Blamo

My plan is still in early developement. I'm quite open to suggestions as Wallchef has made, and I will look into costs. I do, however, have a few reasons for choosing London over say Thailand, the main one being the language barrier. When I eventually get to the foreign destination, I don't just want to go around eating. I want to work. I want to learn. I fear that if I were to go to an Asian destination I would have trouble explaining such. Additionally, France, and Spain are just a short distance away. Yeah, I know they don't exactly speak English either, and unfortunately, I only know Latin as I went to college for a degree in English, but I'm sure I could make-do. Again thanks for the suggestions and anymore are more than appreciated. I must head off now and study my copy of The Professional Chef until my eyes glaze over from fatigue Tonight belongs to the white sauces!

If they'd listen, I'd ask all the loan agencies, bank conglomerates, state services, scholarship-giving universities, and my loving parents just to give me another chance and ignore or possibly just refund the expenses of my college education, eighty-thousand dollars by my calculations. Hell, I would even be so kind as to give back the knowledge I somehow obtained in exchange for a proper culinary education. This of course is an impossibility. Anyone who has college loans also knows the financial she-devil Sallie Mae is not forgiving. That said, I have no other responsibilities in life: no car payments, no rent, no utility bills, no serious job, and unfortunately no serious girlfriend. However, I do have a peculiar interest, a multiplying interest in food that finally revealed itself like a long lost family recipe amongst the various cookbooks, cooking reference books, and food-related periodicals I have scattered about my place. I only wish this passion would have exposed itself more clearly prior to my misappropriation of college tuition. Since I'm pretty much the definition of being free, outside of the students loans that is, I have pledged to actively persue my culinary interests. However, the route will be non-traditional as there is no way I can possibly afford more schooling. Instead, I will take the money I earn for the next 6 months, quit my job then use my savings to travel. My first stop: London, England. If given the same opportunity as I have described, where would you all travel to and why?

While reading through On Food and Cooking, I came across this bit of information regarding veal on page 91, "Veal, for example, contains about twice as much collagen as year-old calf meat." Perhaps, this accounts for the emphasize of veal stock versus beef stock. (SEE McGEE!)

Thanks Edsel and Annie! Gonna go and get started with the 4 to 1 water to vinegar bath immediately. As for whether it's a bath or stand-alone circulator, it's a Haake D8 immersion circulator (stand-alone model) that I found on Ebay for a reasonable price. Last night I ran it in a 20 quart 6 dollar stock pot at 62 C for 3 hours and it held within .2 - .3 degrees perfectly fine. Anyway, thanks again. It's time to play!

Finally got my immersion circulator today, and really want to clean it up a bit before I use it to cook. Does anyone have any suggestions for a product that will remove small patches of rust and other crud?

Few culinary delights beat a nice crusty bread.

I went to college for a degree in English. I came out having acculated a standard dictionary, two unabridged dictionaries, a rhyming dictionary, a Latin dictionary, and an illustrated reverse dictionary. All of these dictionaries had their uses at university; however, now I typically only use one of them, and there are those that I haven't been opened since I left years ago. Categorizing these dictionaries by usefulness (standard to rhyming), I'd have to say that Elements, like my Latin dictionary, will be a book left practically unused. Overall, I really wanted Elements to be more, considering I'm the target audience, but instead of reaching for Elements, I will continue reaching for Food Lover's Companion and On Food and Cooking when in doubt, which is quite often.

Herve This in Molecular Gastronomy writes about a similar potato product in chapter 55, "A new kind of potato for frying, packaged raw, absorbs less oil than frozen fries." A summary of the chapter: -Fresh potatoes require "extensive advanced preparation" -Fresh cut Potatoes in the presence of oxygen brown quickly due to enzymatic processes. -This "new kind of potato" is vacuum packed in a controlled atmosphere. -These potatoes are know as "quatrieme gamme" in Europe -Peeling of the potatoes is done under a stream of water so the cellular structure isn't harmed. Further, the potatoes are cut by extremely sharp stainless steel knives and kept at a temperature of 39 degrees F in order to slow the metabolism of the potatoes. -Potatoes vacuum packed in an inert gas and kept at 39 degress F. -Potatoes processed in this manner keep for around 10 days. -Suggested cooking temps and times of fries cut 12mm thick about 1/2 an inch: 356 F for 7 minutes then a second round of frying at a temp of 392 degrees F. Remove from oil when they reach desired golden color.

Well, when in doubt do as Harold McGee, Herve This, and Shirley Corriher would do: experiment. That said, did others think your roasted red pepper soup tasted like tomato soup or was it just you? Also, I like one of the previous posted suspect the cream.

Here is a link to a video clip recipe of creme fraiche: http://rouxbe.com/viewer/drilldown/169

When reading reviews about the book Heat, I came across information about Batali in relation to ICA. Apparently, Mario isn't pleased with the cancelation of his FN show Malto Mario, and in response he will no longer appear on ICA. It's a shame really. I miss watching a true chef at work. Instead, we now get to look forward to Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, and Sandra Lee. I'd rather learn from a Campbell's soup cookbook than be taught anything regarding food from that bunch. As for the Michael Symon and the Michael Rhulman controversy, who cares! Food Network probably asked several food critics to do the judging for The Next Iron Chef. I'm certainly glad Rhulman accepted or else we'd be stuck with Donatella Arpaia, Andrew Knowlton, and some other nobody. I personally feel the show would have been better if Jeffrey Steingarten filled both Donatella's and Andrew's spot.

Does anyone know of any other references for sous vide cookery? Outside of this thread, I've not been able to find any other reliable information. It's just that I've read this thread a few hundred times and am eagerly awaiting Sous Vide Cuisine by Joan Roca and Salvador Brugués.

Finally found a nice/clean Haake D8 immersion circulator for a decent price (not 5$ like Annie's but much less than others that are in much worse condition). Now I just have to wait a few weeks for it to be deliverd from Canada. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good bath? I would like to use something cheap but if need be I'll pay for an acrylic bath.

I want Santa to make an ecomical line of immersion circulators featuring digital display and precise control of water temp and then I want him to sell them for a discount price so I can get my hands on one!

I envy your finding an immersion circulator for 5 dollars. I've been looking all week and am having no luck. Everything reasonably priced (200$-300$) looks like it was used during an ebola breakout in some 3rd world country!