IndyRob
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Posts posted by IndyRob
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Rolling vigorously such that you compress the mixture leads to a chewy, gluggy product.
Yep, that sounds like what I was served.
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I prefer to use the Rodenberry Corbomite Maneuver. It doesn't matter which side of the equator you are on.
Most of my risotto experience is from Gordon Ramsay. And also from eating at Carrabbas. You just have to think they aren't stirring rice for 20 minutes to make it to order, and in one show during prep time, they reference "have you done the risotto". At Carrabbas, i know its par-cooked and then you see them just stir/heat it for a few mins and add cheese.
jaymer...
This leads to a more general question I have about risotto. I've never had it, but it seems to be held in great esteem. The descriptions seem to be very similar to a rice dish I do really like but is far less fussy.
So if I want to experience a 'proper' risotto (not the best, or magnificent, etc.) Would Carrabbas be an okay example? If not, is there another chain that produces a credible example? I'm not likely to seek out a fine dining experience in search of the perfect risotto unless I firmly feel that I won't be disappointed.
I had (perhaps still have) a similar dilemma with gnocchi. It didn't seem like something I was aching to pursue as a cook, but I found myself at a Buca di Beppo and had the chance to try some. It failed to turn me into a gnocchi lover. But I was left with the nagging question of whether that was a legitimate example.
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At what point does it stop being "Restaurant Wars" and just turn into a normal team challenge?
I think, from a chef's perspective, when it doesn't involve developing a menu and doing a full service. But losing the candle picking and paint colors was an improvement this year. Letting front of the house be done by someone else would be another.
If it were Top Chef-Owner (edit: like Last Restaurant Standing) I might feel differently.
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I can't disagree with anything on Tom C's blog, and he ends with a really good idea. Don't make a cheftestant do front of house and instead, use two prominent front of house people who could then comment on how the kitchen affected service.
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I never said they did anything wrong. But if that team lost, it was clear that Alex would be the one going home. Obviously, they all would have preferred to win, and they did that - basically one man down.
Had they lost we would have heard quite a bit about Alex's failings from his own team. But since they won, it would be in no one's interest to bring it up.
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Does saving his ass really count as throwing Alex under the bus? He lives to cook another day, and no one on that team mentioned his lack of participation to the judges.
Are you kidding me? They were saving him like one saves a chicken for next Sunday.
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It was a real shame to see Kenny go. Alex deserved to go but his team wisely threw him under the bus and kept him there.
But despite Kenny doing a good job of being a Chef (in the chief sense), his decision to put aside his ego was fatal. I don't understand either of his dishes. He went down for a bad salad (probably over complicated because he realized that that's all it would be), and a misplaced piece of fried goat cheese. Outside of the context of a dessert, I think that might have flown. But sitting next to another very nice looking proper dessert, it was doomed.
I'll grudgingly (if narrowly) accept the notion that screwing up two dishes is worse than making two mistakes on one.
But, for me, the producers managed another true outrage. As they focused on Alex and his team's problems, I was thinking that surely this would be the most thoroughly telegraphed decision in Top Chef history. Therefore, I expected a twist. And that would've been ok.
But then they go to a commercial break with footage of an angry Kevin saying "It's you who should be going home!" Oh gosh, I wonder which team will lose....
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I had to check with the dough heads over at pizzamaking.com. This sure looks like nooks and crannies to me....
Thread is here
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English muffin fans should check out this NYT story from last week, in which an ex-Thomas's employee is accused of stealing vital company secrets related to -- of course -- nooks and crannies.
Thomas' is my preferred brand, and I think they're in the right legally, but on the other hand, I just can't believe it's that hard. So hard that nobody can reproduce it. I've seen more open crumbs in homemade pizzas.
I've only tried it once. My results fell short, but showed at least some promise. But after the initial attempt, I felt that it was far too fussy a thing to be doing early in the morning.
But this may have lit a fire in me. I like a good Thomas' English Muffin with my eggs (I find I can use just a couple of mere slivers of butter on each half). But as bread goes they're pretty expensive. It irks me to spend 18 cents on protein and around 42 cents on bread (yes, I am that stingy - at least in principle).
