SeanDirty

I am sorry Peter but i dont agree with you... Whitefish is a very vague classification... hell swordfish is a whitefish... which would add alot of unwanted fat into your stock. Now the fish you would want to use is LowFat fish, which means fish that move slowly, eg: fluke, flounders, turbots, dory. Now i work with more fish then you would ever imagine, so i have access to any kinda of bones i want.. However if you don't have flatfish as an option... you could use bass bones, or some type of lower fat fishes... you can tell fish fat by touching the flesh which will coat your fingers with oil... for an extreme example you could touch toro of the tuna and your hand will be covered in fat... See my post in Consumer under Kindai Tuna for the pic of fat on my hands.... The half hour of extracting flavors... well it may be true for seafood anywhere around 30-1 hour is best, however veal can go for 8 hours, and chicken about 4 hours, depending on amount of bones and stock your making. medium to low simmer is best, you dont want it at a boil. What happens in a boil is the fat emulsifies with the water, causing your stock to be cloudy. Asian cooking uses high boil in their stocks as they want to infuse the fat into their dish... Where in french technique of stock making uses the low simmer to produce clear stocks, for consomme and more... You should skim, skimming takes only a few seconds every 20-30 mins or so... your going to check your dish anyways, i doupt your going to leave it going on your stove, so just skim while your there... the less skum you have the less that can incorporate into your finished product when you do strain it. Unless your making fish soup, DO NOT USE HEADS or FINS!! if you want to do it correctly Cut off Fins and Cut off heads, they both will add unwanted cloudiness to your stock in the end product. Heads contain fat, and again fat is NO GOOD in your stock. I noticed you said saving liquids from poaching or steaming... a standard court bouillon is Water, carrots onions celery, lemon and its juice, white wine, peppercorns, salt.... Usually you would want to poach the portions of fish or meat you are serving.... and technically the protein in the bouillon shouldn't be in there long enough to actually impart much flavor into the bouillon, but long enough that the liquid would go into the protein... As for the recipe for Fish stock: Fish bones Carrots Onions Celery Sachet (1 outside leaf of leek, small bunch of thyme, parsley, bay leaf) Salt and WHITE PEPPER!! Water SO sweat the onions, add carrots cook for a minute or two to soften, add celery, add fish bones, cook the bones a little bit till the meat is white, add water to cover, bring water to simmer, add in sachet, simmer for 30 mins to an hour, depending on when you feel the flavor has extracted the most. DONT FORGET TO SKIM, fish tend to have more skum then meat... Somehow i feel broth is slightly different from stock... i cant quite put my finger on it... but its either more concentrated, or there are other aromatics that go into it... Everything i have said above is from classic french techniques...

But does that make it "better?" And better in what way? How much exercise do the fish get? Nowhere near as much as wild, I'd guess. Exercise contributes to the development of muscle meat, which influences taste and texture. I'm not suggesting that the Kindai tuna is of inferior quality, and I like the idea from what I've read about it thus far (four articles), but wild fish, while not having all aspects of their life controlled, can develop differently, and in some respects "better" than farmed fish, just as farmed fish may have some better aspects than wild fish. ← Well its true it doesnt get as much exercise... however Meat from land animals get more flavor from exercise, fish flavor is gained through the food they eat. For example a swordfish that eats alot of shellfish will develope orange flesh (pumpkin sword) which will make the meat sweeter and so on... Slow moving fish like monkfish still tastes great, almost like lobster, although they hardly move... The kindai tuna are fed Mackerel and squid and other fatty fish.... they are raised for 3 years... The university has worked very hard to control every aspects of the fish's life in order to create the best of both worlds of farmed fish and wild fish. They do get exercise as when they move they are exercising... and they are raised out in ocean pens. Info on the fish can be found here from fry to harvest!! and even what they eat. Kinkai university website Above is a normal, Bigeye tuna number 1 grade. The below is the Kindai tuna, notice how light pink it is due to all the white fat. notice how it glistens

And boy was it good.... everything from domestic to the far reaches of the globe... mmmmmmm

Notice how white the fat is and how much there actually is... my finger is covered in fat from the tuna barley touching it..

I did mean Garam masala... sorry my spelling is terrible. Dikon has an interesting texture when cooked... i suppose you could sub it out... but then again if i imagine it right, the dikon will just end up being masked by the apples and spices, you may be better off leaving it out.

well first, farming all depends on the farm, taylor bays are farmed very well, as they tend to be a great product. (Then again you eat with your eyes, so taylorbays are good for show, flavor wise... It's a nutral taste.) As for dredging... As with any large industry dredging is a necessity, yes it's bad for beds, but they keep stringent harvesting guidelines... But in the end yes it's bad. As for diver, well that's a term thrown around like organic. You really think some guy is out there underwater for hours and hours... I couldent imagine how many scallops each diver could even provide. I'd imagine if he supplied at least 3 restaurants daily that would be amazing.

