Lisa Shock

Acidity is also an issue. Acid foods are hostile environments for foodborne illness, that's why they types of pickles that used to be stored in barrels could be stored in barrels for long periods of time. Watering down the liquid raises the pH and stops killing things.

Be careful of rice paper rolls, spring rolls, summer rolls, etc. The rice paper tends to stick to whatever it's sitting on after a couple of hours and the exposed tops dry out -even in sealed tubs or on trays covered with plastic wrap. (as an added bonus, they also stick to plastic wrap and if left long enough, removing the wrap will tear them to shreds) We never had any luck with them unless they were made and went directly to servers in under a half-hour.

I have a friend who does this. Thankfully, he keeps his experiments in the fridge. The water from the fresh vegetables will water down the solution making it more susceptible to becoming a growth medium for bacteria, etc. I wouldn't do it more than once, and I'd discard after 5 days.

The professional cookbooks used as texts in culinary school cover volume cooking almost exclusively, and there are cookbooks aimed at caterers as well.

Battered deep fried anything doesn't keep well. Also, hot fish will give off an unpleasant odor. I'd eliminate it. If you feel you must have fish do something like smoked salmon on a raw vegetable base: cucumber, bell pepper cut into fancy shapes, endive, radicchio, etc. Your asian salad shouldn't be on a cracker, they will get soggy. Also, cracker/bread bases are not ideal because they leave crumbs on the clients' clothes and cling to lipstick. Most high-end catering I have done has specified that nothing will create crumbs. Serve it on slightly hollowed english cucumber bases, or in those new mini bell peppers cut in half, or in endive leaves.

Are you in the US? Have plans for Independence day? You could set up a pot on a portable burner outside and make tons of onion rings for a party.

re Hard Candy: I haven't tried flavoring with liqueurs they might not be flavorful enough, but, I dunno. Usually the flavor is added towards the end, right before shocking, you can use oil soluble/based flavors. You use a tiny amount, I have tried some from the local fancy supermarket and they work ok. My stash of Amoretti flavors is superior in variety of flavors and the intensity. If I had a choice, I'd order from Amoretti. You might want to try bringing the sugar up til it's just barely caramelized, it will be brown but it will taste better with many flavors than just plain clear sugar. Even peppermint is improved with caramel sugar, nut flavors are much improved by it. You can pipe the sugar, but, it's dangerous. It's done for sugar showpieces. Make an ice bath in case of emergency. Take parchment paper and make a fairly large piping bag 8 layers thick and staple it together. (you want the size bag you get two of by taking a full size sheet of parchment, trimming the excess off the square and cutting once on the diagonal) Do not cut the tip until it is filled. Put on double gloves. Fill ONLY halfway. Fold down top once and staple in place on the first fold. Fold down top, until fairly tight. (you have that ice bath ready, right?) Trim tip and go. Be very, very careful. When I was in school, a student did not realize that sugar had oozed out of the top of her bag and she burned her wrist so badly that the tendons were all cooked -she's permanently handicapped with almost no use of the wrist. If you want to save the sugar from the bag, let it cool, break it up, place on a silpat and heat in the oven carefully, then gather it into a 'patty' as it cools and wrap tightly for later use.. You can also do this to make what some people call bubble sugar for decorations or sugar bowls, etc. Place smaller amounts on a silpat and bake until bubbly. (or, tiny amounts into the cavities of silicon molds. If you do this with smaller amounts in clumps you can peel them off while warm and form over a ladle to make an airy bowl for desserts. Or, just make baroque shapes to decorate things. You might want to consider a nut brittle of some sort, perhaps with a more expensive nut like cashew. Those can be dropped into silicone muffin molds to make circles.

I just remembered, I made Apricot Confections for a recent event and they went faster than the truffles!

Oh yeah, to chop the nuts, have you tried a blender? Some models can be used with small canning jars screwed in place of the glass pitcher making small jobs easier and a lot lighter to lift.

Hard candy won't hold up for more than a day or two without special handling/holding. I have had a wonderful nougat by Anil Rohira at WPF made with freeze dried strawberries (check your local natural grocer), candied violets, candied rose petal, candied jasmine, and pistachios. The recipe can be downloaded HERE, scroll down and select Crystallized Flower Nougat.

