dougal
-
Posts
1,279 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by dougal
-
-
Hey everyone,
This is my first post.
... The key question is: how to get started?
... high expense doesn't work for me and electrical/engineering know-how is not in my wheelhouse ... I'm looking for a more condensed look at ways to cook sous vide-style ... in a more uncomplicated, cheaper fashion.
As for what I'll be cooking: lots of vegetables, eggs, and the like, but very little meat. From what I've read, that seems to mean I don't have to worry about long cooking times (12+ hours, etc.).
...
Welcome.
To make things simpler to use, you pay more, not less!
The less you are prepared to pay, the more you have to know & do for yourself, and the less neat appearance you will have to put up with.
You COULD cook veg in ordinary ziplock bags, in a picnic coolbox who's temperature was controlled by yourself armed with a stirring spoon and thermometer, plus supplies of near-boiling and tap water.
You would be looking to hold about 180 F (82C) ± 10F/5C for about 45 minutes.
If you want to try it on the stove-top, then as PedroG indicates, use the biggest pot you have, well-filled and frequently stirred (so it changes temperature as slowly and as evenly as possible).
However, using yourself as the 'smarts' of the temperature control is pretty boring and nowhere near as accurate as automating it.
And for EGGS, you will need accurate temperature control. Probably rather better than ±2F/1C.
If you can't build an automated controller, you'd have to buy one.
Its VERY rare to find cheap, used, cooking sv controllers.
There's a different thread specifically considering the use of ex-laboratory circulators.
Because this equipment holds its value well when sold as used, you wouldn't be risking much by buying something with a view to selling it on if it wasn't proving useful.
The cheapest new ready-made controller (because you need to supply a totally dumb electrically heated water pot) is probably the SousVideMagic *Link* which is currently US$160 inc shipping (US, Europe and Asia) - and the current model works on both 110 and 240v (European) mains electricity.
-
Not really for 'calibration', more for sanity checking against a validated instrument ...
Superfast Thermapen made by ETI http://thermometer.co.uk/2-thermapen-thermometers.html
UK price ~£50
Resolution 0.1C
Accuracy ±0.4C (from -50 to +200C)
Calibrated against traceable standards.
Certificated calibration error for this thermometer when calibrated: 0.0C at 0C and 100C (but that was almost a year ago)
When I get a big chunk of time for idle play, I might try cooking some eggs at different (indicated) temperatures as a specific test to see how things go.
An ovulation thermometer would provide an additional reference.
Meanwhile, I can factor in that the Thermapen could possibly be half a degree C in error.
My strong suspicion is that most cooking people (even most sv cooking people) would think that because the display says 131F or 54.6C, the bath must be exactly at the indicated temperature ... "Are you trying to tell me its faulty?"
The public's expectation is that the underlying accuracy is better than the precision displayed.
But that ain't necessarily so ...
-
Pardon my ignorance but what illicit activities do people engage in with citric acid?
Hmm, have never had this before. It can be bought very easily in large quantities from Indian and Middle Eastern grocery stores in my area - and it's on display.
Its not just me ...
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/12841-citric-acid-for-steriliser
I've just got some from boots. but I had to order it. the pharmacist, who I know which is why she ordered it for me, said that it is no longer much supplied to ordinary punters, because it is commonly used to cut drugs before you inject them!!!!!!!so those of us with more mundane lives who just want to descale the steriliser have to convince chemists that we aren't addicts....
funny old world
And, amazing as it might be (or not), AmazonUK merchants are selling Malic and Tartaric which I've never seen locally.
-
UK sourcing note - when you try to buy some Citric Acid, you will have to convince the shop you aren't a drug dealer. Its never on display.
Sainsbury's pharmacy counters might (or might not) have stopped carrying it. But Wilkinsons (taking up the Homebrew torch dropped by Boots) do have it (usually) - but you'll probably have to get it from the help desk.
If you find a convenient source for Malic and Tartaric, it'd be good to share the info!
-
... Quoting from {Goussault's} blog: "A suggested stepwise cooling protocol for fish could be as follows: 10 min at room temperature, 10 min in cold water followed by 2 h in ice water." ......
It isn't clear that this would actually significantly slow down the total cooling time dramatically enough to affect safety. In fact, if -- like me -- your ice water bath is not huge -- you may actually get faster cooling by having the bag fresh out of the bath going into a sink full of cold water for 10 minutes or so before putting it into the ice bath. ...
