Lisa Shock

Actually, oils can go rancid before humans can taste or smell it. (I add a little BHT to oil as soon as I bring it home and store it in the fridge. And, I buy small quantitites.) If it smells/tastes bad, then it probably is bad, whether rancid or contaminated. There have been some recent scandals involving oils being sold as one type, but actually being another type, some with chemical additives. I'd return it. If you buy more, avoid that lot number.

Got a 1.75L bottle of Hendrick's gin at Costco last night. I have never seen this size bottle before. At $53.99 it is cheaper than buying the smaller bottles. I like to save their bottles to use when making my own infusions because of the corks, and because the bottle is so dark.

You need to calculate the friction factor for your mixer. Every mixer is slightly different, even different examples of the same make and model. http://duelingmargaritas.blogspot.com/2011/01/friction-factor-in-bread-part-deux.html Here's a moe complete discussion of temperatures and dough: http://thebakerynetwork.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/baking-science-principles-of-bread-production/

I use 2:1 for Jasmine, but, I tend to make small amounts where the surface area is fairly big in relation to the depth, and I don't rinse. I also live in Phoneix where the humidity is below 15% most of the time, so things dry out really fast, and I buy Jasmine in big bags. I do 1:1 or less if I cook really fresh sushi rice. But, I make less of it in a smaller pot because I don't like leftovers of that kind of rice. And, I buy small bags of it so it doesn't sit around long. There are a lot of variables in cooking rice. The height of the water and rice together is an important parameter to consider. There are commercial formulas for rice based on a standard stockpot size. They decrease the water % as the size of the batch increases because as the water boils off it steams the rice above it. If you start out with 1.5 inches of water/rice in a pot the water mostly just boils off. But, if you start out with 8 inches, the top keeps steaming when there's, say, 3 inches of water left, so overall you need less water. So, the ratio needed varies based on the hydration of the rice itself and the size of the pot in relation to amount of rice you want to cook.

I have a friend, an ACF certified Executive Chef with 20+ years of experience. He charges $1,700/day.

This I have to try. When you do, please publish a report. I am curious about the properties of the pork rinds.

I do make single vegetable stocks as well, the roasted carrot stock is really good as a base for carrot cashew soup and carrot sauce. Celery stock is useful as well, and of course, as others have mentioned onion stock is also useful.

It's used in some sour candies, might make an interesting component of salt/sugar used for rimming.

I make stock, and teach stock making with single items. I think it gives a cleaner, purer flavor. Also, in a restaurant/catering setting it gives real control over allergens in foods. I agree wholeheartedly about the tomato soup. My recipe calls for a little olive oil to saute in, red onion, basil, tomatoes, and salt. I do occasionally make a mixed vegetable stock (at home I toss scraps into a bag in the freezer until I have a pound or so of them) but that winds up being used in soups where there isn't another main flavor item to the broth, like say a vegan noodle soup or vegan pho.

You can always freeze it plain -portion it in baggies so that you have single servings on hand for emergencies. It's also good in frittatas, which I know won't freeze, but is a good way to use the plain frozen stuff.

I'd go simple with the first one, soft cooked on a bed of greens with some vinaigrette. Not all eggs taste the same, so it might be good to taste one with a simple preparation

Yeah, honestly, yours look like lollapalooza lollipops, very nice. I think where the directions may have failed is in not noting the room temperature. (you can just refrigerate for about 20 minutes and be fine) These lovely commercial test kitchens have the luxury of remaining at a constant 68°F while those of us in the real world experience more fluctuations. I know this sounds very picky, but I noticed this at home as I pulled my cookie sheet out from the drawer under the preheating oven and it was hot. The testers also probably wore gloves which further insulated their hands and kept the dough colder. But yeah, I have made a huge batch of dough and baked some immediately and chilled the rest and seen similar results, flat and tall.

Yeah, if you used the same dough, refrigeration is the answer -as long as your coil diameters were the same. Oven temp will also play a role here, and convection helps with this sort of thing a lot.

For those using a powder or liquid, the good ol' kitchen scale could give you the answer. For powder, just use the weight indicated on the box, and divide by the weight of the amount you use per load. For liquid, since I have no idea of the specific gravity, weigh an empty bottle and the new one you have purchased to replace it then subtract the bottle weight and divide the resulting number by the weight of one load's worth.

