_john

if you want to use something like sousvide magic controller to do sousvide with an IH burner you are going to run into two problems. Induction burners don't turn on automatically when they are plugged in so they can't be modulated with the controller unless you modify them. Also I have a had a lot of trouble using digital thermometers with IH burners. Something about the magnetic field of the burner causes the thermometer to malfunction. unless you are getting a 220v induction burner it will also take a long time to get the water up to temperature.

The super close up shots and cut away pan shots seem heavily influenced by modernist cuisine. He really loves star anise doesn't he. I tried his star anise trick several times and everything turns out tasting like pho.

In Japan there are these great paper towels that are used in all professional restaurants called "Leed cooking paper" リードクッキングペーパー. They seem to made from matted fibers, like a very thin felt. I heard that there is a similar product in the U.S. Does anyone know the brand? These are the ultimate paper towels but they quite expensive. You can uses these towels to filter, absorb oil, keep surface moisture (for wrapping raw fish etc.), moisten a towel wrap vegetables and then microwave them to steam them, etc.

I would like to learn how to make a really good french dip sandwich. What type of bread is best? What cut of beef should I use, how should it be cooked, and sliced? How do you make restaurant style "jus"? Does anyone have experience working in a restaurant that served french dips? Can you tell me about the work flow? And what are the quintessential sides? Man, I could go for a french dip after just typing this...

does anyone have some definitive information about eating the seeds? Are they good? Do they need to be boiled and then roasted? How do you eat them?

As much as I would like to have a traditional granite mortar and a wooden pestle and the backyard to put it in and the friends with free time to help, I don't. I do, however, have a Kitchenaid. Rinse then soak the rice for a least 3 hours, overnight if you have the insight. Steam it for about 20 minutes or until the rice loses it's opaque center and becomes a uniform texture. In my Kitchenaid Pro 600 I must cook at least 2 gou, or 300ml of dry rice, for it to work effectively. After the rice has finished steaming transfer it to the bowl of the KA and attach the dough hook. Start on speed 2 and move to speed 4 when it gets smoother. It usually takes about 10 minutes for the mochi to reach the consistency I like. If the consistency is too firm you can add hot water little by little. If it is too soft you may need to adjust your soaking time or cooking method. If you would to mix it for a longer time I recommend fitting a bowl of hot water underneath the mixing bowl, although it is a little tricky to maneuver (place the bowl first and then pour the water from a kettle). Eat it warm as you like, work it into sweets, or let it cool and freeze it for roasting later.

I bought the kitchen Crocs because most people said good things about them and because there are no fatigue mats where I work. I really dislike them though. I used to wear Sloggers brand garden clogs with a custom orthopedic insert. Then they changed something about them and they stared wearing through faster and they were quite slippery. The crocs rub on my feet at a point about on inch above my heal where a vein is. Now I have a darkened spot on each foot where they rub. My legs and feet are a lot more sore/tired at the end of the day especially on slower days where I am moving less. Shoes are a very personal thing. Unfortunately you have to find shoes that work for you the hard way. Now I am stuck with shoes I feel like I am obliged to wear out (cost me about $54 in Japan) but dislike.

silicon cookware is terrible. I know it is popular in Japan but I don't know anyone who bought some and still uses it. impossible to clean and not durable. An accident waiting to happen with hot liquids. I can't think of any advantages of traditional cookware.

if you haven't had the carrot and beef soup that is served with a Vietnamese baguette at pho ao sen then you are missing out.

if you pour boiling water from a kettle over the eggs and then shock them in ice water it is easier to separate them. then place them on a tamis and press them through to separate them into single eggs. store them in sea water.

Shrimp and lobster roe can be dried to make something similar to bottarga. it can also be fermented with salt and sake to make a type of shiokara. it is good mixed into the batter for fried shrimp as well. it turns from green to red when heated.

what do they do with them in japan? the scallop is served raw and the roe is blanched in hot water with a little sake and salt in it. Blanch for about 1min and then cool in ice water. then you can squeeze out the black liquid from the center. let the roe sit in lightly salted cold water for an hour or so. pat dry and store in the fridge. served with the scallop himo (the flappy part with the "eyes" on it) and scallop sashimi. good with a little lemon squeezed over it and eaten with soy sauce like sashimi. to prepare the himo massage it with salt until all the dark areas are rubbed away, blanch very quickly and let it sit in cold water for about 1 hour.