Edward, I fully agree that if one's ice supply is inadequate, a few minutes initially under a running cold tap will help you get more cooling mileage out of however much ice you can follow it with. As would putting your whole icebath into the fridge.
However, what we have here is an sv celebrity positively advising 10 minutes counter time before even going for the tapwater -- for what seems like an illusory benefit.
The increased time in the 'danger zone' (just below pasteurising temperature) has to be paid for in reduced shelf-life.
I don't know (and am asking) how much reduction this might be.
My suspicion (or maybe ill-informed guess) is that 10 minutes at +40C might take days (more than 24 hours) off the +4C fridge-storage-life.
Can anyone put some justifiable numbers on this please?
-
... a sous vide masterclass conducted by Bruno Goussault.
One of the things that Goussault said was that when using cook-chill, you should use a step chilling process rather than plunging the hot cooked food into an ice bath (as is the recommended practice here). He proposed that this allows "readsorption of a portion of the exudated juices." Quoting from the blog: "A suggested stepwise cooling protocol for fish could be as follows: 10 min at room temperature, 10 min in cold water followed by 2 h in ice water."
Any comments on the merit of this? Is some of the liquid readsorbed as Goussault proposes? If so, does the process have an impact on food hygiene? In other words, does it work and is it safe?
The step cooling method isn't unsafe and certainly makes sense in an industrial setting, where you're cooling a huge amount of food and the multistage step will save you quite a bit of electricity.
Does it make a noticeable difference? I don't think it does. The experiments I did several years ago found a small but statistically insignificant difference in the amount of liquid lost during cooking. I'd of course be interested in hearing the results of any experiments that you might do.
This was discussed in July/August 2008.
NathanM replied that there was "NO point to multi-stage cooling" (his emphasis). "If you are going to store the SV product after cooking, then you should cool it to storage temp (very cold - ideally just above freezing) as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to either immerse in ice water, or use a blast freezer ..."
JohnV suggested that it might be a means of allowing central-core cooking (like overshoot during "resting") when doing non-equilibrium (overheat-bath) sv cooking - like Keller's salmon for 13 minutes at 61C. A fix for a self-created problem. Which seems to me like a fair rationalisation of an apparently irrational action!
Douglas's post was http://egullet.org/p1591766
Douglas is now indicating that the principal benefit would be cost saving from reduced ice consumption.
But Goussault is still claiming a product quality improvement, for which, AFAIK, no mechanism has ever been proposed to explain why such a result might occur.
If there actually is any measurable result, it does not seem to be very significant.
Is it supposed to happen in meat as well as fish?
Although Douglas declares this slow cooling "isn't unsafe", the fact must remain that the slower the cooling before storage, the shorter the safe storage life becomes.
But how much shorter, I can only guess.
Quenching the hot food with the coldest medium to hand will get it down to 'safe' temperatures fastest - and that would be 'best' for food safety, and storage life.
It shouldn't matter too much if you are going to serve the food within a very few hours. But it matters much more if you are batch cooking, with a view to storage until demanded.
IIRC, the rate of heat flow increases greatly with increasing temperature difference - isn't it roughly proportional not to the square or cube of the temperature difference, but to its 4th power?
Double the temperature difference to the cooling bath, and heat would be sucked out 16 times faster ... half the temperature difference and the heat comes out 16x more slowly!
Sitting in room temperature air (not even room temperature water) for ten minutes sounds to me much more like temperature equalising than cooling.
Since Goussault's 'canard' has reappeared, could I ask Douglas and/or Nathan to run their computer models again to look at the specifics of Goussault's suggested cooling cycle, versus a 'large' iced water bath, for cooling a half inch thick piece of fish (say Pacific Salmon, where C. bot is a concern) down from a uniform 50C (or their choice) down to an average of 4C (domestic refrigerator expectation).
How much longer does it take to chill?
What change does this make to spoilage and toxic microbiology?
And just how much impact would that have on refrigerator, bag-still-sealed storage life?
-
... However, I've had a bit of trouble finding a food-safe temperature probe at a reasonable price. Can anyone make a recommendation?
The probe shouldn't need to be food safe - being outside the bag.
But, it either needs to be immersible or you need to keep the appropriate bits completely dry in some way.
I have an Auber probe http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=46
HowardLi used a non-immersible type, floated on cork - but I'm not sure about either long-term durability or how he keeps condensation out ...
