fiftydollars

The most important thing to consider when buying balsamic vinegar is the labeling. If it isn’t “tradizionale,” then it isn’t real balsamic vinegar. It doesn’t matter that it is from Italy, Modena, that it has a very fancy package, or that it has been aged… it just isn’t balsamic vinegar. This is not to say some of these are not good products, but they are not balsamic vinegar and they are usually made in a completely different way. Many are little more than sweetened red wine vinegar and bear little resemblance to the real thing. But some are still pretty good and chances are the flavor you think of when you think of balsamic vinegar is actually sweetened red wine vinegar.

I only like the store-bought kind.

Once I was sitting at the counter at a restaurant with an open kitchen when I was overheard by one of the chefs telling my friend that the black beans served alongside our $8 tacos were a bit under seasoned and sort of bland. The eavesdropping chef was very offended and became quite angry, which surprised and embarrassed me since I had not meant for him to hear my comment, but I defended my opinion. He proceeded to argue that I didn’t really know beans like they did, a point to which I conceded as I offered to agree to disagree, but he wouldn’t accept this. He basically wanted me to take it back, to say his beans were good and I was wrong. I couldn’t do that, the beans were terrible and they were charging $8 for a plate with only a single, small fish taco, so I apologized for making the comment and thanked him for addressing my concerns. He took this as condescension and from there things quickly turned ugly. We were eventually asked to leave, free of charge, and asked not to return. My friend, who quietly ate his $8 taco while I argued with the chef, at least got a free lunch out of it… I learned to be a lot more quiet when I criticize food in restaurants.

Bouchon is open until 1am most nights and does not require a reservation, so there's a good chance you'll get a table if you wait long enough.

I often do that if I'm making chirashi-zushi just for me and my husband (my daughter won't eat rice that has vegetables mixed in, so she gets "plain" seasoned rice). More expedient than buying & cooking each individual ingredient. ← I think I might be able to find this at the store mentioned in the link. Can someone clarify the instructions? I'm not quite sure how to cook the egg.

The 99% Scharffenberger is great for just about any chocolate application. I like to use it in mole. It makes a big difference. It is also good as an accent in recipes where another chocolate (or chocolate product) is predominant. Scharffenberger sells candied ginger dipped in chocolate and the chocolate they use is the unsweetened 99%. Apparently the unsweetened chocolate softens the ginger's bite very nicely while a sweetened chocolate amplifies it.

I think you're right... and as the fibers start to tighten they squeeze out the moisture. It makes sense to me... Meat does not... for lack of a better term... agglutinate does it? By which I mean that it does not contain proteins that through kneading would eventually become more and more cohesive... or does it?

I have received some of this stuff as gifts and I have to say I'm not disappointed. I was given a couple of pieces of Family Traditions Stoneware and the stuff's not bad. I actually really like the large round baking dish a whole lot. It's heavy, solid, and roasts potatoes wonderfully. I also have the deep pie dish, which has a somewhat rough, unglazed interior. It works pretty well... although I suspect it's just a little too heavy for most of my applications, which makes for longer cooking times and less browning of the crust as compared to a pie baked in a pyrex dish. I have also been given some spatulas, adjustable measuring things, and such... The quality varies considerably and I would probably never buy many of the items. A lot of their utensils and accessories are either too expensive or don't seem sturdy enough. Not to mention what is true of most any kitchen tool in general... you don't really need it.

Can I add an x to my name? Fat Guy x seems so much more edgy.

In addition to using more buttermilk you should try different brands of buttermilk and cream. I was not having very good luck, even with a 1-8 buttermilk to cream ratio, so I tried some different buttermilks and found one that works very well. It is Bulgarian Buttermilk sold by Berkeley Farms and it makes great creme fraiche. I use about 1-2 tbsp of bulgarian buttermilk per cup of Berkeley Farms manufacturing cream and I stir it well being sure to avoid stiring up a lot of bubbles. I leave it out at room temperature for 8-12 hours in an impeccably clean glass jar and by then it is quite nicely thickened, like sour cream, but smoother, more rich, and slightly tangy. I have used different types of cream and have had good results with all of them as long as I used the bulgarian buttermilk. The reason I avoid stirring in bubbles is so I can tell if the mixture bubbled and/or turned frothy while sitting out... I have been told to throw out the batch if that happens (or if you detect an odor you are not comfortable with, etc.).