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who said quality isnt as good as wild?? the quality is actually better.... since its diet is controlled, almost every single aspect of the tuna's life is controlled.... so they make the fish exactly what they want it to be...

I love sweet potato caserole.. i hope thats the same thing were talking about.. the mashed sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows on top?? well first you want to take sweet potatoes... take a fork and prick them all over.... bake them until soft. when they have come out of the oven, peel them all and place them in a bowl... melt butter with a good amount of brown sugar and get some micro planed ginger (sugar and ginger are both to your tastes but remember marshmallows will add a little sweetness...) Add enough butter to mash the whole thing into mashed potato consistency... place in hotel pan, spread evenly, add mini marshmallows on top and broil until it has slightly browned... mmmmmm im drooling already.

if you have never heard of Kindai Tuna!! its farmed at Kinkai University in Japan!! its raised not by catching wild fish and finishing them off, but from eggs to the finished product. They are only fed mackerel squid and one other fatty fish... but could you imagine!?!?!??!?!? This is the Kobe of the fish world, i just got my first 130# fish pics will come!!

its funny you say you live by this rule... for it should be fairly obviously in this day and age there are NO rules for any type of food.... hell you can put a foam on anything and everything... theres no rules!! if it tastes good they put that sucker in!! again for amazing domestic truffles!! check this site out

well it wasnt a problem with quality or product... its more of a i worked for them... but there are two fish companies that are there... theres one in Murry hill as well and one in dumbo... This is the pic of the taylor bay scallops i promised, a few days late but they got in... Taylor bays are a farmed scallop, however they have multicolored shells... and are great for presentation...

American Tennesee Truffles!!! These truffles are great, American made, great price, amazing smell!!

i ate at momofuku saam the other week and they have an amazing ham dish with red eye gravy... which we all know is made with coffee.... if you wanna bang out a very quick app... go buy some speck ham... or any kinda cured ham that you can eat sliced... (not prosciutto or serrano) and make a red eye gravy for dipping.. and roast some country bread over your stove... and you got a great snack!! Here is their dish Momofuku ham dish http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2181/225633...6ee966d.jpg?v=0

http://khymos.org/hydrocolloid-recipe-collection-v2.1.pdf This is a book of Molecular gastronmy recipes for beginners more or less... every recipe you will need to get started... its great, i keep it on hand just for situations where people ask what do you need for this or that... Good luck!! have fun!!! Btw you will need a syringe... not a small needle that you use for injections... but the kind you use after you go to the dentist... the one with the cone shape.. otherwise it will be near impossible to make perfect circles... ive tried trust me... a fork a spoon a needle... all wont work!!

Oh, that sounds great - I've never thought of mixing apples and oranges. How much orange juice did you add? I had a couple of apples accumulate on my counter this week, which I received as gifts. I normally dislike apples, and I especially dislike the varieties grown in Japan, as they're too sweet for my taste. I like a tart apple. My husband was making noises about throwing them out, but I hate waste more than I hate apples. Sure enough, I log in, and what's on the forums but a topic on apple sauce. D'uh, of course. Sean Dirty, I took your challenge and made your applesauce because I was intrigued by the use of wine for simmering. I thought it might cut the sweetness, and it really did. I used a touch of honey instead of maple syrup, and peppercorns instead of nutmeg, since I didn't have any on hand. The dice on the apple isn't as pretty as I'd like since my husband did it for me, but otherwise I was really happy with it. Not like babyfood at all. We had it with pork loin for dinner, and with oatmeal for breakfast. There's still some left, which I might pair with some old cheddar for pre-dinner snacks tonight. Do you have any ideas for an apple chutney? ← AHhhhh Im so happy you made it, yeah i really like how the wine cuts the sugar as well as adds a nice depth of flavor to the dish... As for apple chutney... Well i did work at Tabla for alittle while, unfortunatly i was working front of the house and was not privy to the exact recipes, however if i did have to make a recipe up this would be it... Apples small diced (sorry im a sucker for presentation, however looking at your picture which is great, i now wish i woulda taken a pic of mine... but i usually do it half the size, and probably a little less cooking time) Yukon Gold potatoes small diced (boil ahead of time, you could leave the skin on as the skin on yukons are thin, chill them and dice them about the same size as the apples) Grainy mustard (any mustard with crushed or whole seeds would work i like whole) 1/2 teaspoon orange peel (micro plane) Chardonnay vinegar ( i suppose any wine vin would work, i work with whatever i have in my fridge... which i tell you isn't much at all, but i can come out with some amazing dishes... about 1/4 of an inch up on the apples) 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 white sugar (add enough to your tastes, brown sugar for depth and white for sweetness) If you like you can skip the brown sugar for maple syrup or a little honey... splash of orange juice dash of graham Marsala, and cardamon, and nutmeg. (Toasted if possible...) (its very important to toast spices in Indian dishes as it opens up/releases the flavors.) a touch of diced or julienne ginger. dab of butter, Salt and pepper T.T. Method: ive read alot of recipes that say cook vinegar and sugar first...but i always like to caramelize my apples first... i think its always good to build flavors... so first: Heat pan, add butter, add apples, let cook for a minute on medium high for a minute before you stir, just let it slightly brown. Add vinegar, let it come to a light simmer, add sweeteners. Also add the splash of Oj, the ginger, the orange peel, spices, and the mustard last. (the liquid in the pot shouldn't be that much... by the end it should be alittle liquid on the bottom but not much, it should be just enough that a tablespoon of the grain mustard should be able to thicken it out into a spreadable soft butter consistency) Now adjust the dish for flavoring. (salt pepper, you can also add some tobasco or some kinda heat if you like... perhaps a small diced jalapeno, or maybe even chipotle if you wanna get crraaazzyyy... hah. Now the mustard is not necessary, graham marsala is not necessary, nor are the other spices... you could omit the spices, to make it alittle more "American flavored" but i'd keep the mustard in... The potatoes are not necessary either... but if you choose not to add the potatoes you can omit the mustard... would be great with any protein, except for maybe beef... The cookie recipe will be in your PM.

