KennethT

It's funny that the can of Viet soup comes from Thailand! Then again, Hue is not far from Thailand - when we were driving around, our driver pointed out quite a few stores that sold cheap Thai goods (laundry detergent, other household products) and said that it's easy to bring in these products as it's a pretty short drive to Thailand from there, and it's a lot cheaper than the Viet made stuff - but the imports are hurting their economy.

@JoNorvelleWalker I don't know... I'd have to check it out... my local supermarket (Fairway) carries Bell and Evans, but they're a lot more expensive than the store brand or Murray's...

@dcarch An interesting idea about the balloon. I don't have a chamber vac, just a foodsaver - so I can't pull nearly the amount of vacuum to get 14 psi, nor nearly the amount to collapse the rib cage, but I like the idea of a barrier to minimize air contact with the inside. Originally, I had thought of putting the chicken in a zip lock bag that is not that much bigger than the chicken, filling with water to cover, then via displacement method, seal the bag so that only the small amount of water is in contact with the chicken, then freeze that way, basically creating a giant block of ice... but I was worried that the extra mass would make freezing time too long and would cause more than normal damage.

Yes, I can buy frozen cornish game hens for a decent price, although not nearly that cheap. Unfortunately, being in NYC, I don't have access to a Walmart without driving about an hour. The most inexpensive birds around are in Chinatown - plus, they have lots of breeds that are not normally that common - like that are more typically found in Asia where they're scrawnier, but very tasty with bigger legs/thighs and smaller breasts. The problem is that they're not coming from a big industrial farm, like Perdue, where they come already vacuum packed and sealed - they are basically just sitting on a plastic tray with some plastic wrap on them. Chances are that they were slaughtered that morning, or the day before. I currently have a cgh dry brining in the fridge to be used for dinner tonight... but at my local supermarket, they're like $4.50 per pound, and aren't that flavorful - as opposed to similar sized birds I can get in Chinatown for like $2 per pound and are crazy tasty.

I'm wondering what the best way to freeze a whole chicken is... I like to rotisserie whole birds - but normal supermarket chickens are too big (3.5 to 4pounds) for just my wife and myself, and we're not big fans of leftovers.... So I was planning on going to Chinatown which is a pita to go to on a regular basis - but they have a good selection of smaller chickens in the 2# range which would be perfect for us. So I'm looking to buy a bunch of chickens and then freeze them whole so I don't have to go down there all the time. Does anyone have a good method to freeze them quickly and avoid freezer burn? Would a food saver be helpful here or am I still going to have issues with air in the cavity?

I actually think the most important part of the dashi is the kombu - there are some kombu dashi that don't use bonito flakes - although they do add a nice smokeyness...

@TropicalseniorI have never seen dashi sold in a store - even in Japanese stores in NYC's little Tokyo. But it's very easy to make - you need kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and water... There was a time years ago when I did a lot more cooking than I do now, and I would use dashi all the time as a basis for various sauces. I made it using this method: http://www.cookingissues.com/index.html%3Fp=3040.html which may be a little over the top but made a nice product.

@ShelbyIs it possible that there was something wrong with the roast prior to brining/SV? Maybe some kind of bacteria that just went crazy at those temps? Many years ago, on the early SV threads, people talked about doing some meat for a long time and complained that it smelled really bad when taken out of the bath. At the time, the feeling was that for anything that goes long term, the outside should be given a brief high temp application first - to kill any surface bacteria that could cause problems. Some people would torch the outside prior to bagging, others would submerge the bag in boiling water for 20-30 seconds just after bagging but before SV...

A long time ago, I had read that venison does weird things when cooked SV for long periods of time... that it contains some kind of enzyme that makes it go mushy. I don't know if this is true or not, the only venison I have done are rib chops which I just cooked to temp and they came out great. But you cook a lot of venison.... is this the first time you have done it SV for a long time?

@ElsieDI find that the biggest issue with cilantro is temperature - if it gets slightly too warm, it bolts. There are some "slower bolting" varieties available, but I've never tried them. It never works to grow in my windowsill just because it gets too hot when the sun comes out (my window is southern facing). Even in winter, when the sun is out, it's like 90 degrees right by the window... Maybe a fan on it to blow room temp air at it? Or maybe stick it in a corner (with little natural light) and a compact fluorescent bulb on a timer....

I've had mint in pasta before at nice Italian restaurants in NYC... it works really well in combination with chili.. just not too much! Have you ever seen Italian basil in Vietnam? I've only seen the purple stemmed kind, what we call Thai basil.

@dcarch Nice - less fancy, you can use a seedling mat... basically an electric blanket that won't turn off every 2 hours and that is adjustable. Many seeds like bottom heat... just cover you flat with a humidity dome or something.

@dcarch That's a nice cheap seed starter you got there. Commercially, what's used (for hydroponics, anyway) is sort of like a big bread proof box where you can control not only temp but also humidity, so you can start your seeds in rockwool, coco coir, starter plugs, or whatever, and not have to keep them covered. Works great when you want all your seeds to come up at the same time, like if you grow microgreens.

@chefmd How do the Oregon truffles compare to the French ones?

Manual controls add quite a bit of extra cost to a product. And, while having all controls go through an outside source, not only does it save cost (increasing margin), but you can bill it as a "feature" that you can control it with your phone... because, you know, Millenials love to do everything with their phone.... Grandma and Mom used to control their old fashioned stove using a knob on the side... this is the future!

I do the same thing with our step ladder..

What about running it over a couple cut up sponges soaked in water and detergent?

Personally, I think a rehydrated dried chili is very different from a fresh version of the same type. So while doing what you propose might be very tasty, it would be very different from what a recipe might have intended. Also, there are many types of Indian chilis - quite a few are available in dried form online... there are many types of Thai chilis also, but only a few types available here in the US. This place https://foodsofnations.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=14_112 is close to me in NYC, but they ship as well - they have a very large dried chili selection....

I've been lusting after a stone wet grinder for a while now, primarily to make curry pastes....

Love it! If hotels only knew some of the stuff that went on in those rooms!

Also, not a drop of splattering... There was barely anything even to clean on the machine once it was done.

After the first trial, that machine has earned a place in my tiny apartment. I don't care if we have to sleep in bed with it! That bird was amazing!

At the end of the day, it worked quite well. Actually one of the tastiest birds we've had in a long time... Definitely worth the effort.

Love it!

Thanks @btbyrd for weighing in. I have the Pok Pok book too - but I just posted what was available online so those who didn't could see it. Once you've said it, it makes sense that a surface brushing shouldn't really undo 12 hours of drying - especially since it'll get a couple more hours of drying afterwards. Last night, I made an equilibrium brine for my 1.2# poussin and about 4 cups of water in a ziplock bag to cover, thinking that the brine would probably affect the texture, if not flavor so much. I didn't bother with the lemongrass since I didn't have it handy, and any store relatively close to me gouges me a $2 a stalk. I'll use it for the stuffing, but not in the brine. I did crush up a couple garlic cloves and some peppercorns though. Personally, I don't think the flavorings of the brine are very essential since the chicken is dipped into a very flavorful sauce while eating - it's not typically eaten "naked", so subtle flavors would probably be lost.