DerekW

Chris, if you have not already done so, perhaps check out the Pork myology site and have a look at the relevant [NAMP numbered] sub-primals. The relationship between the shoulder cuts can be seen in 3D as well as technically described.

Recently I did a Lamb butchery course [with Chef Christophe] at NWCAV. One lamb between two people seems to have allowed it to be much more 'hands on' than the Pork class. Recommended. As a side note, I previously did the NWCAV 'foodie' course with Chef Tony and enjoyed it so much that I went back to do the 'advanced foodie'.

Snadra, if Weber pricing is out of order where you are then maybe Google up some "Ugly Drum Smoker, UDS" builds...

I predict happiness in your future. We too love limes, and they work just as you might hope.

You are applying energy to the entire system - burner, pan, surrounds, what have you. Heat [energy] is going to be lost to the environment. Once the loss rate balances the input rate then a more or less stable state should be reached. What temperature that occurs at will likely vary with different pans for the same burner and input level, due in part at least to different radiant surface areas. Or so I think.

Daniel, can I suggest you Google 'asparagus pot' and pick and choose. Four quart, of a diameter to suit a small coil element, available in many brands. For a single poultry carcase, they work very well. It's not a taxing application so they need not be expensive - ours is an 'own brand' from a Canadian retailer.

If you're looking into a replacement oven anyway, do have a look at the BlueStar stuff - although I'm mostly a stovetop cook, I love the oven on ours, and the broiler is ferocious. Just awesome. cheers Derek

A previous attempt at the saucissons sec from Charcuterie ended in tears, or at least in things gooey and furry and generally felt to be unhealthy. That was done using an old fridge with temperature control, fan assisted air circulation, a salt tray; everything I could think of. Encouraged by the discussions of green fur being washed off, this time round I started at the right time of year. The sausages were simply hung in the [cool but otherwise near ideal] conditions out in the unheated workshop about a month ago. They could, I think, have been called ready a week ago, had I been home to deal with them. In any case, here's the result. I'm happy. Stuffed into regular hog casings, the only deviation from the Ruhlman recipe was a rather heavy hand with the garlic. Not a disaster in these parts With vague notions of innoculation, after stuffing the casings were wiped down with a piece of white-molded rind from some brie we had to hand, but at no point was any sign found of the mold on the sausages. The dark flecks visible in the cut product are coarse black pepper.

I made haggis again last month. The lungs are readily available as part of 'the pluck' here over the border in PNW Canada. Protestations notwithstanding, the ones I've had have all been fine. Sometimes the windpipe is attached, sometimes removed. Time for some smuggling? I think perhaps they do lift the texture of the finished haggis a bit. As an ex-pat west-coast Scot, I find the idea of local sheep suffering from the damp a bit risible. Suffering from lousy farming, perhaps... Fergus Henderson's recipe in 'Nose to tail' gets pretty close to my recalled 'ideal haggis' [that being McSween's of Edinburgh, back in the day]. Oh, and I'm too lazy to seek and clean a paunch to stuff - I 'portion control' using regular hog casings and the sausage stuffer, something I can get away with since the haggis is a mundane food item rather than a special celebration thing for us. Remember, photos or it didn't happen. Great educational thread, thank you all. I'm wondering about Halal goat pluck now.

They seal pretty tightly. If memory serves the seal has three lips, but it may only be two. They fit inside the top section of the Cambro, not over the outer edge. When I get home I'll have to try filling a container with water and doing an inversion test. Perhaps not relevant for you, but in general I doubt this will work. As noted above, the grip lids fit down into the inside of the Camware pans. The maximum useful fill line becomes the pan shoulder, unless you're prepared to put up with a lot of 'squish-out' when you close them. Probably not very

What Peterm2 said [and I said in my reply to your PM, but perhaps you did not receive that?]: You like Watanabe knives, the ones you have are carbon clad and will discolour onions. You can buy a Watanabe blade with the carbon core with the edge retention &c you like, and a stainless cladding which will not discolour the food. Much less than the $500 figure you mention. Other than dissatisfaction with Las Vegas cutlers, where's the problem?

Interesting. If I use the wee Benriner mandoline to slice radishes or carrots [for example] I get the 'bowl' effect. It's very pronounced. The implication [it seemed to me] was that the circumference of the slice was smaller than the natural state of the interior surface area of the object being sliced, and at the time I attributed that to the outer surface being drier than the interior. That extra surface area has to go somewhere... I've never noticed that same degree of pronounced cupping on things coming off the blade of the meat slicer, but most of what I slice is too irregular in cross section for it to show up, perhaps.

