haresfur

So I have some nice looking vac-packed blade steak I picked up at the farmer's market and am considering whether to to open it, season the steaks, and reseal in ziplocs or just whack the meat as-is into the SV. This train of thought brought me to wondering whether salting meat before a long, slow, moist cook is more-or-less brining it and if so, how much of the SV texture relates to this, rather than the low-temperature cooking. Ideas?

Continuing tequila variations on other cocktails: Qui' Punch 1 1/2 oz Anejo Tequilla (Kirkland - not having much to compare to, it seems pretty decent) 1 tsp agave syrup (cut in half next time) a thin slice of lime (one of the interesting yellow sweet limes available at this time of year) Build in OF glass with 1 ice cube. I could down these pretty quickly.

I tried the Green Hornet variation with Junipero gin last night. It's a good "digestif". Would that be an "Evergreen Hornet"?

Save the pineapple from the infusion for their next pizza!

Thanks FP, that's really interesting since the advice I generally hear is to be very gentle with muddling mint and not to blend it. Glad to hear it worked out.

Sort of a toned-down Oaxaca Old Fashioned 1 1/2 oz reposado tequila (or anejo. I used Sauza) 1/2 tsp agave syrup 6 drops Xocolatl Mole Bitters Mezcal rinse lime twist Build like a Sazarac. I added a touch more mezcal just to see what that would be like and found I liked it much more with just the rinse (then again I have very cheap Mezcal (gotta filter that worm out). I suppose it should be called a Sauzarac.

Shouldn't that be Inner Circle Green ... or Black . I think I was feeling frugal on that trip to Dan Murphy's liquor. I don't think there is a flavour difference between the red and the green - just how much water you are paying for! I haven't tried the 76% black.

I was so hoping to do a cold version, but a cold rainy spring day in south-east Australia, tipped me to: Hot green tea punch Muddle peel of 1 small lemon with 2 tsp raw sugar Add 300 mL green tea (I used 1 Costco/Ito En sencha/matcha tea bag) 1 oz Inner Circle Red rum (for the funk) 1 oz Havana Club Anejo rum Sorry about the mixed units. ETA: Oh, thoughts: Refreshing, which isn't a word I usually associate with hot drinks.

fww, Costco Australia sells Ziploc Freezer bags, which are pretty beefy. I think some people use those. I haven't seen the ziploc vacuum seal bags.

IMO Yes. You are making the stock at a higher temperature so it is a lot faster and uses less energy. Even just below a simmer you will be losing volatiles - and doing it over a long period. I think the modern venting PCs like my Fagor vent a lot less than the jiggle-weight ones. With experience you will be able to control the venting pretty well and will figure out how long to cook the stock.

I had a bit of time to kill in Melbourne CBD so checked out a liquor store I had noticed on Queen Street with quite a collection of old mini bottles and bitters bottles in the window. They had a few interesting bottles inside at higher than interesting prices. Picked up a bottle of Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Own Decanter Bitters for a reasonable $23 Aus. Breaking them in with a Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned. The bitters remind me of the Fees Old Fashioned/Whisky Barrel but with stronger clove aroma - and that's not a bad thing at all.

So it's kind of like the bourbon equivalent of Newfoundland 'swish' to get the last of the rum out of the barrel? ... and Chris, a little rough around the edges can be a virtue.

