tim

Hi, Yes, there are flavor issues from excessive salt. Brining formula's do include maximum times depending on the salinity of the solution. Tim

Andie, Please, tell us how you make vanilla paste? Thanks, Tim

HI, I use the coconut cream from the top of canned coconut milk for finishing pan sauces. It does have a tendency to break, like heavy cream but does not break down if stirred during reduction. Tim

Robert, So 30% "across the board" is visible in a $200 to $400 bottle of wine and maybe not very visible in a cheap $100 bottle of wine. Where did you learn mathematics? Tim

HI, I agree that stuffing a bird with aromatics is pointless. I frequently stuff lemon slices or other aromatics under the skin to cover breast, thighs and legs. It also helps to add lemon juice to a pan sauce and to squirt lemon juice on the bird while it rests. Tim

Hi, Making excellent hard cider is not difficult if you have brewing equipment and some experience. The following are the steps: The day before fermentation, add one Campden tablet / gallon to eliminate wild yeast. This is not necessary if the ph level is below 3.0. Specific gravity of the cider should be over 1.050. If not you may add sugar. Acidity should be below 3.5, with 3.0 being optimal. Add tannin if needed. If the cider has been open, bring to a boil, cool and transfer to carbouy. pitch lab yeast (cider, sweat mead or American lager II) to the cider and aerate thoroughly. Affix air lock or blow-off tube. If the carbouy is full, a blow-off tube assures clean cider. When bubbling drops to every 3 seconds begin checking specific gravity every 3 days. You will bottle at an S.G. of 1.002 - 1.003. Carefully transfer the fermented cider to a bottling bucket. Prime with 1/2 cup of sterile fresh cider or 1/2 - 3/4 cup corn sugar solution. For sparkling cider, add 1 oz or sterile fresh cider or 3 prime tabs to each 25 oz. bottle. Refrigerate bottles for two weeks to complete the carbonation. Good luck, Tim

Hi, Top Blade is widely recognized as the second most tender cut of beef, only behind the tenderloin. A top blade muscle is about 12" long, 5" wide and 3" thick. It has a line of tough sinew running through the length of the roast; think of the back bone of a salmon. The whole cut, top blade roast may be cross cut into top blade steaks, just like a salmon steak. The same roast may also be cut lengthwise into two tender filets; just like you would filet a salmon. Here is a video on cutting flat irons from a top blade roast. Bovine Myology Top Blade Trim This is an excellent cut of beef. Tim

Hi, We all know that many major grocery chains inject their meat with solution of salt, phosphorous and who knows what. It is worse than that! THEY ARE INJECTING AMMONIA INTO HAMBURGER selling it at fast food outlets and grocery chains. The purpose was to use questionable meat trimmings and eliminate contaminates with ammonia. It appears the process does not work; yes, much of the beef is contaminated. New York Times Article, "Company’s Record on Beef Treatment Questioned" Tim

Hi, Thomas Keller is the "ambassador" of All-Clad's Cop-R-Core line of cookware. He also claims to have helped develop All-Clad's new D5 line of cookware; this new line uses the Cop-R-Core handles and pouring lips and has replaced the copper with more aluminum and an thin layer of steel. It is obvious that he will be assisting All-Clad in promoting this new line. He is not "bamboozled" but he is paid. His website includes the following in the "STORE" section. STORE We are pleased to provide links to some of the products that we use in our restaurants everyday. ALL-CLAD We only trust suppliers whose edicts for quality match our own. We use All-Clad cookware because each item is crafted with a critical level of integrity. | PURCHASE THIS ITEM | "PURCHASE THIS ITEM" is a link to All-Clad's website. Inexplicably, the link and the statement about their use of All-Clad cookware is next to the following picture of their Mauviel Cookware. Tim

Rooftop, Are tempted to remove the "cap" and serve it as a steak at a later meal? That sounds like a plan to me. Tim

Hi, Yes, chocolate is what we think of with pots de creme. Vanilla pots de creme is a traditional dessert. Tim

Hi, Pots de creme has no "brulee", caramelized sugar on top. Tim

Maggie, I will suggest that you NOT add any vodka for two reasons. The 80 proof vodka does not pick up as much lemon flavor as the 100 proof vodka. More importantly, why would you want to dilute that wonderful lemon flavor? Using a higher ratio of sugar in your simple syrup is very easy. For you to get that 60 proof limoncello, you will want to add 8 ounces of simple syrup. It is very easy to dissolve 8 ounces of sugar in 8 ounce of water. I usually run the sugar for 5 seconds in a food processor to make instantly dissolving sugar. I also heat the water slowly while stirring. You might want to begin with about 6 ounces of the sugar syrup to allow you to adjust the sweetness. You may also find that you want to add more simple syrup to the limoncello. In this case, for every ounce of syrup, you will add 1/3 ounce of 80 proof vodka. Good luck, Tim

