HKDave

Adding a panade (aka panada) - that's milk-soaked bread - is an old-school, but effective, way to keep ground meat juicy without adding fat, and you're on the right track with what you did on the meatballs. Cook's Illustrated came to a similar conclusion on the best way to keep well-done burgers juicy, which is a variation on the same problem - in a well-done burger all the fat gets cooked out. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipe.asp...=3883&bdc=46596

For pan steaks, I like old-skool Steak Diane. After removing the steaks, fry shallots+butter in the same pan, deglaze w/cognac, add Dijon mustard, cream and demi, season. Fries are key to soak up extra sauce. And a cardiologist is also useful. For grilled steaks, I like a little knob of compound butter. My current fave is Stilton/shallot/rosemary. Don't put cold butter on a steak; it won't melt nicely.

I usually do a remouillage after I've poured off the first stock. Remi yields a cloudier, weaker stock, but it's still useful for cooking, especially if reduced. Figure you'll get roughly 1/3 the usable amount of remi as you did the original stock, so this is not worth doing if you only made a small batch. After you drain the bones for the first stock, add cold water just to cover and a fresh bouquet garni. It usually takes only a couple of hours simmering to extract all the flavour you're going to get in a remi; simmering for 12 hours doesn't seem to improve it and it actually seems to reduce the flavour; don't ask me why. I then reduce it until I get something with a decent amount of flavour.

It's weirder than that... Grizzly will ship to other countries. Sometimes. But not Canada. They agreed to ship a stuffer to me in Hong Kong, but then backed out when they saw I had a non-US credit card. I ended up getting a friend to buy the stuffer for me in the US. Interestingly, all these cheapy stuffers, and most of Grizzly's and N. Tool's grinders, are made by the same company, in Taiwan. However, that company doesn't sell retail. I really like my Grizzly stuffer. It's good value, easy to use and clean, and makes far better sausage than screw stuffers. And the vertical piston design doesn't have to be clamped to a table. These are not as well made as a F. Dick or Sirman; the gears are resin instead of stainless steel, and mine is obviously going to fail first at the point where the steel handle - very loosely - screws onto the resin driveshaft. But the cheapest F. Dick is about $450, and this is $75 including shipping. For lubing the o-ring, don't waste time searching for special food-grade lubes at restaurant supply stores. Food-grade lube = pharmaceutical grade petroleum jelly = Vaseline (or the unbranded equivalent), available at any drugstore. In the USA, it should say 'petroleum jelly USP' on the label, and have no other ingredients. You don't want scented or medicated or anything, just plain Vaseline.

Scott, my apologies if you were offended; the reason I didn't quote you by name is that your quote was on a previous page when I was posting, and I couldn't figure out how to scroll back to see your name (and I don't know how to do the multiple quotes thing). No rudeness intended; you're reading a negative tone into my post that I assure you isn't there. Regarding the quote from Bone Appetit (which I will read, thanks for the recommendation), every C. perfringens outbreak I've read about was related to improper cooling/holding, usually of big roasts, rather than prolonged storage of liquids at fridge temperatures followed by full re-heating. Here's the most similar case I could find, this from the US FDA's 'Bad Bug Book': "In November, 1985, a large outbreak of C. perfringens gastroenteritis occurred among factory workers in Connecticut. Forty-four percent of the 1,362 employees were affected. Four main-course foods served at an employee banquet were associated with illness, but gravy was implicated by stratified analysis. The gravy had been prepared 12-24 hours before serving, had been improperly cooled, and was reheated shortly before serving. The longer the reheating period, the less likely the gravy was to cause illness." (italics mine) This shows that properly reheating liquid does kill this bacteria, even in an extreme situation where the product wasn't cooled fast enough and the bacteria multiplied to dangerous levels - something that's not the case in my kitchen. Labensky's 'On Cooking' textbook also says C. p. can be prevented by re-heating to 74c or higher. So while I don't wish to dispute Wolke on C.p. possibly being able to survive boiling, from a practical as well as historical standpoint, re-boiling does seem to work.