-
Recently I cooked some beef short ribs sous vide, 131.5F for about 2-1/2 days. ... then using the juice to make an intense broth...
When I tasted the broth it had a good flavor... but there was also a hint (both taste and smell) of plastic. I use what I believe to be quality vacuum bags recommended for my Pro-2300 sealer. I seem to recall that this happened one other time when I cooked something for an extended period of time. ...
1/ The bags might be recommended for use with that sealer (appropriate thickness, getting a good seal, good evacuation, etc), but that doesn't automatically mean that they are good for cooking.
However sv temperatures are so low, that I would be astonished if you really were encountering problems with plastic.
2/ Happening only when cooking "for an extended period". This suggests to me that you might be mis characterising the smell/taste as "plastic" when it is actually what other people have called "funky" or even "lactic". Its hard to describe, even after you've tasted it! I got it for the first time recently. It comes AFAIK from spoilage bacteria, not plastic.
I know that I got it from using some meat that had been in my fridge for a few days, and was then cooked sv for a couple of days, without pre-searing. I think I understand where the problem arose.
"Textured" ("foodsaver-style') vac-pac bags should be made of multiple layers of plastic - each layer performing a different function. One layer acts as a barrier to oxygen diffusion, others may have to do with penetration resistance, etc.I am not familiar with your type of vacuum bags, however, I am familiar with the Ziploc freezer bags that have that honeycomb layer inside of them. ... I microwaved one and the inner layer melted before the outer layer was even distressed. Could this be the problem?
The inside layer seems to usually be polythene (polyethylene), whose function is to melt (at around 100C) and resolidify to make the seal. Only that inside layer should melt in the sealer!
When cooking sv, you shouldn't have a problem with the seal/inside layer melting - because you aren't going hot enough.
But the seal will let go if you try to do real "boil in the bag" stuff ...
And regarding microwave heating, sugars, some oils and even some plastics can get very much hotter than the boiling point of water ... Microwaving is a much tougher 'food-safety' challenge for a plastic bag than sv cooking - even for a couple of days.
-
... I recently upgraded the pump to an external centrifugal pump with the ability to withstand up to 105C. The original pump didn't like 83.9C! ...
... The little centrifugal pump I am using circulates 110 GPH and uses less than 2 amps @ 12v DC. ...
One reason for the choice of aquarium bubblers to drive circulation has been the difficulty of finding a small (hopefully cheap) and easily available pump that will reliably withstand cooking temperatures.
Paul, could you document the pumps that worked (and didn't) for you, please?
A low voltage (rather than mains voltage) water pump makes a great deal of sense from the safety angle, and adjusting/controlling the speed of a DC pump motor is simply a matter of giving it a lower voltage, simply achieved by using a different power brick.
A bubbler does demand at minimum, (its advisable anyway) a decently fitting lid to prevent excessive evaporation. PedroG has posted on the subject in the past, and if I recall correctly, favoured covering the waterbath surface with things rather like table-tennis balls.
-
...
I'm looking to achieve that soft texture and slightly sweet and sour flavour of Eastern European marinated herring, rather than really quite full-on German roll mop.
Anyone has a good recipe, please (I'm running a Brunch Club on Baltic food next week)?
I posted Jane Grigson's recipe on the other thread http://egullet.org/p1820709
Its quite similar to what you have done ...
... BUT she wants the spices to be infused into hot vinegar, and wants some chilli, and rather a lot of bay leaf, in there as well.So far I have done the following (basically a roll mop recipe):Put filleted herrings into cold water with salt for about 3-5 hours
Then made a marinade of vinegar (a lot - about 500 ml for about 12 fillets), with pepper corns, allspice, bayleaf, sugar
Put all the herrings into the marinade for some 3 days
Also, choose your vinegar! Malt or pickling vinegar will give a very 'vinegary' result. Wine, cider or even sherry vinegar will give a different flavour.
And if you want it sweeter, add some sugar - brown sugar, honey, maple syrup? -- its your fish, your cure.
Result: texture is lovely, but the flavour is really rather vinegary. I'm now trying to re-balance the taste by storing it in oil.Also, any idea how to preserve the herring for another 2 weeks?
Not too sure about the oil idea...
Just leave the fish, completely submerged in the spiced vinegar, in the fridge. It should be adequately 'preserved' - don't forget that this was a traditional method of preservation. It would make sense to cover the dish/jar. One of those snap-lock-lid boxes should be a good choice. They used to use barrels, and no refrigeration - so you ought to be OK ! Just be sure to keep the fish submerged - especially if you pull out the occasional fillet/roll for 'sampling' purposes.