Splenda also causes carb cravings, in addition to insomnia, miscarriages, diarrhea, and an increased risk of cancer.

A NYT article from a few days ago, sorry I can't figure out which one now, stated that she flat out did not prep for the deposition because she assumed the case was going to be dismissed. This seems a tad arrogant to me, either that, or her lawyers aren't very good.

I haven't owned the Salad Shooter, so, I cannot comment. I own the DeLonghi DSM7 mixer, no longer on the market, I think the Cuisinart mixer is its successor, and I have the shredder attachment for that. It's sort of a chute that you attach to the gears on the top of the machine. You place a bowl under it and just shove things in. I like it. You can keep going forever, unlike a food processor, you can empty or change your bowl while it's operating. I don't know if clicking it in place would be too much for you. Also, you still have to cut things to fit in it, like make wedges of cabbage, or peeling carrots. It's pretty easy to assembly, it latches on with a metal handle. I also own the mini food processor/chopper attachment kit which is a small glass jar with a blade that sits on top. This is good for quickly mincing a half onion. It assembles like screwing a lid in a jar then pushing onto the gear. Anyway, if you have a mixer, you might want to look into what's available in attachments. And, as always, eBay is a goldmine of discontinued parts and accessories.

Agreed. Sugar all the way, and simple syrup makes it a lot easier.

"Most -most jokes are about Jewish people, rednecks, black folks" -Paula Deen

I have never made these, and don't know anything about it beyond obvious basic baking science. But, youtube video seems like it might be useful.

A lot of the uproar is about her describing in loving detail her plans for a slavery themed wedding in 2004.

I really think that her age cannot be used as an excuse. I am over 50, and recall being a small child and hearing my dad talk about his childhood. He told me about going to the grocery store with his mother in the early 1930s and seeing the word in question used on a sign as a descriptor (paired with the name of a body part) for a type of south american nut. His mother, who was born in 1900, complained to the store manager and made certain that he knew, in no uncertain terms, that this was a word that a civilized person would simply never use.

She'll be rehired within 2 years. Look at how FN handled the Robert Irvine scandal.

You could make yogurt parfaits in clear plastic disposable cups. Take plain yogurt and add some honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and layer with berries. Top with granola, keep cold.

One more safety warning, in case you missed this in the news, in 2012, a woman had to have her stomach removed because of damage done by a liquid nitrogen cocktail.

Scones can be savory: cheddar, bacon, Parmesan & oregano, etc. You could make crepes and fill them with a cold filling like raw fresh fruit. If you could bring in chafing dishes with fuel canisters, your options would be greater: breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, hot fillings for lunch sandwiches like pulled pork or sloppy joes.

I've done it, the main issue is that they can easily get too cold. The LN2 Primer is a good place to start. I have always used my stand mixer, but then I have only done this for groups, where I wanted fairly large amounts. You really do have to taste test everything, the cold affects flavor a little. Also, anything carbonated will lose the carbonation. Overall, I found it to be mostly too much trouble unless the group was large enough to consume a couple quarts of drink at once. Don't forget safety issues!

I don't recall seeing a thread on baked goods, but, since most pastry isn't normally kept in a cold case (refrigeration makes crisp pastries soggy) you could probably get by with a cooler and gel packs for it. I personally would not hold purchased items. You'll be held hostage when the time comes to leave if they don't return promptly. Also, I used to work as a district manager for a famous specialty food company that has seasonal stores in malls. We had to implement a policy of 'no holds' because we had consumers in several states claim that the gift wrapped, purchased food being held had been tampered with (seals broken, foods injected with poisons) while they were away. As far as we could tell, the claims were bogus, but we needed to reduce our potential for liability. So food never left the sight of the consumer and the gift wrapping program ended. I'd be wary of people returning and claiming that what you're handing over isn't what they bought, or worse, that you somehow tried to injure them.

You might just want to read up more on wine pairing in general, and go on a few tasting expeditions to some local wine shops. Just knowing that a meal will be vegan doesn't really help at all with pairing. You've got to look at the actual foods themselves and then decide. There are vegan wines, BTW. There isn't an enormous selection, but, I have had some very tasty bottles -especially from Oregon. Ask about them at your local wine shop.