dougal

As Dave indicates, time mostly has to with cure penetration depth. Thinner pieces need less time because the cure has less far to go. Where the total meat weight would matter is in the proportions of meat to brine, which can impact things. For long curing ("curing to equilibrium" - my preference - the FDA expect the curing salts to be taken up in proportion to the weight of meat versus the weight of meat+brine). But for short cures, (as per those in the book), the FDA go by the weight increase in the meat from soaking up brine. Now, with smaller bits of meat, thus a larger surface in proportion to volume/weight, I'd expect the weight pickup to be a little faster - indicating another reason for a slightly shorter curing time. But the book's recipe is only for a short 3-day cure anyway. And expects a single 5lb piece. Either way, I doubt you'd harm yourself, but I'd think of shortening your times a little - particularly for the little 1.5lb piece. I'd add that to the cure slightly after the bigger bit, so that they finished together. How much might you shorten the time(s)? I'd suggest that that would depend on how you compared your pieces' maximum thickness to what you might expect from the recipe's single 5 lb piece. My guess is that adjusting the smoking and poaching times might be more important to the eventual result than the curing time - I'd be more worried about over-cooking than over curing! (Again its the thickness that's important...)

Personally, I don't know the answer to your questions -- BUT -- if you go to http://www.foodbeam.com/ I think you might find someone in a very good position to tell you quite a lot about patisserie training in France. Fanny posts here on eGullet occasionally, but contacting her via her blog would probably be more direct.

Both the micro/fan/grill combis that I get to use must be more than five years old. Actually, neither has a "minute minder" function. While that is a near-zero cost feature for a manufacturer to add to a unit with electronic controls, but I think its still rarely seen on those with simpler-to-use analogue knobs linked to mechanical switches... (if you check my first post in this thread, I indicate why simplicity was such an important virtue!) Naturally, there's no harm (other than wasted space and money) in principally using it's 'minute minder' -- but the warning remains, don't run a microwave empty... And the point of raising the subject of such combis, (though I forgot to state it explicitly), was this from the original post A plain microwave simply won't/can't roast food. But in the same space, a combi can really roast or (not just and) nuke.

I do hope that you are not running the thing empty. For most domestic microwave ovens running empty is serious abuse. Beyond damaging the machine, worst case, you could start a fire... http://www.repairclinic.com/0088_6_2.asp http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/microwave112107.html Unless you have specifically checked your manual for a statement that it is safe to operate empty - don't do it, please! Its cheaper and safer to use a simple purpose-built timer.

Maybe http://www.wahaca.co.uk/ ?

