dcarch
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Posts posted by dcarch
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My new kitchen has marble countertops. I've used the surface for kneading, and it cleans up easily with a dough scraper. BUT, I'm trying to figure out how best to clean off fats/oils. (The surface was treated with a penetrating sealer.) When you roll piecrust or other fat-enriched doughs on marble, how do you clean the surface when you're done? TIA.
Detergent may leave a soapy taste even the surface is sealed, and leftover fat/oils can get rancid.
Very easy if you just get a large silicone bake sheet to work on.
dcarch
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In the USA, by law, all balustrade spacing cannot be wider than 4 inches. I don't know about other countries.
The "hole" in part of the balustrades and the tracks in the snow, a dog owner?
dcarch
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I am happy that we have seedless bananas. :-)
I need GMO companies to do some research and come up with seedless pomegranates.
dcarch
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Thanks for the recipe Shel_B.
No big deal for me if the popover pan goes in the dishwasher. Mine goes in all the time and works fine after a good soak.
My motto is, if stuff can handle a 400 degree oven and if it can't handle an occasional dishwasher run -- then, out it goes. No big deal.
It is not the temperature, and it is not the detergent which can damage the coating.
It is the possible of banging and abrasion from other items when agitated by high speed water jets which can scratch the non-stick surface.
dcarch
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Trying to decide on a popover pan. I'm considering two. There's this one:
and this one:
Any comments or suggestions on these (or other) choices?
Based on reviews, clearly you should not buy the first one.
dcarch
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BTW, for some reason The title "Beef Short Ribs" showed up in the original post, but the picture disappeared.
Here it is:
dcarch
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dcarch, I'll add my admiration to the rest. Particularly intrigued with the ham and black eyed pea pate. Details? They're neat-looking little things.
Question on sous viding and holding meat. How long does it take a good-sized piece of meat -- say 4-6 pounds -- to come back up to temp in the water bath?
Thanks Kayb. The black eyed pea pate was based roughly on a recipe from Southernliving as follows:
- 1 1/2 cups frozen black-eyed peas
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded
- 3/4 cup chopped country ham
- 1 (3.5-oz.) package fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (or 4 oz. sliced button mushrooms)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- I fancy-ed it up a little by filling the pate in crispy bacon squares and on puffed pastries. Supposedly black eyed peas for New Year good luck is a Southern tradition, then I found out the tradition was started by the Jewish people.
- As to reheating the meats, it really is not very critical as long as the temperature is not higher than the cooked temperature, and timing is not that critical either. The prime rib was in the water for 5 hours because of guest arrival delays,
Beautiful meals as usual Dcarch. Some how I'm picturing these beautiful plates on paper plates. Just can't do it
Thanks Scubadoo. Paper plates I got were very nice. Not your typical supermarket variety. Every thing was paper and disposable, all except wine glasses. That can never be plastic.
Typical way for nice sit-down dinners is to have your best silverware and china and table cloth out, but that was not possible under the circumstances. Instead, I made the whole atmosphere relaxing and fun, but not cheap. It was hilarious when I came out from the kitchen with food, dressed in a chef's uniform, which I bought for $14.00 on ebay.
dcarch
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Madness?
While everything was going on trying to put food on the table, I opened the refrigerator door too quickly, one doz eggs from the egg compartment all fell on the floor! !!! xxx***&1?###@*!!!!
dcarch
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"------those OR's w the lights? no different infection rate ---"
Those labs in the Rockefeller U are research labs where extremely expensive experiments are conducted with extremely expensive germ-free animals.
dcarch
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There are spray sanitizers which claim to be 99 % kill effectiveness on contact .
That may be true. However, the atomization only covers may be 50% of the area.
UV light covers 100% of the area, except in shadowed areas. UV light is totally non-toxic.
I use UV light mostly when I prepare food for guests who I don't know how healthy they are, and I use UV light sometimes when I dry-age beef or when I have to store food for a long time.
