Chris Amirault

Just posted a couple questions (why limeade and not straight or in a mixed drink; how did participants describe "better"?). I've got a shift tonight and we're gonna be doing experiments!!

A reality show contestant with a wacky personality that keeps him on the show if his product is dicey, who refuses to lower his standards to dumb challenges but makes food that impresses the judges, and who weirds out other contestants and throws them off their game as a result. Crazy like a fox...? America wants to know, Sethro: strategy, or what?

I just made chili with ten pounds of chuck, doing all of the pre-simmer work on the stove and then sealing two whopping bags of the stuff for the SVS. 16 hours at 61C produced very good flavor and texture that was just this side of what I wanted (tender but toothy), so I finished with an hour or two on the stove (I had opened the bags and didn't want to reseal) in the Le Creuset dutch oven in which I served it to guests. One thing I noted was that the effects of the prior SV/LTLT cooking seemed to be sustained on the stove; the meat had that succulent, remarkable consistency you get from this technique even though it spent a bit of time bubbling atop a burner significantly hotter than 61C. It may be that I was just being careful, or is it possible that 16 hours at 61F somehow makes the meat less likely to be overcooked later? Seems hard to justify scientifically with my limited knowledge....

Thanks for all the ideas -- keep 'em coming! Made two massive batches of chili, one meat, one beans & veg. Details here. Bagging them up in small batches today. Can't understand why I need a crockpot when I have a Sous Vide Supreme, which can do everything a crockpot can and much more, with far greater precision. Made that chili with it, for example.

Thanks Adam for the clarification. I didn't write that sentence very clearly; I think that the event is that Janet and Avery are finally out from under the transitional reln with the BT folks and have their own line. It's no surprise to me that they helped you when you were trying to figure out the US laws. They -- and frankly all of the bitters people I've met or corresponded with -- seem like a remarkably unbitter group of people given the absurdities you face.

Got all my stuff from B-P this week, so I'm set to go.

Huh. I guess I appreciate all of the interesting variations people make, which I get to see when they share their recipes. Didn't add shredded carrot but did add tons of vegetables -- red and green bell peppers, green string beans, celery, onions -- and did two stages of the bells, celery, and onions so that there were two textures. Got some smoke from chipotle peppers and smoked salt. I've never liked a vegetarian chili before this one. Thanks for the help! Oh, as for the meat chili, 10 pounds of chuck with a chili paste from six anchos, six guajillos, and six chipotles was complex but not too spicy (this was for a potluck). Plus the usual spices, some sherry vinegar, etc.

Much better name than Green Velvet -- from the green velvety label on the McKenna, natch.

I have much more to say tomorrow but for now I will say: Suze.

Yes, smaller servings: I have to be better about that. I have too many two pound FoodSaver bags of whatever in the freezer. As Mitch mentioned, I have a Sous Vide Supreme, which can do what a crockpot can do and more. I just gotta figure out the temps & timing for the all-day stuff. That is my ideal. As I've probably already indicated, I'm very far from my ideals....

Very interesting. I'll have to try that. Thanks!

These are terrific. Keep 'em coming. Peanut butter noodles are a great example of something that has one time-consuming step we often forget: heating up the pasta water. Throwing a pot of water onto the stove is often the first thing I do when I get into the house...

You're so old fashioned.

Certainly wins the award for the truck with the longest life! Most successful by most accounts in RI is Chef Matt Gennuso's truck operated in concert with his restaurant, Chez Pascal. Article here.

Thanks! Why do you shred the carrot?

Now I start with the whining. I don't have a crock pot, can't justify buying one, and worry about prep time. I barely make it out of the house with the kids on time getting up at 6a, and I'm not waking up at 530 to dice carrots. Stir fry, on the other hand, might be workable: set the Zojirushi to make some rice, have chicken stock and other sauces on hand, do some quick vegetable prep....

Back in 2006, when we were preparing to have the wonderful Sara Moulton around for a chat, I wrote a review of her (then) new cookbook, Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals (click here for a Society-friendly Amazon link to the book). In a sidebar to that review, Fat Guy makes some snarky jokes about the preponderance of cookbooks whittling the time down from Pierre Franey's 60 minutes to 30, 5, and so on. Well, I ain't laughing no more. We just moved out to the suburbs, meaning two 30 minute commutes that extend already long days, and our kid just started full-day kindergarten, meaning very early mornings. The dinner upshot is that most weeknights I've got 15-30 minutes to make meals for myself, my wife, and my two daughters. We're usually all pooped, take-out is not a regular option, and everyone's sick by Wednesday of the stream of leftovers that flows from the fridge after my weekend kitchen projects. This cannot hold. Either they're gonna kill me, or I'm gonna kill them. Instead of turning to Rocco, Pierre, Sara, et al, I'm turning to you. How in the world can I maintain my commitment to making genuine, tasty food for my family and at the same time get the kids to bed, all the while retain my sanity? Your tips appreciated!

Just convenience: I have a time crunch and that's what I grabbed at the store and started soaking last night.

Thanks, Nick, I had noted the two-stage idea above and was planning to use it with both onions and celery. But boy do I like the variety of vegetables idea. I have some green beans that might just work.... ETA -- Klary, that also sounds very interesting. Do you just use a standard masa dough?

Question for the red heads. I've got a bunch of folks coming over tomorrow for chili & fixin's. I think I have the beef chili covered -- about 10 pounds of chuck roast will be getting the treatment later tonight -- but I'm interested to learn any ideas for vegetarian (black bean) chili, which I need to add as an option. I've never made vegetarian chili before, and it seems that many of the principles are different: you want a greater variety of textures, for example, and you can't use a long, low simmer to bring out flavors without compromising those textures. Any tips to share?

I go to the store and buy something I've never prepared before, snoop through my cookbooks (actually, now I go to Eat Your Books and let the software do it for me), and try to figure out what the heck this thing is. Recent examples for me include nopales, white poppy seeds, coconut powder, and oregano indio.

Congrats to Janet and Avery Glasser (the latter BittermensAG here on eG Forums) for the long-awaited status as a legal producer and seller of “non-potable” elixirs, after years of frustration and a transitional link with the Bitter Truth gang. I sat at Eastern Standard with them a while ago as they spun their tale of woe, and it's truly a joy to know that they've overcome this hurdle. Read more here. Buy 'em here. Disclosure: save for loving my new bottle of Xocolatl Mole bitters (thanks to Adam at The Boston Shaker), I've no horse, financial or otherwise, in this race.

And I'll admit to buying the odd bag of "baby carrots" and pre-washed lettuce when I'm feeling a bit lazy.

Music as Parisian café seating.

I fear that most people lost those skills long ago, if ever they had them.