Keith_W

Hi David, alcohol has a lower boiling point than water. Also, alcohol does not wet the flour as much as water, and therefore promotes less gluten formation. For these reasons, batters made with high amounts of alcohol tend to be more crispy than batters made with plain water. Heston Blumenthal at Home gives a recipe for battered fish with the batter made with vodka and dispensed through an ISI whipper. I have attempted this recipe and it results in the lightest, crispiest batter you have ever seen. As for why Chris' second batch turned out better than the first, there are all sorts of variables. If he failed to monitor the temperature of the oil, as he suggested, this could cause the result to be different. Also, if the batter was initially cold and then warmed to room temperature for the second batch, this will lower the viscosity of the batter - therefore less batter sticks to the squid rings. He may or may not have preferred this result. I am not surprised that Chris failed to catch any squid, because they tend to be more of a cold water species and are best found between May - September in Australia.

I wonder if it is possible for the OP to post a poll to find out what the preference is - Y peelers or straight peelers.

There are two types - one has the blade mounted at the tip of a Y handle (so that it looks a bit like a catapult?), and the other has the blade mounted in line with the grip, like a knife. I much prefer the Y-type peeler.

Steve, that is a beautiful potatoes Anna. It might be considered a little old fashioned these days, but I will still kill for those lovely golden potatoes and you have done a very good job. Can I come over for dinner?

Once again, if you look at the periodic table you will see that there is ALWAYS 280mg Sodium for every 700mg of pure NaCl. Sodium atomic mass unit = 22.99 Chloride atomic mass unit = 35.45 Sum of Sodium Chloride = 58.44 amu Therefore the mass of Na in relation to NaCl = 22.99 / 58.44 = 39.34% As you say, the remainder is made up of various impurities. If salt is mined, or evaporated from sea water, it will always contain impurities. Basically, ANY salt which is not laboratory grade will have impurities in it. These might include - other salts (organic salts, Potassium salts, Calcium salts, Iodides, etc), water, and anti-caking agent. Some salts, e.g. fleur de sel, are collected from dry river beds. These are "wet" salts, and have a lower apparent sodium content when the Sodium is quoted by weight. Typically NaCl is about 92% in fleur de sel, with the rest made up with water and organic salts. However - if you want to achieve the same salinity you must add more fleur de sel by weight in comparison to table salt to take into account the water content. For this reason, fleur de sel should be a garnishing salt only. It is too expensive, and too extravagant to use this salt to make brines or dissolve in soup. Remember - the lower apparent Sodium content does not mean that this salt is more healthy. Your tastebuds control the seasoning - so you will still add more, and you will still consume as much. Since people are concerned about Sodium intake, I should also say something about apparent salinity, i.e. the sensation of saltiness on your tongue. The apparent salinity depends on: - the availability of free Sodium ions to bind to the taste receptors on your tongue. This means that whatever NaCl is present must be dissolved before you can taste it. The size and shape of the NaCl crystals affect how quickly it will dissolve - granulated salt dissolves faster than the larger crystals of kosher salt, so it will taste more salty. Also, salt on the surface of food tastes more salty than salt dispersed throughout the food - e.g. a brined chicken breast might not taste as salty as an unbrined chicken breast with salt sprinkled on it, even though the brined breast may well contain more salt. - the presence or absence of other flavouring molecules which might inhibit the taste of salt, for example sugar. Did you know a bowl of cornflakes with milk contains as much salt as seawater? You do not realize it because the salt is locked up in the cornflakes, and the various proteins in milk both locks up and disguises the apparent saltiness. For me, I keep three types of salt in my pantry: - ordinary table salt for general use - cheap granulated rock salt for making brines - several types garnishing salt - fleur de sel, black salt, smoked salt, truffle salt, pink salt flakes

ALL SALTS ARE THE SAME with the following exceptions: - crystalline structure and therefore, texture - replacement of NaCl with KCl (Potassium Chloride) or KI (Potassium Iodide, in Iodinated salts) - these might impart a metallic taste - presence of impurities, e.g. iron and carbon to make coloured salts. Kosher salt is simply table salt with a different crystalline structure. Sodium content is completely related to the weight of the salt via the following relationship: 1 atomic mass unit (amu) = 1 / Avogadro's number in grams Avogadro's number = 6.023 x 10^23 Therefore 1 amu = 1.6605 x 10^-23 grams Using the periodic table, Na = 22.990 amu; Cl = 35.45 amu. Sum = 56.44 amu. Therefore a single molecule of NaCl = 56.55 * 1.6605 * 10^-23 grams = 9.290 * 10^-22 grams. Or put in another way, one mole of NaCl (i.e. 6.2033 * 10^23 molecules) = 56.55 grams. As you have noted, there is a difference between the volume of salt and the weight of salt. The volume of salt is related to the size and shape of the crystals. Making a statement that it has "half the volume of Sodium compared to table salt" simply implies that the other half the volume is taken up by air. In other words, to get the same salinity, you need to add the same amount (i.e. weight) of salt. It is no more healthful than ordinary table salt.