I got the idea of using UV light when I was visiting friends who work in the Rockefeller University research labs, where there are many germ free facilities. 55 watts is a lot of UV light.
dcarch
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So how do you use it? I'm confused.
Effectiveness of UV light is based on intensity and exposure time. The more intense and the longer you expose the area, the more germs killed.
I basically mount the light on a camera tripod and move it around the kitchen to avoid shadow areas and to improve intensity. I expose each area for about 10 minutes.
Besides germs, UV light can also kill micro insects such as dust mites.
dcarch
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I'm wondering about the efficacy of the UV to sanitize a room. My physics is distant, but I do recall that the energy of non-collimated light falls rapidly (I think logarithmically) as the source becomes more distant. How close does your light have to be to have any effect?
Edited to add-
The home marijuana growers have sorted this out. In this table the effect of distance on effectiveness is illustrated http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-medical-marijuana-growing/209195-light-plant-distance-charts-how-far-should-light.html
Your comment is correct for a point source in an open space.
In the case of this 55w bulb, it is a lineal source plus a focused reflector, the intensity of the light can reach quite a distance.
Even a point source if backed by a reflector can focus the light to reach long distance, such as a flashlight.
dcarch
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Hello dcarch,
Thanks for sharing all the great info on the meal preps. I am duly impressed. I'm just starting fiddling with sous-vide and learning through egullet the tips and tricks of the practice. One thing you posted got me into a slight obsession. You stated you used a 55W UV light for sanitizing. I immediately did multiple google searches and came up with 55W bulbs, but could not find the fixtures for the bulbs. Can you tell me what you use? Was it a home-built or did you purchase a pre-made unit? It is now on my list for *need* instead of *want*. Any help/advice will be greatly appreciated.
Very good question.
Germicidal UV light is very effective for sanitizing use in the medical industries. But you have to be careful in it's use.
1. Make sure there are no one in the room when it is on. I use an extension cord to plug in the light from another room sp that I don't have to be in the same room.
2. UV light can bleach color. If you have wood floor or wood cabinets, after a while you can bleach the wood color. Also, remove all artwork on the walls.
3. Have some ventilation because UV light can generate some ozone.
4. Read the label of UV bulbs for disposal because they may have mercury metal.
A 55 watt four pin UV light bulb will operate in a 55 watt four pin fluorescent fixture. Make sure the four pins are the same configuration. There are two kinds. Or you can get an adapter. Many fixtures have more than one tube in design. Just remove one and substitute with a UV bulb.
Light fixtures using High Output 55 watt bulbs for aquariums would be what you should be looking for.
dcarch
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Thank you everyone. If you bring wine, you all are invited next time. :-)
Actually not much clean up afterwards. Lot's of paper plates were used. There is a Party Goods store with very nice designs.
You also will notice the plate the fish is on. The plate was made from pressed palm leaves. Very sturdy and disposable.
So you knew they were coming and had the shopping and prep and planning time but it was just the unexpected timing of the meals? Useful info on the practicality of incorporating SV into one's comfortable routine. Was the SV used also then in the re-heating process or how did that work?
Yes, SV was basically reheating for the final prep. SV meats days in advance has to be done carefully.
I went thru very extensive sanitary routines. Everything was sanitized including the bags, which were steamed before using. The meats were dumped in boiling water for a few seconds before bagging. I also have a 55 watt germicidal UV light which I turned on in the kitchen for a few minutes to sanitize all surfaces, cutting boards, utensils, etc.
Seasoning for the meats has to be very light. You don't want the meats become cured ham.
dcarch
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Thanks everyone.
Many days before dinners, all the protein were precooked sous vide at different temperatures and refrigerated in their respective bags. Then before meal time, all bags were water bath reheated at around 130 F. About 1/2 hour before meal time, they went into the oven at 550 F and served.
Many starch, rice, stuffing, etc were also made ahead. Bread was done at meal time by bread machine.
