pastrygirl

Where are you finding the info to blame the kitchen? If the server put in the order, did not mention the allergy, and picked up the order, it seems all the kitchen did was their job. Get ticket for salmon tartare, plate salmon tartare. If it was cross contamination and the kitchen had been informed of the allergy, different story. But it sounds like the server either put the order in wrong or grabbed the wrong dish off the pass. The dining room may be dark but the kitchen should have been well lit enough to see salmon vs beef color.

That is standard procedure for shared kitchens here. It's partly about the facility and partly about what you're doing in it so each company is inspected separately. Plus, we have three levels of risk, I'm approved for moderate level which means I use eggs and cream, the higher level is for cooking meat and comes with a higher fee.

That's too bad. Is there a chance to use a restaurant kitchen in their off hours? Some dinner-only places don't start work until around noon, if there are any you are friendly with or convenient to, consider making them an offer to use their kitchen in the morning hours. Or a coffee shop that is closed in the evenings (though there may not be much in the way of kitchen equipment in your typical espresso place) . Many kitchen don't have much extra space for storage, but it could be worth a look. Good luck!

I've seen plenty of skin-on salmon swimming in sous vide in restsurant kitchens.

I don't know. I definitely sympathize with not really using cookbooks anymore but I do like having them for reference and as a reminder of what I've learned. I've sold a couple of more rare ones and wouldn't mind getting rid of my 12+ years worth of Art Culinaire. But used cookbooks don't fetch much and they aren't taking up too much space so I'm mostly happy to keep what I have and not buy more. OK, so I did pick up a used chocolate book today in trade and got another one last month because it was on sale, but those are the only cookbooks I've bought in a long time!

Buy an EZtemper, of course! Sadly, dropping my name won't get you anywhere, they are more focused on bean to bar than chocolatiers, but it is a large and fun event. We Seattle-ites do love our chocolate. Hope to see you there.

Oh boy! Have you been before? I might have to actually pry myself away from my booth this year if you're presenting. This'll be my third year as a vendor, haven't been as a visitor in quite a while. Oh yeah, better get my fee paid soon

My parents always had a big garden when I was growing up. Beet greens were cooked simply (probably either boiled or saute'd) and we'd each have a small bowl of them on the side so they could be doused with red wine vinegar.

Have you looked at whatever shared kitchens or commissaries there may be in your area? Here in Seattle i was in a shared kitchen run by another pastry chef. It was very clean and well organized with about 15 different companies sharing 5 work stations. There was separate refrigeration for savory and sweet companies, which I really appreciated, and everyone scheduled their hours so there would be no overlap on each station. Any time you have shared space there is going to be a bit of the tragedy of the commons, and the larger catering companies did tend to monopolize the dish are a after events. Sadly, that space got sold and the new owners weren't interested in that level of organization. I've since moved into the kitchen of a restaurant for whom I used to work. It works OK, I just try to get in early and make chocolate while its cool, but I wish they'd organize better, by which I mean listen to me when I tel them how nice my previous commissary was Their catering cook acts like the other companies are in his way and doesn't seem to understand that the priorities of the owner-operators are different from the guy getting paid to dick around making hummus. So that might not be very helpful, I'm just saying that while renting kitchen space is far easier and cheaper than building out your own, make sure the other tenants are compatible. Will you have time to make chocolate when other people aren't in there with all the ovens on high, or the flattops and fryers, or huge kettles of jam? Can you negotiate enough space for all the bread? How are work areas and times managed? How is the ventilation, and will you have refrigeration for your sweet ingredients that won't be tainted with onions or other savory smells? We have two different regulatory agencies, the county for restaurants and caterers, and the state dept of agriculture for wholesale producers. They have different standards, so make sure whichever kitchen you find has already been approved by whichever agency will be signing off on your permits. Each company is usually inspected separately, but for example the restaurant I'm in has always passed county inspections, but a company that moved in and needed the state inspection had a much harder time meeting their standards. good luck!

Not spicy red peppers make me think sweet paprika - so maybe something like Hungarian goulash or paprikash.

So we call you the Chocolate Doctor and others call you Doctor Feelgood?

Do you pressure cook the tamales? Never knew you could do it that way! But in truth, pressure cookers kinda scare me

lemon juice instead of vinegar is fresh and bright

how about mac & cheese? peanut butter cookies?

Poor Canada, it's not their fault there's so much USA in the way. The farther north you go, the lamer the Mexican food!

Far more twee than anything I usually make, but I had a request for Hello Kitty themed wedding cake, so I ran with it. Hearts and a veil to make it seem more wedding-y. Sour cream butter cake with coconut buttercream (IMBC with a can of coco lopez and some toasted coconut) and marshmallow fondant.

Proper? Bah! Sounds like fun, I say. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?

There's no hood or exhaust fan? FWIW, in my house the electric range has a fan 24" above the burners. I think that would be a little low for a cabinet, especially with gas. Have you considered a pot rack? Some models attach to the wall and extend out, some hang from the ceiling

How about home-brewed ginger beer if you can find a valve top that fits (or whatever you need so it doesn't explode when you open it, not awake yet)

I've always been a bit skeptical of the flour theory.

If you add too much cream the milk won't curdle, but up to a cup of cream per quart/liter of whole milk should be ok. You can also stir in a little cream after draining the curds if they seem dry.

No, because I don't much like bananas. Since bananas are not juicy, on the up side they won't add much liquid, on the down side, all that starch and fiber will probably affect texture. I'd be inclined to caramelize ripe bananas in a little sugar to break them down, then puree with rum or lime juice to get smooth banana-ness. Banana liqueur does exist, but is probably artificially flavored.

Little too small for that, I think. The ones I've used are more like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bucket-Lid-Wrench-Plastic-Buckets/dp/B006RXPV4Y

In WA, or at least Seattle (this may be a county rule rather than state), all restaurants serving anything remotely rare need to have a disclaimer on the menu that eating raw or undercooked food may be hazardous to health. Some places get pretty creative with their wording, which can be amusing.

@DianaB I've never used a serrated knife for supremes, I like a slightly dull paring knife so it slides against the membrane without cutting into it.