tim

HI, I really like the Sili V Angled Roaster Rack oven racks. They also make a flat rack that locks nicely on a 10" skillet for a spatchcocked chicken. These are sometimes found for $10 at Tuesday Morning stores. Tim

Hi, Keta is lighter, milder and flakier that the protein and fattier Sockeye. I think this is the variety used commonly for canned salmon. Tim

HI, 10 pounds seems extremely high for a trimmed tenderloin. 70% - 80% loss also seem out of the realm of possibility. Are you comparing the pretrimmed weight to the trimmed and then aged weight? That fan would definitely accelerate the loss of moisture. Tell us more. Tim

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Hi, Mom called them"Hollywood eggs", don't know why. I now cook bacon in a French black steel pan before adding the bread to toast on one side in the bacon fat, flip and add the egg. Had them yesterday. Good bacon is really a hard find these days. Farmland thick hickory smoked bacon is pretty good for reasonable money. Tim

Hi, My guess is that your prebake is being followed by a full baking period; that means your crust is being baked a lot longer than intended by the recipe. If you have good luck with the prebaking, you can limit the time of the finished baking by pre-cooking the ingredients. Many cooks will cook apple pie filling to add color and flavor before filling their pies and baking for a short period. I also find that fresh peach pies are much better when baked for a short time. I think 40 minutes makes wonderful fresh peaches taste like canned peaches. This recipe seems to result in slumping crusts for many. There are recommendations to place the pie in a freezer for a period before baking. Whatever works for you. Tim

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Hi, I make gravy a few days before thanksgiving using a technique which combines elements of roasting and making stock. I roast the parts (necks, backs, thighs) at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, on a rack in my skillet/roasting pan. Elevating the parts yields lots of pan drippings and much better tasting fond. At this point you may chose to add aromatics and roast them for added color and flavor. You may then deglaze to make a pan sauce, or use the roast meat, aromatics and fond to make a strong broth by simmering with hot stock. Tim

Hi, Actually salting is used to leach moisture from the eggplant. You may also cook the eggplant pieces to eliminate moisture before using oil. Another effective way to reduce moisture it to microwave the eggplant pieces. Tim

Hi, This is the primary reason to consider the All-Clad LTD pans. They are about 35% thicker than the Stainless pans. Tim

Hi, Most of the seconds are clearly marked but there are some remarkable exceptions. (Like a very used, greasy A-C LTD pan) My experience with LeCreuset dutch oven "seconds" shows many with significantly warped lids. I culled through ten pans one day to find one with a decent lid. Finally got a 7 1/2 quart oven for $117! Tim

Jim, The menu sounds wonderful. There are wonderful inexpensive wines from Provence that will enhance the fun. You bring back wonderful memories of the Bastille Day street festival at Bastille. We loved watching the French films and enjoying wonderful wines under the tent. The wine waiter race in the street was the most fun... It would be wonderful for you to stage Bastille's Wine Waiter Race for your party. Black aprons, bow ties, trays, two glasses, one bottle, one waiters cork and customers about 50 yards away; the bottle was opened before the 50 yard trot. Better do this outside and have brooms handy. Good luck and have a wonderful time. Tim

Hi, Here is a really good video on grading a beef carcass. The process is completed in 20 seconds. Tim

Hi, In these situations it is important to maintain a cordial tone, keep the discussion objective and document instructions. In a kitchen, documentation is difficult but may be accomplished with a daily work log book. This is necessary only when the truth is being disputed. In that case, keep your discussions public. Abusive subjective behavior may dictate a pocket recorder. Tim

Chris, Individual animals are graded on degree of marbling between the 12th and 13th rib (the ribeye) and degree of maturity. There are varying degrees of Prime. The following sites may help. In simple english: Beef Quality and Yield Grades In USDAspeak: United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef Tim

Hi, I am aware of no scientific evidence or even a properly conducted comparison of smoking cold or hot meat. Nevertheless, I have assumed that meat that is smoked cold will absorb more smoke flavor. When I smoke a steak right out of the refrigerator before searing, the resulting smoke flavor is always wonderful. As a result, the reverse sear is my favorite method of cooking thick steaks and roasts. Searing a steak before roasting with smoke adds flavor to the exterior of the steak, but it never has that same flavor as the cold smoked steak. Is this my imagination? I think not. Tim

Hi, Ice cream is normally served at 15 degrees F. When you make ice cream the maker is usually around 0 Degrees F. and the mix should be just below 30 Degrees F. Based on that, I doubt that an ice cream maker would get the mix to serving temperature during churning. Tim

Hi, I hope the lighter, stronger bottles get to Argentina. VistAlba Corte A is packaged in a bottle that weighs 2.61 pounds, empty. Tim

I visited a wholesaler the other day who makes gelato. He had a commercial size machine (20k) that had churner arms that bent up instead of the normal type of churner blade. He said this was very important to gelato as normal churning arms he said "beat" the product down. Also the over run should be almost non existent,ie., no air in the mix. ←

This is nonsense. ← Freakin hilarious. Dawn is a standard cleaner. I have a bastard bunch of pots and pans, Mauviel through Ikea. (Not bad.) My recent faves have been from Target and TJMaxx. Stainless steel with the stacked booties, glass lid, cheap and versatile. A pan doesn't make a cook. Those stupid gizmos for veining shrimp: Not worth the three bucks thay ask for them. Use your fingers. ← Actually, Dawn is a brand name for a whole line of cleaners. Their Power Dissolver will mess up your teflon and finger tips. "Dawn Power Dissolver is not intended for use on copper pots, varnished or painted wood, appliance lettering, scratched nonstick surfaces, oven hoods, and dishwasher doors. Please check the back of the bottle for more information, including a full list of appropriate and inappropriate uses." Tim

Hi, This is one problem shared by disc-bottom sauce pans. A small pan on a gas burner allows the flame to over-heat the outer edge of the pan, sometimes burning the contents. Obviously there is not problem with water, but reducing a sauce or frying can result in problems. The limitation is greater for disc-bottom skillets. Burning around the edges in a gas burner; no browning around the edges on an electric burner. It would be interesting to know the "series" of stainless steel used for the exterior of the Vollrath Tribute pans. 18-0 stainless contains no nickel, an important element for corrosion and stain resistance. Tim

Hi, I place a sheet of Saran over the oven cleaner to keep the fumes down. This also keeps the cleaner working for a much longer period of time. Tim

HI, I would never do this with an open creme container. I am sorry that this suggestion caused such alarm. Actually, infected cream makes a very loud announcement as you open the container. Nevertheless, the system works wonders. Tim

Hi, Ginger is perfect ofr cold infusion because of the high level of juice. Run ginger through a juicer and you will have a lot of hot, hot ginger. Mint needs the heat to extract the flavors. Tim

Hi, There is also that low technology method used by the absent minded. Forget about that "manufacturer's" cream in you fridge for a month. Just wonderful!