Diana, The 11" frypan weighs 9 pounds. That is about three times as heavy as an All-Clad 12" frypan. Tim

Hi, Cook's Country is aimed at the audience that has given "Taste of Home" magazine the biggest subscription base of all the cooking magazines. The recipes tend to be basic, simple and easy to prep and cook. Tim

Hi, That is a beautiful house. I especially like the color of the gingerbread and admire your architectural skills. Tim

Hi, I have dry aged for 10 days, 20 days and 30 days in my fridge. Never had even a minor problem. With no objective comparisons, I do think that longer adds tenderness but not necessarily better flavor. Dry aging tends to reduce the fresh beefy flavor of steaks and add a depth of flavor that is pretty elusive. Maybe it is umami. Maybe I lack the rhetorical skills. There is nothing better than a 30 day dry-aged USDA Prime Strip Roast cut into 1 3/4" slices then halved and tied to form medallions as big as filet mignons. As tender as a filet, with the flavor of the strip. But then, I haven't tried the 87 day dry-aged steaks.... Tim

Hi, The only way to serve four from a pekin is by deconstructing and serving a multi-course duck tasting dinner. This would begin with duck liver mousse, duck soup from the carcass, sliced duck breast/gastric, leg/thigh confit, potatoes sauteed in duck fat, and duck cracklins on a salad. It is wonderful but really takes time. Tim

Hi, Game hens can be dressed up by removing the bones and stuffing the birds with a light stuffing. This aways surprises guests who assume they will be carving meat from the bones and discover a boneless bird. Yes, the bones may be removed without cutting any of the skin, but today's larger game hens serve two people. It is much easier to cut the birds in half to remove bones except the wings and drum stick. You may then roast them over a stuffing that makes it appear like a halved game hen. Very elegant and wonderful flavors. Tim

Tom, Spatchcocking also makes it very easy to stuff aromatics, seasoning, herbs and fats under the skin. Entering at the four corners allows for full coverage of the wings, legs, thighs and breasts. It does help to re-pin the breast flap and thigh skin before roasting. Tim

Hi, Here is my wife's 2009 Festival of Trees entry. Most of the trim is fondant. The windows are isomalt. Tim

Not sure they sold it, though.... And no receipt, that's for sure. I hallucinated that you said it was from W-S. They never seem to care about receipts, though. Steve, You must not be aware of W-S policy on items without receipts. If they do not carry precisely the same product, yes even knives lines change a bit over time, they will give you a credit for the lowest sale price that your purchase was sold for at any W-S store. This can be a bit disturbing. The Bron Mandoline that we received as a gift was slightly warped making it impossible to properly cut potato gaufrettes. We had owned it a few years before we took it into one of W-S's larger stores. The box still had the Williams-Stonoma product number and we anticipated no problems. Alas, the Bron had been replaced in the product line with a Matfer but that was not a problem in our eyes. They then went through their efficient data base and the very last Bron was sold at some W-S Outlet Store for $35. They offered us a $35 trade-in for the $150 Matfer. The moral is "do not lose those receipts and return and re-purchase gifts as soon as they are received. Tim

Hi, Personally, I think the magazine is much more useful than any of the books. Only in the magazine will you see a discussion of recipe development that fully outlines the specific reasons for procedures selected. While many of their recipes claim innovations which have been appropriated without attribution, they do result in recipes that works. As to your question, many of their book purchaser recommend NOT ORDERING THE BOOKS FROM COOK'S ILLUSTRATED! When you order from them, there is fine print specifying that you will receive further books in the future and be charged. The problem is compounded with poor customer service and agressive collection methods. Darcie is right about the Restaurant Favorites book. Tim

I really appreciate all of your help, My wife is somewhat concerned because this same farmer grows free range chickens that are huge and overly toothsome, so to speak. I have been begging him for some poussin but he isn't willing to raise the price enough to justify the $2.50 processing fee. In any case, I'm not sure how much corn this turkey is getting; that would raise the fat content. Years ago, we had wild turkeys every fall and only had problems if they were really old or not properly bled. You are correct, I am overthinking the process. Nevertheless, I will brine for 4 hours, season under the skin, air dry over night, roast breast down, use caul fat, and love the bird. Thanks again, Tim

Paul, I do appreciate your thoughts. The bird will not be big, maybe 12 pounds. Are there different factors at play in brining a heritage turkey? I have brined turkeys for years without ever having any problem that you have mentioned. We usually air dry a wet brined turkey over night to dry the skin. Thanks again, Tim