chefmarc

Basting is absolute lunacy and nonsense! They're now 5 of the top ten Turkey producers in the US that now say on their instructions, "Do not Baste," Congrats to them! I liken basting to, and I'm not being crude, but if you had a blister on your arm, from a steam burn, would you put a hot boiling liquid on it? breaking it open twenty minutes later?. Where is the moisture in the blister coming from? Yes, it's being pulled from the moisture in the protein. And then repeat it 6-8 times during the cooking process? (ever wonder why Turkeys basted constantly are so dry the next day and need a 1/2 cup of mayo to make them palatable?) Electric ovens take between 8-11 minutes to come back to heat after having the door of the oven opened. (good way to heat hell into the kitchen) Gas stoves are quicker, but not much.. In restaurants, especially in Europe, we cook at 550 - 650 deg. and more. If a chef saw a line cook basting and opening the oven, repeatedly, he'd fire him on the spot. The enemy is moisture. The proper process in preparing any protein in a heated environment is the drying of the protein, eg; fish, poultry, beef etc., with a paper towel, or clean cloth towel, to get all of the moisture off. Then sealing the protein with an oil, brushed or rubbed. Now, when you put this in the oven, on a grate or rack, it creates what is called "Assamar," (look it up) which is like a balloon encapsulating the protein, thus keeping the moisture in the protein, so it can't escape. Any moisture on the surface of the protein will let and create a steam spigot, so to speak, (basting!) releasing the aromatic steam or moisture from inside the protein. You must let the meat rest!!!! after cooking at least 4-6 minutes for smaller proteins and more time (20-30 minutes) for larger items like Turkey, or you'll see immediate moisture (juices) running on your carving board/plate. And NO SALT on the protein before cooking. Salt is Anhydrous! Salt brings moisture to the surface of the protein, want a good grilled tasty Steak? then leave the salt and salt infused rubs off your proteins when cooking. Salt (TT) = to taste, after you've grilled, baked, broiled etc. I personally love salt. After the cooking process! And don't confuse a marinating and or brining process, with salt before you cook, as salting before cooking, salt in the marinating/brining process breaks down connective tissue in the protein and makes the protein less "tough," (for no better word) and it's the same process after you've marinated or brined. You must dry the protein with the towel and oil before putting it in the heated environment. I see these major food magazines getting these amateur writers each year in their "Summer Grilling," issue on how to grill and they ALL salt before grilling, you cannot get a good crusted moist steak by salting it. Folks it's just basic food chemistry.

Also If you are looking for a quality product we have here in California www.artisanfoiegras.com PO Box 2007 Sonoma, CA 95476-2007 (707) 938-1229 In California, their prices are little more competitive than Hudson. Marc

I'll respond from the media side, because most of the people involved in this controversy do not even know the basics. I was contacted for the "pro" view by my station to do an interview with a vetrinarian from W. Virginia who was the leading "con," with the scare tactics and untrue statements. He made the statement, during our news story in the 6pm news broadcast here in San Francisco on ABC affiliate "KGO," that the geese's stomachs were being stuffed which was tantamount to farmers being terrorist. I asked him how long he had been a vetrinarian and he said "17 years." I said first of all Dr., "Geese do not have a stomach, they have an esophagus, which can expand, when filled, to 1 & 1/2 times their body weight. From there it goes through the "gizzard," which grinds, like teeth, into the duodenal loop which is a medium and smaller intestine. Geese in their natural environment will land in a corn field and gorge their "gullet," themselves by eating so much that they'll not even be able to fly until they process the corn through the gizzard. So now you know the technical side, so to speak, and in the history of foie gras, it has been produced for over 5,000 years. So when the press showed a black and white film from 1953 showing a producer shoving feed down the neck into the esophagus, people were aghast. The process does NOT hurt the goose as they will eat until they cannot move in a natural environment anyway. If you want to look at what is "cruel," in this process is that the goose is force fed, in a pen, for two weeks before slaughtering, without exercise, to "fatten it's liver." If you want to get this country up in Arms, please ask a typical "Chicken Processor," to show everyone how these high speed cutters in the slaugtering room where 500,000 chicken are killed daily, just by one producer, here in California. That process is FAR, more cruel, than stuffing an expandable "E Gullet." Would we stop eating chicken if we saw how they are "killed by a spinning knife?" I eat both chicken and Foie Gras and I sleep well.