s_sevilla

I bid on ebay for a few months before I landed my hands on a waterbath that was in my price-range. It's not a circulating model and doesn't have ramping controls, but it works like a charm and holds temperatures within .2 degree(F). If you have a little knowledge about simple circuits, then it is possible to set up a fairly accurate system using an off-the-shelf PID (Proportional-integral-derivative) controller, electric hob, and if you want better uniformity, then a heat-tolerant immersible pump. Going this route should cost around 150-200$, and the used baths on ebay can be found in the same price-range.

A custom made damascus chef's knife combi-oven Hobart N5 Cooktek induction hobs All-Clad cookware One of those giant industrial immersion blenders (I think it just looks cool whipping one out and plunging it into a pot) A benchtop freeze-dryer Now lets see if any of this could happen on a student's budget...if only I could swipe a freeze dryer from one of the labs.

thanks, if it turns out ok I'll post the results. I'll definitely say I'm expecting the whole operation to be a lot cleaner than doing it the traditional way....but I need a backup since the confit will be for a formal dinner I'm cooking this weekend.....In part of the prep leading up to the event I'm doing a lot of the components Sous Vide so I can free up as much time as possible studying for finals, if only for this I've found Sous Vide to be one of the nicest innovations to the way I cook

Any experiences on Duck Confit done Sous Vide? I just recieved 20 pounds of legs and fat from Liberty Ducks and I'm going to do most traditionally, but I wanted to do a little experiment to see how it holds up this way......my only concern is that the liquid left in the leg won't have a chance to escape and evaporate, but the sous-vide batch would also be only for immediate consumption, and I won't be storing them in the back of my fridge for a few months. I'm thinking a time/temp of 165-180/12hrs.

check the "Adventures with Sodium Alginate" over in the Cooking forums, it has a lot of insight into the quirks you may run into when working with that particular product.

I will.....finally eat at Chez Panisse after living 3 blocks away for 4 years I will.....try more Offal.

also check out CMC as a gluten/egg replacer. Its easier to find than Hydroxyl-Methyl cell and does wonders as an egg/gluten substitute. SOme the HMC's are better, but you have to jump through a couple hoops to get them, while CMC is easier to find from a lot of baking supply centers.

recommended time and temp for the butternut (I would assume about 180 for 4-12 hours depending on how thick the cuts are)? How sparse should the cloves be in the spice mix, I would think that they could become a little overwhelming if you weren't careful.

read upthread about the dulche de leche. You can caramelize pretty much any milk product you want. Yogurt does well in a 180 degree bath for 24 hours.....tastes a bit like a ripe cheese.

so what about not going to school at all.......it seems that it's entirely possible to get through everything without any formal culinary training. Everyone is so hopped up on going to "formal" culinary training when it seems (to me) like the best way to learn how to do any of this is to 1)read and 2)try try again. Almost everything I know comes from experimenting around and sitting down in my kitchen for a few hours with a bag of potatoes practicing with my knife. For example, I had been making something almost exactly like a Romesco sauce for a few years, and didn't know what it was until I happened on a recipe that looked like it in a cookbook I had just bought.

Terrines, anything Sous-vide helps alot. If you're willing to invest in an ISI whipper and/or some lecithin, then savory and sweet foams.

Try as I might to try Uni and get myself to like it, eating it makes me retch.....maybe I'll give myself another year and try to eat it again.

two things: When you called Dow chemicals to get the samples, did they send them free or was there a nominal charge. Also, has anyone tried pouring the "ice cream" into a mold (say, silicone), and then poaching the whole thing in a bain marie or setting it in a steamer? Seams like it would work just as well, but you wouldn't get the ice cream scoop look, or a quenelle.

edit: Mixed it up, I just saw the previous post..... Should it be veggie then fish????? I'm confused now.... When making tempura, the chef should make a fresh batter every seating of guests, fish and shellfish are fried and served first (when oil is the hottest), then there is a progression to the vegetables, and as a last hurrah, the chef should take a heap of jullienned carrrots, cabbage, and daikon to soak up the last of the batter, then fry and serve the whole fritter to the guest. Some of the more interesting things I've had: Lotus root with the holes stuffed with roe. Mountain potatoe with a bit of cream cheese stuffed inside, and these whole sand crabs (not more than an inch or two wide)