Actually, many of us agree with you! Taylor's makes great onion rings and I adore their Ahi Sandwich, but not often -- they are honestly just too expensive for what you get. And I agree with you on Yank Sing. I prefer Koi Palace for Dim Sum. ← Several friends and coworkers refuse to go to Taylor's because it is too expensive... so I often have to go it alone (damn that burger!)...

I prefer not to press the solids at all and instead just let the liquid drain gently. I think pressing forces impurities through the sieve and releases small particles that will cloud your stock where they will be difficult to strain out later.

Is there a particular starter recipe you would recommend?

Yes, that's right. He used to run Hoppe's Hip Pocket Bistro and before that I think he cooked at Windows on the Water (both in Morro Bay).

Yes, like bacon (America's favorite cold-smoked treat!). Cold smoking adds flavor without cooking. Although smoke is also purported to have some properties that inhibit bacteria and help to preserve and lenghten the useful life of products, it's primary contribution is flavor. Cold smoking is usually done at the lowest temperature possible and much lower than 175 (say about 75). Hot smoking, for which 175 degrees would be an appropriate temperature, not only adds flavoring, but also effectively cooks the food. From what I have been told, meat absorbs smoke flavor best when it is raw and therefore you can get more intense smoke flavor with cold smoking. This is not to say this is a reason to choose one method over the other, since the method is primarily dependent on the food and the application, but it could help explain why you might want to cold smoke the steak before cooking it.

I thought this was about Sandra Lee...

In Cayucos, a tiny town about 30 minutes west from the 101 at Atascadero in San Luis Obispo county, there is a fantastic bistro called Hoppe's Garden Bistro. If you can spare the time, it is definitely a stop worth making. It's a lovely little town by the ocean and whatnot. But what keeps me going back is Wilhelm Hoppe's food. He is somewhat of a local legend and a man who easily has my vote for best cook in SLO county.

Fiftydollars, are you using gas or an electric stove? If you ever said, I missed it. ← I have an electric stove... a bad one at that... I look at the photos of Fat Guy's gas burners and cry jealously.

I began with three rather large pieces of boneless beef short ribs to be braised in veal stock. I went with enameled cast iron on the stovetop because I liked the results of yesterday's stovetop sample. I was also very surprised by the results. Especially when I first saw the samples. The unbrowned sample (bottom rib in the picture) was not only brown, it was actually darker than the other samples. But when you turn the samples over you can see a big difference in color between the browned and unbrowned samples. Nonetheless I will agree that the meat was agreeable either way and I kind of liked the silky softness of the palest part of the unbrowned sample. It lacked the coarser texture brought by browning and was therefore different than the other samples cooked this week. I still prefer the browned samples and I prefer to brown on the stovetop. Mainly because I like having a rib that has good color on all sides. I also get a much better sear on a skillet than in my broiler and I just think it's a little more convenient not having to use the oven... especially if you plan to braise on the stovetop like I did here. Which brings me to stovetop vs. oven... I think I would go back to the oven because that’s where I think the Dutch oven does its best work. I couldn't tell you why but I think it is beneficial to have heat coming in from all sides. But I will also concede that the stovetop gets excellent results. In the end I might wind up braising on the stovetop most often because it seems quite a bit more convenient to me for some reason. I think the most valuable thing I have learned from all this braising is that braising is an incredibly forgiving, adaptable, and flexible method of cooking beef short ribs. I just don't see how you could get it all that wrong (I even learned to do it in my sleep!)...and if you really don't think it turned out right, put it away and reheat it tomorrow, it will probably be great by then (How bizarre is that?). I'd like to thank Steven and the rest of the eGCI team for putting this together. I know I had a whole lot of fun and I think I learned a lot.

My condolences.

Thanks, Steven! 200 Degree Sample- After 5 hours. I lost the photos I took of the top of this rib. In those photos the rib appears somewhat close to what it looked like at the 136 minute mark. At least this photo still shows the undisolved tissue connecting meat to bone as promised.