Yes, cooked from frozen.

Funny, that's what I had for lunch today I eat them with my instant noodles. How to make: pour the contents of the instant noodle flavouring sachet into water. Add as many frozen meatballs as you like (usually 3-5). I sometimes add dried shiitake mushrooms and tofu as well. Bring to the boil. Once boiling for 5 minutes, add the instant noodles and some veggies (usually choy sum or Chinese cabbage) then turn off the heat. The residual heat will cook through the noodles and veggies. Garnish with spring onion and eat. Cost of lunch: $2, and it was delicious.

Antwaan, I love your food, but I think you might benefit from checking your camera settings. All your photos look at least one stop underexposed to me. Check your exposure compensation and make sure you haven't left it at -1 by accident. If you need help, send me a PM

You said it, Annabelle. Part of the original's charm was the dubbing. Whoever came up with the dubbing is some kind of genius. I especially loved the giggly bimbo and the gravitas of the Rosanjin scholar.

It is actually pronounced "pei pa tofu", and yes it is Cantonese. The "pei pa" refers to the shape of the tofu which is supposed to look like a Chinese mandolin, which is why it is sometimes called "violin tofu" or "mandolin tofu". Is it home cooking ... well I suppose everything can be home cooked if you have the skill! To make this, you mash together tofu, with chinese sausage, mushrooms, flour, and egg yolk - then use a Chinese spoon to drop little "pei pa" shapes into deep fry oil. The last time I attempted this I was left with a broken up mess. I strained all the bits out of the oil, doubled the egg yolk, and it still refused to bind. I ended up steaming the mixture instead

Antwaan is mm84321 in disguise?

Does anybody know what drugs have been found in horsemeat, and at what doses?

Steak is my favourite food and I have spent more time thinking about how to cook the perfect steak than I care to remember. I have constantly evolved my steak cooking method, and this is my latest thinking with my rationales behind it. Some of my recommendations might be quite controversial among the eG crowd but I don't mind a bit of debate A perfect steak is juicy and flavoursome. The juiciness comes from not overcooking the steak beyond medium rare (55C). The flavour comes from the quality of the steak in the first place, how adequately the Maillard reactions have been developed, and whether flavours that accentuate beefiness have been added. A good quality raw steak is one that has been grass fed, has been well slaughtered and butchered, has adequate marbling, and has had appropriate dry aging. Older cows are more flavoursome, but less tender. Corn fed cows are more tender and have better marbling, but are less beefy. Maillard reactions - I now believe that a thinner cut of steak, cooked correctly, is more flavoursome than a thick cut of steak. Why - because the ratio of Maillardized and delicious surface to interior is greater. A thick cut steak gives you protection against overcooking, but the proportion of Maillard flavours to interior is less. The ideal steak is thin cut, has a lot of Maillard development, but is still medium rare. Furthermore, we also know (from MC) that beef fat burning on hot coals contributes flavour. How do I achieve this? By using a lot of heat, and a lot of resting. I have not seen this method published anywhere else, and I developed it myself ... so I think I can claim that I invented it. These are the steps before cooking: - use a high quality steak - preferable grass fed, has excellent marbling, and has been dry aged for at least 4 weeks, and cut to 2cm thickness. - use extremely hot coals. I heat a large amount of hardwood coals until all of them are glowing red. - seasoning - I have experimented with early and late seasoning. I now season late - i.e. just before cooking. Do not pepper as the pepper will burn. - added flavours - I infuse olive oil with garlic before rubbing steak with this oil. I also have beef fat offcuts - the sole purpose of this is to drip fat on the hot coals, which contributes flavour. - refrigerate the steak to protect the interior from overcooking. Many chefs actively counsel people against cooking meat directly from the fridge, but they are concerned about overcooking the exterior before the interior is cooked. A thin cut steak needs to start from a cooler temperature, else it will be overcooked. Cooking method: - place the beef fat on the grill and allow it to melt and drip on the coals - place the steak on the grill, avoiding the yellow flame from burning fat. Count to 15 then flip. Count to 15 then remove from the grill and onto a plate. - the steak on the plate will give up heat and cool down. Place back on the heat and repeat the 15 second alternate searing method. The bursts of heat followed by resting selectively heats up the surface of the steak. - continue until done to your liking. Or, if the surface cooks first while the interior is still raw, finish cooking in a cooler part of the grill. - rest 15 minutes. You will hopefully end up with a thin cut steak with a lot of Maillardized meat compared to the tender interior.

