Lisa Shock

Starch molded? Yep! It just occurred to me that those are very liquid centers and would be fairly difficult for a diner to figure out how it was done -not something people do at home every day.

Or, you could make the centers for the bonbons that are usually the mini liqueur bottles (in a different shape) and try placing them inside the mousse, either in a chocolate shell or not.

Something made with alcohol should do the trick. Some sort of coulis with a high-proof liqueur or flavorful spirit (rum, whiskey, akvavit, etc.) should do the trick.

And, a winner emerges! Congrats to Chris! If anyone is wondering how he won, since the show's editing made it clear the decision was very, very close, degustation always represents the greatest number of points available in a pastry competition.

They are starting with 29. Looks like I found my answer and spoilers for the first two episodes: MySA Top Chef Blog.

Is there a bar code on the back label?

I am interested to see how they handle eliminations with so many contestants. I hope they don't just dismiss half the people in the first episode.

Can't help with the rings, but, when I do sunny-side ups on my cast iron griddle, I place a small metal bowl over each egg (it acts like a domed lid) for a minute. That usually captures enough heat to cook the top of the egg.

Thanks! They've done a great job of presenting the event online, you can see a lot of detail.

I agree about Orlando's carnival dessert. He kept saying candy apple, and, to me, candy apple means a cinnamon sugar shell on a fresh apple. Caramel apples might have chocolate, but, they should also be primarily fresh apple with caramel. I understand that they were supposed to interpret the food into being a higher-end dessert, but, really, whatever got made should have just sung out with fresh apple flavor. -And some pulled cinnamon sugar would also have been nice.

Season 1 contestants didn't have access to recipes, second season was allowed to bring recipes, I think this has helped the quality of everything immensely.

Yeah, it alters the position of your shoulders affecting your cutting arm position.

By moving the arm out at an awkward angle like that, you decrease accuracy and add stress which will mean the arm fatigues faster. Using the dead spider position for the thumb in question (and all the fingers on the pushing hand) is a more ergonomic solution. -I just took a knife skills workshop focusing on how posture affects performance. Elbows out mean that you're uncomfortable, at a bad angle and more likely to make mistakes.

I just had solar panels installed by Solar City -part of their leasing program. I am not only covering my own usage, but sending excess generated kWh back out to the grid. I paid, they send me a check each year for those excess kWh's. All the lightbulbs in my house except the oven light are LEDs. (can't put an LED in an oven) If every light in my whole house were turned on at once I'd use 162 watts. The other plus is that LEDs are fairly cool, they don't waste energy as heat, so, they don't heat up the house and I don't waste energy running the AC to cool down a room because of lightbulbs. Here in AZ, air conditioning is the main thing we use power for, followed by heating water. I plan on getting a solar hot water unit within the next year. I got my house about a year ago and got all new, energy efficient appliances. I do try to use things wisely. I often cook extra little things, like roasted garlic, with the residual heat in the oven after I have made something else. I pack my fridge and freezer efficiently. I only run the dishwasher when it's full. No big tricks, just little efficiencies.

That's an old urban myth, check out the entry at SNOPES. They are polymer clay and mohair sculptures by a professional artist. I'm surprised you hadn't seen this before, this was one of those viral emails everyone was passing along in 2004.

You said bake, so, I am assuming you really mean baking. (otherwise, I'd suggest a fruit mousse or something with pastrycream or lemoncurd) What about something like a tarte tatin, maybe with pears instead of apples? If you layer the fruit carefully, they can be very beautiful and made very simply in a cast iron skillet.

Isomalt isn't as hygroscopic as sugar, so it doesn't want to stay in solution. Reference LINK There are, syrups you can buy Syrup Description I think that the Isomalt used for them is formulated differently. Since Isomalt is made up of two components, tweaking the ratio can affect the performance. Looks like your product may only make a lovely syrup if kept warm.

Sounds like you killed the yeast with too much heat in the oven or through some other incident with the starter. Or, your rising area is super-cold. It's really hard to overknead dough by hand to the point where a long relax won't mend the situation. I really think there's a problem with the yeast.

I have to agree here. The only things I can think of are that somehow you had a really humid environment that affected it or, that there's something other than yeast activity going on. Some bacterial infestations like 'rope' make sticky doughs. Problem is, I haven't witnessed anything like this firsthand, so, I feel awkward giving advice.

You can always cook with the vermouth if it seems like the bottle might be hanging around too long. The dry ones are especially suited for making pan sauces. Sweet vermouth doesn't last long here, it gets used in drinks like the Martinez. Occasionally, you'll find really good liqueurs in limited release in miniatures. I have gotten some good things like imported absinthe that way. They don't have the best per ounce/liter price, but, if you aren't certain you'll like something it's a small commitment.

Masking tape and sharpie works ok, and I have used it in the past. But, now, I use restaurant food storage labels. I got a huge box of rolls of labels on eBay for teaching, we always ran out, and they are great. They remind me to not only write what's in the package, but to date it, add a pull date, and initial it so I know who made the item.

I never liked real hotdogs, even back when I did eat meat. I found them to be too greasy and salty. I love Smart Dogs, though. -They are not greasy.

Thanks for educating us! How hot is the glass? Are they hard to hold? Do Iraqi people ever use those metal holders with handles for the glasses, like I have seen used in Russia?

I think she's being honest. The temperature, shape and materials of a pro oven just can't be replicated in a home stove. There are threads on this site about attempting to approximate a pizza oven, and, you can come close, but it's a time-consuming project. (I am thinking about the people who disable the latch on their ovens to be able to cook during the cleaning cycle.) The author also has to deal with people who won't calculate the friction factor on their mixers, don't own thermometers to check their water temperatures, don't have a temperature-controlled area for fermentation area and who might substitute virtually every ingredient for whatever they think will work 'ok'. From a professional standpoint, there are very few secret recipes out there. Anyone good enough can generally evaluate a crust and tell you what's in it and how it was made. Honestly, the best pizza crusts use very few ingredients and simply rely on good technique and the quality of the ingredients.

Just in case here's a link to the Ateco 12-pc cutter set ½inch size; it's the smallest one I know of off the top of my head. But, as you said, it's not necessary.