paulraphael
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Posts posted by paulraphael
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On 1/21/2020 at 5:57 PM, AlaMoi said:
norovirus survives 145'F and better.
Do you have a source for this? I've read that it survives "up to 140F."
My inclination would to keep it and eat it myself. Actually I'd share with my girlfriend ... she has that strange genetic marker that makes her immune to norovirus.
You shouldn't have to worry about making yourself sick again. You now have immunity to that particular strain.
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On 2/2/2020 at 5:33 PM, haresfur said:
If I recall, the last time I did them was 57 degrees for 72 hours
That's really low. You're at the extreme end of medium-rare steak-like ribs. This is kind of a sous-vide magic trick, and isn't to everyone's tastes. I suspect the reason this is more often done at 60C is to get the fat to melt to a more pleasing texture, but I can't vouch for it.
There are many different textures available between what you've done and a traditional braise.
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Yes, the point of the steam is not to make the bread wet. It's to create a humid environment in the oven that slows the formation of the crust, so the bread can rise more before being constrained. That's it. You want high humidity for maximum oven spring, then low humidity to dry out the surface and promote browning.
I don't think there's a more effective method that Jim Lahey's Dutch oven idea (if you don't have a real steam injection oven).
All these schemes of splashing water into the bottom of a regular oven are pretty limited. Ovens have vents, and that humidity never builds very high and it can't stick around long. But I think it's better than nothing.
To answer the ancient original post, you can indeed break your oven window. It's easy. I've done it! Used to use a bike water bottle to squirt water into a roasting pan or skillet in the oven bottom. It just took one splash to break the glass.
I use a Dutch oven now. The downside is that it's a pain in the ass to handle the dough, especially if it's a really wet dough. And it's much harder to do loaves back-to-back.
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21 hours ago, haresfur said:
I've gone off SV short ribs because the fat ends up disgusting IMO. but enjoy them if you like it. You can always separate out the meat, but that's not a task I find pleasant either.
At what time / temperature?
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21 hours ago, gfweb said:
@paulraphael Was it easily pulled apart?
I've not loved my previous SV short ribs. They were firm and roast beef like. Not bad, but not wonderful like red wine braised SR with veg.
You can get whatever texture you want, by varying time and temperature. Steak-like textures are the most famous sous-vide trick, but they're not the only option. Lots of people don't like this. You can get a traditional braised texture as well. Although you could argue that if this is your goal, you might as well just braise.
I use s.v. to go for textures that are between those extremes. I also do very little traditional braising these days, because our current oven smells like a gas leak when it runs at low temperatures (the gas company has come over three times and insists we don't have a gas leak ... that the oven just smells like that. Go figure).
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22 hours ago, KennethT said:
Who is this?
They're called Ends Meat. The main store is downstairs at the new Essex Market. They have a satellite store at Industry City in Brooklyn.
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I just cooked a big short rib meal sous-vide, with a recipe I developed a couple of years ago and never had a chance to try. The big question is always the temperature/time combination. I spent some time thinking about what texture to go for, and decided against the extremes (modern s-v like-a-steak / the classic s-v like-a-braise). I wanted some qualities of each: a bit of pink, good juiciness, cohesive enough to plate but fork-tender. I decided on 69°C for 48 hours (but did the first 4 hours at 40°C to get more enzymatic flavor development).
This was after a pre-sear on all sides to kill surface bugs. I found a great new butcher in NYC who gets all his meat from and upstate farm where they raise a cross between angus and French charolais cows. I'm not usually a big fan of east coast grass-finished beef, because there's so little marbling, but this stuff looked like prime, grain-finished meat. Really wild. The butcher said it's because of the breeding. The ribs I got had about 2-1/2 weeks of dry age ... not much, but the age flavors were amplified by the low temperature start.
I was really happy with how these turned out. I got one piece that was dry and stringy, but my other pieces and everyone else's were just as I'd hoped. Not sure what happened to the dry bit.
The sauce was made with some some jus de viande (a pressure cooked take on meat glace), porcini mushrooms, port, and a background of winter spices that included star anise.
At the end of the day this was way more work than just braising it in the oven, but I'll do it again for a special occasion. The consistency and appearance of the meat was a treat and probably not possible with other methods.
