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tikidoc

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Everything posted by tikidoc

  1. This looks fun. With my username, I feel obliged to participate (or at least try some of the recipes posted here)...
  2. I'm fairly new to the chocolate making but just picked up a few basic molds on sale at bakedeco.com. These are just the basic polycarbonate molds with 21 wells, not the magnetic ones. I'm driving up, so would be happy to bring them along if that's helpful. And for anyone looking for inexpensive molds, check this out. I got 4 molds shipped for about $60.
  3. Agreed. It got very frustrating, since it was on the screen so briefly (less than a second?) that it was even difficult to pause at the right time, and in several cases it took more than one round of backing up and pausing in order to pause and catch the text. Subtitles that remain on the screen for a while (and skipping the background music) would be a BIG improvement. Overall, it was a very helpful video, and thank you for posting the recipe. I am new to macarons, and need all the help I can get!
  4. We recorded it and are watching it now. Totally jumped the shark. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why am I still watching this?
  5. Oh, agree completely. But for any coffee that is properly roasted, blonde is a misnomer. Even a monsooned bean (physically lighter in color than most) will still be brown in color, both the bean and in the cup, when roasted just past first crack. I know it's just a marketing term, but having tasted under-roasted beans once or twice, the concept of a "blonde" roast just sounds unappetizing to me. Sounds under-done. Blech.
  6. Actually, lighter roasts have more caffeine, because some of the caffeine is broken down by the roasting process, or so I have read. And a truly "blonde roast" wouldn't even really be "done", I wouldn't think. If you are not through first crack, it's not really roasted, and in my roasting experience, if you are past first crack, it's more brunette than blonde... No interest in trying this one.
  7. Agreed. I have not made much use of my sous vide setup for veggies, I'd like to learn how, and having some info in the app would be very helpful.
  8. OK, call schedule is out and I'm in! Will not be there Friday night. I live in the Richmond area so will plan to drive up early Saturday morning. A friend from work is thinking about joining me, I'll update when she decides for sure. This really sounds fun!!! Jess
  9. Thanks Kim. Keep in mind the pictures do not show the rejects! Things that I learned: Start with baking a small batch. Very minor changes in temperature can make a HUGE difference in the macaron that comes out of the oven, so until you troubleshoot the temp a little, just bake a small number at a time. I did not get a foot on the first batch in the oven so I increased the temp 10F. Next batch, much better, next batch got a foot but the tops cracked. Dropped the temp 5F, and the next was the best batch. Now I know 330F is optimum for my oven. Or was that day, anyway. If they don't want to come off the parchment/Silpat, don't just give up and start removing them, leaving half the cookie on the sheet. Put the parchment on a cold pan, put it in the freezer, and leave it there for 15 minutes. The should then come off easily. I found the latter batches, those that had formed a good "skin" came out best. Some recipes say to do this, some don't. From here on, I will. Hope that helps!
  10. I think I am pretty much done with cookbooks that cover a broad range of foods, but I can always be tempted by specialty books. I love Southeast Asian cuisine and do not feel I have a handle on making much from that part of the world, so a good cookbook from that region that includes substitutions that I can find locally would be tempting. Also, whenever I "discover" a new project or interest, I usually end up picking up a book or two. For instance, I am trying to improve my chocolates and candy, and just decided to learn to make macarons, so got a few books on those subjects recently. I do find that I have become much more selective about buying cookbooks in recent years though. So done? I doubt I ever will be, but I buy many fewer per year than I have in the past.
  11. Wow, thanks Duncan. I need to think about doing this!
  12. I want to hear more about the steam injector!!!
  13. First try at macarons. Filling is a dark chocolate coffee ganache. Man, these things are temperamental. I had some that cracked on top (turned down the oven temp), some that stuck to the parchment (most came off after some time in the freezer, although I ruined a bunch, which made the kids very happy), and I need to tweak things to get a taller foot, but overall I'm encouraged. They sure taste good. Now I just need to get to Paris so I can see what I need to shoot for...
  14. I agree the difference is significant. And if this thing is decently made, it might be perfect for an occasional user or as a secondary device. But at this point, it is certainly a risk, since there is not an established track record. In addition, it does not have the flexibility to do more when needed. I would rather spend $330 on something that I know has a good track record and has the capability of doing as much as I will ever need, than spend $180 on something that may or may not hold up, and has significant limitations, regardless of durability.
  15. I'd be interested to hear what everyone who ordered one writes, but at almost $180 (with shipping), it seems like a better idea to go up to the SVM/FMM kit for $330 shipped. It has a ton of favorable reviews on this site and others, and it is built to last. It is not as easy to transport as the setup above, but you could fit the controller and hear element in the plastic container it comes with for transport, and if you need to use a bigger pot, it is more than capable. It seems that for the difference in price, I would much prefer the flexibility that the SVM/FMM offers.
  16. I finally learned how to slash a baguette semi-correctly (still practicing) using his YouTube videos. And although I doubt I would ever do the decorative breads, it is fun to watch him make such beautiful things from dough. I also highly recommend his books, Baking Artisan Bread and Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads. I have both for Kindle and use them a lot, especially the bagel and baguette recipes in the first book. An old friend who owns a wood-fired oven bakery (Juli Vanderhoop owns The Orange Peel in Martha's Vineyard - it's awesome!) told me about his books when I was raving about Juli's delicious biscuits - her recipe is based on his (it's in the breakfast book). Jess
  17. Not to be argumentative, but almost anyone CAN roast their own coffee. Not saying everyone should, if you have no desire to do so and like what you can buy, great. But if you want to roast your own, it is easy to do with a little knowledge and under $50 worth of equipment, some or all of which you likely already own. Many have had satisfactory results with just a stovetop "Whirley-Pop" type popcorn pan, or one of the air popcorn roasters. The heat gun method that I use requires a heat gun which can be purchased for about $30 (pays for itself due to the lower cost of green beans compared to similar quality roasted beans), a metal bowl, a wooden spoon, and about 15 minutes (less when the weather is warmer).
  18. Agreed. And sweetmarias.com is both a great source of information and green beans. After going for a couple of years without roasting because my drum roaster died (despite meticulous cleaning and care) after a couple of years, I recently got back into it using the heat gun method (google heat gun dog bowl coffee roasting). $35 for a heat gun at Lowes vs $500 for another drum roaster, seemed worth a try. It has worked great. Yes, I have to sit and stir rather than having the machine do the work, but I can see, smell, and most importantly, hear the beans as they roast, and I have so much more control of the process. And as long as the kids don't distract me, causing me to stop stirring and burn some beans, I can get a very good, even roast in under 15 minutes. And green beans are much more economical than pre-roasted. Find some you like, buy a bunch (much cheaper), and roast once a week or so.
  19. As far as the YouTube stuff goes, for those who want some good demos on bread baking, do a search for Ciril Hitz. Lots of very useful videos by someone who really knows his stuff.
  20. Thanks, Chris! Oops, didn't see the edit for 36 hours, so may need to try again, ours was more like 22. Or maybe something in between, like 62.5C for 48 hours. I think the next sous vide experiment will be beef though, I have a bunch of roasts in the freezer from our last steer. We burned through the burger and lots of steaks but roasts tend to linger. We also just bred our Angus cow to a Wagyu, so I'm hoping to be reporting on American Kobe in the sous vide in a couple of years.
  21. tikidoc

