Dave the Cook

Looks good. In Germany, does it come with waffle plates? Because in the US, it doesn't. Based on what I see, they don't exist.

As long as we're continuing is the shrimp vein (ha!), are you done with deep frying for a while? 'Cause if you're not, I've got a couple of ideas to run past you.

You don't have to search very far to find oven-baked "roux," where the flour is cooked, by itself, in a low oven for a long time. It works fine, it gives you most of the flavor you need, it's hard to screw up, AND IT TAKES FOREVER. That's because air is not as good a conductor of heat as fat is. So, the oven method is very controllable, at the expense of time. If we want to speed things up, we have to introduce a liquid that can exceed the temperature at which starch browns. That mean water is out, because it will just boil away at the requisite temperature. Let's use fat -- butter or oil. The fat conducts heat into the starch much more efficiently. Once it's been combined properly, it also keeps each granule of starch separated from every other granule (please disregard the fact that wouldn't be necessary if we weren't introducing a liquid like oil or melted butter). Since it's a fat, it probably picks up a flavor note or two -- it might even have some flavor of its own. This is a proper roux, as classically defined: fat and starch combined for purposes of flavor and thickening. Most of the flavor is in the starch, though. Once the fat has done its job by protecting the starch, can't we just discard it? Yes, yes we can. You should realize though, that if you don't stir that fat back in, it's not a roux any more. It's just browned flour.

Simply Recipes' Bang-bang shrimp reminds me of a recipe we sometimes use for shrimp tacos, part of which we stole from Kay Chun's recipe for Salt and Pepper Shrimp Rolls. Instead of buttermilk, Chun calls for whole (or 2%) milk, and omits the wheat flour altogether, using only cornstarch. Without wheat, there's no gluten to speak of, so you can fry in batches (so you need less oil); the first batch of shrimp can easily wait for a second one. Admittedly, it's not your everyday fried shrimp, but it is very crunchy.

So do I. Although, to be accurate, my version was "was dis here sauce." And that's how I taught my kids to say it, too.

It's worth pointing out that these notices (and a big thank-you to members who post them) are kind of deceptive, in that if one reads a headline like "Daniele International LLC Recalls Ready-to-Eat Sausage Products Due to Possible Listeria Contamination," one might think that they should avoid sausages with the name "Danielle" on them. In fact, Danielle isn't a brand you are likely to come across in the deli. However, depending on where you live, you might be familiar with brand names like Frederik, Boar's Head, Colameco and Del Duca. Danielle makes sausages for all those companies, and those are the names you need to look for. But unless you've read the notice, you wouldn't know that, or which of those brand's products might be subject to recall. Please don't misunderstand me -- I'm not criticizing those of you who post recall notices. Far from it. Rather, I want you to do your due diligence, and follow the links they're giving you. At worst, you'll come to find that something in you refrigerator is lying in wait to poison you. At best, you'll learn that Bourbon BBQ Vienna Sausages exist (scroll down a bit). Because this is a great country.

I thought that 100°F/37°C and below was considered cold smoking. I find this guideline pretty much everywhere, from Ruhlman & Polcyn's Charcuterie (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) to Kinsella's Professional Charcuterie (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) Much hotter than that, and you start cooking delicate things like fish.

Fair enough. So no fancy balsamic on your salad? Or good extra-virgin olive oil on your pasta? No caviar on your toast points? Truffle in your scrambled eggs?

I don't know what the alternatives cost, but soy lecithin powder is $8/50g at Modernist Pantry. If you figure a (generous) 1/2 cup milk per frothing session, I figure the cost of soy lecithin powder like so: 125 g of liquid (about 1/2 C milk) * 0.05% = 6.25 g $8 / 50g = 16 cents/g 16 cents * 6.25 g = $1 per 1/2 C application That's at a pretty high price for soy lecithin powder. Were you to move up to the much more economical 400g pouch at Modernist Pantry ($16), the cost per application would be 25 cents.

Soy lecithin (at around 0.5% of the weight of the liquid) is often used to make foams.

A wild guess, based on reading of Mrs. Beeton's receipt for -- sorry, oyster sauce. Her oyster sauce is nothing like the Asian version, but instead seems to be oysters in a white sauce, meant to accompany fish or simply prepared chicken. So I'm wondering if sauce oysters are oysters suitable for making a sauce with -- not pretty enough for other presentations, but acceptable under a blanket of bechamel. Maybe?

Huh. I didn't even know that "fancy molasses" was a thing.

What do you suppose "cooking molasses" is?

I've never tried Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce. I'm only chiming in here to point out that that review is from 2012, and contains incorrect information. The sauce does include, as your photo and a visit to https://jackdanielssauces.com/ confirms, Jack Daniels whiskey. It is not made by Heinz (it's not clear that it ever was). The brand name is licensed to Golden West Food Group, which has been producing the sauce since at least 2019. We are a former Bullseye house, lately converted to Stubb's. But that's another story.