Water: I filter my own at home. Bisquick: I can make better tasting food from better ingredients more cheaply. Salad Dressings: Again, I can make better and cheaper dressings from scratch. Powdered Sauce Packets: Really? You need a reason? None of these sauces is that hard to make for real. Many Canned Vegetables: Fresh or frozen vegetables generally taste better. (I do like canned tomatoes.) Canned Soup: Once again, scratch tastes better and is cheaper. Dinner Assembly Kits: I can pull all of the dry parts out of my pantry more cheaply, and a fresh sauce is better. Supermarket Baked Goods: They're frightfully bad. Baking Mixes: Saving a tiny amount of time isn't worth sacrificing flavor. Spice Blends: I can mix my own, thank you. Frozen Toast Frozen PB&J Frozen Garlic Bread Frozen Waffles & Pancakes Cocktail Mixers

HERE's a link to the type of metal connector I use at the end. It's a double male barb fitting. I bought a handful of them at Lowe's years ago and did not recall the name. Good luck! Have fun learning blown sugar!

I picked up a liter bottle of Rhum Negrita Bardinet at Total Wine for $9.99 the other day. I wasn't expecting much, I really had planned on making some simple punch drinks for an unsophisticated crowd and thought this was maybe a half step up from store-brand stuff. I have been torn about reviewing this bottle. It was surprising to me; I wasn't enamored of it, and I wondered for a while if I just wasn't looking at it properly. It's certainly unlike other rums I have tried. I keep trying to give it a fair taste test, trying to challenge myself to expand my palate. First off, the aroma of the barrels is very strong. I poured some in a glass and had to walk away for a few minutes to answer the phone, and the oakiness was noticeable from several feet away from the glass. YAt first taste, you get a big burst of barrel flavor up front, but a weak finish. There is, as others have noted, no sweetness at all and no real body to it. There is also a lack of caramel tones. It's got a lot more in common with some whiskeys than most rums. But, those whiskeys would be lower-end ones, not the prized ones we savor. Overall, I found this rum to be fairly hot, with a big nose but very much lacking in substance. I have been trying to make a drink out of it that is uniformly delicious, and I just can't. It's just not for me. I'm even suspicious of using it in the kitchen, the odor is very strong, I suspect that a tiny bit goes a long way.

I have taken two of his sweet dough classes and gotten more mileage from them than anything else. Every step he teaches is incredibly useful -no time is wasted, everything handles easily, finished products look and taste great. It will seem almost too simple, but, it's always perfect. Better than both the culinary school I attended and the program I teach in.

I have taken six classes with Chef Hitz, although not the exact program you are contemplating. If I had to choose my 3 favorite classes/instructors, he would be one of them. His instruction is clear and straightforward. His formulas work. The end products are always solidly great. He knows the science and applies it. He also knows the traditions of the craft: Ok, ok, we get a little silly sometimes....that's Chef Robert Ellinger CMP, CEPC (Owner, Baked to Perfection, Port Washington, NY) wearing a variety of artisan breads, locked in an embrace with Chef Hitz. -Photo taken at 6am before most students were even awake for a 9am class. Seriously, I have implemented his formulas in commercial bakeries and they have never failed to make me seem like a genius. His stuff doesn't just work consistently, it's the best most people have ever tasted. And, he streamlines procedures so that it can be profitable. Taking his classes and buying his books and DVDs were some of the best decisions I have ever made. And, if you go, tell him that I showed you 'that picture.'

I have never used a metal pipe. I get some of the rubber tubing that is sold for the pump. The pharmacy has big rolls of it and they will cut off whatever you need. I use a connector at the end. The hardware store sells a double-ended connector that looks like the metal bit sticking out of the pump, they cost a couple dollars, it fits in the tubing very snugly and because it's tapered on both ends, it has a small tip and can be used to form small shapes. I hope I explained that sufficiently... That kit looks pretty good. My outfit cost about half that much but involves some driving around. (edited for clarity)

If you blow like that you're blowing a LOT of humidity into your sugarwork. You also cannot see it very well to see if it's even. I use a blood pressure pump bulb like THIS ONE you can get them at a good pharmacy or medical equipment store, the sort of place that sells braces and crutches and such.

You can always ask about his certification...

Frittata would work very well. You could also make deep fried rice balls.

I keep a set of 3-ring binders and take notes on notebook paper. I like being able to move sheets around and rearrange occasionally.

The paper bag method isn't that good. Without some way to intensify the heat, you're not going to get a good result. There's a popcorn thread someplace here on eG about it. The Presto Power Pop works much better and gives you virtually no unpopped kernels. I gave up on paper bags over a decade ago. As for corn, I've been growing my own. Tried Dakota Black from Seeds of Change last year, it's good. (edit) I also forgot to mention that brown paper bags today are made from recycled materials that can contain plastics, heavy metals and all sorts of other non-food-safe chemicals which can cause toxic fumes to form when heated. The paper bag isn't safe unless it's a white, food grade one made for food preparation.