Mjx

I wonder how it tastes cold. I adore bread, and hot bread is... well, there are few breads that don't more or less past muster when they're hot, but once it cools down? That really separates the good from the DEARGODWHATTHEHELL. I'm a bit curious about the 'under an hour' thing; it suggests that both baking and rising take under a half hour each..?

It's kinda hard to go seriously wrong by adding rum and lime to almost any fruit juice or puree, but that begs the question (as folks raised above with regard to sidecars) of whether the result is any more a "true" daiquiri than those abominable flavored vodka creations that are called "martinis." . . . . I had a hunch that the drink I had probably did not fall strictly within 'daiquiri' parameters, which I'm willing to respect, but admit to having no actual idea of. I've never had a daiquiri [before?]. There's a link to the ingredients that the bar put together, though, and it was pretty tasty. If it was even a bastard version, I'd have to say that 'Rhubarb Bastard' sounds a pretty decent name for any for any drink that vaguely gestures toward some traditional cocktail, but very loosely. With rhubarb. Panaderia Canadiense, did you give one of the fruit simples + cachaça pura a go yet?

Regarding rice flour: I can only speak for the traditional, stovetop approach, but when I switched to rice flour, I didn't know if or how it would behave differently, so I just carried on as usual, intending to make adjustments as necessary; honestly, the behaviour of wheat and rice flours (I've used everything from whole ground rice to pure rice starch) seems to be roughly identical in this instance, whether I patiently stand over it for half an hour at a lower temperature, or risk creating instant carbon dust/paste because I'm in a hurry.

Well that looks good! How were they? Obviously 'ducky', since you ate three, but consistency (how cooked were they?), overall flavour?

Something based around water chestuts, especially if you can get your hands on some fresh ones.

As long as you were lowring the pH to the same degree, it doesn't seem that it would make a difference which acid you used (this is off the top of my head; I may be quite wrong). You might also want to use honey in place of some of your sugar (unless the flavour would be an issue); a recent issue of Cook's Illustrated noted that there is a compound in honey that effectively (i.e. as per their tests) keeps apples from browning.

Well, as I indicated, this is largely going to reflect individual experience (I'm not slamming induction, I just couldn't work up the enthusiam for it that sales reps seemed to want me to experience ). For the units I used and tested, the difference in control in both sorts of cooktops seemed directly linked to the quality of the units involved, and the top-notch glass ceramic cooktops featured the same level of control as the induction models of equal quality (again: this holds for the ones I tested, and the array of units available in Denmark is very likely quite different to the one in Spain). At this point in time, for a given amount of money – irrelevant if you have no budget cap – you'll get a better glass ceramic cooktop than an induction one. Despite all the hoopla about power and speed, I did not notice any impressive difference between the Gaggenau glass ceramic cooktops and their induction cooktops (I didn't do the boiling water experiment, since it's a bit irrelevant for us; we use an electric kettle). Safety, no argument there: Induction is the way to go if you have small children who play in your kitchen (we don't). In terms of cleaning, the surfaces are identical (if we're talking about the same kind of glass ceramic cooktop); it's a snap. With many Gaggenau units of both kinds, even the control knob comes away, meaning you can get that surface really clean (no lingering muck under the edge of the knob!). All the pans we have are stainless or cast iron, but I admit Ilike the idea of not having to worry about the conductivity of the material. Also (not relevant to everyone), for one of the people using our kitchen, there are legitimate concerns about the safety of induction cooktops; they present undisputed issues for specific cohorts. Hysterical pop-culture shrieking about induction cooktop safety is not something to which I'm inclined to give the slightest attention, but I do give some consideration to articles that have a firm scientific basis, such as 'Exposure of the Human Body to Professional and Domestic Induction Cooktops Compared to the Basic Restrictions'. Although that abstract doesn't mention it, my recollection of the recommended working distance when using an induction cooktop (from the edge of the coil, not the centre, I'm quite certain) is 30cm/12", and based on my own observation (I became curious, after reading this) most short and medium-height people (e.g. the people who use our cooktop) stand significantly closer than that. Induction cookers offer a technology with a lot of potential; all I'm saying is that for some people, there are legitimate reasons to make other choices. Aaand I've had my say: anything I might say beyond this would just be repetition.