BTW, the domain nooksandcrannies.com is already taken. I had to check
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Personally, I would dump the small crock pot and substitute a Presto Kitchen Kettle (it might not be named that anymore). It's bigger, but other stuff can be transported inside of it. It can slow cook, sous vide, cook pasta, steam, and deep fry.
Interesting. I had never even heard of one before this. I see that none is available at Amazon, but surely they are in kitchen stores???
Apparently, they did change the name to Presto Options Multicooker / Steamer. The Kitchen Kettle is still on WalMart's site. Looks like the new name will set you back about $5 more.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-Options-Multi-Cooker-Steamer/11445797?findingMethod=rr
But then I just found this as well, which appears to be an upscale version of the same thing (I'd be a little suspicious of the wall thickness though)...
http://www.amazon.com/Presto-6020-Electric-Multi-Cooker-Stainless/dp/B0017UQB3C
I see Hamilton Beach is making a similar product that looks intriguing on first glance....
http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-35136-Multicooker-Silver/dp/B000R8E8QM/ref=pd_sbs_k_4
For me, a key feature of the Kitchen Kettle is that it seems to be infinitely adjustable beneath the Warm setting (I've made marks on the dial with a Sharpie for sous vide). It could probably be set for 80F if you had a reason to do that.
You'd probably want to read the descriptions and reviews so you know what you're getting.
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-There doesn't seem to be any kind of statistical study done on the general population correlating these types or traits with some kind of measurable data. I'd be more convinced if they could show something like "98% of serial killers are ESTP" or "INTJ are 52% more likely to overpay for their auto insurance than the general population."
Funny story... The first time I took the MBTI, it was part of a company sponsored Myers Briggs Institute seminar. We had an informational session in the morning, then took the test and then lunch. We had results upon our return. I got back early, as did some others, and the seminar leader was killing time by asking people about their results. She came to me and asked how I scored and I, knowing nearly nothing about test, said, "Well, I guess I'm an INTP" and handed her my score card.
She took it and looked at it and I saw her eyes widen a bit. "Uh oh", I thought. Then she said "You know, I've only seen INTP scores this clear once before...".
Oh, crap... Dahmer? Hitler!?....
"...and that was the creator of the test."
Huh. I guess that's not so bad. That's sort of a point of pride for me, but not the reason I like the test.
I've taken the MMPI (Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory). You can look for serial killers there. But not a test that sorts you into 16 groups.
-Each variable has only one dimension, which is obviously (to me) oversimplified. E.g., an "introspective" might be a true loner who just doesn't care about the opinions of other people or they might be coping with shyness and cares too much about those opinions. An "intuitive" might make knee-jerk decisions because they are completely familiar with the contexts and patterns of how (whatever) behaves, and doesn't need to think about it or they might just have poor impulse control. Or a need to look decisive in front of the troops. And so on.There are multiple questions for each dimension and in the end there are four dimensions that factor into the final scores. It's not looking for psychopaths.
-Frankly, the descriptions kind of read like those "know your personality through astrology" things. They're worded in such a way that I think most people are going to recognize themselves in any of them.I worried a lot about this at first. But I went through all the other profiles looking for this. While I did find statements I might like to associate myself with, it was an island in a sea of disagreement. Meanwhile, I could only find a couple sentences to quibble with in my own profile.
So, uh, that came more critical than I really meant to be. It's an interesting topic and it's fun reading what everyone comes out as and how they think about food and cooking.No, I understand. I just wish we could get some other letters in here to provide some contrast.
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Personally, I would dump the small crock pot and substitute a Presto Kitchen Kettle (it might not be named that anymore). It's bigger, but other stuff can be transported inside of it. It can slow cook, sous vide, cook pasta, steam, and deep fry.
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An accidental discovery for me was chocolate eaten alternately with Frito's corn chips. I think it's just the salt on the Frito's, but the crunch is a nice contrast. But it must be done in extreme moderation for the stomach's sake.
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For baking and pastry I'm pretty scientific, taking an established recipe and varying only slightly in a progressive mode.
For savory cooking (or sweet fillings and the like), I usually conceptualize and look to get the overall package right without worrying too much about ultimate flavor. Flavor seems easier to me to adjust if I have the right concept. Imagine if you independently came up with the idea of a souffle and tested the idea with just some eggs - and then thought "I wonder if I could work some cheese into this...". That's kind of my process.
