FaustianBargain

snowangel, i completely agree with your dad. but when you dont have a large supply of your own livestock to test your skills, books can reduce costly mistakes and the time it takes to get it right. they are only a guide, but i like to think of them as very useful guides. i also feel that watching someone do it expertly will help. whole sides of animals can be expensive to try one's learning skills. teaching aids made of artificial material can help too...like in medical anatomy classes..but even then the blood and gore aspect will be missing...but it can be useful.

i am thinking of a commerical kitchen. Are you trying to cut costs in a commercial kitchen or a home kitchen? ←

Thank you, all. Yes, I am in the UK. But I am interested in knowing about the different cuts...French, American and British. Wondering if there is such a thing as 'butchery certification'? some such thing?

Letters to senators? Monsanto has infiltrated the FDA, White House(both rep and dem) non profit food advocacy groups, have even bribed public officers in foreign countries in order to obtain licences for their GM crops and now targetting pro-technology organaisations sowing fears of 'hippies' trying to get back to a 'luddite' world. Anti-GM folks are painted as tree-hugging, anti-capitalist luddites with a mission to take all of us back to the Stone Age. Meanwhile, the company that gave us PCBs, Agent O, pesticides and beef growth hormones is quite simply plunging the world and small economies into chaos. GM is not all bad. Like I mentioned before, man has been genetically modifying food for centuries. Modern wheat is a classic example. GM technology is not the point. If we dont talk about it, who will? It is not like the MEDIA is going to bail out the long suffering American farmer. Even the big bad boys at Faux News are scared of Monsanto. And anyways...thats why writing to senators isnt going to help. Stop consuming or at least start discouraging the obvious crimes against foods, people and quality of life by the the likes of Monsanto is likely to be more effective. For that, we need to talk. The farmers in Brazil refused to pay Monsanto royalties for the soy produced and insist on paying royalties only for the seed given by Monsanto. Meanwhile, in America, the farmer gets sued. We should talk about such things. Really. I request you to read the links I have provided and talk about it. Here, somewhere..anywhere. If you care. And yea...you can spank me with a noodle, but I'd still say, "Shame on Monsanto".

Costs add up quickly in a kitchen when you buy pre cut pieces from the butcher. I do know how to recognise individual parts of the hooved creatures and our training only included 'trimming' them(rack of lambs, deboning shoulder/leg etc). Fish and fowl, I can dismantle with my eyes closed. I am looking for some kind of book that explains how to break down an entire animal. Slaughter techniques are not what I am looking for, but I suppose they'd be part of butchery? I found this upon googling. Anyone familiar with this one? Any other books out there?

My understanding...wine adds flavour. The two main components are the acids and the alcohol. Sugars might vary. The idea of letting wine simmer or to flambe it is to burn off the alcohol. Sans alcohol, the wine becomes mellow and 'soft'. Reduction results in concentration of flavour and the acidity doesnt decrease. IIRC, the acidity of the wine concentrates as you reduce it and the reduction doesnt remove the acidity from the wine. You are merely 'packing' the wine flavour more tightly into a smaller volume space.

What a ridiculous defence for GM crops! But then again, you just made the argument against GM crops. Thanks. Do you have *any* idea how long it would take for an alternate digestive system to evolve? Evolution, as opposed to 'intelligent design', will systematically eliminate the population that is unable to 'develop' digestive systems to be able to handle 'novel proteins, sugars and fats'. To suggest this, translated to extreme language, is not akin to suggesting eugenics to maximise profits for the likes of Monsanto. Let us first deal with digesting refined carbs without falling into the deadly vortex of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer. People have been 'genetically modifying food for ages. Wheat pops to mind immediately. I think GM according to Monsanto is a different kettle of fish and carries implications that are diverse and varied. Simply put, cows simply do not have the digestive facilities to be fed and bred on corn. I could only find this url for the Power Steer article by Michael Pollan. Please read it. Here is a fascinating pbs interview with Michael Pollan that will give you all the answers you need. I dont want to butcher the piece to fit within 150 words which would kinda take away the impact. OK. Tell us. Heh. I see. So reading that seem to you as though he was against capitalism? I'd say, 'Shame on Monsanto'.

thank you for that link. michael pollan has been instrumental in shaping many of my ideas re food and eating.

i just had a thought. maybe if seasonal produce wasnt so cheap, americans will travel more? travel can be mind expanding, you know. i have no problem with non seasonal produce costing an arm and a leg out of season. it is quite simply perverse that they are available so cheap.

I like seasonal produce for the same reason I like brothy light soups in summer and thick, creamy soups in winter. I like tartness and spicy heat in warmer weather while I prefer something smooth and lusciously fattening when its cold. It is much more simple than transportation logistics, global economics and food politics. It is about tastebuds, cravings that coincide with seasons/weather etc. just my 2c. ymmv.

I am not against GM food. GM food politics hurt people, families and economies. Actually, I think GM food will benefit third world countries and especially African countries where poverty and famine create havoc and starvation deaths.

there ya go! thats exactly what i thought too, but i wasnt sure as i havent *seen* it happen. have you actually experienced this on the stove?

