egale
-
Posts
68 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by egale
-
-
Dave, I recognize the advice of a pro when I get it, and your recipe sounds a lot better to me than McLagan's. Just two questions:
1) Your rub sounds excellent -- and totally to my taste -- but doesn't the brown sugar burn? I was under the impression that it was better to use turbinado sugar for long slow cooks because it doesn't burn as readily (or so I've read and found to be true I guess).
2) What do you think about smoking the ribs (at the same temperatures) on a Big Green Egg instead of cooking them in the oven? This would mean cooking them at the low temperature first, and then raising the temperature at the end. (It's a lot faster to raise the temp on a Big Green Egg than it is to lower it.)
Thanks for the post,
Ellen
-
I too am sitting with beef back ribs in the freezer, wondering how to cook them. Beef back ribs are basically the bones from a standing prime rib roast with bones, aren't they? As such, I wouldn't think that they have that much connective tissue.... At least they didn't when I cooked them attached to the prime rib roast.
Ira Dubinsky's method of slow-smoking would work great I would think -- as indeed Ira reports -- as this is a great tried and true way to cook a standing prime rib roast.
The recipe in Jennifer McLagan's Bones, "Beer Glazed Beef Ribs", calls for marinating the ribs and then grilling them over high heat. I would imagine this method would work quite well also, as it would for rib eye steak (the "eye" of a prime rib roast).
So I would think that two good methods are 1) slow-smoking or 2) marinating and grilling. I'm not too sure about braising, to be truthful.
-
Thanks, KarenDW. I ordered the Nemco chopper. After I receive it and chop a few onions I'll try and post a product review.
I do get the impression that there are quite a few people out there who would appreciate a good chopper.
Thanks again for the benefit of your experience.
-
It gave me a lot of pleasure to do it, that's for sure. How dare they advertise things so falsely!
-
THANK YOU Karen DW. That's just the kind of information I was hoping to get.
I know the Nemco could be considered overkill for home use, but I have been frustrated by this dicing issue for a long time. I want to get a professional tool that WORKS.
I've tried lots of lesser solutions already:
My mother bought me one of those choppers that they advertise on TV. I tried to dice an onion with it and the onion got stuck half way through. I returned it that way.
I've cut onions in smallish chunks and chopped small amounts at a time in my food processor. This works, but not that well and it's time-consuming.
I've sliced onions on a mandoline or with the food processor and then chopped the slices. This works too, but not that well and again, it's time-consuming. And if I have to get the mandoline or food processor dirty, why not just get a proper dicing tool?
I've diced onions by hand with a sharp knife. This is the best solution with the best results, but is too labor intensive for large amounts.
I'm going to order a Nemco!
-
We are not machines. That's why as a species we invented labor-saving devices.
Even with extremely sharp knives and great technique, I cannot slice several pounds of onions or other vegetables as quickly, efficiently, and consistently as can my food processor. Alas, however, my food processor is not nearly as good at chopping as it is at slicing.
Which brings me back to my original query. Has anyone tried the Nemco Easy Chopper?
-
It's been a while since this topic was active.
Has anyone tried the Nemco Easy Chopper? It comes in different sizes: 1/4" dice and 3/8" dice plus a few others I think.
There are times when I would REALLY appreciate having a good tool for chopping onions. The Nemco unit is pricy, but if it works well I would consider it worth it. Currently I just use a knife, but I find that sometimes I'll avoid making something when I think of all the chopping work involved (like salsa).
So has anyone tried a Nemco?
-
I have to chime in here -- I'm another EdgePro fan. I love that system! I'm a home cook with a set of Henckels German knives and I didn't know my knives could get that sharp!
The first time I used the EdgePro my knives got so sharp that they seemed to jump out and bite me when I washed them. I've learned to be very very careful when washing them after sharpening them.
I read the instruction book carefully before using the EdgePro the first time and I was astounded at the results. The burr that formed was easy to feel and clearly visible to those with good eyes.
I am now addicted to super sharp knives. What a pleasure they are! (Except when they bite me instead of the food I'm prepping, of course!)
-
To be honest, I have no idea what 'mam tom' is. As for 'mam ruoc', I have no idea what it actually means, I only know how to refer to it. What I do know though, is that it's NOT fish sauce in any way (did you see this on the actual jars?). 100% sure it's shrimp paste.
Yes, I have actual jars that say this.
