tim

Fabby, Go for the best of the local ingredients: Dark Barrel Aged Rum Falernum Fruit Have a wonderful time. Tim Edit to correct the spelling of Falernum. Hanschell's might be the best!

HI, I've spent quite a few years taking my micrometer into cookware stores. The original Masterchef skillet was 0.145" thick. Then the pans showed up at 0.135" to 0.137" thick. They held this weight until the MC-2 was created. Yes, most Masterchef and LTD pans are 35% thicker than the Stainless pans. The MC-2 pans are 20% thicker than the Stainless pans. When All-Clad dropped the Masterchef and created the MC-2 line, they reduced the thickness of the pans from 0.135" to 0.120". Then there is "Mystery-Clad" which I spotted in Minneapolis last year. It was MC-2 with a 0.135" thick "Masterchef" pan base. Tim

MT, You may be surprised to know that All-Clad Stainless (0.1") is no thicker than most of the knockoff clad pans. It is about the same thickness as fully clad pans sold by Sears Kenmore (about $20 per pan/lid), Tramontina, Anolon, Calphalon, Gourmet Standard, Sur La Table and Cuisinart. Most anodized aluminum pans are significantly thicker than the A-C Stainless. Tim Edit to add: I have measured each of these pans with a micrometer. Some of these makers have issued different lines and in a few cases, one of the lines has thinner cladding. ie: Anolon, Calphalon, Tramontina. Gourmet Standard's Professional line is the same thickness as the A-C Stainless. Tim

Hi, The use of vinegar in pie crust was addressed by J. Kenji Alt, who developed the concepts and authored of Cook's Illustrated's article, "Foolproof & Flaky Pie Dough". The article includes testing techniques to make a flaky dough and separately testing ingredients (alcohol) to make a tender dough. Specific techniques to make a flaky dough. Test #1: They tested the idea that flakiness resulted from pockets of fat melted and left a flaky texture. They processed a portion of the fat completely into the flour. The rest of the fat was frozen and grated to create those pockets of fat which melt, leaving gaps that create flaky layers. The crust included plenty of fat pockets but came out FLAKE-FREE. Test #2: They tested the idea that flakiness resulted from pockets of flour that absorbed water and formed gluten. They fully processed 1 1/2 cups of flour with all of the fat to a unified paste. They added 1 cup of reserved flour and pulsed it to just enough to distribute is around the bowl. Finally they added water and rolled the dough. This dough baked up as flaky as could be, but was not very tender. The tests shows that the chunks of fat do not create flakiness. The uncoated flour mixing with water and forming gluten guarantees a flaky crust. Ingredients to make a tender dough. The alcohol was added to reduce the amount of water, which makes a crust tough. The vodka is 60% water and 40% alcohol. The alcohol content adds liquid (which can not form glutens) to make the dough easy to handle, easy to roll without cracks, stick or tears. The volatile alcohol content cooks off during the baking. The resulting crust is very tender. The result is a breakthrough in our understanding of making a flaky, tender crust. Tim

Hi, "Melted" as in the melted fennel sauce I chose not to try in St. Louis. I asked the waiter how to melt fennel. I think you need acetone. Tim

Soup, There is another thread on Bosch. They are excellent performers and have much better reliability than the Asko. Tim

Hi, Our Bosch is a wonderful dishwasher. It does almost run too quietly. The lack of a drying cycle is an advantage, plastic in the bottom. It is insulated so well, that everything comes out dry, with the exception of some plastics. These dishwashers used to top the Consumer Reports ratings but they are not as reliable as some of the domestic makes. Tim

Hi, Actually copper and cast iron maintain their heat because of their mass. Their relative thermal diffusivity is related to their dissimilar conductivity. Aluminum has a much lower mass and doesl not maintain high heat in the same way. I hope this helps. Tim

Hi, You can also begin at the end of the wing. Cut the skin around the large knuckle and scrape down along the bone, rolling the skin back. You can even roll right over the second knuckle. Finally cut the skin away from the bone and turn it inside out. Tim

Zoe, Many of us are protesting. Much of that water includes phosphorus and salt to preserve the meat. Hamburger now has a shelf live of 11 days. Ask the lady behind the meat counter if her breasts are enhanced! Tim ps: Walmart even enhances beef cuts. Just what we wanted, brisket with phosphorus.

Brendon, The University of Nebraska has two really good websites. These include fabrication demonstrations. U of Nebraska Bovine Myology If you look at the frabrication videos, the shoulder clod separation shows how to remove the top blade roast from the shoulder. The top blade trim shows how to separate the top blade roast into two flat iron steaks. U of Nebraska Porcine Myology Tim

Hi, Some years ago I made Espagnole sauce from scratch. My memory is that the flour that was added to the sauce was completely removed from the sauce during the reduction phase. It rose to the surface during the reduction and this brown frothy scum was skimmed. I assumed that the purpose of the flour was not thickening but for collecting impurities and carrying them to the surface. I also remember the incredible mouth feel. Tim

Hi, I have noticed that the price of Walnut Crest has jumped in recent weeks. The wine markets may be experiencing some qualitative price compression. Kind of a "flight from quality" initiated by the hedge funds. Then it just may be those flippers drowning their sorrows. Tim

