dcarch

"I suspect you are thinking of what is commonly called "Malabar Spinach" in English"? Does it look like this or l-------" Yes, it looks like that one. Very slimy and delicious. dcarch

You people are big babies. :-) The whole idea of eating okra is because it has the "slime". Otherwise you might as well eat beans. Okra without slime is like risotto without the creamy "cream". There is a vegetable you can get in an Asian store that is very slimy, which I enjoy. I don't know what it is called. dcarch

You can regularly find old chickens in most larger Chinese stores. You also can always find free range chickens with head and feet in those stores. For those of you who are making Halloween dishes, you can find Silkies there; chickens with black skin and black meat. dcarch

I am insane. :-) I am very interested in this topic because I think there are many more possibilities to explore and possibly to go beyond what is considered "The Best", pasta, once we understand the basics. The following technologies are very interesting to create very complex holes in dies for extrusions: 1. Electro-discharge machining (you can do at home). 2. Laser cutting (not that expensive) 3. Digital 3-D printing, (soon) 4. High pressure water jet metal cutting (been around for may years. Yes, water can cut metal) ---------------------------------------------------------- If micro surface texture is so desirable and important to pasta taste, why don't they just make flat (noodles) pasta using rollers? You can get any surface texture you want using rollers. dcarch

I apologize to those of you who find this discussion boring, irrelevant and meaningless, but I am interested in finding out the answer, before I pay extra money for one type or the other when I buy pasta. I refuse to let advertisements to tell me which one I should feel will taste better. In comparing the two, plastic die vs. bronze die, the geometry of the die must be completely identical in every way. For instance, if one is thicker than the other, the comparison will not be valid. In my test, I use my lath to machine two identical discs, one bronze and one with a cutting board soft non-stick plastic. I secured the two discs together and used my drill press to drill holes through the two discs at the same time using the same bit. Each hole I drilled, I flipped the discs over to drill the next hole from the opposite direction, so that the directions for drilling holes are the same for both discs. Drilling was done on low speed RPM and well lubricated so temperature was not a factor. The surface textures produced by the two dies, using the same dough, at the same temperature, using my home pasta extrusion machine, were identical. I had only tested two dough recipes, therefore I acknowledge my results were only valid for the two recipes I had tested. I also recognize that my home pasta machine has limited compression force, which can also have unknown effects. dcarch

As I remember, lots of sunflower fields in rural France. dcarch

Me too. Keeping in mind, "---in a country with sunflowers and occasional ancient crosses in the landscape.---" dcarch

Latin America; no peppers? dcarch

"----I'm sticking to my guns on Latin America.----" Are those typical Latin American common vegetables? I still think Kansas. Next picture please. dcarch

It's in a place where no more leafy veggies are in season. dcarch

"-----I'm now thinking we've got a Latin America blogger for sure....-----" Not necessarily. Certain German speaking Russians in Kansas also have a tradition of cast iron crosses in their cemeteries. Therefore "Sunflower State" Got it? dcarch

Where in Latin America where it is cold enough that tree leaves fall? dcarch

Sapidus, speaking of international cooking, I am so fascinated by your recipes. I have learned a lot from your cooking. Thanks. For smoking, I don't go for the ring and the bark, just pure smoke flavor at low temperature. That shows the "Money Muscle" smoked at 150F, kind of sous vide by smoke. dcarch

Very exciting international delicious recipes and artistic plating designs. I don't know any another forum has such great display of cooking skills. A few recent meals dcarch Sous vide Calamansi chicken on wild rice risotto Sauteed shrimps on rice noodles Smoked pork shoulder on aspargus

A cemetery. dcarch

I don't think so. The pasta extrusion is at a very low speed. I was at an aluminum extrusion factory, amazing that hard aluminum ingots just get squeezed out the die like spaghetti. The die gets very hot because they have to heat up the aluminum. dcarch They do get hot even with a slow extrusion. The machine we use has a water cooled head and we knead with cool water. High temps from the head, die or dough are the enemy of artisanal pasta. Yes, come to think of it. There is a lot of friction and that can generate heat. dcarch

