JBailey

Ordered day 1 and after seeing the list of chapters from Chris, very happy I did so! Now comes the wait...

May I commend Fish Without a Doubt by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore. They give an excellent overview of ways to cook, substitutions and sustainability.

Cuisine Solutions also has instructions for several other products for those who wish to use a water bath. Some of their commercial products give instructions for combi ovens. For the Butter Chicken sold at Costco they offer the three following ways to heat the product: Convention Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Peel open the pouch and place the product into a shallow baking dish. Discard the plastic pouch. Cover product with aluminum foil. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 17–22 minutes. Carefully take the baking dish out of the oven and serve. Microwave Oven: Peel open pouch and place the product in the provided black tray or another shallow microwave-safe container. Discard the plastic pouch. To avoid getting any product in your microwave, place a paper towel on top of the container covering, but not touching, the food. Microwave on High for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir. Place back in microwave and cook for additional 2–3 minutes. Carefully remove the container from the microwave and let stand for 1 minute before serving. Water Bath: Fill and preheat the water oven to 145°F (63°C). Place the pouch(es) in the water oven for 35 minutes. Carefully remove the pouch(es) from the water oven. Peel open the pouch(es) and place the product on a serving dish.

Cuisine Solutions is the founding company of sous-vide and as they say on their web site 'masters of sous-vide since 1971'. While shopping at Costco recently, I noticed there was a package of their Butter Chicken. Looking at the cookng instructions on the back of the item, they offer cooking instructions for microwave, conventional ovens - and now water baths! This may be the first time I have seen a mass market food product giving water bath instructions!

Why don't you consider a peach risotto...don't forget to add the balsamic as a flavor additon!

You may wish to look at Electolux's Mini Combi Oven line This has a steam feature which may be very helpful for your use.

Robert and Maxim Now that you have had multiple months and a couple holidays to experiment with your Anti-Griddles, what new recipes or uses have you discovered? I just bought one and am beginning to 'discover'. Guess I have joined the several sous vide machines/chamber vacuum/assorted other exotic machines club! The dues are high, but the eperiments are fun!

I have a dedicated Cleveland steamer and it is wonderful for all sorts of vegetable and protein preparations. However, it does not replace the need for an oven. There are several smaller and some even portable steamer units in the marketplace. If money is no object, then get a Rational, but it has a three phase electric requirement.

True and thank you for the thought, however it is listed and says to the effect they will announce or notify when it is back in stock. There were customer review comments lower on the page which talk about it no longer being sold in the U.S. There is one can of a Heinz version, but I have not tried that particular brand.

From time to time, I used Campbell's Scotch Broth in recipes and preparation of other items, given the lamb broth. The other day I looked to buy some and discovered the supermarket shelves bare. Upon researching, apparently the product was made in a Canadian Campbell plant and is no longer brought into the U.S. I shall miss this one...

Across the Bay from you is the restaurant Kokkari and they just published their cookbook Kokkari:Contemporary Greek Flavors, which should inspire you with ideas. They also have Evvia in Palo Alto. The book is worth acquiring and the restaurants are worth investigating.

Do I have to invoke three of the worst words to come from this channel..."Ready, Set, Cook"!

I coulnd't resist...so now I have both the book and this wonderful new app! As Nickrey pointed out, a built in calculator for scaling would be useful. Perhaps, this will be something that can be added to the app later and included in one of the regular updates. Hopefully, we can see some of the CIA's other books also put into apps (I am certain they are way ahead of me on this idea). My vote would be Migoya's Frozen Desserts and Modern Cafe. Actually, I would enjoy the Home series as apps.

Have you looked at the products of Cuisine Solutions, who may be the earliest proponent and developer of sous vide cooking?

On December 21, Michael Ruhlman wrote about his grilling/roating technique for beef. Go to his web site for the recipe and helpful photos.

By the way, if you have the time and are on North Michigan Avenue during your stay, try to fit in lunch or dinner at The Purple Pig...you should enjoy the experience!

Have you tried one of the HomeMade Pizza locations?

Certainly, Costco and Whole Foods have some remarkable meats. If you are looking for a smaller butcher, maybe consider Gepperths at 1964 N Halsted. Two other companies who wholesale, but will sell to the public are Chicago Game and Gourmet as well as Chiappetti's Lamb and Veal, both of which are located in Bridgeport near Pershing Road and Halsted, only doors away from the original Chicago Stockyards. For those two, call ahead because they do not operate traditional storefronts and they may only accept cash.

Think about giving The Flavor Bible...it is the type of book that is helpful for many, but being a reference without glossy photos it may be overlooked by the recipient if they were in a store looking for themselves. Almost everyone I have gifted or advised to buy it have come back to say it has become a regular and useful tool.

Over the weekend, I purchased a tray of frozen cubes of garlic and herbs made my Dorot. The sampler I purchased from Costco had a sampling of what I believe are four of their products. They look useful, but I have not had a chance to try them. Has anyone used them?

My mother would leave soap residue on the dishes she washed and her only rinsing was pouring, at most, half of the drinking cup next to the faucet over the dishes in the rack. Believe me she never seemed to get much off...you might imagine the overkill approach I now use to make certain every bubble is gone down the drain. Water conservation be damned!

Food Network ran a show again last night from Disneyland that was hosted by Guy Fieri. In one segment, the chef (possibly Andrew Sutton) at the Napa Rose restaurant showed Fieri how he does goose. Abridged, he does a brine with cider, cider vinegar I believe, salt, peppercorns, et. al. and simmers/boils the goose for not a long period of time, followed by roasting it in a Rotisol rotisserie. I would believe there is a way to duplicate this at home.

You may want to read the USA Today article and the source paper from the Hospitality Institute.

You may want to look at the UMAi Drybag Steak site.

And with a pit, if it is not turing out as expected, the hole is already dug...