Physician here. This is correct. Zilmax is Zilpaterol, which is a long acting beta-agonist. An "agonist" means that it stimulates a certain receptor, in this case Beta-receptors. Beta receptors are part of the autonomic nervous system, which you may have learnt in school as part of the "flight or fight" response. In addition to dilating lung bronchioles, beta agonists also make the heart beat stronger and faster, stimulates the pancreas to release Glucagon (which in turn makes the liver convert glycogen to glucose, freeing up energy to be used), and diverts blood flow from non-essential organs (e.g. intestines) to muscles. Overdosage will result in cardiomyopathies (disease of the heart muscle due to chronic overstimulation), hypertension, disturbed sleep patterns, psychiatric phenomena, and wastage of the organs which are deprived of blood flow. As a doctor for humans, obviously my focus and my way of thinking is quite different to how a feedlot scientist might think. When I prescribe a long-acting beta agonist, my concern is to use the minimum dose required to achieve the desired effect (relief and prevention of asthma), whilst minimizing the side effects. I would imagine a feedlot owner couldn't care less if his cows were awake and suffering from nightmares (or should I say nightcattle?) all night or suffering from high blood pressure. What matters to them is the delivery of a quality product with no toxicity. Given that I do not routinely sample the meat of my patients, I can not comment if the quality of the meat is different, nor do I know if the nutritional value of the meat has been changed. But - if you are wondering if you can be affected by ingesting beef which has been treated by this drug, I am pretty confident that it is safe on theoretical grounds.

There are as many versions of fried rice as there are Chinese cooks! The only "rules" for fried rice are: (1) it must be fried, (2) it must have rice! In my house, I make fried rice to use up leftovers ... so no two versions are ever the same. It is food which I will never serve to guests, so I don't care too much about appearance. I like the taste of soy sauce in it, so I tend to use it.

Just a quick question ... it is usually a big no-no to let kitchen power tools anywhere near mash potatoes, because this will release the starch and turn it into potato glue. I presume this isn't a problem with this recipe? I would be interested in trying to make it.

Darn right. Seriously impressive stuff. He keeps using all these black truffles, he uses them generously, and he uses them all year round. I wonder if he has a truffle farm of his own.

What to do with caviar depends on what caviar it is. You say that you bought Tobiko. This is flying fish caviar - it is much smaller (less than 1/2 mm), and has a very mild flavour. The whole point of this is the appearance and the texture - these look like tiny little glistening red pearls with a pronounced pop when you bite into them. As you say, these can be flavoured with Wasabi. These are usually used in sushi - the rice is rolled in tobiko, or it is used as a topping for the sushi, or it is sprinkled around to give some texture. I have also used tobiko as a garnish for fish, and it can even be used in a white sauce. Make up a normal bechamel, allow to cool to 50C, and mix in the tobiko immediately before serving. Salmon caviar is larger - about 3-4mm in diameter. It is pink, has a mild flavour, You can use it as a garnish (goes well with fish and oysters), or you can eat it on a blini with smoked salmon, dill, capers, etc. Lumpfish caviar is more expensive. It is black, and about 1 mm in diameter. These are more intensely flavoured and should be served in traditional caviar service - 1/3 caviar, 1/3 chopped hard boiled egg, 1/3 chopped shallots, on an elegant plate with trimmed toast on the side. Sturgeon caviar is the most expensive of all, and I would not dream of serving it any other way other than the traditional way.

Well, as dcarch says ... if you steam fish in a bamboo steamer, the result is less watery. If you steam anything in a bamboo steamer, it is less watery. Pork buns have a nice slightly moist skin instead of the soggy mess that you get from a metal steamer. I have a bamboo steamer. So does my mother, and most of my aunts. Not my sister, she doesn't cook

Interesting theme! I did a bit of googling and came up with this. How does wastels yfarced and frumenty sound to you? "Wastels yfarced. Take a wastel and holke out the crummes. Take ayren & shepis talow & the crummes of the wastell, powdour fort & salt, with safroun and raisouns coraunce; & medle alle thise yfere, & do it in the wastell. Close it & bynde it fast togidre, and seeth it well." I love it!!!

I bought one of their IR guns some time ago. The reading can be off by as much as 20C depending on what you point it at. e.g. a piece of scum floating on a bath of hot oil might register 20C hotter than the oil around it ... which is, of course, not possible. I calibrate it mentally myself every time I use it. I check the reading against my Thermapen, note how far it is off, then factor that in when I take a reading. It's not perfect, but it works.

Scotty, I love swordfish but my wife hates it. I think it's something about the way I cook it, it turns out dry. I have tried drowning it in sauce but it doesn't work. Does 62C and then crisp up the surface result in a moist fish?

Eric, whenever I need to hold something down to the plate I use either wet salt or mashed potato. If I need something more firm, I use salt dough (1:2 salt and flour with enough water to bind). Salt dough can be baked so that it doesn't come off on your food, and it can be stuck down to the plate (just make the ring, press it on the plate, then bake it). When salt dough is baked, it is like concrete. I normally use salt dough to make beggars chicken, but you can also use it to make little decorations and figurines. The alternative is to make some kind of ring - maybe from salt dough or even some foil, and find a way to stick it on the plate. Perhaps some discreetly applied sticky tape.

That's great Chris, thanks for your generosity Which city are you in? I'm in Melbourne.