KennethT

Does the book discuss the difference of a dough that is stretched vs rolled flat into shape?

@gfwebHow did you know when it was done to 145F? Did you have a needle probe in there during the fry, or just go by color?

That looks great!

In the past, I haven't been a huge fan of tonkatsu - but after seeing this video I may be a convert! I need to start making it at home so I don't overcook the crap out of it, as is the tendency of restaurants here. Just seeing that slightly pink, ridiculously juicy meat with the crisp crust... holy crap - I'm going to go take a cold shower...

I'm impressed. Slicing a tomato one handed is quite a feat. Were you at least able to use the other hand to steady the tomato while slicing?

Dishoom? Can you be a bit more specific?

I'm looking at the Vollrath MPI series - 240V, probably the 2600W version.

For those with the Neuro-fuzzy, how do you do jasmine rice if it doesn't have a jasmine setting?

I have an inexpensive butane burner so I can continue to use my non-compatible cookware - it's ok and powerful (15000 btu) but it slides around a bit on the counter since its so light. Eventually I'll convert more of my cookware to induction.

Through their website, I can do both - I can actually search their complete catalog, including physical books that they don't loan - like in the research section. If I remember correctly, that Nyonya cook book was not on loan - I had to go to the main branch on 42nd St. and read it in one of their reading areas - I could take notes or make photocopies, but then had to return it before I left the building. I can also "borrow" what they have in their electronic catalog and either download it, or read it through a web browser.

Yes, and I looked at their selection - I just go online to their website nypl.org and log in - then I can search, put stuff on hold, etc. My first entry into Singaporean Nyonya cooking was a book that I borrowed from the library. I have a couple things on hold right now, waiting for them to bring to my local - who knows how long that will take nowadays. I have Suvir's book and one Jaffrey book on hold....

Received as a gift years ago.

Pla pacific cod neung manao... Thai steamed pacific cod with lime juice. Made with chicken stock, a ton of garlic/chili, palm sugar and fish sauce... and a ton of herbs (cilantro, Thai basil, laksa, mint) mostly from my garden (the cilantro was purchased)

My parents had the whole series and I did a lot of cooking out of them when I was around high school age. To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of them then and even more so now (especially regarding various SE Asian cuisines which I have a lot of experience with).

If everyone had a friend like Kerry, the world would be a much better place.

I had the opportunity to visit Dual today. I was out of turmeric (the horror!) and didn't feel like walking all the way up to Kalustyan's... while I was there, I had a good look around. All in all, it's a pleasant place to shop - between the music and the scent (were they burning incense?) I felt like I was in a yoga studio. Their prices are definitely better than Kalustyan's - but they don't have nearly the variety. Where they had a few different kinds of chilies, Kalustyan's has like 30. Where they had "black peppercorns", Kalustyan's has at least 10 different varieties - and yes, I've tried a bunch of them and they're each distinctive. But if I'm out of cumin or something or don't need something super specific like either my beloved Vietnamese peppercorns or the Sarawak peppercorns, I'd definitely go back.

Thanks for this. I do a lot of wok cooking with induction - I have a flat bottomed carbon steel wok that I use with a mid-priced (about $350) high power (3500W) 240V induction unit. Like a few of the ones above (like the Avantco), it has 10 power levels - from 400W to 3500W. For many things, I find that I really would like more power levels - and with the thin carbon steel, I don't think I've ever stir fried at a power level greater than what it calls 1200W. Any more than that and things burn before you can move your hand from the control panel and lift your wok scoop. One of the issues with the mid priced burners is that to decrease the power from maximum, they just turn the max on and off - but it's not pulsed many times per second, it's pulsed like 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off or something like that. If I have a small amount of liquid in the bottom or frying something in a little bit of oil at 800W, you can see it boil (or fry) for a few seconds, then nothing, then it starts over. This burner also has a few hot spots that's no big deal when boiling large quantities of water, but is a big deal when stir frying with thin carbon steel. I actually originally got this induction unit to bring large quantities of water to boil quickly, which it does well. I was planning to get a high power Vollrath as my main burner since it is adjustable in 1% increments from 1 to 100 with a knob, which they say makes it perform just like gas. And rather than just cycling on/off, it actually adjusts the power to the coil continuously and has a large expanded magnetic field so you can flip food and lift the wok/pan off for a second and it won't beep at you with an error message. I've just been waiting to save up a bit since it's kind of pricey. But I like the idea that I could potentially use it for my wok, but also with standard pots/pans, whereas the wok burner can only be used for woks. I don't have much storage space (NYC kitchen) so it's not like I can have an extra burner that I only use occasionally - otherwise, I would definitely consider one of these wok burners. Who knows - once i get the Vollrath I may find that it doesn't do a super great job with the flat bottomed wok and will look at these also. The one thing I didn't like about the Sunpentown is that while it has 20 adjustment levels, it's lowest setting is 1300W, which may still be too high for some things...

Bumping this old thread.... I have 1 Indian cookbook and it is absolutely horrible. I've been thinking about Indian food more lately and was looking for a book or two. It would be nice if the book(s) organized recipes by region rather than necessarily by "soup, starter, main course" etc. Any recommendations?

Keitt mangoes are great late season mangoes. Last year a friend in LA sent me a box of them. I've never seen them sold in NY. If you let them ripen on the counter they get super sweet and the flesh is almost like a custard. Messy but delicious. There are some Vietnamese growers in Florida who grow a few different Thai varieties that are fantastic - some are even better green of which I'm a huge fan. I think my wife likes the green mango more than the ripe ones!

Most of what they have is not wild, despite their name...

Agreed. I paid the $50 and now get free shipping. After just about a month or a little more, it has only 1 more shipment to have paid for itself. Prices and quality are great - my only complaint is that some things will suddenly be out of stock and they don't tell you when it'll be back...

You could go the Venetian route and do a beef cheek risotto - when my wife was on a wine press trip to the Veneto region, they served it to her and the rest of the group almost every day! I think duck would do well also, both staying within a traditional style.

Those look like fantastic oysters. What do the Chinese usually serve them with? The French have mignonette, the US (and UK?) have cocktail sauce, the Thai have nam jim seafood.... I have no idea what the Chinee3 do.

Fish Cheeks on Bond St. has a happy hour - $1.50 each... the oysters are pretty good, but they serve them with a nam jim seafood which is utterly addictive.

I cook arctic char in a similar way to what I do with salmon - it's similar but milder and not as fatty.