sygyzy

Hi e_monster Thanks for the reply. Maybe it was unique in the particular piece of ribeye I got but it definitely has these major seperations. I am not sure how I could explain it. Maybe I can post a picture for you to see. Do you understand what I am talking about? I was at Alinea last month so I am aware of the steak and yes, it tasted great. But the piece that was served was not as seperated as mine was, plus it was a very small piece so even if it had the problem, you couldn't tell. I did not put the garlic into the bag. At least I don't think so. It seems odd not to let the steak come to room temperature. It just means it has to go from ~30F up to 132F rather than going from 70-132. I'd have to adjust for time then. Thanks for your advice.

What is "tamari" soy sauce?

I had a strange experience recently with SV Ribeye. Here's what I did. 1. Heavily salted a ribeye and stick slices of garlic in the natural fiber seperation already present (Pay attention to this for later). I let it sit so it would warm up to room temperature. 2. I set the SV PID connected to my 24 cup Black and Decker rice cooker to 132F. 3. I washed off the salt and patted the steak really dry. I put it into a bag along with a blob of butter and vacumm sealed it with a Foodsaver. 4. I placed it into the rice cooker and it started floating. I didn't think about this until after but this obviously suggested there was air. So I put in the steamer basket and it kept the whole thing down. 5. I let this cook for about 2:45 hrs. 6. When I took it out, I knew something was wrong. As I picked the bag up from the corner, I could feel my other hand get all greasy. I soon realized there was 1/3" hole in the seal and I was pouring juices out. During cooking, the steak sort of split into multiple steaks. I realized after that ribeyes are probably not the best steaks to SV with. They are naturally "split" at various points. Cooking only made these splits more pronounced. I thought for a few minutes about whether or not I wanted to eat this. I was concerned about potential bacteria problems but I figured this was the same as putting steak in hot water. It's not as bad as having a bag expand while SV cooking, which would indicate bacterial growth. Right? Anyway, I'll try again but this time I'll triple check the seal and I'll look into using a different cut. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Still waiting for my code

100 microns is the width of a human hair. I have been happy with mine. I use it to strain consommés. I think if you are just straining stock, and are not expecting the liquid to be completely particulate free, then 400 microns is fine.

I didn't know you could pre-order direct from Aliena. I just cancelled my Amazon pre-order and placed one with Alinea (for $30 more )

Oh ok. Thanks for the picture. I know what this is. It's the same type of "dough" that is used in lots of dim sum dishes. I think it's made with rice flour. It has a pretty neutral taste and is slightly chewy like you said. I never thought about making it at home but I'll try to do some research. I believe you can just buy it packaged which would be easier than trying to make it.

What did it look like?

I made strawberry consommé and it turned out quite well. The liquid is not very clear but an intense red/pink. It has a very strong strawberry flavor but it's also very sour. I didn't sweeten or flavor the broth I made before I filtered it. I just blended strawberries then heated the thick liquid to reduce some liquid (not sure if this affected anything) and then strained it through a tamis. I added 1 sheet of silver bloom gelatin, poured it into ramekins and froze. Then I put the pucks into a Superbag and suspended it in the fridge. It took about 4 days to get all the consommé out.

I read all the warnings about adding air, but how exactly do you prevent it when using a blender? I didn't purposely shake it or blow air into it but I have bubbles in mine

I have been looking at pH strips and the wider the range, the smaller the accuracy. Is this the case with refractometers? Would it be better to buy two, like 0-50 and 50-90 brix to assure higher accuracy?

Thank you so much. I had no idea how to do gluten math!

Check out Creamright.

Does anyone know the make and model of Alton Brown's (new) stand mixer? it's not a Kitchenaid. It's gunmetal gray and seems wider and shorter than a KA.

For supplies you can order from: Will Powder Le-Sanctuaire L'Epicerie Just find the best combination of price and selection and order away. National Starch will send you samples but they don't have many of the traditional hydrocolloids.

Is there a consensus on the best time to place the meat inside the rice cooker/bath? Should you drop it in after it has come up to temperature or put it in with room temp water and let it sit through the heating process?

What sort of range should I be looking for in a refractometer? I want one for finding the sugar content of a liquid (drink) as well. Do I need to get different ranges for different applications or is there a good central range that will work across many applications?

Baggy - Of course you had to expect your results right? The charts that Douglas and Nathan provided are assuming you are using normal cuts of proten (beef, chicken, pork, fish). They are not charts for head cheese, sausage, dumplings, or

I believe, at least for Nathan and Daniel, they calculated the values themselves so you can cite them.

I got a large container of mixed dried mushrooms but not from the same brand as another member previously mentioned. I wish I could find duck or confit at my Costco, but I haven't yet. I have been waiting for the return of chantrelles. I only got in two packs last time. At $10 a pack, they were a bargain!

Douglas, Thank you so much. That is exactly the straight-to-the-point fact packed answer I was looking for. I am going to save that to my little cheatsheet.

Does anyone know the gluten/protein level of Bob's Red Mill standard (not bread) white flour? What hydration should I use?

Just ordered from earthy.com. Will buy from Sur La Table when I visit the store downtown (rather not pay shipping). Keep posting links. I want to amass a collection. Found Mitoku products at a website called Natural Import Company. Pretty cheap too.

I know most/all SV discussion here is for immediate service but what needs to be done for cook and hold? i am not talking for days but a few hours maybe. What needs to be done after the bag is removed? I assume it needs to be chilled then heated again for service but any specifics would be appreciated. I am just curious.

I agree that the cheese would have too much calcium for this to work. Reverse is probably your answer though I am not sure I think the idea is good. You don't want the cream/cheese to mix with the soup. Instead, you want users to eat an orb of cheese and have it pop in their mouths (for an intense cheese experience). Then eat the rest of the soup sans any cheese flavoring? What about using methocel to create a hot gel. You can drop it into boiling water to get it to stiffen up.