One jar is labelled "Mam Ruoc Chau Doc -- Fine Shrimp Paste". The other jar is labelled "Mam Ruoc Da Nang -- Fish Sauce". Both jars list the contents as "fine shrimp and salt."
I have a third jar that is labelled "Mam Tom Thuong Hang -- Shrimp Sauce (Finely Ground)". The contents of this jar are listed as "Fermented shrimp and salt".
The content of each jar is a slightly different color. Maybe the labels reflect a translation problem? I know Chau Doc and Da Nang are towns in Vietnam, so I was thinking that the first two jars contained different regional versions of shrimp paste? But what about the jar labeled Mam Tom?
It's a mystery!!
Ahh then it's probably (I assume) really bad translation? The 'sauce' was most likely referring to 'paste'. Maybe in the Vietnamese language, they don't really differentiate betwen 'sauce' and 'paste'?
Anyway, I just asked my mum about 'mam tom' and she said yes, that is different from 'mam ruoc'. Problem is she's not familiar with 'mam tom' because it's (apparently) essentially a Northern Vietnamese thing, which she doesn't really know much about...
She said she'll check up on what's the difference for me though
Please thank your mother for me! I have been wondering what the difference is for a long time. I will be sitting on the edge of my chair waiting to hear....
Sorry for the late reply! We've been fairly busy with personal issues these few days so I never really got around to getting a proper reply!
Knowing that, I went straight to my dad instead.
'Mam tom' uses whole shrimp, unlike the shrimp paste that is 'mam ruoc'. For 'mam tom', they leave the shrimps in a jar for around 6 months in a mixture of salted water and fish sauce (much like other pickling).
BUT to further complicate matters, because Vietnam has 3 main regions (north, middle and south), 'mam tom' and 'mam ruoc' may be referred to the SAME thing, but uses different names depending on the region.
In the case of the jars you have, I think your 'mam tom' might be the same as 'mam ruoc' (shrimp paste). Check which region of Vietnam you bought it from.
I think (note I am only repeating what I hear as I don't know much about this) the Southerners refer to shrimp paste as 'mam ruoc' and the whole shrimp as 'mam tom'.
Whole shrimp or shrimp paste, that is the question.
Edit: I just read that Northerners refer to 'mam ruoc' as 'mam tom'.
Re-edit: I just realised that everything I said must have confused you even more...sorry!
I thinkyou're right -- the bottle I have that is labelled "Mam Tom Thuong Hang -- Shrimp Sauce (Finely Ground)" is probably the same thing as mam ruoc. It definitely does NOT have whole shrimp in it.
But I have seen bottles at my local Asian market that do contain small whole shrimp. Unfortunately these bottles do not have clear labels -- in English at least -- but I bet they are what your Dad described as mam tom.
This IS confusing, but I think you have cleared things up for me. And I thank you and your family for this information!
-
To be honest, I have no idea what 'mam tom' is. As for 'mam ruoc', I have no idea what it actually means, I only know how to refer to it. What I do know though, is that it's NOT fish sauce in any way (did you see this on the actual jars?). 100% sure it's shrimp paste.
Yes, I have actual jars that say this.
One jar is labelled "Mam Ruoc Chau Doc -- Fine Shrimp Paste". The other jar is labelled "Mam Ruoc Da Nang -- Fish Sauce". Both jars list the contents as "fine shrimp and salt."
I have a third jar that is labelled "Mam Tom Thuong Hang -- Shrimp Sauce (Finely Ground)". The contents of this jar are listed as "Fermented shrimp and salt".
The content of each jar is a slightly different color. Maybe the labels reflect a translation problem? I know Chau Doc and Da Nang are towns in Vietnam, so I was thinking that the first two jars contained different regional versions of shrimp paste? But what about the jar labeled Mam Tom?
It's a mystery!!
Ahh then it's probably (I assume) really bad translation? The 'sauce' was most likely referring to 'paste'. Maybe in the Vietnamese language, they don't really differentiate betwen 'sauce' and 'paste'?
Anyway, I just asked my mum about 'mam tom' and she said yes, that is different from 'mam ruoc'. Problem is she's not familiar with 'mam tom' because it's (apparently) essentially a Northern Vietnamese thing, which she doesn't really know much about...
She said she'll check up on what's the difference for me though
Please thank your mother for me! I have been wondering what the difference is for a long time. I will be sitting on the edge of my chair waiting to hear....
