Lisa Shock

I'd like to add the 2007 film 'Waitress' to the list. It's a fun little film that features a lot of pies.

Maybe you could help me try to invent drinks to make with the final product. It's good mixed with cream. I just haven't done much else with it. It's also good for cooking in situations where you might not want to use actual chocolate.

I chilled and grated the chocolate bar with a fine Microplane and just put it into a canning jar with the grain alcohol. The downside was that while most of the solids remained at the bottom of my jar, a weird fluffy cloud developed in it -even though I used a good chocolate bar that did not have added lecithin. Maybe cheesecloth is a good idea.... Grain alcohol (Everclear and a few generics) usually 190 proof, 95% alcohol. It looks like it isn't sold everywhere, and in some areas a watered down version is sold -Wikipedia Article. Even the watered-down version is higher proof than most vodka, so, I would definitely recommend it, if you cannot get the full strength stuff. Bevmo (owned by Tesco) carries a less expensive 'house brand' of it. It's neutral in flavor, and I cannot tell the difference between the name brand and house brand in this case. Good luck! You should have a drinkable product in about ten days, if you can find something over 150 proof.

I did it with chocolate and cocoa, no nibs. I found that what you started with really affected the result. Cheap cocoa gave a flat one-dimensional taste, whereas a good chocolate bar gave a more complex set of flavors. I also use grain alcohol (brand name is Everclear in the US) instead of vodka because it works a lot better and faster. Most infusions can be done in under a week with grain alcohol. You can then dilute with water or syrup to make a liqueur. I make all of my liqueurs from scratch now. My guess is that nibs will take a bit of time to infuse, and crushing them a bit will speed things up. The variety bean and type of roast will affect your result, so use nibs you like. Check out the thread entitled Homemade Liqueurs, Tips and Tricks; Successes and Failures in Beverages & Libations. Good luck!

Yes, but I got into the habit of using lemon when I was visiting relatives in Hawaii. For some reason, every place we went they put lemon wedges into cola. Actually, I also tried Throwback with rum & lime and it was a bit better than with lemon. So, I guess there's a reason why classics are classic....

Cool! I paid $12 for just the stand for mine at the store, so, you got a smoking deal! Enjoy!

I tried making a cuba libre with Pepsi Throwback and found it a bit sweet, but very delicious. The addition of a good amount of lemon juice and a twist of peel helped. There's just nothing like real sugar, IMO.

I believe that's a Chinois. A China Cap has larger holes. A Chinois has a very fine mesh. Still, it's a great find, they cost $75 new here in the US, and that's without the stand or wooden plunger. (China Cap runs about $30 new.) Anyway, welcome to the world of refined soups and velvety sorbets!

Oh yes, indeed! I was wondering what was going on with the graduates of the UK's culinary schools (catering colleges?) and other starting professionals. -And chefs working hard but unable to afford to start their own place. Not to mention talented foodies who might have cracked open the Larousse Gastronomique on occasion.... I know that here in the US, the Hell's Kitchen people cast contestants based upon potential for causing conflict. (I made it through two rounds of auditions and failed to make the cut for HK season 2 in the US.) I always admired this show for bringing forth people with ideas, dreams and vision and really examining their ideas in depth. I think the casting people did not choose strong candidates this time around. I found myself cringing at beginner-level basic mistakes in every episode. Don't get me wrong, I really like the show. I enjoy its thoughtful nature, and the pacing. I just think they could step it up a bit.

Sorry for the double post, but I just tried Mountain Dew Throwback. I liked it but it is a really different formula. The original Dew contained orange juice, this new one does not. The new Dew is also sweeter than the regular kind with HFS on the market right now. That said, I thought I noticed a change in the past couple of months where the regular became more acidic, at least from the bottler her in Phoenix. I like to mix Mountain Dew with shots of flavored syrups like Torani and Monin, with lots of ice. The Throwback Mountain Dew mixes nicely with the few fruit flavors I have tested so far. It is a bit less acidic, but the overall better flavor makes up for a slightly different sweet/sour balance. BTW, for those in the Western US, Albertson's has these on sale this week for $.99 for a 20oz bottle.

Is the cake soaked in alcohol?

Well, well, well, the season is over and I really did not expect this result. Actually, I didn't expect so many contestants to make so many mistakes. Towards the end, I had suspected that Lindsey and Tim might pull out and win, but their food costs killed their chances. I kept wondering what Tim was thinking. Alasdair and James kept messing things up, and, I can't believe that they didn't choose a better menu for the finale. (cold lobster salad anyone?) If they had just made good food, they could have won. But, then, so many times, if they had just taken things a bit more seriously, they could have really pulled out ahead. Michele and Russell benefited from other people's mistakes and managed to stay at the middle of the pack long enough to avoid elimination. I agree completely with Sara's remarks about the FOH being weak in the last challenge the week prior to the finale. Having uncleared dishes and empty bottles on customers' tables when several courses have been served is not a good sign at all. The biggest problem I see with this couple is that they never seemed to get into gear and really hustle. They always just take their time, oblivious to what's going on. I found Michele annoying in every episode. Anyway, looks like submissions were being accepted for a third season in Feb-March 2009. Look for it to air in the UK this fall, and probably early 2010 for the US.

There have been studies showing that HFC is metabolized differently than cane sugar. HERE's a link to some recent information. I was able to try Pepsi Throwback today. I really liked it. It's a bit difficult to quantify, but it seemed more like a 'treat' than the current regular Pepsi with HFC. (which I drink on occasion) I bought a 20 oz plastic bottle at a local Circle K store, the price was $1.65 as opposed to $1 for the regular Pepsi. I will probably buy more, I really liked it.

But, but, we could have our own taste test!

