UnConundrum

My wife fell in love with these shield shapped plates. Normally we eat at a round table, and they work wonderfully.... (Sous-vide veal chops served on mashed potatoes, topped with carmelized onions and sauted apple slices. Chops flashed in pan, deglazed with some calvados and veal stock)

About three years ago, we had the table of our dreams made.... The top is a 9' x 4.5' slab of black granite and it sits on a wrought iron base. It literally weighs a ton. My wife loves to set a pretty table, and this was something I wanted for her. We never have to use tablecloths anymore While it's set for 6 in the picture, it will very comfortably sit 8, and we've entertained 12 without any problem. Just don't ask me to move it!

Go ahead and post them There's always something different to see.

Hmmm, really a good question. I think I'd proof in the warm water, and then chill.... He clearly wants to keep everything cold. I was leaning towards just throwing the yeast into the flour without proofing, but... you want to disolve the yeast due to the size of the grains... so I'll vote for proofing and chilling.

I evaluate restaurants in a similar fashion... The night we went, I'd say that most the tables were taken, plus there were takeout orders. I think it's worth a try.

I never got into the mustard thing. Always ate mine plain....

Klary, What is the ratio of alcohol laden liquid to weight of onions? A tablespoon per pound? Do you have a favorite?

Thanks for the posts.... guess I'll just have to look a little closer... I was walking down JFK BLVD at about 11:30 AM, passed a few carts, but no pretzels... My son was with me, laughing...

I don't get into Philadelphia much, and was surprised to NOT find the "soft" pretzels on every corner. What happened? They used to be a street vendor staple...

I know your post was quite old, but I just got there last night. Seemed to be a family run restaurant to my eye. Nothing glitzy by any means, but very clean, even the rest rooms which tends to be unusual in Oriental restaurants, and the sushi was quite good. We found their spicy rolls to be somewhat spicier than others we've had. It was certainly on par with August Moon, and we'll return when we're in the King of Prussia area. Would be a tough choice between Kabuki and Blue Fin, although Blue Fin is decorated much better, the food is really a tie.

Thanks guys... I also saw the thread for Sea Saw . I just love sushi, and can probably afford the cost, but I'm traveling with two other people, and I'm not sure the company would spring for the Omakase. Does anyone know what the current price is? I might end up going alone

Hi Guys, I'm making my first trip out to Tempe this Sunday, and staying till Wednesday. Can anyone give me some great restaurants to visit? I'm a foodie, and value cooking skills. Only catch is that I can't tolerate the hot stuff...at all I love Tex-Mex, but I have to leave all the chile out.... I'd really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance --Warren

Cali, I'd agree with the others that you have a might fine looking bread already, and I'll gladly come over and taste some Usually, when you make a pre-ferment (biga, poolish, pate fermente, etc), you don't use the entire formula, and just let it sit. It's usually a fraction of the finished total. If you're up for an experiment, try this.... take 2 cups of the flour and mix with 2 cups of the water, and 1/4 teaspoon yeast. Let sit, at room temperature, over night, in a covered container (you need something big enough to allow for expansion). The next morning, use this in your dough, and add the remaining ingredients. You could probably cut the total yeast somewhat. Your goal here is to allow the yeast to eat everything in the pre-ferment just to the edge of totally, or, when the pre-ferment is just starting to recede on it's own. That should be your peak flavor point. How long that takes involves many variables, including the room temperature and the temperature of the ingredients. This time of year, you have to make sure it's not too cool, or you won't reach that flavor pinacle overnight. And I thought poutine was a Quebec thing ???

There are also vibrating water baths.... I'd avoid them too as I don't think they'd circulate the water as well for sous-vide purposes....

I've had a Jade range for about 5 years now, and just love it. Build like nothing else on the market. I can open the oven door, and stand on it Highly recommended.

Hmmm. wonder if the difference could be the garlic powder. I don't remember a cook without it. At least it's worth a try.

I really wonder what the difference is Nathan. I am also browning my meat after sous vide, so that's not it. Do you usually sauce your long cook meat products heavily that might hide the "taste"? Also, I'm usually doing just salt, pepper, garlic, and maybe some olive oil. Are you doing more or less?

It's been several years since I used induction, but I did use Le Creuset on it all the time. Heat is heat, and retained heat is no hotter than heat for immediate cooking. I don't think I'd want to invest in an induction cooker that can't handle the potential heat it generates (even though it is indirect, as it's the pot that is heated, not an element).

So I gather on the non-inflated bag, you didn't notice the metalic taste? Hmmm. Very early on, I had an issue with bag bloat, but haven't had that since I got my chamber vacuum, yet, I've noticed the metalic taste on all longer cooks. Now, I haven't done anything less than 36 hours for brisket and shortribs. I'm wondering if your bag bloat accellerated the off taste. I'll have to try a shorter cook for shortribs. I know Nathan does them in 24 hours...

I'm lucky enough to live within an hour of the Bell and Evans plant. I make periodic trips there and pick up a case of chicken backs for $0.19/lb. I freeze them in 10# bags, and always have them on hand for stock. Last week I found a butcher shop that keeps frozen chicken feet on hand, so my next batch will be even better yet

I have a Jade range and love it, but it's a commercial unit. Don't think they make units insulated for a home.

I store my stocks two ways. I usually keep containers of a quart, or two, in regular plastic storage containers (in the freezer) for use in soups. If it sits a while, yes, I get ice crystals, but I try to keep a fat cap on the stock, and usually just ignore the crystals. For use in soup, I've never noticed a problem. I also store stock for sauces in vacuum bags. I'll do half and full cup portions per bag, so I have either size, depending on my need. I freeze the bags of stock on a sheet pan so they lay flat, and are really easy to store being so flat. Never saw any ice crystals in the bags.

I'll second the vote for Smith Creamery butter. They will ship to you if you contact them (tommyh@i-55.com). Their butter comes in 2# logs, and, my last order was $4.25/lb ($8.50 per log) and they have both sweet and salted butter. I believe they've had a price increase since then, and the shipping is somewhat expensive, but .... it's great butter, and well worth it IMHO. It's also nice to support a small farm business

Nathan, 55C for 24 hours? Weren't they rather tough yet? Has anyone noticed an "off" taste with the longer cooks....48+ hours? I've tried some 72 hour briskets, and noticed this taste that a friend has described as a "blood" taste. Anyone else notice this?

Dr. Susan, IMHO, once you've decided on the cut and quality, the most important thing is taking your time. I do a lot of beef in my smoker, but when I cook indoors, I still keep the temps down to about 225 F, and let it take as long as it takes. Quite frankly, for those tuffer cuts of beef, even lower temps are fine. Beef has a lot of collagen in it, and that's what makes it tuff. If you cook it fast, the collagen contracts, and squeezes out some of the moisture. On the other hand, if you cook it real slow, the collagen can disolve/melt, and it actually adds to the mouth feel. I believe collagen will start to disolve at around 130 F (from my sous-vide experiences), but stops at about 170. When you smoke a piece of meat, the internal temperature can actually drop slightly, as the chemical reaction that causes the collagen to melt takes place. But, it's best to not rush it, and just give it time. The down side to the low temps is that it takes much longer to finish the roast.