ScoopKW
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Posts posted by ScoopKW
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I really need some help, quickly! We've been waiting for our visa for a while and it just got approved last week. So, we're moving to Australia in January. Before doing so, I really want to get new knives.
I recently purchased some "wow" knives.
This is what I learned during my quest for knives:
1) It doesn't matter where you live. Your knives can be shipped. Don't sweat your address.
2) Choosing a knife without trying it first is damned near useless. This is why it's good to be in the industry -- you can ask to try coworker's knives. (However, you can buy super-premium knives and try them out -- knowing you can sell them for 90+% of the sales price if you don't like them. Provided you don't somehow ruin them during the "trial" phase. If you don't mind the depreciation, you can try knives that way.)
3) Knowing how to REALLY sharpen a knife is far more important at your stage of the game.
My advice? Buy whet stones and sharpen your current knives. Change the bevel. From the sound of it, you've given up on these knives anyway, so use them to hone your sharpening techniques.
Then go knife shopping.
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The two places I'm from, New England and the Gulf Coast, use Oysters in stuffing.
I now live in Las Vegas, where they DON'T include Oysters in their Thanksgiving stuffing -- just one more reason why Las Vegas is a horrible, horrible place.
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Question: should the bird be stuffed? I keep hearing things about how you shouldn't eat the stuffing out of the bird because it'll be full of unhealthy bacteria or something. Then again, I've seen cooking to 180° suggested.
I'm against stuffing birds for the simple reason that it increases cooking time. I chuck some shallots and rosemary in the cavity for flavor, but that's it.
EDIT -- Having finally plowed through the thread, I must say that I am APPALLED that nobody has written about PROPER stuffing -- oyster stuffing. Stuffing with White Castle hamburgers is an abomination. The four stuffing requirements: bread, butter, pork and oysters. Spice it however you want, so long as the four pillars of stuffing are there.
Here's a recipe from Saveur to use as a starting point: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Oyster-Stuffing-1000065850
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Lately I buy things thusly:
"Well, I have that Virginia ham in the freezer, and it's getting cold outside. So I guess I'll buy split peas and cream next time I'm at the store."
After the pea soup is gone, I pick some ingredient I have, and buy stuff to match.
When I find a "deal," I buy as much as makes sense. (Recently, I found pork shoulder mispriced at $0.15/lb. So I bought all of it and made sausages.)
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I'm a big fan of those little birds.
I usually cut them in half, squirt a mustard sauce under the skin, and grill them.
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Vallejo, California
Why?
S.F. is a quick ferry ride away.
Yountville is a quick drive away. So is St. Helena, Rutherford, Napa and Calistoga.
Smell the ocean, watch the fog roll in.
Local oysters and crabs. In fact, local everything that I care to eat.
I'm told there are some good restaurants in the vicinity, but I always just buy fresh stuff at the farmers markets and cook.
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My m.i.l. raises chickens in Las Vegas for the eggs. When butchered, they're only fit for coq au vin.
But I know of only a handful of people here in the Mojave desert who have the space, lack of HOAs, and ability to raise their own.
My biggest problem is for many people, the choice is "buy Tyson" or "eat something else." And the "something else" is just as bad/unethical as Tyson chicken. There are a few stores that sell halal and real free range birds. But they're very expensive -- probably beyond the means of most of my neighbors.
I think our biggest problem is lack of choices -- there may be a dozen brands of a similar product on the shelf, but they're all made by the same company -- like Luxottica eyewear, Foxconn laptops, Hormel pork, etc.
I think we need to quit subsidizing mega-farming industries, so family farms can once again compete.
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At home, I have cutting boards -- plastic only -- in several sizes ranging from "cut a small quantity of veg" to "assemble a turducken."
I pull the smallest board that will do the job. I almost never cut without a board. My hands are scarred enough as-is.
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I buy one bag of decent candy and a lot of cheap crap.
Here in Las Vegas, I get mostly young teens in haphazard costumes -- kids with nothing better to do than wear a bed sheet and ring the bell for some sugar. They get the cheap crap.
Neighbors' kids and anyone who looks like they put some thought and effort into the costume gets the good stuff.
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It was the 2nd biggest mess I've ever had to clean up in my kitchen. (You don't want to know about the biggest mess!)
Yes, actually, I'll bet more than one of us would like to know about the biggest mess. Two crockpots full of chicken stew for dogs WAAAAY outclasses my worst mess of "a sack of flour." And that's only #2?
As for crock pots:
onion confit
duck confit
any confit, really
making stock -- nothing is better for making stock than a crock pot
I am also toying with the idea of using a temperature regulator to turn my crock pot into an ersatz immersion bath for sous vide. The thick crock holds temperature very, very well. And I'll bet I could keep a steak within a degree or two of 131f for 24 hours.
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I ended up buying a $30 tool box from a hardware store.
Then I brought to bear years of woodworking experience (and equipment that would make Norm Abram envious) and built a set of stackable trays that fit inside the box -- complete with knife holders, gadget caddies, etc.
Everyone who has seen this now wants me to build trays for him/her. I could probably start a nice little sideline in baltic birch tool box inserts for cooks.
It's not the most elegant solution, but it's practical. I think there is a ready market looking for a product here. Eventually, a chef/engineer is going to come up with the gear-box that every cook covets.
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Vodka drinks stuff recalls a quip of a generation ago: The Phillips Screwdriver. (Vodka and Milk of Magnesia.)
Considering the physical state of the Baby Boomers, I suggest the Piledriver -- vodka and prune juice.
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My tea merchant of choice is John Harney and Sons -- http://www.harney.com/
I'd be interested to know what the certified tea-geeks here think of them.
