Peter the eater

David Ross: your place must smell really good, I now know what to do with the big bag of pepitas. Dr J: Nice duck! What was the time & temp for the s.v.? BTW you're not really Julius Erving, are you? That would be really cool - 9 days to NBA tip off and all. Sif: Pate looks great, I love the idea of a nice veggie/grain "loaf" (every January I try to perfect my vegetarian haggis, hasn't happened yet)

I have a weakness for french fries, without which I would perish. Doritos with that super bad-breath powder is a must. Bridge mixture shows up in our house - once a month if you know what I mean. Hope you feel better with your "expanded menu"!

Thanks for those pictures. Its nice to have an authentic standard for comparison when Japan is 2500 km away.

Well, having done this once . . . I'm an expert! Yes I think breasts could be lovely done this way. I would ensure 75 C because I don't like the idea of rare bird, which is what I saw in the 60's degrees. I'll bet thickness is a major concern as well, 5 hours should get through an inch of anything. I'd consider searing afterwards on the gas grill, although the pan sear made for a nice sauce. Actually, next time I get fresh duck breasts . . . I'm making prosciutto!

Did the duck today! Two vacuum packs from the store, two fresh organic duck legs in each. Around 60 cents per leg. One pack goes straight in as-is. The other gets the juice of half an orange, a shot of olive oil, and a bit of salt. Initially, I thought the syringe would be helpful, but wound up just snipping the pouch's corner and pouring in the seasoning. Resealed the bag with my vacuum heat sealer: The bag on the left has the added juice: I cooked them for around 3 hours at 55-60 C, then discovered that would be a bit too low for fowl (perfect for rare beef). Adjusted the heat to 70-75C and let it go another 4 hours. Took them out: Ready for de-bagging: The unseasoned pair dumped out: The seasoned pair dumped out: Pan-sear in butter: On a plate with rice. I made a butter/flour/s.v. juice sauce for each (cleaned the no-stick pan in between) Results: Both ways were delicious, way better than the legs off a roast duck. My wife liked the untreated duck, which surprised me since it was a stronger, gamier taste. I preferred the citrus note and subtly softer seasoned duck. I think the acid marinade and slightly smaller size contributed to a more tender leg. Conclusion: This way is the cat's ass! I have never had better whole duck legs. Proper confit is a different food, not a fair comparison. I will absolutely do this again, 5-6 hours at 75C, seasoning poured into the pouch and re-sealed.

I love shopping for food and I go often. I'm way to lazy to clip coupons but I do like to plan meals as I shop, and get ideas from whats on sale or reduced for quick sale. Occasionally we have a period of "just say no to new groceries" until the inventory thins out, and the older stuff gets consumed. I hate, hate, hate to waste food. What was the question? PS Anna N, I am on a mission to try canned potatoes asap, and will advise!

Host's Note I thought Peter's response on the Eating my way through Paris: One Year in Paris topic was so interesting I decided to start a new topic on commuter eating in France. I hope you agree (PS this was not his idea). Edited by John Talbott to fix link.

I'm no dentist, but . . . maybe your enamel could crack if you tried to eat the spoon itself. I have heard of "old country" soup makers who would drop some ice in to the hot stockpot in order to break the bones and release marrow. I suppose its possible, but I 'd need to see or do it for myself.

Is this a myth: put a wine cork in with your cooking octopus and it will be more tender? I keep hearing this (well, twice this month) but nobody seems to have any proof, or even a proposed mechanism to explain the claim.

Why buy a can of potatoes when real ones are available year-round for less, and keep so well in a cool dark place? Next?

Thank you so much AFH, I respect your enthusiasm in a big way. I am still so excited and bewildered by your recent feast of variety meats. I actually had a dream the other night where I was hunting with dynamite in a petting zoo, as I mentioned on your thread. I am convinced that the best stuff at the grocery store is not priced in accordance with its worth, and that what the populace perceives as the best part is only the tip of the animal iceberg. More to come . . .

Excellent suggestions. I know I need to buy and read a book, soon. "Charcuterie" by Ruhlman and Hugh "Fearlessly-Eatsitall" Fearnley-Whittingstall are on the short list. I have been reading some really old books form the 1950's and 60's because they are in the house. Come to think of it, I don't think I have bought an actual cookbook since joining eG! I am going halvsies with the father-in-law but I don't think he's very interested in the "under appreciated" bits. If I can be there for the "big moment" I'll try to retain casings, offal, hocks, trotters, etc. as best I can. The senior butcher has dibs on the head, I think.

This is my pig: Pig is a 300lb female Yorkshire (I think) and her days are numbered. We raised pig this summer on Cape Breton Island at the inlaws' farm which was a new experience for me to say the least. As a rural wannabe I am very excited about splitting a full pig with someone but have never done so. It will be like getting one hundred times more pork than ever before, all at once. I'm hoping to participate fully in the "processing" if our schedules permit (its a 5 hour drive to the farm) and to share my experience here in an appropriate manner (no porcine snuff). I've been reading some great material here and elsewhere about all things pig but still need ideas, strategies, stories etc. to deal with the impending bounty. So what would you do with half a pig?

