scott123

Example A. Yet another taste-impaired chain-smoking celebrity chef perpetuating the myth of brining. ← wow, that must be true. but what does that mean about all the good recipes i've cooked from that book? am i a latent smoker? ← Wow, then I must be wrong. If you like the recipes, and you don't smoke, then they must be good recipes. I stand corrected. There's no way that a chain smoking chef would ever oversalt their food.

Why is it so salty? This quote about Henderson tells the entire story (bold mine): Example A. Yet another taste-impaired chain-smoking celebrity chef perpetuating the myth of brining.

Here you go! Studies Fructose, insulin resistance, and metabolic dyslipidemia Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome Effects of dietary fructose on plasma lipids in healthy subjects Dietary Fructose Reduces Circulating Insulin and Leptin, Attenuates Postprandial Suppression of Ghrelin, and Increases Triglycerides in Women Effect of Fructose Overfeeding and Fish Oil Administration on Hepatic De Novo Lipogenesis and Insulin Sensitivity in Healthy Men Effects of fructose on hepatic glucose metabolism in humans Consuming Fructose-sweetened Beverages Increases Body Adiposity in Mice Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity Blood lipid distribution of hyperinsulinemic men consuming three levels of fructose (PDF) Articles Scientists find sugar may have a sour side High fructose corn syrup: a safe, natural ingredient (From the Corn Refiners Association) Fructose is No Answer For a Sweetener (PDF) Sweet and sour Dietary Fructose or Fructose Containing Sweeteners Negatively Impacting Health Fructose Fructose: Maybe Not So Natural...and Not So Safe American Diabetes Association Stance on Fructose

Xylitol won't work in a simple syrup. It has a greater propensity to crystallize than sugar does. It would be fine when heated, but would precipitate out when when chilled. The only way xylitol would work would be in the presence of a crystallization inhibitor, such as polydextrose or inulin. If you have studies showing the dangers of sucralose, please share them. On the same note, I'd be happy to post the studies I've found revealing the dangers of fructose.

Agave isn't sugar free- it's mostly fructose. Last time I checked, fructose was a sugar. Not only is fructose a sugar, it's an especially unhealthy one at that.

Steven's correct. If I were making a mustard sauce, I wouldn't sub dijon for dry, but for baked beans, sure, that's not a stretch.

I don't think the flavors are muted at all. Reducing stock creates maillard compounds, giving demi (and the diluted stock) a more roasted/bolder taste. In fact, if I want the taste of a roasted stock, but don't want to roast the meat before hand, I get those maillard notes on the back end by prolonged reduction/dilution. Whether by pre-roasting or post-reduction, I can get the same flavor to my stock. The prolonged heat does break down the gelatin, though, so a reduced/diluted stock will have less body than an unreduced version. And, for some apps, color and flavor aren't always desired. If you have a recipe calling for white stock, a diluted demi won't fit the bill.

I'm in the same camp. Surface area + freezing = greater propensity for absorption of off flavors. I cringe when people talk about freezing flour. I've been freezing glace in shallow containers, about an inch thick. Because of the high proportion of dissolved solids (gelatin) my glace doesn't freeze rock hard/is sliceable right out of the freezer. I slice a piece off and put the chunk back. The shallowness of the container gives me some surface area, so my glace does absorb off flavors, but I've noticed these off flavors don't penetrate far. I resolve this by rinsing the glace off in warm water for a split second. This removes the outer fraction of an inch. I do the same thing for stock. I've found stocks hidden in the freezer for 3+ years where the outer 1/2", after being scraped off and melted, tasted absolutely vile, but the inner core tasted like the day it was made. The longer a stock/glace has been in the freezer, the more of the outer layer I wash off. The other thing I do for stock/glace preservation is to make sure I add salt. I used to make all my stocks/glaces salt free and then add salt to the final dish, but their shelf life was cut way too short. So I add salt. Salt is a big player in this equation. If you can work with an extremely salty demi or glace (I can't) freezing may not even be necessary. Heck, refrigeration may not even be necessary.

Re-heating stock to prolong life has been proven to be a myth. There are quite a few strains of bacteria that survive boiling.

