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ScoopKW

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Everything posted by ScoopKW

  1. Yeah, just a tad larger.... But if my kitchen was 100 sqft, I would use an ISI soda bottle, probably with an adapter connected when necessary to a 5-pound CO2 bottle, to save on chargers. I hate "proprietary" anything. "Proprietary" is a nice way of saying, "We've got you by the [censored]. And now we're going to act out that scene from Deliverance, except on your wallet. Now squeal like a piggy!"
  2. I repeat -- kegerator, cornelius keg, regular keg full of beer, CO2 tank, splitter, shutoffs. Fresh beer and soda water any time. Much less all the way around than a Sodastream.
  3. I haven't abandoned this project -- just that things are VERY slow for the next couple weeks. I haven't been working very much. And when I am working, it's nothing anyone would want to read about. Funny/interesting/insightful only seems to happen when we're slammed. I've been using this down time to finish up a bunch of woodworking projects. Just built an acoustic guitar, and I'm almost done with an electric guitar. I don't know how to play, but I plan on buying Rocksmith when that comes out for the PC and using that to teach myself. (I could buy the XBox version today, but that would require buying an XBox.) I did have a nice shift with Jackie, "Could you find me a broom," on New Years Eve. We plated a couple thousand high-dollar entrees for the party. Then I drove him home so he didn't have to take the bus. And I even made it home in time to watch the fireworks from my balcony. What I really want to write about is the sort of people who work with me at the casino -- the engineers, stewards, pit bosses, cocktail waitresses and housekeepers. But that's off topic, so I have to wait until interesting things happen in the kitchen. And lately, it's been awfully dull.
  4. I can't speak for other states but in Nevada, a HACCP plan needs to be on file to do sous vide commercially. Perhaps liability/insurance/paperwork is just too much for anyone to want to bring a product to market?
  5. "A Blender" is the only tool I've ever used for building hollandaise and bernaise. I can't be buggered to whisk that long -- even at home, for myself.
  6. 1. No. 2. Yes. (After the grill seasons a bit. And, you can always throw in some wood chips.) 3. No idea -- I've only used stainless. I've been grilling with infrared since the TEC Patio II came out. I prefer the "ceramic plate with a million little holes drilled in it, upside-down salamander" to the newer models. The newer infrared grills feature a glass or metal barrier over the gas flame. (Google "Holland Grill" for information about this old "new" technology.) They are more efficient, but don't get as hot as the older style. BUT... I use infrared for one thing only -- grilling steaks. My only concern is "how hot does it get?" I cook a steak so quickly, there isn't time for a lot of moisture loss. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, the Char-Broil in question looks like an efficient way to grill, but don't expect to emulate Ruth's Chris with it. Reviews of this one are awfully spotty. The people who love it, love it. But there are a lot of complaints about the electric heating elements. What you haven't mentioned is what you want out of the grill.
  7. Keep in mind, Las Vegans named Olive Garden the "Best Italian Restaurant" in the yearly "Best of Las Vegas" poll. Depending where you're from*, I'd hit the small taco shops (drive three minutes in any direction and you'll see one) or the pan-asian places on Spring Mountain. Those are two things that are consistently done well here. And there's always In-N-Out, Fatburger and Tommy's, for people who don't have good hamburger stands locally. I'm also of the opinion that Las Vegas does the rodizio steakhouse quite well. I've been to three, and all were quite good. * If you're from San Diego or San Francisco, you already have better taco-shops or dim sum joints.
  8. Perhaps, but when I throw a dinner party, I ALSO want to enjoy myself. I don't want to have to stress out over a dish I have never attempted before. I want to have everything basically on auto-pilot by the time the first guest arrives, with the kitchen looking tidy, the plates in the warming drawer, the salads plated and in the 'fridge, et cetera. New Year's eve with guests is not the time to be attempting one's first-ever Yorkshire pudding. Or one's first-ever Peking duck. Or one's first-ever sushi roll. Also, making a dish that doesn't taste right (or even close) puts guests in the awkward position of having to pretend to like it just because they don't want to hurt the host's feelings. That's unprofessional, and not the hallmark of a good host. If I want to try something new for a party, I will make the dish well in advance.
  9. If you're experimenting for yourself, that's one thing. But I'm of the mind that it's not a good idea to use a dinner party for experimentation. I don't think it sounds professional to ask guests, "I haven't done this before, what do you think?" Tried-and-true "I can knock this out in my sleep" recipes should be used.
  10. While I agree that selling foie contrary to the wishes of one's employer is both poor form and counterproductive; it wouldn't be an issue if Selfridges hadn't caved to the anti-foie crowd.
  11. I was just there. You assume incorrectly. (Although I wouldn't know which designer brands use sweatshop labor. I assume the answer is probably "all of them.") Today it's foie. But fur, leather, all protein other than bean and soy-based -- that's all on their list. They chip away at the "easy" targets first. Thus numbing us to feeling of having our rights legislated away. (They're using the legislature in California, and the bully pulpit in London.) If they have their way, 20 years from now the Evening Standard Fishwrapper headline will be the same. Just replace "foie" with "milk." "Man Fired from Selfridge's Soy Court for Selling Cow's Milk"
  12. Porcupine Pub -- 48 Charing Cross Rd., Leicester Square I will be there 12/16 in the late afternoon, and again on Christmas Day, in the afternoon. And to make things easy, I'll be wearing a shirt I bought at the Porcupine Grill in Salt Lake City. Hard to miss me, anyway... (I wonder how many Porcupine bars there are worldwide? I've knocked out two of them already. Maybe there are others?)