Why not be authentic and use real chocolate covered bacon? It has apparently become quite a big thing, I have seen it on tv and read about it here and elsewhere in the blogisphere. It even has the acronym CCB, kinda rolls off the tongue like EVOO. Mind you I have yet to taste the stuff so I can't vouch for the flavour impact it might have on your desert.

A fantastic report KK, thanks. I remember many good looking meals in Italy but some of those images are breathtaking. Don't forget we are waiting for your future coffee table food photography book! (oops, starting rumors again) And now your new avatar makes more sense!

1. All food oils are perishable. Air (oxygen), high temperatures and bright light accelerate spoilage. I've never had oil spoil in the kitchen, but I don't get the huge containers that could sit around for a few years. I have heard of rancid olive oil, read the label or ask a grandmother from Tuscany. 2. Experiment! Too many flavors going on at once can backfire. I like mint with heat - try some cayenne or fresh hot pepper with the minty canola oil. 3. I would decant flavoured oil from the mortar to a glass to see the colour more clearly, and to free up the mortar. Anything beyond a 100mLs I 'd use a blender. Nothing wrong with leaving bits floating in the oil, most stuff settles to the bottom anyways. I suspect too much organic material in the oil could speed up spoilage, so I always refrigerated flavoured oils. Let us know if you come up with any killer combos (or nasty flops)

Well there's not much point taking food pictures if you don't show them to anybody . . . Buddy gave us a big chunk of salmon yesterday - to much to eat fresh so I cut some steaks and put a few fillets on salt/sugar/dill for gravlax - the rest is freezing. I had some help with the steaks, made boneless and skewered: Up close with basmati and sweet peas: For lunch we shallow-fried the odd pieces of salmon, and made some fries: Ce'nedra: if want to turn that vegetarian back from the dark side, check out Anna Friedman Herlihy's outrageous dinner here in case you missed it.

If its green and flavourful and from my herb garden, I have infused oil with it. For small amounts, I have pounded fresh spices in the mortar and poured in the oil. Mix it around and let it sit for a few minutes then decant into something, maybe a shotglass. For bigger batches I use the blender. Once the oil has had chance to extract a good deal of the hydrophobic flavour and colour compounds I'll strain it through cheesecloth or something, depending on the size of the solids. Its just like making coffee. Fave combos include: -basil olive oil (pretty much anything in olive oil is good) -mint canola oil -cilantro peanut oil -sage corn oil

Wow! What a meal. I love the idea of challenging eaters to go "whole hog" and try things that are new to them, and to utilize a food animal more thoroughly. I am one to scan the offal section of the meat department but I must say, what I see on your table is bit beyond my experience. I have this mental image of going hunting with dynamite at a petting zoo - and catching all those charred pieces falling from the sky on serving platters. Just an image, no offense intended. Anyone who serves up such a meal with passion and creativity is surely an animal lover. Well done! edit: I keep returning to look at that braised goat head. It has got to be the nastiest thing I have seen on eGullet. It is hypnotic. FYI my previous no. 1 nasty shot was loaned to me from Stevarino for my foodblog. Here it is.

Alex noir: The chives make it! Jaimie Lee: They look good to me, if I was your neighbor I'd need a restraining order. Nakji: did you notice the similarity between your nakisobi and your avatar? David Ross: you have raised the bar, again. I found some half price flank steak this morning. This is how it looked before the grill . . . and after . . .

Those are encouraging words for us other SV noobs, thanks AFH! Did you take any pictures?

Will do. I have been assured that the plastic packaging is a food-safe Dupont product and can handle temps beyond 100C (212F). There seems to be a reasonable amount of fat in the package, which is a good thing. I too would like to do some additional seasoning. Since there are two packs, my plan is crack one open, add some salt, black pepper, maybe some citrus, them reseal in my own plastic. SV @ 60C+/- 3hrs. (how's that for a cryptic food-nerd sentence?)

I picked up a few fresh duck legs this morning and was thinking just that - a low slow heat with as little O2 as possible. I've got 4 legs to experiment with, and they're not pricey: My home version of SV is a stockpot on the stove at 60C +/- a few degrees. Those bags in which they are stored look better than what my vacuum sealer can do so I'm thinking "why not stick them in the bath as is, pricetags and all?"

I'm not much of a list making kind-of-guy, but they're occasionally given to me. I also regard most recipes as general guides and will never consult an owners manual unless absolutely necessary. I have, however, saturated my environment (home and office) with mechanical pencils and spiral-bound graph paper in case I am struck with a good idea. This doesn't happen as often as I would like to think, but over the years I have filled dozens and dozens. I'll take a look (and a picture) for some that are food-related. . .

Awesome! I love to see a whole creature on the plate. Good thing the basil leaf is there for scale, otherwise it could be a swimming pool with a giant squid (and pool noodles).