If you want less 'pickled' flavour, you might just soak the fillets in some (salty?) water
-
Long term store 'dry' in salt, in a closed jar, in the fridge.
But a couple of weeks isn't long term.
Brine % means different things to different people - beware!
To some it means % salt by weight in the brine, so saturated is about 30% at room temp.
To others it means the % of saturation ...
Tip/Hint before the first time -- buy a kitchen sink plughole strainer (normally used to prevent potato peelings etc from going down the drain). Its VERY useful when you are rinsing and flushing out your casings before use!
ADDED - a couple of hours soaking, followed by a few minutes of rinsing/flushing/playing, is fine for salt-stored casings. Overnight is maybe a bit much.
-
Howard, a couple of questions regarding this picture -
Its kinda hard to see, but is your meat completely submerged? (Seems like you aren't using any ballast.)
And how much temperature difference are you measuring with the bath like that?
Being congested, with the heater and control probe separated by quite a long, relatively shallow (and congested) space, I'd be expecting there to be an easily measurable difference between the vicinity of the heater and the probe.
Its in exactly such a situation that actively boosting the circulation, with either a pump or bubbler, should show the greatest benefit.
Something that I do habitually is to occasionally give my bath a vigorous manual stir (for vertical as well as horizontal mixing) with a big spoon (to mix and thus average out the bath temperature) and watch to see how much this average temperature differs from the pre-stir indicated temperature. (Remember that my probe is in a standardised position within the tank.)
Because (apart from shortly after adding 'cold' bags to the tank) the "stirring variation" rarely shows as more that 0.1C, I decided not to bother with forced circulation. But, even though its a big 'deep' tank, I do make a point of stirring the tank a few times during the first half hour after adding new bags, or when cooking fish (a 'quick' process).
-
How important is it that the entire bag is submerged? ...
It is IMPORTANT that the entire payload is submerged.
You are cooking IN water, to control the temperature. But OUT of the water, you simply don't have control.
Of course, it doesn't matter at all if any plastic 'above' the seal protrudes from the water.
My thinking is that everything below the seal needs to be assured food safe (so pasteurised for long cooking), and with fluid in the bag, I don't see how you can be absolutely confident of food safety in long cooking with any of the sealed space being out of the water.
And what nickrey said about permitting good water circulation all round each of your bags.
One nice aspect of sv is that you can interrupt the cooking, without necessary detriment.
So, I think you should immediately ice-water chill half your bags, and store them in the fridge as batch 2, while you finish cooking (and properly pasteurising) batch 1.
When batch 1 is cooked, chilled and stored away, batch 2 can have use of the bath to complete its cooking.
If you want to serve all the stuff as a single meal, it should then just be a matter of reheating both batches to serving temperature - which should not involve any question of pasteurisation and such - simply getting it to plating temperature anyhow you care to!
-
Could anyone post a recipe here or at least directions for pickling herring?
There are so many variations on a theme!
Alan Davidson talks about "at least 150" named varieties, but in North Atlantic Seafood he wimps out and gives just three!
Jane Grigson's (Fish Cookery, Penguin, 1985 reprint edition) suggestion for Rollmops, as referred to upthread, is here transmuted by me --
Make a (cold) brine with 2oz of salt and a pint of water.
Remove head and tail from 6 fresh herrings, and debone and clean them. Rollmops might be expected by Mrs G to be made with the whole (twin fillet) fish, but in my experience, rolling a single-side fillet is common - and easier! ("Bismark" style is single fillets, cured flat, not rolled.)
Put the fish (not rolled yet) in the brine for two or three hours - somewhere cool, like the fridge.
Meanwhile, make and cool a marinade by very briefly bringing to the boil one pint of (wine or cider) vinegar with some aromatics. She suggests 1 tablespoon of pickling spices (including some dried chilli), plus 3 bay leaves and some peppercorns (a teaspoonful?). (The ingredients for Schwartz's off-the-shelf pickling spice mix are: Coriander Seed (40%), Yellow Mustard Seed, Dried Chillies, Allspice, Ginger, Black Peppercorns (5%), Bay Leaves (4%).)
Let the brew cool completely, before draining and drying the fish.
You are going to roll the fillets around a core of thinly sliced onion and some pickled cucumber/gherkin/cornichon.