Mary, There are two places that head the list. JB Prince is at 36 East 31st Street. You take an elevator to their showroom. You will find a beautiful showroom that caters to professional chefs and cooks. The people are extremely helpful. You will love this store. New York Cake is located at 56 West 22nd St. They carry a huge inventory that is strewn around their store. You will find the people unfriendly and uncaring. Nevertheless, they do carry a wide selection at good prices. There are other destinations, but these are the best baking supply sources, Have fun in NYC, Tim

Anna, I think this may be the item. FoodSaver Handheld Vacuum Sealer This is not available in supermarkets and is not battery powered but it is cheap. Tim

Wendy, Under refrigeration, duck confit improves for at least six months. You should have no problems. At worst, your nose will know! It is always a good idea to sprinkle a little salt in the bottom of a container that will receive the confit. This eliminates spoilage problems with liquids that drop to the bottom of the container. Tim

Steve, A good merchant should be able to identify their stronger dishes. I think that bone china is stronger than stoneware and stoneware is stronger than porcelain. Bone china is also thinner than stoneware and porcelain. Bone china is not always more expensive. Mikasa has a line called Maxima that had a ten year breakage warranty. Their Optima line is also very strong. Sadly, they are closing all of their really nice outlet stores. Tim

Since I've just started using a pressure cooker let me add that under pressure even though the temperature is higher there is less agitation evident by how clean the top is when removed. No splatter. The only thing I see on the lid is condensed steam or water droplets. With stock you should try to avoid the agitation from boiling which will cloud the stock and make it difficult to clear. I have yet to try making stock in the pressure cooker but will attempt it soon. McGee suggest that stock be made uncovered so the top of the liquid is cooler and less likely to boil. While some sauces can be cooked with or without cover, I am motivated by the mess factor. Tomato sauce cooked uncovered will create a mess all over my cook top and back wall. ← Hi, Stock made in a pressure cooker does not come to a full boil and there is very little agitation. Once the pressure above the surface of the stock and the pressure on the stock are equalized, there is no agitation and no "boiling", hence a clear stock. Tim

That bottle of gorilla glue had nothing to do with affixing the mosaic to the center cake I hope.... ← Chefpeon, I sent that picture to the bride the day before the reception. Fortunately, she does have a sense of humor. All the experiments are done and the cake (all scratch) were delicious. 150 people. The reception was in the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. That fountain in the background ADDED to the high humidity and "relaxed" the gumpaste crown on top. The bad held it together for the cocktail hours and it slowly bowed during the sit down dinner. Nobody noticed. Transport was a real treat involving the whole back seat, both back seat floor wells and the large sheet cake was in the trunk. None of the large plastic containers could be covered (humidity) and I55 had three work zones. Heavy braking was verboten. I needed a drink at the end of the trip. We took the cakes into the Conservatory and my wife noticed a number of squirrels running around. We had to guard the cakes until the reception started. The cake was our gift to an adopted daughter. She was a beautiful and thankful bride. Tim Tim

Hi, We would appreciate a reliable recipe for gumpaste. We would also like to know how to color gumpaste. My wife took a class that included some gumpaste work. She was taught to color her gumpaste by adding 1 tsp. of colored fondant to 1 cup of gumaste. The resulting gumpaste did not harden even after baking in a convection oven. It may have been the gumpaste which was purchased from those really friendly folks at New York Cake. Surprise, their customer service department has not returned our calls. Thank you for your advice, Tim

That is when you ask to speak to the manager! Tim

Hi, If you hate measuring cups without pouring lips what about high-priced sauce pans (GUESS WHOSE?) that have no pouring lips? Cooling racks are made from chrome plated wire. I want heavy stainless. The I USED to buy heavy (1/8" steel) cooling racks. These made wonderful roasting racks on the top of skillets. Tim

Hi, My wife is a little shy about showing off but I wanted you to see the beautiful cake that she made for this wedding. (And, only her second three-tier cake) There were also three other cakes to provide enough for 150 guests. Each tier was a different flavor with different filings. The best was the coconut and three level decadent chocolate with chocolate ganache fillings. The cakes were delicious and completely finished. My only responsibilities were transporting the cake two hundred miles to the wedding. I also provided technical help in affixing the mosaic to the center cake. I am quite proud of Lib, Tim

Ronnie, I agree about the nice coverage of Chicago, but where did they get that terrible recipe for Italian Beef? Tim

Ronnie, I posted the pictures just to show the incredible marbling on the steaks. These had much better marbling than Zier's prime or the Waygu. Based on these pictures of Kobe Rib Steaks, Grades 3 through 12, I'd give this $7.99 rib steak a marble score of 7 to 8. I aged the rib steaks for 5 days and they lost 10% of their weight. It was not necessary to trim any of the meat and I might go for 10 days with another steak with that wonderful marbling. The steaks were wonderful with great beef flavor, nothing like that "whole different animal" that is raised on beer and massaged daily in Japan. The Fresh Food Market is worth a trip. They have maintained their mission since the Bobak break-up and have expanded the ethnicity of their staff. (The Orland Park store has gone way downhill.) Not living near Chicago means I'll have to be content with my local oyster steaks. Tim