Darcie B

In Hawaii the walk-in is probably both the coolest and least humid. One component of air conditioning is removing the humidity in the air (which is why all a/c systems have condensate drains). This is also why things tend to dry out in the refrigerator.

I think you answered your own question within your quote (emphasis added): I grew up in ND and it's 'eastern' butter there too.

I guess I don't understand why everyone slams Ilan for falling back on the stuff he knows from Casa Mono and praises Marcel for his creativity. Isn't he just as guilty for falling back on foams and other molecular gastronomy devices? It's not as if he invented isomalt. It seemed to me that he planned his meals around techniques, not around the food. That doesn't seem very inspired to me. Personally I am not a fan of either of those two and only intermittently watched the show last night (I flipped back and forth between TC and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Maybe they could get Oompa Loompas as judges on TC. They could put together a catchy little number while slamming the contestants).

I find my cakes don't get dry when I substitute oil for some of the butter in scratch cake recipes. I made a white cake and left out some scraps, uncovered, overnight and the next morning ate some. The scraps were still moist, except for the very edges. I can't stand dry cake either. Blech. It has taken some time for me to come up with recipes for scratch cakes that have a desirable texture in tiered applications. I'm not sure many other people would go through such measures when they can have the ease and consistency of a mix. I just don't like the taste of most mixes so I went out of my way to find (invent) scratch recipes that work. And of course I could just be deluding myself that these cakes aren't dry and tasteless, but I like to think they are good .

If there was a Mrs. O'Leary's cow, I think it started with oleo in WWII and worked up towards ever more processed foods. There were processed/shortcut foods before WWII, but with the rationing and substitutions of ingredients (esp. butter), I think it was the biggest catalyst. Also, the boys coming back from the war had a 'taste' for the rations and whatnot, and it was also a big consumerism thing to buy stuff like that because, well, finally you could buy stuff. Then it just snowballed from there.

OK, I think that the outrage (although I think it probably doesn't quite rise to that level, but I can't immediately think of a better word) expressed is probably at least one of four things, and for some it is a combination of these things: 1. Superiority - made from scratch is "better" because you sourced the ingredients, spent the energy, blah blah blah 2. Class - only poor people use mixes (whatever) 3. Health - fewer "chemicals" and yada yada yada. Of course, health claims when talking about cake are dubious. 4. Taste - Some think scratch cakes taste better. Others don't or don't perceive a difference. (I do!) I think it is different things for different people, but all fall within one or more of the above categories.

Personally, I don't think that you have to use a mix to achieve all of the above. I make tier cakes frequently (in fact that's about the only kind of cake I make!), some that have to travel many miles, I use fondant and/or buttercream, the cakes sometimes sit for awhile unrefrigerated, they sit in the fridge sometimes, etc., etc. These were all made from scratch cakes. I don't, however, do this for a living so if I had a flop it wouldn't make or break me. Therefore I am willing to take the chance. I have had to do over one or two layers, but that was when I strayed from my proven recipes. So I think I can have my cake and eat it too! Maybe I'm just lucky. I dunno. But I think that weighing the ingredients accurately has helped me with the consistency of my product. That and having the ingredients the same temp (yep I stick a thermometer in the butter - 65 degrees!) Remember, cake mixes are sold by weight, not volume! Again, this is not to knock someone who uses mixes. But I find that I can get the results I want, and my clients want, without using mixes, and I prefer to do it that way.

I didnt think you were picking on me!! But, for me when I cook for the seniors, it is cheaper and less time consuming. I dont use mixes for myself or when I work at my other job. Case in point, the mix cost 1 dollar. I'm using oil which is 2.97 for 3 liters. Its also not so much the cost, but the time factor. I can throw everything in the KA and walk away. I dont have to cream butter and sugar, etc. When I started this cooking job, I said I would not use bottled dressings, margarine, or preparared sauces. So, I dont feel so bad about using cake mixes. I do however, refuse to use canned frosting. ← Yeah, the canned frosting is a whole 'nother category. Have you tried the hi-ratio (at least I think that is what it's called) method for scratch cakes? It works much like a mix. You beat the butter, a little of the liquid and dry ingredients for a couple minutes then add the rest of the ingredients just to incorporate (30 secs). It's probably not *quite* as quick as a mix, but definitely faster than creaming butter and sugar, and adding the liquids and dry ingredients alternately, like in a standard cake recipe. I use it for pretty much all the cakes I make because it is easier and also much more consistent results. Dang it all, now I want to bake a cake and I don't even like cake that much! Hmmm...I have a bunch of whites in the fridge, so I guess I'll be making white cake tonight. Maybe cupcakes b/c then I don't have to level and trim and feel obligated to decorate LOL. Now that's where it gets REAL time consuming...

