Lisa Shock

I use a mixer, you can get one with a lot more capacity than any food processor. (I make a big batch of dough and use it for several days.) With a mixer, you can control the speed and start slowly so as to not get flour making a cloud like that. Also, some mixer manufacturers make a plastic guard that really works for keeping the cloud inside.

I have several types, I like them. I also got the food guard/pusher attachment to speed things up and keep bits of finger out of my food. That said, I still use an old style fine grater on a handle for Parmesan cheese to get a superfine snow-like texture for making pasta al burro e parmigiano, aka the real original Alfredo sauce. For potatoes, I use a grater on a handle that is extra sharp and grates in both directions. I like graters on handles and always hated the box grater. When I went out on my own in my 20s, I made a point to buy graters on handles.

My current kitchen is too small, and is about to be remodeled, so I haven't had one for a couple of years. I haven't missed having a microwave, at least not as much as I expected to. I have a Zojirushi pot for making hot water, I am a tea drinker. I tend to use my broiler for heating or reheating a lot of items.

To taste it accurately, you should put a drop into a small cup of milk. It's usually too difficult to make an assessment straight up. Or, try just smelling it carefully. Different vanillas from different beans will have different characteristics.

I agree, I have also heard the term 'egg flower'.

I can think of a couple of things off the top of my head: When boiling sugar, I like to have an extra tall pot. That allows for the rise in size due to the boiling, and also helps keep the kitchen clean by trapping all the crystals that get tossed out of the sugar/water mass on the sides. When making rice, I adjust the amount of water used based on how deep the rice will be. (yes, I also adjust by type of rice and freshness) In other words, I use less water if I am making a lot of rice in a tall pan because the steam rises through the rice, helping to cook it. Whereas in a large flat pan the steam is released at a lower level. I prefer to use a tall cast iron pan to deep fry in, or my wok. The high sides catch grease and help keep the kitchen clean. I know that people will chime in and say to not do this, that steam is trapped and a regular cast iron skillet is better, but, I hate the splatters.

If you're willing to re-bake it a bit, a drizzle of honey or agave syrup will make clumps. Just bake for about 20 minutes, and start with hot syrup. You want to make sure to get some water evaporating and sugars changing. It will solidify as it cools.

Actually, modifying the bag that is inside of boxes of wine would work, Just make a smaller version and add a spring operated pump to move the mustard along.

Yogurt with a touch of honey and cinnamon, and maybe a tiny dash of nutmeg.

Yeah, we can give you a better recipe than the canned stuff. Like Marcella Hazan's recipe.

Sounds like you might need a copy of The Pastry Chef's Companion and maybe How Baking Works. These don't answer every question, but give good fundamentals. You'll learn a lot by simply by making things a few times.

Normally, a professional kitchen has a separate piece of equipment called a proof box. It is humid and warm. Usually, the temp is about 82°F with a lot of humidity. Your final proof should take your baked goods to just under double original size. A good proof means the item rises and then rises again in the oven or in the fryer. If it collapses, it is over-proofed. You can use an oven as a proofer, I would use a probe thermometer to keep tabs on the temp. I would also add a big hotel pan of water to the bottom shelf to keep everything moist.

Rats! This weekend is the only weekend I have plans, for months and months!

I recommend getting a refractometer. (I got one on eBay cheaply, look for one that reads from about 15-45, at least) Different fruit purees have differing brix levels, you may need to adjust your level of sweeteners. For the finished, unfrozen product: 27 is the ideal number, 30 and over will initially have a nice texture, but you'll get pools of syrupy stuff within a few hours. Under 26 and you get grainier texture and larger crystals.

They are definitely underproofed. Just give them more time before frying, and make sure that the proofing area isn't too cold.

IMO, you should check out the make Your Own Vanilla Extract thread. You can choose the variety of bean to use and get more extract of higher quality for far less than what you'd pay at the store. Sellers still sell B-grade beans on eBay, although prices have risen recently. (vanilla bean prices fluctuate annually based upon crop yields) I have a couple of bottles going right now, a Tahitian and a true Mexican. BTW, watch out about buying any so-called Mexican vanilla that is a liquid. In 2006, someone did a series of tests and found that much of the Mexican produced vanilla was artificial flavor and a lot of the rest was actually tonka bean extract containing Coumarin, not vanilla.

I like Bo Friberg's books: The Professional Pastry Chef, and, The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef. You could teach yourself from these books, if you apply yourself diligently. (and buy some equipment) The Cordon Bleu's text: Professional Baking also covers fundamentals well. IMO, the CIA's text, Baking and Pastry, isn't good as a standalone text because it ignores the basics. For example, it is missing recipes for: basic white sandwich bread, plain croissants, biscuits, several basic types of cakes, and several plain custards and sauces. I had to teach from it for a few semesters, and had to give out a lot of supplemental handouts for basic items.