shaving bonito by hand is actually very difficult. making thin flexible shavings like you buy in the pack is almost impossible in my experience. some things that might help you. - are you cutting on the "push" or do you "pull"-cut? have you tried both? you can flip the blade assembly or just rotate the whole thing. - are you holding the katsuo-bushi the right way? From one katsuo 4 fushi are produced. each fushi has a head end and a tail end. you can buy se back or hara belly fushi. you want the fushi to hit the blade in the opposite way as it would swim through the water, tail first. the angle should be so the tail end is pointing up in the air and you shave the head end first. This is difficult to describe but I'm sure you have seen pictures. hara-bushi is easier to shave because it has more fat in it but it is considered to be a less pure flavor than se-bushi. - have you tried gently heating the face you will shave before shaving? this can really help with getting clean slices. you can heat the katsuo-bushi over the flame of the stove. - it is important to understand that the type of katso-bushi that you shave on a hand shaver and the kind that comes in the pack are different. They are produced by a different process and as such have different properties.　the kind you are using on your shaver is probably "hongare-bushi". The kind you buy shaved in the pack is made from "ara-bushi". Ara-bushi is easier to shave thinly. - are you storing your katsou-bushi at room temperture? if you house is cold it may be even more necessary to gently warm the katsuo-bushi before shaving.

there is a brand of huajiao preserved in oil that is imported in to the US. Lasts forever and is the most potent. If you have a Japanese super market near you you can probably find the premade Japanese version of mapo dofu in retort packs.

I am thinking about buying the pasta extruder and the grain mill. Does anyone know if the grain mill can be used to grind wet corn for tortillas?

Ingredients have no borders. Hiroyuki Sakai

I really wanted to eat here when I was staying at the oriental when in Bangkok recently. They where closed for renovations, such a shame.

Just got back from bangkok: great view of the skyline and pretty good food: sirocco http://www.lebua.com/en/the-dome-dining/sirocco-restaurant/ pretty good thai food with a nice show starting around 8pm: The thai restaurant at the oriental hotel "Sala Rim Naam" really good and cheap shark fin course: "Hock Shark-Fins Restaurant" hocksharkfins.com river side thai and chinese food. most food is 150 baht, cheap and good: http://www.princessterrace.com/locationandmap.php

leave what you cannot eat but never leave it messy. Do not pick around and only eat your favorite bits. If the person who made it is in the position to bus your dishes apologize appropriately.

The menu changes every day where I work. About 20% of it that is. We print it every day on a high quality ink jet.

I like to cut the tops and bottoms off them and open the cylinder out flat. Remove the membranes and "flatten" the surface using a knife to make it a uniform thickness. Then I slice them thinly in long strips to make bell pepper "noodles" that are a similar thickness to the pasta I am using. I have a standard tomato sauce heated and ready to go. Flash fry the bell pepper "noodles", season them with salt and mix them with the just cooked pasta in a bowl so that the noodles and peppers are mixed well. Plate and serve with the tomato sauce on top, a shot of olive oil.

I recently got together the necessary items for a sous vide rig. I'm wondering what Japanese dishes would benefit from using the sous vide technique for part or all of their preparation. The one that comes to mind right away is buta no kakuni stewed pork belly. Is there any advantage to cooking beans sous vide? If there is it might be great for kuromame black beans. Onsen tamago soft boiled eggs of course. Any other ideas?

Look what I picked up at the flea market today: It is essentially a huge vacuum thermos. It is hard to tell but it about a meter tall made of glass. I am testing it in my shower right now. It seems to have lost about 0.7°C in one hour. It was used to sell ice cream off the the back of bicycles. Judging by the temperature loss I assume that the vacuum is still intact. I wonder if there will any problems with it being vertically large. I think most of the things I want to sous vide will fit in the opening.

no salt rancid oil glass cutting board but even these people know how to bbq

Zucchini seems to be much more common this year in Japan. I tried pickling some young zucchini and they came out really well. I cut them in half lengthwise and pickled them for about 5 hours. I then let them sit for another 5 hours or so before serving. Pickling vegetables for a given time and then letting them "rest" allows the salt level inside the vegetable to balance out giving you much more consistent and delicious pickles. One thing that is not mentioned often in books is that you should leave the nuka clinging to the vegetables you have removed from the pickling bed until just before serving. If you wash off the excess nuka and store the pickles in the refrigerator they quickly develop what I call "white slime" bacteria.