I never said that 'interventional' health care doesn't save lives! I just said that overall our life expectancy hasn't been greatly changed by it, because much of it comes at the end of life, and as you said sometimes with questionable results. It was my understanding that my friend was alluding to public health measures rather than individual medical procedures. I'm not trying to take anything away from the medical community... in fact, I am set for some 'interventional' medicine myself, that (I hope) will greatly extend my life expectancy (I have a thyroid problem, possibly cancer, ironically even though I eat what nearly everyone would consider a very healthy diet, which goes to the argument that far more than diet goes into the equation). I just wanted to state that my friend said that the research he studied showed sanitation and vaccination as being far more important than surgeries and the like. I'm certainly not suggesting we should give up our medical practices! edit to fix subject/verb agreement

You may want to check with your local florist. Many of them can special order edible flowers even if they don't usually carry them.

I don't understand how using mixes saves any money. The mix part is basically only the cake flour, leavenings, flavoring and sugar. You still need to add eggs and oil. I'd venture to guess that from scratch wouldn't cost any more than cake mix, if you were using an oil-based cake (if using butter, it would cost more). Then again, when I use a mix, I use butter instead of oil so for me it's never a money-saver. Let's see: cake flour $.75/lb (although I can often get it for 40 cents/pound), usually use about 9 ounces, so about 42 cents, sugar $.50 /lb, use about 12 ounces, 38 cents, plus some leavening and flavoring, probably equals about $1.00 or thereabouts. To me that has always been a specious reason for using a mix. Also, for the time factor, it probably only takes 5 minutes more to make a cake from scratch (esp. if using the hi-ratio method) than use a mix. Or maybe that's just me...I use a scale which goes a lot faster than using measuring cups. I'm not saying this to poo-poo using a cake mix, but just that to me these arguments for why one uses a mix don't hold up. Also, I'm not picking on you, CaliPoutine, you are wonderful and your cakes and desserts look great!!! Just responding to the arguments you raised, also touted by many others... edit fer grammer

I agree with most of what you are saying, and would like to add that a doctor friend once told me that all of the intervention-type medical care has only added something like 6 days (weeks? I can't remember - must need ginkgo biloba...) to the overall life expectancy. The two things that added tremendously to our life spans in the late 19th and 20th centuries were improved sanitation and vaccinations.

I always use the rule of thumb, 1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounce. I like weighing better, too, when using 1 pound blocks. Sometimes I get those, sometimes the sticks with the markings. I have never used an actual tablespoon measure. If I don't have a scale and am using a block of butter, I will just eyeball it.

I think you are probably right, but to me the differences are huge. I guess maybe my taste buds are just wired differently, but I also know many of my friends can taste the difference. I think it would be worth an experiment. I might just try it with my co-workers one of these days (when I have a little more free time LOL). Personally I don't think of it as a class issue - after all, a cake mix is basically just the dry ingredients for a cake. I think it is funny that many people disdain a cake mix because it is full of 'chemicals.' If you are using cake flour, you are using a very highly processed, highly chemical product so no one should be looking down on mixes. The problem I have with them is that their taste is so very different and usually not in a good way. The only cake mix I have ever liked (and I've tried lots) is the Duncan Hines French Vanilla. However, it's been years since I had it and they made have changed it by now. For me it's not a class thing or an 'I'm superior' thing, it's a taste and texture thing. Around here, there is a sort of 'reverse' snobbery. Sometimes people think I make things from scratch because I must think I'm better than they are. Or something like that. At any rate, many people think I am wasting my time when I could have a product just as good without all the work. To me it's worth it (and really not that much more work).

Do you do tier cakes? ← I can't reply for FoodMan, but I do tier cakes and don't use cake mixes. I modified a few well-known recipes and get cakes with a texture that is great for tiered cakes (at least in my opinion). They don't get hard upon refrigeration and taste good. I use a combo of butter and oil for the fats. I can't stand the chemical taste of most boxed mixes. FWIW, I have a sensitivity to anything metallic, so I don't even use regular baking powder. I often wonder if it is because my mouth is so full of metal fillings (I've always had a sweet tooth)

Marcel probably didn't make a big deal out of it for two reasons: he knew he had been pushing people's buttons, and it got him sympathy. Of course, Marcel being a snot and utterly annoying doesn't excuse Cliff's behavior. Too bad Marcel wasn't a wrestler. It would have been funny if he had been able to get Cliff in a double chicken wing (pun intended) and made him cry uncle. If Marcel is the winner, I suspect that the editing which seems to favor Marcel is done to build up sympathy/support for him. I hope that next season they can get people who are focused on food and not on juvenile pranks. I wish they wouldn't crown any of these people Top Chef. Edit to add: I would suspect that the release the contestants sign indemnifies Bravo et al against lawsuits for pretty much any reason. I suppose Marcel could file suit against Cliff personally but it probably wouldn't get him anything. We just handled a similar lawsuit in our court and the plaintiff settled for only actual medical expenses. Since Marcel had no medical expense (that we know of), I don't think it is worth his while to sue.

