jayt90

You may have a preference for hydrolyzed soy, which is not used in most naturally fermented products like Kikkoman. I believe it allows a freshly made batch to be sold immediately without aging.

A medium Ziploc freezer bag is fine under 250 F oven temperature. I did 2 lb of haddock fillets and mornay sauce in 2 sealed bags earlier this week. I removed most air with a straw. They were weighted down in a water bath preheated to 131 F and placed in a convection oven for 1 hour set at 135 F. The result was good although the sauce thin but nicely flavored. I would do this again for seafood, vegetables, or lighter meats like veal, lamb breast, or chicken.

I'm not going to disagree with Chris or rotuts without a thorough search, but I have to wonder why USDA and other authorities, including public health inspectors, suggest a 140 F minimum?

Two hours at 131 F allow time for pathogens to grow, rather than die. I don't understand how the rules can change just because it is sous vide.

If the 135 F eggs made you sick, then the temperature was too low, in the danger zone as defined by USDA.

I don't. Too expensive for the large apparatus and it demands more planning than I am up for. However I like the idea of preparing some soft foods sv, such as salmon. I may try with a canning jar and my counter top oven, as in this description http://modernistcuisine.com/2013/01/why-cook-sous-vide/ Those of us who are closeted non sv'rs can still use Dutch ovens, braziers, tagines, pc's, and bamboo steamers to cope with collagen, fibres and sinew.

I would like to fine tune my green coffee bean roasting technique. For several years I have used a Cafe Rosto, which supplies a constant hot air stream to 5 - 6 oz of beans, and they finish in 5 - 7 minutes, full city, just when the smoke alarm goes on for a minute or two. This seems to be good for drip coffee; (I like rich chocolatey South or Central American beans.) I picked up a Whirly-Pop stove top device, because it will do 8 oz at once, over a gas flame, and gives me much more control over heating/cooling. I need to fine tune this application. Does anyone have practical experience, or references to coffee roasting profiles? TIA, James

Two recent wine openings, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2013, a very nice ,low priced but crisp, well made wine. Displays the varietal well. No flaws. May hold for a few years. Cline Zinfandel Bridgehead vineyard 1996. Peppery and spicy, still holding well, with medium fruit. I'm glad I kept this one, though it wasn't meant for keeping more than 10 years.

My Baratza Virtuoso failed after 6 years of daily use, and it was worthwhile to have it serviced for $100 including shipping two ways. While it was gone, I used a Zassenhaus manual grinder, but that was too much bleary eyed morning effort, so I tried the VitaMix, and it worked splendidly. Despite the extreme power of 4 blades, the coffee was not overheated. It takes 11 seconds for drip, and 14 seconds for espresso. The bowl becomes slightly opaque, but no matter, everything in my kitchen looks well used. V-M will be my spare grinder forever!

Lots of great looking comfort food today, noodles, etouffee, shanks, pork belly, pork tenderloin, fishes... I coped with a blizzard outside by separating a smoked picnic shoulder into soup bone, roast and fat cap. The fat cap was just right as a comforting dinner .

I changed from electric to gas a few years ago, and would never go back. I like to heat a pan on low, leaving it for at least 5 minutes before using. One old habit I had to overcome was using a spatula , or other stir device and placing it beside the pan. It will scorch or even burn from side heat, which never happens with electric. If your broiler is on the bottom, it will be useless for critical broiling unless you are down on the floor. A counter top electric broiler/convection oven may be needed for finishing some dishes. You'll soon appreciate the vent heat at the back for warming plates or keeping food hot .

I grow most of mine, mostly for French or Italian recipes. In winter, I buy dried Greek oregano, bay leaves, and an Italian seasoning from Costco. Winter window containers support basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley and chives. In January these really come alive. I grow all on your list except bay and lovage. The latter is much like celery, and I substitute celery heart as needed. I'm not fond of borage, with a cucumber taste, but the flowers are abundant and pretty, and bees are attracted. If you attempt to grow tarragon, buy a French tarragon plant. Russian tarragon grows well from seed but has no flavor. I am going to grow two rows of fennel so I can harvest some fennel pollen this year. Lavender should be on your list if you want to mix up herbes de Provence. Chervil, too. If you grow mint, use a container, or it will spread wildly in the garden. Sorrel and tarragon grow best in spring or fall; summer is rough on them. Fresh thyme is very tender and perfumed when it is growing well. More mature thyme is stronger and woody. Horseradish is another possibility. I tried wasabi once but it died when transplanted. Otherwise most herbs and plants here are easy to grow in good soil with lots of light.

