TimmDavis

"Kitchen" toothbrushes are vital for many, many tasks. Cleaning ginger fibers out of a Microplane, for instance (even in a dishwasher, the fine, hairy fibers survive more often than not). Cleaning sieves. Cleaning the parts of your food processor blades where they fit onto the drive shaft of the machine, but where, still, miraculously, gunk still collects. Cleaning ceramic ginger graters of the same hairy fibers. Finally, if you have any level of fingernails whatsoever, using a toothbrush to remove any trace of capsacin oil from under said nails will ensure you never have the delightful experience of inserting a contact lens along with a good hit of hot pepper. Don't ask me how I know this. Want to get rid of those pesky ginger fibers? Just put some plastic wrap over the top of your microplane and grate as normal. Still grates it, and you don't have the crappy clean up job at the end. Just remove the plastic wrap and toss.

Not to add fuel to said fire, but in school (culinary that is) our International Cuisine Chef-Instructor read a passage from Larousse that during the ancient Roman times that women were not to allowed to pick Basil, at anytime because of menstruation and they were considered unclean. And basil was a prized herb and therefore picked by men who were considered cleaner. Maybe that's part of where all this is coming from? Look it up..it's there.

I'm participating but haven't submitted a recipe yet. I've been in on it, close to the start when it was invite only.

Here is a start: http://postmodern-pantry.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page (Run by the gang at Alinea)

He's working in a Pizza joint, I'm sure someone has more info than me.

In Chef Tom's blog he talks about things that didn't make air, as far as food went - including the quickfire.

If she doesn't mix it up soon, she's going to be a one trick pony.

Bowl prepper here. I don't know how many times at school, I was told to keep my cutting board clear. So as far as I'm concerned, the board is not ever a place to leave stuff. Bowls. Period.

I don't think the cheftestant in question actually bled into the food. Things like this happen, she/he (Can't remember at the moment) took care of it and moved on. Just like you would if you were on the line (it's happened to me). Hell I did it with people watching (we have/had a 16 place table in the kitchen) me. I felt it as soon as I did it, removed myself from the line - bandaged it up, put a glove on and returned to what I was doing. And didn't so much as have a drop of blood anywhere on the line or in food for that matter.

I don't use celery at all in my stocks, end up bitter after long cooking IMO. I use carrot, leek, onion combo for mine.

Love the Reuben, while I don't have a pic. The Pork Belly Reuben at "Bunk" in PDX is off the charts. Of course if you're a purist, you'll turn up your nose at it. But man, it's if you've died and gone to Reuben heaven really.

Never baked them before, usually stove top - on low for 45 min or until they're soft and can be easily pierced with a knife. ← Going to have to give it a go, when I make my next batch.

Never baked them before, usually stove top - on low for 45 min or until they're soft and can be easily pierced with a knife.

Honestly I use both. I don't mind peeling now and then, but when I'm whipping up a big batch of Garlic Confit - I prefer the pre-peeled stuff, then I only have to trim root ends and throw them in the pot.

you think that's bad? where i work now, they don't even clean the slicer when they've been cutting meat on it! thank heavens i'm pastry, so i don't reach for that thing very often. ←

I found myself completely disinterested. ← Me too. Not to mention it seemed pretty obvious (to me anyways) who was going to come out with the win in this one. Of the final six I'm torn between Bayless and Chiarello.

I've found out they don't respond well to "Pick up!"

Well, the basis for most sauces are very very old school I haven't read it myself, though it was recommended by every Chef instructor I had at school.

I highly doubt it. I look at it this way, anyone can win on any given day. Some days you have it, some you don't. Now if this were say a Black Box to get you a new gig, then maybe. But it's TV, and just being on the FN is going to be a boost to some of these people even if they don't win.

Yeah, I agree; it doesn't test any relevant skill. ← It was supposed too, that quick fire was just a gimick. And Holly's right - all that wasted talent. But hey, it's TV, it's entertainment. Why move away from what has worked for them in the past? ← The whole show is a gimmick, but some of the challenges are more sensible than others. I mean, the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game is a gimmick, but it tests a skill baseball players are supposed to be good at. Cooking with a hand behind the back is not a skill chefs are expected to have. ← Heh, don't get me started on the All-Star game (I'm a freelance Baseball Writer) - and your right they're not expected to have that skill. So I'm in agreement with you there. Hopefully the people at Bravo learn from this, and make improvements if they do a second season of TC:M.

Yeah, I agree; it doesn't test any relevant skill. ← It was supposed too, that quick fire was just a gimick. And Holly's right - all that wasted talent. But hey, it's TV, it's entertainment. Why move away from what has worked for them in the past?

It's either that or "foam", and personally I think air works a lot better. Too many other things come to mind when you say 'Foam" as opposed to 'air'.

My mom always called it "Cowboy Toast"...And we're up in the PNW.

I haven't read the article, but the problem is more subtle. If any water remains in the flavoring component (garlic etc.), that will self-limit its local temperature to water's boiling point (212 F) which won't reliably kill C. bototulinum spores even with hours of cooking. It's for this reason that commercial canning uses pressure cookers: pressure raises water's BP permitting water-bearing foods (which is most foods) to get hot enough to kill the tough spores. As others have said, garlic in oil is a classic hazard, it's cited in US and international botlism-prevention advisories. Same hazard lurks, unpublicized, in currently fashionable confit recipes. Historically, meats like duck to be cooked and preserved in fat at room temp. were first very strongly salted, often including saltpeter -- chemical preservation, which can inhibit Claustridia growth even with spores present. Today, many meat confit recipes are salted for flavor, not preservation. The meat's then cooked at normal pressure and stored anaerobically under fat -- conditions permitting C. bot growth which, over time, produces deadly toxin. Commercial fresh confits today come with instructions to use soon or freeze (also inhibiting organism growth). The toxin itself is fragile and killed by brief cooking (a safety factor in uses like cassoulets). Big risk is if a fresh confit is stored for more than a few days at room or even refrigerator temp. (one or two of the four major C. bot strains grow at refrigerator temps), then eaten or "sampled" without further cooking. I've seen online confit recipes and discussions describing room temp. storage for months. A public-health time bomb. On one popular food Web site, warnings about this (citing FDA/NIH/WHO guidelines)evoked a skeptic's reply that there's no cause for concern unless the poisoning is demonstrated (?!). By the way, even this food Web site has carried reckless advice to take Acetaminophen (a drug lately in the news) when you have a partially impaired liver! ← I'm not sure what Duck Confit recipes your coming across, but all the ones I've use or shown, the salt is used for both preservation and flavor. And mostly for preservation.

Going to have to disagree on this one. This is a big thing, at least out here in the northwest. With the whole sustainability issues and what not, I see no problem putting up something like "Cascade Farms Beef Tartar"...Because out here Cascade Farms does beef quite well and why not promote your farm partner?