I should have mentioned that where I am, a conventional glass ceramic cooktop is the standard, making that (not a gas cooktop, which is a bit of specialty/luxury item) the usual alternative to an induction cooktop. This means that there is a lot of competition among the cooktop producers, so glass cooktops are available in every quality and at every pricepoint. This also means that at a given pricepoint you can get a better glass ceramic cooktop than an induction one, since induction cooktops are still priced in keeping with the fact that they're using a newer technology. I've cooked on a large number of both conventional glass ceramic and induction cooktops, and I haven't yet come across an induction cooktop that exceeds the power and control of glass ceramic cooktop we got (plenty do just as well, but they cost more). But that's here; it is probably quite different where you are, and it all boils down to the array of options you have at your disposal. Whatever you choose, take a close look at their warranty; it matters, since any electrical appliance can conk out expensively (I think Gagganau's 5 year guarantee is international).

The bear is probably a surprise guest contestant. Sounds like they've jumped every other shark!

Tea shark! I was wandering about Copenhagen's Kødbyen (meatpacking/food industry wholesale district), wondering why so many people seem to be sick on the pavement in this area in the middle of the week, when I glanced up from the spew-obstacle course for a moment, and noticed a small shop call Tante T. I carefully picked my way over to the door, and went in. The shop sells tea, and a variety of other things that go with tea, among which was this, and I immediately wanted it: I was sceptical about the likelihood of this floating as shown in the picture on the box, but assured myself that it was worth the price to satisfy my curiosity (and if it had floated sideways or upside-down, it would just have been my diseased or dead shark )

Our cooktop is not an induction one (their advantages do not seem to compensate for their disadvantages, compared to a conventional glass ceramic cooktop of equivalent quality), so I wasn't going to comment on this topic, but since no one else has responded, I would like to say that if Gagganau's quality is consistent across their products, I'd go for it, if I were you, you'll probably be very happy with it; we have the CE 490, and I love it.

Same holds for me; I'm hoping.

Keeping in mind I'm about as far from having any sort of cocktail knowledge as is possible without growing up in some sort of stringent anti-alcohol community, would a riff on a daiquiri be an option? I had (please, please don't laugh) what was described as a rhubarb daiquiri the other night, and it was quite good (although my boyfriend and his friend exchanged amused looks). The syrup in it was vanilla, but I could definitely see doing something similar using a fruit syrup.

I may have misssed this, but where are you moving to? Just generally (i.e. continent or general region); I don't mean to pry! But eG members are pretty international, and someone may be able to give useful specifics about which things are not just expensive, but mind-bendingly expensive in that region (so, probably worth shipping what you have), or surprisingly cheap. For example, I'm mostly in Denmark, where OXO tools easily cost USD20 and up for the simplest gadgets, while glass ceramic cooktops, the default cooktop here, can be found at pretty much all price points, since the market is so competitive (plus, we find a lot of things at great prices though online sellers in other EU countries).

I'm living in a rather odd situation, where I'm temporarily using someone else's kitchen, and nearly all our cooking things are packed in boxes, because there's almost no place to put stuff (so I'm encouraged to used as much of the existing setup as I wish), unpacking and repacking gets old fast, and I'm a bit uncomfortable leaving certain things in the kitchen (knives tend to be used as stirrers, since they can be used to chop things against the side of the pot, and that freaks me out). There are a few things I unpacked, since I really didn't seem to get on without them: digital scale, big oval Le Creuset Dutch oven, 30 cm/12" copper clad saute pan and lid, a big metal bowl, food mill, a small roasting pan and rack, measuring spoons, a silicone spatula, scalpel and a box of blades, kitchen shears. Things I'm going a bit nuts without, but haven't unpacked: 1 or 2 L pot, handheld mixer, 8" chef's knife, long bread knife (especially when chopping chocolate), vegetable/paring knife, large spoon, broad thin-bladed metal spatula, colander (I roast quite a lot of chickens, often braise, and make a couple loves of bread a week). Much as I love gadgets, I really like a minimalist kitchen setup, and don't mind improvising (e.g. I've often used the whisk attachments for a mixer as whisks), so not having much to work with isn't holding me back from making what I want.