Generally, with foods that have a high water content, you want to toss after 7 days.

Deviled eggs can go a lot of ways. I have an interesting recipe in La Cuisine De France by Mapie, the Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec which is moistened with brandy and contains tuna, capers and olives. Perhaps you could moisten yours with the beer... That said, I think (feel free to disagree) people would think more highly of braised short ribs served in sweet potato cups garnished with creamed pearl onions. I think the herbs can be in both, I am thinking that they express themselves differently when cooked and/or brewed in different ways.

Interesting, I think if ovens started using cameras and optical sensors, someone will need to develop a new generation of oven cleaners. I could see the lenses and other sensing devices becoming covered in greasy oven crud vapor pretty quickly. That said, I'd really like to see some advances in oven cleaning.

My only thoughts on cold food are that, to a certain extent, people don't view them as taking as much effort as hot food. (Tom Coliccio saying "but he didn't cook anything" about Sam's offering in TC Season 2's finale is sill ringing in my ears.) Also, there's a sense that maybe the cold food is more of a snack than a real meal -people still buy hot lunches like burgers & fries or pizza in the heat of summer. IMO, you will have an edge with a hot offering. But, then I don't know the crowd you're facing either. Has this event happened before? If so, research last year's winning entries and try to read anything you can about it. I once entered a competition where a judge had told a reporter the year before that he loathed curry, any and all types of curry. I managed to read the comments, I then stopped thinking about putting any sort of curried item in my entry, while others who did not do research were not so lucky. If you have access to good artisan bread, you might want to explore the connections between bread and beer. Maybe get the baker to make special bread for you, or you make it, and do baby bread bowls with soup/stew. How about mini cassoulet with items cut into small dice and brunoise, and maybe one bean on top as part of the garnish? Soup/stew can also be served in hollowed out new potatoes which have been roasted with oil and herbs. -Customers really love the potato cups. I like Duvel's suggestions of confit items, and I would definitely garnish with the herbs d'provence.

Get the rules, read the rules, follow the rules. If you can, make the item just slightly larger than a 'bite' if you can get away with it. The reason is the secret behind the Dorito. Frito-Lay knows that the Dorito doesn't quite fit in your mouth all at once. It's a psychological trick; the chips seem fresher, crunchier, crisper, if you have to bite into them with your mouth open. If they were 30% smaller, you could get the whole thing in your mouth and then chew it and it would seem less fresh and crunchy. So, push the size limit if you can, with something crunchy. Your item should have components from most (doesn't have to be all) of the types of flavor: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, spicy and fat. Having a mix of textures is good, just avoid things that are tough, super hard (like peanut brittle), super sticky, or really chewy. Crunch can come from a lot of places: fried chips, water chestnut, jicama, other fresh veggies, etc. The classic Rumaki works on these principles: crunchy water chestnut, soft liver, crunchy bacon; salty bacon, umami soy marinade, sweetness of liver and chestnut, fat of bacon contrasting with no-fat chestnut. An example off the top of my head would be a loaded potato chip, like a nacho. Make a really thick potato chip from a flavorful potato like a red. (If you're really a go-getter, cut the potato into perfect cylinder with a cutter before slicing to get perfect circles. Fry the potato in a good peanut oil and salt with popcorn salt immediately out of the oil. Top with Swiss cheese and broil til melty, add warm garlic-sauteed mushroom slices (discard any mushroom liquid), top with a garnish of bitter microgreens (or chiffonade of radicchio) tossed in a vinegary vinaigrette. Serve on a hot plate to keep the bases warm. Dunno if that would go with your beer or not.

An old, old, classic: shrimp in aspic. Use bite sized molds, silicon should work just fine. The aspic itself could be flavored dozens of ways: cocktail sauce, green curry, shrimp stock/old bay/lemon, ginger soy, etc. The nice thing here is that they could be made 2 days in advance, and are simple to unmold onto a platter. Sushi is ok, but, I did not suggest it because it tends to dry out.

The metric system rocks. You never have to calculate 7/5ths of 16. All the math flows easily in your head.

Mini summer rolls, you just need to cover them well so they don't dry out. Also, instead of a dipping sauce, make a tahini and spice (fresh ginger, garlic, etc.) paste and apply to the inside. Ceviche on skewers. Put shrimp and some raw veg on the skewers and marinate in a tall container. Pull out and place on a platter to serve.