Daniel

Uh, I have an embarrassing question, how the hell am I supposed to get the water out of this thing? ETA: Never mind, I just used a large plastic quart container and then dried it with a few paper towels..

Nobu is better then http://www.inagiku.com/ at tempura?

Yeh, I am pretty happy with the PolyScience machine... I purchased it through JB Prince.. I have yet to do the beans but, last night I made something.. Cooked a duck breast, lamb chops and some milk fed baby goat riblets.. The duck breast was salt and pepper.. The chops were done with garlic, butter, salt and pepper. The riblets with Cajun Mustard. They were all cooked for about 10 hours at 120 degrees F.. I seared them all before serving along side roasted radishes,parsnips, shallots, and garlic with cubed duck skin throw in at the end.. I was very happy with the lamb and not so happy with the duck.. I only cooked duck twice but, nothing has come close to pan searing a duck breast and finishing in the oven yet.. I would love to hear someone's favorite way to sous vide a duck breast. Making duck legs confit is something I am so looking forward to..

Salmon cooked to finish at 113 F.. Simple salmon added truffle butter, salt and pepper.. It was really well cooked.. Had properties of both raw and cooked.. Had a really nice flake to it.. Bite: It was super moist and flavorfull.. I put it in the fridge and enjoyed it cold as well..

So here is the sous vide machine: Bagged with an ounce of chocolate, some cinanmmon sticks, star anise, maple sugar, and a couple of other things.. Love the even cooking and I guess by a lot of people's preference, this would be ideal.. However, I am looking for a more rare finish.. Sliced and eventually I added the sauce back..

Just for my purpose with the beans.. I have to cook a bunch of things and to have one less thing that needs a burner or the oven would be a great help.. But obviously the finished product is the most important thing..

Well first attempt came out ok.. The meat was just slighty over cooked and I thought dry.. The meat was a medium dark pink and cooked so evenly..(have photos later) However, I was looking for a more meaty medium rare..My girl felt it was better then I thought.. We had it going for about 12 hours at 130. I might want to drop the temp to 122 and see the results. I put a little chocolate in the sous vide bag.. I dont think it dried the meat out.. It did make a wonderful sauce..

I dont know if this has been discussed but, what about a pork and beans sous vide.. Using pork stock, presoaked or not beans, either smoked ham hock, fresh foot, maybe some duck skin, or some double smoked bacon chunks.. A little grade b Maple or brown sugar, or molasses added. Maybe take the pork pieces out afterward and crisp or just remove and eat later.. I was thinking regular beans but now am thinking gigantes..

Great thread and thanks for everything, especially Mr. Nathan.. Just got the Polyscience big boy a month ago.. Have been playing around alot.. Have a couple of duck breasts in now with different things from chocolate to maple sugar and anise, juniper berry and things.. Cooking at 54.4 C since 2 am last night. Looking forward to eating them tonight.. Just wanted to say what a wonderful, informative, cool thread this is..

I would say a fun thing to do would be to drive to Montreal or Philly for the weekend.. Thats what I would be doing if I wasnt working.. Priceline some rooms and try that.. Might be out of your price range but a drive somewhere would be cool.. I have spent New Years in Vermont too and thats always a fun spot with young peoples. But really its one night, with little importance to me certainly.. Just treat it like a normal night and you will have a fun time and more money. P.S I wish I we had space for you in the kitchen.. It would be great to have you there.

Might as well use throw some tarragon, carrots, tomatoes,and leeks into a pot with the shells and make some lobster stock..

Thanks Bryan..

Just received a nice mention on Grub Street... http://nymag.com/daily/food/

Ottomanelli's is my butcher in the village.. You call them up, they get you anything... But then again, any good butcher should.

You just need to have salt water, fresh water kills them. That chart I linked to has suggestions.

Yeh, they kind of suck..

I say your fine. You are basically taking something from the fridge and heating it up in the hot pot.. I dont see the danger at all.

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/livestor3.pdf If anyone in your family is into science and construction you can build your own lobster tank.. But I might do this if you are really into having lobsters.. A: Try to find a place that sells lobsters locally.. B: Try to find another place that will ship lobsters on Saturday. Then you can try and keep them till Monday.. C: Try to find a place that rents lobster tanks.. D: Try to find a place that sells old and used lobster tanks. E: Get Frozen lobster tails.. Good luck.. I have had bad luck trying to keep lobsters alive for long periods of time.. You have to think they are already going to be coming from a stressful situation in the mail.. Two days is a long time to keep them alive minus a tank.

Um....why is your own company and food so uninteresting that you are 'forced' to watch other tables? How was it accomplished ? I've been 'forced' to hear other tables, in that they were so loud that our conversation was difficult to sustain in comparison. But forced to watch others eat.... never once in 40+ years of eating out at restaurants of many different caliber has this been done to me. Its fascinating to contemplate. ← I doubt pikawicca was suggesting that there was physical or mental coercion involved. Rather, it is more likely that we turn to look at whatever is making a disturbance in a restaurant the same way we can't avoid looking at a wreck in the other lanes of the interstate when we should be paying attention to what is happening in ours. ← Pikawicca has me to believe that the very sight of a child is disturbing regardless if they are well behaved or not.. That certainly is my impression.. But then feels a teenager is ok.. Is that what you are saying Pikawicca? So regardless of the childs actions, they still shouldnt be there..

Looks great.. Hey your in France what about a Croissant bread pudding?

I would rather see a 5 year old then a pimply faced smart ass teenager.. But I see what you are saying.. We are talking romantic quiet dining? But most of the fine dining restaurants in that level have enough space that as long as they arent loud or crying, they shouldnt be an issue.. We roll with a 7 year old to almost every place in New York and she is more into places then we are in some cases.. At 7 she already has an appreciation for food.. From helping me roast goats and cook pig heads, to asking for duck hearts for dinner on her birthday, she is into food.. But I would not think of taking her to a romantic fine dining place, or a teenager.. But a place thats loud like a Bouley I would have no problem taking her.. A quiet place like Per Se, it makes more sense going for lunch.. A place like JG definitely for lunch maybe for dinner.. The room manager has no problem also having children order from the hotels room service menu and will give them anything from chicken fingers to foie gras.. But again, teenagers are worse then a 5 year old in my opinion.. But I have no problem with either as long as they are well behaved.. In fact, as long as I people arent disruptive why would anyone care?

I recently opened a wholesale account with this Fish Market.. Is $3.90 a pound a good price Johnny.. Edit to add: Holy crap, you are getting them for 1.19 a pound.. Yowza!

I question when the Bellota is arriving.. It has been pushed back a few times.. The last I heard it was for December.. I had a deposit down for a whole leg and have since gotten it back.

A fermin Iberico Bellota is like in the $150's, $160 per lbs I thought..

Seems pretty cheap for a Jamon Iberico Bellota.