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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.

Aren't we in the middle of an Angostura shortage? Is this responsible behavior! Kidding, but I do remember hearing this on NPR. Is it really true?

It is the milk solids that are browned. Just make clarified butter on top of the stove as normal, but when the solids settle to the bottom - keep going and let them brown. Then strain through cheese cloth/fine strainer and cool. You'll get a great nutty caramel-y clean brown butter that you can use for all sorts of stuff and keeps well in the fridge.

See if you can talk to a successful butcher out of your area/that you are not going to be in competition with and see if you can get some informal advice. Another idea is to see if Fleichers will let you talk to some people who have taken the course and see if it matches your needs. Actually I'd be surprised if they didn't do some consulting formal or informal. I hear SFBI does on the Baking end.

I try to make it as complicated as possible and cut the 4 sides off, squeeze. cut the remaining center piece in half and squeeze. That usually gets it all, letting the knife do the work. The real trick is getting good juicy citrus in the first place. So you don't have to do any voodoo to get juice.

Add it too pickling liquid. maybe for baby fennel. Or how about a granita or to a broth for mussels

It is a great cut for roast beef sandies if you roast it rare/mid rare. lean, cheap, uniform in shape; you can freeze it cooked or par freeze and slice verrry thin. If you get choice or prime. It's a good tartar cut with a flavorful dressing

If you are doing a larger quantity you can always make a clarified brown butter ahead of time. It keeps well refrigerated. Then you don't have to worry about the butter burning, just heat -fry sage and toss. Any left over brown butter is great in mash potatoes

OMG!!! Wow that looks fantastic and that fried pork skin is perfect. How did you do that?

LOL! Are you sure they are not using the Muir Glen Fire roasted tomatoes? Try tossing with a bit of oil and broiling them or roasting high heat until the skin gets blacked. May be let them cool un covered so they don't get too soggy and let them come to room temp.

Just do what you would do when adding any specialty oil. Substitute a small amount for oil, add towards the end. I would prolly use apple cider vin because it has an affinity with pork, in place of lemon juice ect. Dont use too much though because the texture gets firm and icky when cold.