I use a filter because the water here in Phoenix can be high in particulates occasionally. We also have a public water company that has a history of not disclosing dangerously high levels of chemicals from industrial accidents at a couple of local companies. So, we have water that can be ridiculously high in arsenic or toluene pretty much at any time. The EPA brought legal action in 2003, but, we have had more incidents since then. If I were to do a similar test, I'd have more tasters to get some age variance and some female opinions. I would also run it over several days, so that more brands could be tested without tasters getting too full. (maybe have the best of each day's tasting appear in a final taste-off day) I'd also taste with a tomato sauce if only to see how the pasta held up to the acidity of sauce. I like the suggestion of testing various shapes, too. Maybe have a baked ziti category to test how it holds up in a baked dish.

Several kitchen items actually share the name salamander. I have an Escoffier book showing it to be a long-handled tool that hot coals get placed on, then it gets waved over the tops of food to brown/crisp them. Nowadays, it's a broiler/oven. HERE's a link to a site with a pretty good explanation.

But, they do not mention what sort of water was used -aside from mentioning that it was salted. I recall stories of Italian chefs complaining that they could not replicate Italian food properly because the water in America is different. At home, I use filtered water for pasta.

Back in 2004, I think, I picked up a set of silicone bakeware at a discount store and discovered that it imparted an odd flavor to foods, so I tossed it. I own 7 different spatulas from, different makers, and have not noticed any odor.

It looks like a meringue that has been dusted with cocoa. They probably just put in a small amount of nut flour, my guess is that it's far less nut flour than used in macaroons. Either they piped out the spikes and baked them, and then placed them on top the mousse, finally dusting with cocoa. Or, they piped it onto the mousse and used a torch or salamander to lightly cook it (like baked alaska) before dusting with cocoa.

I think he means piping in a style different from the cursive handwriting that is currently very common. I have a collection of older professional pastry books, and they show using a variety of styles for piping lettering. An old English style, with each letter piped separately -no cursive, was common until recently, you can even see Nicolas Lodge use it in his book 'Pastillage and Sugar Moulding' -part of the Art of Sugarcraft series from 1987. Books form the 1920's-30's show several Art Deco influenced styles. Before that, Gothic and Renaissance style piping was popular. I'd say, find a font or typestyle you like, and just start trying to emulate it.

In many areas here in the US, you would be required to have an employee restroom. Plus handwashing facilities in the food prep area.

One place I worked at was very sorry that they signed a lease and remodeled the building, only to discover afterwords that the local health code required two restrooms, separate ones for men & women, instead of the single restroom they had constructed. I'd consult with local officials about the laws first, and get advice from an architect as well. That said, my favorite handwashing sinks are the kind with knee-operated pedals so you never have to touch the faucets with dirty hands.

Are you weighing your ingredients? If not, I recommend purchasing a scale. Have you recently changed brands of flour? Have you tried cake flour? Is your baking powder more than 6 months old? If yes, replace it. Have you made any other substitutions in your recipes, like soymilk instead of whole milk? I suspect that your oven is not hot enough, or has hot and cold spots. Move the thermometer around a bit and see if you get different readings. Putting the pizza stone back, or some tiles in could remedy this. You may want to try pre-heating at a higher temperature -if you are not using the pizza stone. I doubt the mixer is affecting much, unless you are so thrilled by it that you are mixing it way too long just to see it in action. Good luck! I know this is frustrating!

Do you get the full power and torque of the 1000watt motor when kneading dough at a low speed? This has been a criticism of some other machines. ← It's quite good. Some person reviewing it on amazon hooked one up to a meter and found that the machine usually only uses a couple hundred watts, but jumped up for them when it his tougher materials and started using 400+. When I mix thin, small batches of things, there's a small rattly noise as if the motor doesn't have enough to do. (The husband says that's pretty common for motors operating without their usual load.) But, I routinely mix doughs where I leave it on for ten minutes to develop huge windowpanes and it's fine. The only time I ever had the motor really have to push was one time when I was juicing a case of apples. The juicer attachment says that it's 'continuous' but, a small amount of residue gets stuck inside and after a while, after my second quart of apple juice, it is enough to stop the motion of the juicer. But, pulling it off and a quickly running a towel on the inside groove to dislodge the pulp was all it took to be back in business. I would also like to point out that I have seen brand new DSM7 machines sell on eBay for $100 because some consumers couldn't figure out how to place the whip, dough hook and paddle on the machine. It's a pretty simple push and turn motion for me. -And a bargain on eBay for someone else.

I agree that professional models are not generally suited for home use, unless you have a really large family. It's almost impossible to mix up ingredients for, say, one cake in a 10qt or larger mixer. That said, I purchased the DeLonghi DSM7, 7 quart mixer in March of 2007 and have really enjoyed owning it and many of its accessories. (this is the 6.6L Kenwood in the UK) It has a 1,000 watt motor and has been able to take anything I have thrown at it. I have the grain grinder, pasta maker, juicer, citrus juicer, and slicer/shredder. I make bread every week. I usually make pizza once a week, but I make a triple batch of dough so that we can have calzones for lunch or dinner on following days. I also make all of the baked goods that my family eats from scratch and send large batches to my husband's office parties. Every couple of week I process a large amount, some of it very hard -like quince, of fruit in the juicer to make sorbets. And, with food being so expensive, I have been using the slicer/shredder to break down cabbage for coleslaws. So, I do use the mixer quite often, and make batches close to its capacity at least once a week. I know that amazon got some poor reviews of this mixer because of their weird customer service, but, it's been a great home mixer for me at a pretty reasonable price. At the time I purchased it, the KA professional models all had the plastic gear, and it seemed foolish to buy one. I have no regrets.