nextguy

I did not read back through all the threads to see if this was posted, but if anyone is interested I saw the Sous Vide Supreme (big one) on sale for 299 at Bloomingdale's in Manhattan. I wonder if there is a new model coming out and they are liquidating these.

For your reference I have been to a lot starred places such as Alinea, Per Se, Daniel Boulud, Joel Robuchon, Pierre Gagnaire, Bernardin, and the list goes on. Of the three you mentioned I have only been to Avenues under Duffy but that meal is in my top three or four ever. The counter seating is also really enjoyable.

I actually mentioned this new device back on page 10 of this thread. I contacted them and did not find their device satisfactory for my needs. In particular it only hold temperature to within 1 degree and no cage is available. There is also no way to switch between C and F which is not a big deal but still a nice convenience. Lastly a 6 month warranty is not long enough for a product like this.

Hello all. I should have been posting updates on this little project but, well, life sometimes gets in the way. In any case, today I have finally hit the 40 day mark and my garlic is nice and black. It has been tough not having my water bath for such a length of time. For the first few weeks the smell was quite strong but now is pretty mild. I haven't opened the bag yet because of one concern. Does anyone have ideas on how I should store the garlic? I have 6 whole heads and thought about just storing them in a jar unpeeled but I am still concerned about food safety. And even though I cooked these things at 140F for 40 days I am still worried eating them at all. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Yes I agree. I am guessing it is +-1 C as well. But at least it is a good sign that there is some competition for real immersion circulators.

Has anyone seen there is a new circulator from sousvidesystems.com. Their website isn't done yet but they have a facebook page. I think it only went on sale this month and is only $499 + shipping. Their facebook page is not very detailed so I emailed them. The guy who answered said he is heating a 20 gallon bath and holds temperature to within 1 degree. I would take the plunge but I am hoping that someone reviews it first.

That machine looks awesome btw. Too bad it doesn't have a true humidity control or it would have been ideal as a bread proofer as well.

I thought about using a jar but I think the garlic needs to be in a single layer. A mason jar would not be as wide as a good sized bag.

Ya I only have one and would hate to lose it for 40 days but I can't think of any other way. I am also a bit concerned about food safety. I know very little about microbiology but I would think that after 40 days I would achieve pasteurization but not sterilization. I am also concerned about the humidity. In the traditional process the garlic is heated in a container in an oven which would still allow more airflow than a sealed bag in a water bath. I don't know how this process would work with the garlic basically steaming in its own vapors.

Hi all I was wondering if any of you think it would be feasible to make black garlic in a temp controlled water bath? I understand from reading an article on ehow that you need to pack the garlic loosely in a jar and heat them for 40 days at 140 degrees and that the garlic should remain humid. I was thinking of putting them in a sealed bag (not vacuumed) and then floating it on a 140 degree water bath for 40 days.

Since you are mixing the mayo with creme fraiche, why not do a reverse spherification? So do your mayo mix and maybe add just a bit of the calcium gluconate in case you are worried that the creme fraiche does not contain enough calcium by itself. I wouldn't put more than 2-3 grams though. Then drop the mixture into an alginate/water solution. The only problem I would foresee is that it is hard to do small spheres with reverse spherification. On the other hand, I suspect that if you do a traditional spherification process that you describe, the alginate would react with the creme fraiche you are adding to your mayo. This would probably create strings or chunks. By the way, when doing traditional spherification, I wouldn't use calcium gluconate as it is more expensive than calcium chloride. Calcium chloride can impart a taste but once the spheres are formed you wash it off.

I don't want to speak as if I know the man, or to suggest that I defend him for any other reason than to dispel an obvious mistruth. But Nathan founded Microsoft Reserch, ran it for several years, studied cosmology under Stephen Hawking, holds patents in several fields, and etc. To say he has a background in science is like saying Joe Montana played a couple of games of football. But I choose to digress at this point. My feelings on the subject have been aired.

OMG! Do you have any idea who Nathan Myhrvold is? And Chris Young worked for years at the Fat Duck. The Fat freaking Duck! Whatever...

Those Iron Chefs you mentioned are for the most part much more experienced than the Top Chefs. In a straight up fight I would have to choose the Iron Chefs at least 3 out of 5 times. That being said, I am not a fan of any of the actual Iron Chefs (Flay et al.). In particular I absolutely despise Cat Cora.

sadistick, what is your problem? You come onto this thread questioning the judgement of the many people who support Nathan's work because yours is the only one that makes sense? By your logic, why see movies, tv, or read any printed media? It is all formulaic and everything has already been done now right? Come on. And the book is NOT 600$. At least not anymore. I won't assume you download movies or music illegaly but given your philosphy of not paying for things that can be found for free (falsely since Nathan's research has itself not been lifted off the Internet as you imply), enjoy your NPR and PBS. Oh wait, you pay for that with your taxes. What a horrible conundrum that must be for you.