cteavin

I made my usual chicken stock yesterday (11 pounds chicken, 5 pounds veal/bones). After straining I took the chicken meat off the cooling bones and the notion hit me to reboil the bones in water to take off the little flakes of meat still on the bones. The result was an extra cup of flaked meat and 2 liters of flavorful liquid. I thought about it, added liter of water to that liquid and put all of the other chicken meat I'd collected back into the pot and brought it to the simmer for about 20 minutes. The result is 3 liters of chicen essence/broth in addition to the six liters of stock I'd already made. The latter gelled perfectly, the former is gelatinous. I'm not really sure what to do with it though. Any suggestions? A couple of ideas I had: 1) Reduce to a demi-glace (would the lack of gelatin make a difference in the final reduction?). 2) Keep it on hand and use it as I would the stock (perhaps using a mirepoix before?). 3) Adding gelatin sheets and freezing it. What would you do with it?

Well, the RPS are the same, so I guess the relative power is the same. Thanks, BTW, I'm getting the American model because even with shipping it's still cheaper than buying in Japan.

Hi, I live in Japan and I'm all about taking advantage of the strong yen and so I'm purchasing a Bamix immersion blender -- I've wanted one for a while, but now the price is right. Anyway, I'm comparing the model available in Japan and America and one thing is perplexing: Japanese model: 100V(50/60Hz) with 250Watt American model: 120V with 120Watt I have the converters and adaptors for the American model, but it looks like the Japanese version is stronger. Is that true? Is 100V with 250W stronger than 120V with 120W, or are they the same? I've been looking for an answer online but my eyes glaze over as the pages I've found get too technical for me. Cheers,

Well, I tried something really unusual -- and it worked! I had left over idly batter and I fried a piece. Crunchy, but it had a slightly sour taste from the fermentation. I soaked the beans, added and equal amount of powdered parboiled rice and used that with some spices. It was almost too crunchy. I don't fry foods often, but I will be coming back around to play with this one over the summer. If anyone else gives it a shot, let us know.

I don't suppose you'd be willing to quote the top three?

Out of curiosity, is this part of a science project? In Japan they serve a special kind of sashimi in which the fish is presented just after being killed, and so the gills and mouth continue to move even thought the body has been filleted. My understanding is that the trick works because there's still mitochondrial energy in the cell to fuel the movement. Wouldn't cooking the flesh change the chemical composition within the never cells making it impossible to make the cooked flesh move? Raw, your project might work.

It's not bravery, it's being willing to drain the coffers. To what temperature can you take cocoa butter? As a boy, my mother used to use lard to try in and the results were sublime. A crispy crust has to do with the fat, the temperature, and the ingredients in the coating, but which are the best for producing a superior crunch?

I'm thawing fish to make a favorite fish fry for tomorrow. The breading is made with besen, yogurt, water and selected spices. You can add egg but my teacher told me that it dries out the breading and his secret to make the coating for the fish crispy was to add a few tablespoons of rice flour. This got me thinking, what are techniques for making the breading in fried foods crispy and what is the science behind it? When I was in India I'd go by some street venders and eat crunchy fried vegetable snacks but the same snacks down the road, fresh out of the frier, were soft by comparison. Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan says extra crispy but it's oily and soft. I suspect temperature has something to do with it but I wonder what ingredients make the better, crispier batter. Any thoughts out there?

I've made it twice more, once with soy lecticin and the other with a xanthin gum and the texture was more milky and it didn't curdle in my coffee. The taste didn't change, it was only slightly thicker.

Personally, I don't like it when it's even a little moist, so I like adding a bit of citric acid for the sour in place of lime -- yum! Oh, and I love it when the puffed rice if fresh out of the fat with some fried curry leaves mixed in and the boondie and the . . . . (sigh) I need to make some this weekend. I'd love to hear what peoples favorite ingredients are in theirs.

Thank you both. I'm a big fan of Starbuck's Soy Latte, and I recreate the experience at home with store bought soy milk. Also, I love the variety soy and nut milks add to things like cereal or as a beverage with something. I'm going to give the stabilizer a try when I make it again this weekend. Is there a good list online that can give me an approximation on how much of what kind to use? Cheers,

I just tried this method and I was surprised at the clarity. Does anyone know if the water inside the pressure cooker is still while under pressure thus preventing it from clouding? About flavor, I prefer the traditional method. 18 hours between 80 and 90 degrees Celsius is about right for me. I feel the longer cooking time give the stock more complexity through the mallard reactions. I made Mexican Black Bean Soup this past weekened in the PC with about 30 minutes of cooking time and it was perfect.

Thank you. I'm still curious about the science of what's going on, if anyone knows.

Julia Child has a recipe in her Opus for braised lettuce. I'm too lazy to go downstairs to get the book. . . . Sorry. I've made lettuce soups using different concentrations of chicken stock and was really surprised by how well it turned out. Braising in butter was key for my pallet in getting the flavors right.

