annachan
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Posts posted by annachan
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Sad to report that Alex at Wynn is closing next week. Such a terrible loss.
Wow. I know restaurants in Vegas do come and go, but this one is really great. I will miss it.
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Are the Bamix Pro and Gastro the same thing? And, fwiw, the Robot Coupe is basically equivalent in price.
Which KA, annachan?
I believe this is the one: http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/product/KHB100ER/
Sorry, my stuff is in shipment right now so I can't double check.
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Oh, if you want a cup of coffee with dessert, the cheapest cup is $22. Sorry, but the food just wasn't worth the heavy price tag.
$22 for coffee!!!!
I once paid 7 euros in France for an espresso with some goodies and almost had a fit when I got the bill. $22 - Stunning!!
Il Cane Rosso is on the list for a walk in / casual thing.
$22 was the CHEAP coffee. There was another coffee that was over $40....
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I don't use it much except for blending soups. The first Kitchen Aid one I got several years ago was a bust when I used it in a ganache. I called KA and they sent a replacement right away and it's worked fine since.
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Also, some restaurants only release a portion of the tables for Open Table reservations. The past few times we went to Vegas, we made all the reservations by phone and got tables at all the fine dining places we wanted to go to.
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Is there a Target by you? I picked out a few for really great prices several years ago, mainly because its after the holidays and certain colors were half off.
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Any news on the Sydney Costco? Didn't see anything new on the website but just wondering if the place looks like it's close to opening.
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Did you try calling the restaurant? I've been able to get tables by calling even when Open Table shows no reservation. Also, you may be able to find out more regarding the walk in situation. Many time, restaurants can tell you about how many tables/seats are reserved for walk ins and when may be a good time to go for those seats.
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I definitely prefer PUR over Brita. I had the faucet mount before, but have switched to just using a pitcher. I haven't looked into it for a while, but when I got mine, I remember reading that PUR does remove more undesirable stuff than Brita.
The only downside is that Costco doesn't carry the filters for PUR pitchers. So, I get them from Bed Bath and Beyond with the 20% coupons.
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The first thing that came to mind are those fancy chocolate caramel apples. I imagine you can skip the caramel. I assume it would taste somewhat like dipping apple slices in chocolate fondue.
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I check with my friends who work in Chinese restaurants to see if they know a recipe. I've been told that the main ingredients (pumpkin, crab, shrimp, etc.) is fried after dipped in a fry batter or dredge in flour. Then, heat up a combination of butter and oil (veg I assume), add cooked duck egg yolks, mix well, wait till the mixture forms and then toss the fried items back and stir together till just combined. So, pretty much like what the others have said.
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Cab ride to Manresa and Meadowwood - haven't tried it but judging by the distance, you're looking at over $100 (maybe way over) each way. I've taken a cab from SF to Oakland airport, with no traffic, and it cost like $70 and that was maybe 7 or 8 years ago. Your best bet is to rent a car.
I personally love Coi, haven't been to Benu yet. For some reason, Benu's current menu isn't catching my attention. But that's all personal.
Have had a few days of feasting and had some really great food. Loved sitting at the chef's counter (walk-in) at Wayfare Tavern. The food is more rustic and robust, but it was well executed. Those popovers are so good. We also enjoyed dinner at Marlowe. Again, more of a casual place but the food was good. The only disappointment was that the famous Marlowe burger wasn't that great. The rest of the food was though. And last night, we celebrated the new year with dinner at Morimoto (Napa). The food was just fantastic.
A few more recent hits and misses:
*Hits
Plum (Oakland) - had a good lunch there. But I do prefer his other casual restaurant, Il Cane Rosso in SF.
Evvia (Palo Alto) - another good dinner, even sat at the table next to Steve Jobs! Just solid Greek/Mediterranean food. If you want to stay in SF, you can get the same food at the sister restaurant, Kokkari.
*Misses
Burma Superstar(Oakland) - this is one of those places that are extremely popular, and I have no idea why. Mango chicken, sesame chicken, fiery chicken and crispy chicken? Come on, that menu reads like it can be from many generic Asian restaurants. The food tasted like that, too, except it was way more expensive and the portions small. If you want some real Burmese food, go over to Little Yangon in Daly City.
