nueske's is one of the best and in my mind the best of the lot. It's readily available and not a boutique item. It's all we order. Now a country ham is another matter.-Dick

Many many years ago we used to have Nouveau Beaujolais but for decades the stuff is has been just junk. So now we usually have a few bottles of a sparkler such as Cordon Negro and a French Rose which are certainly within your price point. Of course a 5l can of beer is also available!-Dick

As a hunter, I have no problems with pics that do not show cruelty. As a long time processor of large game a few tips. A gambrel rack used for deer will spread the rear legs of the carcass apart making for easier skinning. Sharp, not your kitchen variety of blades may have avoided your finger slice. The initial slice between the skin and membrane that holds the body cavity together requires a very sharp knife to perform correctly and not puncture the cavity membrane or your finger. Bob Dozier makes the best knives at the best prices i know of for these purposes. i have a set of three, the first used for gutting operations is a small sharp blade, then we use a Master Skinner and Large Elk Hunter to skin and debone. A Wusthof large bone saw completes the equipment. A 'Zip Saw' is a welcome addition to getting through the pelvic bone and once in place, is almost instantaneous. Nice Post.-Dick

These simple dial thermometers are probably not more than +- 20F degrees in accuracy anyway. Put in boiling water and adjust to 204. It should be okay for the upper range of meat and chicken. What is more important is repeatability of the reading. If you demand precision than decide on what precision you want and then read the manufacturers specifications on accuracy and repeatability. The more precision you want the more you pay.-Dick

If this is what you used http://www.govinowine.com/press.html then it is merely an affectation designed to stand out and sell stemware. As you drink more it might make holding onto your glass easier!-Dick

Lobster internals decay quite rapidly after death, hence the reason that 'sleepers' and 'stiffs' are not sold by reputable fish mongers. Indeed even with the removal of internals and meat, within 24 hours you get the ammonia odor of decay from shells. Hence the reason you can't find shells for sale.-Dick

The NakedWiz is a good site but you have to look at the dates of the review. Example: NatureGlo which is Royal Oaks Food Service brand was tested in 2004 and had no scrap. Current NatureGlo I got had scrap lumber, its the method De Jour and as long as it costs less than real lump and people purchase it, we are less and less likely to be able to purchase real lump at a reasonable price. I use about 4 40# bags per season so the 'boutique' lump products are not an option, yet.-Dick

"I want nice crispy fat and medium-rare meat. " A wild mallard will not have fat layer underneath the skin as a domestic duck so break down the mallard and cook as I suggested. The skin on the breast can be crispy and the rest medium rare, in this case I would not rest but serve hot as one does with venison. Wild mallard can be cooked whole and in this case I would bard the duck and roast until the breast is medium rare, deboning immediately off the heat to stop the cooking process, the leg/thighs will be a little tough but certainly edible. I whole cooked wild mallards for many many years but now only break down and serve as I indicated. Good luck.-Dick

Cowboy is as correctly Posted made from lumber mill tailings or scrap. Even the much vaunted Royal Oak lump and their Food Service brand is now made from scrap lumber but it is still much better than briquettes which have at best binders and at worse petroleum products. We use Royal Oak lump to get started and smoke with lump hickory wood and more and more grill with the lump hickory wood.-Dick

Do you have wild mallards that have been shot or pen raised mallards fattened on corn? Wild mallards have no fat compared to a domestic duck and I have found that they are best cooked broken down. The breasts lightly sauteed, rested and served medium rare to rare, the leg/thighs are best slow cooked and i like a sour cream medium. The carcass can be used to make stock for a sauce. Pen raised and fattened on corn can be cooked whole roasted but should be removed from the oven so with resting will yield a rare to medium rare breast.-Dick

A Forshner or Dexter stamped blade with a Sani one piece handle is all you require and will work as good as anything out there, and be dishwasher safe. We cut up and grind large sirloin rounds of beef for my dog who gets an all raw diet. I recently purchased a 12" butcher Dexter stamped blade with white Sani handle to reduce the wrist strain. Works very well.-Dick

I always skin my salmon for dry curing, kind of makes sense if you want the salt to penetrate from both sides. I don't find any problem with slicing but then again i use a Wusthof 12" Salmon slicer with kullens.-Dick

I have had one of these machines for many years since they were first offered. It looks like a Hobart machine and is truly professional quality made in the USA unlike the other Pro-Line appliances. I would first contact Kitchenaid and then Hobart. -Dick

Last year we made a trial batch of jalapeno/habanero hot sauce aged in a 5 liter Harsch crock. The aging/fermentation gives the sauce a character akin to McIlhenny's which has Tabasco peppers aged in wooden casks. My son-in-law designed the label, I purchased the woozies, fitments, caps and shrink wrap and we bottled. This year I had my local farmer plant additional jalapenos, habaneros and Tabasco peppers for me. I picked the 8 Tabasco plants about every week to get enough for the 5l crock and the plants are still producing. The jalapeno crop was very good but the habanero crop is great and much more than I could use. This year, the 20 liter Harsch crock has the jalapeno/habanero mix and the 5 liter has Tabasco pepper mash. I'm about one month into the aging process, only time will tell. Last years batch has been judged very hot and tasty by my Mexican friends!-Dick

No it does not, as the energy is not imparted to the rib roast but simply turns into energy of rotation which dissipates as friction where the spit rotates on it bearing surfaces.-Dick