dcarch

Thanks. That's me, always making something new. But that is not a good quality, I am too impatient and tooo lazy to follow recipes. The chopped liver looked a little different in texture than what you normally see is because I put some gelatin in the mix. I thought that might help molding a little easier. The brisket's shape was like that because it was my intention to use some of it for slicing to put on bagels the next day. Yes, I would try to make the dishes again, probably with some different ingredients for fun. Brisket was very good, sous vided 48 hours. dcarch

Of course you don't mean to remove the enamel on the pan. Hahaaa! dcarch

Sigma "-------but I think that in order for intricately plated food to be attractive, and thus appetizing, it both needs to be executed with a high level of technical skill and it needs to have a well thought out reason for taking the form it does.---" I have to disagree with you 1000 %. This forum is not all for top notch professional chefs, very few have super skills here. Besides, many meals posted are done in a big hurry. As I said, we are here to practice, learn and have fun. We are here to give positive motivation to all. To imply that one should not post anything unless the execution is perfect is, IMHO, not the idea of this forum. You can criticize someone if someone asks to be criticized, otherwise don't. Not everyone has thick skin like me. dcarch

Thank you everyone. Attempts in plating food is fun, whether successful or not in your end results. A forum like this one is a playground for experiments and classroom for learning. Nibor, it's just the automatic controls of the camera that gave the greenish hue to the liver. dcarch

Nothing is ever 100%. Yes, there will be a tiny tiny tiny amount of CO, I am sure, but it will be so so so tiny, that it is of no concern medically speaking. If your CO detector can't detect it you probably are OK , for the limited cooking time you subject yourself to in 24 hours. The gas jet from your stove is designed based on Venturi principle of aerodynamics. It draws air and mixes air to give you complete combustion. However, if you blue flame is yellowish, you should have a qualified plumber to adjust the air intake of the flame system to the burner. dcarch

Thanks everyone. It was fun making and sharing the liver dish. That is a mold I made using food grade silicone rubber. Very easy to make. Because it is silicone, it is non-stick and can take high heat, I have used it to bake bread, which is also lot's of fun. Kenneth, yes, that's shiso from my garden. A very strong flavored herb, works with liver, which is very strong in flavor. Sigma, it is not surprising that you feel that way. It seems to me that's your general feeling with any plated food, from your comment on the Dinner thread, "I feel like the posting of this stuff is some sort of performance art whirring straight over my head." But I do appreciate your taking time to comment, and I thank you. Any comment, good or bad, is what I am looking for here to keep on improving. dcarch

Answering an old question on this thread: What's the BTU output? 1 gallon of Propane ~= 4.23 lbs ~= 91500 Btus 1 lbs of Propane ~=22000 Btus 20 lb tank of propane holds approx 4 gallons of propane (approx 366000 BTUs) dcarch

There are more features in a digital camera than you can use, but the most useful for me are these two: A big view screen that can be flipped backwards. A remote control. Tip: Buy an extra rechargeable battery and store the battery in you refrigerator. It takes no room. All batteries have limited rechargeable cycle, and they get very weak or expire after a few years of use. In a few years, some special replacement batteries can get extremely expensive. For my simple Coolpix, it is $70 to $100 now. dcarch

"---unvented gas stoves can emit CO into the air.---" Not really true. CO is generated if you are running out of oxygen in the space. So make sure you have fresh air (open window) to replenish oxygen consumed and get a good CO detector. dcarch

Well, there is a big difference, 2" is a 100% thicker than 1". You will get a 1,000 different ways to make perfect steaks. You can't trust many of the "perfect" ways that will work for you, including my "perfect" way. Not only that, don't trust your oven can give you accurate 370 F either, it can be off by 40F or more. One thing you can trust is to get a high quality instant-read digital probe thermometer, and measure steak internal temperature. You should also look up the meaning of "resting" and "carry over heat". Forget about what you see on youtube famous chefs' testing steak done-ness by touching. Salt and pepper is all you need for a good steak. Don't get fancy with rubs or seasonings. dcarch