Alexander Steakhouse (Cupertino) - I know 5A5 in SF is supposed to be a knockoff of Alexander. However, my meal at Alexander was not better than 5A5, it was worse. The tomahawk steak was way too fatty and didn't have much flavor. Part of the meat was quite chewy as well. Nothing stood out as being great. Oh, if you want a cup of coffee with dessert, the cheapest cup is $22. Sorry, but the food just wasn't worth the heavy price tag.
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I'd suggest a Thermomix, which I gather are hard to obtain in the US. It's around the same price.
You can do eggs in it, as well as grind, puree, cook, steam and make sorbet and nearly cleans itself.
Here's some comparisons from an Australian forum.
http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3761.0
If you have a Kitchenaid, then I don't think it is worth getting the chef.
I also bought a SousVide Supreme a few months ago, and it is a heap of fun
I looked at the Thermomix and was excited at first. However, I decided that the Kenwood fits my needs better than the Thermomix. First, the Thermomix is just too small. I tend to make large batches of stuff (soup, stew, rice, cookies, etc.) and it just doesn't have the capacity to do so. Also, yes, it can hold the temperature, but the settings only allows you to go in 10 degrees increments. I like that you can be much more precise and go to higher temp with the Kenwood.
Still, I think a SousVide Supreme or the like is what will most likely be the next big purchase for the kitchen.
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I'd be a little careful about converting a 110V appliance like this to 220. I'm living in Beijing and would love to bring a 110 from the States but KitchenAid warns against this on their forum and I've read in other places where people have had problems doing that. If anyone has some experiences regarding this to share I'd like to hear from them.
Well, it's worked for me so far, but your electrons may vary. What problems did people have? One thing, particularly with motorized equipment is to be sure you have a high-enough wattage unit for the start-up pulse. That can be around 2 times the rated value, I think. Mine is rated for continuous usage and I chose the size, based on the espresso maker. I believe there are some electronic things sensitive to the frequency 50 vs 60 Hz but even my rice cooker works.
Maybe the issue is that people are just using a converter and not a transformer? I read a little about it on a place that sells transformers. I'm hoping the transformer will serve me well or I'm looking into spending major $$$$ to replace the KA....
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Chicken - instead of in marinades, maybe try spice rubs. I make chicken thighs at home all the time. I get the bone-in skin-on ones as they are very economical and have good flavor. There is your standard of just salt and pepper, but sometimes I use add cumin or garam marsala or curry powder or garlic powder or a tandoori spice rub that I got from the farmers market, or a combination of. You don't have to use a lot. To maximize flavor, I also put some seasonings in between the skin and the meat. I always bake them @ 425, 15-20 minutes on the top rack (set @ top 1/3 of oven) and then another 15-20 minutes on the bottom rack (set @ bottom 1/3 of oven).
Another option for chicken is a homemade teriyaki type sauce. I start with soy sauce, then add an acid (various vinegars and/or citrus juices) and then a sweetener (honey/sugar) and mix a sauce to taste. You can add some chili (dried or chili sauce) if you want a kick. You can also add minced/powdered garlic and/or ginger. I generally bake the chicken as is and at the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time, add the sauce and put back in the oven so it glazes the chicken without burning.
On a budget, pasta is your friend. It really does help you stretch your protein. You can add a variety of proteins and/or vegetables to your basic red or white sauce. Sometimes, simple is best. Cooked pasta with a little cheese, a fried egg and some toasted bread crumbs is something that I really love. It's easy, tasty and quick.
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I usually go with the practical, but when I saw that at the store, I wanted one. Not that I would pay that price for it, but it's one of those "if I win the lottery and can splurge" thing.
Actually, we're moving to Australia next month. If I have to replace my KA stand mixer there, the regular Pro runs about $800-$900....
I bought a 3000 W transformer/voltage regulator so I could move my small appliances to Australia. For that price they should make a dual voltage version.
That's exactly what we're doing. Taking my KA over and just hope and pray that it won't give up on me anytime soon.
