battlepanda

Of course the point is to make a profit. Considering that food chemicals such as sodium alginate and whatever else used to make the 'egg' eggy is cheap in bulk and labor is cheap in China, I can certainly see how fake eggs can undercut real eggs and still have a handsome profit margin. I really am curious as to what a fake egg tastes like now.

I'm not too sure where to post this, but I reckon it would be of interest for eGulleteers who are into molecular gastronomy and are familiar with the "sferization" process to make 'caviars' and 'raviolis' using sodium alginate. Some unscrupulous Chinese vendors have been using the same process to make fake eggs. Fake eggs report The site is in Chinese, but they do have interesting pictures of a fake egg getting made. The part that puzzles me (and have not been shown on the site) is how they get the shell on there. According to various news accounts, the "egg" is dipped in a "calcium bath", or "poured into a previously prepared shell of plaster." The most credible-seeming website (a pop-science websitefrom Hong Kong) said that plaster powder is mixed into liquid paraffin before the "egg" is dipped in the mixture to form the shell. This page shows a photograph comparing a fake egg and a real egg. There does not seem to be external visible difference between the two. Photographs on the same page claims to show that the substance inside the egg does indeed stiffen just like a real egg when cooked, although the result is supposed to be rubbery and unappetizing. I briefly considered whether this news report could be a hoax, like the "paper buns" debacle, but I have found many reports and it seems unlikely that a reporter would have perfected the technique of making a fake egg just for a fake news story. I wonder if the process of making the shell is safe, if so, I can think of some non-nefarious applications for the process. Imagine a cocktail served in an "egg" that the drinker get to break into the glass!

I think "eep!" is "eep!" whereever you go. Though the Taiwanese also uses "Aiya!" for good measure. I just opened the attachment the owner sent me of the drinks menu..."Marqueritas", "wodka -- tonic"...no sangria, no sherry. I've got my work cut out ahead of me. Their menu selections are quite sorry too...we're talking "spanish-style fried rice" "parma-ham plate" "beef in tomato sauce...clams in tomato sauce...shrimp in tomato sauce...squid in tomato sauce..." No wonder the owner complains that the place is barely breaking even! She's had to put money into the restaurant from her day job in recent months too Oh well, we all have to make our start somewhere. The funny thing is, though I'm upfront about the fact that I've no experience, the owner somehow got this idea that I'm going to really help her liquor sales pick up. This might be because the current bartender is a sullen young man who talks in monosyllables.

I still can't believe it...I've just taken a job to be a bartender at a Tapas restaurant in Taipei. I've never worked a day in the food industry before. Eep! Any good ideas out there for spanish-themed cocktails? They probably have Sangria already, but if anyone have a good "gold standard" recipe, I'd love to see it.

Whoa! I don't know how big the the jiggers y'all used are, but mine came out to just about 2 tablespoons. That's certainly not two ounces, or even 1 1/2 ounce, is it?

Another twist in our eggy tale. I tried the New York egg flip. And indeed, it was spectacular. And deadly. I totally spoilt my dinner after having just one! But I was intrigued with the flavor combination -- port is one of my favorites, and I've never seen it used in a cocktail. So I seeked to streamline the New York egg flip while playing up the port, and this is what I came up with... Take an egg yolk, beat it and measure out two teaspoons of yolk. Shake with 2 jiggers of port and one jigger of rye. Or make life easier for yourself by making two at once by using the whole yolk and doubling the liquor. Shake with ice and strain into a small wineglass or other suitable stemware (cocktail will be very short.) Take a tablespoon of cream and mix in a pinch of nutmeg. Float cream off the back of the spoon on top of the drink carefully. Twist the stem between your fingers carefully while the glass rests on the table to get the cream to float evenly. I struggled with what to call this. The only other drink I know that is this short is the buttery nipple, so I decided to name this "The Purple Nurple". Don't try this cocktail without the yolk -- otherwise the acidity of the port will curdle the cream. Not yum. What is yum is the last sip of this drink -- almost all nutmeggy cream, with just the dregs of the port and rye. Mmmm...

Aw, shucks, Diva... To tell the truth, this one is born out of looking at a fairly depleted fridge and liquer cabinet and thinking..."hmmm, what can I make?" Not adding too much peach schnapps is definitly key. You just want a hint of peach. Otherwise you end up with a drink that tastes like that godawful Arbor Mist peach chardonnay stuff. Well, to be honest, even as is it is reminiscent of of Arbor Mist because it shares the same kind of flavor profile. But it's far better, I can assur you.

