paulraphael

The question isn't what can be done ... it's what's the most efficient and effective way to do it? I like spoons and fish spatulas and palette knives for delicate things. But they're slower, they sometimes require two hands instead of one, and they force you to get your hands a lot closer to some things (a pan full of splattering grease, the edge of a burning hot roasting pan full of bones, etc.) than you might want. I can be as delicate with tongs as I can be with chopsticks. And when that's not delicate enough (sometimes it isn't) there are other tools better for the job. You have me intrigued by the straight spatula, though. Is there a reason to buy the $30 one you linked to? I see much cheaper ones in the pastry dept. and the restaurant stores.

Really interesting thread. I can see a lot of different, mostly related issues. Many have been raised already. I can sympathize ... some of the time ... with people who want rustic/imperfect instead of polished/perfect. Some reasons: 1. Mood. Sometimes you're more in the mood for one of grandma's cookies than one of Pierre Hermés. It's a comfort food thing. 2. Clientelle. Some people are probably actively suspicious of anything that looks too urban / European / New York / Androgynous. People gave John Kerry a hard time because he mentioned drinking wine! 3. Looks mass produced. It's an irony of the industrial age that perfection and uniformity--once the hallmarks of high craftsmanship--have become associated with cheap mass production. Now the same craftsmen who bragged about their precision and consistency point to the same qualities in machine-made products and dismiss them as lacking soul. They now brag about the imperfections ("human touches") in their own work. I haven't seen this among pastry chefs, but have among photographers, woodworkers, potters, and musical instrument makers. 3. Function following form. This is the most disturbing to me, because it reflects actual failings of chefs, not just perceptions. I've had a lot of desserts that look like modern sculpture, and don't taste much better. So much attention has gone into form and ornament that the fundamentals (flavor, texture, coherence) have been neglected. Sometimes this seems like a symptom of a chef over-reaching. Other times it seems more cynical: an assumption that people will buy something pretty or impressive, but won't even notice that it tastes mediocre. Here I'm certainly not talking about a perfect croissant ... more likely cakes, pastries, or plated desserts with multiple elements. In other words, fancy stuff. I'm hesitant to buy fancy stuff unless I know the reputation of the chef or the establishment. It's hard enough to get the simple stuff right.

You like the flat spatula more than the offset kind? Could you elaborate? I have an offset one that I bought for icing; now I use it at the stove a lot (mostly for very small things). The offset seems to make it easier to use. For larger delicate things I like a regular fish spatula, sometimes in combination with a spoon. And I still think tongs have a million reasonable uses, where they're efficient and won't do any harm.

This Times article from 2006 digs into the question. I can't really comment ... my copy is the 1964 version, found in a box in a high school darkroom. I keep it around because there's a recipe for 'possum (it starts with "Trap 'possum"), and a hand-drawn diagram on skinning a squirrel.

Ok, did some tests: 1) low temp dehydrate: leathery 2) high temp broil: uneven browning 3) #1 followed by #2: bingo I sliced the bananas thin, using a very sharp knife, so there was no need for lemon juice to keep them from oxidizing. put them on a buttered sheet of parchment on a sheet pan in a 175 degree oven. They dehydrated in about 30 minutes. I then brushed with a honey/water syrup on both sides and slid under the broiler (sheet pan, no parchment). They browned and crisped nicely. I had to keep a close watch; some went faster than others. Next batch i'm going to flip them to make sure they get hit evenly on both sides. I also tried browning some of the dehydrated chips with a torch. The broiler's easier (I used the broiler in a convection/toaster oven ... much more even than the broiler in my cheap gas oven).

I do want these to be crisp and not chewy. I remember the dehydrated chips that I've had being a little leathery.

Apparently Thomas Keller requires his cooks to weigh everything for this reason, right down to the mirepoix.

cool, i'll try it. what's better ... above or below boiling temp?

I have precious little deep frying experience. I could try to fry (would need to do on stove top), but would prefer to use an oven (or even microwave ... I heard about an Indian recipe that uses one for plantain chips). Any thoughts on the best way to proceed?

