dougal
-
Posts
1,279 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by dougal
-
-
I'm considering buying a stand-alone induction burner.
Here's what I'm wondering: Can anyone recommend a make/model that (a) runs on standard US home electricity; and (b) is capable of bringing 15 gallons of liquid in a stockpot to a rolling boil (in a reasonable period of time)?
Most stand-alone portable units are small. With a base about 12 inches square.
15 (US) gallons of water weighs over 120 pounds.
This is going to have to be balanced on top of the little burner ... tricky!
And the most power from a standard US wall socket is 1800 watts, isn't it? That limitation of the heat input rate will be the limitation of how fast/slow such an arrangement would be. It would likely be delivering maximum power for a much longer continuous period than the manufacturer would ordinarily have planned for.
And then there's the stockpot itself.
Its base must be 'sticky' to a magnet. (Otherwise its invisible to all induction burners.)
All-alluminium ('aluminum') pans simply do not work with induction.
An iron, steel or (perhaps) stainless steel pan for 15 gallons is not itself going to be light either.
So the little burner has to be able to support perhaps 150 pounds ...
-
Hi everyone, first post here. I've worked in a few restaurants ......
Here in Phoenix, it's a violation of the health code to make or serve garlic oil, regardless of how it is handled.
...
... the restaurant which you are attempting to emulate would be promptly shut down if the health department in most US municipalities discovered them ...I hope that is clear enough.
-
Anyone know anything about "Paul Gayler's Sauce Book: 300 World Sauces Made Simple" ?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-Gaylers-Sauce.../dp/1856268004/
Author is exec chef at a very expensive London hotel, with seven other published titles, even if he wasn't on my radar!
I have just purchased this book from Amazon after a direct recommendation from Market Kitchen (a UK TV channel) via a social network so i will be able to give you more infor once it arrives but from flicking through it in a local bookstore it looks pretty good. ...
I found it for £4.99 at thebookpeople.co.uk and succumbed. (To other temptations as well ...) Their delivery is usually about a week. Patience!
-
Anyone know anything about "Paul Gayler's Sauce Book: 300 World Sauces Made Simple" ?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-Gaylers-Sauce.../dp/1856268004/
Author is exec chef at a very expensive London hotel, with seven other published titles, even if he wasn't on my radar!
-
Time and temperature are important.
And interdependent.
We all know that fridges don't preserve stuff for ever.
They just slow down the biological processes.
And they slow down c. botulinum too.
Yes, some strains can grow in some fridges. But massively more slowly than at room temperature, or (fastest of all), at 'warm food' temperature.
So basically, the cooler you keep it, the longer you can keep it.
But if 7 hours at room temperature is OK ("same day" use), and one week in the fridge is also OK, its important to understand that does NOT mean that 7 hours at room temperature followed by a week in the fridge is equally OK.
On those numbers, you'd be better to say: 'for every hour at room temperature, cut a day off its fridge life' - and don't forget to allow for the time after it comes out of the fridge!
Hence you get to the general advice that "a few hours at room temperature plus a few days in the fridge" is pretty safe.
There's no point in exploring how often you can dodge the bullets.
Even if nanny is worried about very rare risks - because of their serious consequences - and the official advice is so cautious that it keeps the risk probability down below other risks that we accept without a care, nanny really does know best.
So keep it in the fridge and make fresh at least each week - using a clean container, don't just refill it.
And of course, if stricter local ordinances apply to you - obey the law.
-
The main lesson here for kitchen people is REALLY simple.
Don't ever, EVER, EVER close any liquid Nitrogen container. Ever.
Simple enough?
Not ever.
Never.
The stronger your closed container is, then the more damage that will be caused by the eventual, inevitable, explosion when it bursts.
If you don't know that, then all other advice would be wasted. Except the advice that if you don't know that, then you should not have anything to do with the stuff ...
-
Just noticed that this has now (16 July) come to the notice of the UK Food Standards Agency.
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/jul/pinenut
The Agency has received several reports over the last few months of pine nuts that have caused a bitter taste for some people who have eaten them.This is not a food safety issue, but the Agency is trying to get more information about why this is happening.
The Agency has been in contact with the Poisons Centre in Belgium, which has researched this phenomenon. They investigated this issue in 2001 but have been unable to find a cause for the bitter taste that some people have experienced. Batches shown to cause the unusual taste and batches giving no effects were compared and no chemical differences could be found to which the bitter taste could definitely be attributed.