Didn't take any pics of the plated meal at the dinner. But I'll try to remember to get one of the leftovers when we heat them up.
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On 5/11/2019 at 7:56 PM, paulraphael said:
My only guess is that people want something more compact. This looks more like the original PolyScience ... not something you stick in a drawer when you're done.
I've since read an article with comments by Anova (can't remember where) . Surprisingly, they said that professional cooks have reliability problems with professional lab circulators. The lab models are built to very high standards, but with the expectations of a controlled work environment. Kitchens get hot and full of steam. And they're not staffed by lab technicians. A kitchen circulator gets banged around and dropped on the floor and probably dropped into the water bath.
The new Anova is built for this. They say it can survive falls off the counter and being completely submerged. It's a scientists vs. gorillas thing.
When my Anova 1 dies, I'll probably spring for this thing. I'd appreciate the peace of mind.
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Trophy goes to the first person with a ranked ist of aromatic organic chemicals.
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On 1/14/2020 at 11:31 PM, kitchen_muse said:
Gents - and ladies - opinions needed. It might sound quite naive, still I'd like to know if it's worthy investing in a french press just to give it a try as I've been using chemex for several years? Just curious - I've heard that the taste is completely different. And I've checked some of your opinions above about filters - and that's why I'm not considering aeropress (at least for now, as it's still just a hobby and I try to keep it under control... just in case my husband will see this, I'm not a hoarder!). French press sounds like an interesting alternative. So is there anyone who made a switch from "fancy" pour overs to presses?
My grinder is Baratza Virtuoso if this matters.Katie's advice for trying it at a café is a great place to start. If you do that, pay attention to the body of the coffee more than the flavor. FP coffee can be tweaked to have almost any flavor profile, but it will always be pretty full-bodied. And there will usually be some sediment in it, which bugs some people but not others.
It's really a small investment. I don't think there's a coffee quality difference between a cheap press pot and an expensive one ... the latter might look nicer. But I don't care about this because I always just decant it into a thermos. If presentation were a big deal I'd keep my plain-jane press pot but get a pretty thermos.
A decent burr grinder is much more important than the pot. It needs to be one that can adjust to a pretty coarse grind; some of them don't. I also find a scale and an instant-read thermometer very helpful. But all of this stuff will be equally helpful if you stick with Aeropress. If you end up not preferring the press pot, you can keep it around as a spare for when you run out of filters.
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On 1/3/2020 at 10:00 PM, Porthos said:
I never, NEVER give out copies of what I've transcribed so I don't feel I'm violating the spirit of copyright protection.
If the recipes are in your own words, you wouldn't be violating copyright. The only thing copyrightable is the exact language. Recipes themselves aren't considered intellectual property.
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All my recipes are formatted very simply as text files (.rtf), so they can be read by any software. I use Apple's Text Edit on my desktop and laptop to create and edit these. But could use any word processor.
I store them all in my DropBox folder. This means they're always instantly synced, and can be accessed on either of my computers, on my phone, or on the web. The phone screen is a little small for this, but it works fine.
Usually I print out a copy, as ecologically dubious and 20th century that might sound. A sheet of paper is a little more manageable in the kitchen than a gizmo, and I can scribble on it; everything's a work in progress and I like to be able to make notes.
I manually do version control. Which means, a file might have a title like "Yak Butter Cake v7." Versions 1 through 6 are in a folder labelled "Old." This is not especially elegant; there is software that will do version control for you automatically. My girlfriend thinks I should use GitHub. But the simplicity of this system works for me, and I'm used to it.
Something like Evernote or Apple's Notes would offer similar functionality, and would handle the syncing without DropBox or Google Drive. But I like the idea of keeping this stuff in generic formats, and not subjecting it to the whims of a private company.
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Dull knives make you use force to cut things. If you're using force, you can lose control. If the knife or the thing you're cutting slips, the knife will suddenly be moving fast. Maybe toward your other hand. When you see huge gashes on people's hands in the kitchen, it's almost always a dull knife that did it.
If you have a truly sharp knife (very few people do ... even most pros get by with blades that are just serviceably sharp) it will cut with little more than the weight of the blade. The only way you'll ever lose control of a knife like this is if you drop it (please don't). Or if you're trying to cut something you shouldn't. When I cut myself on a sharp knife, it's almost always because it was sitting on the cutting board and I reached past it without paying attention. This is annoying and embarrassing, but has never been serious. I also sometimes shave some skin off my knuckles, or shave off a thin slice of fingernail. This is scary but rarely even merits a baindaid.
