sygyzy

Thanks for the link. The obsession with creamy scrambled eggs is by definition that's how they should. When they are dry, they are not quite "proper."

Hi, I used regular store bought name brand creamy PB. I think the brand was Skippy, which according to a cookie blog I read is what Bouchon recommends. I purposely didn't go for anything unusual (organic, natural, generic, chunky, etc). Just standard peanut butter.

Last night I made a large batch of Bouchon's nutter butter recipe. I think there's a problem with the recipe itself. I won't post which one I used since every result in the Google is identical. I believe this to be the official recipe that Bouchon provided the newspapers/magazines and not some guesswork by fans. I have been to Bouchon a few times and tried most of their stuff but not the Nutter Butters. The issue I had/am having is the cookies are so soft. They are impossible to work with out of the oven (understandable) but even after cooling, they are too weak to support themselves. If I took a cookie and held it with one hand in the middle, it would break in the middle the other half would fall off. There's a pound of butter in the cookie. Plus peanut butter and 2 eggs that act as wet goods. The only omission I made was leaving out a mere 1/3 cup of peanuts (I ran out). I don't think that would have mattered much. The dough was extremely soft, nothing like a chocolate chip cookie dough for example. It's no wonder these things are super soft. The taste is perfect and so is the texture. But with the cookies so soft, they really seem "off." I was told the real cookies are stiff, perhaps too stiff. I don't know about them but these certainly seem too soft. Any suggestions? Could I simply boost the flour or oats content? Has anyone else made these?

Thanks for finding those. I have not have had much luck googling. I will make some this weekend too and see how they turn out. Here are some recipes for sweet pickles and summer fruits from Alton Brown. Ignore the call for cucumbers and onion. Just put it persimmons. Sweet 1/2 yellow onion 2 med cucumbers 1 c water 1 c cider vinegar 1.5 c sugar pinch kosher salt 1/2 t mustard seed 1/2 t tumeric 1/2 t celery seed 1/2 t pickling spice Bring to boil, simmer 4 minutes. Summer Fruits 1 c water 1 c sugar 1 c rice wine vinegar 1/2 lemon sliced thin 1 T ginger root 1 sprig mint Simmer only, does not need to come to a boil. Cool then refrigerate 2 days to a week.

I use my Vitamix all the time. Nobody can understand paying this much for a blender until they've used it. Tonight I made butternut squash soup from Bouchon.

Which blog are you referring to? I have never heard anyone make scrambled eggs using SV. I have always done the 62 degree egg in shell. I am intrigued. I wonder of Heston just scrambled an egg into a plastic pouch, sealed it and sous vide'd it?

Sorry, I wrote it in reverse. Lots more salt than sugar. Edit: I actually checked and it really is 3:1 sugar to salt. So like a 1 T sugar, 1 t salt.

Chang has multiple pages on pickles but the one I made is his easiest one. It's just sugar and salt in a 3:1 ratio. He has vinegar pickles too. I am not sure what a natural pickle is...

I wanted to update everyone. I actually found a container that fits the chinois perfectly. It's called the Carlisle 10766 8 Quart Clear Round Carlisle StorPlus Container and can be found and WEBstaurant.com http://www.webstaurantstore.com/carlisle-10766-8-quart-clear-round-carlisle-storplus-container/27110766.html

This is a good question. The waterbath would be ideal. Could you put it in a dutch oven with some foil and put it into a low oven?

Does anyone that *doesn't* have a marble countertop just use a slab of marble that they take out when needed? I'd like to purchase one large enough to do work on, but small enough that it can fit in the fridge to chill and one I can stow away when not using. Where would I go to purchase such an item and how much can I expect to pay? Thanks.

I recently made quick pickles using Chang's Momofuku 3:1 recipe. I have a bunch of pickling spices from The Spice House and I would like to make picked persimmons. My friend is giving me a bag of Fuyu persimmons. The last (and only) time I've had this dish was at Palate in Glendale. The pickle was very light and slightly sweet. It wasn't like sandwich cucumber pickle. If anyone has a recipe to share, it'd be appreciated.

What's interesting is Will Godfarb is an American chef so I don't know if that site is really European, or if it is, why? I looked briefly into getting a RotoVap used on eBay but soon was overwhelmed with information. I don't really know what a complete RotoVap is supposed to look like, what parts it's supposed to have, and how easy it is to replace missing parts. So while I saw some deals, I didn't make any bids because what might have seemed like a deal at $600 may have needed $1500 worth of parts and I wasn't ready for that.

Lots on e-bay, just look up rotary evaporator or Buchi. Quite reasonably priced. They aren't like a regular still because of the vacuum, which allows them to do their thing at a much lower temperature than a classic still. So less change in volatile flavours due to heat. Would my idea work? Could you use a rotovap to distill herbs or other foodstuffs into concentrates?

I wish there was a way a home cook could get a Rotovap. Is a distiller similar? I want to be able to make my own extracts for cooking.

I don't own one of these spoons but I can't help but think some of the people here are trying to find value in the spoons to justify the price. Sure, $9 is no walletbuster but how much is one regular stainless spoon? $2?

I have a Matfer Strainer which is 7 7/8" in diameter and 10" tall. It is very painful and awkward to hold it on one hand (loaded with soup or stock) and push the contents through with the other. Talk about tiring. I don't have a stand for it and I don't think Matfer makes one either. I was thinking of finding a cylindrical container for it in which I can rest the top lip of the strainer on, with the bottom not touching the base of the container. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Finding a container with those dimensions (narrower than 8" but taller than 10" is difficult. Does anyone have a similar problem? Any suggestions?

Hi, Sorry for not checking in sooner. There is a wealth of information presented in the replies but sadly I don't think any answers my question. I was not asking about the amount of water or whether to start with hot or cold water. I was asking why we drop in pasta to boiling water instead of starting it off in a pot of cold water set over a flame. Even for those who start with cold water, you don't add the pasta until it's boiling. Nobody ever starts pasta in cold water then heats it up ... except my roommate. That's why I am asking.

We know from Harold McGee that we don't need nearly as much water as previously though. We also know to salt heavily because to flavor the pasta, not to speed up the boiling. But why do we need boiling water at all? I have seen someone put dry pasta in a pot with cold water and turn on the heat. They wait until the pasta is soft and take it out. I laughed quietly and wanted to point out how that was all wrong but I didn't have an explanation as to why.

Hi, I am looking for a source to buy a #30 disher, which should hold 2 TSP. I have a #20 (I think) and it's the Norpro model. I looked on Amazon and found a #30 which the MFG claims is 2T but reading the comments, it looks to be more like 2.5T which was confirmed by another vendor who lists the #30 as 2.5T. I am not surprised why Norpro continues to label their disher as such. Anyway, any recommendations on a brand or online restaurant supply company for a 2T disher/cookie scoop would be greatly appreciated. David

Last Saturday I picked up a 2 pack of Prime New York. Yes, you read that right. Prime. It wasn't even that expensive either. Like $10 a pound? That's like $1 more than Choice. Cooked it SV at 140 then finished it in a cash iron with some canola oil.

I went to Costco at lunch and saw a frozen 4 pack of New York strip with some incredible marbling. Can anyone comment on the taste/quality?

...in anyone's world.

Special Grade Tie-Guan-Yin China Oolong

I bought a few wooden spoons from WS recently and they are unfinished. I mean they are SUPER rough. Am I expected to sand them down or something? So far nothing negative has happened but I don't want a wood fiber to come off while stirring or something.