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Oh, okay. I thought you were getting one anyway. In that case, I would assume that sous vide wouldn't work. Like Alton Brown, I'm a big fan of multi-taskers (like my Kitchen Kettle), but am not a big fan of combination products. I got a Cuisinart combo Blender/Food Processor once. It was merely adequate as a blender and inferior as a food processor.
I got one of those Cuisinart combo too! It just been sitting there since it had a hard time dealing with pesto.
The Kenwood Cooking Chef is a beautiful machine. But I really don't want to spend that kind of money right now if it really can't do much more than my Kitchen Aid.
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It's not that I don't want to give it a try, but it will be an expensive experiment ($1600) if it doesn't work. I mean, it can still do a lot of other things, but I was hoping that there are things that I can do with it that I can't with the Kitchen Aid (with additional steps of course).
My husband and I are just in love with sous vide eggs and I really want to get something that I can make that at home.
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Thanks Dave! That's really helpful. If I can't do sous vide in this machine, maybe I should just invest in a sous vide set up since I do already have a Kitchen Aid. Though being able to make marshmallow in one machine is nice....
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It looks like I may be getting a Kenwood Cooking Chef (http://www.kenwoodworld.com/uk/CookingChef/Home1/) for Xmas. Before I commit to it, I like to hear from folks who have used it.
Here are a few things I want to know about this machine before spending this kind of money on it:
* Can I use this for sous vide? More specifically, can I make sous vide eggs in it?
* Do the attachments work well? I'm mostly interested in the blender, food processor (some concern of its size) and pasta roller/maker. If you have used others, I like to hear about them as well.
* Would it work with the candy pan designed for Kitchen Aid?
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Kasma Loha-unchit says that jasmine rice is best steamed.
Because of its slightly sticky quality when cooked, jasmine rice tastes best steamed. Steaming fluffs up the rice and retains the fullness of its natural fragrant flavor. Electric rice cookers can be used for steaming, but most of them do not truly steam, but rather, boil rice. Usually the rice at the bottom of the cooker is boiled and only the portion closer to the surface is steamed, which is why the rice closer to the top tastes much better than the mushy rice at the bottom of the pot.I haven't tried it, but it may also be that other rice types are also best steamed. I've been too lazy and have only used my rice cooker.
How long does steaming rice take? Never done it before. It may be something I try once or twice just to try it, but I think I will be too lazy as well and just go with the rice cooker.
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Thanks everyone, that's great to know. I was debating if I want to get a rice cooker or not when I move. I like to start making other types of rice at home. Sounds like the rice cooker can handle the variety so I think I will get one.
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I use my rice cooker regularly but have only cooked jasmine rice in it. I was thinking the other day if it would work with other types of rice. I know I have to be mindful of the water ratio when using different rice. Would basmati rice cook well in a rice cooker?
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I usually go with the practical, but when I saw that at the store, I wanted one. Not that I would pay that price for it, but it's one of those "if I win the lottery and can splurge" thing.
Actually, we're moving to Australia next month. If I have to replace my KA stand mixer there, the regular Pro runs about $800-$900....
Do you need to grow up around good food to 'get it'?
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted · Edited by annachan (log)
I grew up with my grandmother who's a wonderful home cook. She could cook just about anything. On the other side of the family, my grandfather, along with other family members, owed a butcher shop, a Cantonese BBQ joint and a few large Chinese restaurants. My sister and I went to fine dining establishments as kids. I grew up with a lot of good food, even though I had no idea when I was a kid.
My husband grew up in a small town in England. His mother prefers frozen vegetables to fresh. Fast food was part of his regular diet, the only places he really "dined out" at. He grew up with food that neither one of us will even want to eat again.
Somehow, we've both grown to really love food. It's getting to a point where we sometimes break down a dish and talk about the flavors and textures as if we're food critics.
I think more than another else, it's about passion. Our passion for food has driven us to seek out good food and experiment with cooking. Obviously we grew up very differently, but I like to think that we both "get it" when it comes to food. Interestingly, my husband "get it" more so than the rest of my family members when it comes to food.