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naes

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Everything posted by naes

  1. Make the time. That's it. Yes, we get busy in the kitchen and there just never seems to be enough time to get it all done, but you need to make sure you eat and drink plenty of water. You'll be much more efficient in the kitchen if you're fed and hydrated. So just make it a priority. Put it on your prep list. Set an alarm/timer. Plan your work so you have 5-10 minutes to eat something. If you can't throw something together quick from the staff meal bin, then nip a little something off the hot line's mis (not some expensive protein, of course). A couple scrambled eggs, a piece of fruit, and some toast makes a decent meal. Or bring something from home. Or stop on the way and pick something up at a deli.
  2. Along the lines of what serj had to say, check out this site http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/icecream.html As for reproducing your existing recipe with the product you have on hand, just calculate the contents of the recipe using heavy cream & whole milk to find your percentages of milk fat and milk solids non-fat. Then you can use that as a basis to figure out how to adjust the recipe using available products. Here, I've done some math for you based on your recipe. I used the milk composition percentages found at http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/chem.html 4 c heavy cream (952 grams) * 348 g milk fat * 53 g milk solids non-fat * 551 g water 3 c whole milk (732 grams) * 26 g milk fat * 63 g milk solids non-fat * 643 g water Totals for Recipe * 374 g milk fat * 116 g milk solids non-fat * 1194 g water If you used 7 cups of your 15% cream (1684g) , then you'd get * 252 g milk fat * 126 g milk solids non-fat * 1306 g water So as you can see, you need to find a way to increase your milk fat and decrease the water. The extra milk solids non-fat probably won't make an appreciable difference in the final result, so don't worry about that. One thing you could do is, as you suggested, reduce the cream. By simmering the cream you are removing water and leaving behind the fat and solids. Unfortunately though, you'd need to start with more cream to get the total desired amount (1684g), which would drive up your milk solids non-fat percentage as well as the milk fat percentage. I'd say add some clarified butter, which is pure milk fat to get up the percentage. You mentioned that the butter is very salty. I always put a little salt in my ICB, so hopefully it would be just the right amount anyway. So let's use the water amount as our fixed number and go from there. 1540 g cream (15%) * 231 g milk fat * 116 g milk solids non-fat * 1194 g water Now all you need to do is add 143 g of clarified butter and you're there! Math is fun : ) Hope that helps. Good luck! * Edit - I wrote all of this below under the assumption that you said you have 15% cream available to you. Not sure where I got that number?? When I looked back through after posting, I saw that it was actually 25% cream but it's out of stock. Anyway, the same math can be applied to the 25% cream once you get it. Otherwise, you could just use your 1.5% milk, butter (if it's not too salty), and some non-fat milk powder.
  3. According to chef Stupak, sorbitol was the key to achieving the flexibility in his chocolate ganache. The recipe also include glucose (no sucrose), gelatin and agar.
  4. For larger tips, don't even bother with the coupler. Just put the tip straight into the bag. The only thing I use a coupler for is smaller tips.
  5. http://www.baking911.com/candy/chart.htm I don't have any experience with trying to achieve a certain syrup density by using a ratio of sugar to water. I'm not sure how that would work since you would be boiling the water to dissolve the sugar and would thus be losing water to evaporation. Seems too imprecise to me. If you're strictly talking about sugar syrups though, you do not need a hydrometer or refractometer. There are several ways to judge the sugar density of a boiling syrup, such as by sight (how the bubbles look), by feel (dropping it into water and feeling the result), and by temperature (most accurate). A hydrometer or refractometer is used when you are trying to measure the specific density of a solution such as a sorbet base.
  6. If you google for hydrometer, the first result is from wikipedia and the first paragraph says -- There is even a picture that shows a tall glass tube with the hydrometer floating in a liquid.Personally, I'd rather use a refractometer as they are easier and less messy to use. You can convert between degrees baume and degrees brix by multiplying by 1.75.
  7. Don't mind working for free? You working for free is a given. I've only seen one restaurant that pays their stages and it was because their insurance company required it. That shouldn't even factor into the conversation. Just assume you're working for free. Just tell them the truth, but keep it succinct. Tell them where you've been, where you are, and where you want to go. Somewhere in there should be a reason why you want to stage with them. But like I said, be succinct. I doubt they have time to hear your life story including your favorite meal to cook at home.
  8. Interesting, I've never heard of a chocolate mayonnaise cake. Looking at the back of a jar of Hellmann's mayonnaise, the ingredients are "soybean oil, water, whole eggs and egg yolks, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA." The last ingredient is a preservative and who knows what they mean by "natural flavors," but everything else is pretty standard. If you use only egg yolks for your mayo, it may change the way the cake behaves because of the extra fat. You might want to start with a combination of whole eggs and yolks. I'd say give it a try.
  9. I find the best method is to call, tell them what you are looking for and offer to drop off a resume in person. Try to set up a time to drop off the resume so the chef will be there and available so you can have just a few moments to give them your pitch. Sean
  10. If you're trying to eat meat that is humanely-raised (not just treated well at slaughter) then you should really look at non-confinement/pasture-raised/grass-fed animals. There is even a butcher not too far from you that specializes in it. http://www.grassfedmeat.net/
  11. They are called fondant funnels. Here is a smaller and less expensive one that holds 1 quart. http://www.jbprince.com/CB7B80E2EC9B4151A6...67A59A&pcs_key=
  12. I'll give you a hint - gelatin filtration. Edit: Well, that will teach me to pay more attention before I reply. For some reason I just didn't see that there were already several replies to this post. Glad to see that you're making some progress on this.
  13. Try http://www.jbprince.com/ or http://www.bridgekitchenware.com/
  14. Follow these steps -- 1. Put the eggs in a bowl and cover with very warm water. Let sit for about 5 minutes. This brings the eggs to room temperature very quickly and makes the whites easier to separate from the yolks. 2. Setup a bowl to put the yolks into, a large container to crack the whites into and to throw the shells in, and a towel. 3. Grab an egg out of the water, shake your hand over the towel to remove some of the water, crack the egg on the table, and finally open the shell into your other hand, which is held over your waste container. Throw the shell into the waste container. 4. Let the white run between your fingers. With the fingers of your other hand, gently grab the yolk (thus separating and leaving behind the rest of the whites) and put the yolk into your bowl. 5. Go to step 3 until there are no more eggs.
  15. Vita-mix. It's what you'll find in most professional kitchens. But they are not cheap. They will last a long time, though. I just bought a used one on ebay for $220. Depending on what you plan on doing with it, the vita-mix might be over-kill. But it's definitely one of the best blenders (if not the best) around.
  16. In my culinary management program we were taught to always look at food (which includes beverage) together with labor and to not let the combined total exceed 65%. The reason being is that these two items are the only things you really have control over in an operation. Once your rent is set, it's set. As for profit, it depends on if all the sales are being reported, but you can expect on average around 10 to 15%. Of course, "average" means nothing to an actual operating restaurant.
  17. If the yuzu cream was cut after it was molded (and not just molded in a triangular/diamond shape) then I really doubt it was just gelatin that was used as the gelling agent. There are other hydrocolloids that could add stability to the cream and allow it to be cut. Maybe iota carrageenen or a blend of kappa carrageenan and some other softening gum (locust bean gum, xanthan gum)? Something that would provide a more brittle yet elastic gel. As for the phyllo triangle, just buy a package of frozen phyllo dough. Lay out one sheet (keep the others covered under a slightly damp towel while you work), lightly brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar, lay another layer on top (press to remove as much air space between them), and repeat with another couple layers. Cut them into the shape you want and lay out on a parchment or silpat lined sheet tray. Put another piece of parchment or silpat on top and weigh down with another sheet tray. Good luck!
  18. It is my understanding that flour is bleached as a method of chemically oxidizing it so the manufacturer can get it to market faster. Any type of flour needs to be oxidized in order for gluten to properly develop and bleaching just speeds that process up.
  19. From Rose Levy Beranbaum's article on Sugar - Since agave nectar is fructose it should be fine for your friend with a sucrose allergy.
  20. naes

