KennethT

I LOVE squab - it's probably my favorite meat... In the US, it is typical to process as quickly as possible after slaughter, but in France (where I've had some of the best squab I've ever had), I gather it is not uncommon to hang for 2-3 days with guts and feathers intact after slaughter to allow the meat to age. This adds a bit more gameyness which I find very appealing. To me, squab breast is best cooked medium rare - I find that if it is overcooked it tends to get a livery flavor and grainy texture. The thighs/legs need more time or temperature otherwise they come out stringy and a little tough. A short confit treatment (only an hour or so of salting) works very well for the thigh/leg section. Squab liver is also very tasty - and can make a great puree for spreading on toast, etc.

I've done it before (not with pumpkin oil, but with roasted sesame oil cut with grapeseed oil since the sesame was so strong) - it's not that difficult, but it needs some time and patience to get the viscosity of the melted sugar mixture just right by finely adjusting the temperature. I'm sure the EB guys, after doing lots of them, could tell by eye when the consistency was right.

I had the same bite at E.B. - but it wasn't blown sugar. The oil is dropped through a film of hot sugar using a small ring mold. The sugar flows around the oil and encapsulates it. The sugar is actually a combination of sugar, fondant and isomalt (according to the E.B. book). ETA: I think it was pumpkin seed oil, not pistachio - but I'd have to check the book tonight when I get home to be sure if anyone cares.

I've done this before with good results (not with mutton, but with other meats). Save the bag juices and add them to the curry. I would first briefly boil the bag juices so that the proteins coagulate - you can then strain these, or as some do, saute them in some oil till nicely browned, then deglaze and strain to get all of the flavor out.

According to SV Dash, a 2" steak cooked to 131F in a 132F bath would take 3h38m to get to core temp. It would save a little time to cook it to a core temp of 130F in a 132F bath - that's 3h7m One last possibility would be to go to 129F in a 132F bath - that's 2h49m. So, I guess the short answer is that daveb is absolutely correct - you'll need to do it for about 3 hours!!!

I think the botulism concern is over raw garlic in oil. When the garlic has been cooked for as long as that XO sauce has been, I think it would be as safe as any other ingredient.

Xanthan is a stabilizer more than a thickener. It can give a little body, but use too much and your liquid will turn to a mucous like substance. Xanthan is excellent at keeping liquids from separating, or used synergistically with other hydrocolloids (like agar). There are actually many types of Ultra-tex, which is a modified starch. There are hot-swelling versions, cold-swelling versions, some versions which require very little to thicken (very potent). The hot and cold swelling are not interchangeable. Add a cold swelling starch to hot liquid and you will have a clumpy mess. Used properly though, they're great - they impart a creamy mouthfeel and do not change the original flavor or intensity of what you're thickening. Gelatin is good for thickening liquids used cold, but when hot, it does not add much viscosity, but will add a "gelatinous" mouthfeel - sorry - I couldn't think of another word.

I read from a shipper of Florida Gulf coast seafood that it's better to open the bag before thawing frozen, commercially vac packed fish. The logic was that the fish is flash frozen without the bag, and then vac packed with high vacuum. If the fish were to defrost with the packaging intact, it may be squeezed and damaged.

Just an update - about a year or so ago, I switched from the faucet mounted filter to this: http://www.discountfilterstore.com/water-filter-undersink-ge-smartwater-gxulq.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiApIGnBRCFx-idn7-E2Y8BEiQAc6fQbEbczRm_5b8KI6pXFEj2U6iwqpZ6G0ETmG1FMrTWsK0aAhBL8P8HAQ It's an inline filter that is wall mounted under the sink, and plumbs directly into the cold water line - no extra faucet required. It is rated to last for 6 months, but even with our high quality tap water, I find it only lasts maybe 4 months before the throughput is significantly reduced enough to be annoyingly slow. Not as bad as the trickle I used to get with the faucet filter, but still, slow enough that when I'm filling a 3 gallon reservoir I get impatient. Replacement filters around about $20-30 at the home depot, and replacing the filter is quick and easy with no tools required. But - I do find that adding a little silicone grease to the o-ring seal makes the job a lot easier. The system also installed very easily - probably took about 20 minutes.

put the grinder plates and housing in the freezer, and get the meat just slightly frozen just prior to grinding.

David Bouley used to dust with wondra flour prior to searing.