So, slice a big onion and select/trim enough appropriate bits of cucumber.
After you've rolled them up, you might want to secure them with a half (for space, not economy) of a cocktail stick.
Now find a non-metallic dish or jar, of an appropriate size to hold those rolls snugly.
Pack them in and cover/submerge them with the marinade, bits included.
Then just leave them in the fridge (dish covered, and fish submerged) for "at least four days".
Before service, she suggests draining and adding fresh sliced onion and chopped parsley, plus optional soured cream. Rye bread or pumpernickel, plus butter, to accompany.
You can riff on this as you choose.
You could vary the brining to adjust the saltiness.
You could sweeten the marinade with sugar or sherry or whatever. Maybe even use wine, cider or a court bouillon, wholly or entirely, instead of vinegar.
Dill, juniper, cloves, coloured peppercorns and allspice are some of the things you might consider adding to the marinade.
There are recipes that start with fried herring (Bratheringe), and others that involve poaching the fish in the marinade ('soused' herrings).
Its all a matter of variations on your theme!
Hope that helps.
Do report back on what you try!
-
1
-
-
Regarding corrosion:
Anytime you have an alternating magnetic field near a conductive material, electric current will be generated.
If you have a 1,000 watt heater in the bath, a lot of electric current could be circulating in the metal components. This can set up an electro plating situation and metals can be corroded.
Just a theory.
Whatever it is that you are smoking, its not good for you.
Read this instead - (from the British Stainless Steel Asssociation) - http://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=89
No need for new theories.
Aluminium in contact with a 'large' area of stainless steel, and a conductive liquid, will result in the Aluminium corroding.
A large area of 'cathode' relative to 'anode' will accelerate the anodic corrosion. Although aluminium is anodic to stainless steel, large relative surface areas of aluminium to stainless steel can be acceptable, dependant on local conditions.Stainless steel fasteners in aluminium plates or sheets are normally considered safe, whereas aluminium rivets or bolts holding stainless steel parts together is an unwise combination, as there is a practical risk of corrosion.
-
Howard, it looks good.
Some points though.
The enclosure. Its a difficult choice. And constrained by availibilty! There's no need for a weatherproof box, if you are using indoor-type power connection sockets. Also a well waterproofed box has no ventilation for the heat sink! A plastic box is easier for cutting the various holes, but a metal box (earthed of course) can better conduct away the heat from the heat sink.
I wanted to adopt the same simplifying approach of attaching everything to the box lid, but given the size of UK power outlets and plugs, that wasn't possible for me. I couldn't find a small box with a big enough lid!
I chose to put the power distribution and SSR in a different box to the controller, thinking I might use it on other projects. At $10 delivered (eBay) for the SSR, the simplicity of putting everything in one box and minimising flying-lead clutter is something I'd now strongly recommend. The heat from the SSR being less than I'd feared also supports the all-in-one approach.
The weight and tension of mains electrical leads are significant in the stability of the box(es), so choosing the best place for all external mains cable connectors is the first layout consideration.
My power box has a non-controlled (manually switched) outlet used for the controller box, but also catering for a constantly running pump or fan. Without it everything could have been smaller! The power box also has an isolation switch with a power-indicating neon. Again, I'm not sure I'd bother in future. With an all-in-one-enclosure design, the PID display shows its on!
My power box has its control input in association with the controlled output. It shows which outlet is which. With an all-in-one, I'd similarly choose to have the probe input signposting the controlled power outlet.
The other design consideration is keeping all the external cables away from the PID and its control buttons.
The SSR. I have the 25 amp version of your SSR, on a large (antique Mac 71/8100?) cpu heatsink (which barely gets at all warm), stood-off from the walls but within a vented plastic box. On UK 240v mains, my 1800 watt heater pulls less than 8 amps. So my SSR is rated at over 3x my highest current. Is there any advantage to using an even higher rated SSR (40 amp would be 5x standard load) - like less heat for the same current?
Worth noting is that as a 'zero-crossing-switching' SSR, it produces no mains or radio interference from switching. But it does 'quantise' the power control. On a 50Hz mains, with a 2 sec PID cycle, the SSR restricts the output to 200 steps - adequate resolution, I think.
Your probe (and its float). Could you give some more detail? I'm using a (not really cheap) "fully immersible" Pt100 from Auber, which I have mounted to the rack in the bottom of my tank. I have been thinking that having the probe mounted in a consistent position was important to the measurement being a consistent indication of the tank temperature - surely if it can float about in the tank, it might sometimes be measuring near the centre and sometimes near the edge (which would be cooler)?
