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Mjx

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Everything posted by Mjx

  1. Several years ago we picked up a the smallest available Azeta commercial slicer, and it's proved itself to be a great unit. It is quite compact (when we got it, it didn't dominate the miniscule kitchen in the student flat we were living in): No chance of replacing the blade on the Hobart?
  2. Both skirt and hanger are skeletal muscle (the diaphragm is skeletal muscle, check any physio. textbook, and skirt steak is from the belly), and although the heart isn't composed of skeletal muscle, it's still striated muscle, and may be treated pretty much the same way (cookingwise; i.e. it won't turn to mush). Tripe is an example of of something with smooth muscle, and I have a hunch that sous vide cooking is not the way to go with it, I doubt the flavour of smooth muscle benefits positively from this approach (and any whiff of the former contents would probably be brought out by cooking it for a long time in a sealed container).
  3. Actually, unless the cattle are cavorting heraldically on their back legs most of the time, the paraspinal muscle groups do nowhere near the work that humans' do; that's the reason these cuts are so tender. Cooked sous vide, I've found these cuts to be virtually flavourless, unless they're also seared/seasoned.
  4. Actually, the alcohol often also has a functional role as an organic solvent, increasing the breakdown of plant material, which is one of the reasons it enhances flavour.
  5. The vacuum packing suggests a botulism risk.
  6. The swelling throat thing sounds suspiciously like anaphylaxis, which can be dangerous or fatal, so before experimenting with standard-ingredient substitutions (which may themselves be a problem), it would be a really good idea to get a medical opinion on the source of the problem. Once you know what the culprit is/are, it will not only be safer, but far simpler to track down substitutions. Without any clue, even if you're careful, your search for answers is going to be extremely frustrating.
  7. Some suggestions, in this discussion of U.S. Prohibition Era Drinks.
  8. Stroll on over to the Truffles: molded vs hand dipped discussion!
  9. The previous section of the ongoing Chamber Vacuum Sealers discussion reached the 20-page mark (after which point topics cause the site to slow significantly whenever they load), so we've split the discussion, which continues, here.
  10. I've seen milk, and, I think – this was a while back – possibly one of the pourable fermented dairy products. I do remember seeing a couple of lemon and other citrus curd recipes, and flinching and thinking 'Ew', which would be my exact reaction to such an ingredient in this sort of recipe.
  11. Might have used water instead of various dairy products, to yield a cleaner citrus flavour. Dairy take the edge off many flavours.
  12. Just to be clear, is your primary concern about losing the liquid (i.e. possibly compromising the recipe in some way), making a mess, or damaging the machine?
  13. Mjx

    Water/rice ratios

    The previous discussion of this may help: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/99133-waterrice-ratios/?hl=%2Bwater+%2Brice
  14. Does the book by any chance include the caramelized apricot that is mentioned here (6th image form the bottom of the image set, item 22 in the list above that)?: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/138044-my-last-and-anyones-best-shot-at-elbulli/?p=1804527 I really, really need to know more about this dessert, I have not been able to stop thinking about it!
  15. Mjx

    Vanilla Powder

    That's the brand I purchased at Williams-Sonoma several years ago and which was useless. Little flavor so one had to use double or three times the amount to get the same flavor one gets with PURE vanilla powder. How can they advertise and label the product as "pure" vanilla powder when it so obviously isn't? A definition of the word pure is: not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material, yet this product is mixed with a substantial amount of maltodextrin. All that means is that it is made with pure vanilla. It can be made of 99% rutabas or toenail clippings and 1% vanilla bean, and it still counts. I don't understand why you are looking for 'vanilla powder', when that is not what you want; look for "ground vanilla bean".
  16. Check out Cook's Illustrated's recipe from January/February 2013. If you don't find it perfect, the background to it will make it easy for you to figure out how to tweak it to your taste.
  17. Mjx