The bitter taste usually disappears after a few days but has been reported to last for as long as two weeks. As far as the Agency is aware, no adverse health effects have been associated with these symptoms.
The Agency will continue to monitor these reports. However, the current lack of information on why and how this effect occurs is limiting the scope for further investigation.
If you wish to contact us on this issue or have experienced this effect and would like your case recorded, please send details of the pine nuts you consumed and the length of time you experienced the bitter taste for to toxicology@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk.
-
Ummm.
I do think a month is a bit long without proper (canning temperature or acid) treatment.
Its a fairly small risk, but of a deadly serious consequence. Better not.
The official British advice for domestic kitchens is that while same day use is safest, nevertheless, its OK to hold it for a week in the refrigerator. For example --
My emphasis.Even though recipes for flavoured oils can be found in cookery books, magazines and websites, these might not have considered the risk of botulism. So if you would like to make your own flavoured oil, the safest option is to make a small quantity and use it on the day you have made it. If you have some oil left over, put it in the fridge straight away and use it within a week. Some oils can go cloudy or become solid in the fridge, but if this happens don't be tempted to leave it at room temperature, because this might not be safe.Original located at at http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfo...paring/#A279852
-
... the software only allows it to print on the formats or sizes of the magnetic molds that are included/for sale. And Renee is "not thrilled" with the software's user-friendliness.
...
This "software" seems to be a (Windows-only) graphics application.
Its main functions are
- image composition and
- image multi-copying and positioning to suit some particular mold arrangements.
There doesn't seem to be anything specific to the edible inks or to any particular printer (or model).
The printer seems to be driven through its standard printer driver.
Hence, regarding a previous question, you could use these inks on a printer attached to a Mac, just as long as you have a Mac printer driver for that particular printer model. (And I suppose you could even have a custom Colorsync profile made for the edible inks, if colour accuracy were to become more critical ... )
And, regarding the multi-copying and positioning facility - isn't that exactly what most label printing software does?
I can't see why one might not use whatever image creation/editing/combining software one might choose to create the design, and then a label printing program to set up one's page with multiple instances of the design at whatever spacing the mold required.
Doing a left/right mirror-image inversion (should that be required, as for transfer printing) is well within the capability of most graphics programs.
OK, some testing and tweaking would be needed to get it exactly right - but that could be done with paper and ordinary 'cheap' ink.
Or with a little more effort, any page layout program should allow you to place multiple designs at whatever step-and-repeat spacing one might require.
Naturally, it would be prudent to save one's final adjusted layout as a template to use with other graphic designs. And making the design a standardised (overall, outside) size is going to simplify that template re-use.
The only caveat would seem to be that molds that require some rows of the design to be upside down, are going to make these manual processes very much more complicated!
... And the Canon printer is supposed to be easier to clean if it does. Apparently the Epson cannot be cleaned and is just a loss....
In general, most Canon models have VERY easily removable (and replaceable, even if not actually cheap) printheads. The printhead and ink tanks unclip as a module and can be stored, in a specially well-sealed Canon-made box, at least as well-protected as being left in the printer.
In contrast Epson use printheads that, while arguably more sophisticated, are generally an integral part of the machine (and not normally possible for owners to remove for cleaning or replacement).
It should be possible to easily swap between a Canon printhead-and-edible-inks and another printhead with ordinary ink for ordinary printing. IIRC, you can get other special inks for other specialist jobs like custom T-shirt transfer printing.
You should not need to dedicate a Canon printer exclusively to edible ink.
-
...
It would appear to me that this guy had somehow put the LN2 under pressure or caused it to expand to a volume greater then his container could release the pressure. We can only guess as to what he was doing, but several reports I read indicated that he had taken the LN2 into the bathroom where the container "Blew up". I can only guess that the guy must have added a too warm liduid to the LN2 container to get that type of effect. ...
Maybe he just screwed on the top of his ordinary thermos flask, to close it up nice and tight and stop his magic toy leaking away ... ?
It would be quite easy to "explode" any normal container, just by closing it.
Every 56 grams of N2 would like to be 22.4 litres of gas at about room temperature. (Avogadro.)
Translating that into US units, each 2 oz would make about 6 US Gallons of gas. Potentially quite quickly ...
There was a US Administration official who said it badly, but regardless of everything else he may ever have said, he was actually exactly right that it is what you don't know that you don't know that is dangerous.
Ignorance is bliss. But usually not for long.