@Anna N is right. IMO, you really have to read a Keller recipe closely, and more than once, before attempting it.

As far as I know, there's no hard-and-fast recipe for Creole mustard. However, it's usually made from brown mustard seeds (like Dijon-style mustard) steeped in vinegar (not like Dijon-style mustard, which famously uses wine). It usually includes a little horseradish, and often includes other things, such as sugar and spices. It's almost always mixed with coarsely ground brown mustard seeds. It's a little sharper in flavor than Grey Poupon or Maille, but not as sinus-clearing as some German or Asian mustards. It's easily found in the southern US (especially the southeast, if one includes Louisiana). In this recipe, I think I used it because that was what was available, and it worked, so that's what I wrote down.

That's the best essay on noma's closing that I've read yet.

Searing a chop that thick won't get you very much, doneness-wise. If you sear it long enough to seriously affect the interior, you might as well have cooked it traditionally anyway. You say that 132°F is underdone for your taste. I'd bump the temp to 136 - 138°F and let it swim another 75 minutes or so.

I understand, on both counts. Especially okra, the taste for which I have yet to acquire. I was just trying, without personal conviction, to promote the traditional solution to the problem.

I'm down for pretty much anything potato. However, I whittled it down to four that are in regular rotation (links go to Recipe Gullet): Lyonnaise Potatoes, simplified Crispy Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes Potato "Scallops" A dish I invented/stumbled into while doing a foodblog way back in 2005: Really Simple Potato Gratin

This is a mish-mash of several recipes, plus our own modifications. 5 ounces salt 1 quart water 10 to 12 ounces small red or gold potatoes (1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter) ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons malt or other vinegar Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the water into a pot and add the salt. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the potatoes. Cook for 12 - 14 minutes, or until just tender. Pour the potatoes into a colander to drain. Let them cool for 10 minutes. While they cool, generously coat a sheet pan with olive oil. When cooled, place the potatoes, spaced evenly, on the sheet pan. Use a paring knife to cut a shallow cross in the top of each potato (about ¼ inch deep). Coat the bottom of a heavy glass or a heavy spatula with oil. Use the glass or spatula to gently smash the potatoes to about ½ inch thick. Work carefully so the potatoes don’t break into pieces. Brush the tops of the potatoes lightly with oil, then brush with vinegar. You may not need all the oil, depending on how many potatoes you have. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown on top. Carefully turn the potatoes over and roast for another 5 to 7 minutes until browned on that side. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes with the remaining vinegar. Serve immediately.

Inspired by the scene in Midnight Run (the last five seconds are NSFW). Perhaps you didn't think a French potato dish was funny. Charles Grodin will prove you wrong. 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 T butter 2 # Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3” slices 2 T oil Kosher salt 1 T minced parsley In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Heat until butter stops foaming and then add the onions. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often, until browned but still slightly firm. Heat oven to 400°F. Toss potatoes in a bowl. Pour oil over and toss to coat. Sprinkle salt over and toss again. Pour potatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet large enough to contain them in a single layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes release easily from pan. If they don’t move easily, don’t force them. Cook another 5 minutes or so until they move. Flip potatoes and return them to the oven to roast an additional 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes release easily. Remove from the oven and turn oven off if proceeding immediately. If you’ve waited a while, heat the oven to 250°F. Sprinkle the onions over the potatoes and return to the oven to warm through, about 5 minutes. Dish it up and sprinkle the parsley over (this is a classic garnish).

A riff on a recipe that originally came from Milkbar Memories (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) by Jane Lawson. She calls for russet potatoes, and we made the coating crisper. 1 pound medium Yukon gold potatoes Oil for deep-frying 115 g (4 oz/3/4 C) A/P flour 110 g (4 oz/3/4C) rice flour 1 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 375 ml (12 fl oz/1-1/2 cups) club soda or beer fine salt for sprinkling Heat the oven to its lowest temperature, usually 170°F or 200°F. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices 1/3-inch thick. Bring a pot of water to a boil (about 2 quarts)and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Add the potato slices and cook for 5 minutes, or until they’re just beginning to become tender. Remove the potatoes to cool water until they’re cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, line your counter with clean towels. Use a slotted spatula to carefully transfer the potato slices to your prepared bench, placing them in a single layer, then leaving until cool and fairly dry to the touch. Keep an eye on them because if left too long they will discolor. Heat a deep fryer to 350°F. Alternatively, fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan 1/3 with oil and heat to 350°F, or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and make a well in the center. Gradually pour in the club soda or beer as you gently whisk to combine, until you have a smooth and thickish batter. Working in batches, dip the potato slices into the batter and fry in the oil for 7–8 minutes, or until the batter is deep golden and very crisp. Drain on a rack set over paper towels and sprinkle with fine sea salt. Serve immediately, or keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining potato scallops.

But that's what filé and/or okra are for!

I did the same thing. It might have been my first experience with a food processor. The event so traumatized me that I don't think I used the food processor again for months. Those don't actually suck.