KensethFan

Thanks for your replies. I didn't even think about that. It seemed odd, but just didn't click in the mind today. I guess for me, all I have to say is "duh" and "doh".

Hello All, I was looking at Professional Chef 8th Edition by the Culinary Institute of America today. I was looking to make a Espagnole sauce and a Bechemel sauce. When I began to look at the recipes, I found the measurements for the Milk and for the Brown Stock very confusing: For the Espagnole: 1 gal 64 fl oz/5.76 L For the Milk: 1 gal 16 fl oz/4.32 L The way I read this is that I should be using 1 gallon. But 1 gallon does not equal 64 fl oz nor does it equal 16 fl oz. Can anyone clear this up for me?

I have a Food Saver machine. I've been able to put cheese in the vacuum bags and keep it for a very, very long time in the refrigerator. Works like a charm and you don't have to worry about throwing the cheese out or eating it quickly.

I use raw chicken. Sometimes when making chicken stock, I might throw in a few bones from previously cooked chicken, but mostly I use raw chicken.

Thanks everyone!!! I really appreciate you help. I was kinda worried. Glad to hear I made good stock. But now I'm a bit concerned about why my chicken stock is not gelatinous. When I make chicken stock, I usually buy a few chickens (fryer) and chop them up. I only use the backs and wings for the stock. I cover the backs and wings with water such that it is about 2 inches above the backs and wings. I let the stock simmer and skim it for about two hours. Then I add the mirepoix and the bouquet garni and let it simmer for another hour. I cool it and strain it through a chinois. Then I refrigerate it and skim the grease off the top the next morning. I have read the tips on making the chicken stock more gelatinous and appreciate them all. Any more ideas would be welcome.

I've looked all over the forums for an answer, but have not found one to my satisfaction. I made beef stock for the first time on Sunday using beef bones. I simmered it for about 10 hours. I then chilled it so the fat on the top would get hard and I could remove it. When I went to remove the fat on the top, I noticed as I skimmed it that the stock was completely gelatinous. Loosly gelatinous, but certainly not runny and liquid like a chicken stock would be. My question is: Is this normal?

I just finished reading "Sauces' by James Peterson. Now I've been thumbing through and will soon begin really reading "The Professional Chef 8th Edition" by CIA.

Thanks everyone for all your replies. Much appreciated. When I was Googling, I was only putting in "tamis." I found that if you Google for "tamis sieve" you will get some info on places to buy them. I only found out today that a "tamis" and a "drum" sieve were the same thing. Try to do a search on "drum sieve" and you get nowhere though. dexygus: Nope. My username refers to Matt Kenseth from NASCAR. I'm a big NASCAR fan.

I usually just coat the pan very lighly with the oil whether its stainless or non-stick. I bring the pan up to temperature and then I take it away from the heat and wipe it down very lightly with a paper towl. Then I put the pan back on the stove with a little bit of oil for cooking and let it come up to temp. After that, I add whatever I'm cooking. It seems to work very well especially for keeping the ingredients from sticking too much to the stainless steel pans. Why do I do this? When I was learning how to make omelets and crepes, the instructor told us to do this with the non-stick pans. It really helps in creating an oil base that the food seems to "float" on as it cooks and, therefore, it is less likely the food will stick to the pan. So, your crepes come out really well. So, I thought, why not try the same method with my stainless pans? I tried it and it seems to work really well. So that's what I do. It's kinda like making your non-stick pans completely non-stick and making your stainless pans semi-nonstick. It's been really helpful to me.

Hello Everyone, I have been searching all over the forums and Google and cannot seem to find a supplier for a drum seive (tamis). All I can seem to find is either the mere mention of it or something that relates to industry. Does anyone know where I can find one? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I, for one, was glad to see Ilan win. Marcel is very, very immature and is not a well rounded chef by any stretch of the imagination. Did anyone see Marcel in the post-show interviews on the Bravo website? Marcel sat there like someone who was trying to be Mr. Bad***. He was talking and acting the same way. Marcel is not at all comfortable with who he is. He always puts on a front acting like someone he is not. The boy need to grow up. This is part of the reason Marcel did not win. Marcel did not win because: 1. He is very immature (not that Ilan is not a bit immature himself, but he is nowhere near Marcel) 2. He has no idea who he really is. 3. He has no people skills. 4. He shot himself in the foot with all the other chefs because of his arrogance and his immature attitudes. All the chefs seriously disliked him. He was not smart because if you are hated by all the chefs and you make it to the end, they are not going to go the extra mile to help you. 5. He needs to learn how to run a kitchen. The focus of an executive chef is just as much on the kitchen as it is on the food. Don't get me wrong. Marcel is very creative and has a great love and vision for food. He does have a passion. I actually think his passion is much stronger than Ilan's passion. However, he really needs to grow up and will never make anything of himself until he does. He also needs to learn that chefs don't make food for themselves, they make it for others. Once he loses that "it's all about me" attitude, he will be a great chef. If he adopts good attitudes and humbles himself, he will be a much greater chef than Ilan will ever be. That's just my 2 cents.

Unfortunately for Tom, he flushed his own credibility down the toilet with his comment about Sam's food not being cooked. Part of being a chef is not just knowing how to cook with heat, but to marry food with flavors in a way that makes people delighted to eat it. I think if any of the most well recognized chefs in this world would have heard that comment (they probably didn't because they probably would not watch this kind of stuff), they probably would have been both humored and saddened at the same time, losing any manner of respect they may have had for the guy (if they ever had any at all). This is truly unfortunate. That comment was incredibly lame.

Thanks Everyone. Your replies are much appreciated. I've decided to order a few of the Sitram Catering line items and see how they perform.

Hey Everyone!!! I have been thinking about investing in some better cookware than what I have. I really have a hard time paying out the cash for AllClad. It seems overrated and overpriced. I was looking at the Sitram Catering line. Does anyone have these and, if so, what do you think of them? If you have AllClad, how do you think they compare? How do you think they compare to professional lines other than AllClad? Thanks in advance for your replies!!!

Breast 155, Thigh 160. Rest. Should come to 160 for breast and 165 for thigh after rest.