I was there a couple of weeks ago - it was nice to see a new place that lived up to the hype. ETA: Mitch, I'll give you my thoughts on a couple of dishes I had that you didn't have: Sea Urchin tostada - if you like sea urchin, this one is a huge winner. This was probably the best sea urchin dish I've had in years, and that is saying something! Smoked Sepia: overall, I enjoyed this dish, but found the smoke flavor a little disjointed Sliced raw hamachi: This reminded me of a dish I used to get at Bond St. many years ago. But, I thought this one was a little more inventive (and tasty). Cobia al pastor: I thought this was really really interesting. I don't have much cobia experience, but thought it did well with the "al pastor" treatment. It came with pineapple puree as well as paper thin slices of pineapple to add to your taco. Duck carnitas (for 2): This was a very rich dish - I absolutely loved my first few bites, but I grew tired of it after a while. I'd recommend ahving this dish with say 4 people - then it would be absolutely perfect. Since we were only 2 people, I found the best way to cut the richness was to add either a lot more salsa verde (they were happy to bring more) or more lime... but I also thought it could use a little more salt if having more than a few bites.

That's happened to me before - I think it's because they weren't dehydrated enough... excess moisture will keep them from puffing fully... but then again, they also won't puff if they're not boiled enough. After the boiling step, the skin when hot should be VERY fragile. If it's not, then it's not done.

Right, and there are also a lot of modern starches that will thicken and give a great creamy mouthfeel, but you don't have to use very much, so it's not flavor masking. Some need heating, some are cold-swelling. But depending on the restaurant, they may not be using these modern thickeners... instead, they may just be using a lot of cream and butter!

I haven't made puffed pork rinds in a while, but when I did, I would either boil the skin whole, or pressure cook it. You're right, Shelby, cutting raw pork skin is tough! Much easier to cut once cooked... also like dcarch said, it's faster to scrape the fat off the whole piece. I used to fry in peanut oil (it's the only oil I keep a large enough quantity to deep fry in) which was very tasty.... as for the dehydrating step, I'm jealous of your dehydrator - I've used my crappy gas oven - always a pita... If you don't want to fry, I've read that you can puff the dehydrated skins in the microwave. I've tried it before, but my initial tests were not nearly as puffy, crispy and light as when I fried them.

Right - but I'll go a little further - you can save considerable time if you precook to say 135, then chill. Then when reheating, set the bath to 135, but bring the core only to 125. The last few degrees take a much longer time, percent wise... While you're searing, not only will you add heat from the sear, but also it will give more time for the heat wave from the 135 degree outer ring to make more of its way inward to the core.

Regarding the OP, yes, the term "Cronut" is trademarked... see the website, http://dominiqueansel.com/cronut-101/ Personally, I would do as cdh says and send them an email telling them the name/location of the stores that are selling the items with the same name. After that, it's up to them (and their lawyers).

I've done this with creme brulee... they were "mini creme brulee" served in porcelain soup spoons for an event. The creme was cooked on the stovetop, cooled slightly, then piped into the spoons then chilled. Resulted in a great creamy texture, and a convenient delivery device for a 1 bite snack.

But what about pastry kitchens in restaurants? In NYC, where space is a premium, I can't tell you how many pastry kitchens are shoved into the corner of the savory kitchen - and they certainly do not have temperature or humidity control!!! ETA: on the same line of thinking, what about patisseries in France? Especially before say 15 years ago, I'd assume most did not have air conditioning of any kind, and temperature/humidity could definitely fluctuate - especially in the summer.

This is true in some cases, but ginger is used in Thai food - so just because a recipe contains ginger, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a substitution for galangal, or lesser ginger even.

Sorry.. I misunderstood... I have never seen a single chicken, cut into parts, and then repackaged as a single unit... I thought everyone was talking about packages of parts - i.e. a pack of thighs, or legs, or breasts, etc.

I see both of those points - oiliness and texture... I don't know of any smooth, homogenized brand that isn't too sweet though...

hmmm... my gut instinct is that using a presweetened peanut butter is a big part of teh problem... to me, when I taste them, they are already too sweet. Before changing your recipe, I would try using the same recipe, but using a natural, unsweetened peanut butter - the fresher ground the better. I think your cookies will come out much more peanutty! I don't know if you have a Whole Foods near you, or if so, they even have this machine, but the WF near me has a nut grinder where you can grind a variety of nuts into butters on demand. Make as much as you want - they charge by weight. The butters don't come out super smooth, but they have a very strong peanut aroma. Use the unsalted peanuts, and then add salt to your batter to taste (or use your recipe).

I wonder if adding more salt would offset the sweetness? I assume you're starting with an unsweetened peanut butter?

I think it also depends on location. At my local Fairway supermarket in Manhattan, NY (a local NY metro area growing mini-chain), there is definitely way more cut up chickens than whole chickens - but the demographic is very different here than in more rural areas.... The majority of the people shopping in this store (from what it looks liek every time I'm there) seem to be in their early '30s to early '50s, and since it's Manhattan, that usually means that people have less time than they'd like to have. Also, and I have no data to support this, but my feeling is that this neighborhood has fewer large families than many other areas in the US - most people I see in this neighborhood are either single, a couple, or have 1 small child - so those who are cooking at all don't really have the demand for a whole chicken...