Many restaurants and bars that see a lot of tourist traffic (like in hotels) solve the tip problem by adding a service charge to all checks. But then the shoe is on the other foot ... since so many patrons fail to read the menu, they often double tip by mistake. In this situtaion it's up to the good will of the server to point the service charge, preferably up front. I think this is a pretty good system overall. When I complained to my friend that it removed your right to pay less for bad service, she said that it doesn't. You're not obligated to pay the 18% (or whatever) service charge. You could always pay less. In this case you're making a clear statement: you know what the expected charge is and you're deliberately paying less. You're not just someone who's absent-minded or who doesn't understand the system. At the same time it impresses upon the diner that a tip is not, in fact a "gratuity" ... it's a charge for service. It's separate, it's flexible, but it's part of the cost of the meal.

So, if you're making something with nuts or chips folded in at the end, do you change to the original beater?

And if you make it with clarified butter, the hydration will be low, making it firmer. BUT, clarified butter hollandaise doesn't taste very good. My inclination would be to use whole butter, and seek out advice from a hydrocolloid guru, on how to build it on a foam that's thicker and more stable than sabayon. And please let us know if you come up with something cool.

And why might your dad have chosen not to tip? If he's actually unhappy with the service, than the waiter in the street would be giving him a chance to say so. If he truly doesn't understand tipping, then he's getting a chance to make things right. And if he's just an asshole, then what education, exactly, does he have to offer? ← They would receive an education as to who is the greater asshole: an 89 year-old man that is a guest in their establishment, and has been told all his life that tipping is VOLUNTARY and does not expect to be coerced or bullied into leaving one, and who was told all his life that 10% is appropriate and believes it still to be. Or some jerk that has run out into the street to tell him it's not. ← First, the response I described was typically to a patron who didn't tip at all. In big cities that's often caused by a visitor who simply doesn't know the custom. The response is phrased as a genuine question: "was there a problem with the service?" And second, I think anyone, regardless of age, who makes a habit of tipping 10% based on it being "voluntary," or on it having been appropriate in a bygone era, is a bigger asshole than any waiter I know. The jerk running into the street is just trying to get paid for the job they do (as your dad most likely expected to get paid for whatever job he did all his life).

Yes, and I realize that I'm being a whiney little ingrate. I just sometimes go crazy when I see what seems like obvious unrealized potential. I don't go off on rants about bad movies--but a good movie that would have been ingenius if only the director had _______ ... can send me off on a tirade. This is that kind of thing. In the mean time, I'm sure I'll get a ton of use and inspiration out of the book just as it is.

And why might your dad have chosen not to tip? If he's actually unhappy with the service, than the waiter in the street would be giving him a chance to say so. If he truly doesn't understand tipping, then he's getting a chance to make things right. And if he's just an asshole, then what education, exactly, does he have to offer?

A friend of mine was a waitress here in NYC. A problem in cosmopolitan cities in the U.S. is that some foreign tourists just don't get the whole tip thing. If a customer shorted one of the waitresses at the restaurant, they'd assume this was the case. One of the other waitstaff would follow them onto the street, and ask sincerely if there was any trouble with the meal. If the patron said no, the waiter would explain, "oh, I was worried that there was a problem. Perhaps you didn't know, but in the U.S. servers get paid by tip, and if it's less than X% we assume you were dissatisfied. We want to make sure everything's ok." Usually this would result in the patron returning, leaving a real tip, and thanking the staff for the education.

Well, whatever KA says, the beaterblade will not actually harm your mixer. So if your mixer requires warranty service for any reason, there's no need for you to mention that you used the thing. It should be a non-issue.

I get it, and appreciate the book on that level. But see potential for it to go a step farther ... to look at what's been generalized from flavor chemistry and act as a resource for people who want to take the next steps. It could be done in a small way, even with a single chapter. Something to act as a bridge to newer ways of thinking about flavor combinations.

