paulraphael

James Peterson's Fish and Shellfish book shows how to split the lobster's head with a single insertion of the knife right before dunking into the boiling water. Of course we don't know for sure that this is a painless (or more painless) way to kill a lobster, since we don't even know for sure if pain is an issue, or how the creature's nervous system works. But it seems to me like a pretty good bet. I don't think It's completely anthrocentric to guess that a quickly severed central nerve would lead to less pain than being boiled alive. Until I learn something that contradicts these assumptions, this would be my method of choice.

Ok, here's what it looks like: The black, cancerous looking blob is just a wad of open cell foam. It just pushes the white plastic doodad down. This is what depresses the lever that pushes the button that lets the machine run. Normally the white plastic doodad doodad would get pushed down by the plunger assembly. The foam lets you use the machine without the plunger blocking the food chute. I was planning to use closed cell foam (easier to keep clean) but this was all I had.

You could be right that a lobster isn't conscious, but by asserting it you're presuming to be more certain than any researchers in the field of animal cognition. It's an immature science, and a difficult one practice. At any rate, there are a number of recent studies that support the idea that lobsters feel pain. Some focus on the presence of opioid receptors in the lobster, others examine response to trauma. Like this one: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=A...ac7081b826bde99 None of these studies is conclusive. In fact no one currently knows how to conduct a study on the topic that would be conclusive. That includes you and me!

The above post suggesting we discuss "suffering" instead of pain might on something more relevant. We know their nervous systems are completely different from ours, so it's unlikely that they experience pain the way we do, but we don't know if they experience something equally negative in response to certain kinds of trauma. This isn't a topic as fundamentally inaccessible to science as the existence of a soul, but it's nevertheless a very, very difficult one to investigate. People on both sides of the issue ... those proposing that lobsters don't suffer, and those proposing ways to ease suffering ... are operating almost entirely on conjecture. No, this isn't helpful if you're trying to figure out the most humane way to eat something.

It's a problem in New York City too. At the bigger grocery stores in the outer bouroughs the cachiers robotically double and tripple bag everything, and divide the the smallest loads into more bags than anyone can carry. I try to bring a backpack to my local ghetto supermarket, but half the time security makes me check it, and pick it up on the way out--which completely defeats the purpose! Whole foods does it right: they single bag as a matter of policy, ask you how many you want, and their bags are excellent. They're the ones I reuse for all kinds of things around the house. I like the idea of a tax on bags. Something like 20 cents ... just enough to force people to consider if they really need that lemon double bagged.

My understanding is that the Michelin star system revolves around this issue. no stars: no touching one star: friendly touch by your server on the arm or shoulder two stars: warm embrace by the head waiter three stars: firm ass-grab by the chef de cuisine And I've been told that truly great chefs, like Thomas Keller and Feran Adria, will grab so hard they actually lift you off the floor.

I've had good luck reducing just to the point where the flavor is right, and then adjusting the consistency with arrowroot starch (starting with 1/2 tsp per quart, made into a slurry with a bit of cool water. It thickens the sauce after a low simmer for a minute or so. Be sure to test consistency by drizzling onto a cool plate. For my last couple of batches of demi, I've moved away from the reduced espagnole method, and experimented with modern methods that are really an update of 17th and 18th century meat coulis. Time requirement is about the same, and food costs are lower. I like the results much more. The technique is appropriate for a glace that has a distinct meaty flavor; it will not always substitute for more neutral glaces (reduced veal stock, etc). Recipe is here: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r2081.html

There are a million ways to roast a chicken. In my experience the only really good ways are ones that address the different cooking temperatures of light and dark meat. I put together a recipe (more a of a tutorial, really) for my friends who wanted to know how to duplicate the chickens I fed them. Similar to chrisamirault's. Anyone interested can download it here: www.paulraphaelson.com/downloads/roast_chicken.pdf

I like ceiling racks for all my pans. They hang from stainless steel hooks. And I'm lazy, so pans sometimes get hung up when they're so hot I have to hold them with a towel.

I've been window shopping for these things on ebay (don't actually need one). the 10 and 20qt mixers seem like a bargain, if you can manage the shipping or local pickup. They barely go for more than the 5qt N50 mixers.

