fledflew
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Posts posted by fledflew
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I would think that egg would give the coating a heavier cake-like texture instead of the light crispy coating that you're seeking.
At the Italian restaurant that I used to work at, we would keep the prepped calamari soaking in milk until an order came through. When it was time to fry, the calamari was dumped in a pan with plenty of flour, shaken to coat everything, and then the entire contents of the pan was dumped into the fry basket. Give the basket a good shake over the trash to knock off excess flour and then it went into the fryer. The result is a pretty delicate batter like coating that I think you're looking for. The flour-egg-crumb method produces a much heavier and crunchy (as opposed to crispy) breaded coating. I've experimented with different flours/flour blends as well as baking powder for leavening and I'm fine with just regular AP flour using the technique detailed above.
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As OnigiriFB mentioned above, it's often sirloin although I've also heard of restaurants that use flank. As for the tenderizing part, some restaurants will pound the meat to break down the fibers. If the meat is especially soft (almost gelatinous/mushy), it has probably been treated with meat tenderizer which is an enzyme extracted from papayas.
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I have three identical 8" stainless pans that I use for just about everything. They have a relatively heavy disk on the bottom and do not appear to be clad up the sides. I picked them up many years ago from Amazon for just about 10 bucks each. No lids came with them so I just use pie tins that I found at the dollar store when I need to cover something. I often cook for just myself, so the size and dimensions are perfect for everything from sauteing pasta ingredients to reheating soups and even steaming veggies.
I was washing them the other day and noticed that on the bottom of the pan is a stamped emblem that says "surgical stainless steel" along with the words "waterless" and "greaseless". I don't see a manufacturer name on the pan, just a bunch of stars. Since these are cheap no-name pans, the starts must indicate that they're very highly rated, right?
I remember seeing a booth set up at the state fair a few years back that had a demo kitchen selling waterless/greaseless cookware, but it was already closed up for the night (think infomercial set up). Most of what I can find on the internet regarding waterless and greaseless cooking appears to be gimmicky, yet obscenely expensive sets sold by companies that I've never heard of. The web pages really lack substance or any useful information on the products. Can anybody shed some light on not only the cookware, but also the methods behind waterless greaseless cooking? -
The bottled oxygen (or any of the other gasses for that matter) used for welding is almost always sold in unlined tanks. That is, the oxygen will have a slight metallic taste to it. I know this because one of my CO2 tanks ran empty mid-party once and I grabbed a CO2 tank that was intended for welding that I happened to have around to tap a keg. The taste was noticeable. The CO2 tanks used for pushing beer, soda, etc. are lined so that the gas doesn't take on that metallic taste.
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Are the feet of ducks gelatin rich like chicken feet are?
Duck feet have some gelatin at the joints, but are not gelatin rich like chicken feet. They are considerably less "meaty". Pretty much just skin/webbing and bones - not a lot of that gelatinous stuff under the skin like chicken feet.
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Some items that I don't see mentioned specifically are the head, neck, and feet - although you guys may be categorizing these as part of the carcass. Many times, when I purchase a duck from the Chinese market, I'll get one with all these parts. The neck skin is quite fatty and will either get rendered or turned to cracklins. The neck itself is surprisingly meaty (for a neck) and as much as like roasting it and nibbling on it, it usually ends up becoming part of the stock. As for the feet, that depends. I've been known to nibble on them together with the neck, other times they end up in the stock. Unfortunately, I only run into then two at a time. If I had a quantity of them, I'd braise them with fermented black beans and chiles, dim sum style. As for the head, that's one part that I end up throwing out because I have no use for it. Do any of you get head-on ducks? If so, what do you do with the heads?
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Just got done making a pot of soup and something I haven't seen anybody mention is the use of smoked turkey. The local market almost always has smoked turkey parts next to the salt pork and bacon trimmings for a very reasonable price. My version of split pea goes something like this:
1 lb peas
1 smoked turkey leg
2 carrots
2 ribs celery
1 med-lg onion
a few ounces of bacon trimmings
1 dried bay leaf
7 cups of water
3 cloves garlic
lots of black pepper
I de-skin the turkey leg and then cut the meat off the bone and into chunks. I put the meat in a pot with the bone and simmer it covered for about an hour and a half, resulting in a very flavorful broth.
While the turkey simmers, I dice the veggies and sweat them in a pan with the chopped bacon ends and butter. I add the bay leaf and minced garlic, cook just a little bit longer, and then turn it off to let it cool while the broth finishes.
Once the broth is ready, I strain out the meat and then add the cooked vegetables to the broth together with the split peas and a heavy grinding of black pepper. Salt lightly after tasting, as the turkey leg will impart some amount of salt (I've noticed that the saltiness varies with each leg).
Whiile the soup comes up to a simmer, I shred the turkey meat, removing the tendons, and set it aside. I take the back of the knife and crack the bone, extract the marrow, and add it to the simmering soup.
Once the soup has come to a strong boil, I take the pot (uncovered) and put it within a 24qt stockpot in which I have boiling water and a rack inside, effectively creating a big double boiler. I put the lid onto the big stockpot and let it go for about 90-120 minutes. I do this to eliminate any chance of burning, which has happened when I forget to stir the soup towards the end. By the way, I also use this technique when making jook (congee).
Once the soup is done "steaming", I take it out and really go at it with a heavy whisk for quite some time. This breaks down the peas and vegetables and creates a texture that I find just right. Not completely pureed and void of any character, but not chunky either. I then add the shredded meat back in and let it rest for a while, as I think a rest improves both the flavor and consistency as mentioned previously by others in this thread.
edited for clarity and grammar
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Not really related to sourcing, but you may find this interesting...
Salinity meter
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I have a bit of experience with salinity meters (what works, what doesn't, accuracy, ease of use, etc) as a result of an aquarium hobby (obsession). Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of Modernist Cuisine. Does the book detail any specific type of instrument? Could you elaborate on the equilibrium brining technique? The google search returns a brief interview with Nathan mentioning that it involved a longer soak in a less concentrated solution, but not much more. I should be able to point you in the right direction (equipment-wise) if I can understand the technique a little bit more and figure out what is trying to be accomplished.