jk1002

Hi, I didn't know about the pro course - probably would have preferred that. Anyhow I was happy with the school, equipment is a bit different what me the spoiled brat is used too but worked out OK. When you pick a school make sure it is near transportation. Cabs are dirt cheap but traffic is a major nightmare nearly any time of the day and most drivers I had did not speak english or were able to even roughly read an english map. The trains and river boats seem to be the only workable option to et around. The benefit of Blue Elephant is that it is right next to the train. Giving the heat that prevents extended walks and traffic kills the cab option that is a huge pro point in my opinion. They took us to a small market to explain few things, I followed up with a trip to Khlong Toei Market. Bangkok itself wore me out after 5 days but I can't say that I didn't have a blast. Cheers JK P.s. I'd recommend the touristy drink at sky bar, worth it for the view and Jazz band and spend rush hour in chinatown when the pop up restaurants come out.

http://culinarytechniques.wordpress.com/ I found some updates on the blog by accident ... quite a read ......

I was in Bangkok 4 weeks ago and took a single class at Blue Elephant. You will pick up some things but for sure it is not on professional level - it is essentially a demo with a practical part where you perform few selected steps. I am taking classes like these few times a year and in comparison this is very well organized and executed. The audience though is amateur chef on vacation I guess.

I'd say - Grab a burger at Shake Shack in the Park - Baoguette (Christopher Street among others) - http://www.thekatirollcompany.com/ - Bouchon, the Keller one in Time Warner Center. No kidding, but when you stand in front of the Bistro turn left, there is a Sandwich counter maybe 30 feet away that belongs to the bistro. Some of the Sandwiches are around 8$. I'd do that for kicks, it is easy though to run over and if I recall correct the 8$ sandwiches were on the smaller side

@ e_monster I tried the same 93% fat burger at 56c and as you said it is coming out very much as a different thing. Well worth the wait, turned the burger from meh into something great I didn't want to stop eating. Thanks for that hint.

they are not asking 70 USD, it is on Amazon for pre-order at 37.80. That said this price does put it definitely on the higher end of the spectrum.

I have a normal gas range and the Viking single burner unit on the side next to my prep area. The induction is really much faster then gas for many things, sometimes saves me when my timing is off. That said, for boiling water it super quick but a waste, you could do that in an electric kettle nearly as quick unless you need a large amount. The reason why I use my gas range more often is simply that it has the vent installed over it. I don't want to cook anything that splatters or smells on the induction cooktop without the vent so consider how you place it - that may drive how you end up using it.

I compare them to shake shack which to me is the NYC gold standard. People wait 90 minutes and more in line to get them, is an outdoor pick up place in madison square park. They cook theirs through I believe, no pink inside, very juicy though and very flavorful. Even now in winter, late 3 o clock I waited more then half hour until I had mine in my hand. I actually believe the longer you wait the better it tastes, a psychological thing ..... In regards to binding agents, I dont think you need them Merridith since the bag will help to keep the patty in shape.

I had no binders, just plain sirloin ground. Alls they do is form it into patties for you. I seasoned heavily with seasalt and pepper and then stuffed it into the bag. They didn't loose much juice while in the bag, yet weren't that juicy compared to shake shack. I had slowly caramelized onions (40 minutes in the pan) on top which was awesome. I had pan seared them for maybe a minute on each side. The thing with lower temperature for me is, it often takes too much time to pasteurize. I was home from work and gym around 8, I ate at 9.30. No way I throw something in for 2 or 3 hours at that hour. Will try the 56c next week though and report back. In general I would recommend sticking the bag with the patty into the water for 2 minutes and then seal to get the trapped air out. Not sure if the stronger vacuum of a foodsaver will get all the air out but I somehow doubt that.

I'd say pick your store and product carefully. I worked a tiny bit in my life in the food industry (Freshdirect) and since then I watch out very carefully who is behind the counter. Many of the buyers I met are very proud of what they are doing, they would not knowingly feed you crap. For me larger chains besides Wholefoods are an exception when I shop, in fact I walked into a Wallmart in 2009 and I swear I could not recall when and if ever I was in one.

I just did burgers for the first time. I had 93% lean beef patties from wholefoods. I had em in at 60.5c for an hour. They lost very little juice, but were not even close to what shake shack dishes out. I had them them in ziplock vacuum bags, after tossing them into the tank both the patty in both bags did release some more air so i had to take em out and improve the vac. Does this happen normally, or is it an issue with the ziplock system that the vacuum is not strong enough? Good but not very good burger which I guess has to do with the meat. Is a very convenient way to cook them though, especially in my open kitchen as I have only very little smell from the pan searing. JK

http://www.sousvidecooking.org/polyscience-mx-immersion-circulator/ New Polyscience circulator. I heard there was a slightly cheaper version coming, this looks very good I am hoping this is it.

