gfweb

The name "VacMaster" is worth $200 at least. Make it "VacMaster 3000" add another couple hunderd.

I need something in the fridge that I can whack off a couple slices from and fry up on Sunday morning. And not be annoyed at.

Bulk sausage in the tube.

I used to rely on Jimmy Dean to make a reliably decent product, but for a couple years the quality is down with gristly bits in the mix. As bad as Bob Evans's quality. I don't want to make my own sausage damnit. To whom do I turn?

Breakfast for one?!

gfweb, did you make those gnudi or buy them? If homemade, can we get the Rx, please? Pretty please? Inspired by Franci, I used the recipe she put up somewhere on the site...then fooled with it. IIRC hers is ricotta + parm + spinach rolled in a quenelle and then rested in flour for two days during which a thin flour layer accumulates and hardens as a skin when boiled. I don't have two days to wait for lunch! So I added a beaten egg and a few tsp of flour to ricotta + parm + garlic powder to firm up the gnudi and make them handle easier and then let them set in flour overnight. Boiled till they floated then dried briefly and browned in butter. The browning makes them lose a bit of their ethereal lightness, but not too much. I like the boiled ones in a marinara.

I don't mind his food writing.

How high up does your liquid go?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/dining/for-3-nights-le-bec-fin-lives-again.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1& Nice piece about Perrier. I loved that place. The old LBF location has had a number of fine restaurants..LBF then Chanterelle then Vetri. The opposite of a cursed location, even though it really is a backstreet.

Nick worked for Georges Perrier, THE high strung chef. Famous for explosions and violence followed by a charming tour through the diners. You'd hear crashes and Gallic swearing...and then he's all smiles a moment later.

I think Nick is still in it. Brian left last IIRC.

I cook short rib by SV and by braising. While SV gives beautiful texture, the traditional braise in red wine and seasonings I think is overall better since I get braised vegetables (carrot, onion, mushroom) and a nice sauce too. I put a touch of cinnamon in the braise which gives a beautiful subtle note. I wonder if orange zest would work as well.

I cold smoke for 30-45 minutes at <250 F then SV. Lots of smoke flavor and super-tender turkey

For the same reason that BMWs are bought by inexpert drivers.

Coffee filters clog with fats or thick stuff like tomato puree. If you have time you can get a very clear tomato water with coffee filters, but it takes ages. I tend to use paper towels in a strainer, and do a couple of passes (with a fresh towel) to get clear filtrates. The better solution is vacuum filtration with a Buchner funnel, but few kitchens have these. They are cheap, though; and if you have a food saver you have a vacuum source.

Yes. That is the glass-sided Magimix - single long slot - but I have a complaint. it is no longer toasting evenly - which seems to be a symptom in so many "modern" toasters. It makes me angry because my 60+ year-old Sunbeam STILL toasts evenly from side to side and top to bottom. I simply do not understand why they do this. PARTICULARLY when it is such an EXPENSIVE toaster. Breville seems to do things properly. Anybody have a Breville toaster?

Keller uses Sysco fries at Bouchon. Says they are great. Wonder if he got paid.

Browned gnudi with mushroom/thyme glaze

I move for another week. Can I get a second?

I find many breads undersalted. Not that they should actually be salty

I'm surprised your Whole Foods hasn't been forced to change their name by t he big chain.

You could go on ebay and buy used. That way the thing will have been cooked with and already stressed. I'd take a photo and email it to Lodge. Bet you get a free one.

A kitchen towel atop foil is the top that I use.

Some recent meals. Pork tenderloin w garlic/ white wine mushrooms...popover...braised red cabbage Red wine braised short rib with roasted butternut squash Sausage and peppers Lasagne Spaghetti bolognese Smoked turkey salad with grapes, pickled onions and candied pecans

Contestants would do well to read Colicchio's The Mind of a Chef before every contest. In it he spells out his preferences and philosophy pretty clearly. RE chicken breast. One could look at making a delicious breast as the test of a chef. Even make it an elimination challenge.