mkayahara

Absolutely not, and I think this is one of the points: a computer-controlled 5-axis milling machine does not make a Michelangelo, but what could a Michelangelo with a computer-controlled 5-axis milling machine accomplish? Tools don't limit creativity; they blow the limits off of it.

Not me. That place looks warmer than where I live. Maybe Florida? Looks "warmer"? How could you tell - the open water, or the ice bed the fish were lying on?

That reminds me, I've been meaning to make the scallops... Also, although it isn't technically in the book, I've made their 6-minute risotto, and was blown away by how foolproof and good it was. Has anyone made the cheddar and apple risotto? It got panned in the Globe and Mail, and I have to admit I've balked at the quantity of cheese called for. I'd love to hear a second opinion.

Maybe, but the instant is consistently not that good. At least from-scratch offers the diner the possibility of a good to sublime eating experience... and offers the cook the ability to improve it. That said, there are two times when I wouldn't hesitate to use the granules: first, when the ingredients for homemade are unavailable; second, when you want the flavour-boosting abilities of the extracted glutamates without the liquid. Of course, in those cases, one might find pure MSG to be more consistent.

I thought fish was considered pareve? Or am I missing something here?

Even with all the attention being lavished on Modernist Cuisine, I find it hard to believe no one has been cooking from Ideas in Food! The first preparation I made from it was red wine vinegar; before reading the book, I'd been reluctant to use cider vinegar as the starter (even though it's the easiest vinegar to find with a live mother), but they convinced me to stop being such a purist about it. I've been regularly feeding my red wine vinegar over the past few weeks, it's thriving, and I love the flavour. I've used it in everything from vinaigrette to Sauerbraten. Last night I made the macaroni and cheese recipe. The version in Modernist Cuisine calls for sodium citrate and carrageenan; the version in Ideas in Food just calls for evaporated milk, which already has disodium phosphate and carrageenan in it. I think this is a really elegant solution if you don't want to spring for the specialty chemicals. Better still, the recipe worked like a charm, and was fast and delicious. I'm looking forward to playing with different kinds of cheese, but I think it's safe to say I'll be keeping a can of evaporated milk handy at all times from now on. Edit: Society-friendly Amazon link.

I think another thing that's being discounted by those who would dismiss this book out of hand is that - as Ruhlman points out - we have no idea yet what the spin-offs will be that can be used in every kitchen! It reminds me of the shuttle program: putting a man on the moon was a highly expensive project that was completely useless... unless you care to consider the ways it's pushed technology forward. (Not that I'm saying Modernist Cuisine is generally comparable to the shuttle program, but in this respect, I think it is.)

Isn't it amazing how much difference there is in flavour? I try to avoid using instant dashi as much as possible now - a feat that's presumably made easier by the fact that I rarely make Japanese food more than once a week - and whenever I succumb and use the granules, I'm always reminded why I make it from scratch.

Dare I ask what the price point is? I'd love to have one, but not sure I can justify the expense! On an unrelated note, has the "curriculum" for the conference been firmed up yet?

Personally, I like this one (or its big brother).

I haven't had this happen with confit and I've made it a number of times. When I recently made sous vide duck confit for the first time, one out of the four bags did this, plus I've had it happen a couple of other times on other dishes. I suspect it may have something to do with how things are oriented in the bag, especially if they're not a regular shape, but that's a guess.

Yeah, after the cooling step, I de-bagged the potatoes, put them in fresh water, and cooked at a full boil for about 20 minutes, the passed them through a food mill. Putting them through a tamis seems like a whole lot more work, and I'm not sure it would be worthwhile, since my partner prefers a chunky mash to a smooth puree anyway...

Presumably the inclusion of any meat would be problematic, if the OP wants to use cream and butter. It seems to me like the real benefits of either fish or clam juice would be salt and umami, so any ingredients that would add those two elements would be good. A little smoked salt would be nice for a bacon-y touch. Or how about using a good dashi as the base stock? (Is dashi kosher?)

For the record, I ended up going with 115F, and the beef seemed to be done after about six hours. It's highly addictive as-is, but I think I'll experiment with some variations on spicing next time, just for kicks.

Wouldn't it work better the other way around? That is, cook her steak at 62C until it's done, then drop the temperature (i.e., add cold water), add the other steak and hold them both at 55C until the second one is done? The first steak won't become "uncooked" this way, but will stay warm. I'm not sure if there's a mushiness risk.

Thanks, Chris. Next time, I'll be sure to start them earlier in the day so that I can cool them more thoroughly. Certainly they're worth trying again; it was fun to be able to play with them as much as I wanted and still not have them get gluey. (Not that I play with my food, or anything. )

Drawing on the notes from Chris Hennes and Chris Amirault above, I tried to make retrograde-starch mashed potatoes last night, but I wasn't thrilled with the results. They had a grainy texture that, I later realized, resembled polenta more than anything else. I know I fudged a few of the steps: I bagged the potatoes with water, but not as much water as Chris H. used above, I cooked them at 70 degrees for 45 minutes, I didn't cool them all the way down to fridge temperature... but I'm not sure what accounts for the grainy texture. Any thoughts from those who have done this before?

Why?

Actually, I think you'll find the Artful Dodger is from Oliver Twist. Moreover, my dictionary gives "skilful, clever" as the first definition for "artful," and "crafty, deceitful" as sense 2. But... it still has nothing to do with art Maybe not, but I'm sure runwestierun has nothing against eating food that's skilfully prepared.

Actually, I think you'll find the Artful Dodger is from Oliver Twist. Moreover, my dictionary gives "skilful, clever" as the first definition for "artful," and "crafty, deceitful" as sense 2.

My current pet peeve is "How is everything tasting?" I don't really know why, but I find that phrasing to be like nails on a chalkboard.

Not to mention that it's the whitest slate of contestant's I've ever seen, though I imagine that's at least partly self-selection...

I can't wait to hear the reviews of this product. Sounds like just what the market needed.

Personally, I would never store or transport it in anything but a purpose-built Dewar. I'm not sure what the evaporation rates are like, but there is certainly some loss over time, so I'd buy it in small quantities and use it promptly. Edit: Heard back from a friend, who says his supplier told him that 10 litres would take 40 days to dissipate from a Dewar.

Are you saying that caramelizing the sugar prevents it from being crumbly? That makes sense, but I'd never thought of it before. How long do you bake it, and at what temperature, to get results you like?