I do agree. However, all hard work should be relevant to the craft. Simply abusing one's endurance is not helping the industry become respectable. Fortunately, in the culinary industry, there are good, extremely talented chefs who have broken the chain of abuse.

Hi pidge, I have to disagree. What if one havent ever been 'a wild ass' and didnt have a 'party down rep'? What if one is hardworking and sincere? No offence, but not a role model for all.

As I happen to have a certificate signed by Andre Cointreau, can you tell me which part of your reply is supposed to NOT inflame me? Especially considering that you are an instructor yourself. Naturally, I am CRUSHED that my attitude really turns you off. I simply CAN-NOT stop my lower lip from quivering with anguish. Oh! Hear my whimper! Which part of dishwashing = practice? What has this got to do with your previous comments? Yes? Why?

have you tried not draining the fat until the meat is 90% done?

I dont get it. If culinary students have to start at the dishwasher and begin by peeling potatoes, why are there culinary schools? And why are you working as 'chef instructor' at an 'expensive culinary school'? Are you telling me *gasp* that your school and the likes of it are ripping off young impressionable minds? Pray do tell. Enquiring minds want to know. re bourdain, I hope people dont look up to him as a 'hero' or a 'role model' and I am sure Mr.Bourdain will be the first to back me up here. edited to add for GG: answer #1: No. answer #2: The cook, the thief, his wife and her lover.

agree too.

Your first quote is precisely the reason I think this is bashing. It is odd that one prefers throwing around unsupported aspersions tending towards negativity instead of ...whachacallit..constructive criticism. it could have been an 'unsatisfactory' meal or a 'disappointing' one...the word 'bitter' is very revealing and loaded...that is exactly why i was put off.. on a related note, i am developing a healthy dislike for all 'food commentators'. do these people even realise what kind of back-breaking, soul-crushing, youth-dissolving work goes behind the dining rooms that serve the food they so casually bitch about with a tap of their fingertips and the flick of their wrists. bitter is the wasted life of your average cook(barely legal to enter a bar, but good enough to work.) with no social life, education or choices..bitter is what lurks behind that subservient waiting staff who has to put up with loathsome 'guests'...bitter is the restaurant owner who keeps a nervous watch over the bottom line worrying about when the ship is going to sink..bitter and pitiable is the chef whose name bears all the laurels but who is also the first one to be pelted by 'criticism' if a fucking garnish is out of place...bitter is NOT a meal at per se or daniel or le bernadin...or anything else we choose to put into our mouths...of course, its always easier to blame america because..well..lets face it..most of the time she deserves it...'most of the time' being the key word...

that article is plain america-bashing. let us not forget that we are talking about a cultural/culinary teenager here when we consider the young nation of america. certain issues are conscious actions that deserve a knuckle rapping/ass whupping and others issues americaine are merely growing pains. whomever wrote that piece(i got confused re author identity at some point) was very harsh. my 2 cents.

a few splashes of truffle oil? frankly, i am of the opinion that the carrots are unnecessary and that celery must be banned from any decent kitchen...but thats just me!

iirc, duxelle is simply finely chopped shallots and mushrooms cooked in butter..a sec..very dry. a basic duxelle can be turned into a pate/filling/sauce etc... i think those lovely pictures illustrate a duxelles or champignons sauce(even though the fond(stock base) is absent)

well, i was asking because it makes sense that 'ground meat' can be rejuiced rather than a big hunka meat..anyway i see it, i cannot possibly imagine how meat juices ejected (because the muscle fibres that been literally squeezed, curled and destroyed )can be 'injected' back or whatever it is that heston.b says in that article. but hey, rejoice! i have been wrong before. so if anyone tries this at home, please give us the results. danke! Possibly; if it has I haven't had it. Then again, I'm not a general fan of minced muscle. My mincer is mostly used for haggis and faggot prep.

cant ground meat/minced meat be "juicer" than a steak? edited to add: errmm..its past one, dont you have a kitchen to run in the morning or somethin? Interesting. The proteins would be denatured to a greater or lesser extent by cooking; an internal temperatue of much above 40C would lead to the fibres being functionally damaged. I'm not entirely sure that the fibres provide all the mechanism by which juices may be reabsorbed, nor that 'reabsorption' is indeed physically necessary to provide a juicier mouthfeel to the meat. One could hypothesise that "re-juicing" interstitial spaces between cells and between meat fibres themselves, even temporarily (the time between injecting and consumption) would be enough to provide more juiciness without the need for actual re-uptake by meat fibres. Maybe worth a little experimentation... ←

a little snippet from the article this sounds a tad dodgy to me. i am not sure the 'molecular structure' can relax so much that the juices are 'reabsorbed' into the muscle fibres. as heat works on meat and curls the fibres causing the juices to leak, the fibres are destroyed. i dont think they are capable of 'reabsorbing' anything. can someone more knowledgable than me support me here? or maybe someone who has tried this at home?