I haven't got a mandoline yet, since I'm still researching the various options, but in anticipation of this much-coveted device, I did get some protective gloves, because I find most guards on devices to be a bit awkward (and okay, I'm nervous as hell about slicing off a portion of myself in a split-second of distraction). Comparing the options, the ones that looked best in terms of protection were some kevlar ones by G&F products that got good feedback on amazon.

....."retarded". ?? You just crawl out from the cave? No harm done; if it's not being used as an insult (which it wasn't), it's still widely regarded as a legitimate description of someone whose intellectual development is delayed: retarded |riˈtärdid| adjective less advanced in mental, physical, or social development than is usual for one's age. retard verb |riˈtärd| [ with obj. ] delay or hold back in terms of progress, development, or accomplishment: his progress was retarded by his limp. noun |ˈrēˌtärd| offensive a mentally handicapped person (often used as a general term of abuse). . . . . ORIGIN late 15th cent.: from French retarder, from Latin retardare, from re- ‘back’ + tardus ‘slow.’ (New Oxford American Dictionary) I think Smithy nailed it, insofar as the lead goes. The advice about washing your hands suggests that the lead may be in/on the canister, in which case, I'm not so sure it could actually contaminate the contents. Mostly, the warning sounds like the sort of boilerplate companies use to protect themselves legally (I'd wash my hands after handling the canister, regardless).

If you come up with something, I'd love to hear about it. I have this same issue, and unfortunately, 'starch' is more or less my favourite food group. In terms of resolutions, I really need to get out of the rut I'm in. Thanks to my sister and my boyfriend, I have some new equipment (including an iSi whipper, silicone baking sheets, vacuum sealer), which I'm currently planning on using at least one of per week.

nickrey's very comprehensive reply got me wondering what sort of rice are you using. Regardless of the recipe, if you're using a lower-starch rice, the arancini won't hold together.

That's just lousy food, and who wouldn't dislike that? But that can be achieved using virtually any approach or set of techniques, and isn't any more typical or unique to Modernism than, say, the more oversauced schools of traditional French cuisine.

There are lots of relevant topics addressing this to be found in the list of Restaurant Life discussions, a few of which are Starting in the Culinary World, Landing your first fine dining kitchen job, I need some career advice.

You can absolutely pressure cook bolognese... there is no need to reduce broth, you just add less. Here's my pressure cooker ragu Bolognese: http://www.hippressu...ce-in-half.html As you can see the time form the original Bolognese is only cut in HALF - because the reduction of each ingredient still needs to be made and only the boiling part is done under pressure. Since things don't bubble and rub together in the cooker, and to prevent scorching, I stop pressure cooking it mid-way, stir, and add a little extra liquid. Ciao, L I know you can make bolognese in a pressure cooker, but if you want a really deep flavour, you're going to need to reduce about a litre of stock, and you can't do that with a lid on. If you add less broth, you get less flavour; concentration of broth, rather than its final volume is key. You could reduce the stock down to about 100mL beforehand (or use pre-made fond or bouillon cubes), and add that to the mix and cook the whole thing together that way, but I have to admit, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, and I like pressure cookers, and think they're great... but nothing is ideal for everything.

. . . . "Essential Pepin" is still teaching me things, and I've been cooking for about 40 years. Jacques is unimpeachable. I'm thinking of buying that book. Do you have it? Any opinion you could share? There is already a discussion of this book, here: NY Times Today: Jacques Pepin and new book "Essential Pepin"

You wouldn't want to pressure cook a ragu Bolognese; although it's time consuming to make, that's because of the volume of broth being reduced (so, you'd have the lid off, making your pressure cooker just a big pot).

Heck, I'm just trying to figure out if we were even discussing the same thing! But that aside, 'bacon explosion'? I'm intrigued. State/county fair sort of thing?