Sorry Darienne. Yes, it's Loblaws, and they call the big ones in BC the Real Canadian Superstore. I think there's a caselot outfit called 'Great...." and I get the names confused, apparently.

Yes, KTC in the green cardboard outer. I've used it for years. Keeps at room temperature while it's still sealed in its interior plastic baggie, and would probably be fine for ever in the fridge. Obtainable at 'Great Canadian Superstore'. I've never seen it go off or even look questionable, even after being left open at room temps. It will dry out, though. I've not used it for making ice cream, although I suspect it would be fine. As a kitchen standby for sauces and the like I think it knocks canned milk into a cocked hat. Shave off what you need and chuck the rest of the block back into the fridge.

It so happens that I have a couple of Watanabe knives; one a blue and stainless santoku [hush, Virginia ] and the other a really hefty 10 inch gyuto he made for me as a special request - both kurouchi. The big carbon backed knife browns some vegetables really fast, pretty much on contact, and I think it's the probably the chemical reaction rather than oxidation from cell damage that you're seeing with the nakiri. I'd drop Shinichi a line; you could probably get what you want for nearer $300 than $500, I'd guess.

Concave as in curling away from the machine and remaining meat? You mean they're not meant to do that? Ours is one of the old iron monsters with a vertical blade, and the slices part company with the blade several inches above the catch tray. Gravity imparts a slight twist as the slice falls, and the slice is briefly concave along its length. Can you be more specific about the plane and axis of the concavity, Chris? Does it occur with all products, all thicknesses of slice?

If memory serves, there are a couple of bartender's jackets pictured in Hotel and Saloon Supplies, in addition to one or two images like the one on the cover, showing people at work.

Here in BC I had the same problem with the Maraschino drought. Turns out that Luxardo can be had by persuading a non-government liquor store to special order a 6 bottle case [minimum order]. I won't bore you with the tales of hassle involved, but it might be worth some digging. The stuff is wonderful, & not capable of substitution with anything else available here. I sold a few of the bottles to other local eGulleteers at cost, so that might be an option for you locally. Want to go halves on a case of rye?

In Brittany, where there's a fair amount of 'cidre' and history to go with it, I think you would only find the term applied to fermented juice, just as in the UK. cider c.1280, from O.Fr. sidre, var. of sisdre, from L.L. sicera, Vulgate rendition of Heb. shekhar, word used for any strong drink (translated in O.E. as beor). Meaning gradually narrowed to mean exclusively "fermented drink made from apples," though this sense was present in O.Fr. [Online Etymology Dictionary, Harper] Dougal's on the case, I think. 'Soft' and 'Hard' cider leaves an aftertaste of North American marketing in my mouth.

Maybe that's why it has to last six months?

Did you find this page with downloadable instructions?

I can't speak to those particular spatulas, but Trudeau products are sold by The Bay, if I recall correctly. I also often see them in HomeSense, at discount.I'm a Chef'n spoonula fan, myself.

This seems so basic that it must have been either discussed ad infinitum or else readily dismissed by explanation, but the search function and I have been unable to clear things up, so, with your indulgence; Why do so many cocktail receipts combine absolute measurements such as "a teaspoon" with ratio measurements like "one part X, two parts Y", or "1/3X, 1/3Y, 1/3Z". Some list things like "4 parts A, four parts B" - that looks very like 1:1, but strongly suggests to me that a 'part' conveyed a given absolute volume to the author. Although I'm an enthusiastic imbiber, it's my guess that those 'parts' are not jiggers or ponies. The Savoy does this. Harry's little red thumbtab book does it. Others on my shelves do it. In some cases I've arrived at 'house interpretations' but I'm left with the nagging feeling that I'm missing some vital piece of information. Is there some standard volume at which particular drinks were intended to balance? One to which ratio measures might sensibly be applied while making sense of the spoonscale additions? Where is this information to be found? Please discuss, or point me to the pre-existing resolution. slainte Derek

I'd just add that I try to use gravity to line 'em up - loosely grab a bundle in one hand and stand them on end on the chopping board, giving them a few shakes / bounces before laying them down and taking the ends off with a stroke of the knife. That's usually faster for me than lining them up with the back of the knife.

You want stainless lined copper. That's what Falk make, primarily. The Revere 'copper' pieces that I've handled were copper clad stainless. Basically a cosmetic application. The two aren't functionally comparable at all. There may be other Revere lines which use the metals in functionally appropriate ratios, but companies which do so usually are not slow to point it out