Check the "Dinner for 40" thread. As far as planning, start off at the proteins, calculate how much each person will eat, then backtrack from there to scale your recipes accordingly. On average, I assume 4-8 oz. of meat per person depending on what I will cook. For 44 hungry people, I will easily go through 15-25 pounds of meat, but it is always a good idea to make a bit extra. Also consider any allergies, vegatarians/vegans you may have to cook for. For example, I cook for someone who is a celiac, is allergic to eggs, dairy, nuts, etc., so I try and cook a protein that they can eat, then a seperate side if I need to. If it is only you cooking, you will find that 95% of your time is devoted to prep, so plan accordingly, and use shortcuts (such as pre-peeled garlic cloves or stewed tomatoes) to help along the way. As far as what to cook consider something meaty, a vegetable, and something starchy. A good pasta kills two birds with one stone, and a really expertly prepared sauce makes many people very happy....I find that it is actually easier to prepare a nice rich, long simmered sauce than something less time consuming because it gives you time to prepare other components.

the cultures that exist in creme fraiche are more suited to a lower (slightly above room temp.) temperature for incubation. The ones in yogurt are better suited for temperatures from about 90 to 115. You can make it just by leaving a jar of innoculated heavy creme in your kitchen overnight.

Liquid could be sweating out of the apples during the baking, thats probably why it's a bit soupy.....the sweet potatoes themselves should have enough starch to hold it together. If its far too soupy, I would make a loose bechamel sauce instead of just pouring on the heavy cream. Or reduce down your heavy cream beore pouring it into the pan to account for extra liquid that exudes from the apples during the baking.

no so much HOW to cook, but the why's, what's, and other w's behind cooking from "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee....this book goes a long way in stoking passion for food.

I would have to play around with this more and read through McGee....I did, however, find a very interesting paper on the effect and causes of syneresis....let's just say it has a lot more science to it than most would need for any Molecular Gastronomy, but the short is, the effects of syneresis have a lot to do with micelles and dissolution of Gelatin molecules during swelling and shrinking, as well as the stretching and contraction of molecules and bonds (a little bit like a glutan matrix).

After some further reading It looks like osmotic pressure has a lot to do with this.

I don't think that the clarity issues have anything to do with the protein content because both buttermilk and brown butter have casein (a protein molecule). Looking at the results on testkitchen and ideasinfood, it looks like starch is more likely the culprit here because the chocolate, potatoe, and the peanut broths all have this problem, and it seems the most common component among them is starch.

Just a quick note to see if my understanding of the effect is correct: By freezing the gelatenized liquid, the water forms ice crystals, these crystals force the water to expand in volume and form sharp crystals that break out of the gelatin matrix. This causes the gel to swell. Upon thawing the water is no longer "trapped" by the gelatin matrix, and the subsequent ripping caused by the ice crystals leaves microscopic paths through which the latent water can leave the gelatin matrix, while the particulate matter (along with some liquid) is still maintained in the gelatin. Thumbing through McGee it seems like the gelatin strength/bond strength has a lot to do with the efficiency of this application, and salt and acid in moderation should be able to improve yield. note this is bond strength, and not an increased concentration of gelatin. This makes sense to me....I'm not sure if it is entirely correct, if someone else out there could give me a little more insight it would be much appreciated.----thanks.

As far as locals I have no idea, but for tourists the Pike place market in Seattle is a nice experience, I definitely don't doubt that the fish is fresh (if overpriced), then of course, it's a much nicer experience to walk down to a dock and buy fish as it comes out of the hold of the boat.

I'm working on a layered cake right now (unfortuneatly classes let me only do one part at a time and throw it in the freezer: Ginger spice genoise caramal-brandy creme pumpkin creme pecan Dobos

try the Rockridge district of Berkeley/Oakland Border......very very good concentration of top notch eateries, of all price points, Bart within Walking distance, parks in berkeley, and a really nice park not too far away in Montclair/piedmont, a doggie park in the Marina a short drive away....not to mention proximity to Berkeley Bowl