jsmeeker

Thanks Richard. I think I have a better grasp on it now. To make things convenient (i.e. to allow me to brew multiple cups all at once) for a solo drinker, I could go with a pot that used a infuser basket. If I were to serve tea to guest(s), I could brew a full pot without an infuser and pour it all out to all guest(s) in one serving. And of course, I suppose I could always brew a partial pot if I wanted to see the difference between using the infuser and not using it. Now that I have the equipment to make the tea, I have to figure out what tea to get!

Ah.. OK.. I see what you are saying. The over brewing of the subsequent cups. As mentioned before, I don't really want to transfer to a second pot. So, my plan wouldn't be a good idea. I guess I got the impression that brewing without any sort of infuser or whatever was vastly superior. So, maybe an infuser IS the best way to go for me. I can simply lift it out (I assume they all lift out?) and place it on a towel or saucer or whatever for a second infusion later on. Does that have to happen within a certain period of time?

You know, you're right. But they DID have one, years back, where that rack of wines organized by taste is now. Oh, I think that's something the Dallas CM does now too (wines grouped by flavor)right? ← Yeah.. That's where it was, before they put that wine display. That's also where they had stuff like rotisserie chicken. I guess at the time, it sort of made sense to have that at the end of "animal protein row", but I they probably realized that it was really prepared, ready to eat food and that it was better to move it over with the rest of it so that people who just wanted that didn't need to walk through half to store to get to it. The Dallas CM did have the same wine display like Plano does. The "flavor profile" thing. Is that new for them? But of course, they still display most of their wine in the more traditional way. (just like Plano continues to do)

Thanks, everybody. That does help. I did think about the heat loss from a quart measuring cup. The idea of brewing one cup at a time was not too appealing because I would probably want more than one cup. I think it would be more convenient to brew what I would drink once, then just pour. So, it sounds like a small-ish pot with a built in strainer (as a opposed to one with a infuser basket) would be ideal. Now, I just need to find one I like. Any suggestion on local places to get something like this, Richard? I poked around the Cultured Cup website, but what they had seemed pricey. I've seen those Teavana places in the local malls, too.

The Plano store doesn't have a sushi bar like the Dallas location. The Dallas one actually has people there making it up fresh and selling individual pieces. I thin Plano only sells the pre-packaged stuff. I do recall the Plano one switching around their sandwhich options.

$18/lb at a local fancy pants grocery store in Dallas last weekend. Further north, in Plano, in a large Asian market, there was a tank of what claimed to be Maine lobster for half that price. Not sure exactly where something is wrong here.

what about equipment if I want to brew loose tea? For now, lets assume "western" tea. Is it OK to brew it in my 1 qt. Pyrex measuring cup and pour it through a small strainer into a coffee cup when no one else is looking? What about something more "proper"? A pot with a built in strainer? Use a tea ball? I would prefer to brew and serve from the same pot/container and not transfer from a brewing vessel to a serving one. Looking for something pretty simple. And not too expensive.

I don't get to the Dallas CM too often as the Plano one is more convenient (closer to home, plus it's between work and home). But I was down there last weekend. Looks like they have made some changes/renovations since my last trip. The cafe area looks really new. And they are serving breakfast. Wines by the glass are available. There is a large dedicated sushi counter, too. In the produce section, they have a large area where they have a large "mise en place" section of veggies. Grab as much or as little as you need of something. They say this is the only CM with this features. They also have the packaged kits that include meats, sauces, veggies, seasonings, spices, herbs, etc. All ready to go. (I have seen this in the Plano store, too). I'm glad I was able to make it down there. What else is new at the Dallas CM?

Many will say that Dallas does not have a very good cocktail scene. But I think that it has a pretty good set of liquor stores. Goody Goody in Addison is one of my most favorite stores any place in town. (not just liquor stores, ANY store). I shop there a lot. Huge selection of stuff. Good prices. They seem to have almost everything a person could ask for. Pogo's is another nice place. Down on Inwood and Lovers, this small store has a very well thought out selection. It's not where near as much as Goody Goody, but they don't carry really cheap stuff, and the amount of actual stock they have on the shevles is limited. But this is the place I can pickup thew few things I can't get at Goody Goody. I've bought Luxardo Maraschino here. I bought my Regan's Orange Bitters here. They carry Vya Vermouth. I picked up a six pack of Barritt's Ginger Beer here last weekend. (I totally forgot to look for Creme de Violette) Really, I think between Goody Goody and Pogo's, the bases are well covered for the cocktail lover. (oh, they sell plenty of wine and beer, too). Where do you shop for booze in the Dallas area? Is there some other place I need to check out?

I made it up here last weekend with a few other eGullet members. It was a first time visit for all of us. For me, it was the first time to visit a big Asian market like this. It was pretty interesting, especially all the packaged products. I've never seen so many soy sauces before!

Not a good reflection on the CIA And which one with the tats, there were so many ← I think he is talking about the guy from Hawai'i that nailed the Indian dish without really knowing it.

Looks like I found my pot.. Local homewbrew supply store has a 20 qt stainless pot (with lid) for $50 and a 16 qt pot for $39. That works. Nice thing is that the store is closer to home than the restaurant suppy store and even the SuperTarget.

Nuts. I was worried about that. In that case, I need to seek out a less expensive stainless model. The restaurant supply store wants $110 for an 18 qt. stainless pot.

