paulraphael

Yes, I made that point because the lore is widespread, but it's incorrect. The chemistry involved is basic. Once you've reduced charcoal to coals, it's going to be carbon and ash no matter the original source. Wood would be better if you jumped the gun and put the food on too early, but it still wouldn't be good. There are differences in density between the two that give somewhat different cooking characteristics, so the smart thing is to choose based on this rather than on worries about composition.

Refined flour in any airtight container. Square or rectangular ones make more efficient use of space on the shelf. Cambros or the equivalent are great; I use the consumer containers with the pushbutton lid. Either will keep critters out. Plastic is a 100% non-issue here. Even "bad" plastic like polycarbonate can't leach anything into dry flour. The only issue would be stinky plastics like PVC or EVA, but those aren't used in food containers. Whole grain flour should be stored in the freezer if you're not going to use it right away. Refined flour was originally developed to prevent spoilage. Whole grain flours have the germ of the grain which contains oils; these can go rancid. A ziploc freezer bag (or a double layer of them) with as much air as possible evacuated from it would be ideal. This will not make whole grain flour last forever, but I'd guess it would be good for a year or two.

It shouldn't matter what kind of charcoal you use. Whether you use pure wood or something else, it's important to wait til they turn to coals. At that point they're chemically identical: carbon and ash. Use lump if you want faster starting and higher heat; briquettes if you want longer, steadier output. I can't speak to the on-the-coals method. I wonder if imparts as much smokey flavor. It's been shown that fat flare-ups are actually the sole source of smoke flavors in grilled food (even though grilling lore says they're a problem). Does dripping fat get transformed the same way when it gets less air flow?

The question is what happens to the proteins in the yolks when you freeze them. And does it effect their emulsifying properties, their ability to thicken a custard, or anything else about their texture in a custard or ice cream. It's worth an experiment if you can't get an authoritative answer.

Parker's problem isn't that the wines he likes are bad; it's that they're homogenous. He's anti-variety. I like a big, punch-you-in-the-face cabernet. Sometimes. When I'm in the mood. Usually when the wine's the meal, not an accompaniment to the meal. But I also like other stuff. With respect to the contributions Parker's made to American wine culture, it's time he crams a cork in his ego-hole.

I haven't tried this, so maybe do some more research. Egg yolks supposedly freeze well if they're blended with sugar first. This is to provide some protection to the proteins, which could otherwise have their texture changed and their ability to mix with other ingredients impeded—I haven't been able to find a scientific explanation and haven't tested it. If you measure the sugar carefully and note it on the freezer bag, you can just subtract this quantity from the recipe. I don't know for sure that the sugar is necessary here, but don't think it would cause harm.

I made Negroni sorbet yesterday. It was pretty good. Soft, as you might expect, even though I reduced the sugars to about 13%. I changed the ratio to 1: 1.5 : 2 gin/vermouth/campari, since the gin probably offers more alcohol than flavor in this case. To boost gin flavors I infused a bit of thyme, clove, coriander, cardamom, and black pepper, and added a bit of lemon. In the future I'll eliminate the gin and try to infuse a better set of botanicals. Juniper berry of course, and citrus zest, and whatever else seems good. Anyway, as you can probably imagine, it's hard to go wrong with these flavors in a sorbet on a summer day.

Dishwashing detergent is toxic chemicals also. Every chemical is toxic if the dose is high enough. Table salt has a higher oral toxicity than some roach killers, but this isn't an issue, because you'd never eat that much salt all at once. The only issues to worry about are 1) if the chemical will leave residue on your pan that could be toxic, and 2) if it's dangerous to use. With oven cleaner, the answer to 1) is no. The answer to 2) is yes, moderately. But less so than using it to clean an oven, which people have been doing without dying from for a long time.

It's 100% about technique. If the pan is hot enough, the oil gets hot enough, and the food is dry when it goes in, it won't stick. Proteins will stick at first, before the browning reactions are complete, but that's normal. Don't touch anything at this point. If you pry proteins off the pan while they're still stuck, you'll have a mess. Wait until it releases easily before moving or flipping. This works for everything. You can cook delicate fish with the skin on like this (but I'd suggest practicing first with something less sticky / delicate). One of the best techniques for sauteeing proteins is to make a pan sauce by deglazing. You get a delicious, easy sauce and clean the pan, all in one step. If you're not doing that, just throw water into the pan while it's still hot and scrape it with a spatula. The boiling hot water does most of the work. I haven't put a pan in the dishwasher ever.

It's not even gasses; it's very small particulates that get airborne if you get a pan hot enough to destroy it and burn the coating off it. You'll kill a bird just as handily by seasoning a cast iron pan or burning something on the stove. The real takeaway is, keep pet birds out of the kitchen. There's some more info here. FWIW, all non-stick pans are essentially the same. So-called ceramic pans just have particles embedded in the surface to give it some more abrasion resistance. But such pans will still be destroyed by high heat, and will still lose their non-stick qualities—slowly if you baby them, quickly if you don't. None of these pans is dangerous for humans to cook with. If you read between the lines of that report (which is horrifically badly written) you'll see that most of the alarm is about the manufacture of PTFE products. Which is, of course, something to think about. My advice to everyone is to own a single cheap-ass nonstick pan, and use it just for eggs and the few other things they make sense for.