-
... I used the countertop method. Ostensibly with that method if you slip the knife goes into the counter or the towel. Most of the time it does, but if you slip just the right way it goes into your hand.
Ouch - glad both that its getting better and that you missed the important moving parts - but really there should be no way past the towel ...
... I fold the towel back over the oyster, grip the shell from above (through the towel) with my open palm and flick the rest of the towel back over my gripping hand. ...I'm definitely not quick with the things. I'm happy just to win in the end!
-
I thought the first 'deep stab wound' comment above had to have been made in jest, however, let me now hasten to wish you rapid healing.
But what happened? (Glove, etc?)
-
I had a good garlic crop this year and wanted to store some in oil in the fridge; I have done this in the past with no problem. I have read several warning lately about the danger of botulism using this method. I see minced garlic in oil in the grocery store and assume they use some type pf preservative. I am wondering if adding a pinch of pink salt may be a good idea. What do you guys think.
Commercially, its usually processed to 'canning' temperatures.
That sort of heat/time is required to make a sufficient dent in the number of spores, from which the bacteria re-grow.
The bugs die before 60C, the toxin decomposes around 75C, but it takes 120C to hit the spores.
There are lots of different varieties of c. botulinum, with their own particular susceptibilities.
The research paper I read sometime back concluded that garlic oil could be safely stored under refrigeration for at least a couple of weeks. The growth rate is severely reduced - though not stopped entirely.
The bacteria are found in the soil, the earth (US 'dirt'?).
Making sure that no trace whatsoever of soil or outer skin gets anywhere near your oil should go a long way to keeping that soil (and soil-contacted garlic), and hence the bacteria, out of your oil.
The impossibility of ensuring that a commercial operation treats garlic skin as toxic waste (which it isn't quite) probably accounts for blanket prohibitions.
IMHO, carefully rinsing (and then hygienically air-drying) the carefully peeled cloves before introducing them to cold oil (and storing in the fridge for less than two weeks) should give a product that is as safe as anything else you might do in your kitchen.
If one rinsed the peeled cloves in a pretty dilute solution of ('pink') curing salt, that should add another "hurdle", though not a conventional one.
-
...
Last-minute advice?
Search for that niche in the hinge!
Once the blade is in, relax and slide the knife to both sides to cut the muscle rather than trying to pry and force it apart.
Getting the blade in is the hard bit, and the more accurately you have the niche, the easier it goes in.
-
Sorry if I wasn't explicit - with a good towel/cloth, I'm not sure a chainmail glove would give additional protection. And I feel that it might give a less secure grip.I'm thinking if I use the countertop/towel method AND a protective glove I can avoid a trip to the emergency room, even if I shatter every oyster.The chainmail glove (linked above by djyee100) lists at $139.
If your hosts could return such a thing unused, for a refund, it'd be a nice present. Hence, I'd suggest going with the cloth only the first careful, tentative time.
Incidentally, in the illustration of the chainmail glove, the oyster knife has a smaller version of the knuckle guard that I was enthusing over. Even if that blade is WAY longer than needed to reach the centre of the top of an oyster shell ... (and thus IMHO adding unnecessary risk of injury).
There's relatively little risk of the oyster shattering (never done that myself, yet), but there's a pretty high probability of the knife point slipping out of the hinge niche (especially if the target isn't gripped for immobility) -- and its the sliding blade (with force behind it) that represents the danger to the holding hand. Similarly, its in slipping past the oyster that you can graze your knife-hand-knuckles.
Its not hard to physically demonstrate the technique in person - but its much harder to explain safe technique in typed words. Let alone very few words!
-
Does anyone use a thermometer to determine when churning ice cream is ready?
I'm trying to find a way to ensure consistency regardless of who churns the bases. ...
For consistency, I think you'd be better churning until you achieve your chosen amount of volume increase or "overrun".
-
... you can get a glove made for fishing that's "cut proof". Not as strong as chain mail, but it's made of some woven metal with - I think - silicone covering, and it's pretty cheap. Any good fishing store should have that. ...
I actually own a (gardening) glove that is made of Kevlar. Surprisingly inexpensive.
It protects against cutting injuries.
But the small print on the package made clear that it does not provide protection against "penetration".
'Cut-proof' does NOT mean 'Stab-proof' !!!
I'd want to check the detail before trusting anyone else's glove.
And actually, overall, I think it'd be safer not to use a glove.
