Lisa Shock

Just so you know, making Concord grape pie usually involves removing the seeds prior to assembly.

I know people who have worked at every major supermarket chain. Be aware that a lot of the 'just-baked' supermarket bread is actually delivered already made, frozen, in a cardboard box to the supermarket where it is simply heated in their oven for a short time. (some supermarkets' cake doughnuts are also delivered frozen) Some places still make french bread and a few rolls, but they use mixes with ingredients like DATEM that help mask inferior flour and inferior manufacturing techniques. In most supermarkets, you can generally assume that most of the foods in clear clamshells out on tables was delivered frozen. In Phoenix, there is one local chain, AJ's, a high-end specialty retailer, that does make product from scratch using real butter, bread/cake flours, cream, fresh eggs, etc. But, their sister stores, owned by the same corporation, Basha's & Food City, use mixes, shortening, etc. Of course, a lot of 'bakery' places now serve flash-frozen fully baked bread, including Panera.

I think there are several dishes that should have a moratorium placed upon them: caprese salad, even with watermelon ceviche tuna tartare bread pudding Or, at the very least, cheftesants should be told that such dishes carry an automatic negative point score. And, scallops should be banished from the TC kitchen....

Honey is decidedly un-vegan. I'd use agave instead. I'll second sorbet. Chilled sweet soups are another option. There are also fruit salads and salsas. Are those freeze-dried fruits allowed? They have very intense flavors and can be used whole, ground into powders, and rehydrated for use in sauces, drinks, etc. They have the benefit of being very consistent in flavor and texture year-round. Are you allowed to use a dehydrator in your kitchen? If so, you can produce fruit leather, which could be used as a wrapper for fancy presentations. (think fruity sushi) Don't forget nuts. They can be served whole or, you can make nut butters into sauces, mix with rolled oats to make faux crusts, or make nut soups. Obviously, some are better than others when raw.

Just an update, I purchased the refractomer. (The link was to an eBay auction for a Heavy Duty 0-80% Brix Refractometer, costing $49.) It has worked well, and is very easy to read.

I visited a used bookstore yesterday, one with a large cookbook selection, and noted that a lot of American cookbook titles promise to impart secrets of professional and/or famous chefs. Ironically, none of them used weight-based measurement, which I consider to be the biggest professional 'secret' -at least where baking & pastry are concerned. So, I think that Americans would accept scales quite readily -if they were told that the scale was the real secret of great cooking. Two weeks ago, I saw one in use on America's Test Kitchen as they made Almost No-Knead bread. I guess I should send a fan letter (for the scale) recommending that the scale make more appearances.

The Cordon Bleu North America's books also use weight-based measurement. The basics are: Professional Baking, 5th ed. by Gisslen Professional Cooking, 6th ed. by Gisslen (the prior editions also use weight-based measurement, I just linked to the newest)

I forgot to mention that Shibuya had great desserts! They were trios on long plates, each just a couple of great bites. I'd go back just to get dessert.

Roast them, remove the outer skins and then freeze them in small portions for use later. You can make green chile, posole, chile rellenos, or my favorite, just roast slice and put on top a regular red-sauce & cheese pizza. They are also great as a lasagna topping.

Thanks for posting this! One of my biggest disappointments with Recipe Gullet is that most pastry & baking recipes posted there are do not use weight mesaure.

Do you have Smart & Final in your area? I was there yesterday, and, at my local one, they had seven different scoops. (some of which were too large for you)

As a vegetarian, I normally wouldn't bother replying to a thread like this, but, my husband and I had a great meal at Shibuya in the MGM Grand. We were there in November, and the sushi chef made us a great winter vegetable roll with steamed cabbage instead of Nori. We also had a warm mushroom salad and some veggie sushi. It was well made and thoughtfully presented. They have a large selection of sake and shochu. I enjoyed a cocktail made of shochu and yuzu juice. My husband drank tea, and said that it was very good. (we have been to Japan, so, we have some basis for comparison) The environment is high-end modern Japanese. At the time we visited, the place was packed, loud and energetic -like a Tokyo place. HERE is a link to the website.

http://www.castingduo.com/foodnetwork Looks like they want someone with on-camera skills, a background in a commercial kitchen or food education, and between the ages of 25-45. Oh ya, and a HUGE personality. The up-side is that you don't have to bother with all of the fuss of competing on 'The Next Food Network Star.' Interestingly enough, they are using the casting agency that has also cast Top Chef.