One thing worked well: All meats were done medium rare. I had a couple of butane camping stoves with cast iron pans on the dinning table. Those guests who wanted their meats well done could sear them themselves.
Do keep one thing in mind when you are in the same situation, do not tell anyone you sous vided. You will be spending hours explaining.
Yes it was not cheap what I spent on ingredients, but I had been on the look out for sales. For instance, prime ribs were $4.99 a lb. Chicken $0.96 a lb. Leg of lamb $2.99 a lb. Pork ribs $1.95 a lb, ducks $1.95 a lb, etc.
dcarch
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Has this ever happened to you?
The past two weeks, many friends and relatives all decided to come visit. The fact that you are known to have the ability to whip up a few nice dishes in the kitchen and the Holidays, gave everyone the right to expect a special meal. No one offered “Can I bring a dish?”.
Because of the weather and schedule changes, plane cancellations, it was impossible to plan any specific meal time.
I had been cooking crazy everyday. Many meals for many days for many visiting friends and families most arriving at unpredictable hours.
It was like juggling with many different objects, blindfolded.
While it was hectic to get all the dishes perfectly done and timely served, it was surprisingly manageable with some proper planning and the heavy use of sous vide cooking equipment and a PID temperature controlled smoker. For instance, almost all the meats were cooked and readied many days in advance. I even got to sit and mingle with everyone and was not stuck in the kitchen most of the time.
The only thing was not having the time to take some decent pictures.
Has this ever happened to you? How would you handle the situation?
dcarch
Rotisserie smoked/chicken
Beef short ribs
Prime rib with mashed chestnuts
Roasted whole leg of lamb
Roasted prime ribs
Ox tail with couscous
Stewed ox tail
Cod filet with black garlic Meyer lemon sauce
Roasted pork ribs
Curry shrimps
Black eyed peas, ham pate in bacon ring, on puffed pastry
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Cotton shop towels for me.
50 red ones for dirty wipes, 50 white ones for clean wipes.
Once in a while I wet them and microwave them to sanitize them.
After they kind of got visibly dirty, they go into the laundry.
dcarch
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Makes no sense to me.
The thickness and size of the containers, plastic? aluminum? steel? glass? specific heat of the material changes everything's temperature.
dcarch
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Happy 2014 to all!
Take a little time to reflect what you have cooked/eaten in 2013.
And take a little time to set your food goals for 2014.
2013 was a good eating year for me.
I have many new cooking projects planned this new year.
dcarch
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I have a lot of respect for any food item on store shelves.
For a company to have a food product from conception to finally end up on the shelf, a lot of effort and money, millions of $ will have been spent.
A food lab in a company has many cooks, chefs, chemists, marketing experts, package designers --------- to work on a concept ---- testing, modifying, designing special machinery ------- focus groups ------ market testing -------- government approvals ----- sales team ----advertising----- . Supermarkets do not waste their expensive shelf space for an item which does not have sales potentials.
I have seen an one-hour documentary on PBS on the making of a snack. A very complicated and industrial process. Part of the program was hilarious, like Lucille Ball episodes. Many scientists and technicians in white lab coats worked on it for months, and the final item was something named "Grandma's Kitchen Crispies".
dcarch
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If your are using the machine for sous vide cooking, the purpose is to have most of the air out for better heat conduction.
Therefore a good vacuum is not that important. Many people, including me, don't even use a vacuum.
For food storage, that's another story.
dcarch
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I would be careful with a hand blender.
1. PB is so thick, the motor may overheat. Most hand stick blender motors are not ventilated.
2. You may strip the connecting shaft.
dcarch
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I don't think you need to worry about moisture.
There is still a lot of fat remaining to prevent absorption. However I do find that they can go rancid if you store them for too long.
dcarch
An upcoming FoodBlog week
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Nice Arundale Mandarin Squirrel Proof bird feeder.
dcarch