You're right, the Chinese cleaver is its own category. And I know people who don't use anything else, even when they're making meat loaf. I'm sure I've left out whole cultures. Someone's going to mention the Italian Mezzaluna, and I have no idea what's traditional in Iran or Thailand. Maybe I should have left out the traditional Japanese knives, and just focussed on families of knives made in European-derived shapes for Western cooking. I went through a lot of Sabatier and Japanese knives until I found CCK cleavers and slicers from Hong Kong. Most of them less than $50 in the CCK Toronto store. http://www.chanchikee.com/ChineseKnives.html

That's right, on a rack. It reminds me (in my mind) of experiencing dry steam in a Russian steam bath.

I used a pressure cooker to soften the skin on a pork shoulder roast. This took 30 minutes of dry steam heat to soften the skin but leave the roast rare at center. , 13 psi.. .... . The roast was finished in 450 F convection oven for 30 minutes. Result: succulent crispy skin and juicy pork inside.

Best pork skin I have had was at Ho Ho in north Toronto. Crispy, succulent, and soft. In this thread it is either too soft or too tough. I see only two ways to get it soft and crispy: Sous vide plus broiling or Pressure cooker plus broiling. Here is the Ho Ho method, which I have failed to duplicate at home. http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2009/08/ho-ho-bbq. They do several sides of pork every day. It is not just pork belly, but it is all good.

I'm confused about using the PC for the "low & slow" things. Since the PC brings up the pressure & therefore the temp... Of course, I know it works for stocks... But I'm confused. ?? The PC is like "Low & Slow" on speed. It's the steam penetration that allows quick cooking without overcooking. A crock pot roast left on simmer will come to a slow boil, or 200 F by the end of the day. A PC will reach 225 F - 250 F , much faster, and with steam. The collagen and fat will break down, and the protein or flesh in the meat will finish just-in-time without becoming stringy. Some baked beans done low and slow never come around, but will cook quickly in pressured steam heat above 212 F. Carbohydrates and vegetables generally react well to fast pressured steam. You can do green vegetables quickly, and preserve the emerald color with an ice bath.. Hard boiled eggs react to the PC by separating the membrane from the white, hence, easy to peel. In my kitchen the PC is the anti-sous-vide, cost effective, time saving, and flavorful.

OK, I am now up to date with this. 10 years ago there were extensive warnings, although I never knew anyone who got sick. If freezing tomatoes is OK, why would anyone go to the trouble of canning? Millions of families do this every autumn.

I think you might have confused the directives for canning and freezing. Easily done. Home canning of tomatoes can be an issue if there is not enough acidity but as far as I know they can be frozen without risk of botulism. www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/.../09341.ht... Freezing is a safe, easy alternative to home canning. Frozen tomatoes and tomato products do not need added acid. Not confused. Many people freeze trays of sliced tomatoes or whole tomatoes and have lived to tell us it is OK. The expert university sites I have seen say it is dangerous. At the very least it is controversial.

That's nonsense!!! Reference??? I keep my ketchup out without refrigeration for months. dcarch It's safe because of the vinegar and sugar and HFCS content.

As I recall, The USDA canning site warns against freezing fresh tomatoes, because there is not enough acid to prevent botulism. Surely garlic would need more acid before freezing. I wouldn't mess with this, until I learned more about it from the USDA or university canning sites.

My breakfast before tackling the latest snow. Farmgate eggs and home cured pork belly,

A not too large pork belly like yours should respond well to pressure cooking 1 hour or less. The collagen, fat, and skin will soften and the meat will not overcook, as it is subjected to 240 F steam heat similar to enclosed oven heat for an hour. Finishing by deep frying should crisp the skin. (I rarely deep fry).

Well, you can't have everything. The dish stands alone on its merits.