If you want a very sharp knife—the kind that requires no force—you either have to learn to use water stones or an edge pro. The former is quicker, the latter has less of a learning curve. But they both do the same thing as far as the knife is concerned.
I only keep 3 of my knives this sharp. I appreciate the low-maintenance versatility of a traditional European blade that you sharpen once in a blue moon and just keep banged into shape on a butcher's steel. I have a burly German chef's knife that I maintain like this (for rough stuff), and also a cheap Forschner utility knife. These guys see a lot of action. I can understand why some people would be uninterested in anything more high-maintenance than this.
Very sharp knives can be a bit of an addiction, even if they're not necessary. They do allow some things that regular knives don't. For example, you can do your most delicate cutting (herbs) before you cut anything else. They won't go brown or lose freshness, even if service is 6 hours away. No one believes this, but it's true. Traditionally, cooks have to add herb prep to the dozens of other last minute tasks before service. You can also very easily slice things so thinly that people will assume you used a mandoline. But you probably finished the task in the time it takes to pull a mondoline out of the cabinet and set it up. Fruit won't brown. Onions won't make you cry (at least not as much).
Those Chef's choice machines aren't terrible. The important thing is to only use the coarsest slot when absolutely necessary, like when repairing edge damage. It removes a lot of metal and will greatly shorten the lives of your knives. The machine sets bevels at a pretty stout angle compared to what a Japanese cook would choose. Which is to say, it's about durability, not sharpness. It will do pretty sharp but not very sharp—probably a little better than the factory edge on German knives.
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I just put a mug of water with a squirt of detergent next to the sink. Dip a sponge or brush in that. When it gets grimy, dump it.
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On 10/25/2019 at 12:46 PM, Kim Shook said:
Everything there makes sense to me. Not sure if the WHY is correct (not arguing about it, I truly don't know), but she's right about hot liquids basically exploding in a blender. Her precautions are correct, I think.
It's standard practice in a pro kitchen to put a towel over the top when blending hot liquids. If you're careful, a vitamix lets you get away without doing this, because of the smart design of the lid. It has hooks that grab the top of the jug, and they can't be pulled off by direct upwards force. And the clear plug in the top of the lid is designed to vent steam, but to not give hot liquids a direct path out.
The design works really well. But only if you make sure the plug is attached properly and both sides of the lid are hooked on. It might be just as easy to cultivate a habit of grabbing a towel and keeping your hand on the lid while blending.
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1 hour ago, chromedome said:
... there's basically nothing you can't clean out of a Vitamix by pouring in a drop or two of dish soap and some boiling water, and then just letting it run and clean itself. YMMV, depending on levels of goopiness.
That's definitely how you clean it. The challenge is scraping it out beforehand, so as much food as possible makes it into your belly rather than into a detergent smoothie.
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This Isi spatula is especially good at getting goo out of the bottom of a Vitamix. It's great for other things too.
I don't use the Vitamix as often as our friends who think smoothies are a lifestyle, but I depend on it for quite a few things. In no particular order:
-Nut butters (people say you can't get them perfectly smooth in a blender, but I find it makes them as smooth as anything from the store. Just make sure the nuts are oily enough ... 60% plus)
-Ice cream
-Soups
-Some sauces (anything you want velvety smooth, and don't want to have to strain; anything you need to disperse hydrocolloids into but have more more than your stick blender can handle)
-Vegetable purees (almost anything besides potatoes)
-Things that will be foamed in a whipping siphon
-Frozen drinks
-Hummus
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Ha. I'm not a milk drink guy, but I wouldn't go quite that far. While milk can make terrible coffee tolerable (have you heard of this place called Starbucks?) it doesn't have to completely obliterate the underlying flavors. I think the better roasters, by popular demand, are going for flavors that can stand up to the milk. And ones do so without clashing with some of the other flavors people like to add.
After many attempts, I've figured out how to preserve coffee origin flavors in coffee ice cream. I now almost always make it with very fruity, natural process single origins. If the flavors can hold up to that, they'll hold up to a cappuccino.
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In Portland you can get great espressos much more reliably.
