nickrey

As I remember it, the original intention of the course was a way of allowing non-science students at Harvard to get their mandatory science subject in a fun way. Naturally there will have to be science content, and not at a basic level.

In a lot of BBQ, the rub is a flavouring component and the sauce is a finishing component. Think dry marinade. The rub typically doesn't burn in a conventional BBQ because of the humidity in the cooking environment. If you wanted to get a similar effect to BBQ, I'd put on the rub and let the flavours penetrate into the meat overnight, then wash it off and dry the meat before vacuum sealing and cooking it sous vide. Then dry and sear on high heat (deep frying gives excellent results) and then apply a sauce.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Official-Chelsea-Monroe-Cassel/dp/160887804X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487857035&sr=8-1&keywords=world+of+warcraft+cookbook ?

Unfortunately Enrique, most people don't want to spend time learning theory. They want to cook. Having helped Douglas with proof reading his book and being acknowledged for doing so, I understand the need for theory better than most. Sadly, your ideal book is unlikely to interest many cooks, particularly those who just want to follow recipes to the letter.

I own it and have cooked from it. It is a good book, otherwise I wouldn't have recommended it. I use US books all the time and have to convert your measurements: including cups, which are particularly inaccurate. It is not difficult to do so. If you want recipes that are beyond beginner level, try the conversions and you will be surprised at what you can do.

This book is a very good advanced cookbook. Only available in Kindle format though.

I live in Australia and keep it in my garage, which is relatively dark with a consistent temperature. http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/faq/making-cider-vinegar-at-home The article at the link above says to keep the vinegar between 60 and 80 F (18 and 26C).

I use a small glass demijohn (carboy). It needs to be left open but if you do so here you will have an invasion of vinegar/fruit flies. I put a single layer of stocking over the top secured with an elastic band. Keep them separate, otherwise you will have rose vinegar.

I use predominately wine that we have opened that is not faulty but not really that appealing. Much of this has seen oak during production. As a consequence, the red wine vinegar is much more complex than the commercial ones and, as a consequence, superior.

Who wrote the NY Times article? They seem to think that bubbles are the only thing that matters in Champagne. Although bubbles last longer in narrow glasses such as flutes, the narrow opening restricts your ability to experience the aromas of the wine. In the Sydney wine show, they have moved across to white wine glasses for tasting sparkling wine to ensure that they are tasting the wine, not simply revelling in the bubbles. Moreover, while making the champagne very cold may make the bubbles last longer, it also suppresses the aromas. Again this will limit your ability to taste and appreciate the wine. On the other hand if the base wine is not good (I'm looking at you Cold Duck), the more chill the better as the fizz is likely to be the only decent thing in there.

Check out the lobster posts in the eGullet sous vide index. Your cooking times are far too long.

Louche comes from oils in the alcohol coming out of suspension. Same thing happens with non-chill filtered spirits when cold water is added. GNS is most likely not filtered at all. Was the water you added at room temperature or taken from the refrigerator?

How can you be sure that the rum has not affected your perception of shrunken fruit?

With Rudi Kurniawan manipulating all manner of average wines to produce knock-offs of classic vintages, it is apparent that the secret is not necessarily in the base wine but rather in the blending. You can adjust the sauce created from any wine via additions of flavourings to give an acceptable outcome. The only caveat I'd place on it is that you have to know how to do this and do it gradually so the dish doesn't become unbalanced. The balance should be between sweet (add sugar to adjust), sour (vinegar), salty (salt or anchovy) and umami (tomato paste [also sweet], anchovy, parmesan, powdered dried mushrooms, star anise). A hint of heat from chili also adds to the complexity but don't get carried away. I'd avoid any wine that has faults related to rot on the grapes as this would add an undesirable flavour element.

Why not take the temperature higher to compensate for the drop when the product is added? Then adjust to your cooking temperature. This would remove all of the variables you are trying to control.

I think there's more bs written on cooking pasta than anything else. That said, my personal preference is more water rather than less. No matter what amount of water, the most important things are choosing the correct pasta and pulling it out at the right time from the cooking water. As it continues to cook, this is before it gets to the stage at which you want to eat it. Agree on using potato starch to add more starch. Don't add it to the boiling water as it will clump: mix it with water in a separate container and then add it. mind you, if you are not going to add it to the sauce when you combine the sauce and pasta adding any starch is a waste of time (and starch).

I use a gravy jug where you pour the stock from the bottom of the jug, leaving the fat behind. Works a treat.

I did it in 2013 and can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Copyright means that I can't share the exact recipe. However, the authors have contributed the recipe to this site. Enjoy.

The whiskey is 55.5% abv. If you are not used to it, it will be too strong. There is no shame in cutting it back to 40% abv, which is US 80 proof. This is something of a sweet spot for spirits, not diluting out the flavour esters while making it more drinkable. Ice kills flavour. If this is the effect that you want, fair enough. If not, I'd steer well clear.

The key difference between the inexpensive spirits and their more expensive relatives tends to be the length and method of ageing as well as the components of the blend. While barrels are water proofed, they are not air proof which means that spirits ageing are exposed to small amounts of oxygen on a continuing basis. This adds complexity. The barrels can also add character while subtracting rougher elements. Bourbon is aged in deeply charred American oak barrels. In these, the charcoal acts as a type of filter that refines the spirit. The oak also adds flavour components. When assessing any spirit (or wine for that matter), the markers of quality are balance, length (how long the pleasant sensations stay in your mouth), intensity, and complexity. What barrels add is complexity. Mind you, with rum there are many other elements that can add complexity. The Jamaicans take what is left after the distilling process, something called dunder and collect it in pits and let it ferment naturally. The dunder pits have an intense, rotten smell. When added into the distillation process, dunder raises the acidity of the wash which slows the ferment and allows very high levels of esters to be created. This gives the rum aromas of bananas and nail polish. Bottom line is that the more expensive rums typically have more components that are aged longer in barrels and more complex "marks" in their blends. I agree with others. Do some study. This will open your eyes to what gives spirits complexity and what the different components taste like. As you do this, you will see your appreciation of more complex spirits increase. Most of all, however, enjoy the journey.

I have a soft spot for Bill and Cheryl Jamison's bourbon-based Bour-B-Q Sauce from "Smoke and Spice."

My mistake, looked at sauces rather than under Vierge. It is on page 967. Still can't understand why it is the only sauce vierge I could find, including on French web sites, that uses butter.

Could be, however Guerard's recipe specifies that it may be served hot by being warmed in a bain marie. The mystery continues.

Vierge means "virgin" which I suspect refers to the olive oil used in the sauce. How this translates to a butter based sauce is anyone's guess. My 1977 version of Larousse doesn't have it at all. Michel Guerard has a recipe for Sauce Vierge in his 1976 'Cuisine Minceur' book that he also put in his book 'Cuisine Gourmande.' His recipe is a bit more elaborate than that of more recent times. It also doesn't include either basil or lemon juice. His recipe has: tomatoes, garlic, chervil, parsley, tarragon, coriander seeds, fromage blanc, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and olive oil. The use of olive oil rather than butter in a French sauce suggests to me that the concept stems from Guerard's Cuisine Minceur. Michel Roux's version is closer to yours and I suspect that this is the one that has been picked up by the UK chefs and wikipedia as being "genuine."