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Blamo

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  1. The Introduction in The Man Who Ate Everything written by Jeffrey Steingarten (food writer for Vogue) details a 6 month process of eliminating all of his food phobias and dislikes. He writes, "For I, like everybody I knew suffered from a set of powerful, arbitrary, and debilitating attractions and aversions at mealtime. I feared that I could be no more objective than an art critic who detests the color yellow or suffers from red-green color blindness." After facing and debunking his food issues, he comes to the conclusion that only three non-harmful entities are inedible: hair, paper, and feather. I recently watched the Namibia episode of No Reservations. Tony Bourdain ate the partially cooked rectum (fecal matter still partially within) of a wild boar roasted in ash and a host of other parts, fur intact. The tribe extolled the rectum. They being a gracious host gave it to their guest of honor to eat. Their delicacy was Tony's ridicule. Even Jeffrey Steingarten's extremely liberal criterion for food consumption eliminates their luxury from the realm of enjoyable. We eat fashion that just happens to sustain life. Everyone has equal say in taste. That isn't to say that I don't enjoy the writings of specific food critics. I obviously enjoy Jeffrey Steingarten because he merges humor and food so well, and Raymond Sokolov for his anthropological understanding of food and of course his occasional metaphorical gem. He once referred to the gruyere upon his onion soup as a "ropey toupe" that he could do without.
  2. I've been watching Iron Chef since it was available in the US. Morimoto has always been one of my favorites to watch. It's amazing that he just gets better. I believe that was one of the best ICAs I've ever seen. He missed a perfect score by 1 point. The challenger scored like 50-52 pts which usually is enough to win. In the age of the celebrity chef, Morimoto truly deserves recognition.
  3. Use the search function with the key word hydrocolloids. You should get several threads. I'm sure something will apply to what you need. Additionally, here is a link to a hydrocolloid recipe collection: http://khymos.org/recipe-collection.php
  4. "Microorganisms are native to food products, for example - Salmonella is associated with chicken/poultry, E. Coli contaminates beef, etc. Boiling would kill most of those "bugs", but in SV we typically don't get into the boiling water temps (100C), so the solution is to remove ALL air and ALL oxygen ( 19-21% of air content), and pretty much "choke" the harmful microorganisms to death." I highly suggest you purchase a copy of On Food and Cooking if that is truly your understanding of food adulteration. "Vacuum is not required in SV cooking. And, ice is not required for ice skating.... Again, vacuum (the "vide") in Sous-vide is essential." The given name of an entity or action does not necessarily define or limit its action. I played American football this past weekend, but I didn't use my foot.
  5. Throughout 14 episodes of Top Chef season 3, Hung employed crude sous vide methods, using stove top burner, what looks to be an analog candy thermometer, and possibly without vacuum. His food amazed the judges, which eventually led him to win season 3. He used sous vide and spoke of sous vide so often that the editors of Top Chef season 3 pieced together a segment of Hung saying "sous vide" countless times in jest.
  6. Blamo

    Seafood Noob

    Mario Batali and Jamie Oliver fought a cobia battle on Iron Chef America a week or so ago. The show details preparation of cobia from living to dinner plate. In the end, Mario wins, or rather REIGNS SUPREME!
  7. Blamo

    Tire Shaped Meatballs

    http://www.activatg.com/ USE MEAT GLUE!
  8. Blamo

    Veal Breast

    You should make blanquette de veau in an effort to learn all of Raymond Sokolov's 101 Classic Recipes Everyone Should Know. It's not Raymond's recipe, but Daniel Boulud will do! here's a link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/103000
  9. My local grocer carries pomegranates and pomegranate juice, but it does not offer pomegranate molasses, which is what I would like to play around with. There are ample recipes for reducing pomegranate juice into molasses, but I would like to first experience a prepared molasses for a reference, kinda like eating Heinz Ketchup before making your own. Can anyone suggest a brand/type/specialty shop to order true pomegranate molasses from?
  10. I used this method a few nights ago as well. The result was a crisp surface and a fluffy potato center, all one desires in a french fry. This method is not without caution however. The fries will stick to the bottom of your frying pan if they are left completely unattended. My advice is to jostle the fries occasionally to prevent sticking. It seems obvious to say, but I personally made the mistake and had to scrap a few fries off of the pan surface. The majority, however, were delicious. Thanks Joel.
  11. I use two 40 liter Rubbermade tubs, one inside the other to provide stability and insulation. I cut an opening in one of the lids to prevent evaporation and heat loss.
  12. I wouldn't even consider making nachos if I didn't have a steady supply of El Ranchero chips produced in Chicago. These chips taste of corn and have a considerable thickness. They are delicious. http://www.consumatron.com/2006/10/el-ranc...salt-14-oz.html
  13. Because FN has no interest in providing material only the high-end crowd enjoys. We account only for such a small percentage of FN viewership that they systematically removed anyone with any culinary fervor and replaced those chefs/educators with the Rachael Rays, the Sandra Lees, and the Michael Chiarellos. FN initially thought home-viewers would enjoy watching and learning from true professionals. FN was wrong. The common viewer can't relate to artisanship and would rather watch Sandra Lee pour taco seasoning on dog food. That is why Anthony Bourdain is no longer on FN.
  14. Blamo

    Confit Duck

    I really have to thank those who put this thread together and those who have actively participated. The pictures alone helped me immeasurably, as I have never made confit of duck or confit of anything for that matter! Anyway, using CIA's The Professional Chef cassoulet recipe and the information found here, I treated my family to a terrific holiday meal. Ordinarily we'd have pizza!
  15. Blamo

    Dry-aged beef

    Vogue magazine's food critic Jeffrey Steingarten writes an in-depth article about USDA beef grading and dry/wet aging in his book It Must've Been Something I ate. I'd suggest purchasing and then reading the entire book for this information alone.
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