    Roasting a Pollo Rosso

    Before putting the root vegetables in the oven, microwave them until they're pretty much cooked through, and have released most of the moisture they're going to give off, then most of the time they spend in the oven they'll be browning/caramelizing. I roast chickens at 375F (190C) for 15 minutes on each side, and finish with 20 to 25 minutes at 450F (230F), which gives consistently excellent results, and should give you a fair amount of flexibility regarding when/how long you have your pre-cooked vegetables roasting.
  18. Mjx

    Vanilla Powder

    That's what it's sold as: vanillin. Bertolini was pretty ubiquitous where I grew up, but I figure no one would call vanillin in pwdered sugar 'vanilla powder', that'd have to be ground vanilla beans...right?
  19. Mjx

    Vanilla Powder

    If you're talking about actual ground vanilla beans just use any brand that has been reliable for other spices. Check the freshness date, and get the freshest you can; that seems to matter more than the brand (this is the standard other-than-pod form in which you find vanilla in Denmark, and I haven't come across any brand that I've been particularly dissatisfied with). The advantages/disadvantages are going to be specific to whatever you're using the vanilla in: If you use powder, you get a lot of flecks; if you use extract, you also get a small amount of liquid. The powder can deliver more concentrated flavour, but sometimes you need to bloom it to get the full effect. No idea of equivalents, since there isn't even any standard intensity for all extract or all powders, but you're probably not going to screw things up by using too much or too little. I generally use something in the neighbourhood of a teaspoon for a cake recipe that makes two layers, but there have been times that I've tripled that, when I've wanted really in-your-face vanilla (I usually add black pepper on those occasions; pairs well with vanilla).
  20. Tsk. It was a fun present, and my boyfriend knew I'd get a kick out of it Plus, there's more entertainment value in working out the extraction of the pear from the bottle than there would be from getting smashed on sophisticatedly appreciating the ccs of booze the pear displaced. Oh, I'll get that thing out of there, and may even remember to take pictures. Video won't be happening: I curse a LOT, any video would sound like the opening moments from each scene of Four Weddings and a Funeral, strung together.
  21. Thanks, but actually, I don't have a glass cutter, and I cannot think of anything else I'd use one for (I'm open to suggestions!), so I'm reluctant to get one. This I'm going to try (apart from step 1, since the liquid has already been transferred – to me). In fact, I'm thinking a cheese wire will be even better for doing this, since it's springy, and really thin, which should make for neat slices. Thanks! Eh, thanks..? On the one hand, this looks interesting, but knowing the way things often go for me, it also looks like an opportunity to add another spectacular entry to the I will never again . . . discussion. I'm going to have to pass on this one
  22. Has anyone taken the trouble to remove the fruit from a bottle of brandy or eau de vie? How did you do it, and how did it work out? I've got a now-empty-except-for-the-pear bottle of Pircher Williams sitting in the refrigerator. That pear sems like it might be pretty tasty, perhaps as part of some dessert, so I'd like to get it out of there. I know I could break the bottle, but prefer to avoid that, since that inevitably unleashes a number of tiny glass splinters, some of which could end up in the pear. I think I can fit a boning knife into the mouth of the bottle, but that risks messing up the edge of a decent knife. Is there some obvious, perhaps even well-known way to get the pear out? I'm fine with small pieces, but prefer to avoid pear puree. Thanks!
  23. Mjx

    Siphon Bread ?!

    Sounds like a modernist take on funnel cake, although that would not use bread dough (which I doubt would pass through a whipper even if it was really thinned down, although I may be mistaken).
  24. À chacun son goût The OP is asking for technique suggestions, rather than opinions regarding the desirablity of a given dish, so that's the relevant point.
  25. Although I've never tried a mushroom panna cotta (I tend to like mine traditional), you could try infusing the cream with the mushrooms (dried ones would probably give more intense results). Cream has a tendency to mute flavours, so your best bet if you want the mushrooms to be in evidence might be to use them in a sweet version of a duxelles, served over a traditional panna cotta, instead of trying to flavour the panna cotta with them.
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