I took out the 200 degree sample after just over 300 minutes (5 hours). At 5 hours I thought it was done, but I did think it could have cooked for at least another hour. I was surprised by how little liquid evaporated. Although the meat was tender, I was surprised by how tightly the meat still clung to the bone after that much cooking. After I ate it I decided it should have cooked longer. I had an oven thermometer closely monitoring the temperature inside the toaster oven because I was worried about maintaining the right temperature. The thermometer was within 10 degrees of 200 for almost the entire 5 hours the sample was in there. The temperature did change dramatically when I checked it after 2 hours and then after 3, 4, and 4.5 hours, but it bounced back within 5-10 minutes. Nonetheless, despite the monitored temperature, I think the results would have been different in a regular sized oven. I also think 200 degrees is too low to braise for my tastes. I like the samples cooked at higher heat. The resulting liquid provides a more interesting sauce and the meat has more caramelization, better flavor, and a better texture. The reheated sample was very good. There was significant improvement despite being only the first time the sample was reheated (I didn’t reheat on Tuesday). The meat, which came from the aluminum foil vessel in lab #1, had lost a lot of the objectionable firmness as the fat and tissues appear to have continued to break down. I really wish I had reheated on Tuesday. Although I can’t taste it yet, I fear that the quality curve is starting to head downward (because I am a pessimist). But I’ll eagerly await tonight’s reheat to find out. P.S. I have an after photo of the 200 degree sample, which I will post if this topic is still open when I get home (or tomorrow when it is reopened or whatnot). Although of my usual trademark low quality, the photo is interesting to me because it shows how little the sample changed after 5 hours in a 200 degree oven. It also shows some of the tissue that I had hoped would break down with further cooking.

I began with 5 bone in short ribs and three vessels. I used ceramic ramekins covered in aluminum foil for both the 200 and 300 degree samples. I used a 2qt Le Creuset dutch oven for the stovetop samples. It was difficult to monitor the temperature in the stovetop sample in a way that could meaningfully be compared with the oven sample. I used a couple of probe thermometers inserted just above the surface of the liquid, in the meat, and in the liquid. The temperatures I got after a while all seemed to be for the boiling liquid; just around 210 degrees. I could not seem to get an measurement of the area above the liquid in either the dutch oven or the ramekins. I took out the stovetop samples at 126 minutes at which time they both looked finished. I also took out the 200 degree sample and tested it for doneness at 136 degrees at which time it was not even close to finished. The stovetop sample was the best. I will also admit that it was the best sample braised in the series of labs up to this point, but it may have a lot to do with my choice of braising liquid. Because I lost all the stock I had on hand yesterday, I had to find a suitable replacement. So I decided to use a barely diluted batch of demi glace I had in the freezer. The benefits to all the braises is pretty evident from tasting the first two results. I found that the 300 degree oven sample was not as done as I thought it was, but it was still definitely done. It came apart easily and had good tenderness and moisture. But it was a little less tender and moist than the stovetop sample. The 200 degree sample is still not done after 206 minutes. So I will continue this later... Here are some photos: 200 degree sample- before 200 degree sample- at 136 minutes 300 degree sample- before 300 degree sample- after Stovetop sample- before Stovetop sample- thermometer positions Stovetop sample- after

I had really wanted to keep private the scandalous details of a rare and minor housekeeping indiscretion and therefore resisted every urge to publish the following photographs. What you are about to see are photographs of the aforementioned braised ribs, after sitting, with absolutely revolting disregard for all standards of cleanliness and safety, on the stove since I pulled them out last night at 1:40am. Submerged Stock Wine Water

It's definitely ok to laugh. The only casualty was the stock and I am only a bit sore today. It was a cheap French red found in the Bordeaux section of the wine shop. I had a swig and found it to be a lighter bodied red. I can't remember much more about it and I don't have the bottle handy, but I can get more specific info when I get home. I would definitely use it again based on my experience. But you make a good point; results in a shorter braise with the same wine are likely to be quite different. Luckily I bought two bottles and I will braise with this wine again (the leftovers from yesterday's bottle were left out, uncorked, all night).