I made a huge batch of the brown butter muscovado cookies four days in advance of needing them. Kept in a sealed plastic container they stayed completely fresh. I like them better at four days than I did right out of the oven.

Cool, thanks for the report. I'm glad they worked well! For some reason they really improve a lot with a day of aging ... both the flavor and texture. I see how this can be hard to test with hungry customers/kids/friends around. That's helpful. My altitude suggestions were made up based on things I've read (I used to live at 6000 feet too, but didn't bake anything back then). Maybe I'll change the suggested adjustment to reflect what you did.

Cool. I made my first couple of trials with dark muscovado. I felt that the molasses flavor dominated the butter flavor more than I wanted, but they were still tasty. Can't wait to here what the customers have to say.

Great! glad to hear they worked so well for you. If anyone else wants to try (minus the getting sick part) I'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions.

I've been looking for specifics on the New York State health code and restaurant inspections, and can't find any reference to NSF certification. I've also seen restaurants using equipment like Mauviel and Bourgeat pans that to my knowledge aren't NSF certified (they arent' stamped with the seal). NSF is a private organization, not affiliated with any government. It seems strange to me that governemnt agencies would use NSF's certifications as the basis for health codes. Does anyone have hard facts about this?

I'm having computer problems at home ... I'll try to post a picture soon.

I can't say I've kept up with contemporary sculpture, so it's hard for me to judge these from an art perspective. But I'm willing to bet these pastry chefs know even less about sculpture than I do. And I'm scratching my head about the point of all this ... is it a sculpture contest or a pastry contest? Granted, food is expected to look enticing, more than paintings are expected to taste good. But I still expect the primary values of food ... taste, texture, aroma ... to take great precedence over visual and structural values. Did the judges even taste these things??

I finally found a way to turn my old Cuisinart 11 cup processor (DLC 8, I think?) into a great machine, by disabling its most annoying safety feature. Please don't do this, or cut off your hand, or sue cuisinart, or sue me. The lid assembly has a white piece of plastic that gets pushed down by the feeding tube insert. This in turn pushes a rod that's part of the work bowl, which pushes a button in the base, which lets the processor turn on. The idea is that the mixer can't operate unless the insert is in place. The insert keeps you from sticking your hand through the feeding tube and into the blades. It also makes it completely inconvenient to add food. I found some open cell foam and stuffed it under the white piece of plastic in the lid. It now acts like a spring, keeping the plastic piece permanently pushed down. The result is that simply securing the lid to the work bowl allows the mixer to work. I don't need the annoying feeding tube insert. The only catch is that I have to resist that urge to stick my whole arm through the feeding tube and turn on the machine (an urge I've so far managed to resist with my blender and stand mixer and toaster, which similarly lack anti-suicide features). I know this description sounds confusing, but I bet if you hold the parts in front of you, you'll see what I mean. If not, ask and I'll try to clarify.

Ok, here's one. probably an unrealistic challenge due to cost and complexity. but maybe you're a genius: A stand mixer with an automatic transmission. Right now there are two basic stand mixer designs. Professional mixers have a motor with a fixed speed. The attachment speed is selected by shifting gears. There are typically three speeds. Gears are shifted by shutting the mixer off, waiting for everything to stop, moving a shift lever, and restarting. It's cumbersome. And a mixer is one of the few machines that benefits from having more speeds to choose (unlike consumer 12-speed blenders, which are just goofy.). Home mixers have a single fixed gear ratio, and control the attachment speed by varying the motor speed electronically. It's a much more convenient design. It's also fundamentally flawed, because mixers need the most torque at low speeds, but motors develop their highest torque at high speeds. The result is that any motor that's capable of kneeding dough at low speeds has to be tremendously overbuilt, or has to run at very high RPMs against serious reduction gearing. The result is more noise, wear, and power consumption than necessary. And also a motor that runs at screaming speeds with outrageous power output when you're doing the easiest tasks of all, like whipping cream. So my idea is a mixer with electronic speed control, like a home mixer, that will automatically chose between two or three gears depending on the speed and torque requirements. The user just sets the output speed; the mixer chooses the best gear/motor speed to get the job done.