How thick is the steak? dcarch

Happy Rosh Hashanah! Made a few things for the occasion, I think. Not sure if either one is authentic. I would appreciate suggestions. Chopped liver, more like liver pate. I used chicken liver. There is nothing special about the recipe, just schmaltz and gribenes in the mix, in addition to other ingredients. The chopped liver was served on home made puffed rice cookies. And Sosu vide brisket with sautéed figs, glazed carrots and onion. Fig chutney made from the inside of the figs on the brisket. L’chaim! dcarch

"----OMG, I'm almost afraid to follow all that yumminess,--" You have a good sense of humor! Are you kidding me?! Stunning dishes, delicious and beautiful to look at. dcarch

As requested, this is my very sophisticated photo and lighting setup. The light is always in the closet with the broken plastic container, and the camera is always mounted on a tripod in the same closet. Picture time - hang light on a hook, open tripod, one top view of the dish and one side view. Done in less than a minute. No composition, no creative dramatic angles. The camera is on auto focus and auto exposure, there is nothing for me to do except "click, click". Why is all this too complicated and too time consuming? dcarch

"---but I do most of my photographs at night so I use a flash unit (Canon EX420), generally bounced either off the ceiling or a wall next to the subject (always higher than the food though, to prevent casting dark shadows on the plate). ----" In that case get a couple of slave flashes. Everyone should have slave flash anyway. When you have a party, using slave flashes in the background will give very good even lighting and minimize red eyes. Slave flashes are not that expensive. In general, I try not to use the flash. The flash tube bulb has a limited life, I am not sure how many times you can fire it. If it goes, for some cameras, it can render your camera useless. carch

The millions of restaurants in China do serve alcohol. I've never found one that didn't. Even the Muslim ones do. Not around here in NYC. Not the ones cater to mainly Chinese. Even the ones which have a small "bar", you will get a blank stare if you ask for a wine list. dcarch

I saw this video sometime ago: I just had to make this with my cheap $2.00 broom. dcarch

"------My experience (SE Asia then and the USA now) has been that tea was a very common beverage during a meal at Chinese restaurants - i.e. when one ate out - at least with diners of Chinese extraction;----" Anything to do with Asian Flush? Asian restaurants which cater to mostly Asian often do not serve alcohol, may be beer only. dcarch

More hahaha for you. dcarch

Maillard reaction, no question. but I have been thinking: In General Chemistry 101, I remember that chemical reaction can be initiated and/or accelerated under very high heat and vigorous agitation. Would it be possible that under extreme heat and stirring, new flavor compounds is created between various seasonings and food ingredients? beyond/in addition to maillard reaction? wok hei = C12H22O11CO(NH2)2NO2 CH3CH2OCH3? dcarch

My point is, you don't need a "setup" to take excellent pictures. My "setup"? a single CFL bulb with a kitchen plastic container, a tripod and a camera. dcarch I understand the simplicity - I'm just thinking the 'setup' pic would help, because in my minds eye I'm imagining your plastic container somehow taped to the ceiling light fixture in your dining room... I assume you're using a tabletop lamp or ? It would also probably be very illustrative for a photographic neophyte to see the results of a pic with & without the diffusor if you'd be so inclined. Using or not using diffused light will give your subjects a different character, in the accentuation of textural details, saturation of colors, but now you are getting into photography, which is a lot of fun. Diffused light is quick and pleasing and works for all situations. If I remember, I will see if there are dishes which can illustrate some special effects. dcarch

Just like you home stove/wok? dcarch

Or you can do what I do, use any car tire pump, glue a small tube to the air intake, and you will have a fast and powerful vacuum pump. You can still use it to inflate tires. dcarch

In NYC, I am sure other cities also, there are many Korean salad bars. They have 40 to 50 things you can pick from, quite good and reasonably priced. In India and the Far East, there is culture of pre-made lunches delivered to your office. Not take-out lunches from a restaurant. You eat what they deliver, no choices.. dcarch

Ashen, those Fairytale egggplants are very cute on a dish, besides, they are very delicious, more creamy and milder than regular eggplants. Seedless also. Thanks Plantes. Cooking zucchini skin seem like such a cheap thing, something special had to be done to it to make it standout. dcarch