The splenda dissolves fine. In fact, you probably won't even need to heat the water to dissolve the splenda. The downside to a splenda syrup is that, without the preserving qualities of the sugar, it won't last long. A week maybe, but I wouldn't go past 5 days in the fridge. I make a sugar free syrup with splenda and polydextrose, and, because of the preserving qualities of the polydextrose, it lasts forever in the fridge. That might be a little more involved than you want to go, though. I think you'd be better off putting some vanilla extract in an eyedropper. When you have coffee, add a teaspoon or two of splenda and a drop or two of vanilla.

A lecithin mayo... I don't know, lecithin is pretty strong tasting. The vinaigrette might hide it, but the mayo might be too subtly flavored, depending on what you put in it. So no yolk? A yolk, for me, tastes better than lecithin any day.

Hmmm... well the first thing I noticed is that your ratio isn't 4:1. It depends on the granular size of the sugar and the temp of the water, but I'd say you're adding at least 1 1/2 cups water to the sugar, possibly even 2. The next time you make it, measure the water and you'll see. That range of water puts you closer to a 2:1 ratio, not a 4:1 ratio. If you did make a 4:1 syrup, it would be a crystal fest at room temp, trust me. Now, as far as being able to consistently produce a 2:1 syrup that doesn't crystallize at room temp... that's a bit of mystery to me. Maybe microwaving has some impact on the process. ← I think it's a matter of getting it boiled long enough for all the sugar to dissolve, putting it into a clean glass container when hot so there is no nucleation sites and not disturbing it as it cools. I remember that I did measure it one time because I wanted to know how to sub it for simple syrup and it was roughly a 4:1 mix. ← I just took a few minutes and performed an impromptu experiment. 1 cup sugar + 1/2 c. cool tap water = 1 C. volume That would make your syrup 3.5 cups sugar to 2.25 cups water - a 1.5:1 ratio. My sugar was in a narrow mouthed bottle. I poured it into the cup rather than scooped, so my measurement might be a bit light, but it's not that off. You're definitely working with at the most a 2:1 syrup- no more sugar than that. The clean glass jar/undisturbed cooling is a good idea. I'll have to give that a shot.

Hmmm... well the first thing I noticed is that your ratio isn't 4:1. It depends on the granular size of the sugar and the temp of the water, but I'd say you're adding at least 1 1/2 cups water to the sugar, possibly even 2. The next time you make it, measure the water and you'll see. That range of water puts you closer to a 2:1 ratio, not a 4:1 ratio. If you did make a 4:1 syrup, it would be a crystal fest at room temp, trust me. Now, as far as being able to consistently produce a 2:1 syrup that doesn't crystallize at room temp... that's a bit of mystery to me. Maybe microwaving has some impact on the process.

I regularly make 4:1 sugar syrup to use for adding to sorbets and in cocktails etc. I've never noticed it crystalise and it keeps stable at room temp for many weeks. ← 4 parts sugar to 1 part water- no other ingredients? Really? Regular old Domino type sugar? Tap water? Are you using distilled water? One would think that even with the most careful treatment (perfectly clean saucepan, no stirring, brushing down sides) the dissolved solids in tap water would provide more than enough nuclei to foster crystallization in a sugar solution of that concentration.

I stand corrected. Thanks for the clarification. That's good to know! So, even if you live next door to a plantain "tree," you wouldn't let the plantains ripen on it, you'd always cut them down and let them ripen before cooking with them? Is that correct? Oh, yeah... you said you had better luck than I do buying them. Can you share any of your tricks? What should I be looking for in a plantain that I'm going to bring home and allow to ripen? Shiny or matte? Green or yellow? Bright or dull? Hard or soft? For a while I picked my plantains like I picked my bananas, I'd look for the fruit with the brightest/most intense color. It didn't work very well for me, though. Sometimes, and this is strange, I'd find a fully ripened plantain in the bin that I'd take home, immediately cook and it was great. I've found perfectly ripened avocados this way as well. Is allowing them to ripen at home that important/does it increase the chances of success that much?

1 part sugar to 1 part water is fairly safe in terms of crystallization, but 2 parts sugar to 1 part liquid is a recipe for disaster, especially without special instructions. This recipe desperately needs a crystallization inhibitor. Swap out some of the sugar (maybe 3/4 part) with corn syrup. That should help. As far as the syrup you have goes. Hopefully it's in a glass jar. Place the jar in a sauce pan with warm water and heat slowly. Eventually the syrup will liquefy. Add some corn syrup and a little more bourbon.