Why would you want to hide the flavor of delicious spam!! mmmmm Spam... Well i grew up in Singapore, and we werent to well of to boot, so spam was a decent part of my life when i was a child. My sister always made spam fried rice which was always great, if you cut it into small cubes its a great dish... Or you can crisp up spam just like bacon w eggs and toast... Or spam sandwiches... or spam burgers...

Good to see sean dirty seeding on here... ← heh well ya know... that's a major rip off... if you were paying 3x the actual cost of a product wouldn't you want to know if you could get it just as easily at a fraction of the cost As for fish companies i could recommend in NYC... well i'd hate to say go to grand central station, as i hate the company that sells there as we have had beef... but they do sell it. And generally its a convenient area... so Grand Central Market. The thing about seafood in NYC is we can get decent seafood in alot more places.... I live in Astoria so i have these neighborhood seafood places. Not everything they sell is top knotch but you can touch, and smell, get in there with the product, where in a supermarket you cant...

I guess it's bad habit on my part but when I cook I always try to make it as haute as I can, seems to be instilled into the minds of a lot of CiA grads that they have to do so. Often time it takes longer to make then to eat. However I work in an office/warehouse now so I make myself lunch. I hate going to work all day and to come home to stand behind a stove for hours, but thankfully I've been able to refine my techniques while still keeping up with flavor and simply making it looki delicious. SeanDirty's applesauce Apples, peeled, cut into a small dice (doesn't have to be perfect, you don't have to take forever but small squares about 1/4 of an inch all around is what you want) White wine (the one I used sat in my fridge opened for weeks, as I don't drink much, point is any ole white you can use.) Honey (to taste) Maple syrup (a splash to taste optional) Corn syrup (optional) Sugar(optional) Cinnamon (a sprinkle) Nutmeg (a sprinkle) Salt (a dash) Butter (half a tablespoon depends on how much your making, I used 1 apple as I was making a topping for my porkchops) Method: Place butter in a hot pot, cook apples on medium a few minutes until soft. Throw in white wine (I cook by sight so sorry for no amounts, but add enough so that the apples can have a bit of liquid to thicken the sauce) When the wine starts to reduce by about half, add honey and maple syrup, you can also add some white corn syrup for shine. And a little sugar if you want (taste after you add each sweetner as each will add a different type of sweetness and flavor, adjust to see which flavor you would like to be more pronounced) After the sweetners add a touch of salt, as salt will bring out deeper flavors in the dish, even if it's just a dash. All the while the wine and the apples should be cooking down, not into mush but deffinatly very tender that you could mash it with a spatula. And it should be a bit of liquid, but very little. You should be able to quenelle the apples together, meaning they should be able to mush together into a ball, but still keeping their cubed structure. To finish add the cinnamon, and if you want nutmeg. I don't like mushy applesauce, but as an adult purees are for sauce or for baby food. I have a limited pantry and the things I can produce with what I have even surprizes me. The applesauce was delicious, and had varied depths of flavor. It was so good I could eat a whole bowl of it by itself. I'd really like it if someone made the recipe. And tell me what you think. And if you do and post a pic of it, I will bestow upon whomever as a prize. The BEST Oatmeal Cookie recipe of all time!!! :-)

My god 12.95!!!! We sell ours at 3.95p# and our quality is backed by the top chefs all over the country... We are even promoted in the F laundry cookbook... :-) if you want to see If we would be a good fit for your restaurant, send me a PM with a # I can reach you and we can talk some biz.