I've had the thing for a couple of weeks. Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. Its worth having, but its by no means a "must have". Why? Well... Its a rather strange book, quite unlike any other food book I own. Understand first that this is a textbook. A school book. As such the tone is unrelentingly didactic. It tells you how things ARE. With never a hint either there might be different opinions or that what is being given is not always the whole story - or even sometimes the wrong story (is bromated flour actually "banned" in California? (Page 130) Or is a mere warning on the label all that is required in that specific state?) I found the enthusiasm for industrial additives disappointing. Bromate for example "strengthens gluten and increases the fermentation tolerance of dough... the final product exhibits increased volume with larger cut openings". Bromate being a carcinogen is mentioned, but nowhere is it suggested that its presence is actually undesirable. (The (quote) "several countries" in which it is banned actually include all 27 members of the EU, Canada, and seemingly most of the rest of the world.) Disappointingly all the formulae for (specifically) ice cream include milk powder and both "stabiliser" and "monostearate". And there's a great emphasis on pasteurisation - which is understandable in the catering environment. There's almost zero overlap with Lebovitz's "Perfect Scoop". They are from different universes. And then similarly there's the enthusiasm for industrial ingredients. From page 559, just one example If there is anything about the health anti-benefits of trans-fats and their consequent, err, unfashionability, then I haven't spotted it yet. There IS a mention of trans-fat content in the context of labelling declarations. But, er, there's no linkage between techniques and formulae using "partially hydrogenated" ingredients and those trans-fats you must declare in the USA. Different names. No connection made. IMHO poor teaching. And the coverage is very broad - while the depth of coverage is variable. As an amateur bread-baker, the most useful part of the book looks likely to be the 700 pages of non-bread stuff. Similarly, for example, I rather suspect that enthusiastic amateur chocolatiers wouldn't learn very much from the chocolate section. However, within that bread section, there's stuff that I find frankly implausible. Just one example: Pages 68 to 72 are dedicated to "How to calculate mixing time". I simply do not believe the premise for this -- that the only factor to consider is the total number of mixer revolutions. Regardless of mixer design, etc. Rotation speed directly (and very simply) affects mixing time. Seemingly from the examples calculated, a planetary mixer will develop dough almost twice as quickly as a spiral mixer. Can that really be true? I'm also unhappy (in relation to dough oxidation during mixing) with the concept that it is a "natural property" of salt to "slow down chemical reactions (which is why it is used to increase the shelf life of of foods like cured meats or salted fish)". BUT salting fish or meat does not delay its oxidation - salting acts by inhibiting spoilage microrganisms, a different matter entirely. Hence its dubious that "By incorporating salt into the dough at the beginning of the mixing... the oxidation process will be retarded." Sure, salt toughens gluten, inhibits yeast, etc - but can it really preserve the creamy colouring from the carotenoids against oxidation? 'It is a natural property of salt to slow down chemical reactions' - didactic, and, as a scientist, I'd say inaccurate. (Strangely, there's no mention there about deliberate oxidation by intensive mixing being an essential part of the infamous Chorleywood Bread Process - and where salt addition is not delayed.) Disappointingly, I've found just two references to Glutathione in the text (and none in the index). Glutathione is an enzyme that occurs naturally, notably in dead yeast, its effect being to make dough less 'strong' but more extensible. One reference in the book is regarding the use of 'deactivated yeast' as a deliberately added dough conditioner, the other in discussing the industrial freezing processes available to permit fresh bread to be offered all day, every day. However, there's no mention of the fact that dead ("deactivated") yeast makes up about 30% of 'active dry' yeast, and that the resultant Glutathione accounts for one of the most significant differences between "active dried" and "instant" yeast. And that as "fresh" (compressed) yeast ages in storage, its glutathione content increases. IMHO, that sort of thing ought to be in an "Advanced" book. The treatment of bread staling is cursory at best. Pages 123 to 4. Freezing or (for once utterly unidentified) "chemicals" are said to be the only options to delay staling. Strange that there should be no mention here of sourdough, or that using less yeast and longer fermentation reduces the rate of staling, or the influence of oil/fat/milk/soya, let alone the influence of the protein level of the flour... or of mixing oxidation. Curiously, I've found nothing whatsoever discussing different flour milling - or even mention of roller grinding, let alone (proper rather than nominal) stone grinding - and the different qualities of the flour that they offer the baker. Combine this with the fondness for industrial additives and ingredients, plus the passing mention of sourdoughs and rye, and it is abundantly clear that this is not a treatise on artisan baking. Far from it. The books sub-title is "a professional approach". I'd suggest that "a catering approach" might be more apposite. OK class, revision questions - name the two types of pesticide employed in the baking industry - that's right - general-use pesticides and restricted-use pesticides - page 42 - (though if there is any more useful detail than that, I've not found it.) Now, can you name the Four Critical Stages of Dough Mixing? This is an impressive 3.2 kilo (7 pound) book. But I found its content less impressive when examined in detail than the initial impression suggested. Not a book for sending back to Amazon, but by no means as definitive as it itself suggests. Specifically regarding baking bread for quality, I think there's much more of practical use in Hamelman's book. The most useful bits for me are going to be the areas where I know little or nothing - cakes, icing, pastry, biscuits... Sorry for such a long post. This was not intended as any sort of a rant. Simply, I felt that it was necessary to explain (and give a few examples of) those aspects of the book that disappointed me, and had not been touched on in previous posts. To go against the flow of almost unqualified praise, I think justification should be shown. I hope I've managed that, in a reasoned and reasonable manner.