-
To be honest, I have no idea what 'mam tom' is. As for 'mam ruoc', I have no idea what it actually means, I only know how to refer to it. What I do know though, is that it's NOT fish sauce in any way (did you see this on the actual jars?). 100% sure it's shrimp paste.
Yes, I have actual jars that say this.
One jar is labelled "Mam Ruoc Chau Doc -- Fine Shrimp Paste". The other jar is labelled "Mam Ruoc Da Nang -- Fish Sauce". Both jars list the contents as "fine shrimp and salt."
I have a third jar that is labelled "Mam Tom Thuong Hang -- Shrimp Sauce (Finely Ground)". The contents of this jar are listed as "Fermented shrimp and salt".
The content of each jar is a slightly different color. Maybe the labels reflect a translation problem? I know Chau Doc and Da Nang are towns in Vietnam, so I was thinking that the first two jars contained different regional versions of shrimp paste? But what about the jar labeled Mam Tom?
It's a mystery!!
-
I have to chime in also and recommend Star Restaurant Supply on Sepulveda Blvd in Van Nuys, CA. They are excellent.
I looked everywhere -- including Macy's -- for a very large heavy stainless steel roasting pot and couldn't find one anywhere. Then I went to Star Restaurant Supply. I walked out with two roasters -- one enormous, one very big -- and have been using them happily for years.
I get things like parchment paper, muslin, small steel skewers, and butcher's twine there: all products I could find no where else.
As a previous poster said, it is a pleasure to browse there and I always find products that I didn't know I needed LOL.
By the way, I also own a complete set of All Clad stainless steel and I congratulate you on your purchase. They are great to cook with and easy to clean. The only thing is they get discolored unless you use stainless steel cleaner on them.
-
Is there a difference between Mam Tom (which I have seen labeled Shrimp Sauce in English) and Mam Ruoc (which I have seen labeled as both Shrimp Paste and Fish Sauce in English)?
I have been wondering about this for a while now.
-
I just found this thread today and I was overjoyed. Last Oct we went to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia and I bought alot of vanilla beans from the islanders. They were fresh, fragrant, and plump. I assume they are Tahitian beans. When I got home I made vanilla extract and vanilla sugar with them.
For the extract, I used expensive vodka, I split and scrapped the pods, and put both beans and split pods in the vodka. I sealed the jar on Nov 2. After reading this thread I opened the jar for the first time. The extract has a lovely vanillla fragrance and no odor of alcohol at all. I don't think it's done yet, though, especially after reading this thread.
As a test, I sniffed a jar of (expensive!) purchased vanilla extract that I have and there is no comparison! Even after a scant three months, my home made extract smells much purer and has more vanilla fragrance.
I am so glad to see that there are others making their own extract. My husband thinks I'm nuts.
-
Don't give up on powdered tumeric!
I use both the powder, which I purchase, and the fresh roots, which I grow. I buy tumeric powder at a middle-eastern market that sells alot of spices and has a high turnover, which means that their spices tend to be fresher.
The powder I get is close to the color of marigolds. It has a distinct aroma. It's very cheap -- less than $1.
Try to find a market with alot of spices and a high turnover. These tend to be immigrant markets.
-
I have come to love tumeric. It adds a wonderful exotic, aromatic flavor to any green vegetable. Saute minced garlic, add a tsp of ground tumeric, then stirfry the green vegetable for a real treat. It's also wonderful as a dry rub (with salt) for meat.
I can't understand how anyone could think it's tasteless...?
I grow my own tumeric plants. I'm not sure what variety I have, but the fresh roots are yellow inside and taste WONDERFUL when chopped and stirfried in dishes. (I don't bother processing them into powder because it's so much work and the powder is so cheap.)
I also grow galanga, and the fresh tumeric root is every bit as delicious and exotic, although it has a completely different taste of course. There is a Burmese pork curry that uses both fresh tumeric and frest galanga. It's delicious.
-
I know this thread is for SF, but I live in Los Angeles and have searched for cilantro root without luck also. My local Asian markets stock galanga, kaffir lime leaves, and almost everything else, but not cilantro root. My local farmers' market stocks cilantro but not the root. In desperation, I started growing my own, but the plants are still very small and I would love to buy some.
Does anyone know where cilantro root can be purchased around LA?
Looking for Small Commercial Cinnamon Grinder/Mill
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I just bought a Waring commercial spice mill for use in my home. It was about $130 or so. I don't really think it would be up to processing 20-40 lbs of cinnamon a week. It's not big enough, for one thing (i.e., it doesn't hold enough at one time).