ChickenStu

Do the segments hold their integrity when thawed? I would think the crystals formed during freezing would break the individual sacs, no?

Did you notice a textural difference? I would think that much salt would make the outer part a bit mushy...?

I wish I could yell "sucio!" at home....would make home cooking much easier

I recently became unemployed (yesterday) by my choice. I am excited to spend some time cooking and trying new things for a bit, especially elevating cheap ingredients to great food...one reason I got into cooking in the first place. No clue what I will do yet, but I will figure something out. Good luck everyone.

They are likely way too salty. 12 hours is probably max for pork chops.

L'epicerie has most of the stuff. Agar, gums, and other things you may be able to find at a local asian place. Get a small, reliable scale that does at least 0.1g intervals, like a jewelers scale. No need to purchase a 5000g x 0.1g scale if you are using it for home use. The techniques and reactions can be cool and good to know, but don't focus too much on them, basics of cooking are more important.

I see no advantage to a round board, unless you like the look better. If space is an issue consider one of the many knife friendly, non porous boards on the market...even if you do decide on wood you should get one for proteins to minimize cross contamination.

I don't agree with 'marinating' proteins in acids. I dont like what it does to the texture. As far as lamb goes, its already a fairly young, tender protein so I would just grill or roast it to med rare-med. Puree or cut the garlic(go easy or you wont taste lamb) and rosemary with some olive oil and black pepper and let it sit in the mixture for a few hours. Pair with a stronger, more cooked-fruit esque wine like a syrah type or cab. My two cents.

I wandered into S.O.S. about a month or two ago, having lived just down the block from it for nearly a year and never seeing it. Seemed crazy expensive and didnt receive any greeting or customer service at all. I think i remember a generic bottle of sesame oil being about 3$ more than the local asian place. Probably best bet is the internet.

I used to say that i would never mess with traditional thanksgiving. This year was the first year I caved, mostly because there was no way I was going to get a full bird into my tiny oven. Did the breasts sous-vide, and made a roulade with the legs and thighs. Made things prep heavy the day before but made the day of a little less stressful and allowed more control of meat temperatures, which resulted in a more correctly cooked bird. I missed the glory of the whole roasted turkey...but I got over it.

I still have fast food from time to time...and like it. I drink diet pepsi. I like hot tomales, sour patch kids, and other junk food candy. Sometimes i eat american cheese.

Ive been trying to cook a lot simpler at home. Eliminating extra steps that just take up more time, make more mess, and become frustrating in a home kitchen(especially in a small nyc kitchen). The appeal of dishes like boeuf bourgignon and coq au vin for me is their rusticity and peasant roots. Ive done them both ways and definitely prefer a less fussy approach. Although i still like proper tourneed pommes rissolees with my boeuf bourgignon. A couple months ago i did brioche by hand...my brioche pan will be used as the water bath for my sharpening stones until i have a mixer and a better oven. Now that I have a circulator, I will never poach eggs the old fashioned way again. I did a research paper on brownies in college, after about 10 recipes and nearly 15 boxed mixes... betty crocker triple chunk brownies ftw.

Unless you are cold smoking you will want to take into account the type of apple and the time of year. The wrong apple will get (more) mealy when heated. Some apples are much better out of season because of the benefits of coldstorage, and various apples coldstor better than others. You will also want to puncture/cut/peel the apple, as the peel is only semi-permeable. I miss living in the country and smoking meats etc. whenever I wanted... happy smoking, let us know how it turns out if you do try it.

Mayonnaise Puff Pastry (still buy in store though) Ice cream...texture isnt the same if you dont have commercial machine though Stocks

Mochi Ice cream for $3.50, ftw. I had been to a few TJ's in Washington but never realized how cheap it was until I got to NY. Crazy to see the shelves after the evening rush...