I should go back to Abraço. Been many years. Is it still standing room only?
One problem here is that even the places that know what they're doing tend to cater to milk drink-drinkers. Even at the best espresso bars, very few customers order espresso. So the priority is roasts and shots that stand up to milk, and that don't clash with the almond/oat/coconut milks that people like. So really distinct, fruity, single origin shots with a lot of character are hard to come by.
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On 3/15/2018 at 6:34 PM, PassionateAmateur said:
Ooo--Newkirk Plaza's just one subway stop way! Thanks so much, I'll hit Coffee Mob this weekend.
Did you ever make it in? They're still my favorite coffee shop in the city. Buck's been doing more blends lately, while my favorites are the single origins. He does blends because most of his customers buy milk drinks, and he can get a better balance for those with a blend.
The blends still make a pretty great espresso. Usually he does just two coffees ... a Central American and and East African. He has personal relationships with most of the farmers.
These coffees have really spoiled me. In the last year I've had decent espressos at Café Grumpy and 3rd Rail, but everywhere else in Manhattan has ranged from passable to disaster.
Edited to add: if you're buying beans, he sells them all as single origins.
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Chuck eye is the ideal cut if you're making steaks for a crowd, on a budget. And you have time.
I wrote this article a few years ago exploring the possibilities.
The basic idea is that this cut has excellent flavor (much nicer than sirloin), and with prolonged sous-vide cooking will tenderize to the point where it could be mistaken for rib eye that costs three times as much.
You can go farther if you have a great butcher—buy a big chunk of the sub-primal and have it dry aged for you.
There are additional techniques for amplifying the flavors while cooking.
None of this is practical if you're just cooking for a couple of people, but if you have occasion to cook 5 lbs or more, and have plenty of notice, it works great. You can either wow your guests with the science, or keep quiet and let them think they're eating an expensive meal.
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On 9/26/2019 at 3:33 PM, Margaret Pilgrim said:
I dunno. Everything written here about roast date and whole bean is true, and I've lived that life. But at this stage of my life, I'm al about KISS...keep it simple, stupid. I used to spend the national debt for coffee beans twice a month, and be involved in sophisticated. brewing systems. Now, I buy my coffee at the flea market. Peet's, whole bean or preground. We prefer African blends, Kenyan, Ethiopian. We pay $5 a pound. Yeh, this stuff is freshly out of date. Just past the two week roast date. I make it rich and strong for me, and husband dilutes his a little with hot water. We use an electric teakettle and french press-pot -> morning coffee in 5 minutes.
We think it's just fine, and guests rave about our coffee. Maybe we just have no taste and tacky guests.
What you describe will still make better coffee than what most people drink most of the time.
The first hurdle is making coffee that doesn't taste bad. Most coffee tastes bad. It's low quality to begin with, then it's roasted to death. The only way to enjoy it is to smother it in milk and sugar, or to become desensitized to bad coffee (most people choose both).
Peet's is going to be decent coffee, even if it's a few days farther past the roast date than what's ideal. That just means you'll lose some aroma and some fruit flavors, but it won't actively make it taste bad—like typical burnt Starbucks coffee.
Then it sounds like you've figured out how to brew it in a way that you like. Done. Nothing to complain about.
You're making the equivalent of the table wine at a nice French café ... completely satisfying, completely inoffensive. It won't blow your mind, but it's not expected to. And if you're used to the kinds of wine you'd get served at a beer bar in Brooklyn, it will taste like heaven.
p.s. ... brewing it a bit on the strong side and then diluting it afterwards for anyone who prefers it that way is exactly the right way to do it. Will give better results than using too low a coffee / water ratio during the extraction.
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Here you go ...
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19 hours ago, Darienne said:
No, but I am interested. Been making magic shell for years, but the a 3:2 chocolate to oil mixture. Even grownups love to watch the liquid suddenly harden.
Also...have no cognac in the house.
Interesting about the ratio. I forget how I arrived at mine, but most of the sources online use much less oil, which I'd welcome. At 3:2, is it completely liquid at room temperature?
Re: cognac ... any booze should be similar.
Have you thrown away all your cutting boards this year?
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I've never worn out a microplane, but my oldest one is definitely slower than newer ones. Probably you should replace if it ever drives you nuts.