Chris Amirault

Well, here's an interesting example of "prior art." From the Tasting Table Chicago daily PR feed: I think that Dale DeGroff -- hell, Jerry Thomas -- would have something to say about who should take credit for "her most recent creation." Turtles all the way down, I tell you....

I guess I'm hopeful. If you go back ten years and watch the string, starting with the Keller books, Alinea, Ruhlman's Charcuterie and the like, the new wave of books like McGee (Society friendly link here), Myhrvold, and the Ideas in Food book suggest that home enthusiasts have more and better options than ever before.

Ah. So perhaps another issue is precut:whole....

Some context to get us started. We have Society member Nathan Myhrvold's epic Modernist Cuisine, which may well change the terrain of cooking as we know it. It's being self-published and costs more than a flight to Paris. (Mine's on order.) We have Society member Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. The genius behind several baking books reports that she still can't use weight in her recipes, just US volume. Four of the Amazon top ten cookbooks are diet books, one is about something called "cake pops," and Rocco DiSpirito sits in the top spot telling us to Now Eat This -- "this" being "America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories." (The cover features a cheeseburger and some mac & cheese -- at least, I think that "cheese" is the correct term....) What can we make of this and other cookbook publishing phenomena as we head into the end of 2010 and the big buying season? What other data points should we be using? Are you hopeful? Depressed? Jaded?

What are the different textural results you're getting from roasted vs boiled? I've always boiled so I'm curious about other options.

I'm on the fence about buying this, I have to say. There seem to be a lot of misses as well as hits, and though the recipes seem compelling, it's the flavor or textural combinations that seem most interesting to me. Do you think that someone who has a decent handle on basic Mexican cooking techniques would benefit from the book?

Thanks! I think that you're right that Ami didn't have a tadka in that chutney, but it sounds like a great idea. Learned two new words: tadka and vaghar, which seem to be the same thing in different languages, yes?

Shouldn't need to rest -- that is, allow the heat to distribute more evenly through the meat -- after you're done with SV, but if you blast the meat in a pan during browning and bring the exterior temp way above the interior temp....

Given that cold likes to go down, not up, the freezer on the bottom models are the most energy efficient, I believe. French doors are energy sieves. I have a full freezer door on the left and the fridge on the right, and when I open the freezer I can feel the chill billowing out onto my toes. Freezer on top doesn't work too well with young kids, and I've got two of 'em. Frankly, I would much prefer two dedicated refrigerators and one dedicated freezer, but that's not going to happen, so I can live with what I've got.

Jane, can you help me understand something? I can't quite figure out what the speech balloon (notes?) and the dual heads (bookshelves?) are for in this shot: Nothing happens when I click on them. However, if I click on the links, I get a dropdown menu of ISBN numbers for previous editions, so I'm assuming something ought to happen! Can you only get access to those two features within the book page itself?

We discussed this over in the tiki ingredients topic quite a bit. Here's a post featuring the syrup that's a staple at my house.

Speaking of which, anyone a fan of the Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine? I grabbed a bottle the other day intrigued by it, and I'm not sure what to make of it. I think it lacks the sort of salty, peaty qualities I associate with Islay malts, but even for Bruichladdich it's quite tame, with a lot of melon and cream. I'm enjoying it, I have to say, but it's a bit of a mystery to me. Somewhat like the yellow submarine for which it's named...?

I admit that I'm confused. Can anyone explain how the ribs are that tender after so little cooking? It seems inadequate to break down collagen, in particular....

I had quite a bit of fat trimmed from some American kobe strip steaks (that I stuck in the Sous Vide Supreme), so I ground that with about 2/3s chuck and 1/3 brisket last week. Heavenly.

I wish I could help out with your questions, TeakettleSlim, but I'm afraid I can't. But I have a question about something you wrote: Can you say more about this? How are the chips prepared? Sounds fantastic....

Where did you go?

Folks, I think we have a repeat of the classic cocktails basics session coming in early October. More details soon.

Besides the buzz that Buzz provides to the Space Age set, was there a reason he was at that table?

I still don't understand the terms of the challenge.

Good point.

Sort of like that Portuguese specialty, tempura....

Re: Rick Bayless's SV carnitas: After two days at 62C, I've just shredded and packed this into two loaf pans, which are bound with elastic bands and in the fridge. One note: there was a cup of liquid in the bag, which I strained and poured over the shredded meat in the pan before compressing it. More later with results.

Just to clarify, I don't freeze fresh chiles, but I certainly have seen smart cooks who do. They report what Blether reports. Following the OP I was talking about dried chiles. I had a thought on this matter as well. If you have the ability to do so, Darienne, you might consider making up a few batches of chile powder that suit your needs and then vacuum packing them in smallish amounts, whatever suits your spice cabinet. Crushed chiles take up a lot less space than whole chiles and I don't notice a massive loss of flavor when I do this. In addition, if you're gonna toast chiles, you might as well toast a boatload....

I'm in need of an example to discuss. Last fall I posted the following: Those who have opinions about such things, what should I have done? Don't post anything. Post that Ted made me a great scotch drink. Post that Ted made me a drink with Talisker, Fernet Branca, Cinzano rosso, and Mathilde Orange XO. Post what I posted. Post what I posted with Ted's last name. Finally, should I have gotten Ted's permission to do any of these things? I didn't -- though he knew about eGullet and saw I was writing down the ingredients as he responded to my detailed questions.

I very often freeze my chiles that I'll have for a long time. I should add that I usually use them in sauces or ground to powder, so if there are significant textural changes from the freezing I wouldn't know....