I have a big stockpot. It takes almost the same amount of my time to make a big or small batch; a big batch just has to sit on the stove longer to reduce which doesn't require additional effort on my part. Two cups lasts me a long time, too; that's the whole point. I'm not going to make demi every couple of weeks. Re the other poster's comment that re-boiling to extend the fridge life of stock/demi is a myth, well, it works in the real world.

I freeze demi in sealed 2-cup containers. I've tried the ice cube thing but, maybe because of the increased surface area, found the demi seemed to pick up other flavours after a while, even though I double-wrapped the cubes. Once thawed and in the fridge, every couple of weeks I re-heat any unused demi and place it in a clean sealed container. It'll keep in the fridge for a very long time this way.

I prefer to cook on the bone and carve after, especially if I'm presenting the whole roast; it looks so good on the bone. It's not hard to carve the bones off after cooking; just use a long knife, smooth strokes, and follow the inside curve of the ribs. Don't forget to retrieve the intercostal meat from between the ribs. It's very good. The roast surface will dry in a few hours in the fridge. Overnight won't hurt. I'm not sure about the scientific basis for doing this for a big roast, but I like to do it. It certainly does help if you're pan-searing (less water near the surface = less splatter and better sear) and it's also a good thing to do if you're using vacuum-bagged meat (to get rid of the funky smell from the anaerobic bacteria in the bag). At home I let the roast sit out for an hour or so before it goes in the oven. In restaurants this isn't usually allowed and there's no space, so they usually go straight in the oven from the fridge. I suspect Marlene may be right about there being little benefit to oven-searing on a big roast, but my feeling is that it doesn't hurt. If nothing else, it helps the oven maintain temperature at the start when the big cold roast slides in.

See post #96, above. If not clear, just give me a PM.

...what I've found in general from limited experience is that if you cook something in the oven for a long time (like a roast) - you don't need to do a separate sear. With something you cook for a short time (like a pork tenderloin - which I'll be doing on Christmas) - you have to do a separate sear. ... So perhaps some expert cooks/chefs here can share their "searing guidelines" with us. And maybe some tips about how to avoid all that "grease spatter" (I have a couple of those "grease spatter" things to put on top of the pans - but they're not very effective when you're trying to sear all sides of something shaped like a pork tenderloin (you have to hold the tenderloin up vertically to sear the ends). Certainly wouldn't be effective with something big like a rib roast. Even with relatively flat chicken pieces - when you go to turn them - they get you! Robyn ← I like oven-sear-at-the-start (OSATS) for larger roasts. I haven't had Shalmanse's issue with the roast being too watery to get a good crust at the start, possibly because I'm using different (non-US) meat or maybe because I usually let meat dry out unwrapped in the fridge for a while before cooking. I like OSATS better than oven-sear-at-the-end because there's no danger of overcooking, plus once you've got the outside of the roast seared you have less bacteria to worry about, which is a benefit if you're going ultra low temp. I'm not into the low temp thing; I don't like to tie up an oven for any longer than I need to and I haven't found low-and-slow to be of much benefit vs traditional temperatures for a good rib or sirloin roast. All things being equal, I go for the solution that gives me the faster result. For smaller roasts, pan-searing usually is the best way to go, plus it gives you a starting point for a pan sauce. At home I use a big high-sided cast iron fry pan that reduces the splatter, but there's always going to be a little mess. Patting dry and/or letting the meat dry unwrapped in the fridge first also reduces splatter. Do you need to sear at all? Yes, there is a benefit, even with big roasts that would be in the oven long enough to get some crust without oven sear. That Maillard reaction crust is a huge portion of the flavour and aroma of roast beast, and usually the more (within reason), the better.

Nope, I use convection all the way; 'convention' was a typo. What I mean is to start the roast as high as the oven will go for 20 min to get the sear, then drop down to 325f, both on dry convection. I say 'dry' because I use a combi oven (which can cook with dry heat and/or steam) but in this case I'm just using it as a straight convection oven without any steam, so it's on the dry setting. I can't think of any benefit in using non-convection for a roast. Conventional ovens work fine but take longer, so I use convection whenever possible.