I don't think so. The pasta extrusion is at a very low speed. I was at an aluminum extrusion factory, amazing that hard aluminum ingots just get squeezed out the die like spaghetti. The die gets very hot because they have to heat up the aluminum. dcarch

There is no clear distinction between brass and bronze. They are sometimes used interchangeably. dcarch

The question is how much of good tasting pasta is related to the material of the die cmaterial. In the complicated process of pasta making, which part(s) really deserves more attention? What ever the material of the die, be it brass, bronze or Teflon, based on the mechanics of the design and strength of materials, you will need several million tons of force to deform the material's surface to cause a corresponding deformity of the extrusion's surface texture. The above linked video of "side-by-side" clearly shows a different shaped die was used, not identical for comparison purpose. You can also see the pasta came out of a different shape, so the sauce stickiness test is not exactly valid. In any case, When you have two surfaces closely in contact, liquid's surface tension and capillary force will take over to make the liquid stay in place, and you will have a lot of surface area in contact with each other on a plate of pasta. The other question would be, again based on the video, if that large pile of pasta only results in about a table spoon's of less sauce sticking on the pasta, can that make a noticeable difference to your taste? Of course I am not talking about there are some pasta simply taste better others. dcarch

"-------And on this occasion (unlike so many others, I hasten to add), you are totally wrong! Lisa and Shel have this one right. It is not the bronze die alone, which is rough-hewn and adds striations to the pasta which catch the sauce like tiny rain gutters, but also the process.------" That i can totally understand because it makes perfect sense. I have two pasta machines, one is a roller type and the other extrusion type. I actually made two identical geometry dies for the extrusion machine, one plastic and one bronze. The pasta, using the same batch of dough, came out identical for both the plastic die and the bronze die. dcarch

1. Having worked with machine tools, I can't seem to understand how a die, any die, can have a way to change surface texture when used in extrusion. In my thinking, they all will have smooth textures, regardless of die material. 2. If bronze die is so desirable, I would imagine all pasta makers will be using it. Bronze is used for die making because it is a very easy metal to work with. 3. I have never heard anyone complained that "Waiter, take this defective pasta back! my sauce is not sticking to the pasta". Obviously I can be totally wrong. That's why I ask if there has been side-by-side comparisons done. A comparison using identical dough, one goes thru a bronze die, and one goes thru a non-bronze die. A comparison comparing two manufacturers would not be valid because they may use entirely recipes. dcarch

The How much water to boil pasta thread made me think of this. I know there is a common believe that pasta made with brass dies are supposed to be better. Has there been any side-by-side comparison done? I cannot understand how a highly polished brass extrusion die can produce rougher texture, and rougher texture makes sauce stick better. In any case a good sauce sticks to any pasta in my experience . dcarch

I cannot understand what difference it will make how much water you boil the pasta in, as long as the pasta is submerged. How does the pasta know how much water is in the pot? 100 degrees C is all the pasta knows, regardless quantity of water. it is always 100 C. Dissolving sugar or salt, yes, because of solubility of the crystals is dependent on concentration. dcarch

Very good suggestions everyone. Just a few minor thoughts: "---As for your ice cream and other melting/flowing things, that's where you can use a stand in. -----" If you are planning to photograph ice cream, set up everything first, lights, tripod, etc. Most important, have thick plate in the freezer long enough first to be freezing cold. It will keep your ice cream from melting for a long time. "------You can use flashlights ---" Some LED flash lights may not work well. They do not produce good white color (LEDs cannot produce white color), furthermore, LEDs flicker and can be a problem for short exposures. "--One thing about white balance--" Our eyes do not see some whites the same way as the camera. dcarch

A supermarket here (NY) had a misprint on their flier, Lobster tails at $6.95 a lb. I bought 15 lbs before they had a chance to make the correction. I had them frozen in a block of ice. dcarch