Lisa Shock

The bags that are inflating over time have something growing inside of them. Mold, bacteria, viruses, etc. are consuming the food and producing gases as byproducts. This is why they inflate like a balloon and why the contents smell so bad. Vacuum sealing doesn't sterilize the contents of the bags, you still need to have proper sanitation and follow safe food handling procedures.

AP flour varies in starch & gluten by region. In some parts of the U.S. (generally the NorthEast) it's very close to bread flour in terms of starch and gluten content. In other regions it's very close to cake flour(the South) and in others it's close to pastry flour. You need to get some numbers on your particular producer of AP flour for that answer. Ask for the protein content of the flour, and you'll have the answer. Generally, for a roux, you want more starch and less gluten, so, I'd avoid bread flour and go for AP or biscuit/cake flour, if available. It's hard to say about the other ratios because the darker a roux is cooked, the less it thickens and, if it's undercooked it doesn't thicken as well, either. So, how it is cooked affects it a great deal and small changes in procedure can have fairly major consequences. I'd start taking temperatures and timing everything.

Regular blender, and perhaps then run through a chinois for those perfectionists out there. Hand blender, aka immersion blender is a touchy subject. My 16-year-old Braun Multimix that has a main body similar to an old-fashioned hand mixer or egg-beater, not the newer one that is a stick-shaped immersion blender with changeable heads, is far more powerful than the waring 'professional' immersion blender I have at work. So, in general, I'd have to rate this option very low as modern equipment just doesn't seem to measure up.

It was sliced thinner, but also contained cellulose (aka wood) fiber.

I have given up on glass pans, search for 'exploding pyrex' for more info. I'm currently using vintage corningware but contemplating enameled cast iron.

Seems like it could be duplicated with the cooler trick if you could find a silicone colander that fits the dimensions of the cooler. Then you could peel off the bottom.

The understanding of the composition of a food and how various cooking techniques affect it have always been a goal of thoughtful cooks. We simply have better (and cheaper) measurement tools now. We also have better communication venues, like the Internet, which help us weed out misconceptions and inaccurate data. In the past, if a cook thought that doing something arcanely superstitious helped, say, hard-boiled eggs peel more easily, they could latch onto that activity as the only way to cook the eggs properly and perhaps even pass the misinformation on to future generations who might accept it as gospel without challenge. Nowadays, not only might I have access to better equipment to test my method at home, if I make such a claim online, others might test my method and give measurable results of the test to the public at large -adding the failure or success to the current knowledge base. Historically, we have seen similar improvements to the field, just in longer time frames. Cheap, mass publishing methods in the 1800's made cookbooks affordable to the masses and enabled cookbook authors to reach wider audiences. Magazine publishing expanded at the same time. These venues allowed good, bad, and pedestrian ideas in food science to rise and fall and sometimes re-rise as people read, tried and reviewed the authors' work. Remember that standardized measurement in the home kitchen was once a radical new idea! Of course, things haven't always worked out perfectly. Some people hold onto old myths and superstitions, like Rachel Ray continuing to write and say on television that searing meat seals in juices decades after McGee definitively debunked it. Hopefully, as communications methods become faster, we'll cycle through inaccurate garbage and dispose of it from the data stream more efficiently in the future. I can't wait to see how quaint and antiquated today's 'Modernist' cuisine will seem fifty years from now, when we will have far more accurate equipment in our kitchens!

I have seen recipes for chocolate apple cake, but have never tried it. Of course, there are the aforementioned gourmet apples on sticks dipped in chocolate and a variety of toppings.

Looks like it's related to an Italian pastry called Sfogliatelle, or sometimes lobster tails in the US. This is generally a sweet pastry, but the dough technique appears to be the same.

I'd look at reducing the water content by using grain alcohol instead of vodka, and shortening the infusion time. That said, mango has some odd starches in it which makes it difficult to use fresh in sorbets and such. Blanching cubes of it in simple syrup may help a bit.

For a veg option, I'd use the veggies to make a curry, if you have the seasoning. Puree a couple onions to use as the base of the sauce, you'll want a couple of cups of puree. I know it sounds like a lot, but, it isn't. Then saute some curry powder in oil, add the onion and any canned tomato product you may have to build the sauce. Then use the corn, carrots & broccoli, peppers and beans from your place. You can add a puree of cashew to make it 'creamy.' Serve with rice.

I own the DeLonghi 7qt version which was sold in the US a few years back. I like it, it has worked well. I particularly like the continuous juicer,, and slicer shredder attachments because you can just keep cranking out product with them for hours. My favorite mixer add-on purchase is a second, or third, bowl because then you can make separated foaming method cakes with ease -as well as other 2-bowl products. My second choice would be an additional whip because they are useful and the item most likely to break in the future. (mine hasn't broken, but, I've seen this situation with other people's Hobarts)