In the US, the most similar regular cut would be the bone-in strip loin (or top loin; same thing) roast, but in the US this cut almost always has the fillet removed. If you want this with the fillet on, you'll have to order it a few days ahead from your butcher. If she doesn't know what you're talking about, tell her you want 'a bone-in roast made from that big chunk of meat you cut Porterhouse steaks from, with the meat on both the strip and fillet sides of the t-bone, and some fat left on top'. Good luck. This should cost slightly less per pound than Porterhouse steak.

I'm talking about a standing rib roast. If there's any prime meat sold where I live - I haven't found it yet. Best rib roasts here are in Fresh Market - although the more expensive "aged" beef it sells isn't necessarily better than the cheaper stuff it also sells. I just eyeball the roasts - and look for one with decent marbling - no matter what the label says. ... ← This Prime grade vs prime rib thing comes up once a year in this forum. Prime grade is the top gov't grade of beef in Canada and the US, and you'll rarely see it at retail. It accounts for only an extremely tiny portion of the slaughter and a lot of it is exported. If I see anything being sold at retail as Prime grade, I'm suspicious. To quote robyn's words of wisdom above, "I just eyeball the roasts - and look for one with decent marbling - no matter what the label says." Exactly; that's all you need to know about meat grading right there. Once your butcher knows you and knows that you know how to buy meat, you'll find that if you ask there's usually some good stuff around - maybe not in the display case... The 'prime rib' thing is more complicated. A whole bone-in rib primal roast consists of 7 of the 12 rib bones, and is around 15-20 pounds. 'Prime' rib (no relation to Prime grade) traditionally refers to a smaller bone-in rib roast cut from the 4 or 5 ribs at the loin (smaller diameter, more tender, better marbled) end of the rib primal, while 'standing' rib refers to a roast cut from the 2-3 ribs at the shoulder/chuck (bigger diameter, less tender, less marbled) end. This name difference was a gov't requirement in Canada, although that's now under review and may soon change. In the US these are sometimes called 'small end rib roast' and 'large end rib roast' respectively, which eliminates the confusion with Prime grade. Bottom line is if I see 'prime rib' I make sure I'm getting loin-end (small-end) ribs, not chuck-end ribs. On the slow vs fast cooking methods and combi vs dry heat and regular vs convection, I've tried various methods and now am back to where I started: - I always unwrap and dry the roast in the fridge for several hours or overnight. - for big roasts, 20 min blast of dry convection as hot as the oven can go and then cook at around 325f dry convention until I get the internal temp I want, which varies with the size of the roast and the holding time; - for small roasts (1-2 ribs) I sear in cast iron instead of blasting in the oven, then continue as above. - rest at least 1/2 hour for big roasts; 10-15min for small. Re home dry aging, I've tried variations on the Alton Brown method. For home use, it's not a bad method and you certainly can taste the difference; but these days people are so unused to the taste of dry aged beef that it's almost a waste of time.

If you can mix milk and meat, you could use beef bacon. Otherwise you could use a smoked cheese or Spice Islands smoked salt or even a drop of Wright's liquid smoke to get a similar taste without any meat.

I've kept them for years without any noticeable change in flavour. But I have had some get tiny bugs which, while unnoticeable when cooked, can spread throughout the cupboard, so make sure they stay in a sealed jar.

If you've got convection (I do) the time and temp for 1 or 2 birds is pretty much the same. I doubt that it would make much of a difference even in a conventional oven. The thermal mass of the birds is a factor, but it isn't a significant one. If it was, your oven would never cycle off and on during cooking, but you'll notice it always does; this indicates the oven isn't having a problem maintaining cooking temperature despite the cold mass. Cooking time is more a matter of how long it takes for heat to penetrate a given thickness of product. By putting two birds in, you aren't affecting the thickness of the product; two birds still have the same thickness of flesh as one (assuming they're not touching and are not so close together that they prevent the hot air from circulating). There won't be a dramatic difference in cooking time.