This isn't really correct. The boiling point is defined by the pressure of the gaseous water (water vapour) above liquid. It is only very slightly affected by the air pressure and the expansion of the water isn't important for that reason. In an open pot, the vapour pressure is basically defined by the atmospheric pressure. When you heat water to 100 C at sea level it will start to boil - each of those water vapour bubbles in the liquid will expand to the point where the pressure in the bubble reaches one atmosphere (ok plus the pressure of the water above the bubble but that's not significant). The bubble bursts at the surface and the water vapour is carried away or condenses. At a high elevation, the pressure working against the vapour bubbles is less so boiling occurs at a lower temperature. If you put a sealed pressure cooker top over the liquid and you keep the pot at 100 C then the water vapour will be trapped above the liquid water and its pressure (partial pressure of water, to get technical) will build up until it reaches 1 atmosphere, at which point boiling will cease. If you add more heat and increase the water temperature, then more water goes into the vapour increasing the pressure until the two are in equilibrium again. This pressure-temperature boiling curve is a fundamental property of (pure) water - it's different for say ethanol (praise the Lord!). If you want to increase the temperature in the pot above 100 C, you have to increase the pressure (or add salt or something, but never mind that for this discussion). To keep the pressure cooker from exploding, you have to modulate the pressure and temperature. In a venting pressure cooker, the vent keeps the pressure inside the pressure cooker at or below 15 psi (or whatever set point) above atmospheric. To keep it exactly at 15 psi, you adjust your stove to allow a little steam to release. If I understand non-vented PCs, there is essentially a spring and a marked guide that allows the pressure inside to be a little above or below the target pressure. You adjust the stove to keep the mark at the right level for 15 psi. You can adjust a venting pressure cooker to keep the pressure below the venting pressure but it's not obvious how far below you are. In practice, letting it vent a little keeps the pressure consistent. In either style there are emergency vents to keep the pressure from going too high. But ultimately you have to adjust the heat on the stove to set the pressure/temperature. So the issue with stock making is that the venting allows some volatile flavour/aroma chemicals to release with the steam. It isn't the boiling per se. Stock is pretty forgiving of how long it cooks so I've been trying to keep my pressure cooker just below venting. If it's a bit too low it might be a bit weak after a given time, but I just work my process to cook for a little longer than might be necessary to account for it. It seems to me there is greater difference in the number of chicken frames or necks I throw into the pot. My strategy is to cook for long enough to extract all the stocky stuff even at a slightly low pressure. In practice my stove is so weird that I get some venting and sometimes the safety vent releases. It would be really nice to have a temperature probe inside the PC so you just adjust to a consistent temperature rather than a consistent pressure.

Unfortunately bars seem to refer to themselves as "craft cocktail bars" if they decide they want to sell more cocktails, without any other basis. Chris doesn't agree, but I've had pretty good luck at 1806 in Melbourne. At least the drinks have been good. The service can be a bit weird. Chez Regine was enjoyable and a good place for research before you buy a bottle.

I really wonder about this obsession with not letting the stock boil or vent in a pressure cooker. I don't deny that you could lose volatiles and change the taste if the stock vents (although I can't confirm). But, it seems to me that you are going to lose those components anyway, if you reduce your stock. As far as bringing the pressure cooker to pressure without bringing it to a boil, maybe it is possible with some designs but it seems to me that it would take a very long time and probably some way to monitor the temperature/pressure curves to make sure you don't boil. But if it is at the beginning of the process, you won't have extracted much flavour from the bones so why worry about it? I think the best strategy would be to bring it to pressure as fast as possible and then modulate the heat so you don't vent. I do think you get a clearer stock and possibly better flavour if you crash cool the PC before opening.

I'm not a huge fan of their beer in general, but I agree - why not drink beer that tastes like beer?

If your glasses/mugs have a deep foot ring, they can trap water and come out of the dishwasher still wet. Storing them upside down allows the foot to dry. And the bugs can't walk around the inside...

I like to freeze stock in ziplock bags laid flat so you get a thin layer that's easy to store and break apart. If you are worried about measuring amounts, then weigh the chunks. I also use these, but they would be a real pain for large volumes.

Chicken and white bean chilli. Modernist if you pressure cook the beans.

Averna on the rocks with a thin slice of lemon is very nice.

To start a tradition, just do what you love, then repeat... Some of the traditions for me and my siblings started by taking some of my father's dishes and assigning them to particular days, like German pancakes on Boxing Day. You might think about Barbecue, from the description of your friends. And it would give you plenty to obsess over.

I feel sorry for the younger generation! With all that granite and gabbo, I can believe that the springs would respond quickly to the weather. Are there regulations controlling their water allocation?

Left hand is to 1794 as Boulevardier is to Old Pal? Although it sounds like the KC Left hand calls for more bourbon than you said you used.

I'm a big believer in substituting syrups/cordials for liqueur when I can. If you are mixing with spirits then I don't think the alcohol in the liqueur makes much difference. You could always add vodka. I don't think it works for citrus. Then again, I'll try to substitute ginger wine for ginger syrup, too - but that's out of laziness. My aim isn't to reproduce someone else's drink exactly but to make something that tastes good so I'm always adjusting proportions and ingredients.

You get 5 quarts of stock out of one chicken? I probably end up with less than a quart after reduction. I usually use chicken frames but I may go to necks or wings that are usually less expensive. Then again I live in a country where you can still get those things - although they are getting harder to find in the supermarkets. OP could either start with a whole chicken and pull the meat off the bones to eat after cooking and return the bones to the pot or try to find appropriate bits and pieces. Would making stock from cheap necks, wings or bones be ok or do you want free-range stock? I like the idea of raising your own chickens.