Tiger Black

I know this is a late reply but that strikes me as unbearably and shockingly rude.

Confiseur, thank you for your post. I can't handle that sort of grandstanding and I don't think it helps people improve, either. Having worked in restaurants and having friends also in the business, I can attest that the hours are not universal, either. These things change from place to place and chef to chef. Frankly if you're working for a chef that can't keep it in his pants, I'd advise you to move on.

Hrm not a bad idea on the Stilton. I agree, there won't be much beyond that. I thought just the barest touch of vanilla or rosewater, but lemon is a great idea too.

So here is what I want to do. A crust, possibly with rosemary in it. A thin layer of custard. Some stilton. Topped with peaches. Now my question is, how do you think I ought to flavor the custard, and how long would one bake this for? Would one assemble the whole thing and bake it, or perhaps leave the peaches off until it came out of the oven? Thank you in advance.

I love oxtails. And organs. Basically, nasty bits. Not only are they delicious, they are also cheap, which is why I have a ton of oxtails in my fridge right now. I would really like to make a stroganoff sauce with them, and I would like to use my slow cooker to do it. I was thinking of rolling the oxtails in seasoned flour, searing all sides, then simply adding everything together in the slow cooker and letting it do its thing. Will this work? Will it make the sour cream do ooooh, bad things? What do you guys think?

Tonight was lentil soup with crusty wheat bread. I used green lentils and the soup itself was tomato based. I added some diced bacon, onions, and chopped red chard. It was finished with saffron yogurt. Not bad! Though it's true that food can tell when you're in a bad mood; it was touch and go for a few minutes there and it's an absurdly simple soup.

I'm a member of the Society of Creative Anachronism. My friend's birthday happened to coincide with an event, so I ended up cooking her birthday dinner on a two burner propane camp stove. I made lamb tagine. This involved two pots and one mixing bowl, not too hard to haul around. In one pot, I took lamb chunks tossed with olive oil, tumeric, pepper, and ginger, and simmered them with a ton of sliced onions, with just enough water to cover the mixture. I would have rather used stock but needs must as the devil drives. The second pot was cubed yams, dried apricots, rose water, honey, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. When the potatoes cooked through and the onions softened, they got combined and simmered for about twenty minutes more, if I remember rightly. In the meantime I cleaned the mixing bowl and made cous cous in it. I will rustle up the recipe if people would like it.

I really find a lot of the gendered talk in that article silly. I do think that there might be some differences in style, but I think any woman who has the ability and dedication to rise to the top in a restaurant kitchen is just as, if not more, bold than her male counterparts. The kitchen world is only now becoming more inclusive, but female chefs have already made great showings, and not just with "mama food." The idea that women want only to nurture is an old chestnut I could do without.

HA I swear I entered my response before I saw your comment.

brioche

Sadly I am not the cook for Easter Dinner, so I don't have a menu. But I just have to ask...Did you call your mother on saying that, and if so what did she say in response? Sounds like my friend's Mom. If everything were absolutely perfect she'd worry it was TOO perfect.

Erk, I'm afraid I didn't have any questions. Everything that they would require of me was spelled out and I am a regular customer at this place, so I honestly couldn't think of anything to ask. I hope that doesn't work against me. I do think you're right in that experience was most likely the problem for the people they interviewed before. It's bread, for the person who asked. I do bake a lot at home and have worked in kitchens, though cooking doesn't really apply that well to baking. Even if I don't get it I am pretty pleased I even got the interview.

There is a local bakery in my town, and they are looking for a night baker. I applied and was upfront about not having any baking experience. They've gone through a couple more experienced applicants and they haven't worked out, so now they are down to me. They want me to come in tonight and work for a few hours "on the bench." What does that mean??!! I am freaking out a little. I have food experience, but no baking. Any advice? Anything I should know going in?

I am blind so pretty damn often on both counts. Well, allright, I have some vision and I generally get by. I've been in a professional kitchen and I cook at home all the time, but I get tagged by the oven almost every day. I don't cut myself much because I am very, very careful; my life is all about expending a huge amount of energy checking and re-checking things, and being incredibly cognizant of where I am in relation to other things/people in a space. That stuff most sighted people take for granted. A funny related story. My father bought me my shun boning knife for my birthday. As we all probably know, those motherfuckers are sharp. I mean, that word seems inadequate to describe them. So my dad being my dad reminds me not to cut myself with it all day. Finally I get annoyed, snap yes I know, and put the knife back in its sheath a touch too forcefully. It promptly came right through the fabric and stabbed me in the hand. (luckily it was dark out so I got away without him figuring it out!)