    Cocoa Nibs

    Here's a tip I saw in a recent Pastry Arts mag. Infuse them into your cream when you make ganache for a deeper, more complex chocolate flavor.
  21. It was about 4 years ago, but I bought casings at the Ravenna Whole Foods.
  22. I recently made this recipe from Sunset magazine and really enjoyed the results. Not too heavy and great chocolate flavor. I used a half and half mixture of 70% Scharffenberger and 70% Green & Black. Chocolate Cream Pie I made my own chocolate crust from Fran Bigelow's book Pure Chocolate.
  23. naes

    Tonka Beans

    There's always a story behind the story. When was the drug Warfarin (aka Coumadin) being developed and readied for commercial release? When did the FDA ban the use of tonka beans, because of the supposed toxic effects of the naturally occurring coumarin compound? Answer those questions and you'll see who really runs our government. Hint: the year 1954 is the answer to both questions. Coumarin is present is such low levels that you'd have to ingest several tonka beans to have any sort of effect. Yes, it can be used as rat poison, but that's just because rats can't metabolizes it as well as we can. In humans coumarin is a low level toxin. All that foie gras and sweetbreads you're eating is probably doing more damage to your body than a little tonka bean now and then.
  24. naes

    Leaky Cherries

    I've never made chocolate covered cherries with the stems still attached, but after having thought about this for a couple minutes the best explanation I can come up with is that tempered chocolate contracts as it cools and sets. If you're covering the cherries with the chocolate just to where the stem meets the fruit, then this may cause the chocolate to pull away from the stem as it contracts, thus opening up a crack for the liquifying fondant to leak through. The other thought I had is that using fresh or even only partially dried cherries could be part of the problem. I've only ever used candied cherries. If the cherries still have moisture in them then the sugar will draw that out and cause problems with your chocolate, I'd think.
  25. I second that. It just sounds right. ← I third it. Actually, it's just because you seconded it, Robin, that I'm willing to back you up. Love from Brooklyn
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