Lisa Shock

Yeah, it's the same principle behind why you shouldn't add acid to bean cooking liquid, they won't soften if the liquid is too acidic. Add the acid right before serving, for perfect beans.

I forgot t mention that many cocoa powders contain fat, so, there is generally an adjustment for that as well.

Generally, butter is 20% water and 80% fat, so, a substitution generally involves an adjustment to the water or milk weight as well as the fat weight. There are also leavening adjustments if the original recipe using the creaming method for the sugar and butter since that leavens the cake -generally one would increase the baking powder/soda measure, or add it if none is in the original butter formula.

The main issue is that many employers don't know about ACF certification, don't understand it, and/or don't care. If more employers took it seriously, I think there would be more overall respect for the back of the house. -And a lot fewer people faking it back there, too.

Thanks HowardLi, I enjoyed the article!

http://www.acfchefs.org/Content/NavigationMenu2/Certification/Levels/CC/default.htm That's a link for the current requirements for certification at the lowest level for a regular, hot-side, cook. (There are certifications for Pastry, Personal Chefs, Administrators and Educators which I am not discussing in this thread. I myself am a lowly CPC, so, I know a bit more about Pastry certification than I do about the hot-side. However, my past employer hosted practical exams, so I have seen all sorts of practicals in progress.) Note that the very first requirement is two years work experience, or, one year plus a degree from an accredited culinary school, or and associates degree from an accredited culinary school that requires an externship. -That is where the cooking background comes in. On top of the cooking background, there are required classes -three 30-hour classes with final exams. Then, come the written exam and the 2½ hour practical exam. The practical varies from test to test, but generally involves knife cuts, and making two complete plates of food (protein, starch, veg) along with some other requirements, which vary, like say, boning a whole chicken intact. The upper levels of certification build on the lower levels and are more difficult. The practical exams go from a few hours long to a few days, to over a week. At every level, the practical exam is an important part of certification. It would not be possible to complete the practical without having extensive (not just knowing how to cook the menu of the last couple places you worked at) real-world cooking experience.

I'd like to address the misconception that the US has no skills standards for cooks. Membership and rank in the ACF is directly tied to skills. There are written examinations, practical examinations, apprenticeships, university-level course requirements in sanitation and management, etc. all required. For fun, there are highly regulated competitions and mentoring programs. Now, ACF members represent a a small percentage of all the cooks in the US, but please, do not deny our existence!

I believe that is because, initially, the first flight attendants were registered nurses. The whole procedure/process on the plane was handled like a visit to fancy medical clinic. Since we don't have a tipping culture in the world of hospitals, that's how it's evolved.

Peels could be used for orangecello. And, candied, for use in baking.

Generally, good, real extra virgin grades do taste of olives. Trader Joe's has an oil marked kalamata and it tastes strongly of that type of olive.

Can you rig up a cover for the setup so the soil doesn't blow into your pool during the next hurricane? I've had issues with the wind in Arizona with regards to elevated planters.

I agree that you should sample it out and ask for input. There may be something that you don't notice, that turns other people off. For me, some white cakes taste of coconut, even if they don't have any coconut in them. And, since I don't like coconut, I have a very tentative relationship with white cake. About 20% of the US population doesn't like coconut. So, it could be something like this.

Wow, just wow.

Some states don't allow for complete redistribution, sometimes only certain employees can share. One day, if I get my own place, I'll do 'no tips' and pay everyone a living wage. (maybe a jar on the counter, to be split, but, customers would know that servers did not need to be tipped)

"I also would recommend "Professional Cooking" by Wayne Gisslen." -me too! As a culinary school instructor, I feel that it's important to learn about ingredients, and then about techniques. Particular recipes aren't as important as knowing why a braise differs from a grilled steak, and why you want to use different cuts of meat for each of those techniques. Once you have a knowledge of the main ways of cooking foods, and, know your ingredients, individual recipes aren't so important. You can skim recipes and see what's going on with each one, and then decide which one to use, maybe because one recipe retrogrades the starch for you and that's an effect you want. Memorizing hundreds of formulas just isn't that important. Once you know about ingredients and technique, you can wing it a bit because you understand the effect of adding an acid, or, browning milk solids.

Sanitation nightmares aside, I think this sounds like fun and, I suspect that the review feature will slap some people into reality about the low quality of their food. -I've been subjected to a lot of miserable food over the past month which was presented by self-proclaimed 'gourmet' cooks.

On truffles, you can pipe warm ganache into sphere molds. Or, get really practiced at hand-rolling.

New episodes or reruns? And, do they use the old music from the Backdraft soundtrack?

I always cut first. I keep my pieces looking pretty by adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water at the start. My potato salad is a knife skills showcase and looks like a bowl of mini blocks.

Be careful, improper heating, cooling and holding temps can foster the growth of bacillus cereus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_cereus

Generally, you can cut the acetate first. I think this was probably placed inside of a small cake ring until it was set.

I hope this works, here's a French page run through Google Translate: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://cuisine-facile.com/base/recette-sirop-sucre.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsirop%2Bde%2B30%25C2%25B0c%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DXzT%26sa%3DN%26tbo%3Dd%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D922&sa=X&ei=TDDdUJTKDceW2QXl1YCgDQ&ved=0CDcQ7gEwADgK

It loses heat over time, so, if you must use bottled, buy the bottle at the very back of the shelf, and, choose a store that seems to actually have a good turn over of the stuff.

I tend to enjoy darker black teas and Earl Grey when it's cold. I prefer green tea, and lighter teas like Darjeeling in summer.

I've managed on occasion, in emergency situations, to get by with stirring with a large sturdy spoon. I just kind of pretended to be the mixer. It's tough on the wrists. And, you'll need to make sure the bowl is secure.