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HowardLi

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Posts posted by HowardLi

  1. David - not sure where to start looking - but there is a whole topic on crispy pork skin somewhere in eG.

    There are a few topics but I think this one is the one you are thinking of. Excellent info and pictures.

    Thanks for the link. I'm going to use that style of roast pork in a Banh Mi with a smooth chicken liver pate. I'll be doing another one with red-cooked pork and pickled watermelon instead of vegetables. Now that's going to be a really red Banh Mi!

    http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/12/the-food-lab-deep-fried-sous-vide-36-hour-all-belly-porchetta.html

    Kenji uses a secondary rub consisting mainly of baking powder. Apparently the effect is similar to using lye in the aforementioned thread.

  2. I just don't think we should throw away years and years and decades and decades of actual cooking and experimentation by actual chefs just because the science says we should.

    I think that is EXACTLY why we should throw such techniques away -- if our facts are wrong, discard them.

    Kind of like the "searing meat seals in the juices" statement I hear on Food Network every week. I know it's wrong, you know it's wrong, the celebrity chef in question probably (maybe?) knows it's wrong.

    Yet we're stuck with "searing seals in juices" because decades of chefs believed it to be true -- without bothering to pull out a scale and verify it.

    A worthwhile read to challenge debunkers on the subject of sealing juices. http://culinaryarts....alinjuices1.htm

    What a load of worthless tripe. Worse than even the usual article on about.com.

  3. I wouldn't cook anything in the oven at such a low temperature. The meat would be in the danger zone for way too long.

    Since the interior of the muscle is (assumed to be) sterile, this shouldn't be a major concern: the outside surface will come up to the oven's temperature reasonably quickly and it's smooth sailing from there, from a food-safety standpoint. Unless you've jaccarded the meat, of course.

    I hear ya, but in this instance we don't have the crutch of SV and really are depending on a rule of thumb.

  4. I wouldn't cook anything in the oven at such a low temperature. The meat would be in the danger zone for way too long.

    I'm assuming you have a probe thermometer? If you don't, get one right now. Having said that, I would do the roast at 200F until the inside registered 135F, then I would drop the heat to 140 F (verify with oven thermometer) and keep warm with the roast wrapped in foil to prevent evaporation.

  5. There's no need to sous vide it. Just put it into an oven at 200F. At this temperature, there will be negligible thermal carryover (perhaps 1-2F), so set your probe thermometer to 140F.

    As Shalmanese stated, doing it in the oven allows for better final browning. For the browning, set your oven as high as it will go after you remove the meat, and make sure it's 100% clean before you turn it on. Smoke alarms don't take kindly to burnt sugar.

  6. Well, the recipe that's rocked my year so far has to be the easiest and most delicious dessert I've had in ages: passionfruit semifreddo. Seriously, its work:payoff ratio is so incredibly good, and the texture is amazing for something that doesn't require an ice cream machine. I don't often make or like sweet things, but I LOVED this.

    Not sure how common passionfruit are outside Australia but I imagine any fruit (maybe not kiwifruit or pineapple) should work.

    And with the egg whites leftover, there's always the decidedly NOT 'new in 2012' classic pavlova! smile.gif

    If the syrup gets added to the yolks, won't they curdle?

  7. I'm planning on using a charcoal chimney to emulate a salamander for some burgers coming from an SV bath.

    To what degree should I allow the beef to cool before starting to sear? Should I go for uniformity of cooling or do I want just the outside cooled down? Will I get faster browning if I spritz on a glucose solution a la Baldwin? Does it really matter with the heat from the chimney?

    Modernist Cuisine suggests submerging the already low temperature cooked burgers in liquid nitrogen then deep frying in very hot oil. The technique freezes the outer layer of the meat, but not the inner. As the burger cooks at a high heat the frozen portion defrosts and browns while the inner portion is insulated from the heat. From all reports, the result is a rare, but extremely crisp burger.

    If I were in your situation (assuming you don't have access to liquid nitrogen), I would probably get dry ice, wrap it in cheese cloth and set it on both sides of the burger for 30 seconds to a minute, then grill. This should mimic liquid nitrogen closely. I would also probably skip the glucose. To be honest, I've never found it necessary. I get great maillard reactions without any additional additives, just a smoking hot pan and some high temp oil.

    So I seared the burgers three ways: on a NG grill, with a blowtorch, and with a charcoal chimney, in order of worst to best. The grill took way too long to develop a good sear, and while the blowtorch could certainly deliver the BTUs, the heat was disproportionately transferred to the asperities of the meat, leading to blackened spotting before the whole of the surface developed good color. The charcoal chimney gave a nice, progressive, uniform sear, which was both fast and easily moderated.

    For anybody else interested in searing atop a charcoal chimney, I would recommend filling the chimney at least 3/4 full otherwise the heat output will be lacking.

    Appending a note to this post as it's too late to edit it: you know when the chimney is hot enough when you can only hold your hand above the fire for 2-3 seconds at 3 FEET above the chimney.

  8. I'm planning on using a charcoal chimney to emulate a salamander for some burgers coming from an SV bath.

    To what degree should I allow the beef to cool before starting to sear? Should I go for uniformity of cooling or do I want just the outside cooled down? Will I get faster browning if I spritz on a glucose solution a la Baldwin? Does it really matter with the heat from the chimney?

    Modernist Cuisine suggests submerging the already low temperature cooked burgers in liquid nitrogen then deep frying in very hot oil. The technique freezes the outer layer of the meat, but not the inner. As the burger cooks at a high heat the frozen portion defrosts and browns while the inner portion is insulated from the heat. From all reports, the result is a rare, but extremely crisp burger.

    If I were in your situation (assuming you don't have access to liquid nitrogen), I would probably get dry ice, wrap it in cheese cloth and set it on both sides of the burger for 30 seconds to a minute, then grill. This should mimic liquid nitrogen closely. I would also probably skip the glucose. To be honest, I've never found it necessary. I get great maillard reactions without any additional additives, just a smoking hot pan and some high temp oil.

    So I seared the burgers three ways: on a NG grill, with a blowtorch, and with a charcoal chimney, in order of worst to best. The grill took way too long to develop a good sear, and while the blowtorch could certainly deliver the BTUs, the heat was disproportionately transferred to the asperities of the meat, leading to blackened spotting before the whole of the surface developed good color. The charcoal chimney gave a nice, progressive, uniform sear, which was both fast and easily moderated.

    For anybody else interested in searing atop a charcoal chimney, I would recommend filling the chimney at least 3/4 full otherwise the heat output will be lacking.

  9. I tend to prefer cast iron or blue/black steel. Stainless, often sandwiched with aluminum will warp far before it hits the high temperatures that cast iron or blue/black steel can reach.

    Makes sense. At those temperatures, though, don't you risk losing the seasoning of the cast iron?

    I was worried the first time I did it, but I've never had a problem. My lodge pan still feels like glass and I've never had an issue with it sticking.

    Nice. I picked up some avocado oil today. Will I get a better crust if I press down on the patty?

  10. I'm planning on using a charcoal chimney to emulate a salamander for some burgers coming from an SV bath.

    To what degree should I allow the beef to cool before starting to sear? Should I go for uniformity of cooling or do I want just the outside cooled down? Will I get faster browning if I spritz on a glucose solution a la Baldwin? Does it really matter with the heat from the chimney?

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