Thanks for the recipes...I'll be sure to pick up the ingredients next time I do a liquor store run. In the meantime though, I couldn't resist coming up with my own recipe. I call this the Runaway Bride, because it looks all peachy and innocent, with a pale pink tint and frothy white head, then you take a sip and realize it's got a kick. After a couple, you'll be ready to head off to Vegas yourself: Take 1 tablespoon of eggwhites, 1 teaspoon of peach schnapps, 1 jigger vodka, 3 jiggers of white wine (I use chardonnay), 1 jigger cranberry juice, juice from half a lime. Shake with ice until frothy. Serve in a wineglass. I don't add any syrup because I don't like my cocktail sweet. Cheers.

I'm down with the rye, egg and nutmeg, but port with heavy cream...I don't know... Still, one only lives once, so I'll be giving it a try.

I read about the classic cocktail White Lady in a recent issue of Bon Apetit. In addition to the orange liquer, lemon juice and gin, I was intrigued to find a tablespooon of egg whites among the ingredients. Even though I couldn't imagine it adding to the cocktail, the recipe insisted that the addition was mandatory. I came home and started to experiment. I had no lemons in the house, but I added some eggwhite to my usual cranberry and gin with a twist of lime and whisked the mixture vigorously until it is cloudy with some frothing on top. I sipped -- it was delicious. I can smell the lime and the gin as usually, but the cocktail was much smoother on my tongue. It also had slightly more body to it, which was nice. I can get away with adding a lot more gin without the drink becoming too harsh. So, any Alton brown types out there able to explain how this works? Are there any other any other cocktails out there which calls for egg whites? And can I use this as a trick to retrofit all kind of cocktails for which egg whites are not an intended ingredients?

One thing I do find appealing about the idea of the magic bullet is the fact that you can chop a tiny amount, then store the food right in the blending recepticle. Maybe parsley or parmesan. Not worth cluttering my kitchen with yet another appliance though. The last time I bought something off the TV, it was those 'chef tony' knives. They were really sharp, but oddly dangerous since they're so flimsy and lacking in heft.

I love cooking in other people's kitchens when I am the guest. The problem is, the more your host is going to appreciate your efforts (because they don't cook much), the harder your job is going to be (those who don't cook much don't usually have a very well-stocked kitchen). The problem is, I travel the most often by air, making it impossible to carry bulky/dangerous kitchen tools. Oh, how I would love to be able to take my sharp knives and a few good pots with me! So, from an equipment point of view, I tend to make do with what my hosts have. But I always make a point of carrying my own favorite spices (cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon...hmm...all "c" spices) and all my favorite recipes in my palm pilot. The important thing to remember is that they'll be so thrilled that you've cooked for them that it wouldn't really matter if your onions are more of a Rachel Ray-esque rough "chop" than the fine brunoise you usually reduce them to. (Yes, I am a freak of nature. All my favorite recipes are on my computer and my palm pilot, which I also use to track grocery store prices when I'm feeling virtuous.)

I only remember my grandmother doing this...I don't think it stunk up the kitchen that much. Then again, she had an old fashioned (non open plan) kitchen so smells are less of an issue. I remember she gave me some sugar to dip the warm cracklings into. Sounds gross now, but back then I thought it was really, really good.

About food magazines: don't throw them away! I think some people collect them and I got good prices for my back issues on eBay. The process of getting rid of them actually inspired me to cook from magazines I haven't touched for years and any "keepers" were copied out onto my computer where they are very accessable and are no longer cluttering up my living room. I tend to find that I am inundated with recipes I want to try. I actually think my cooking would improve if I can get myself to cook the same recipe multiple times rather than gravitate towards trying something new every time I feel the urge to cook. I have a feeling I'd become a lot more effcient and technically proficient if I developed a 'stable' of favorite recipes that i have perfected. My beef with those food porn books is not that they have too many big, beautiful pictures, but what they DON'T have -- pictures that takes you through the techniques step-by-step. Big pictures are nice for inspiration, but what I would really like is more smaller pictures that break down the difficult stages. Food network is good for this sort of thing. I remember reading multiple descriptions of how to butterfly a chicken but being completely flummoxed until I saw alton brown do it on Good Eats.

First of all, thank you to Guppymo for this thread. Drop dead gorgeous pictures. I'm fainting with hunger just looking at them! Phaelon, there is a seller on eBay called "Blue Cloud Imports" that carries beans from vietnam, green as well as roasted. I found that they had the characteristic deep nuttiness that I am looking for in a vietnamese bean. This is now what my boyfriend and I drink most days. He loves it while I find it a little over roasted. Once we finish this batch I intend to buy some green beans and try my hand at roasting it myself in my hot air popcorn maker.