jfrater

Hi all - I want to dry some whole white fish and I was advised that the best method is to gut and clean it, wash it thoroughly, rinse it in salt water and hang it outside in the air for one or two days. Does this sound right to everyone here? Is there something else special I ought to do? Also, when it is dried do I rinse it before storing it in the freezer? I plan to roast it whole Korean style.

Kimbap came originally from China (via other parts of Asia) to Korea and THEN to Japan. Sushi is raw, kimbap is not. Koreans had it first (like so many other things the Japanese claim as their own).

If you are wanting a recipe for jjimdak here is a great one: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dakjjim

I have made gujeolpan on a number of occasions and eaten it in Seoul. The pancakes should weigh about 8 grams (max). I usually find it takes about one level dessertspoon of a very runny batter. Here is a photo of my most recent gujeolpan (I bought the dish from http://www.korean-arts.com/. I used (from top moving clockwise): marinated beef (just garlic, soy, sesame, sugar), cucumber skin, carrot, mung bean sprouts (topped and tailed), shiitake mushrooms, egg yolk, courgette skin, egg white. All ingredients are slightly seasoned and briefly stir fried first. I serve it with Korean mustard.

Hey all - it is nice to see a bibimbap thread here! I thought I would post a photo of the most recent one I made (well my partner made it under my watchful eye and I plated it - normally I do all the Korean cooking). This is in the jeonju style - the area from which bibimbap first came - it has more vegetables than one normally finds on bibimbap and it also has gingko nuts, walnuts, and pine nuts. It was delicious

Dubu buchim yangnyumjang by the sounds of it: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/2-tofu-side-dishes

Actually this is not true - there is no scientific basis to the claim that oysters are human aphrodisiacs. All the scientists have shown that in a number of rats on which they tested, two amino acids extracted from oysters possibly increase testosterone etc. It is a giant leap to say an effect observed in a set number of rats is evidence towards the effects of oysters on humans. Modern science loves to observe a minuscule set and declare it evidence of something it is not. 5 rats may have become pregnant - but that doesn't show anything at all - they may have become pregnant without the amino acids - science can't tell as it can't go back in time and try the same test on the same rats without the amino acids. At best. modern science can only ever say something is possible - modern science can never prove something in a perfect way. That aside - I love oysters - raw or cooked - and intend to continue to consume them in large quantities

Allow me to retort to those lists with one that debunks many of them: Top 10 things that are surprisingly good for you

Thank you very much - this confirms my suspicions entirely. Henceforth, no lumps in my eggs!

Hi - I am trying to perfect Escoffier's scrambled eggs but I just can't find any information to tell me the exact consistency of the final product. When I originally tried the recipe using the bain marie method (40 mins of cooking whilst stirring) I ended up with a very delicious result - but it was really more of a sauce - there were no curds at all - just a rich lemon colored custard. It was fully cooked and very nice but I was not sure if there should be curds. When I use the faster (approved by Escoffier) method of cooking on a direct heat, I did get curds as well as sauce. Traditionally the eggs were served in a silver bowl with choux pastry garnishes around the edges which suggests to me that it ought to be eaten with a spoon and seems to support the custardy consistency. Does anyone here know what the final result should be? Thanks

Hi all - I returned from living in the UK recently and I loved using King Edward potatoes. Now I have discovered that we don't have them in New Zealand and I desperately want some. I know that they are grown and sold in Australia - Tasmania particularly. Does anyone know if there is someone in NZ that can supply me with some? Or does anyone have some that they could send me seeds for? If all else fails and I can't get them, I will need to change my potatoes, so here is my next question: 1. What are the best NZ potatoes for roasting? 2. What are the best NZ potatoes for chipping? 3. What are the best NZ potatoes for mashing? 4. What are the best NZ potatoes for gratin? Thanks

Speaking of Meyers - I just bought a house and want to start an edible garden. It turns out that meyers are a cross between a lemon and an orange and I want to use as many heirloom veges, etc. as possible. Can someone recommend a lemon tree that I can get in New Zealand which is not a hybrid?

gingerbeer and boagman: I don't necessarily leave between EVERY course. For example, at the Fat Duck I had two cigarettes over the period of 3 hours. Also, when entertaining at my home I smoke at the table between courses and don't leave at all - though I remove the ashtrays once they are done with. At a friend's house I would never smoke inside unless invited to - and I only smoke in my own home when we have a party, so my friends who smoke don't feel obliged to go outside. Oh - and I would never go outside for a smoke if it meant leaving someone at the table alone! Oh - I also never use a cell phone at the table - it is always turned off. The smoking thing I do because it was, in the past, acceptable behavior and I used old fashioned manners as my guide in as much as possible.

I finally got around to putting the rabbit photos on the computer. For those interested, this is the saga of my rabbit! 1. The shopping. All of this food was bought at Borough Market in London. It is all fresh from English farms. Yum yum. There is enough here to feed 3 of us for 1 week at £60. 2. The rabbit up close. 3. The rabbit skinned 4. The rabbit cooking 5. Potatoes a la Lyonnaise to go with the rabbit 6. French beans to go with the rabbit The rabbit was cooked in red wine, and port, with onions, fresh herbs, and pancetta (which you can see in the first photo). It was yum! I will definitely be doing it again. Oh - and the rabbit only cost £4.