If you have ever touched smoke... It's kind of hard to explain but you will use the example of when I made smoked salsa fresca. The recipe called for smoking cherry tomatoes, as you can imagine tomatoes have a very slick repelent skin. The process was similar to a double boiler, I used a deep hotel pan and a shallow preferated hotel pan, and a shallow solid hotel pan to cover. Obviously the tomatoes went in the peferated, and all of it went over a burner. Heat breaks down tomatoes fast! They will fall apart if left longer then a few minutes. In that short time the smoke of the wood chips was able to impart quite a deep rich smokiness to the tomatoes. I noticed during the process that the smoke would leave a sticky film which was the smoke. The film was much like the glue left behind after you remove a sticker. That may not be the best example, but it was a hard to get off flim. Anyways, you could imagine, the flim would stick to a dry surface more then it would a wet surface. So to answer your question, it doesn't just stick to fat, and protein, but rather everything. As with a marinade, the flavor if left long enough would eventually penetrate deeper into the meat but before that it sticks to every exposed surface.

Ok they mean moist surfaces as in how meat and proteins have "moist" surfaces, but lets say i just washed a piece of chicken it now has a Wet surface. Smoke forms a semi translucent layer which may or may not be invisible so if water is on the protein nothing is really stopping it from for example rolling off, and taking some of the smoke away from it... Now that rolling off example may be a bit extreme but you get the point...

I grew up in Texas and there was also a special type of candy i always loved, although they mainly sold it at airports.. but some of you may be familiar with the Texas Praline... Not the cookie but the caramel pecan studded wrapped in plastic and made by Lammes candies?? Well anyways this is my recipe for it. 2cups Sugar Evaporated milk 1.5c (condensed is alot thicker and can be used to save time but you will get a darker product) 1.75C White karo (corn syrup) 2 sticks of butter Pecans 1-3 cups Well there are real directions, but i dont usually follow them as a cook i am not trained in the ways of precision like many bakers... So Method: Cook all ingredients together except pecans Your going to want to cook it to a soft ball stage... i dont use a candy thermometer i just cook it till i feel its close then i put a few drops on a cold pan, it should set up... not sticky and you should be able to form it into a ball. Now when it hits that stage take it off the fire and mix in your nuts... stir stir stir... Now grab a spoon and drop about alittle less than a tablespoon onto a silpat or a greased sheet pan... I dont like to use grease unless i have to as it makes the candy a bit greasy to touch when its finished. But just let it free form into a cookish shape. let it cool and when its done it should not be sticky... it should be cookie shaped, and should also be tender. Its Horribly simple to make, deliciously addictive, and everyone will love you.

First of all nowhere did i see you mention the two years of work experience that is needed to get into the Culinary. Secondly, the best suggestion that i can give you is to go to the CIA and do the 4 year program. that way you get not only the cooking aspect of the culinary, but the business aspect of the education. there are many different programs that the CIA offers in there 4 year degree program that will be beneficial to you in the course of your career. (cause god knows not everyone wants to be a commis for the rest of your life) Let me know if you have anymore questions chefjgates@yahoo.com ← Not to single you out Gates, but i don't necessarily agree with your comment... yes the AoS degree is great from the CiA as i am a graduate. I did want to do the 4 year program but the prices there are Ivy League prices!! at community college education!! Remember the CiA has only been having a bachelors program for way less then 8 years, where in other schools like Cornell (which you can transfer your CiA credits) have been having a pride and proven bachelors program for many many years. i agree with Holly's comment of Where do you want to end up? Which in retrospect is the most important question to ask yourself. The AoS program at the CIA will prepare you for the restaurant with everything you need, but it is very expensive. I went in with illusions of grandeur, no one ever told me cooking is never going to make you rich, unless your the 1% that got lucky. And cooked my ass off i did, i worked in NYC, ive cooked in California. And i hardly made enough money to do anything other then pay bills. However i did use my culinary degree to go into food sales, that actually made me more money 1 year out of school then the 4 year program kids will make in the next 3 years out of school. There are many other aspects of the culinary industry other then cooking, and serving. Be sure its what you want, be sure your just not some stoner looking for better munchies in the future.

I always think restaurants that sell street food always over charge... i cant justify spending 8 dollars on a plate of food that i can buy for 2 bucks on the street and tamales ive bought on the street here in NYC are pretty frickin good... The other day i saw this little Mexican lady selling tamale's i asked what she had, she had a pork tamale with mole sauce!! it was the first time ive seen mole in a tamale and it was GREAT! only 1 dollar and it was pretty big...