Pielle

Cool! Simple, elegant design, few parts, excellent documentation, fails safe (unless the SSR fails as a short, but that should be very rare), inexpensive. What is the rating on the SSR? Doc ← Thanks! The SSR I got is rated 25 A, it is plenty since a single large stovetop element should need about 10 A max. I got this one because it was the least expensive. As for safety, what I do for long runs is that I turn the stove knob to a low setting (2 or 3). The PID automaticly ajusts itself (reacts) to that setting even if I turn the knob while it is already on. If the SSR was to fail open (which is not the comon fail mode) the pot would probably come to a light boil that would last for a very long time since the pot is covered. I thought about adding ultra fast fuses and a thermal fuse but it was just too cumbersome for the actual risk.

The problem with the RANCO controlers is that they are of the ON/OFF type so would definatly have a significant variation in the temp because the controler cant shut off the power until it has reached the target temperature, inevitably causing overshooting. These controlers are better at controlling fridge temperatures for beer making or even charcuterie. What you want to efficiently controle the liquid temperature over a short or long periods is a PID controler, which uses a mathematical algorithm to can calculate how much heat should be applied to heat to a given temperature without overshooting and then appling constant heat to maintain that temp. I installed one of those on my electrical range more then a year ago and coudn't be more hapy about it : it was not too expensive, can be used with about any pot and for a wide range of applications. I can use it to make 40 C salmon or to make 72h short ribs and it does not take any space at all. Here is a link to the post I made about it a while ago. PID modified stovetop I may seem a bit complicated but it is acutally very easy, and you dont need to cut up anything in the oven wiring (well I did because I was lazy but you dont NEED to..)

I havn't tried many restaurants in Charlevoix, but I do have a few suggestions that I have tried : 1) Les trois canards in La malbaie Albeight a bit classic, it is a verry good french cuisine restaurant, a full course meal is around 45$ pp. 2) LEs saveurs Oubliées in Les éboulements "table champêtre" BYOB, very good family style gastronimic restaurant featuring only local products, either from thier farm or from others in the region. Well worth it, 35-40$ pp plus you are saving because of BYOB. 3) Le Saint-Pub in Baie St-Paul. Brewpub owed by Microbrasserie Charlevoix, which is one of the best microbrewers in Qc. They have a nice terrasse and have a diversified menu, including home smoked ribs and smoked meat. Hope you have a nice time in Charlevoix. If you like hiking, both Parc des grands jardins (Mont du lac des cygnes) and parc des hautes-gorges de la rivière malbaie (acropole des draveurs)the ,former being a lot easier, feature some of the most beautiful hikes in Qc.

I have an edgepro apex system and it works like a charm, coudnt be happier with it. I have poor hand-eye coordination and I am pretty bad at stuff involving precision but I can use my Apex without any problems with fantastic results. As for Norten, the guy sure knows how to sharpen knives, I got my knives sharpened at the place before and was very impressed with the results. However, he sharpens with a strap system, which gives very good results but makes it difficult to control the angle as you get more of a convexe edge side then a straight one. But if what you want is sharp knives, this is the place. Good luck!

Any italian butcher should keep the marrow bones because it is an ingrediant in some risottos (Milenese has some). Around here, all the butchers keep the marrow bones as they are quite valuable (around 3$ a kilo). I often cheap osso bucco with veal blade roast and osso bucco like marrow bones.

I make some tasty hambergers with a mix of sirloin and the steak that sits on top of the prime rib (is that flat iron?), both are cut in small brunoise with a knife. Since both meats are rather lean, I add a little duck fat (not too much as it would overpower the beef) and lube the meat with it. Salt and pepper, thats all. It makes a wonderfull burger!!

EVOO is good depending on the application. I go 100% EVOO if I make a mayo for a salad (ceasar mainly), I also go heavy on the lemon juice in this case. I also use EVOO in my tartare mayonaise. For dipping fries and for sandwiches, I would rather go for a high percentage of canola oil and put more dijon and less lemon. I seldom use vinegar and usualy go 100% lemon juice.

