Intellidepth

What shall I do with a 2mm flexible slab of Morello Cherry candy on a silpat (hard ball stage)? Concentrated, very solidly chewy. Thanks!

vengroff - searched under 'sous vide' for your app in the store, couldn't locate it yet. I only have an iphone so keen for the alternative user interface What a brilliant concept.

Good grinder first. Always. Provides consistency in your brew. You can play with your beans - but your grinder's the fixture that those beans rely on to get the best out of them before water's even hit them.

I'd like to try this.. Is it an OK idea to marinade chicken breast strips 10mm thick in the wine/salt/oil (+herbs - fresh thyme and maybe sweet paprika) portion of the velveting mix for say 12 hours prior to velveting as a traditional marinade for the purpose of breaking down the proteins, and then adding the cornstarch and egg whites to it to create the complete velveting marinade just prior to frying? Is it OK to use Rice Bran Oil as I need a really delicate flavour. Thanks.

I can't get it here where I live in Australia and am newly requiring it in my Raffles Singapore Slings, which I've become partial to after a recent visit to that famous location. Could someone please clarify if the Cherry Heering flavour includes the 'bitter almond' overtone evident in some cherry brandies?

I love my Macap M4, stepless, dosered, purchased in 2008. For espresso use specifically. If I was a plunger/stove-top kind of person I might go, at a pinch, for the stepped version, but only reluctantly after using the precision of a stepless. I guess it depends on what your expectations of your finished coffee are. The finer the control, the more regular the grounds, the better the coffee can be. Early in my coffee journey I lined up grounds from various machines (whacker blade to prosumer burr) in a row on white paper. The differences were astounding. And helped justify my purchase of the Macap M4 . And the quality of the resulting espresso? Amazing. A stepless gives you the fine control you need to change your grind as the beans age (that is, from 3 days to about 3 weeks after roasting), and to suit your taste preferences.

My vote goes to: coffeesnobs.com.au Their Espresso Wow blend is amazing. I live in Australia and receive it by express mail within 3 days of roasting.

Thick crema and full aroma: sounds like you're really searching for an espresso machine, paired with a great grinder and beans roasted in the last week. Welcome to my home! My home machine is a La Vibiemme Domobar Super, paired with a Macap M4. Love it. Paired with really fresh beans that I have posted to me direct from a roastery which reach me within 3 days of roasting, the crema is magical, the aroma divine and the flavour hmmmm. Must say though, it's in a completely different financial ballpark to most of the machines mentioned here, but I also expect it to last 20 years... There are suppliers in Australia who allow you to bench-test their espresso machines - a worthwhile exercise if you're looking at 'investing' your hard earned cash on a prosumer grinder and espresso machine. Perhaps you'll find a place similar in the UK?

MAINS A bed of finely shredded iceberg lettuce, topped with finely chopped mangoes and red peppers (capsicum) with a squeeze of lime, followed by a layer of garlic pepper butter prawns. Lemon thyme chicken, with sides of honeyed carrots, steamed beans and mixed rice. Roasted sweet potato and bacon soup with cream and a hint of steeped rosemary. Roasted sweet potato chunks, danish fetta, steamed green beans and toasted almonds. Maybe with roasted chicken? Chicken pizza with bbq sauce, mozzarela/tasty cheese mix, thyme, red pepper (capsicum). Shepherd's pie and mixed steamed vegetables. Chicken thighs wrapped in bacon rashers, topped with swiss cheese, sprinkled with herbed dry breadcrumb stuffing mix and baked in a bath of white wine and condensed chicken soup. Served with mashed/baked potato, greens and carrot. Chicken san choy bow. Haven't found a successful 'side' yet. Quiche of any description. Frittata of any description. White fish pan fried with shredded continental cucumber and condensed cream of celery soup, thickened. Sounds weird but tastes pretty good in a large vol-au-vent with a garden salad (minus the tomato) as a side. Risotto cooked with butter and a hint of lemon juice, then chicken stock, followed by add-ins like shredded parmesan and any vege/meat combo I have available.

