runwestierun

Kerry, In this thread the Chris Brothers told me about a pocket scale they both own and like. It's cheap, it's accurate, and it's shipped free. http://www.dealextreme.com/p/digital-pocket-scale-2lb-1kg-1165 I bought that one and then the one that is accurate to .01g just in case I had to measure very small amounts.

Yes. And certainly the one Chris mentions that spins 30Krpm with a 3L capacity would have a large rotor. I am going to try to build a "rotor" for my washer's spin cycle and see what happens. I understand that it would be nothing like Nathan's machine. My intuition tells me that I wouldn't need anything that fast or powerful to pull fat out of a pea emulsion, though. I am probably wrong but I am going to try.

Any large city should have at least one place that sells used medical and laboratory equipment. Call and ask if they have one or more in stock. These folks do have prices but they are open to negotiation. Bargain, it usually works. We bought a used centrifuge - I think it held ten 20 milliliter vials - from such a place in L.A. for $125.00 which was considerably less than their original asking price. When they buy these things from doctors offices and from labs, they pay ten cents on the dollar or less. You do not want a "Micro" centrifuge. Here's a sample of listings from one place. Thank you, Andie. I am a retired biochemist and I just can't buy a used one for the kitchen. I know what we put in them. I've seen lots and lots of new ones in the $125 range with a 90-150 ml capacity and about 3000rpm's. I guess I'll just have to wait for the book to see if that might be enough. I am also quite curious to know what kind of g's my washer's spin cycle pulls. This whole thing is just so fascinating.

Maybe people associate uncertainty with humility and trust that, and maybe certainty smacks a little of pontification.

Anyone going to the book release party tonight?

Does anyone with a copy of the book remember what it said about centrifuges--what the recommended capacity and RPM capabilities are?

I live in a very remote area of the Pacific Northwest. The closest city with a population of more than 10K ppl is more than 100 miles away. We have 2 grocery stores within 30 miles, Safeway and Fred Meyer's. I was looking for pork belly, there was none to be had, but the guy at the meat counter had some pork cheeks kryovac'ed. I was so surprised. If my regular everyday grocery has it, maybe yours could get it for you in time?

Chris, I was wondering--I don't have a preview copy--does it say if the Angelica Root is fresh or dried? Is dried OK?

OK if by "bitter" he means "Seville" then I would just use half the amount of regular orange zest, because it is more acidic/strongly citrus flavored than Seville orange zest.

Chris, I remember DavetheCook and ScottyBoy mentioning it in the Modernist Ingredient Kit thread. Scotty said he buys the maltodextrine in bulk because it soaks up so much fat. Dave's made the bacon powder recipe twice.

I am so looking forward to this book, I have been giddy with excitement waiting for my order. Seeing these pages makes me worry, though. I cannot read these low intensity/low contrast colors of type, especially yellow. My vision is just not good enough. I saw Nathan's blog entry about receiving the first airmailed books. He held up the side of the book so you could see the page edges were colored for corresponding chapters. Is the yellow type confined to just one chapter? I see the green is quite light. Are other colors similarly light? Does the regular body of text remain dark throughout the book? I want so much to be able to read it.

I keep it in the house for medicinal purposes, I have never used it in food. It gets rid of canker sores on the tongue. That probably wasn't the inspiration you were looking for...

What could it be?! What could it be?! I hope it's the macaroni and cheese recipe. I've got my iota carrageenan and a big hunk of comte!

Using a large oval Crockpot for sous vide cooking before the Sous Vide Supreme came out. I did a couple days of callibration exercises to figure out how I had to cock the lid to get it to maintain the temperatures I needed for cooking specific proteins. It worked but the kitchen was damp and there was significant water loss if I cooked something over a couple hours.

Woo hoo! Wooooooo hoooooooo! I have my fingers crossed.

Thanks so much for the Deal Extreme recommendation, I just bought this one: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/portable-jewelry-digital-pocket-scale-100g-0-01g-2-aaa-56066 I like that it's accurate to .01g. They have free shipping, too!

Costco here in the Pacific Northwest has a Polder digital scale with a range of 1 gram to 11 pounds. It is very thin and has a ridiculously low price of $18.99. I saw it there this week.

I am wondering what you all are using to weigh this stuff. I have 2 digital kitchen scales, but they are both only accurate to 1 gram. How accurate do I need it to be? Is a tenth of a gram enough? Any suggestions on a good precise scale? I am a bit worried about what the neighbors will think with a precision scale and all these white powders...

I wonder if people will scalp the tickets. The Valentine's Day reservation for Heston Blumenthal's restaurant on eBay sold for 237 Euros. It seems like it'd be easier to scalp a ticket than a reservation.

Chris, about how long did it take start to finish? How long does the cheese block chill?

OK, you know how sometimes you buy a peach or nectarine and it smells really good and it's sweet and juicy, but sometimes it smells really good and it's mealy? Why? Can you predict which it will be before you buy it?

I have many, but I love the set of measuring spoons that chezcherie mentioned above. I got mine from King Arthur Flour's website. They are stainless steel and long and narrow so they fit in any jar. They also have the odd sizes, the 1/2 tablespoon, the 1/8 teaspoon and the 3/4 teaspoon along with the common sizes all on a chain. They make measuring very convenient. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/spice-measuring-spoons-set-of-7

In Nathan's next blog post, he explains how binding problems are creating a shortage of the book. "The bad news is that this first ship­ment con­tains only 500 books. The next ship­ment, which should be larger, is due to arrive on March 17. After that, books are due to arrive every week or two through early May." It is here http://modernistcuisine.com/2011/02/demand-for-modernist-cuisine-will-temporarily-outstrip-supply/

Dave, if you do relate to this text, then you will have a masterful guide to learning the rigors of modernist cuisine. If you end up feeling that you are in over your head, then you own a first edition of the greatest cookbook ever. I just don't see a downside.

It just keeps going up. It's at 84 right now. My heart sings!