I live in America. Can I get a kimchi urn here, or do I have to get one from Korea? Does anyone LIVE in Korea who can send me one? *wild eyes*

I think that's it. I find that quite a few people are suffering from low self esteem. I can't tell you how many times I've been with a friend or partner in a clothing store and said "x item would look really nice on you!' and they've said "but that would be like putting fancy wrapping paper on a Twinkie." It's really sad. Top that with a bunch of guilt about sweets and that seemingly simple pastry choice becomes a neurotic psychological minefield.

these are awesome. I want to go! I wonder if they take disabled students. Do they let you bring your own knives?

I'm neither assuming that nor saying it's true. But the implication of "correcting" the chef stands on its own. Think how insulted you'd be if someone came into your place of business and "corrected" whatever it is you do. What I was saying, but far more eloquently. If you don't like the way the chef seasons the food, then you don't like the restaurant. Don't go back. Problem solved. And I would also state that if one complains about the seasonings, one should do so politely, not just for the sake of the chef's fragile ego, but because it isn't the server's fault and misdirecting your displeasure at them accomplishes nothing except pegging yourself as a high maintenance customer. ← Yes, this. No offense to the person who originally posted about bringing in their own spices, but I literally recoiled from the screen as I read that. I think that is awfully rude. I also wonder...there aren't all that many dishes that require red pepper, are there?

I am going to get chantrelle mushrooms up my inner forearm.

I have a problem. Bear with me while I try to explain it. I'm blind. I have a visual processing disorder wherein I often don't see things that are there. My eyes take quite a bit longer to send visual signals to my brain. I am also legally blind with correction. The real problem happens because I have some vision. Enough vision, in fact, to appear quite capable. This is largely because I was a mainstreamed child. i.e. the focus was very much on having me appear normal rather than providing me with assistance like a long white cane. (which I have now after twenty four years) Because of this I had to get very good at not getting killed. Also, I think the general perception of blindness is you must have zero vision, and because I do, the assumption is that I must have very minor issues. I have worked in kitchens, but its been a struggle. Largely I think the struggle is there because of my disability. I am always up front about it but again, the assumption that my problems must be minor comes up and I get in trouble for any number of little things that I am just never going to be great at. (sweeping the floors being the biggest example) While I plan on working in psychology, I've always thought of one day opening a tiny restaurant. I can't do that without experience. But I'm scared of trying again. My last job was in a kitchen that was pretty allright, but there was a lot of going back and forth over stuff like this. I want to make it clear that I do try and I am a good worker in my estimation. I know I can cook and I have some talent, but there are some serious gaps in my knowledge and I don't know how to succeed. If anyone has any advice, I would be most appreciative.

I just died.

I have a serious pet peeve about this. Damned near everything needs salt! If you want less sodium in your diet, stop eating over processed foods. Don't take it out on an innocent spice that only wants to help you in all your kitchen endeavors!

I feel like this about my career. I am not really a chef, though kitchen work has always paid my bills and it is a big passion of mine. The thing I am in school for, though, is investigative psychology. Resistance has come from all sides, not least of which because I am blind and mentally ill. The hell with that, I am going to succeed at it no matter what, and you will succeed at your career, too. You are doing what needs to be done and it sounds like your skills are coming back, slowly but surely. I admire you. Keep fighting, no matter what.

Hello everyone! *waves* So first I have to own up to mine. I was eating dim sum with my mother. I turned to the aisle to try and find someone, since I had seen a little kid eating chicken feet. I think the staff figured a white person wouldn't want such a thing and didn't offer it. But oh, I did want them, and very badly. In my side view I see an Asian woman in a lace top and mention something to her about it, to which she replies: "I don't work here." I could have died. Grant you I am mostly blind (yes, really) but still! It hurts to this day. I almost wanted to follow her around and explain that I am just disabled and not a racist asshole. As to other people, I knew this couple several years ago who loved nothing more than to complain about every single thing possible. Nothing made them happier than complaining. I am not kidding about this: once they bitched because the waitress had not filled their water glasses to their satisfaction.