I have a combination microwave, grill and fan ("convection") oven. One unit with versatility. I would never again give house-room to a sole-purpose microwave. One point about such combis - do check out the user interface, in detail, before purchase. 'Someone I Used to Know' was always being caught out by the touch-pad Panasonic "defaulting" back to straight (and full power) microwave whenever the time ran out. So instead of giving another few minutes of fan oven heat to hold stuff a little longer, she'd accidentally zap stuff to oblivion...

I imagine ghee has a bit more water content than that, unless of course it's been made with centrifugal force... ← Commercially, it probably would be. Using a continuous centrifuge, similar to those used for milk/cream separation. Here's a quote from a traditionalist craft ghee producer http://www.maharishi.co.uk/products/WhatIs...AndWhyUseIt.htmAdded: the "tracers" are for the purpose of subsidy tracking (and seemingly added to butter-derived products claiming the relevant financial treatment) ... anyway, you'd have that (in the EU) in something sold as "anydrous" too ...

But those aren't particularly high power (wattage) models. Compare with the cheap (well, cheapish) 60cm deDietrich DTI 704 (about £400 is achievable nowadays in the UK). It has one 3100 watt burner, two at 2800 watts, and a 2000 watt one. However, you can't use more than 7600 watts total, at any one time... (from the supply requirement) Whereas that Gaggenau VI 421 has one at 2200 watts ("boost" 3300) and one rated 1400 watts ("boost" 1800). The "boost" function reduces the power available to the other ring - its 3600 watts "total connected load" for electrical supply. I know Gaggenau think that "if you need to ask the price, then you can't afford us" but it seems as though that two-ring 'domino' unit is about £1000. For two burners, totalling only 3600 watts? The DD is just 6cm thin. Easily mountable above a drawer. When I installed my old DD, I made a few holes in the cabinet front above the drawer opening (and therefore hidden under the worktop lip) for vent air inlet and ensured that it could share the vent exit of the adjacent under-counter fridge. I'm referring to DD only because that's what I bought, installed and used. And enjoyed. I gather that in the UK they can be awkward for service, but I never needed any. The Gaggenau VI 421 at a mere 5cm is actually even slimmer than the DD. Its just those knobs that steal your drawer space! The 200 series induction domino looks as though it could be mounted above a drawer... In my case, the price to "pay for cooking with high effect" was just buying the thing !! But I fear your requirement for knobs could push your cost up considerably, and maybe also rob you of some drawer space. Incidentally, AFAIK, Gaggenau is part of the Bosch/Siemens/Neff group...

Maybe it says that in other languages, but the English version just has the rather imprecise wording - And to me, especially considering the marketing comment quoted previously about "switching off", the English manual is not confirming that "does not operate" really means "does not turn off for real"... Like I said originally, the only way to clarify these points absolutely is with one's hands on the actual kit. Much of the written info is just not specific enough. (With Viking a clear exception.) And after you've filtered the brochure and manual through a salesperson, well, it usually doesn't lead to an authoritative answer!

Hmmm, I do wonder what Gaggenau actually mean by this - http://www.gaggenau.com/GB_en/Modular-Cook...tField=feature2 (about the VI 421 'domino' induction hob)

Interesting Viking site Cats2 ! The product details and prices are to be found under the "Support" heading - they are in the PDF "Price List". There, on page "50" (its actually number 34 within the PDF) there is detail given for the "“Professional” induction cooking table from 80 cm width EVICU105-4B"... So this Pro model (and its 6-burner, 95 cm wide, sister) DOES switch hard off with no pan present, and after two rather than ten minutes. However, the shocker for me was the price, €5000... for the four-burner hob alone... which makes deDietrich seem positively cheap! (Or makes those knobs terribly expensive!) Another point is that the 10cm thickness would mean no drawer immediately beneath. Typically the deDietrichs, etc, are thin enough (and run cool enough) to allow use of a standard kitchen unit with a top drawer...