I have a huge amount of respect for Jimmy Beard and the role he played in the history of American cuisine and food culture. Without Beard and Child, this forum may not even exist. Everything I've heard about him shows him to be incredibly endearing and charismatic. If I could turn back the clock and have dinner with him, I think it would be an experience of a lifetime (if Orson Welles could join us that would be fun too!). That being said, I've been fed Beard recipes and perusing his cookbooks since I was old enough to eat/read, and, I can say for certain... he's no Keller. Culinarily speaking, I would take a lot of what he says with a grain of salt. Fresh garlic is almost always preferable to dried, but there are a few applications (dry rubs included) where garlic powder is ideal.

Plantains suffer the same problem as avocados. The closer you are to the source, the better they are. This is because they're not getting banged around during shipping and can be picked ripe, not picked unripe and allowed to ripen, either naturally or with the help of chemicals. Basically, you're looking for a cooking technique that doesn't exist. Slow sauteeing them in plenty of butter helps, but if you're using an inferior plantain, it's not going to give you what you want. It's not the cooking technique, it's the quality of the product. A vine ripened, unblemished plantain is going to be far superior to your typical American supermarket variety. I'm sure that's what you experienced in Venezuela. Depending on where you are in the U.S., an orgasmic fried plantain can be found, but the odds are not that great. The restaurants where I am (NYC area) usually have plantains that are very good but not life altering. When I was living in Hell's Kitchen 10 years ago, it felt like 1 in 15 plantain experiences were phenomenal, but, now, on the other side of the Hudson, at the Cuban places I frequent, it's closer to 1 in 30. Finding a mind blowing quality raw plantain in a supermarket is an even sketchier proposition. So far, my success rate has been about 1 in 60. And it's not for lack of trying. I've purchased literally hundreds of them in vary stages of ripeness, with different physical features in the hopes of figuring out how to get consistently great ones. I've also spoken to countless number of people that buy/cook them on a regular basis to see if they could point me in the right direction of what to look for. Buying them green and ripening them until black is NOT a guarantee that they'll be edible. Frequently, ripening until black will give you a rotten plantain. At least, it will if you live in the NE U.S. I believe there's two important factors involved in purchasing a phenomenal plantain from a NE U.S. supermarket. 1. You have to be able to detect the physical traits that characterize a phenomenal product/how it will ripen 2. A quality product has to be on the premises. Even if I had a perfect eye for picking them, I still think it would be a losing effort due to the fact that most of the time, the supermarket doesn't have a high quality product on hand. I've theorized that time of the year might play a role. There may be a peak seasonal time to buy them. I'm not sure. If I've been 1 in 60 for phenomenal plaintains, my success rate was about 1 in 8 for good/edible ones. 1 in 8 wasn't a terribly encouraging batting average. Those are pretty crappy odds. I pursued this quest for about 6 years and then finally gave up buying/cooking raw plantains. These days, when I get the urge, I go to restaurants (crossing my fingers all the way) or I buy them frozen. Goya produces a product that's consistently excellent. Btw, if you dehydrate them, they will go brown/get leathery. The restaurant you had them at didn't dehydrate them. I'm sure of it.

Gelatin is a weak emulsifier, but loses gelling power in salty environments. If you've got some xanthan gum, that might help. Is the sauce cooked? I'd probably just go with either an arrowroot or a cornstarch slurry. It shouldn't take much.

In what way is béchamel not an emulsion? Milk and butter are immiscible. Without flour, you've got a pool of melted butter floating on the top of milk. When flour is added, the butter becomes miscible. The result? A continuous water phase surrounding tiny droplets of milkfat (an oil-in-water emulsion). Is this electrostatic stabilization? Probably not. Does it have to be electrostatic stabilization in order for flour to be considered an emulsifier or for béchamel to be considered an emulsion? No, it does not. From the Encyclopædia Britannica (bold mine): From Wikipedia (bold mine): .Emulsifiers need not be electrostatic. They need not be phospholipids. They can be mechanical/particulate in nature. The last time I checked, bentonite clay was not a phospholipid. That molecule ain't got no tail. The definition of an emulsion may not be as narrow as you perceive it to be. I'm sure there's quite a few people in the 'emulsification has to be electrostatic' camp, but I'm not one of them. And, by the looks of these two links, I'm not alone.