I am able to get cumin and other seeds to a powder, what I tend to use is a bit coarser, but that also depends on how long I work on it. For curries, I usually just break things down a little and move on. Herbs have not been an issue, even rosemary breaks down pretty quickly. With dry chiles, I have been able to get an extremely fine powder. I recall once that I made a confection where the chile was so fine that in the final sugary product, people didn't call the dessert spicy, they exclaimed that had an effervescent sensation on their tongues. My mortar is fairly heavy, making grinding easier. And, I have noticed a difference between it and its smaller predecessor (which still grinds green tea for the husband) which is made of soapstone. The larger marble one is faster and makes finer powder. My guess is that harder rock yields a finer powder. I use a grater, the cool new mini-microplane nutmeg grater, for nutmeg. For cinnamon I use the fine microplane and the mortar and pestle. This is all at home. The health department here hates mortar & pestles and stone ones are not allowed in a commercial kitchen. I have seen stainless ones and been meaning to try one for a while, but, keep forgetting.

That would seem to work, however, most health department guidelines for professionally producing such a product (where it's allowed at all) also require acidulation of the garlic as the first step. One quick note is that even under pressure canning conditions, the product would have to fully reach temperature and stay there for more than 5 minutes. You may have noticed that there isn't much garlic oil for sale in supermarkets.

I just use a small mortar & pestle. (well, not the smallest out there, it's 5" tall, the bowl is 3" deep and 3.5" wide) I got it 16 years ago for under $10, at World Market, it's made of black marble and cleans up fast. It sits right next to the stove, and is always ready to go.

You may wish to check out THIS thread on infused oils and food safety. In general, it is best to make and consume them on the same day.

There was (at least when I lived there) a bar in Santa Fe that served martinis as a plain glass and a 6-inch bowl of ice with things in/on it. There was a flask of the martini down in the ice, it actually resembled a mini wine carafe. On top of the ice were 3 large olives, 3 pearl onions and three twists. There was enough martini to consume all of the garnishes if you poured 1/3 of it in the glass at a time. Most people consumed this from least to most flavorful: onion, olive, twist. I know the concept is similar to the glass that is so hated, but the larger open shape is easier to manage. The biggest drawback to this setup is that one must stay seated to enjoy it.

Well, I tend to wash them in a freshly set up 3-compartment sink with the usual 'wash, rinse, sanitize' setup. You want to avoid having any oils in the sink, like might be present in used dishwater. I haven't seen any real difference in soaps. At home, with a 2-compartment sink, I wash with soap in one side, rinse with the tap, and sanitize in the other side -using bleach in the water at a concentration of a tablespoon per quart of water. (I measured the capacity once, now, I just know to add ¼ cup of bleach to the filled sink.) I also pick them up with fresh clean towels right after washing. My biggest problem with silicon mats is ripping them while doing sugar work. Nougatine really rips them up.

At home I tend to dry mine on the handle of my oven door, if the oven is cooling down it speeds things up. Don't forget to shake it as you pull it from the sink, a lot of water will roll right off it. In a commercial kitchen, I tend to put them on the side slats of an empty speed rack and then into a cooling oven.

That's great! Just make sure to get a good relationship going with the servers, so they talk up your desserts from the start of the meal so people look forward to your special desserts.

I like to mention whether the spiciness hits immediately, or if you get flavor first. I also prefer to describe where you feel it on the palate. For example, jalepenos get you right away and right up front on the tip of the tongue and keep burning. Whereas, cayenne sneaks up on you (allowing a taste of the food first)and warms the back of the throat.

You could try Duchess potatoes, those are always well received.

Very little sticks to the bamboo. I generally just rinse mine off with water and allow to dry. The steam kills most everything anyway. I use mine for veggies and, occasionally, steamed buns made with a lean yeast dough. But, the buns go onto parchment squares before being placed inside. Anything sticky or saucy is in a separate bowl inside the steamer, and that bowl gets washed as usual in the dishwasher. I like the steamer because it's easy to handle and cool to the touch, except for the metal stitches on the side.

Try checking out your local health department, and their regulations. Here, for example, you need to turn in plans before having a vehicle made or re-fitted for food service. You also, at least here, stock it and clean it at a health-department licensed facility. There are specific guidelines for hand-washing facilities, water storage, ice storage, etc. Your regulations will probably be different, but, it's better to know in advance rather than be fined or shut down later.