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The breakdown of types in your first post is striking.
Yes, that's what I noticed, and here we seem to have only 1/2 of an S so far. I strongly suspect that the N's are the ones that are interested in the MBTI and working out underlying principles in general.
Devour, I agree that it shouldn't be ascribed too much value. Us INTPs are put into a group that includes Albert Einstein and Bob Newhart. It's just a general categorization. Plus, I have a hypothesis that there are actually 81 types since a dash should be valid when there isn't a clear preference between two dimensions (e.g. E-TJ).
But I do find it useful at times. For example, I was once transferring a business process to someone else and I was showing her how to do it. So I started explaining the background and context and noticed that her eyes were glazed over and had a polite smile on her face. My ST alarm went off and I stopped myself and said "But you don't care about any of that. You just want the procedure." She burst out laughing and said "Just the procedure, sir."
When done as a team building exercise it's also useful to discuss the results among the team. In this case, even if the test is wrong about you, you can tell your team members that. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen in a business environment.
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Negative. Unless it's baking (where I follow the recipe word by word every single time) I wing it from the first time. My focus is on technique rather than formula.
Actually, I agree with this. The only difference is that I can bring myself to follow the rules the first time when I'm dealing with something new.
I tend to go on kicks where I'll make one dish three times a week for months, until I feel I've mastered it; then it becomes part of my regular rotation.I go on kicks of making the same thing often myself.
Other stuff you didn't mention, but that might be relevant: I'm a minor-league knife nut and I heavily favor traditional methods over cutting-edge. My prized possessions are my kitchen knives and my cast iron skillets. I sharpen my own knives, buy my cast iron "naked," and otherwise try to do things on my own. I distrust "professionals" who just want to finish the job and get paid. When I'm going to make or buy something new, I research it to death beforehand. How do you match on those?I'm definitely not a knife geek. I finally got some decent ones, but 'good' is good enough for me. I am suspicious of professionals to the point that I often wind up doing things myself.
As mentioned, when I do something for the first time, I'll seek out a standard recipe first. Once I know my way around it, I throw out the rulebook.
EDIT: I just noticed there's no INTPs in your original sample. According to the test page we're pretty rare but there's two of us posting in this thread. Coincidence?!
Well, I did notice that there were a lot of INs in both threads. And the test was created by an INTP, so we are exactly the kind of people interested in these kinds of things.
The biggest difference I see between us are our actual food preferences. But I would've been pretty surprised to see a correlation there.
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Well it looks like INs, and perhaps to a lesser extent, ENs appear to go for Myers-Briggs threads.
Dakki, as a fellow INTP, I'll pick out a few of dimensions of my cooking (dis)interests and would be curious if they at all parallel your outlook:
1) When doing a new, unfamiliar, recipe for the first time, I usually follow the recipe fairly precisely. But if I like it and do it again, I tend to throw out the rulebook and wing it. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.
2) Although I do specialize and try to refine certain things (steaks, pizza, baguettes), I also like to experiment with all sorts of different things. Yeast fascinates me (bread, brewing, or winemaking). Cheese curds fascinate me. Methods of applying heat fascinate me. The various ways to use eggs fascinate me. I guess my goal is to be able to conceptualize a unique dish and use general principles to get to what I want.
I guess a shorter way of saying this is that I'm an explorer of food properties and techniques. Lilija (INFP) is more of a cultural explorer. With the T/F difference, that makes a certain amount of sense.
3) Being a line cook would be a nightmare for me. I would like to try it sometime if I could have training wheels. But making the same thing over and over again exactly the same way is my version of hell.
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I've long been fascinated by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. For those who may not know, this is a psychological test that measures your preference in each of four areas. With two options for each, you will be sorted into one of 16 personality types. None of these are good or bad. They are just ways of describing your preferences. But the ways in which these four factors interrelate can produce a startlingly accurate description of your world view (especially if you test towards the extremes of each scale). It's all based on the work of Carl Jung.