Celeriac Purée with garlic Serves 6 as Side. I fell in love with pureed celeriac when I first had it at a neighborhood restaurant. With the help of some eGullet chefs, an Eric Rippert recipe, and a few rounds of experiments, I arrived at a recipe that hits the spot. This version seasons the celeriac with garlic, but you could substitute just about anything. You should also feel free to adjust the quantities of butter and cream to suit your preferences. It's delicious alongside fennel. In some ways this is even easier than mashed potatoes, because there is no chance of overworking it and turning it into glue. It should be prepared an hour or two in advance. 2 large celeriac knobs 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled 1 c whole milk 3 c water 1/4 c heavy cream 1/2 tsp salt 2 oz butter, chopped into 1 TB chunks salt and ground black or white pepper to taste -Peel and coarsely chop the celeriac. Trim off any hard or dark spots. -Put water, milk, celeriac, 1/2 tsp of salt, and garlic in a large saucepan on stove. If liquid doesn't cover celeriac, add a little extra water. Cover, turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Partially uncover and reduce to a simmer. - cook until easily pieced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes. -Strain, reserving the cooking liquid. Peel the garlic. Put the celeriac root and garlic in a mixing bowl and mash with a masher. -Scrape into blender and puree with the cream, and only as much cooking liquid as is necessary to to get it blending. Blend for a long time (five minutes should give a fluffy purée). -Season to taste with salt and pepper a minute or so before it's done blending. -Transfer to a metal bowl over simmering water. Add the butter in small pieces. Stir until melted and incorporated. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Hold uncovered over simmering water. -Ideally prepare an hour or so before serving; the heat of the bain marie helps drive off excess moisture and will firm up the puree a bit. Keywords: Side, Easy, Vegetables, Blender ( RG2113 )

There are a million ways to roast a chicken, some of them slow. I strongly prefer chickens roasted fast with high heat. I'm sure there are other chicken roasting threads where we've talked pros and cons of different methods. If you're interested I can send you my recipe (which has evolved into more of a tutorial on method than a recipe). If you're planning on doing more chickens in the future there's no reason to rule out stock. I roast a couple of chickens a month on average, eat the legs and breasts and wings, and then seal the carcass in plastic in the freezer. After 6 months or so I have enough to make 5 or 6 quarts of stock (which gets divided into ziplock bags and goes back in the freezer). I also save the cooked meat that remains on the carcasses after stockmaking. It's not all that tasty anymore, but my cat considers it a delicacy. So in the end practically nothing goes to waste.

I've never heard of removing the gills of portobellos (isn't that most of the mushroom?). But a chef friend of mine insists on peeling them. I had never known that they even had peels, but he demonstrated. He used a spoon, the way some people peel ginger, and just exfoliated the thin outer layer from the whole mushroom. We stood side by side and did this to several pounds of them one night. It's the last time I ever did it. They did look nicer (cleaner, anyhow) with the peels gone, but if they tasted any better I didn't notice.

For this kind of thing I'll often forget about using fresh fruit and make the sauce with preserves or marmalade. The reason is that if you're going to take a lot of juice and zest and boil it way down, that's pretty much what you're making. There's little benefit to using a beautiful, fresh piece of fruit if you're basically going to cook down into a preserve. You can let someone else do that work for you, and use your fresh oranges for something where they'll be appreciated. If you do go with the fresh oranges, the first thing to consider is if you're grating too deep and getting some of the white pith along with the zest. That will make anything too sour and bitter. More sugar would help. Shalmanese's idea of using some liqueur sounds good too.

I had the olive oil gelato at Otto ... thought it was very good. I don't know if I love it. The flavor was great, but the texture was oily. it left a coating on my mouth that I wasn't crazy about. The idea definitely seems worth exploring. It's funny for me to think about salt on ice cream being a delicacy. It makes perfect sense. But when we salted the ice cream at the homemade shop where I worked, it was always a mistake (salt water dripping from the big rock salt and ice churns we used), and it led to customers screaming for their money back. Kind of like when a big black blob of machine grease ended up in their vanilla and white chocolate mousse sundae.

I haven't tried making them small, so I can only guess. The baking time would no doubt be less. Would you be interested in making on sheet of big ones and then experimenting with size with the rest? I'd be curious to hear about your results.