nextguy
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Posts posted by nextguy
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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.
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As far as I can tell through various searches here, we have not discussed this machine before (sorry if we I missed it). So, I might need a new IC or other rig soonish since I think my old eBay IC might be ready to choke. I sure hope not, because I promised my dear wife that no expensive crap will be bought this year since getting MC. Anyways, a little research couldn't hurt though. So, anyone has this particular model or heard anything about it? What do you guys think? Is it worth buying this and saving about $300 over a Polyscience model? It does bug me a bit that they only give me a 6 mth warranty. OTOH, I would not mind supporting a small mom and pop operation if it's a good product.
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.
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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?
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One degree doesn't sound very good to me. I can hold a tank within 0.1 degree using my Sous Vide Magic for way less than $500!
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.
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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.
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I'm thinking I need an old microbiology incubator for these experiments! Here's one that should work
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.
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I'd say it's worth a try. But how about putting them in a mason jar instead of a bag so they can be held more easily under water?
I'm thinking I need an old microbiology incubator for these experiments! Here's one that should work
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.
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How many waterbaths do you have??? I'd hate to tie mine up for 40 days at 140F!!!
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The point is this: Unless these guys (and I have nothing against either) have headed up 2-3* restaurants for years at a time, or unless they are world renowned scientists whom have applied theories and discoveries to practical realities, there is no justification (obviously this is MY opinion, which many fail to realize) to this over-inflated price tag.
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...
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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.
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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.
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This is funny, maybe I shouldn't have addressed my post to Canadians! I didn't know amazon.ca was available outside of Canada. Whenever I try to order from amazon.com it says I am not allowed.
Glad I could help.
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For my fellow Canadians, Amazon.ca finally has the book on sale at 400 CDN. That is less than Amazon.com ever had it.
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I am hoping an induction cooktop veteran can answer a simple question for me. I just purchased a two burner induction cooktop and own several Allclad pots and pans that work perfectly on this cooktop. I also have a couple of old Cuisinart pots and pans that are made of aluminum except for the bottoms that have a thick stainless steel plate attached. They work on the cooktop but my question is whether the Cuisinarts heat slower or lower due to the fact that they are not entirely SS. I don't think that it matters that the sides are aluminum but since the bottom is stainless on the outside but aluminum on the inside can this cause a problem?
Thanks!
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I was super excited today to see that the book finally appeared on amazon.ca. Unfortunately there is no pre-order discount price. It is 638.87!
Really too bad.
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I started watching with very low expectations. I mean very very low expectations. I have to say it was better than I thought. I get the feeling it won't be as blatantly contrived as Hells Kitchen.
Too bad Ramsay's US shows aren't as good as his UK shows. I really do like Kitchen Nightmares and F Word on BBC.
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Oh yes, he does say its to kill bacteria, as well as two other reasons: to provide aroma and later for the color of the meat itself. Initially its about bacteria then after that's taken care of it produces (says he) the other two effects.
If you watch it again (around 5:50) he says its for color and then talks about evenness of color. To me, this sounds like a bit of a mix up. What I think he might mean is that trimming off the dried exterior and line of grey between the crust and meat produces a more even color after a second quicker application of more intense heat as well as possibly producing a less dry crust at that.
Ok sorry. To be honest I was going on memory of this show and did not recall him mentioning the bacteria. I guess the color reason does make sense but only for the end pieces.
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I'm sure he'd do sous vide but if since this recipe is developed as a part of this show, which is about recreating classic stuff (he does spag bol, pizza, stuff like that), he has to use equipment that his audience might have.
Also, he does mention the torch producing color inside the meat, as if the non-crusty part was affected by the searing. He says this when he cuts off the initial crust. I'm not sure I buy this but he'd know better than me since he's Blumenthal and he's done the recipe which I haven't. It doesn't make sense to me intellectually though.
I still maintain that the first sear is to kill the bugs. This layer probably dries out a lot after 24 hours in a dry oven which is why he cuts it off. I suppose also that the sear firms up the protein a bit and helps keep the meat from just flopping over.
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I have tried it actually. If you can do Sous-Vide, that would be a better solution. I know of no consumer oven that can do 50C or 122F hence leaving the door open. In fact I am pretty sure the only reason he uses the oven in his show is because he knows most people don't have an immersion circulator or a Sous Vide Magic. The other thing to note is the initial charring. This is just my speculation but I think he only does it to kill the bugs on the surface of the meat. He fries it at the end anyways for the Maillard reaction and when cooking individual steaks sous-vide usually you would only sear it after it comes out of the water bath. For his chicken recipe he dunks the whole chicken in boiling water for a minute I believe to also kill the bugs.
So is it good? Yes it is better than just slapping an individual, raw steak on a hot pan. But since this is a method for slow cooking at low temperature, it is a valid argument to make that sous-vide is still better.
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The comparison to Survivor is apt but not because they nominated who would be voted off. Actually for that it would be more similar to The Apprentice or Hells Kitchen. It is apt because they are trying to create conflict between chefs which I think is absolutely ridiculous for this show. Yes, relationships have always been important on Top Chef but this is blatantly trying to make them resent one another. I am not a happy viewer.
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I just finished reading the book. I enjoyed it though not as much as KC. I agree with one of the earlier posters that some of the chapters are very nuanced. His chapter about David Chang in particular. I kind of understood it to imply that David Chang is where Bourdain was towards the end of his cooking career. And I don't mean professionally. I mean in terms of what he wants from a kitchen.
Sous Vide: Recipes, Techniques & Equipment, 2012
in Cooking
Posted
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.