Classic poutine gravy is roux-thickened chicken/onion stock with lots of black pepper. The most popular commercial stuff (St Hubert) tastes similar but is actually vegetarian. No, I don't think so. The sauce Picard uses on the foie poutine is pork stock, egg yolk, and cream with some foie melted in (as reported here: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/26/internat...artner=USERLAND Thread here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=41627 I don't have his cookbook but with this info it shouldn't be difficult to make the sauce. Reduce the pork stock (I'm assuming he doesn't use a roux, but I could be wrong), temper and then whisk in yolks, melt in the foie, correct seasoning and finish with a little cream.

Balls contain "liquid of some type" that can splatter. I wonder what that liquid could be?

Jaccard, named after the inventor, Andre Jaccard. This equipment has been around for about 40 years. Website for the original: http://www.jaccard.com/ There are several copys (Oxo, Deni, Mr Bar-B-Q for the hand-held, Tor-rey and Hobart for the commercial machines) now. You can see how it works by looking at the hand-held versions. It's used mostly on cheap/lean steaks, and works by cutting some of the muscle fibres before cooking, making the meat easier to chew. A side benefit is that the meat picks up marinade faster. Downside - to me, anyway - is that in the mouth, jaccard meat can feel unpleasantly pre-chewed; plus jaccard meat should be cooked well-done. This is because, as with hamburger, you've potentially spread whatever bacteria was on the outside throughout the middle. If you've ever had restaurant chicken fried steak, that's almost always jaccard beef, and that's probably the only place where I like it. I suppose it's also useful in places like hospitals, airline catering and prisons - places where any meat used has to be a) cheap, b) well-done and c) cuttable/chewable by the diner without a sharp knife being involved. I've heard of jaccard used on calamari but never tried it (nor wanted to).

The whitish bloom should go away as soon as the oil gets back to room temperature. If not, chuck it. Otherwise, sniff it; if it's rancid, you'll know. I'd be tempted to use it for cooking rather than raw, just to be sure.

Many places. http://www.dansko.com/Shop_Finder/RetailLocator.aspx House of Clogs had a decent selection last time I looked.

What you're talking about is making consomme, and you'll find answers to all your questions in the eGCI course here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=26540

If you've made a great meaty stock, there will be some flavour in those solids even if they don't taste like much. Instead of trying to press them out, a better approach to extract the remaining flavour is to make a remi (remouillage). That's taking the solids, adding a new bouquet garni and some water, and firing them again. Usually you use less water and less cooking time than you did the first time. This second stock will be cloudy and won't be as tasty as the first (you can reduce it to partially compensate for this), but it's still very usable. And you won't have made your first stock cloudy from pressing. But if your first stock was wimpy, don't bother with a remi. You've already extracted all there is.

No need to make a pate... you could just put a dab of cream cheese and a little slice of smoked salmon, garnish with a little sprig of dill and/or a micro-slice of lemon... I might deep-fry the spuds rather than roast; crisper, faster. Could also get cute: punch a hole in the centre of the spud slices so they look bagel-ish; that way you can do them as sandwiches but still see the salmon through the top.

Hmmm. You've got the recipe right; Henderson really does use 400g sugar and 600g salt for 4 litres of water as his standard brine. And his brine time for this recipe is 3 days. For someone who loves this recipe as is, check out the goingwholehog blog here, complete with photos: http://goingwholehog.blogspot.com/2006_01_...og_archive.html (scroll down to Jan 9 2006) For someone who thinks that the same recipe is too salty, check here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=953432 So my guess is this may be a matter of taste. Other possibilities: Henderson may be serving small/thin cut potions, which can be very salty (think bacon or prosciutto) but acceptable, or else he may be starting with a thicker belly that can withstand a longer soak. For the future, you could use a weaker brine per Paul's suggestion above; or alternatively keep the brine as per the recipe, but reduce the soak time to taste. After a day in the brine, cut a piece off, fry it and taste it. If it's salty enough for you, pull it out of the brine; if not, leave it in and taste again on Day 2. It doesn't sound like you'll need Day 3.