    Crisp Pizza Crust

    Pete-zza really knows his stuff, and seems to be happy to help people. I would give it a try, and if you then have questions, PM either Pete or Tom (the dough doctor) to help troubleshoot. Sorry I can't be more helpful, if you ever want to try Chicago style, I might be able to contribute more than a list of links! Jess
  22. So if I was to drop the temp say 3C, would I then have to increase the time? If so, a lot or a little?
  23. Quick update, we just tried some of the ham. Admittedly, we went only about 21 hours, but we were hungry... Flavor was very good, and overall, we were happy with it. It was much more tender/soft than the last batch but just a little bit dry. There was a LOT of liquid in the sous vide bag by the time we took it out (no leak, just lots of juice), and this is meat that has not been "enhanced" with added salt or liquids at all, it went from the pasture to the butcher to the freezer. Would dropping the temp a little help with a little more moisture retention?
  24. tikidoc

    Crisp Pizza Crust

    You might want to look at this thread. Lots of people report using Pete-zza's cracker style with good success, and he goes through several variation in lots of detail on this thread. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,5173.0.html Seems the common things I am seeing in common with most of the cracker crust threads are low hydration (~50%), roll it thin, moderate heat as far as pizza goes (475F), and a small amount of baking soda in the dough. Another suggestion for this site - lots of people there get into making clones of their favorite pizza places. If you have a favorite pizza place, do a search, you might find that someone else has already reverse engineered their pizza.
  25. tikidoc

    Crisp Pizza Crust

    I would highly recommend going to pizzamaking.com. There is a section on cracker type crusts, and the people there are as obsessed about pizza as people here are about, well, whatever foods they are obsessed with. There is also a section called "ask the dough doctor", and Tom, the guy who runs it, has a HUGE wealth of knowledge on all things pizza. There are over 2500 posts in the "cracker style" section. Just like here, if you ask a question, you will get lots of knowledgable people chiming in with helpful information. Along with egullet and thefreshloaf.com, it is one of my favorite food related online communities.
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