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Qwerty

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Posts posted by Qwerty

  1. Maybe we are talking about the same thing but I don't really consider 1-2 minutes resting. That may be enough time for the temp to carryover in the very middle and turn the whole fillet opaque, but hardly, IMO, counts as a rest.

    I would say an ideal minimum rest for a piece of meat (like beef, chix, pork, lamb, etc) is 10 minutes in a warm place. 5 is absolute minimum, but nowhere near ideal. For me, fish is take it out of the pan, drain/blot on a rack/c-fold, then plate.

    In my experience and opinion fish shouldn't need to "rest" any more time than it takes to plate and make it out to the diner, say 2-3 minutes. Monkfish should rest about 3 minutes before you start plating and serve to guest, for a total rest of 5-6 minutes.

  2. Guys, you don't have to rest fish. In fact, I would argue that you DON'T want to rest fish, since fish is at it's best right out of the pan. Fish will not improve from resting.

    The only exception I know of is monkfish. You rest monkfish for all the reasons already stated. Things like turbot, halibut, salmon, trout, etc. all, don't need to be rested.

    I want to clarify that fish will have some carryover cooking that you need to take into account, but this is not the same as resting.

  3. Monkfish needs to rest because the flesh is dense and if you don't rest it it might get a bullseye. If you rest it properly, the internal temp will equalize and finish cooking in the middle, whereas if you leave it in the oven you run the risk of overcooking it esp. on the outside. It shouldn't need to rest more than 3 minutes or so.

    Most other fish does not need to rest because it has a very narrow range of doneness and should pretty much be ready to serve out of the pan. Fish also tends to get cold qickly and should be served immedietly in most cases

    BTW, TC was only talking about monkfish, he wasn't suggesting that fish in general needs to be rested.

  4. Oh man, you were in Vegas and you ate at Nine? I hope you did better than that for your other meals :)

    Meh, whatever. I feel bad for the peeps working there (I knew a few from perv. jobs--and it'll be tough to find other jobs right now) but otherwise I don't see it as a big deal. I've heard through the rumour mill they've been in trouble for a while so no suprise.

  5. I'm watching the rerun and wondered about the "red wine bernaise" and Carla just referred to it as "bordelaise beurre blanc." C'mon now. Which is it, and Ripert must be some kind of genius to make "red wine bernaise." Even i have made red wine beurre blanc, though i think it's an abomination.

    Just to be clear she called it a buerre rouge, a buerre blanc would be with white wine.

    I would say it's normal, chefs do that kind of thing all the time. Calling pork shanks osso bucco, "confit" or tomatoes or onions or oranges, etc. Very common. Things change, even demi-glace isn't what it used to be. Don't see anything wrong with it, though it could be misleading. I would imagine that it had tarragon in it as well, but that is just speculation on my part.

    ... as for jamies comments... although she has a right to her opinion, to make those statements while being treated to a lunch at one of the country's greatest restaraunts seems pretty tacky.... In any profession- when young and starting out-.. best to hush up and learn as much as possible from each opportunity offered. end of rant. Sorry.

    Come on, don't distort. She made those comments well after the lunch at her exit interview. You make it look like she looked Ripert in the eye and told him the lunch was shitty.

    Ugh, I promised myself I wouldn't talk about it anymore. Last time (I hope).

  6. You have to be careful with the idea of "pressing" down as well. I wouldn't say that press is the right word...use very gentle pressure. Alot of people seem to think that the only way to get it back flat is to weight it or to push really hard. The thing to remember is that the flesh will eventually relax and you will be able to apply gentle pressure to make sure the skin gets full contact with the pan. But I've seen a lot of cooks literally flatten with force the fillets, and IMO that is just wrong. It takes a gentle touch, and once the fish "curls" let it relax a minute, then gently press. Otherwise you risk damaging the flesh.

  7. Give me a break. She didn't say anything about Ripert she said that the lunch was delicious but she found it a little boring and wasn't inspired by it.

    Get real. When you make that comment, by implication you are saying something about the chef responsible for the food. What else could it mean?

    You are obviously not a professional cook/chef. It is very possible to respect a chef and not personally find his food interesting. She acknowledges, whether on camera or not, that Ripert is an amazing chef. That doesn't mean that his food has to excite her. If he cooked Mexican food, and she personally didn't like Mexican food for one reason or another, does that mean that she's dissing Ripert? No. It means she isn't fond of his style. I can see exactly where she is coming from, even though I don't agree with her. I personally don't find Grant Achatz's food interesting, I find it like chemistry class. That doesn't mean that I don't think he's a genius.

    Thank you

  8. I mean, traditionally medicine and law were only practiced by men as well. And I would argue that med students get treated with respect. I'm sure there are a lot of interns that would agree with me. Stress? Anyway you slice it, in the kitchen, no one is going to die because of my actions.

    Besides, I think nowadays most of the "hardcore" hazing is a thing of the past. Sure, you could get worked to death and yelled at a lot, but I doubt too many places still throw things or hit employees.

    I've felt like an idiot, sure, (many, many, times) but I don't think I've been "humiliated." I think that this style of learning to be a chef is getting phased out.

  9. Get real. When you make that comment, by implication you are saying something about the chef responsible for the food. What else could it mean?

    The comment was, IIRC, that the lunch was "delicious" but "a little boring" and she found it "uninspiring."

    There is nothing wrong with that statement. You guys make it sound like because she didn't have an orgasm at the table that she somehow was jamming a knife in Ripert's back. She is entitled to her opinion, and I'm sure they asked her for it, and she gave it. She is not the first and certainly won't be the last chef to not gaga over his/her meal at Le Bernadin. I fail to see the disrespectful comment that she made.

