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I call it knorr, but my mom really uses the Wyler brand of chicken MSG

Whole peeled tomatoes.. usually Hunt's. They are hand crushed, not cut for that rustic texture. Actually I lied she uses the Wyler chicken Boullion powder, not the cubes so she has more control. She also uses it to adjust salt/ and savoryness. She has a really good (and critical) palate, even though she doesn't cook much any more. S&P does go in TT Serranos are diced seeds n all usually like 9 per pound to stem off total destruction when we were younger. The proceedure was just saute grnd beef, but don't brown. Add tomatoes, chile, water sprinkle boullion TT add green onions and simmer. Adding Cilantro off the heat. From memory I think it was 1 small can WPT, 1 can of water 3,4 green onions, 9 chile serrano (or guero the yellow mexican chile is really good here but milder) per pound or two of meat. Oh and 1 bunch cilantro ruff chop Off the top of my head anyway..It's a bit liquidy that first day even reduced, but chilled and reheated the meat absorbs the juice.

We had ground beef taco's even though my mom is from Mexico. But no powdered spices, the ground beef was braised in had crushed WPT serranos, green onion (whole and removed later), water and knorr, reduced until just a tiny bit saucy and finished with cilantro. Yum!

I can def tell the difference using grey salt vs. kosher salt in things like braises and soups. Unless you are looking for it's easy to miss, it is def a background note. I don't want it to taste 'salty' just make the dish 10% better, ideally the guest wouldn't know. I love grey salt to season steaks as well. I think it's a matter of finding the right spot to use your salt. Specialty salts aren't great ll purpose in the way kosher is. Some of the japanese salts are nice for finishing raw fish with some yuzu zest. Its fun to play with but it's not a big deal to use diamond crystal for everything.

I'm running through culinary courses at my local community college because 1) It isn't a financial strain and isn't particularly time consuming (I can take one weekday off without upsetting my employer); 2) It is a very well-regarded culinary program. CSN? That is a good school, one of my mentor's was big in growing that program.

There are a lot of great community college programs out there that won't cost you much and give you a great base of education. But if you are blessed to have 80k to spend on a hobby, The big schools are nice.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out that is a new one by me.

I would have never thought of that! What do you use for the spray bottle?

I totally agree with violetfox on this one. Personally I'd go with the German Pinot Noir or Spätburgunder. Shouldn't be to hard to find something in your price range.

I really like Wuthrich European Style Butter which I can sometimes get as Surfas locally. I think it's from Wisconsin. Buerre Echire is great but expensive if you're using a lot for pastry I wish we could get their double cream out here. Kerry gold great for some things especially on home made toast but the flavor is a little assertive for me for things like scrambled eggs.

I'll have to stop by and check it out, I usually go to north to santa monica (wed and Sat) Do you know what type of strawberries they have? I like roasting red beets in a low oven overnight (roasing pan, covered) until they look black on the outside like lumps of charcoal. You can peel them and they do stay firm and it concentrates the flavor nicely.

Are you being difficult on purpose? These are taken almost directly from textbooks. I guess for home cooking these definitions don't matter so much but in a restaurant these basic techniques are the grammar of the kitchen you need to know the rules before you can break them effectively. Ok but even by those definitions you aren't poaching the liquid anymore than your are roasting your oven. I think this is a grammatical rather than scientific question. If that's not clear I give up!

No the liquid is at poaching temperature. Simmering and Poaching happen at different temperatures. Wet Cooking Poaching: To cook gently in in liquid that is hot but not bubbling about 160 to 180 Simmer: To cook in liquid that is bubbling gently about 185 to 205 Boil: To cook in liquid that is bubbling rapidly at about 212 *sea lvl, normal pressure ect. If you want to use the terms differently that is up to you!

I respect him tremendously, his show on food network was a revelation for me and really inspired me in my love of cooking. I remember thinking 'who is this pompous guy doing a show on salt for 30 minutes'. Well I learned a lot and his passion really came through. On top of that I still think his Dean and Deluca Cookbook is great, still holds up well today with great tips and recipes that work and full of flavor. As for the newsletter, it really is mostly buying tips and promotions. The guy does have a great palate, but then so do I! Is it worth it? just depends if you want some primo Olive oil fresh from around the world and want a source for top quality ingredients. He's your man. If you are looking for Saveur: great articles and recipes look somewhere else.

I've never thought of "poaching" as a description of a liquid. Can you "poach" a soup? You aren't going to poach a soup, but you can poach the veg (ie cook them in a liquid that is between 160 and 180 degrees) Or you could say I want to cook that stock at poaching temp overnight so it remains clear. Does this make sense?

No. Poaching, Simmering and Boiling are all descriptors of liquid in regards to the temperature of that liquid. Just like slow roast, roast in a moderate oven and high heat roast are all descriptors of ranges of oven temperature.

The short answer is because it's simmering.(creating bubbles that ripple the surface) Bubbling isn't in and of itself boiling. (Bubbles that violently break the surface) For example when you are doing Thomas Keller-esq Big Pot Blanching. You want the water 'at a boil' or a 'rolling boil' Otherwise it's not hot enough.

yup we were talking about poaching vs braising just the other day

Textbook def is bubbling gently btwn 185 and 205 deg Fahrenheit

For most home cooks. No way. For Chefs or culinary students, well sure. It's great for inspiration, see what the classic garnishes were. There are a lot of great sauces. There are no real recipes, so for a chef that is a plus. If you do competition cooking (ACF) It's good to go back to the source, especially if you are using classical terms in your menu. Escoffier's Ma Cusine is very under rated and has more what you would think of as traditional recipes

I've never been convinced American Kobe was such a great idea for burgers in the first place. Sure, it's fatty, but if the cattle is that big and not moving around it's also not developing flavor. Maybe it's just the SRF stuff I've used. Its ground very fine, which doesn't help and the meat itself is pretty bland. I prefer aggressively beefy blends chuck cut with hanger and shank for example.

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/95948/Best-Value-Textiles-White-Beard-Cover.htm

My favorite is more or less a honey daquiri the Canchanchara. I know what I like on the aged rhums, mostly Flor de Cana & Ron Zacapa along with some of the others already mentioned. But what stands out on the white rums?

Where does Ruhlman claim to be a chef. He may be trained, but just because you go to culinary school does not make you a chef. IMO he is a well trained home cook and a big voice for cooking at home its their benefits. The point is if there are problems with the book BOTH authors should be blamed and BP more so, because he really IS the chef, even if he hasn't annoyed you yet. Read Dougal's post again. The salt level was HIGH by 5 grams NOT low.

Hmmm. I thought the original Harry's recipe the meat was seared, although I've never seen that done anymore.