Yes, touch controls are a nuisance with wet fingers. A towel at one's waist is one simple solution to the problem created by the technology. But touch controls are super-easy to keep super-clean longterm. Just don't use them with wet/greasy fingers! Its not so much that they "malfunction" - its just that they may ignore you until your fingers and that area of the glass ceramic is wiped over. Blinking and "turning themselves off", hmm. There's scope for misunderstanding here. Without a pot in place, all induction 'rings' use almost zero power and generate no heat at all. (Some writers call this 'switching off' - but it isn't!) They generally try to indicate that no-power-being-delivered-because-there's-nothing-there-to-work-with condition by flashing something. My (six years ago's basic model) deDietrich wasn't in any hurry to set the control back to zero or off. You could remove a pan, add or remove something, and return it to the stove. The indicator for that ring would flash while the pan was away, but replacing the pan resumed the power delivery at the previous level and stopped the LEDs flashing. IIRC it might have had a feature to set the control to 'off' after some minutes of flashing - but that is different from the instant drop in power consumption during the temporary removal of the pan. Controls. AFAIK all induction hobs use click-stepped power levels rather than the infinite analogue variability of gas knobs. (Though because the electronic output power regulation 'dims' the power by switching it several times every second, they do give at least as steady a simmer as gas does.) So its good to have lots of "click-steps". And generally the more steps, the more the manufacturer will provide "shortcuts" to get to specific power levels (which you might then adjust from) - this is much quicker than scrolling from 1 to 15 for example... Maybe try and find somewhere with the things on demo, so you can actually use them, rather than having to interpret what a brochure-writer means. I believe deDietrich and Brandt come out of the same factory, like Siemens and Neff are twins.

Sif, I note that you are in DENMARK. I don't know what's in your baking powder! US baking powders are commonly based on Aluminium salts (to give action at temperatures above room temperature - like when it goes into the oven). If you just use Cream of Tartar, or lactic acid (from fermented milk products), or any other simple acid, then it will react with the Sodium Bicarbonate ("baking soda") as soon as they meet in the presence of moisture. So, you have to act quickly... In the UK, most (all?) baking powders on retail sale are based on "disodium diphosphate" to get the higher temperature action with the Sodium Bicarbonate. And these don't seem to give any "metallic" aftertastes. Check the small print of the ingredients listing carefully!

Ummm. One can scratch ceramic hobs/cooktops. But it counts as 'abuse' to do it. Here's a quote from a (typical I believe) user guide (the emphasis is mine) http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/Data...Manuals/MG2.pdf see page 7 to 8Take a heavy/full pan with jagged edges on its base and drag it over the ceramic - and you will get scratches. If its got a "smooth" base (you wouldn't mind dragging it over your skin) then it should be fine. If its rough, or got sharp bits, then it needs sanding and/or polishing anyway, before it hurts people... Incidentally, cast iron, with or without exterior base enamel (as long as its smooth, not damaged or rough cast) is a pretty damn good material for use on an induction (glass ceramic topped) hob/cooktop. Now, there's an interesting little comment in Lisa Shock's posting Now, in theory, a scratch acts as a 'stress concentrator' providing a point from which failure can occur. But that glass ceramic material is pretty damn tough, and designed to have almost zero expansion on heating, and so, in my (relatively limited) acquaintanceship with the things, I've not heard of even one cracking from a user's scratch. So, I'd say its very much less common than Pyrex shattering from a scratch, when it is later subjected to thermal shock (rapid heating or cooling). And, with any reputable brand, a new ceramic surface should be obtainable as a spare part should it ever became damaged - though I'm not saying it would be cheap!

They exist in black too. They seem to be made of a very food-sticky, heat insulating material. Despite being naturally very retentive, I think this was something I actually DID chuck out...