  13. That's the way I've always done hollandaise. I'll bet TK would cringe. But it works. Great thread. Please keep 'em coming.
  14. A pot. A stove. A candy thermometer. Why mess with the tried and true? I dislike Chef Mike for everything except reheating leftovers, and speeding along a baked potato.
  15. "why don't I make it the way my family makes it and you can see how it is". That was my first clue that this was not going to end well..... I would have fired the person on the spot for that. How about you do it the way I told you to do it, because you're supposedly a professional and I'm signing your check? No? Hit the bricks.
  16. Then perhaps you don't pay enough? My motto -- "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys."
  17. I pull the fat from the body cavity, cut the big flaps of skin, cut off the pope's nose, and toss it all in a saucier with a little water and simmer it down for an hour. I get about 1/3 of my total fat yield that way. But I agree. Most of the gold lies in the bottom of the roasting pan.
  18. It's been my experience that chefs are so used to lame excuses that many of them don't know what to do when a cook tells the truth. "I broke this. How can I make it right?" My screw-ups at work invariably involve dropping things. I'm a dropper. When I drop food, I bin it and make it again. No need to tell the chef. Stuff happens. I'm always so far ahead of my orders that redoing part of a ticket isn't a big deal. My worst "drop" was 5 gallons of hot sauce, which burned my foot. This was three weeks ago and it still hasn't healed completely. You can't hide something like that. Not that I would try. So to answer your question: If I screw up, and it's going to affect the flow of production, I tell someone -- stat. If it's minor, and involves a couple bucks in food cost, I bin it and move on with life. And, like JeanneCake, I always find something to do. Nothing is more boring than standing around watching an oven. I'll find something, anything, to avoid standing around.
  19. Most of the time, I cook my BBQ at 250f/120c. That's my sweet spot. I usually cook meats to an internal temp of 190-200f/88-95c -- cut a piece off and taste it. It's done when it tastes done. I smoke with hardwood -- usually fruit wood culled from my mother in law's orchard. I like cooking over applewood, peachwood, cherrywood, etc. I never soak my wood. But sometimes I'll smoke with "green" wood. I dislike hickory and mesquite. Getting the amount of smoke right is the hardest part in my opinion. It's not hard to learn to keep a smoker at the right temp. But it's harder to have enough smoke to flavor the meat, but not so much that it tastes like an ashtray. My first forays into BBQ were "ashtray." (Too much smoke. Too hot a smoke.) The smoke should have a bluish tint. Like a burning cigar. And while there should be a constant amount of smoke, it shouldn't be billowing out like a locomotive. My advice? Buy cheap, tough cuts of meat -- whatever is cheap at your market. Take it home and smoke it. After a few sessions, you'll get the hang of it.
  20. We did goose for Thanksgiving, and I think that's our new tradition. After rendering and saving the fat, the roasted goose (with goose and port gravy) served five. I made a goose/bacon/potato port-gravy pie with the leftovers, using a goosefat/thyme pastry crust. Made stock from the bones. Goose RULES over turkey.
  21. I'd be happy if all Americans would learn to say "coupon" correctly.
  22. It's open on Christmas. All the "Nichols Pubs" are. The Porcupine just happens to be within walking distance from our hotel.
  23. I used Greweling's recipe this afternoon. And with the exception of a small sugar burn on my index finger when turning out the brittle, everything went perfectly. This is far superior to my old recipe. Three differences: 1) Double the baking soda; 2) Taking the candy to 320f instead of 300-310f; 3) Less water. The only thing I changed was increasing the butter by half. I like a buttery brittle. Here's the recipe: Makes one 10-inch by 15-inch sheet. [i doubled this recipe. No problems.] 1 pound (2 cups) sugar 4 ounces (½ cup) water 12 ounces (1 cup) light corn syrup 1 pound (3 cups) unsalted blanched raw whole peanuts 1 teaspoon salt 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) butter, unsalted, soft 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1½ teaspoons baking soda Lightly oil a 10-inch by 15-inch sheet pan or line it with parchment paper. Lightly oil an offset palette knife. [i skipped this step and turned the brittle out onto a Silpat. Then I covered the candy with parchment and rolled it out with a marble roller. When the candy cooled, it was easy to remove the parchment.] Combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant rubber spatula. Cover and boil for 4 minutes. Remove the cover, insert a thermometer, and cook without stirring to 240°F. Add the peanuts and cook while stirring to 320°F or until the batch is light brown. Remove from the heat; mix in the salt, butter, vanilla and baking soda thoroughly. Pour onto the prepared pan and spread to the edges using the oiled palette knife. Allow to cool to room temperature. Break into the desired size pieces. Store sealed in an airtight container. For Cocoa Nib Brittle: Replace the peanuts with 4 ounces/1 cup cocoa nibs. For Pecan Brittle: Replace the peanuts with an equal amount of coarsely chopped pecans. For Sesame Brittle: Replace the peanuts with 8 ounces/1½ cups sesame seeds.
  24. I'll be there from the 14th until Boxing Day. I've learned that London basically shuts down for Christmas. Don't expect much at all to be open. But there's also next to no traffic, which makes a stroll along the Thames very photogenic. (But, again, nothing is open.) I'm planning on having a few pints at the Porcupine Pub on Charing Cross near Nelson's column on Christmas Day, if anyone wants to join us.
  25. From the New York City Administrative Code, Title 3, Chapter 2: Referring to that stuff they make in Chicago as 'pizza' is equally egregious. Sorry, Neapolitan or nothing for me. New York "pizza" has too much crap on it to be considered pizza. And, to stay on topic, I could really go for a nice ham salad.
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