Hi, I used my Vitamix to make soy milk this weekend with mixed results. After soaking the beans overnight I put one cup in a pressure cooker, then into the Vitamix and those contents into a very fine mesh chinois. I sweetened the milk but the flavor was off from what I can find in the super market. No matter, while one cup of beans was in the pressure cooker I put another cup of raw soaked beans in the Vitamix with a few cups of boiling water and blended it for about five minutes, strained it in the chinoix and poured that liquid into a pot to boil for 20 minutes (I'd read to do this to deactivate certain enzymes). After a light sweetening THIS was the flavor and consistency I'm used to drinking. The next morning I poured some into my coffee it coagulated. Think tofu. I'm perplexed, any ideas on what's going on? Does anyone have a good method on making soy milk at home? Thanks, ct

In case anyone was interested, I went with Futura's 7 1/2 liter karashi, 3 3/4 liter karashi, their 1 cup spice heating pan. I already have two tava's from them, and like the style. For the pressure cooker I went with Spain and purchased the 8 liter and 4 liter Duo Set from Fagor. Since they come with glass lids, I can fill in the gap in my sauce pans as they can double for both. I received everything this morning -- tonight I'm going to roast some besen and make ladoos. I'm still looking for a idli maker. I already have two sets of trays, one non-stick, the other regular. Unfortunately, I threw away the original pot because it was flimsy. Do you think I can use one of the pressure cooker pots to make idli? The trays fit. Cheers,

I just realized I mis-romanized. I'm looking for a Karahi. I got a PM asking why I was looking for ladies wear. (lol) Any opinions on cast iron vs stainless? I'm still looking for an onle shop which sells them. Cheers,

Thanks for the link. I do need to know more about the different brands available before I make a decision. Without walking into the kitchen, I picked up some wonderful items the last time I was in India and I hope to get the same quality or better, so thanks for recommending the brand. Cheers,

Hi There are a couple of products I need to purchase including a kaldie, pressure cooker, idli pot. These items are not available where I am, so I'd like to import them. When I do a search I'm swamped with hits. I'm hoping someone can tell me a company they've used, a popular company, or one they know to have a good reputation. Thank you much, Steven

You hit the nail on the head: gummy. That means they're off, eh. Well, that explains a lot. Since it's derived from soy beans is it possible to make at home? Soy beans are all around. Or, are there good alternative sources? Cheers,

What are you reading, because it sounds like the kind of thing I've been looking for. Cheers,

Let me start by saying that I live in Japan and have to import when I want to try new ingredients, so I can't just run out and by a replacement for the soy lecithin granules I received the other day. I wanted to do some experimenting with foams and use soy lecithin in dressings, chocolates, and other favorites to see what I could come up with. The problem is that the granules aren't dissolving. I've tried powdering it but I'm still not achieving suspensions or when it does (slightly) thicken the particles aren't dissolving and the texture is gritty.. I've been looking online -- and here -- for tutorials and advise for how to work with soy lecithin, but web searching doesnt seem to be my strong suit. Can anyone tell me the ideal temperatures when soy lecithin dissolves, or is it that it needs to be strained out? Should I even be powdering the granules? Can you recommend some brands or types of lecithin, soy or other? Any suggestions on how to use soy lecithin granules as granules? Thank you much,

Just got back. I discovered that Taiwanese food uses basically the same ingredients as Chinese and so the prices where I am were in many cases about the same, so I couldn't justify filling up my luggage with food products. There were a couple of sauces (like XO) that made into my shopping cart, and teas, but not much else. I've been all over Asia and I didn't like the (Chinese) foods in Taiwan as much as in, say, Shanghai or Hong Kong -- or even India (Indian Chinese food is a real treat, if you ever get a chance to try it). I'm going to assume it's because we couldn't read the menu and didn't find the 'right' restaurants. Funny thing, the Stinky Tofu we had in Beijing rocked but I couldn't get into in Taiwan and we went with some new local friends to their favorite place. The night markets were a good place to try lots of different things; the restaurants were plentiful but never that special to me. Still, Taiwan is one of may new favorite places in Asia because the people are genuine and kind. About wok's, I did eventually find one from ASD, a non-stick that felt good in my hand. I think I'll by a cast iron on my next trip to China, too.

Hi, I'm going to Taiwan for two weeks from this Saturday. I would love to start preparing more Chinese foods at home, so I was hoping to put together a shopping list for the Taiwanese supermarkets. What are good deals there, what's available there that's harder to find outside Asia, what are some essentials I should stock up on while there? Also, if anyone can recommend a high quality cookware shop in Taipei or recommend a good quality wok, I'd appreciate it. Cheers, Steven

I shop at CostCo, so I buy a lot of things in bulk but the items I have to have a large stock of include chocolate (10kg of Ghiradelli chocolate chips, 8kg Valrohna, and 20 pounds of raw cacao I imported from Natural Zing), sugar (about 20kg), glucose (5kg), and flours (5 - 10kg of various types of flour). Since I order a lot from the net I tend to buy bulk so I have about 15 types of beans in 2.5kg packs, umpteen bottles of different types of oils and vinegar's, and spices -- I can't count that high. It's not hoarding if you need it, right?