gfweb

Dinosaur that I am, I find the classic blog inferior to the collected wisdom of a forum. Except maybe studiokitchen.

I have ditched the electric fryers in favor of a big pot of oil and an instant read thermometer. Bigger oil volume means less drop in temp when food is added and I can fry at whatever temp I want.

Potato type is an issue too. Yukons are more pectin-y than russets. A russet might well turn to mush in alkaline water while a yukon just wilts.

They were about 3/8". http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/05/perfect-french-fries-recipe.html is a link in which Kenji Alt tries to reproduce the McD's fry. Turns out he likes vinegar treating to get durability. Interesting read but clearly not the last word. You may be onto something with your second fry theory. More science is needed!

I have tested the effect of pH on boiled potatoes. Fry-sized yukon gold potatoes were boiled gently for 10 minutes in either 1 cup water, 1 cup water with a tbsp of white vinegar or 1 cup water with a tbsp of baking soda. Limpness (an inverse measure of pectin strength) was measured gravimetrically as shown in Figure 1. The top fry was acid boiled, the middle boiled in water, the bottom alkaline boiled. Note that the alkaline treated potato not only sags most, but also sags closest to the fixed end. Conclusion, alkalinity promotes pectin destruction and acidity the opposite. Figure 1.

Well, I've found reference to low pH strengthening pectin in potatoes, but not the converse. It would surprise me if something like this isn't covered in Modernist Cuisine.

Great post. Re baking soda. It speeds the Maillard rxn and also has effect on pectin. I believe I've read that alkalinity will soften pectin and make potatoes surfaces a little shaggy...which might help starch adhere...or promote a crisp surface after frying. I'm looking for references.

I don't know why people still harp on about this given that this has happened every season since the beginning of the show. The standard format is that they cook in the titular place until it's winnowed to the final X, everyone takes a big break and the finals are cooked in another location, after the season has started airing. And I've constantly harped about it since season 1. Texas paid the money, it gets a title spot.

Just snow drops up here. Daffodils are poking up though. This should be fun!

There will be a point where any group of receptors can bind no more of its activator. At that point the response will be maximized and go no further. Sounds like you hit that point.

I think that its just teenagers trying on a new identity. Part of growing up, I guess. Wasn't that snide? LOL

Agreed!

Its not just the youth who have demanding/irrational food issues. Anyone <60 is at risk to have a crazy belief about what they can eat. I think most of it stems from bad education, especially in science. People do not know how to decide what is true, so any crackpot claim from the shameful Dr. Oz is taken as worthwhile and any blogger is believable. The level of ignorance is staggering. I know otherwise educated people who have celiac dz and avoid anything with glutamate in it on the grounds of it being a gluten! The only similarity of course is in spelling, not chemistry or structure. I could go on forever.

Shark has been definitively jumped. How freaking stupid was that!?

Starbucks regular coffee is so bland it needs all the added stuff to have any taste. Blond is bland-er. Starbucks... eh

Amazon has Campbell's Scotch broth.

Yeah. Even if you think vegans are FOS, you shouldn't fool them.

What's more, the low budget forces you to get cheap starchy food (as Thirtyoneknots said), perhaps the least nutritious diet.

I'm still stuck on the <0.50/person. I'm not sure that there's any way to get enough calories and especially protein spending that little even three times a day. So your housemates either are spending much more during the day or are very effective moochers. If they are spending more then they should reconsider raising the limit for dinner. After all you can always cook cheaper at home and in volume than you can buy prepared food.

I do the same thing. I actually like the tuna cakes better than crab. I serve with a lime aioli and salad.

Wow. Amazing stuff Patrick, Prawn, Xi, Paul, Kim, Keith!

Daughter home from college and I made one of her favorites, Italian sausage with pepper/onion/tomato and ziti, and fresh baked Italian bread.

It was boring too.

I thought he was creepy long before the molestation issues came forward.

How about stuffed baked potatoes. People put on what they want...butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon.