Nick
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Posts posted by Nick
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My kitchen is about 70 square feet. It's not finished yet, but I think it will work just fine.
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Hey Fifi! I checked the lard in the woodshed today and it's fine. Or at least seems fine. It's in mason jars and when I poured the lard in and put on the covers it ended up pulling a slight vacuum. I pulled the cover that came off easiest and it seemed fine. Good smell and no sign of discoloring. The real test will be to try some after I get back in my house, but I think it will be fine. It's about two years old now.
My Danish grandmother (who's cooking was nearly without equal) bought her lard and, also beef tallow, in five gallon tins which were kept without refrigeration. That was a long time ago so things like that got used up faster. She never went overboard in her use of these and she and my grandfather lived healthily, well into their eighties.
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I said I wasn't going to watch another episode - but I did. Even though there was only about 40 minutes of "content" in the 60 minutes, I thought it picked up some from last week and the week before. Good to see some BOH stuff and I was impressed by some of the chopping skills. I know this isn't PC, but I was particularly happy to see the departure of that whining little Topher.
coordinator edit
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Jesus, Fifi. It's a good thing you reminded me. I completely forgot to check on it when I was down at the house today. Now that the floor's done I'm completely screwed up trying to figure out the plumbing - and the cabinets, if I can afford cabinets at all at this point.
To try to get an idea of the plumbing, think about putting a water heater and cold water tank under the counter in the base cabinets. Then take into account the pressure relief valves and where stuff goes in the unlikely event one or the other blows off. And think about having to drain the tanks. I'm figuring out how to tie all this together into one pipe that leads to the outside. It's real simple if you have a cellar where all this stuff is - complete with a cellar drain. And also bear in mind that at some point the water heater will need replacing, so all this stuff has to come apart reasonably easy (under the counter) as I stumble into old age and infirmity.
I'll try to remember to check out the lard in the woodshed tomorrow.
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I do know that they refuse to carry Le Creuset because they think it is terribly overpriced (same thing for All-Clad).
.......... But these are pieces of cookware that will last a lifetime and can be handed down to your children or grandchildren as a family heirloom. When you compare that to the money we spend without batting an eye on a not-so-great television or VCR or laptop computer that will be obsolete in 3-4 years, it really isn't all that much money.
When one lives in the more rural parts of the country All-Clad stainless and Le Creuset are our choices for top of the line. The prices are a bit hard on the wallet, but one reason I buy them is because I have no doubt that they will give my children good service and others beyond. And they cook well.
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Zenial - you're FOH. Right? Tommy's got a point. Instead of being a one-issue person at this thread, why don't you tell us what it was like working at other joints? Start a new thread on it. Tell us some serious or funny stories about your past gigs.
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The old DI (drill instructor) says maybe it's time to find a new girlfriend.
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I just noticed (before posting this) that this thread is now tied with the dinner (what did we have) thread for views - 32767. At the rate it's going it may end up being the all time most viewed thread in eGullet history. How many more shows are there to go? Is this really ending up at averaging around 5-6000 views per show? It's just amazing how we love to pander to the tube.
Oops. Two more posts while I was writing this.
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I'll have to check the last batch of lard I made about two years ago, I think it was. I made a bunch of it and put it in mason jars and stuck it in the woodshed in a carton. It hadn't come out that really nice pure white that the batch I'd made a few years before had. So, since I still had some of that in the fridge, I just stuck the new batch on a shelf in the woodshed. I'll try to remember to check it tomorrow and then we'll know if refrigeration is necessary.
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When you say "field corn" are you refering to cattle corn?
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This may not be the place to address this, but I'll ask it anyway. The gas ranges that I've been looking at (except for the simmer burner) typically have rather large diameter burner rings. As I am usually only cooking for myself I tend to often use smaller pans such as the All-Clad 1 qt. saute, 2 qt. sauce pan, and many 7 1/2" fry pans which are all fairly small in diameter. So my question is, will these small pots and pans work with the larger burners?
To add - I've cooked with cast iron for many years, but have been won over by the All-Clad stainless line. At this point I think the only advantages of cast iron over All-Clad are in browning and braising.
Also, in looking at your excellent introduction to all this (which I haven't fully read) you say,
"Black Steel/Blue Steel
- This is carbon steel that has been treated by a process of annealing, which makes the surface harder and less reactive. It also imparts a distinctive black or gunmetal blue color to the carbon steel.
- Because the surface is harder, black/blue steel seasons more like cast iron in terms of its durability and persistence. Because the surface is less reactive, one need not be so concerned about minimizing opportunities for chemical interaction between the food and the pan."
Annealing is the process by which the strains and stresses are taken out of steel after it has been worked, and results in a soft steel rather than a hard steel. It is typically used to remove stresses from working high carbon steel prior to hardening and tempering. It relaxes the steel and improves the grain structure.
Pans (I would think) are made of low carbon steel and the reason for annealing would be to remove the working stresses so that the pan doesn't warp on being heated on the range.
Edit: I should add for those that aren't familiar with annealing - the steel is heated to a temperature of 1350-1500F, maybe higher in the case of low carbon steel, and kept there for a period of time depending on the size, weight, and complexity of the piece(s). After that it is allowed to cool slowly.
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I have Peugot and Perfex. I bought my first Perfex around 25 years ago and it was beautiful - and went with my ex during divorce. The new (10 years ago) Perfex does not have the same smooth grinding action as the first one, but I'm still using it because it's easy to fill and easy to adjust. I still haven't really used the Peugot that much, but I'll get around to it. (It came with a sample of peppercorns in it that were the best black peppercorns I'd ever had.)
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3. The plumber put in the pipes for the sink in the wrong place, because he was too lazy to drill through an extra floor joist. He subsequently suggested that we change the plans so that the sink would be where he put the pipes. If we didn't like that, he said we could run the pipes from one cabinet to the next and loose some storage space.
Was he too lazy, or did you find the rare plumber who thought it wasn't a good idea to put that hole in the joist right there? Most plumbers whether in new construction or old, but particularly in renovations, give no thought to the structural integrity of the framing when they make way for pipes.
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Oh God. With all the comments being posted here I'll probably have to watch this sorry-assed show about a sorry-assed joint next week.
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Thanks for being here.
I noticed down below that you mentioned Lola. So it is still in business and cranking? That was the part of Soul that I dug the most and I've been hoping they're still going.
Also, thanks for both Soul and The Making. Been a home cook for a long time, but those two books started getting me going - further into it. Good work and great writing.
You think those bright lights got to Tony?
Anyhow, hope Lola's still going strong and you too.
Edit: Since writing the above (late at night and after much beer), I've read your reply to Jinmyo on "Project of Passion" where you write, " I think I'd like one day to write a book about the basics of cooking as I've learned them and an exploration of cooking ratios, because to me that's the essence of cooking..."
I hope you do this.
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well having spoken to people who have worked in top restaurants
only to wonder is really neccesary for the verbal abuse and militry treatment in some of the top restaurants???
They're babes in the woods compared to a real military kitchen. If they don't like it, they can always leave and get another job.
I worked four naval mess halls including, skullery, kitchen, prep, cold storage, and butcher shop - Great Lakes IL, Memphis/Millington TN, Quonset Pt. RI, and the USS Lake Champlain. We're not talking just verbal abuse - it gets physical. If you fall behind too much, you get your asshole reamed verbally. You complain, the head man might drop you with one punch - I've seen it happen.
Head butcher at Memphis drops the whiner/complainer and then asks us if we've seen anything. Nope, didn't see a thing, and that was the last we saw of the complainer. Probably got transfered to the skullery, which is the real shit hole. Hot and wet and there'll be a gang-banger that the judge let off easy by telling him he could go in the military or go to jail. He's not gonna be happy and you best humor him.
You're prepping, cooking, and washing pots, pans, flatware, and dishes for 1000-1500 people three times a day and nobody's gonna cut anyone too much slack.
And you can't quit and get another gig if you don't like it.
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just-toasted cumin seed....
Jim
Toasting sesame seeds to make gamasio.
Edit: Actually it's when you grind the sesame seeds in the siribachi with the sea salt that the aroma comes out.
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I can't believe the amount of whining that goes on on this show. (And this is just from a 10 minute glimpse, folks, me having never seen it at all.)
And you guys managed to watch an entire hour, over several episodes? You're all made of sterner stuff than I am.
Soba
Yeah, that guy Topher sure can whine. He would have lasted maybe 10 minutes before someone dropped him in the kitchens I worked in.
This'll be the last episode I watch. The content was bad enough, but it seemed like the last half hour was filled more with ads than "content" - and I'm not counting product placement.
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Umm...is it just my imagination, or does this read rather stunningly like a press release?
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Everyone salivates at sauteing onion and garlic. Roasting pork is another favorite.
Yep. There's nothing like the smell of onion and garlic being sauted in a good aromatic olive oil.
And the roast pork too - slivers of garlic poked in, followed by a liberal coating of rosemary and flour. And salt and fresh ground pepper. When that aroma starts wafting out of the oven on a cold winter Sunday, I start thinking about how good the gravy's going to be.
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Same as Jackal, but with ice, no sherry, and substitute V-8 for the tomato juice. Been years since I've made them. Used to be a great start in the morning to continue the previous day's drinking.
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It ends up in containers with me wondering what to do with it - until I finally take it to the dump. But, I probably don't go through more than a couple quarts a year.
For anyone using more, try to find someone recycling it into "bio-diesel."
Nero, you're obviously on city sewer. Do that to a home septic system for long and you're looking at big bucks.
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I predict that an off set drain will also make for more usable space under the sink.
I hadn't thought of that since I was really after the offset drain for easier clean-up. But, you're right - so long as the plumbing is exiting from the same side as the drain. As in: if the drain is on the right and the waste pipe is headed to the right - it's all clear space under the sink. Why didn't I think of that?
Good thread Fifi. We'll all be going "duh" before we're done.
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I didn't think it would taste good.
It didn't.
Q&A -- Knife Maintenance and Sharpening
in The eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI)
Posted
That's a great article, Chad! I've been sharpening knives, saws, scythes, axes, etc. for 35 years or so and I don't know how anyone could have done a better job than you have in explaining knife sharpening.
The only thing I could add to what you've said is for people (after they've gotten comfortable with angles) is to begin to feel the edge of the knife on the stone more than looking at the angle they're holding as they move the edge across the stone. After some practice (maybe years), the eyes don't count as much as the feel of the edge against the stone.
Here, I'm refering to traditional bench stones. I haven't used the newer things available. I've got an old sway-backed Norton coarse/medium (sway-backed on the medium side), my grandfather's old India, and a black Arkansas I got back around 30 years ago to sharpen my mortising chisels when I was doing heavy timber framing. It's a nice stone but you want to either get, or keep, your edge in good condition before using it.
I've always used oil and it was interesting to read about sharpening dry. For many years I used Nye oil, but after whaling was outlawed and Nye oil disappeared I switched to mineral oil. Last year I came across some sperm oil from years back and bought some so I've gone back to that. I'd be interested in hearing from others who have used oil for many years and have now decided that dry is the way to go.
Also, I haven't gotten the hang of using a steel with the tip down on the board or table. I tried it a few times after I heard about it, but went back to old way. I think, there again, it's being able to feel the edge against the sharping medium, whether it's a stone or a steel. And it may also have to do with having spent some time using a whetstone on a scythe. It's about the same thing except that in the case of a scythe you're running the sharpening medium across blade. Same kind of rhythm, just a little different.
Well, I've blabbered on enough and so now Chad, or anyone else, here's MY QUESTION.
In all my years of sharpening knives, after years of sharpening a knife, the tip always gets blunter and blunter as time goes on. In other words, I can take a perfectly good boning knife and after ten years or so the tip is close to a ninety degree angle to the heel. It's still sharp, but I've lost the point. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks, Nick