I'd like to mention that canning jars can be used for sous vide instead of bags. There are standard sized and wide-mouth sized attachments for FoodSaver vacuum sealers the cost is around $10. These jars are designed to be used in preserving food with both the water-bath canning method and the pressure canning method. They can easily withstand the temperatures of an immersion circulator, and, they hold a vacuum very well. The jars themselves are obviously BPA-free. The lid is two parts: a metal retaining ring that is used for safety, and a metal lid that has a coated rubber ring fused to the underside. The underside of the lid has a very thin plastic coating which does contain BPA. However, since safe sealing of the jars requires about an inch of head room, or more, between the food and jar rim, the food will never come in contact with the lid. If operators are careful to not tip jars on their sides, exposure to BPA should be extremely limited. For home canning, cooks are warned to discard the lids after one use. This is to ensure good, safe results with lids that are expected to hold a vacuum seal for a year or more in storage. For sous vide, I have been able to re-use lids for quite a while, I cannot say precisely how many uses. I wash them carefully by hand never use abrasive cleansers or abrasive sponges on them, and sanitize with a non-corrosive sanitizer. The main concern is how well they maintain vacuum. I check my vacuum before cooking, and before serving. Obviously, if the vacuum doesn't exist then I'm not accomplishing what I set out to do. Your results with lids may vary. For several years now restaurants have been serving items in the jar itself, making plating easy. They provide structural support not possible with bags, so, layered dishes are possible, among other things. I have experimented at home with sauces, vegetable gratins, and scalloped potato variations in them. In the US, they are available in many sizes, from several manufacturers. Common sizes include: 4 oz, half-pint, pint, quart, and half-gallon in regular and wide mouth versions. (These are the common names for the jar sizes as they appear on manufacturer labels, I know that the terminology isn't consistent.) Half-pint and 4oz jars are also available in a quilted jelly version, which has slightly thicker glass and an attractive outer texture. Boxes of jars generally come packed with one set of rings and lids for each jar. Extras can be purchased separately as sets of rings & lids or individually. Jars are available at ordinary grocery stores, mass-market big-box retailers, some restaurant supply retailers, and some hardware stores. Prices vary by size, but most are available for under $2 per jar. I hope this helps some of you get started experimenting with sous vide in jars!

I'd like to point out that refrigeration doesn't help the situation. Some strains thrive at 38°F - 113°F, the lower end of that range is where most of us keep our fridges. Temperature is a vital part of the equation here, along with time. The above post from a few months back allowing storage under refrigeration for a fortnight could be recipe for tragedy. Here's a botulism factsheet from Colorado Sate University.

Diastatic malt breaks down some of the starch in flour which can then be consumed by yeast, thus helping the yeast to grow and multiply, and, reducing the ratio of starch to gluten in the product. It is helpful in breads with long fermentation periods. Non-diastatic malt is primarily added to baked goods for flavor.

If anyone he serves becomes ill, he could be in for some serious repercussions...

I don't see how ignoring sanitation guidelines will save money, barring maybe a few dollars on side towels and bleach, sani buckets, thermometers and mops -maybe saving a whopping hundred bucks total? Is there refrigeration? You can get used fridges and freezers pretty cheaply. Other than that, I can't think of much that would cost a lot. Also, people, please don't give up on all pop-up restaurants! I'm running one sporadically in a cafe during their off hours. The place has consistent gold stars from the health department, and employees are paid through their payroll as part of the 'rent' deal I have with the owner. (Next event is Brunch, December 25, in North Phoenix. See my sig for details.) I am ServSafe certified, have a manager-level food handler card, and, more importantly, I follow current sanitation procedures.

The pineapple would have to be cooked to destroy the bromelain enzyme. For citrus, I wouldn't use juice, because of the danger of curdling and because the juice isn't as flavorful as the rind. I'd use a regular pastry cream formula and toss some citrus peels into the milk as it heats. That said, lemon (or other citrus) curd is very similar to pastry cream, it just doesn't contain any milk/cream -and it is very delicious. I'd make lemon curd instead of lemon pastry cream, but, orange peels infused in the milk would be very tasty. I have no idea about the coconut issues.

You could bake strong coffee into the cake, or mist it with it. I recommend making cold brewed coffee, let it steep 24 hours under refrigeration, and making it very strong -1 cup ground coffee to 1 quart, or less, of cold water. You can also make coffee extract by soaking ground coffee in grain alcohol for a few days and then using that in the cake and icing.

My favorite use is in beurre noisette, used to increase the amount of browned milk solids. Just add to the butter before the browning starts.

I'd take a look at what your local supermarkets, medium to high-end, are selling pints of soup for and go maybe a dollar higher. Last time I checked, IIRC, my Safeway had deli pints for $5.99. I understand that your soup will be better, without the preservatives, artificial flavors, binding agents, etc. But, the supermarket is probably your main competition for this customer. (unless you're trying to get clients who send the maid out to the market) Prices vary by region, and I live in a fairly pricey area compared to say, the midwest, but, to me, your bread appears to be worth a lot more. Local markets here get about $6 for similar breads. -And, I must say that your bread looks great! Good luck!

Weight doesn't just convert to volume, that's why bakers use weight. And, why home cooks who use volume measure for dry ingredients have inconsistent results. For example, a cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 3.5 to 6 ounces.

If they are taking medications, there may be foods they need to avoid and/or foods they need to seek out. Example: grapefruit can affect the effectiveness of some medications. More info would indeed be helpful.

Are you touching the bottom of the wells when you hold the molds? Heat from your hands can affect the chocolate and cause it to go out of temper in spots.

I usually flame the fresh peppers, allow them to cool inside a plastic bag, then remove the charred skins and the seeds and then freeze. This seems to cook them enough to be equivalent to blanching -which is what is usually done prior to freezing fresh vegetables.