gfron1: the gaping mouth of my kitchen sink is devouring most of them. Apologies for this long post... its here for future generations ‘Crème’ Experiment 6 Texture: very thick creme, like double-cream/King Island Cream for those in Australia. Sweetness: just enough to enhance the vanilla Vanilla: enough to be distinctive without turning it into a full vanilla custard flavour Recipe: 4 yolks from 59g eggs ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 375ml cream (1 ½ cups) 125ml milk (1/2 cup) (Serves 4) ----- Oven 150*C. Rack in centre of oven. Boil water in kettle. Mix yolks, sugar and extract with silicone spatula in 1L jug. Heat cream and milk to 85*C in heavy-based medium saucepan, stirring gently. Take off heat, continue to stir and cool to 75*C to avoid scrambling when tempering (dairy mix may rise to 90*C before dropping). Temper egg mix: very slowly pour dairy mix into yolk mix by teaspoonfuls (approx.) incorporating well after each addition. After about 5 teaspoons, start adding in tablespoon quantities and then ¼ cup quantities until about 1/3rd of the egg mix is tempered, then add the rest of the dairy mix and stir briefly. Strain into another 1L jug. Skim off bubbles. Pour into ramekins gently. Torch fine bubbles to remove them. A domestic gas lighter is fine. Individually foil seal the ramekins (double layer) and place in thin metal tray. Water bath 1/8th inch using boiled water in thin metal tray. Bake: 55-60 minutes. Bench-top cool-down to room temp with foil removed to prevent condensation. Refrigerate overnight, covered with plastic wrap. Equipment: 2 x 1L jugs 5ml teaspoon 63ml cup (¼ cup) measure 250ml cup (1 cup) measure 2 x silicone spatulas or wooden spoons Heavy-based medium saucepan Candy thermometer Fine strainer to fit in/over a 1L jug Domestic gas lighter Foil Thin metal tray(s) Ramekins: four x 2½” wide x 2” tall Notes of wisdom: cooking time will depend on the size, shape, thickness and density of ramekins, the thickness of the metal tray, and the temperamentality of one’s oven. Notes of regret: reducing the bake time by 10 minutes (from 60) didn't affect the tiny overcooked top edge which may have to do with the shape of my ramekins - widening towards the top. Notes of interest: it's amazing how close this recipe is to the original considering every ingredient received alteration and experimentation. And thus ceases my interest in my favourite dessert for a few months.

Thank you so much. To be truly frank, I'd never heard of freezing egg whites until I became an eGulleteer and have read it now in quite a few threads. Can thawed whites be used in any recipe or does freezing change their chemical makeup somehow? Are they better in some recipes than others?

I have a fabulous memory of my first pink lemonade in the US 15 years ago - it was the best 'real' lemonade I had tasted (no carbonation), and I had a mother who was expert at the manual technique with our own lemon trees. So I guess it did have something extra but I'd never be able to define what it was. I remember it being sweet, but not as tart, with a more rounded flavour? Some eliminations: NOT - beet juice - pomegranate syrup, I can imagine a lovely fragrance from this combo though - cranberry - strawberry - Chambord, but I'll just have to give that a try after buying my first gorgeous bottle of this raspberry jammy liquor last week. Maybe: - A hint of raspberry syrup And just maybe it was made from real pink lemons...

Let me qualify: my husband is a plain food fan (no chilli please), and I grew up on exotic everything. For 10 years I've been trying to breach the gap, but have veered towards keeping my husband eating at home instead of the local diner . To add to the mix, I have a 3 year old son whose favourite foods consist of ham, mango, watermelon and chocolate. Did I mention ice-cream? He dislikes cheese and tomato. Living in sub-tropical Australia we have an overall preference for fresher, distinctively, simply flavoured foods rather than stewed unrecognisable mush, although I'm happy to give anything a try. Menu ideas anyone please?

My father made me try everything once. So... I will eat anything, but prefer not to have: Rollmops - ate a jar full once... that cured me for a lifetime. (Raw pickled fish.) Beer - a wealth of promise in the odour, and a complete lack of substantiation on the palate. Yes, I'm a wine fan. Liquorice I haven't touched since my first taste, although I acknowledge anise works in asian dishes because they get the ratios right. Raw oysters - just a few please.

Hi, I have an excess of egg whites as a result of a personal creme brulee cook-off, which I hope will cease tomorrow. By tomorrow I'll have 19 egg whites staring at me in my refrigerator (I've baked a pavlova today for the rellies). Are there recipes with high egg white components that are freezable? Admittedly I should be using them as egg-white omelettes for breakfast after trialling all the batches of creme brulee... And I really can't face eating 5 pavlovas... Thanks!