Jump to content

cupcakequeen

participating member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    114

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by cupcakequeen

    Aquavit

    in New York: Dining

    Posted

    i had lunch at aquavit last week. the new space is amazing. we tried all of the desserts (except the icecream sandwich) and they were all fabulous. the apple sorbet was the dark horse...a favorite of the waiter, and we hadn't considered it at all. the flavors were superb.

    chocolate basil frozen meringue with watermelon and fleur de sel were good in theory, but the watermelon wasn't peak.

    the artic circle is great mix of flavors. they were all so beautiful. it was a wonderful lunch, but i was especially impressed by the desserts!

    Automatic Unauthorized Tips

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    PLUS, the present the story of a poor college student that got thai takeout & the $2 hold on his account put him in overdraft.  why is someone with $7 to their name ordering takeout anyway?

    because they don't have time to shop and cook because they're cramming for a final? because they can? because the monthly check they get from their uncle/mom/dad/sister to help them eat and have somewhat of an interesting experience while at college comes in the mail the next day? because it's only 7 dollars?

    i just don't see that question as relevant. and given the factual explanations offered by estufarian and jvictor it would seem that the entire thread and idea is irrelevant given the article in question. a terrible article in my estimation. and one that feeds peoples' needs to get up in arms about nothing.

    well, obviously he couldn't because it put his bank account into a negative balance.

    i feel bad for the little thai restaurant that is mentioned over and over again as the restaurant that is overcharging their customers.

    Automatic Unauthorized Tips

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted · Edited by cupcakequeen (log)

    that article really got me steamed up! it was the biggest story on the front page and made it seem like restaurants are "stealing" from customers. it was a very convoluted article and not many people read through it enough to realize that it is a temporary hold. and it was never explained properly that it is to include the tip amount in the original authorization.

    PLUS, they present the story of a poor college student that got thai takeout & the $2 hold on his account put him in overdraft. why is someone with $7 to their name ordering takeout anyway?

    and don't we have bigger stories to put on the front page of our newspapers?

    Giving out your credit card number

    in Restaurant Life

    Posted

    i used to work as a reservationist for a well-known restaurant in seattle. we started asking for credit cards to deal with no-shows. in a restaurant that only has 17 tables, this can really kill us...especially if we are turning away potential customers. no-shows affect staffing, tips, etc. it's not good for anyone at the restaurant.

    so many first-time customers get upset when i'd ask for it. if i had a nickel for every "i've eaten all over the world and i've NEVER been asked for my credit card number."

    A question for bakers

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I've never come across this before. Where on the machine is the grease coming from?

    it comes from taking the hook off and brushing your shoulder/arm where it connects to the planetary device....lovely green and black stains!

    thanks for everyone's input.

    A question for bakers

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    i didn't know where else to post this...but has anyone found a way to get hobart/mixer grease out of their chefs jackets? i've tried bleach, oxyclean and some other pre-treaters, but all of us in the bakery have the same marks on our shoulders from the stupid mixer.

    is it something you eventually remember to be aware of and stop ruining all of your jackets? i just ruined 2 new ones!

    Chocolate Buttercream help needed

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    a buttercream made with an italian meringue will last longer in hotter temperatures than the swiss method. basically, you heat the melt the sugar (with water), above soft ball stage, whip your egg whites & after they've reached volume, slowly add the hot sugar. makes a more stable meringue, and in turn, a stable buttercream.

    Troubleshooting Caramels

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    you might want to invest in a digital thermometer (probe-type)...sugar has to reach between 320-340 degrees to caramelize, it might help to have a thermometer because it's a lot higher than you think.

    cream of tartar is probably a better choice of acid than vinegar or lemon juice because you don't want to change the flavor of the product. if you put the cream of tartar in the amount of water you want to use 24 hours beforehand, it'll dissolve and become clear before you add it to the sugar.

    like everyone else said, adding more water won't affect the carmelization, it will all boil off beforehand. you can even do equal parts sugar and water.

    but you definitely want to brush the sides of the pan down INITIALLY, once it gets boiling you don't need to do that. Don't shake the pan or stir it at all.

×
×
  • Create New...