Peter the eater
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Posts posted by Peter the eater
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Nifty idea Peter, I've done that with a quartered and brined duck before and it was awesome.
What sort of time would I be looking at per pound if steaming?
I always use a probe thermometer for the final determination but like to know roughly how long it'll take.
I'd have to look it up -- it's not long. The breasts and legs are still quite uncooked when it goes in the hot oven. A mid-size goose needs less than a half hour to move most of that subcutaneous fat outward. It's a matter of warming up the first 1/4", so bird weight isn't as important as bird fattiness.
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I just watched the first episode of The French Chef -- Julia Child's television debut! She made Boeuf bourguignon.
Considering the show's in black & white, it's 1962, and there wasn't really a precedent . . . it's a fine demo for making the famous peasant stew. Julia is in her early 50's and quite charming, and she looks a little bit nervous.
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. . . . Tips and tricks? Will my duck skills translate to ye ol Christmas Goose?
Turkey is to chicken what goose is to duck -- same technique, just bigger.
I like to steam a goose on the stove before roasting. Prick the skin all over, cover and steam. Fat weeps out from under the skin and collects on the simmering water below. Fast and tidy.
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Bottomfeeder, from Montreal's own Taras Grescoe.
This one's important.
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The highlight of my first visit was finding beef tenderloin for $4.99/lb in 4-6 lb vac bags. Too good to be true? Maybe. The beef was frozen and the label had words like "random" and "ungraded". What does that mean?
I got an answer:
Ungraded beef is white cow meat at which time there is no Canadian grading system therefore it must be labeled by Canadian Inspection Agency standards as ungraded or unclassified. Ungraded product offers a very similar eating experience to Grade AA meat for cuts like tenderloin. This product is often used in the foodservice industry.
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It's probably too late but you if paint the ends it helps. Go to lee valley and get the red paint for turners in the future.
Is that the same thing as Pentacryl?
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Did it look anything like the photos at the bottom of this page?
Thanks HKDave, that looks similar. The color difference was small when raw, more visible once cooked.
I know my pig had a charmed life in rural Cape Breton, until she was shot that is. She never seemed high-strung or stressed out, never complained. Could be genetics . . .
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My step grandmother in law (SGIL?) makes drip coffee by adding salt on top of the ground beans, a half teaspoon for an 8 or 10 cup carafe. I can taste the salt, and I don't care for it. Her rationale has something to do with WWII rationing and chicory.
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Do you mean with a chop that has sections of both loin and tenderloin, the latter being darker?
No, I don't think so, but I could be wrong. There was so much pork in October that between the cutting and bagging and labeling, one gets anatomically disoriented.
The greatest example is from the thick chops along the back, more anterior than posterior. I'll dig one out later this week and post the before and after cooking photos.
I didn't really frame a clear question in the first post -- I'm just wondering if the light v. dark is an issue for people buying, cooking or consuming pork.
This is interesting:
PSE stands for pale, soft and exudative. It is a description of meat - not live animals. Pork can be PSE, but there is no such thing as a PSE pig. Confusion originates from the fact there is a condition of live pigs called porcine stress syndrome, abbreviated to PSS. Thus a pig can be suffering from PSS, but there is no such thing as PSS pork.
PSE pork was once quite common in Ontario supermarkets, but now it is rare. There has been a reduction in numbers of pigs with PSS which often (but not always) produced PSE pork. Also, much of the pork in our supermarkets is injected with phosphate (enhanced or spiced pork) which reverses the PSE condition. PSE is still important because the mechanism involved still affects fluid losses from pork - and fluid losses from pork amount to millions of dollars annually.
Traces of PSE can sometimes be found in chicken and turkey, where the fluid losses are the major commercial factor. Beef and lamb do not develop obvious PSE, but the mechanism involved can still affect fluid losses - which are always commercially important. - University of Guelph
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I'm well on my way into this year's pig and I'm noticing more than ever a major difference between the light and dark meat. I've never paid much attention to this before, everything looks fairly pinkish when raw, but once cooked it's night and day. Depending on the cut, it's like having dark beef and milky veal in one chop.
Then I started to wonder if the light and dark meat should be used differently, and if there are cultural preferences. Is the comparison similar to poultry?
After some minimal online research, it seems dark meat is more iron-rich, more alkaline, less stressed, fattier, and generally regarded as more flavorful.
So what's up with the famous marketing slogan "Pork: the other white meat"?
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. . . . Do not get pieces with brass handles. Get the ones with iron handles or if available, stainless steel as these do not conduct heat as rapidly.
You're right, of course, but at the risk of sounding superficial -- copper and brass look so good together! Those fat yellow rivets and golden rough-cast handles set against a light copper patina . . . oh, ya.
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. . . . Most things, like toasters and mixers and washing machines, don't draw power when they're off.
Unless you have the Transformer Decepticon line of kitchen appliances.
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I was offered a large cross-sectional slice of black cherry tree. I understand cherry has a reputation for splitting. Is there anyway to turn this priceless piece into a cutting board? I haven't seen too many fruit wood cutting boards out there. Any thoughts as to why that is?
If your chuck of wood is as you describe, a cross section cut from a tree, it will split. As the moisture evaporates, the wood fibers will shrink and you will see the splits as they travel along the weakest part of the wood. Checks in the wood will turn into splits. (All wood will split when dried. That isn't a particular trait of cherry.)
You can soak it in water all the time which will lessen any splitting. You can try to wrap a steel band around the outside but the splits will continue. (Chinese chopping blocks are made from one piece like you describe but their use is heavier and they don't split as much from the constant application of water and fats.) There isn't much you can do given the organic nature of wood.