You can take a test here (among other places/versions): http://similarminds.com/jung.html (and if you would like to, I'd suggest that you do that now before continuing to read here). Also, once you have your four letter type (e.g., mine is INTP), google it and you'll find a bunch of detailed profiles you can read.
From my experience, upon reading the profiles, about 1/3 will have an OMG! moment, 1/3 will say "Yeah, I recognize some things about myself in there", and the last 1/3 won't be impressed. But, c'mon we're talking about sorting everyone on Earth into one of 16 groups. My group includes Bob Newhart and Albert Einstein.
For those who don't want to take the test, the dimensions are Introverted/Extroverted (fairly obvious, but with a gentle reminder that neither is better), Sensing/Intuitive (concrete vs. abstract), Thinking vs. Feeling (Spock vs. McCoy), and Judging/Perceiving (orderly and known vs. open-endedness).
Okay, so anyway, I was thinking about how this test might affect how we think about food. I searched eGullet and found exactly one reference to compare line cooks with pastry chefs. Probably valid.
Then I turned to Google ("myers briggs food") and the first relevant hit was a raw food forum. There was recently a discussion here about this so I was intrigued. A Meyers Briggs thread in a raw food forum. Perfect!
I read the discussion and started immediately noticing a pattern. So I went back through the thread and counted....
INFP - 6.5*
INTJ - 5
ENFP - 2.5*
INFJ - 2
ISFP - 2
ESFJ - 2
ISTJ - 1
ESTP - 1
* The fractions came from one person who fell right on the border between I and E. Also, I left two people out of the sample where, in one case, they reported a letter that wasn't among the options, and another that had 2 scores that were equal.
The numbers here aren't statistically significant, but they do seem to suggest strong correlations.
If we really understood this, we might learn a lot. I'm not talking about raw food now, but how we look at food, cooking and eating.
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I got curious and looked up the website. From the chef's table(s) and pics of the kitchen, it looks like the back of the house is pretty much up front.
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If you don't agree with it personally, then why do you follow that religion?
To a religious person I think that's like saying "Well, if you don't agree with your parents then why did you choose them?"
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See, this is exactly the point of view I am rejecting. You imply here that religion is something that someone else forces upon you, and therefore you have to act in a certain way. I don't agree with this at all. Religion is something that you believe in, that you choose to follow.
I thought I was being precise when I wrote "...you have (had) placed on yourself." Either you have placed it on yourself according to your interpretation of the writings, or have had it imposed based on the tenets of your faith. Either way, you believe you are following the rules made by a higher power, not your personal opinion.
Our personal opinions are important, but there are many situations where we should just sit on them. I think most of us would agree that a requirement that women wear burqas is abhorrent. But should a western woman in Saudi Arabia flaunt her western style attire and lack of any head covering? Probably not. Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Laura Bush have all donned scarves in some circumstances.
But another thing to note is that even Anthony Bourdain does not have a hard and fast rule. He draws a line at monkey brains.
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It's just that I raised my eyebrows when I saw the whole "it's ok if it's for religion" thing.
It's important to keep this in context. AB is talking about accepting hospitality. It's one thing if you tell your mother in law that you can't eat her pot roast because you are a Hindu and can't eat beef. It's quite another thing if you say that you feel that slaughtering helpless animals is immoral.
The former is a limitation you have (had) placed on yourself. The latter is a tacit accusation of immorality on behalf of the cook.
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I think this whole concept has become tired. Throw some fois/truffles on something and call it expensive. Or, if you have no fois gras and no truffles, serve a peanut butter sandwich with a bottle of Dom Perignon.
Conspicuous consumption has never been better served.
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I freeze them raw and roast them from frozen. This seemed to be the best of the ways I tried to maintain nice round balls (if that's important to anyone besides me). It's also quick and easy (but also easy to overcook).
Alton Brown suggests roasting in mini muffin tins, but I don't think I saw much of an improvement when I tried it.
Need help with ideas for food column!
in Food Media & Arts
Posted
How 'bout a monthly culinary preview of global holidays, festivals and/or events. Regional Ramadan foods, Christmas foods around the world.... What's cooking at the Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco? Etc, etc, etc.
Or, a monthly update of what's coming into season where? Like the above, but more about harvests (harvest festivals?) and game seasons.