Those all seem like really good questions to me. Is there any way to find out the answers? I'm snooping around to find out, but, honestly, I don't have the information at hand. ← As much as I appreciate the thought/effort and would LOVE to find an answer to my question(s), I'm not really expecting an answer. It was more of a rhetorical rant than a quest for info. I think my problem lies in two areas: 1. Industrial emulsifiers (such as mono and diglyercides and, to an extent, lecithin) have manufacturers that, in order to get companies to use them, publish reams and reams of technical info. 2. Mayo is novel/cool and a great introduction to emulsification. Weak emulsifiers don't get a lot of press. Flour companies don't have a lot of impetus to market their product as an emulsifier/publish info on it, nor is flour emulsification sexy enough for Alton or Harold to talk about. It falls through the cracks, and, in the process, ends up being a pretty big hole in culinary wisdom, imo.

This is a common misconception- that the sauce for mac & cheese is just cheese and some form of liquid (cream, milk, etc.) Without some form of starch, cheese sauce has a far greater propensity to curdle. Tino is correct- bechamel is the basis for a basic cheese sauce. Cheddar A butter/flour roux Whole milk That's about as basic as you can get. I've never seen mozzerella in mac & cheese, but I guess any meltable cheese could work. When it comes to a 'classic' recipe, I think Stouffer's is a good barometer. Stouffer's is predominantly cheddar based. In the past they added parm, but now I see they've reformulated, omitting the parm and adding MSG instead (to increase profits, I'm sure). But, I digress. Other than a basic sharp cheddar, I would say these are the most commonly found cheeses in Mac & Cheese recipes (from most common to least): Colby Aged cheddar Swiss/gruyere/emanthaler American Parmesan Monterey jack

I've had a set of chefmate pans for about a year now and have been very pleased with them. I left a pan on the heat, forgot about it, and had the aluminum core liquefy, but that wasn't the pan's fault, it was mine. Any aluminum pan would have melted the same way.

Do emulsion discussions always have to be so mayo-centric? I've read/seen so much on emulsifying mayo, I could teach a class. And I make mayo about twice a year. On the other hand, I work with weak emulsifiers like flour and sugar every day and have almost no idea where they fit into the emulsifying spectrum. For instance, is an ingredient's ability to emulsify quantifiable, and, if so, what are the units involved? Is water activity tied to emulsification? Viscosity? Is that what makes sugar an emulsifier? Arrange the following list in order of emulsifying ability (from strongest to weakest): Agar agar Aged cheddar cheese Arrowroot Baking chocolate Beef, ground Bread crumbs Calcium caseinate Chicken, ground Chickpea flour Cocoa, treated with alkali Cocoa, untreated Corn meal Corn starch Corn syrup Cream cheese Egg whites, cooked Egg whites, raw Egg yolks, cooked Egg yolks, raw Flour, bleached Flour, hard wheat Flour, semolina Flour, soft wheat Flour, whole wheat Gelatin Glycerin Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Guar gum Heavy Cream Honey Lecithin Milk Milk powder Molasses Mono and diglycerides Mustard powder Peanut butter Pork, ground Ricotta Soy flour Sugar, granulated Sugar, powdered Veal, ground Vital wheat gluten Wheat germ Whey Whey protein Xanthan gum If a list like this existed (I know it doesn't) it would be immeasurably helpful to me- helpful on a daily basis, not just the two times a year I make mayo.

Robert, let me first qualify my statement by saying that water baths are a waste of time for cheesecakes. When I make traditional custards, I do use a water bath. Cheesecakes are, indeed, a type of custard. Traditional milk/cream based custards have a different chemistry than cheesecake, though. The milk proteins in the cream cheese make cheesecakes far more stable than traditional custards. In addition, many cream cheese manufacturers add vegetable gums to their products, further enhancing stability. Lastly, fat is a stabilizer. Cheesecake contains more fat than custard. The even and gentle temps required for unstable milk/cream based custards are NOT necessary for cheesecakes. Don't get me wrong, you can't broil a cheesecake You do want to keep the temperature low and avoid extremes, but a water bath is overkill. Gas ovens are generally a little more stable than electric ovens. The fluctuation in temperature of electric ovens is due, in large part, to the radiant energy emanating upward from the red hot element as it cycles on and off. This radiant energy can, to a great extent, be removed from the equation by placing a sheet pan on a shelf between the element and the cake. This is all that's required- low indirect heat.