I'm guessing it's just because the humid environment in the s.v. bag completely saturated the skin with water. You might have better luck if you dry the skin side with a paper towel as well as you can after unbagging. If you still have problems, you could try dusting lightly with wondra flour immediately before putting in the pan. Even so, you can expect the proteins to glue themselves to the pan temporarily. If everything else is done right, they should unglue themselves as soon as the maillard reactions reach a certain point ... so resist the temptation to pry anything off the pan unless you're sure something's overcooking. I've been buying skinless thighs, so haven't had a chance to play with s.v. chicken skin specifically.

The popsicle-in-a-cocktail-glass is a great presentation. Can't wait to try this.

Oh, I saw that too, and just found where my girlfriend stashes her popsicle molds ... Let us know how they come out.

Is it scandalous that I just made frozen Negronis in the blender? I added a bit of honey and a tiny bit of salt. It's hot and muggy today, and they were insanely refreshing ... maybe worth getting kicked off the island for.

Made some 65-day dry-aged ribeye steaks last night (an x-mas present dinner for my brother and sister-in-law that's now many years overdue). I just don't think I'll ever make steak another way if this option is available. I cannot imagine it being better. Sous-vide was also used to make the beef coulis at the foundation of the sauce (a dairy-free madeira and sage brown sauce), and the thyme ice cream in the dessert course.

Up above I was comparing the $800 P.S. professional to the $400 Anova Pro. The latter looks comparable to the $1200 P.S. lab circulator—the one everyone was using before the culinary and consumer circulators were introduced. Does anyone here have the pro Anova? It looks like a great machine if you don't mind the weight and bulk, and truly need something bomb-proof for commercial environment.

Most of the anodizing on my stockpot got removed by far less-harsh detergents (i was trying to clean a found moose skull, which the company probably doesn't recommend, but still ...) At least the pot still works fine, and there's still enough anodic layer that acidic stuff doesn't discolor or taste bad. I'd prefer stainless pot w/ disk bottom for sure, but not enough to replace the anodized one while it's still got some life.

Chicken thighs+sous-vide = magic. Braising is good too, but then so is stir-fry, stew, soup, fricassee... I like s.v. for thighs because prepared this way they're versatile enough to use almost any way imaginable, and they're resistant enough to overcooking that they never seem to dry out when searing, reheating as leftovers, etc. etc... And they have flavor. I've never been compelled to brine them. The texture I get is just about perfect, and the flavor needs no help. Breasts I can understand the case for. But in general I'm anti-brine except for seafood. For thighs, 64.5C x 3 hours is a sweet spot. 2 hours is often enough if they're small / thin. But the extra time will not dry them out or make them mushy in the least.

Even before taking your experience into account, it looks like Anova's really beating up polyscience. The pro version of the Anova only costs half as much as the p.s. creative series, and a third as much as the p.s. lab model.

I've used other brands of bottled lemon and lime juice. They contained oils from the fruit in addition to juice, which made them taste more like lemon or lime than fresh-squeezed juices do. They're a bit more like juice plus zest. The flavor isn't quite as fresh or 3-dimensional as fresh squeezed (probably because it's from concentrate) but is stronger. I use it a lot in sauces, asian dishes, and to balance the seasoning on things like bitter greens. For something that features citrus, I'd prefer fresh, but there's nothing bad tasting about these.

According to KA specs, it looks like the same motor/transmission as the 7 quart "pro line" consumer mixer. Which makes it radically different from previous KA designs. I've had a pro-600 for years and like it very much, but these newer mixers have a much larger, heavier duty motor that runs very quietly. The interior design of the pro-line and the commercial 8-qt is more like what you'd see in a Hobart mixer (minus the multispeed transmission). I'd expect these mixers to be able to handle the kinds of heavy, low-hydration bread dough tasks that cause problems for the older designs. Edited to add: KA refurbs are a great value. If you use the mixer a lot you'll uncover any problems well within the 6-month warranty period. Annoying that the consumer versions don't come with the stackable bowl. The consumer bowl also has a rolled lip at the rim, which I'm betting disqualifies it from NSF approval (harder to clean).

Does using oil make it harder or easier to use bag juices in a sauce?

I don't think oil could degrade the flavor unless the oil itself tastes bad. Oil molecules are too big to pass into the meat itself. But that said, I have no idea what the oil could actually be doing to the scum. That's just proteins in the juices that get expelled from the meat as it cooks. Above a certain temperature they coagulate. I'm curious to know how the oil plays into this.

I just froze some s.v. chicken thighs. Will report.

The thing is, people who care about knives will bring their own, and won't let anyone else near them. People who don't care will use the house knives, and will beat them to hell. I haven't heard of it going any other way.