I think I'll swing by my local restaurant supply store and obtain a 16 to 20 qt stock pot. Is plain aluminium OK for this? They seem to be much less expensive than the stainless steel models they have available. I'll wind up with way more stock than I typically make, but if I take the trouble to reduce it down, that can address storage issue. Normally, I prefer to have "regular strength" on hand just so I can work with it directly. Makes things a little easier, IMHO..

Breaking this down more, I see that the ratio is 1 pound bones 1 pint water 2 oz. miripoix Is that right?? In any case, what that really seems to imply to me is that the amount of water should equal the amoung of bones by weight. That's pretty easy to do. Of course, the amount of "finished" stock will be less. I guess I need to brush up on how to tell when the bones/meat are fully extracted. I should weigh out what I have at home in the freezer and see how much water I will need. I am wondering if it might be time to buy a larger pot (largest pot I have now is a 7.25 qt. dutch oven). And maybe, suplement my leftover bones with some fresh chicken parts that actually have meat on them (or maybe even a small whole chicken)

I liked the start. Nice to see them get right into a Quickfire without any fooling around. And it was a straight up skills challenge, too. Not really suprising the kid still at CIA wouldn't last long. But I thought maybe he would last a few rounds. In any case, I am looking forward to this season. I wonder if they will stay in NYC the whole time. Is there really any true need to send them off to some other location for the final competition? I say keep it in NYC. What better place to be able to cook a wide variety of things?

I only have the "Mexican Everyday" book, and it's clearly made for the home cook and, as the title suggests, pretty simple preparations for everyday cooking. I've watched a lot of his show, where they cover stuff from more than one book, and it mostly revolves around cooking at home for entertaining guests. Not really "restauranty", either.

Much has been said about making stock. Types of stock. Methods of preperation. Reducing it. Storing it. Freezeing and re-freezing, etc. etc. I collect chicken parts. Backs, carcasses, wings, etc. I toss 'em in the freezer, then take some out and make stock.. But I always "wing it". Put them in the lagest pot I have. Fill with water. Simmer. Later on, add some amount of miripoix. Everytime, I think I wind up with something different. What I can't really figure out from all the discussion is a simple ratio for the primary ingrendients. Meat/bones, water, miripoix. If I have a given amount of bones/meat by weight, how much water should I be pouring into my pot? And how much miripoix do I need for that amount of meat. I.e. so much water for so many pounds of meat/bones. Miripoix is x percentage of meat/bones. Something like that. Something simple enough where I can weight out the bones, then use some simple math to figure out the rest. Are there "standards" for this? I want stock that I can use for anything from soups to sauces. I'd like to know what it is for chicken stock, as that's all I have ever made since having chicken parts on hand is a by-product of normal cooking for me. But I'd also like to get ratios for beef, veal, or any other sort of stock.

My parents have a double in-wall oven. The top oven has electronic digital contols. To set the temp, you have to push + and - buttons. It's a total PITA. Also, just turning that oven on to heat requires some sort of special button press. Just setting the temp doesn't fire up the elements. Yes, conventional knob controls typcially have a second knob for this. But with the buttons, it seems more "complicated". There have been numerous times when someone has set the temp, only to find a stone cold oven later because it was never on. Or, sometimes, it seems like the oven is more easy to shut off accidently. The bottom oven has a set of conventional knob controls. It's weird. It's not that I am against digital controls for an oven. But design them so they make sense. At least have a pad with numbers so I can punch in "400" instead of pushing a button a ton of times. Really, it seems that sometimes these things are designed by techie people that don't actually ever cook.

Thickness seems to be critical to this method's success. Is there a minimum thickness needed? Is it a full two inches? That's a pretty thick steak and I would think would need to be custom cut. Coliccho's methods of multiple turns really bucks conventional wisdom, doesn't it? Maybe I should go to Craft Dallas and order a steak to check it out.

Quicker = higher heat. At some point you cross the line into charring, which is not the desired result. You also burn the butter. So you can speed it up a bit but not a ton. If you're cooking thinner steaks, quicker-cooking methods are I think most likely to give you a good crust while maintaining a pink interior, though I still recommend basting with butter at the end of cooking. ← Based on the photos, it looks nicely "charred" to me. And I mean that in a good way. I don't get close to that in a high heat sear. What made me interested in this technique is that lower heat usually means less smoke, which is a problem with a higher heat method in an aprtment with crappy ventilation to get smoke OUT. Also, based on the pics, the butter looks "burned" to me. I suppose I could try a butter baste when I do my steaks with a higher heat (or what I think is higher heat) method.

Interesting. As I read through your post, I thought that this would only really work for a really thick steak. One much thicker than I cook at home. And it turns out that yes, that is the case. From the looks of it, the steak looks like it was seared really hot. Is there any true difference between building up that level of brown goodness slowly vs. doing it quickly? I'm a little surprised that it's mostly pink on the inside from nothing but direct heat cooking.

that's pretty hard core when you are going to be in a hotel for a few days, Chris. Especially a full service hotel with an actual bar. Sometimes, I think it's easier just to order a nice beer.

One of my dining choices for my upcoming Las Vegas trip isn't going to work. I was planning on going to Sensi for dinner one night, but it will be closed during the time I am in town. Is there any other place that might be somewhat similar?

Is Mexican food not Western? Or do you really mean an American kitchen (as in United States of)