I can't help with what the US market might have on offer... ... BUT it did occur to me, quite some time after posting, that one of the best things might be a "thermal cooker". These are rather well insulated containers (with wide openings and insulated lids) and large capacities. I had a look on Amazon US, and noticed that you can get a cheap 6 litre capacity (200 ounces?) "thermal cooker" for (just) under $50. http://www.amazon.com/Sunpentown-ST-60B-Th.../dp/B000Q94CMM/ I've no idea if this particularly cheap example is a good "thermal cooker" - but then, does it need to be? I happen to loathe the term "thermal cooker", but it wouldn't prevent me stopping by to try the yoghurt if I happened to be passing by!

Its probably easier to keep the temperature steadier with larger quantities. Have you considered (or are you) making your yoghurt in a vacuum flask? IMHO, thats the easy way. And with a bigger flask, it would hold the temperature for even longer - there should be more volume (so product thermal mass) in proportion to the external surface area (and thus rate of heat loss - assuming the insulation is the same). Since you are going to be aiming for a fairly low temperature (~ 40C/100F) the rate of heat loss from a flask would be much slower anyway than when used at more normal "hot drink" temperatures of 60C and above It seems that larger sizes (like 5 litres, 1.3 us gallons) are more readily available in "airpot" designs. You don't need the dispenser, but if that's the easy way to get the flask... However, I suspect that you may find that making daily (nightly?) batches of 2.5 litres makes more sense than fewer larger batches - and it should open up more choice of vacuum flask. Quantities. 2 us gallons per week is only like 8 litres in probably 6 days. Lots of home yoghurt makers would make 1 litre at a time in a vacuum ("thermos") flask. Regarding the product volume, if you are planning to make a 'strained' (greek-style) yoghurt, then you are going to lose volume with the straining, so you'll have to make more!

Couldn't this be done in an Electrolux DLX (Assistent, "Magic Mill", N24, etc) mixer, tipped over half way? Nice big (8 us quart) rotating stainless bowl... http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/magic_mill_dlx_mixer.aspx BTW, note that the machine has to be tipped right onto its side to use the mincer/grinder, etc, so it must be happy operating like that... and the bowl stays in place way, way, past 60 degrees of tilt...

On cooking, it gets chewy. Somewhere between caramel and rubber! So its great for kebabs. (Or at least, it stays on the skewer...)

