nickrey

If you're interested in sous vide, you could do a lot worse than consulting the eGullet sous vide index.

Regarding transporting wines from Napa when we were up there a few years ago a lot of the wineries sold an item called a "Wine Check," which is a specially designed bag that carries twelve bottles and can be put onto the airplane as checked luggage. Ours came safely all the way back to Australia and they are nowhere near as expensive as the other options. The wineries use it as an advertising opportunity by having their logo put on it. The wine check site is here: https://thewinecheck.com. We bought the $85 variant in Napa.

One of our top seafood restaurants in Australia (and I suspect, the world), Saint Peter, uses a fish weight to enable fish to be cooked with crispy skin without being flipped or finished in the oven. You could always use a steak weight/bacon press/burger press instead to achieve the same effect.

For those with a penchant for wine information and access to USA Amazon site: Wine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours for $3.99. Hardcover is $131.98.

The Kindle Version of that book is on special this month on the Amazon US store for US$3.99.

Sydney, Australia. It was from a kitchenware supply store and originally from China I'd say. As you can see, it's seen some use.

Thank you @btbyrd. I love it when fellow e-Gulleters do the research and product testing for you. I've been looking for one of these for ages.

For the most part, wines in Europe can only be classified if they come from vitus vinifera vines (I say for the most part because a very few hybrids have other components). This explains why wines made from native American grape varieties, which are from a different vitus species, are not allowed to be produced or sold. The rootstock of American vines are used because they are resistant to phylloxera devastatrix, which was a gift from the US when cuttings were brought into Europe that devastated the wine industry in the second half of the 19th century. Vitus vinifera cuttings are grafted onto the rootstocks to produce grapes classified as vitus vinifera. In wine circles, many American native wines are characterised as having a "foxy" taste.

A coffee shop here in Sydney takes beans at their peak and then vacuum packs and freezes the beans in individual serves. They then grind them direct from the freezer and make the coffee in the normal manner. Seems to work well.

Garlic and oil combinations can be a breeding ground for botulism. Given some home cooks tendency not to carefully follow instructions like not leaving the oil/garlic combination at room temperature when thawed, I don't think I'd be encouraging them to do it.

150g scallops. 650g crab meat. Blend to puree. 10 quail eggs. Add quail eggs to pan of boiling water for exactly 100 seconds. Plunge into ice water to rapidly cool. Peel eggs after five minutes. Take 70g of mixture and wrap around quail egg to evenly coat. Crumb (flour, mixed eggs, and then panko bread crumbs). Deep fry until golden, season with salt. Serve.

Scotch eggs wth shellfish mince instead of meat works very well.

If you want to clarify in another way, try freezing the mixture then letting it thaw in the fridge through a coffee filter into another receptacle. It’s the way that clear tomato water is made.

Looks great. Thanks for the feedback. Was wondering how it went.

I've had my PID-fitted Miss Silvia for a number of years and am very happy with it. I now measure my beans using a small scale before passing them through the grinder to ensure that the dose is correct every time. This also allows you to use different types of beans as you are not keeping only one type in the hopper. A good quality coffee tamper that fits the basket perfectly is a must. A knock box is also a must. A bottomless portafilter will allow you to check whether your distribution and tamping is being done correctly. If they aren't the coffee will channel and come through the bottom of the filter in multiple locations. Other tools depend on how serious you are and how much money you have to spend: A distribution tool allows you to ensure that the coffee is evenly distributed. It leads to more consistent pours but is an expensive piece of kit for a home user: https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/ocd-coffee-distribution-tool Then there are home roasters... Welcome to the rabbit hole.

Joan Roca has just released a low temperature cookbook called Cooking with Joan Roca at Low Temperatures. It's written with the home cook in mind. On Amazon, it seems only to be available in Kindle format. Not all sous vide cooking but much is.

I get my beans from an Australian Roaster: Ona Coffee: https://onacoffee.com.au

But the part is very light, suggesting it is aluminium which does not react well to dishwashing detergents.

I meant leaving the piece that long but cutting along the piece of meat to give two thinner pieces that will cook more easily.

If you want chuck roast without the fat, you're looking for a different animal than I've ever seen. 135 for 24 hours will give a solid cook, breakdown of collagen but the fat isn't going to render out miraculously. It will cut well when chilled. I did this for steak for 50 people; cooked, chilled, cut, rebagged then reheated, dried and seared. It's more at the lower end of medium. A few people who were sensitive to fat didn't like it; the others did. Six inches thick is a difficult cook. What are you using it for? If it's in a gravy/sauce cut the piece into 3 inch thick pieces as it will make life easier and not interfere with enjoyment.

The Swiss think of everything. The bottom can be detached -- it is on a reverse thread screw. Turn it clockwise to remove, counterclockwise to put back on.

Ossau Iraty. Hands down. The cheese eaten in Paradise. Although I love all the others also. Cheeses I can't do without is a long list.

You think birds are a problem. My cousin has a vineyard. He put up nets to stop the kangaroos getting in and eating the grapes. For efficiency, he decided to sew the nets together making it one cover over the whole crop. One ingenious kangaroo got under the net. You can guess what happened next.

It’s always more tasty to make the curry sauce beforehand, cool it and marinate the cooked meat in it overnight. Reheat gently and serve.

The coffee from that roaster has twice been used by the World Barista Champion and also used by other finalists in the competition. These people really know their coffee.