The probe connections. For a Pt100 ptobe, its nice that we can easily have a connector giving us a break-point -- for a K-type (for example) you need to take account of the connector. Noting your smoker intent, I've seen an Auber gas temp K-type probe but not a Pt100 gas probe. Any ideas there? (I've been wondering about a homebrew hot air chocolate tempering control...)
Any comments about your choice of PID?
I have an N2006P via eBay. One thing it lacks is a manual over-ride, but one (undocumented) feature that it has is the ability to display the output power demand. Stable at 56C, my tank needs about 8% heater on-time.
The N2006P auto-tune isn't perfect, but its good enough (I generally reduce twitchiness by reducing the D term).
Especially if you are going to use different containers and heaters, auto-tune should be a must-have feature when choosing your PID. (The P I & D factors need to be set differently for each combination of tank and heater - even changing the water level in the tank changes the response and needs a different tuning.)
My PID has two 'alarm' outputs, which I don't use.
I do have a completely independent thermal safety cutout, in the form of the mechanical thermostat on my tank. I don't turn it all the way to maximum - instead I set it above my working temp, but below boiling, so that if my homebrew control kit 'failed on', the mechanical thermostat would prevent boiling, and particularly any possibility of 'boiled dry' dramas.
And Howard, your workmanship is much neater than mine!
-
I already confirmed that the marks are corrosion rather than mineral deposits, as did the other owner I mentioned. If you examine it closely it is obvious the surface is corroded and there is material missing. In some parts on the bottom it's very easy to spot because the edge of the metal is thinned.
That is corrosion.
Its unsightly but should be harmless.
Simplest way to stop it would be to (electrically) insulate between the different metals.
Its caused by different metals being in electrical contact with each other, while immersed in a conductive fluid. Even de-mineralised water is going to be somewhat conductive ...
So, break the electrical contact with insulation.
As regards insulation, I'd suggest you cut up a silicone baking mould (or maybe ice cube tray).
Baking silicone should be food-safe-and-stable at any expected temperature.
You want the smallest disruption to convection currents in the water, so only insulate points of contact between dissimilar metals.
Paint or varnish could do the job. And, with the food well sealed in bags that are dried off before opening, ought not to cause any hazard.
The expectation has to be that electrical insulation between the heat spreader and the heated bottom of the tank won't interfere "much" with the aluminium's function of diffusing the heat evenly across the bottom of the bath.
But it does look like a really, really basic product design error ...
Apart from changing the material's spec, or insulating between the different metals, or providing a "sacrificial anode" (like zinc to take the hit), the only mitigation advice would be to empty the thing between uses, and store the metal internals DRY.
-
Dougal,
Help me out. I don't understand what this "subtly incompatible capsule" is. Could you please explain?
Hey, its new to me - BUT - when I went looking I found
http://www.nespresso.com/pro/uk/en/professional-coffee-range
and it looks to me as though the 'pro' capsules have a domed, not flat, base (the outflow side).
see also http://www.nespresso.com/pro/uk/en/professional-accessories-range/capsules-dispensers
Which I'd bet would make the pro capsules not fit into domestic machines.
Which would make a great deal of sense where pilferage could possibly be a problem!
I had come across references in eBay auctions to "ensure that these capsules will be compatible with your machine" and not appreciated what was being referred to.
-
Just a note on restaurants using these machines: they use a variant called the Nespresso professional, which uses different pods and has a different build to the domestic machines.
Thanks for opening my eyes to the 'Pro' side.
Looks like they intended it not least for use in offices (quite apart from restaurants) and recognised that a subtly incompatible capsule would reduce 'stock shrinkage' considerably.
Also interesting (and seemingly understandable) that they would offer a very stripped-down range of capsules in the Pro format (and naturally, larger packs of pods!)
I'd be interested to hear and learn more about "a well made espresso machine variant".
-
Odd that there should be just the one thread, with just that one post.
I'm a recent convert, and would echo cdh's judgement of "pretty good coffee system made by a giant corporation".
Really my only complaint is that Nestlé/Nespresso are determined to position the brand/range/system as being high-end-or-nothing.
The machines aren't cheap, but I found a nice one (an old Magimix M250, with programmable shot sizes) on eBay.