I make my mayo by hand all the time. When you get used to it, it isnt a big job at all. I can make a cup of mayo in under 2 minutes, and that includes the time taken to wash the whisk and putting it away. It is not much effort, you just need to put it at the right place. No one is gona make me bother washing a blender or food processor for making mayo! My method : 1st Buy a good whisk (under 5$ at restorant supply store) -Put egg yolk, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard and a bit of lemon juice (to taste) in a bowl -Whisk together until properly emulsified. My guess is that at this point, ingrediants are at room temp so starting temps is irelevant. - Now add oil in a thin filet while whisking vigourously. Stop adding oil and emulsify proporly if you see an oil puddle - Gradualy increase oil pourring speed and stop to emulisify proporly every time you see oil puddles. - In the end you can practicly dump the oil in there. -Salt and pepper to taste and then season for the desired dish!

You probably were thinking about a salmonela cook? Salmonela is the probelm with undercooked chicken (salmonela is destroyed in under 1 sec at around 70C). However, since meat's thermal conductivity is so low, a 1 min at 90C will only solve the problem for the outer layer of the meat (i.e. completely uneficient). You would be better off just searing the meat at that point : same (probaly useless) microbial destruction results, better flavor. Anyways, read trought this thread, you will get all the answers you need and much more. Very much worth it!!

I use my stovetop's PIDed coil about every other day. I cook about anything (mostly meat) in it. I often have some vacuum packed frozen meat in my freezer. You can drop this in a pot of 50-70C water as is. It will be completely defrosted in less than 30 min; add 1h for cooking and you are done, quick and easy. I almost cannot cook fish without sous-vide now; mi-cuit salmon (40C) and chilean sea bass (43C) in butter are wonderfull. The only thing that I didnt like sous vide was scallops. I tought they retained too much of thier strong taste. I much prefer them simply panned. I have tried veal liver once with similar results. I also do confits of pork belly, lamb shanks or duck leg every few weeks. It is so conveniant to do it sous-vide. Anyways, I incorporate more and more sous vide in my cooking evryday. It was a food revelution to me.

So you are the one responsible for the Chanterelles this summer!! I am so very greatfull for this! I made quite a few risottos and mushroom sauces out of these which brought me, my GF and various guest to culinary hights (and that for significantly less that it would have cost me at Chez Louis or Chez Nino) ! I am also a regular costomer of fruiterie muscat, there pruducts, are alaways of good quality and fairly priced. And they also cary all they etnic condiments that "comon" recipies call for. The owners are very nice and seem to be quite disapointed when they dont carry a product you ask them for. They also made me discover Okras, which I now buy about once a week and make an okra stew with, onions, okaras and diced tomatoes, flavored with espelette chilies! I go often to JTM for specialty products, but I often find that buying a lot of diffrent fruit/vegetables can be cumbersom and expensive. I often go back to muscat for that part of my shopping were I know I will find ripe and reasonably priced fruit and vegetables. BTW, they did try to cary meat but after two days they were "SPECIAL" stickers everywere. Guess it didnt fit in the decor!

Glad you apreciated it! I really think there is something to this dish, I brought it sometime to pot luck dinners were I didnt have time to prepare anything. Even if it is made of raw beef I made people who are somewhat refractory to exotic cuisine (you know what I mean) taste it and they all loved it! BTW number 36 on the menu is BBQ Pork, not pors

If you like take outs, I have two favorits close to where I live. The first one is Shiki sushi on St-Denis north of St-Joseph. I strongly prefer nigiris and they have a special for 2 with 10 nigiris and 10 big maki pieces for 25$+ tax and the quality is there. Thier "Titanic" nigiri which is made of tempura, shrimp, shallots and spicy mayo served on a fried sweet potato slice if very good if you like the genre. For special occations I get a plate made from Sushi Volant on Rachel. It is a Japanese catherer and his sushis, while rather classic, have a little something that makes them significantly better then others I have tasted elswere. As for places to avoid, I agree that Maiko on Bernard is to avoid. The quality does not meet the high prices there.

I have two favorite Vietnamese restaurants that I visit quite often. First one is Pho Tay Ho on the west side on St-Denis, a bit south of Baubien. They have a (huge) appetiser that is raw beef marinated in lemon, served with peanuts and hot chilies, this dish is wonderful IMHO. I also recoment the BBQ pors (number 36 I think) which is also quite good! There Pho are also quite descent. The other one is Dong Que, on Rosement, between De la Roche and De normanville. They also have descent Pho. Thier lemongrass chicken is VERY good, it is served in a spicy sweet thick sauce. Be sure to take the one on the menu rather then the one in the combos are they are very diffrent dishes.

In some books they recomend doing chicken stock only with back bones, which are often readily availabe in 10 kg boxes directly from the processing plant. When I make stock with back bones, even if I use A LOT, I dont get a gelatinious stock as the gelatin is concentrated in cartilage from leg bones, and also from the skin (I think). I get a gelatinious stock when I make stock from whole chickens.