.... It is my understanding that the vitroceramic cooktops are different from induction though and don't require special pots, which is why I bought one. Now I am wondering if they are as good. I am buying this in France and so I don't know if they are common elsewhere. I did a bit of searching and found pretty limited info in English. ← "Vitroceramic" is merely the name the French give to what others just call "ceramic". A more technically correct description in english is "glass ceramic". It refers only to the top surface - not the means of heating, or the means of control. These materials combine the toughness of ceramics (particularly to thermal shock) with many of the properties of glasses, such as transparancy. IIRC its even possible to make the thermal transmission properties different in different directions - like conducting up and down through the sheet, while insulating sideways to reduce sideways heat spread. Generally induction hobs (US 'cooktops') also have a glass ceramic ("vitroceramic") top (cooking) surface. What distinguishes them, and makes them more expensive, as well as better, is what is under that glass ceramic top... Induction has a magnetic heater. It only works with ferromagnetic materials. That doesn't actually mean "special" pans. It just means some pans (all-aluminium, and all-copper constructions as well as some stainless ones) plain don't work. Pyrex glass, ceramic (or glass ceramic) pans are total non-starters for induction. Many aluminium, stainless and even some copper pans are actually constructed with a base of a different material - which is "recognised" by an induction hob. I say "recognised" because when there's no pan there, or an unsuitable pan, there is simply no heat generated - even if that 'burner' is switched on. Its trivially easy to test a pan for induction use. If a magnet (like a fridge magnet) will stick to the base, then it'll work on induction. "Hum". My induction hob wasn't audible. But I had one pan that did make some noise when used on the induction hob. I presume that something in its construction was able to move, distort or vibrate in the magnetic field. Not a problem for me. Because with induction the heat is generated in the material of the pan, the cooker surface is only heated by contact with the hot pan. This means the top stays cool, so spills can be wiped up very easily, without burning on. It is very easy to keep an induction hob immaculately clean. The heating elements under an ordinary (vitro)ceramic hob might be ordinary electric heater coils, radiant roils, or halogen bulbs. These heat the ceramic, which heats the pan. Its slower and more heat gets 'lost' to the kitchen. Electric hobs adjust their power by switching the element full on, then full off. Induction hobs by their nature have electronic power regulation, switching on and off many times per second. This results in a very constant simmer. You'll sometimes find electronic regulation on other 'ceramic' hobs - BUT I've never seen electronic regulation of halogen heaters. Because of this, halogen, though faster than radiant and much faster than 'solid' electric rings, is generally rubbish for simmering. Its important to understand that I'm referring to the internal control, NOT the knobs or buttons. I've seen (hey, at the moment I have to use) electronic touch buttons linked to non-electronic switching. Without electronic "regulation", (French "régulation d'énergie") the power comes in bursts of several seconds (10,20,30 seconds?) followed by an 'off' time of similarly many seconds. With electronic regulation, its like a dimmer on a lamp instead of flashing it full on and then fully off. Without (the expense of) the electronics, you have to rely on a very heavy pan to even out the surges of power. You'll usually see this with radiant and I think always with halogen. The mass of a 'solid' ring is there in part to even out these surges - at the expense of speed and responsiveness. IMHO, no question, induction is better. (Sorry to tell you...) The only real problem is that induction is more expensive on purchase price. (Unless you find a very special deal...) But that's just MY personal opinion. (Based on ownership/use of radiant {with one halogen ring} 'ceramic' and induction, and old solid ring electric cookers.) I've used gas, of course, but I'd prefer to live with induction. For those who want induction but also want to retain the use of favourite pans for specific uses, it is possible (in Europe anyway) to get a hob unit that combines induction with radiant rings under one piece of (glass)ceramic ("vitroceramic") one example is the the deDietrich DTI703B see http://www.dedietrich-electromenager.com/s....html?ct=FRANCE (being a "Flash" website, I can't link direct to the product... aaargh!) And the deDietrich DTI702 has two induction rings plus two gas rings in the same unit ... Another solution is a group of 'domino' units. Or Andiesenji's solution of putting the non-induction pan on an induction-friendly griddle...

← STRANGE units to choose, pounds per square centimetre !! There are almost 6.5 sq cm to the sq inch. So that watermelon is said to be being packed under 130 psi pressure Ordinary atmospheric pressure is about 14.5 psi So thats about 9 times atmospheric pressure. Like 5 times the pressure inside a car (automobile) tyre... That is under serious pressure (for a kitchen anyway) And cannot be produced by evacuation alone. It needs plenty external pressure applied. BTW a "pressure cooker" (or canner) is unlikely to give more than 15 psi above local atmospheric. Simply not in the same league.

Problem is that suggesting that the pressure inside a flexible and stretchy plastic bag (as illustrated on that cover) could be significantly different (+ or -) from atmospheric would indicate that the author really hadn't grasped the physics of the situation. For once, I sincerely hope that the title is going to prove a misleading guide to the content!

But are they "out there"? As far as I can tell, BOTH those systems are industrial alginate coating systems where the liquid 'casing' is painted onto (or extruded around) the outside of the sausage, and then "cured" somehow (calcium chloride probably) to set it solid. (There would be some clues for you about handling alginate in the eGullet alginate thread http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=86839) I think the main part of the "casing" is likely to be the cube of cream-coloured gel that the chap in the video tips into the hopper... (about a minute or so into the Ruitenberg video) ... and not an obvious match for any standard kitchen "attachment".

PS - for tonight, a simple tomato tart? Buy the best ready-made puff pastry you can. Roll it out, cut into squares, about 4 inches, for individual tarts. Scribe a line about a quarter inch inside the edge, and prick over the centre section. 'Butter' the centre with some sort of sauce - pesto works well. Scatter sliced tomato over the sauce. The better the tomatoes, the better. Add some herbs if your available sauce isn't full of them. Top with some grated cheese (but not too much). Bake. (The outside edge should rise, restraining the filling...) Serve with salads... and some wine... and relax.