You can avoid the splits by deconstructing the wood, making smaller blocks and then reassembling. May not be as pretty or as you envision, but with proper reassembly, the splitting will not be as likely.
You will not see many fruit tree wood boards available because the trees are usually to small for commercial use. Cherry is usually expensive so most makers stay away from it. However, it is easy on the knife edges and has a beautiful look to it as it ages.
Or, you can call me and I can make one for you.
David
www.TheBoardSMITH.com
David, that's an excellent explanation.
I made a small square board out of apple for someone a few years ago. It's still in good shape, but I don't think they use it very often. It's made from 64 square blocks glued together, end grain up (and down).
My butcher has a giant stump of hardwood (maple, I think) for a cutting surface. It's beautifully eroded from years cleaver whacks. I'd hate to eat all that missing wood at once.
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There is a cooking show featuring Chef Lesia Burlak and sponsored by Oster, maker of small kitchen appliances. They claim much energy can be saved by using their products.
I've wondered about this idea as well. There's some relevant discussion on this topic.
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I've got a 13 piece set from Ruffoni. I like them a lot but If I were to replace them, I'd go with a stainless steel lining. The handles are a bit narrow making it hard to pour the bigger ones with one hand. And nobody really needs copper lids. The 3 quart saute pan gets the most use.
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How do you deal with your turkey carcass
I'm not Mayhaw Man nor Lindacakes . . .
but making stock from a big roasted bird is one of my all-time favorite kitchen activities. After the big tryptophan dose I become a crazed turkey vulture picking away at the bones. My modus operandi:1. Let Big Bird cool down breast-up on a platter.
2. Get three bowls and a stock pot :light, dark, skin and bones.
3. Cover bones with just enough water, simmer for several hours.
4. Cool, strain and freeze.
I like concentrated turkey stock frozen in 1 cup containers for future usage. Some of the best dark meat bits are along the back, hidden from diners. The big toms have fantastic back meat -- it reminds me of cod cheeks in that they're shallow muscles with broad attachment to bone, and not worth the bother in small specimens.
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Local shrimp is gaining ground in Eastern Canada, there are restaurants embracing the harvest of Atlantic shrimp, as you know JD. The most effective boost came from the CBC documentary a few months ago revealing how Thai and Viet Nam shrimp are harvested and shipped around the world.
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I've never seen frozen onions. I would've put them in "why?" category along with canned potatoes, but you say they're peeled? That would save some time.
I freeze my own leeks and find they can get quite mushy but retain decent flavor. What are the frozen pearl onions like? Could they be enjoyed thawed and raw?
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What Dave said, 4 months is not a problem.
I find well-wrapped birds, even vacuum bagged ones, can get a bit freezer burned from the inside where there's a void. Nobody sees that part and the meaty bits are just fine.
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Peter,
Have you had Ritz cracker seafood stuffing? It's how most seafood restaurants on the Cape stuff their lobsters and shrimp, sole, etc.
Your way sounds fabulous too though, though my preference would be too leave the garlic out, as much as I love garlic, I think it tends to overpower the sweetness of lobster.
PamI like the idea of a crunchy cracker crust on a seafood casserole. I haven't had Ritz stuffing from the Cape since I was a kid, I think a taste would give a serious childhood flashback (like Peter O'Toole in Ratatouille).
I regard lobster and garlic as a heavenly match, and butter is ideal medium for that union. You're right, one needs time to allow time for the chopped garlic to soften and mellow.
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Saw it on a plane once. I'd rather gouge my eyes out with sharpened cutlery than repeat the experience.
Vote one for Meaning of Life.
I don't care to see "No Reservations" again either, but instead of self-mutilation, I recommend watching the original version "Bella Martha (2001)".
Mr. Creosote is a classic.
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Par-cook the lobster in steaming water for 2-3 minutes. Remove claws and steam for another ~4-5 min. Carefully remove meet from shells. . . . use emulsified butter in a small pot and continuously spooning over tails. Low/medium heat, 10-12 minutes.
That's pretty much what we do. Last summer I had 4 dozen tails to butter poach -- we set up an assembly line:
1. plunge live lobsters head first into boiling water for 5 minutes (we used the 5 gallon aluminum maple syrup pot).
2. remove, snap off tail then split in two lengthwise, set tail meat aside.
3. everything that isn't tail meat gets simmered for 10 more minutes in the same water -- this becomes chowder.
3. The nearly 100 half-tails are placed on 2" deep trays, cut side down. A very large quantity of melted garlic butter is poured in, then cover trays with foil.
4. Bake (poach) in a low oven for 20 minutes or until tails are just cooked through.
You could take the knife to the lobsters' head, then snap off the raw tail. The poaching butter was smeared on toasted rolls and served on the side for dipping.
My preference would be to serve the Ritz crackers separately.
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We get duck eggs in the spring, and the yolks are consistently a deep yellow. They're from the same farm and possibly from the same ducks. The egg lady says it's mostly their diet that colors the yolk.
I've had duck eggs at a Filipino restaurant that have been cured with salt. The shells were red and the yolks were rich and orange. Very tasty.
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The funny thing is, you really have to know your prices. It's not uncommon to find an item priced higher at the wholesale club than at their grocery stores (Superstore in Winnipeg).
I agree. Dairy and produce were no deal, but the meat was well-priced. Frozen lamb, ducks and turkeys were a few bucks less per kilogram than the SuperStore. I also liked the restaurant equipment -- not high quality but way affordable. A 12" chef's knife with poly handle is $4.99. At that price you wouldn't be upset if you lost it catering or something.
Lobster Prices Tank
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
Why do you prefer the females? Do you taste a difference?