Hi, I use my water bath (PID stovetop) to make my hot egg emulsion sauces all the time. I take a large pot that I bring at 55C. I put a "cul-de-poule" on it were the bottom sits in the thermostated water. The sabayon is ready very quickly and the sauce holds well at that temp.

I have done this two times in my water bath. My results were very much similar to yours. I actualy love the creamy texture of the yolk and would not try to get it any runnier. I have read that to get best results with the whites, your eggs need to be absolutely fresh (like 1 day fresh). Good luck!

I also see them often at of few fruiteries on plateau mont-royal. Fruiterie Muscat (corner of St-Denis and St-Joseph) has some sometimes. Passion des fruits on mont-royal between De Lorimier and De Bordeau also has some sometimes. But I would add the Chez louis is the most reliable source and thier Jerusalem artichokes are alaways fresh and firm.

They did this? That was acutualy not a very nice thing to do.. they must have known that they were closing...

That is harsh. But I can't say I blame them for fighting money laundering as well as preventing them from evading paying taxes. Every dollar stolen by a buisness owner is one more on regular tax payer's burden.

Anyone read Chartier's article in La Presse this morning? It seemed that Les Chèvres was still open while reading it. Or maybe he just wrote it a while ago. By the way, the tone of this article was really bad, it was VERY pompous and condecendent. Nobody is gonna get anyone to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars in our best gastronomic restaurants by telling them they are poor and cheap. I really didn't like this guy in the first place, but he really took a step downwards. Food culture is something you need to develope and a lot of people here are working hard on doing this (I think of all our restaurant critics who do an awsome job). It is not something you can force down someone's throat. I think Montreal's restaurant scene is thriving. I alaways see full restaurants everywere , even very expensive one's. People apreciate good food and dine out often. I guess there is much competition in restaurants and Montreal is not a very rich city, the prices are low, and so are profit margins. Les Chèvre's closing is certainly very sad, but you can't blame the people for not buying. Maybe one of Les Chèvre's problem was it's location? For one of the most expensive restaurants in Montreal, Van Horne is quite an ungly street. I know I do my part for Montreal's restaurants. But spending 300$ for a meal for 2 is just not something I can do very often... I am just sad I coudn't spend one of those at Les Chèvres before it close.

I want to serve some eggs tonight with a confit salade I am doing. I want to cook the eggs in a thermostated bath in order to get a special texture. What temperature do you recommend cooking this and what are the textures expected? Thanks!

Ya, it was Vadouvan in this thread Well it may be hard getting everything within the requirements, but I think that, modifing stovetops to get them to be able to control water temp in a pot without compromising any of its other funtionalities would definatly be a winner for most sous vide users. I would think that the cost of incorporating a cheap TC, adding a PID (or just on/ off) algorithm to already existing electronics to a mass produces stovetop would be very low (below 10$ I would say).

I also wanted to repport that I used my system yesterday to do a wunderfull hollandaise : heated a bain marie (the bottom of my "cul de poule" was actulay in contact with the surface of the water) at 60 C and made my sabayon with egg yokes and lemon juice, and then made the hollandaise with "beurre noisette" (browned butter). I did hold it a few min at that temp but served it quite fast. It would be quite easy with this system to find a temp were the hollandaise would hold for a long time but still not be in the "danger zone" for pathogens. I need to make some experiments to figure out the best holding temps but I think I finaly found a reproducible and fool proof way of making hollandaise and bearnaise that is also not time consuming as you dont have to check your things all the time. Put your water at 60 C is a whole lot better then : touch your pot, it should not be too hot as you coudnt hold your finger on the side for a few secconds (classic indication for making hollandaise).

Yes beef is graded for its marbling/fat, but also for its age. Industrial grade beef is usualy from older cows. I have no idea how this has an impact on the "healthiness" of the product. However, the marbling is something that is important for the more noble grades of beef, where you want the solid muscle to be infused with fat that will melt in meat. With ground beef the amount of fat that you get in the finished product can be controled by how you trim your meat peaces of simply by adding a little of white fat to the meat mixture. So beef grade is ireleveant, what is is how much fat you add to the pro-grind to get extra-lean, lean, half lean or ordinairy. My guess is fast food use meat with a LOT of fat in it, while when you make homemade burgers you can use the ground beef grade that you want.