Timh

From my experiences (w/ my ex wife) in consciously eating foods for improved health(juicing, "Eating for Beauty" a militant sometimes out-there raw food book with nuggets of info ), the "magic pill" in this diet is primarily the balancing of acid and alkalines. Cantelope is considered alkaline. The dark,or colored foods are high in antioxidents, and the oils in nuts and salmon are the omegas that are good for you. Avoiding excess salt and sugars as they are diuretic, and drinking lots of water(really the single best advice) are the keys to skin health. I'm always suspicious of diet "menues" as they are very narrow, vs. just listing the good things to eat and letting you decide depending on time and what you feel like. When I lived in Japan, I noticed many women in the yakitories eating the grilled pigs foot, when I asked my friend about this, she explained that the protein and gelatine found in the trotter were considered good for the lips and skin, as evidenced by the shiny ring around ones mouth when eating the, um, foot.

IIRC, the meat for chain burger places is not even on the charts, but a different classification that allows for a certain amount of connective tissue(gristle). this also includes the meat scraped from the bones. There was one chain that did a great job though, Fudruckers, they ground their beef (open kitchen-butchershop style). I remember the one I went to offered different fat % burgers. And speaking of, Zuni Cafe cookbook recommends salting the meat before grinding. Ive tried it and still season after.

I will be making a pheasant /sausage gumbo as soon as the "great slayer" gives it to me. I'm thinking it'll be similar to the duck one. We'll see.....

Thank you and what the hell are you doing in your oven? (Referring to your avatar) ← I was actually cleaning the oven when a waiter saw me half in it. Lots of bad humor later ,she thought it would make a funny photo.

I think right off the bat they are of higher quality, the industry is not known for using high quality beef, more like industrial grade. So just buying fresh ground beef from your local grocer is more likely to be a better raw product.

Many hotels and and steak houses that regularly serve prime rib cook theirs using Alto Sham ovens. My experience with them has been very low temp for a very long time. We would load them up (2 ovens) with 6-8 rib roasts each for @ 12 hours. Also used them for the steamship rounds.

This was a fascinating blog, I was sorry to see it end. Thank You.

I find that disappointing.

Is that glace? bavaroir? Very nice.

I either candy (at the restaurant) or dry and simmer(at home, w/ spices for aroma) all citrus peels. Some things get made into soup and all else becomes compost for friends w/gardens.

Agreed. And the entertainment of the staff of quarterite queens, dragqueens, and the campy music. The food is always solid. They cook their burgers under a hub cap, hows that for vehicular gastronomy.

Your on the right track. Reduce the jus. let cool. and add to a mayo/dijon mix. Dice the meat finely and fold in the mayo mix. Season however you wish.

A great post! Well put. I also find the analogy shockingly apropriate. Why is it that Americans routinely are at the forefront of taking a new concept and mangeling it it the name of creative freedom?

Indian Pale Ale and a Snickers Bar, or any other chocolate.

This isn't about you or your percieved expertise in cooking(at such a young age). Its about the trend of "molecular cooking" and philosophy behind it. Agree or disagree, but its not about you.

Well I just got off the phone with my brother who experienced Zkitchen a couple of weeks ago(a group of 5 I believe). He had a great time, enjoyed the food, and the whole experience of the underground thing.

I wonder if this is a way to think about the emulsion in a sausage's primary bind: water, protein, and fat.... ← Is this the answer to the butter finished sauces also?

Fascinating thread. And how about butter mounted sauces such as beurre blancs(w/ and w/o cream) and deglazed pan sauces using water or wine?

As I'm origionally from the south, I could give you the grocery store version, which is good, but really for a higher end one, I would recommend a pastry cream with creme de banana, and/or banana puree added, then whipped cream folded in (a la chibouste), in a pate sucre crust. Whipped cream topping.

I braise at below boiling,(180-200) I thought that what braising was. At boiling, its just that, boiling. I agree that some folks seem to get all hyped up on the cool toys without taking the time to learn and understand the basic fundamentals of proper cooking techniques. The terms "molecular cooking" then becomes shallow and one dimensional. I too was working in a kitchen in Memphis(of all places) that utlized sous-vide, back in the the early 90's, the chefs were ex chef de cuisines from Bocuse and Meneau and they were already pushing the envelope with the methods, but still everything started with the basic foundations of technique. These new gadjets are meant to enhance solid technique and skill, not replace it.

Agreed, I think he's trying to promote the image of "shock journalism" that is requisite in the genre of mags he writes for. Anything else and nobody would notice him, and the GQ realworld set would just tune back into Howard Stern for food literature.

White fleshed fish such as bass, sole, cod, snapper make good stocks. In using heads, you will need to trim out the gills, the eyes, and anything dark and bloody. I would suggest any of the bodies of the before mentioned fish that they have fileted. Less work and cleaner stocks. I was taught(during my apprenticeship in Japan) a short simmer time. They even poached the bodies in a covered rondeau in a low oven. Another key was the mirepoix, leeks insted of onions, less carrot and celery because of the carotine and the strength of the celery to overpower the fish. Good luck!

I can tell you that the Maine shrimp are a "sweeter" cleaner taste. This is not to default gulf shrimp, I grew up on them and having cooked in NO and Houma, I know and love the local shrimp there. But something about the shrimp in Maine, generally they are smaller, they are red out of the water, and they are a clean taste that calls for very little adulteration in cooking, as well as they are so tender that any overcooking renders them fit for a bisque(Plan B). Is it the colder waters? the funny accents? I don't know, but they are amazing and the best kept secret in New England.

I'm placing my order with my purveyor as soon as I get in tomorrow. Man, I'm excited about this, and I plan to alter them very little. A boil, and a risotto, maybe a pasta. I'll report back when I recieve them.

And thats really the point of any of the "top" schools, the supposed opening of doors. But I feel safe at this point as a chef that the degree only merits a special look during try out. I know that I speak for others when I say that often I spend alot of time deprogramming the little androids from the cult of their education, waking them up to the real world, that of learning to do things MY WAY. I don't care how you did it at where ever under who ever, in my kitchen, its how I do it. So more often I look at experience and teachability over where they went. Again I must reiterate the overall value of estagiers, you are able to focus on the style of cuisine you want instead of generalizations and short overviews.