Katie, it sound like you, chrisamirault and I prefer to push down into the oyster against the support of the counter-top and not towards your holding hand....I've never heard of using a glove. It sounds like it could be awkward. I usually have a stash of old barwipes or even old washcloths--something thick to wrap around the oyster, hold it against the counter and protect your hand. You do need to grip firmly with your non knife-wielding hand.
... Remember when you first try to insert the knife into the hinge the knife will be pointing down toward the counter--not toward your hand. ...
The gloves seem to be used by those who take the oyster in the palm of their hand ... which necessitates pushing directly towards your holding hand. You need a stab-proof (not a cut proof) glove for that. For example -
I firmly agree with nickrey that this is NO WAY to start.I shuck oysters with a glove and an oyster knife. I fit the oyster comfortably in my left hand: rounded side of the shell against my palm, flat side of the shell on top, the hinge of the shell close to my wrist. The oyster shape mimics the hand, if you think about it. I dig in with the knife at the hinge. ...Probably the worst thing for a beginner to do is to attempt to open the oyster in your hand. This is where the majority of the stab wounds occur and the best way to lose the liquor. Open each with the oyster on a cloth on the bench....
MUCH the safest, as nickrey says, is to start with a cloth/towel, pushing the knife under and away from your holding hand.
And then to push with the shoulder/trunk muscles (stiff arms) rather than to make the push with the arm -- its all about making a short and safely constrained and directed motion. And so not stabbing yourself.
-
...
It's not a huge party. Maybe 10 people. ... I'll just go into the kitchen and shuck a few dozen oysters. ...
Especially since you may find that (initially) oyster shucking not a rapid process, I'd suggest that you request two large platters and plenty crushed ice to cover them.
While you are loading one platter, the other can be being emptied. (These processes are unlikely to take the same amount of time.)
Shiny metal trays look great adorned only with oysters and ice. Even if they do suffer from condensation and melt the ice faster. Otherwise, you might be thinking of a little adornment, at the very least some carved up lemon.
BTW, salting the ice will keep it colder, longer.
Since the hosts aren't familiar with opening them, its maybe worth ensuring that they are familiar with storing the things - even for a few hours. Coldest part of the fridge is essential. Damp is good (like wrapped in some wet newspaper). And depending on the climate, length of shopping trip, etc, an insulated cool box is no bad thing for the journey home.
Are the hosts sure to provide enough appropriate accompaniments? Personally, I think lemon is all that's needed (so at least half a dozen for 10 people + garnish), however Tabasco is a common request, and there are other preferences (sherry vinegar, finely chopped shallot ... ) {Wasn't there a thread on that specific topic somewhere here?}
If there are any present who are reluctant to participate, you might persuade them to try one gratinéed before moving on to raw. (Unless they are abstaining as a result of previous poisoning - it can take years to get the sensitivity out of one's system.)
If you are using an 'unguarded' knife, you may care to try holding the knife handle through (yet another) towel. This will guard your thumb and knuckles against grazing them on the shell. (Lemon juice on grazed skin detracts greatly from the pleasure of oysters ... )
-
Yes, rock salt provides a nice base, but its better IMHO for cooking (like under a grill with a teaspoon of cream and a pinch of ground parmesan in each oyster) than for party presentation.
One can prepare the dish/platter with the oysters closed, displaying the things safe on/in their ice, until the time comes for opening.
-
The knife is key.
Quite literally.
But an inappropriate knife is very dangerous.
My oyster knife was very cheap (in France). It works very safely for oysters, but has no other uses. (Though it might be good for opening paint tins.)
It has an arrowhead blade. Symmetrical. Two edges, not terribly sharp. Just less than an inch at its widest and an inch and three quarters long.
The (symmetrical, wooden) handle is short enough to allow me to push with my palm on the end of the handle - to drive the blade in at the hinge.
But its most glorious feature is the finger shield at the top of the blade. This is a miniature version of what you might expect to see on a sword. Its curved, and asymmetric, with a belly on one side that protects the fingers from hard, skidding contact with the sharp and serrated edge of the shell. I can push pretty hard and be quite sure there is no risk of skinning my knuckles against the shell.
I'm not an expert, but I can open oysters. Undramatically.
For my quantity, a chainmail glove would be very expensive -- AND I'm not sure it would give me a secure grip.
What does work for me is a towel, like a strong cotton dishtowel -- so thin enough to use folded over, but not super thin.
Damping the towel helps the grip, but it'll get damp anyway. And it'll get messy. So not a job for your best towel.
My non-expert method works quite well for non-experts !