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Unfortunately, you're going during the zenith of tourist season. Bargain hunting isn't going to be easy.
I'm partial to Napa valley, so my info is going to be skewed in that direction.
First, educate yourself. You can't hit 20 wineries each day. I use http://www.napavintners.com/wineries/ as a checklist. "Free" and "inexpensive" tastings exist, but they're few and far between. Many wineries charge upwards of $25 for five one-ounce pours. If that's out of your range, don't waste your time finding a parking spot.
I almost ALWAYS stick with the smaller producers -- You're not going to find any deals at Mondavi, and the clerk at the counter isn't allowed to knock 30% off a case just because he/she feels like giving you a break, no matter how nice you are.
My favorite places are the family-run operations where a son/daughter/cousin is pouring the wine, the vintner comes to the tasting room regularly, and they'll cut you a deal on wine by the case.
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Hmmm... can't seem to edit. Guess it's been too long.
Let me expand a bit:
I bought one of these at Home Depot yesterday:
This thing is just perfect. It has that flap for storing peelers, thermometers, pens, etc. And then it has plenty of room for blades and other kit necessities.
Problem is, at 18-inches wide, it's about two inches too short. (My 300mm gyuto is 19" overall.)
I also liked the look of this box:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00917628000P?i_cntr=1286981749202
The cantilever design and long storage compartments look like they'd be ideal for kitchen kit. But this one also suffers from being just a wee bit small for my chef's knife.
Then we have cases like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Messermeister-Mobil-Chefs-Wheels-Black/dp/B00062BA74
and, of course, Ferran Adria has a Louis Vuitton custom set:
http://www.ilvoelv.com/2009/11/maitres-du-savoir-faire-ferran-adria.html/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/louis-vuitton/4071699417/
But both of these examples cost more than I'd like to spend. In the latter case, I'm guessing "about as much as a small car" more.
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The chains will do what they always do: Obfuscate, confuse and exaggerate.
There are 4 8 10 12 servings in a Big Mac, everyone knows that.
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I buy lobster sleepers (almost dead) and stiffs (freshly dead*) from my local Asian market, on a "wink wink, nudge nudge" basis for $3/lb.
Not only do I get the stock I want, I usually get enough meat to make a few lobster rolls. Double bonus, if you ask me.
*Its a matter of trust that they're recently deceased. So far, so good.
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My kit has outgrown my knife roll. My freakin' knives have outgrown my knife roll.
So, I need something to carry all this junk around. Most people seem to use tool boxes from various hardware stores.
Anyone have a preference? Anything beat a toolbox from Sears or Home Depot?
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I started volunteering at a ThreeSquare today. I need the experience, and they do high volume.
Today I worked a short day because I had a final exam at culinary school. My activity for today was muffins. 500 of them. We would have made 1,000 but we were short on eggs.
I had to dose the batter into paper sleeves using a traditional thumb-activated ice cream scoop. Being left handed, this was about as comfortable as chewing on aluminum foil. I was told that the batter was too thin for a pastry bag and too thick for a pancake doser.
Since making muffins by the ton looks to be a steady thing for me, I need a better scoop. I want something that has a powerful spring, with good response. It should be heavy enough to last forever, but no heavier.
Suggestions?
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One comment about the original five-year old post.
The OP said mineralized water can leave scale build-up on the heating element. OP suggests using softened water.
I don't see what good that will do, because softened water is just tap water with salt added. Softened water would be worse on lab equipment than unsoftened. Use RO or bottled water instead. Distilled water would be ideal (and that's what the labs use), but RO and bottled are almost as good, and don't require home distilling equipment. (Although home distilling equipment can be FUN* if you know what you're doing.)
* And very illegal.
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IIRC, it is not particularly expensive to book a limo for the day. That takes care of everything.
I cannot stress strongly enough: Go to the small wineries where the guy pouring flights is either the owner, or one of the sons/daughters of the owner. Avoid the places with $25 tasting fees. My favorite places usually had a "$10 per flight, refunded with any purchase" price. That's the sort of place to go to.
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I go to Napa every year. I would not even consider a tour because I would be at the mercy of the tour operator. What if you click with a winery and want to spend a couple hours there? No can do, because the tour needs to shuttle you to Mondavi or Sutter Home or whatever.
Pick a few good wineries, and do it yourself. Part of the charm of the valley is exploring on your own. Take the ferry to Vallejo, rent a car there, and Napa is minutes away. Just don't get blotto. I can safely do three or four flights per day, and still be in good shape to drive. The police are more lenient than most places, but they have their limits.
I would recommend going to Goosecross, Shramsberg, Grgich and August Briggs. That would be a nice, pleasant day in the valley. Of course, you'll want to move there afterward. Such is the danger of visiting Napa.
Make absolutely sure you visit the Fatted Calf at Oxbow market for picnic provisions. Nothing like a really good pâté and rillets to nosh on while you go from winery to winery. V. Sattui winery has a good deli, but I prefer Fatted Calf.
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Or grow them yourself. My mother-in-law's chickens are the pinnacle of "humanely raised." They free-range on a freakin' orchard.
Their eggs are fantastic. But when they stop laying, they gotta go -- economics. And the only thing they're good for at that point is coq au vin.
I very much dislike dispatching them. But I do it because I try to be an ethical omnivore.
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I highly recommend getting any of his books in Audiobook format. He reads quite well. And you'll get some more snarkiness and sarcasm that way.
Is there any reason to buy Wusthof/Henckels anymore?
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
One big-handed lefty to another -- buy "regular" Japanese knives. Then sharpen them lefty.
After a few months of use you have a single bevel -- no premium price.