    I think you hit the nail on the head right here. You may not want to make that kind of food, you may not love it, but isn't there something for you to learn, from one of the best chefs in the country? Jamie was one of my favorites (talent wise) this season. Her attitude disappointed me. Also, she's classically trained, so it's even more difficult for me to understand why she would comment on Ripert's food that way.

    Again, what attitude? She basically said she didn't love her meal and doesn't like to cook that kind of food.

    Here are some quotes from Jamie that I looked up from the BravoTV website:

    "I am am awful at replicating...I thrive off the creative aspect of cooking and being innovative."

    "I was happy cooking black bass, I have cooked it hundreds of times before...I didn't think that part of it was going to be a problem (which its was). I would have loved to make the dish Fabio got with the tomato water and bread crust. That dish was beautiful. Or even the dish Hosea got because of the flavors in it, the black garlic (which was one of my ingredients I brought with me), the Persian lime, the cous cous...It was just more interesting."

    Those were just a couple quotes that stood out to me from an interview on the site. Hardly seems like she's being disrespectful.

    Remember, just because it inspires YOU and YOU would love to eat at LB doesn't mean everyone does (or should) have your opinion. There is a wide range of cooking styles and philosophies.

    But whatever, I'm done on this topic I've said all I can say.

  10. I knew Jamie was doomed when she mentioned how unimpressed she was by Ripert and how he doesn't inspire her.  I knew when she was a goner with that attitude and rightfully so.

    She did say that, and I thought she was rude about it. Fine if you don't have the same cooking style, but it's Eric Ripert. Show some respect.

    I really like quick fires that show serious cooking technique and skills. I want more of them.

    Give me a break. She didn't say anything about Ripert she said that the lunch was delicious but she found it a little boring and wasn't inspired by it. It seems like she gave her honest opinion--and I'm quite certain she wouldn't be the only chef in the country to think so. I've met a lot of chefs that think having 20 cooks in the kitchen and charging hundreds of dollars for a meal is silly. Doesn't mean they are lesser chefs or wrong for thinking so, just have a difference of opinion.

    Seriously, how is it possible that someone suddenly loses all credibility if they don't kiss the ass of someone like Ripert? He's one of the best chefs in the country, true, but hardly worthy of god-like status some people seem to want to give him. He's a man, a chef, cooks very high level food, but it's not everyone style or cup of tea.

    What did she need to do, kiss his ring?

    PS--For the record, I am a huge fan of Ripert's, I just find it funny that she is being faulted for somehow not showing proper respect.

  11. I'm sorry but I don't know what attitude you are talking about. I think she made mention that the food was delicious but she was a little bored by the food and found it to be uninspiring.

    I don't think she said anything bad about Ripert (or that he doesn't inspire her).

    Listen, I can see her point. I'm personally a huge fan of Ripert's but there are no absolutes in cooking and if it doesn't do it for her, that doesn't mean she has an "attitude."

    Not everyone has to cook Michelin 3 star or think it's the god's all of cooking.

    She seems to be very much in the same vein as other top level female chefs (upscale home food, very chef driven, etc) like Melissa Kelley, Judy Rodgers, etc. I wouldn't say there is an easy way to quantify someone's subjective taste about this stuff, and I wouldn't say that one style is better than the other since there are so many things that affect it.

    Is Ripert's Snapper better than Judy Rodger's roast chicken? Hard to say...I bet the snapper is more "refined" but better would be a hard sell to me.

    I got off on a little tangent there so I apologize, I just don't see how, in this instance, she should be faulted because she didn't gaga googoo over her meal.

  12. Take care of your finger man...sucks we've all been there. I've had a couple of bad run ins with the ole benriner so I feel ya.

    I've been doing a fair amount of vegetables lately, based on the 185F temp in Under Pressure. Had really good results with carrots, beets, fennel, and turnips. All very good. I don't have a chamber at home, so I'm a bit limited on my liquids I can put in (I do the freeze technique sometimes) but great results on veg. so far.

  13. Yeah I didn't understand that decision but it sounded like Jamie's dish was pretty much inedible...suck though, as she seems to be the more talented and interesting cook (at least based on what we've seen on the show).

    This episode was good. I'm of course a fan of Ripert and enjoy whenever he appears on TC or Bourdain, and I thought this was a great test of their chef skills.

    One of the better episodes thus far.

  14. Anything can fly against the wind if done correctly or marketed in such a way that it works. I think in order to succeed a place would have to make it known and be known for stuff coming out "when it's ready" as opposed to all at the same time. It could even work in the favor of the establishment (to a degree) if done properly.

    Tapas places (at least some I've been to) have that mentality but tapas are a different style of eating than a traditional tasting menu or ALC menu.

    I would argue with you that getting different entrees to hit the pass at the same time is not difficult if you have decent cooks and good communication/expedition. In my experience, the typical "order, fire, pickup" system works just fine. I'm curious what it is that seems difficult about cooking different entrees and making sure they go out to the table at the same time?

    What is so hard and stressful about it?

  15. Thanks again for all the advice guys. I'm still kind of working out in my head how I want this to go. I might do something along the lines of soups, sandwiches, salads for lunch, then go into a more traditional dinner service. We'll see. Obviously, a lot of things are up in the air right now and I've gotten a lot of good advice and feedback from this thread, as well as a lot of things to think about or I haven't considered thus far.

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