As a former Midwesterner, I also never heard of sammies, but we did call them sammiches.

I really thought Cliff should be the one to go. He demanded FOH, insisting that it was "what he does in his restaurant" but then royally screwed it up. Of course, the judges didn't see the footage we saw. If I had been Marcel and Elia I would have said more about why Cliff wanted the FOH. He didn't say "for the challenge" anywhere except at the judge's table. I also think he wanted FOH because he didn't want to cook with Marcel. I found it petty that Ilan tried to foam the Zesty Italian dressing. Also shows he doesn't know much about foams... Gack - Zesty Italian is nasty - I'm glad I don't have to try to make anything with it. I don't like those kind of Quickfire challenges. I hope Marcel doesn't try to spin off into a rap career....yikes that was bad. And enough with soigné already.

From a purely anecodetal perspective, my brothers small grains farm was organic for 6 years, and their yields over the period were about 15-20% less on average than conventional farms. However, they didn't have to spend $$$ on fertilizers and pesticides, so they were able to break even (which is about all most small farmers can hope for). They abandoned the organic method not because it wasn't working but because they had to transport the product too far to get to an organic processing plant, so any profit was eaten up in transportation costs as the price of gas rose. It would have been interesting had they continued because they were researching different organic weed control methods (corn gluten meal) and such. I think ending first world farm subsidies (which are mostly paid to large corporate farms, where a "small" farm is 10,000 acres+ and is worked by migrant workers who are paid minimum wage, if that), isn't going to happen without dramatic political change (more than just which side of the center line is in power). Also, I don't know what would happen if these subsidies ended - what should we expect? ADM growing organic, open-pollinated crops and no more high fructose corn syrup? People talk about ending the subsidies but I have never seen anything that predicts how it will be helpful. It seems these arguments never change, but just keep getting rehashed. The organic movement says everyone will be healthier, the birds will be merrier and we'll all have clear skin if we just switch, and the other side says it there is no way it will work and we'll be doomed to starvation. There has to be some middle ground but each side is so dogmatic that they refuse to see any other perspective.

Comments like that really tick me off. No one deserves foodborne illness...I've been there, done that, and it royally sucks. Christmas Day in the hospital is really lame. Secondly, I'm really getting peeved at the chain bashing and holier-than-thou attitudes around here. I'm so sorry I don't live to your impeccable standards. Also, I've paid a lot more money to eat at places where the food was supposed to be better than OG but sure wasn't. OG soup and salad makes a decent lunch, IMO.

I tried the 65% CacaoReserve the other day and frankly, I was astonished. I couldn't believe it was made by Hersheys. Since I can't find premium chocolate here, this will do quite nicely.

In one serving of Crisco (1 tbsp.), there are 1.5 grams of trans fat. I am opposed to a ban on any food product. I think we should stop trying to protect us from ourselves. Where we could end up on this "slippery slope" scares me. Forced exercise, anyone? Have to show proof of your lipid levels before you eat a piece of pie? Plus as Patrick points out, people are still free to eat a Hardee's ThickBurger, fries, and a shake. Banning trans fats isn't going to stop obesity or heart disease. I don't think it will even be a blip in the radar.

...when you dream that Mr. and Mrs. Fat Guy come over to your house for dinner (guess they found a sitter). The bad thing is I can't remember what we were eating! But we were sitting on the floor... I think this means I am feeling bad about not taking Gully out to dinner yet (soon!), and also that I need to quit eating so late..

Be careful with those agreements to spell out the details. Are they going to purchase xxx per week even if they don't sell? How can the amounts in the agreements be modified to reflect trends? Is she expected to deliver the items? What are the payment terms? I worked out an informal agreement with a local coffee shop and thought we had most of the details but some stuff I thought was obvious and didn't spell out really needed to be spelled out. One particular item where I was supposed to deliver the stuff. I delivered it to their kitchen, which is in a separate building (but right next door) from the retail location. I did that so they could easily arrange on platters and refrigerate what they weren't going to display (seemed obvious to me). They called me wanting to know why I was late delivering the goods when the goods had been in the kitchen for nearly 3 hours. They never even thought of looking there. I agree with you, though, it's a lot of work for very little return. Edit to kill run on sentence.

The only thing I can think of is a small lump of sugar (perhaps clumped with lemon zest?) that would be susceptible to overbrowning. This happens to me sometimes with cookies; a tiny bit of brown sugar lump will go unnoticed in the batter, but it spreads as it heats and makes a brown bomb crater.