I set the oyster on the towel, flat side up, hinge toward me, on the kitchen worktop (very stable and around waist height).
Then I fold the towel back over the oyster, grip the shell from above (through the towel) with my open palm and flick the rest of the towel back over my gripping hand.
The oyster is sitting snugly in a pocket formed by the towel, and my gripping hand is above the oyster. {ADDED} Only the hinge part of the oyster shell is visible.
Then I locate the hinge point with the point of my blade, work it in until it nestles correctly, and then, pressing down with my palm and gripping to stabilise the oyster, drive the knife in at an angle, downwards - against the worktop and friction.
Bear in mind that you're aiming for a motion of only an inch or less. Its just a jab - and I think I do it more with a motion of my back muscles, than an arm movement. An arm motion would (if it slipped) be a long motion -- 'bringing my weight over it' is a much better constrained application of force.
Once the blade goes in, relax, adjust the towel and your grip, and slide the knife around to both sides as described above.
The big thing is that I'm NOT driving the knife directly towards my gripping hand; the knife dimensions, the folds of the towel and that brilliant fingerguard make as sure as possible that I'm not going to do any damage to myself.
Not the most elegant method, but it works and since adopting it, I've had no dramas at all.
Last point - have your dish of crushed ice prepared before you start opening. You want something to nestle the open shells into, to keep those uneven objects level, retaining their juice.
-
... Isn't there a cuisine (Vietnamese or Burmese or something) that does this? ...
Well, its supposedly the Gypsy way of cooking hedgehogs (the spines coming away with the fired clay).
Does it work? (And many other questions.)
I don't know. But it should open another line of inquiry for you!
-
... Think I can eat this stuff without worrying about botulism?
Yes!
Botulism doesn't like acid (as from the rhubarb). Making pectin set your jams and jellies needs a bit of acid - frequently from added lemon juice.
But in the normal run of things, its actually shortage of oxygen (air) - not its entry - that encourages botulism.
-
... I meant to write that I am not opposed to skimming.
I'm just curious what purpose it serves. Its mainly an appearance thing - presenting an attractive surface on opening the jar.
There's nothing whatsoever 'wrong' with the skimmings. They are usually "cook's perks". Tasty and harmless (once cool!)
But from the preservation standpoint, I think its better to have a properly smooth top surface so that your wax or (especially) waxed paper can sit tight to the surface (and exclude air beneath it). Froth doesn't help you to close the surface, so if the froth is left in place the jam might not store as well or as long.
-
The mechanics of the cooking method must have an influence on people's preferences.
If you cook with the burger fully supported on a hot, more-or-less flat, surface, you need much less mechanical strength in the patty than if you cook with the patty supported on bars or a grid, to expose it over flames or charcoal - and where any crumbliness could be disastrous!
Apart from the binding strength requirements, different cooking methods are going to give different fat loss by rendering and drainage, and a different char.
Hence, I think that the recipe (notably the cuts of meat, fat content, binding with or without added binders, amount of mixing and so on) cannot be discussed in isolation from the way the thing is going to be cooked.
Two ideas that I like:
- using Marmite instead of salt (I suppose Vegemite could substitute)
- when mixing for a sausage-like bind (if you need to hold it together well), using a splash of Guinness as the added liquid.
Both give extra savour and a not-too-overt enhancement.
Does anyone else occasionally sandwich two half-thickness patties together around a coin of herb (or garlic) butter?
And what about cooking (thicker?) hamburgers in the oven?
Ice Cream makers for the UK Home Kitchen
in United Kingdom & Ireland: Cooking & Baking
Posted
I have a Gaggia, bought used, having been chosen mainly on the machine's reputation. I'd even come across someone developing recipes on a Gaggia before larger scale commercial production.
I think its great, if a little mechanically noisy!
The instructions were ... ummm ... done by the same people that do other Gaggia manuals! Not, I suspect, native speakers of English. More strangely, IIRC, there were different recipes in the sections in different languages ... Dunno where the manual is hiding now. Not much to it, other than a measure of cheapest vodka between the fixed and removable bowls - and the use of the correct dasher for each bowl. OK, and the delicacy of the finish on the bowls - don't use metal implements!
You can get refurb machines direct from Gaggia, at a serious discount to new prices (its £195 today).
Their website www.gaggia.co.uk uses frames (so a direct link doesn't get the full picture) ... click 'Reconditioned' near the top, and then 'Ice Cream Maker' in the new window.