Annoyance 1: One friend ALWAYS demands that we share when we are dining out - it doesn't matter how many people are there - she wants to share. Kiwis are generally shy and don't like to say no (though I am starting to more often now). Annoyance 2: I went to a very fine restaurant with a friend one evening. Half way through the meal she picked up her napkin (cloth of course) and blew her nose on it! She then put it back on her knee and continued to eat. Annoyance 3: Whenever I throw a party, there will always be 3 or 4 friends who bring one bottle of wine then proceed to drink 2 or more. They are also the same people who bring no cigarettes as they don't smoke, but then decide they socially smoke at my parties. They steal my smokes and don't even inhale! Most annoying (and expensive these days!) One thing I do that might annoy others (though I hope not) is leave the table between courses (if it is a three course drawn out meal) to have a cigarette. I smoke fast (3 minutes) and never miss the next course - but I guess some people may find it rude.

The worst meal I have ever had dining out was a meal of crabcakes that a friend made. She is normally a proficient cook but that day she was drunk far earlier than normal and her tastebuds seemed to have failed her. The crab was right on the verge of being "off" and she put far too much salt in it. And by too much, I don't mean enough to make you grimace - I mean enough to make you vomit - which it did - all night long. I was fine the next day which is why I am sure it was the salt and not the crab. As for the worst thing I have done - it was (alas!) recently: I wanted to duplicate the stunning oysters and passionfruit that Heston serves at the Fat Duck. The first problem was that I couldn't get oysters (out of season) so I substituted prawns. The second problem: the passionfruit sauce was disgustingly sour. The third problem: I forgot to remove the "vein" and my guests had to manually do so at the table. They did it with grace but I was red all night - though half of that was no doubt the bottles of wine I consumed to console myself!

Thanks for the replies so far everyone! I didn't really think about the fact that salmon and carrot are similar colors. I will have a wee look in the cupboard and see what alternatives I have

Daniel: I had no idea about the glands - I didn't remove any that I am aware of! I had better do a bit of research before doing that again I can't say I noticed any problem with the flavor of the rabbit. I will definitely do a terrine at some point!

Hi all, I am doing salmon fillets for tea tonight and I wanted to pair it with asparagus and baby carrots. My reasoning: pan fried salmon = earthy + soft roasted baby carrots = sweet + chewey boiled asparagus = bitter + crunch butter sauce = sour + smooth A little fleur de sel on the top for added crunch. I was planning to put a squeeze of lemon on top of the lemon fillets just before I take them out of the pan (i will fry them in butter) as well as putting a little lemon juice in to the butter sauce. Does this sound okay or do I have my textures wrong? Am I right to classify asparagus as bitter?

I recently bought a whole (gutted) rabbit from Burrough Market in London and prepared it and cooked it - it was yum! I thought you might all like to see some photographs. 1. The shopping. All of this food was bought at Borough Market in London. It is all fresh from English farms. Yum yum. There is enough here to feed 3 of us for 1 week at £60. 2. The rabbit up close. 3. The rabbit skinned 4. The rabbit cooking 5. Potatoes a la Lyonnaise to go with the rabbit 6. French beans to go with the rabbit The rabbit was cooked in red wine, and port, with onions, fresh herbs, and pancetta (which you can see in the first photo). It was yum! I will definitely be doing it again. Oh - and the rabbit only cost £4.

Hi guys - great thread! I was just wondering, would it be acceptable in cooking meats sous vide to use a blowtorch for browning afterward and not using a pan on the stove at all?

Good news! Someone from New Zealand (my home country and the origin of mock whitebait fritters) read this thread and emailed me the recipe!! Here it is: 2 & 1/2 tablespoons of flour, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons grated cheese. 1 med sized potato - grated ... 1 tsp of the magic Edmond's Baking Powder. Salt & Pepper Beat egg, add flour, milk, cheese and seasonings Add potato and baking powder. What I realise now that I have seen it, is that the reason the fritters were light as a kid, is that the flour and egg is really just binding the potato - it isn't a batter. Now I can make mock whitebait fritters just like Mummy made them!

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I did mean Baking Powder, not soda. I think I will try them next time with the whipped egg white. Also, it might be that the potatoes in combination with the batter are just not the best thing to put together.

Hiya, The ones you found on the net with only a small amount of flour sound more like hash browns to me - the fritters I had growing up were not like hash browns. I am not sure what beignets are, but fritters are usually a batter with something added to it and them shallow fried till golden. You can make banana ones too. So basically, the question is: how do I make the lightest and fluffiest fritter batter?

Hi all, I have tried to make potato fritters twice now (at home in NZ we call them mock whitebait fritters as the grated potato resembles whitebait). This is my recipe: 1 cup flour 1 tsp baking soda seasoning to taste 1 egg I use that basic recipe with enough milk to form a fairly thick batter. I then add two grated potatoes (rinsed in acidulated water and squeezed out in a towel). The final mixture is thick enough that it will fall off the spoon. When I cook them at a medium heat until golden in a bit of oil, they are always very heavy and gluggy. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong or what I can do to make these light as air? I was wondering about maybe whipping the egg white until stiff and folding it in. Also, the baking powder doesn't seem to make the fritters rise much. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Jamie