Capsules aren't outrageously expensive - considering that they work VERY well - and there is a distinct difference between the different blends on offer. I have my preferences, but I haven't yet found a variety that I dislike. But unless you live near a very few (3 in the whole country?), very chic shops, they must be delivered - and the delivery options don't have an economic option for the patient!
But, hey, they think I must want to buy 'designer' nespresso-branded merchandise at absurd prices. Not just cups and saucers, but 'capsule display systems' (really). Honestly, I don't.
But I would like a cheap rack to conveniently hold a few capsules ready for use. I have just one option under $20 (and its definitely not available through Nespresso!)
Maybe Nespresso has some ex-Apple marketing people!
The capsules are actually made of thin aluminium.
I'd like to recycle the aluminium, and compost the coffee grounds, rather than just send them to landfill.
Its messy, and not very effective, but you can cut the capsule open with scissors.
There's a neat hand-tool on offer for this job. Its £20 (US $35). So, how many years would I have to use it to salvage $35-worth of Aluminium and compost? Its not a complex tool, but its for the premium system, so it carries a premium price.
My opinion is that the system 'works'.
By which I mean that it delivers decent espresso with minimal fuss and zero skill.
ISTR that Blumenthal serves Nespresso at The Fat Duck - so its acknowledged that 'the system works'.
There may not be much to discuss, but the Forum Search only pulls up that singular post, and from SEVEN years ago!
Is there a conspiracy of silence?
-
I understand that it is used in some chocolates. I just don't get how someone can use Vanillin in the chocolate when natural vanilla can be used, and sell the chocolate (just bars/blocks of plain chocolate) for more than $45/lb!
Is it possible that one reason could be control and consistency.
The 'natural' (grown) product will have (to some extent) variable concentrations of active ingredient, from different producers and over time.
Using the principal ingredient on its own should allow exact control of the amount added.
If it is 'nature identical' then that is what it is. But what it would lack would be the natural impurities in the natural product, which might make a discernible flavour difference where the vanilla flavour is prominent. But its going to be pretty insignificant when you are using so little as to avoid a detectable 'that's vanilla!' flavour.
-
I know this as a "flying top".
While I wouldn't disagree with Jackal10's suggestions b & c, I think he may have (a) the wrong way round.
My understanding was that flying top is usually caused by under-proofing.
UK Flour Advisory Board link - http://www.fabflour.co.uk/content/1/49/bread.html
The fact that you are getting a really good oven spring ("burst") - even without stone and steam - also suggests to me under rather than over-proofing.
-
... I also don't know what you think MC will teach me.
C'mon, I'm sure that even you might learn something!
I don't have MC - its way beyond my discretionary spending limit.
But I would certainly snap up a future conventionally-priced paperback edition...
... not least because I knew that meat "cheeks" don't quite correspond to human cheeks.
-
I guess my original question can be broken down into:
1. What are the "things" that make those stewable meat tender when cooked for long time?
"Connective tissue" mostly, which is mostly made of collagen, and which _slowly_ breaks down during cooking.
If you get the the meat too hot, then the muscle will tighten up, permanently expelling juices and becoming tough, 'dry' and 'overcooked'. This happens well below 80C (below 175F) internal meat temperature.
Medium Rare is about 55C (about 130F). But at that temperature, collagen breakdown is really slow. So, you'd need to cook your Brisket for about 48 hours at 55C. http://egullet.org/p1697569
And it won't taste, or feel, like "stew".
2. Whether the meat we usually don't stew like a tenderloin steak, also have those "things" -> if so, that means we also could stew them and make them more tender?... I am just very curious. I am just very interested to know.
And by this knowledge, I could be more creative ...
Like I said before, (and I will not bother saying again), the answer is sous vide.
Learn about sous vide, and you will learn a vast amount about conventional cooking methods.
Cooking is largely about controlling heat, and sous vide is cooking for control freaks.
Reference Thermometers and Calibration Methods for Cooking Sous Vide
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted · Edited by dougal (log)
Once upon a time, this was standard for absolutely all clinical thermometers.
The column top stays at the maximum reading.
You need to shake it down to reset it.
Its perfectly possible that there is a significant (younger) population out there that simply don't know how to use such a non-digital instrument.
ADDED - "Shake" isn't quite the whole story. Its more of a wrist-whip that's needed. Hard to describe, easy to demonstrate. No problem if you've ever seen it done, but you could waste a lot of time "shaking" a thermometer to absolutely no effect at all...