I had boneless skinless chicken few times, last night I brined for 2 hours in 10% it did not lost a single drop of juice in the bag. In fact the meat was sticking to the plastic - I had nothing in the bag except the chicken breast - no fat no spices. I topped them later with a rub and some kumquats and stuck them under the broiler based on a recipe from JG Vongerichten. Thing is, the texture reminds me too much of Boars head lunch meat. I now sort of have the feeling that they meat glue chicken breast together, then SV it for hours. I have tried few times to incorporate SVed chicken into normal recipes but always come back to the lunch meat like texture. I find if I pan sear it afterwards, the browned part gets too hard and stringy in contrast to the rest of the meat. I think I will try 2 things next: gently brown the skinless breast in a pan before SVing as well as take one with bone and skin and finish it off under the broiler. Question I have is, after browning the breast do I need to chill if I stick it into the water bath right away? In the Polyscience youtube video for tenderloin he is doing that but then he is using a true vacuum machine which lowers the boiling point which I do not have. I use ziploc.

>>Freeze slowly means what exactly? Fridge, then warm freezer, then cold freezer? << To be honest, I have no idea. I can't say that cold water always worked for me since I had sometimes problems with the Momas.

Interesting. This did happen to me with the Moma one a few times but not yet with the Muji. I used cold water from the fridge. P.s. Mine had english instructions and it said you should freeze slowly to avoid cracking balls.

Wylie served these grilled with with yuzu marmalade and delfino at that Le Fooding event in NYC last year. Unfortunate by the time I got there he was out. Who knew Chicken necks were that popular.

I got the Muji Balls. I have to say even though more pricey I like them more then the Moma ones. Filling them with water is more fiddly, you pour it in through the whole in the top but it's large enough to manage that and overall it works better since it is easier to judge when to stop pouring then with the Momas. To me they looked flat on the bottom when I opened the mold but they come out perfectly round. Lastly they come out more easily then you can get them out of the Moma shapes, just pull the mold apart and wiggle a bit.

Interesting. End of last year I was served overcooked beet juice caviar as part as 4 different spoons on a plate. I don't know if that happens all over the place but having done caviar(s) myself at home I was highly disappointed because it just felt lame, tasted boring and was executed badly. I used it in a steak tatar which I saw morimoto doing, this way I could get basil flavor into it without messing up the creamy texture that it had. Now that made perfect sense to me. I find it interesting Adam that you say don't copy don't inspire. I think if you are a chef and you put the techniques you use in print you sort of want that. It should be seen as a compliment if others pick up your techniques. P.s. Sorry that NYC didn't work out for you, I read about that. I hope you give it another shot.

Yes, but when I braise it is high enough to break down the vegetable and bring out sweetness, reduce fluids etc. All these reactions I can't see happening within the bag, not even if I would overcook the meat at a higher temperature. The complexity of flavors in SV dishes may come from additional components prepared on the side. When you look at the Keller book, he adds "quick" sauces and all kind of other elements.

I'd think if you do that it would be less complex. Reason is the different temperatures required among the ingredients. Not much happens with vegetables when you apply 56 celsius that you would probably use for the protein. Might be worth a try but then again I would think if it would do something it would have already been attempted. I haven't seen a single SV recipe or dish where you would combine ingredients in a way I do with braises in the same bag.

The skin crisps up pretty quick, I usually pop a salmon into the oven to finish it but then again I also prefer my salmon a little bit firmer then most. You could take the skin off just sear that on its own and merge in the end putting it on top of the teriyaki. I did that once with a chicken breast.

I'd like to see an example for that, where a SVed product has the complexity that I reach with a braise. To me the protein used in the braise just plays a side note in the assembled dish, it's the combination with the sauce. The sauce to me has flavor complexity coming from the slow cooking and what it does to the other ingredients thrown into the pot. If I open the SV bag I don't have that. Yes I can use the juices coming out of the bag but I haven't managed to elevate that to levels as what I get out of a braise. Focusing flavors to me is the opposite of flavor complexity.

I saw some in December in the Moma Store in Soho, I ordered mine online. http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Spherical%20Ice%20Tray%20Set_10451_10001_57253_-1_11515_11521_null__ They still have them.

>>Foodsaver bags were designed to be cooked in<< That is incorrect. Their website (faq) says explicit that no raw foods should be cooked in these bags. They also say that certain vegetables will give of gases like cauliflower ..... so this is probably what happened with the bag. Some of their bags say though they are safe for simmering but cooking in it for 40 minutes is probably pushing it.

I noted that while low end vacuums are fine for meat and fish, with some fruits and vegetables my bags started floating. If you take actually a cucumber or an apple and stick it into strong chamber vac with fluid it will start boiling, works with a syringe and your thumb too. Not sure if a home vac produces this kind of vacuum. If the bag split, it probably simply got too hot. I would think lower temperature and longer time should be OK. Not all vacuums bags are mend to be heated not even talking of cooking them.