I just came up with a recipe for lamb rubbed in lapsang souchong tea ... will be serving it at a dinner soon, with a bit more lapsang steeped briefly into a lamb coulis-based sauce. The layered smokiness is delicious. And I've had interesting (but not completely successful) results using earl grey tea in dessert sauces ... for the best attempt i infused it into a creme anglaise and served with a pear tart. Of course there are bajillions of dessert recipes using green tea and coffee. You may have to serve a half dozen desserts (I can help you get rid of them).

I don't know, but I've been told, that syneresis (weeping) can be prevented by replacing 0.1 to 0.2% of the agar with locust bean gum. resistance to acids may be improved by adding glycerol.

Here's a thread on Pernigotti. It's become my favorite. I like it more than Valrhonna (though I use valrhonna chocolates more than any other). Haven't tried Droste. Some posts in the thread refer to Pernigotti as natural, but I'm 99% sure it's dutch processed. Even though it doesn't say so on the package.

I recently got the book. It seems interesting, and like a potentially useful reference. But I think it falls short in the area of theory. There isn't much about why certain flavors work together. And because of this, there's really little in the way of a conceptual framework to help you come up with interesting combinations that no one's thought of before. Keep in mind the author's methodology was to interview lots of chefs about what they like to put with what. That's great ... but the result is basically a retrospective: "Here's what's been done." Hints of what's possible exist in books by Harold McGee and Hervé This, where they discuss actual aromatic compounds present in certain foods. Some classic combinations can be understood, in small part, in terms of overlapping ingredients (on the molecuar level). Kind of like matching a tie to a shirt (both patterns include the same green ... kind of like two foods that both contain diacetyl or vanillin). Also on the theory front, I find it annoying that a contemporary book called The Flavor Bible still adheres to the nearly 100 year-old model of flavor, stating that tongue is sensitive only to five basic tastes. Over the last decades, this model has basically been shredded.

I tried to make it clear that my comments on proportions weren't about simple preferences, like "I want more ice cream." They were about the effectiveness of the dessert. The cake depended on soaking syrup for the intended consistency and flavor, and there wasn't enough of it. Result was a cake dry to the point of being unpleasant. My comment about the creme fraiche was closer to an esthetic judgement, but was still based on effectiveness of the dessert. The creme was presented as a sauce, for the purpose of moistening the dessert. And as with many '80s and '90s style "smear a dab of sauce on the perimeter of the plate" presentations, it wasn't usefull as such. And this was a dessert that needed additional moistening to be edible. And I had other issues with how well conceived the desserts were ... unlike my other gripes, this is a matter of pure opinion, but is also one more directly relevent to how much I might like the cookbook. A reasonable question, but my intent wasn't to review the restaurant--only to express why I've lost enthusiasm for trying the recipes. I tried to make it clear that my problems at the restaurant might have had nothing to do with the recipes themselves. But they still arowsed my warriness. And again, i look forward to reading any positive reviews in this thread ... they could easily encourage me dive back into the book.

I wouldn't assume that the stone is too crude. Are you happy with the results you get on your cleaver? The ceramic rod is actually a cruder approach, because it takes off metal like a medium grit stone, but is more difficult than stones when it comes to keeping your bevel angle constant. If the stone you have works but doesn't give as high a level of polish as you'd like, then you can supplement it with a finer grit waterstone. The cermic rod can be good for touch ups between real sharpenings ... just be sure to use a VERY light touch. maybe one or two swipes with barely perceptible pressure on each side. Nothing like what you see french chefs doing on tv.

That's a dismissal of the whole endeavor of criticism. Who cares if I liked it or not if I don't give reasons? I tried to give as much context and detail as possible, so readers would realize that I'm expressing something besides a stylistic preference ("don't like weird stuff!") or something so personal as to be irrelevent ("kumquats are gross!"). I have enough experience with desserts to see what the intensions were behind the ones we had. I understood what flavors and textures they were going for with date cake. I understood why creme fraiche and the other components were there. My sense of the dessert having failed is based largely on it falling short of its own implicit goals.