Mjx

The ovulation thermometer would only be for calibration purposes (for the Thermapen that's suposed to show up one of these days), since It's apprently precise enough to use for this purpose. But I do wonder whether that is actually more accurate than boling water at sea level. Heck, why not?! I love precise and accurate instruments

Thanks, Robert! Is an ovulation thermometer more accurate for calibration purposes than boiling water (I live at sea level)? Since a sous vide rig of any sort isn't a possibility at this time, my principal use for this thermometer would be testing sugar temperature; I've relied on the cold water test so far, and have had few failures, but I really appreciate accurate, controlled methods of doing things, and it will be nice to not have my heart in my mouth every time I make fondant. I've actually put in my amazon order, and went with a Thermapen, a couple of Silpats, an iSi Gourmet Whip Plus, and several books, including Migoya's The Elements of Dessert.

Have you tried dissolving it in a little liquid of some other sort, then adding that to the coconut milk? If gelatine is a complete bust in coconut milk, konjak should do the trick; it's firmly gelled pretty much everything I've thrown at it.

With a slight change, I think this is good advice: I'd switch jobs first, then show them this thread (or send them the link). You might not get a terrific reference form these guys anyway, but if you show them this before you get another job, they could hurt your chances of getting another job in the industry. Incidentally, if you stay do with these people and they go down in flames, there's a reasonable chance you'll be hurt professionally by having been associated with them, so getting out while the going is good is important.

I agree. If you really want something to accompany it, a nice scoop of whatever style vanilla ice cream you prefer would be my choice as well. I've never had that cake but, looking at the recipe, you're not going to tame it with a little scoop of sorbet... so embrace it. Make it rich, make it decadent, make it too big to finish. Dessert used to be just that. Back before the days of "oh, I don't like dessert to be sweet" ( ) or "a teaspoon of plain water sorbet is the perfect end to a meal" ( ). Eh... I don't know, I think ultra rich cake plus ultra rich ice cream would just leave the diners feeling like they wish they could have had one or the other (unless the servings are very small). I'm speaking as someone who regards a rich dessert or a bunch of Nutella straight from the jar as an entirely adequate and appropriate replacement for more conventional lunch arrays, and whose capacity for sugar consumption awes parents of small children. I definitely have no problem with super rich, intensely sweet desserts, but if I'm eating someplace that serves desserts of this complexity, I want and expect balance, too, and a rich ice cream just seems like it would be stomping on the cake's feet, rather than dancing gracefully with it. I've eaten rich ice cream + rich cake combos, and eating even half left me feeling kind of queasy (erm, all two dozen or so times I've tried this; I didn't say I was a quick learner, just a sugar fiend).

I was thinking about a mandoline, and what you've said makes it sound like it's worth adding to the list. I had a ricer, and it was quite useful, but since I've got a food mill, I'd have to say that I like that even better, although it is signficantly heavier. The whipper may be a little silly, but I really do like the idea of carbonating things. Sort a of a cheer-myself-up kind of thing. The thing is, the size of the kitchen I'm using isn't an issue; it's actually an ordinary size, but it's someone else's kitchen, and the storage space in it already crammed full of stuff. Not to mention, there's the risk of anything I leave in the kitchen being damaged. Anything too big to fit on the shelf next to my books and the booze collection just has to wait a bit... it gives me time to dream

A sorbet sounds good, since it would make a pleasant contrast to the very rich cake, but much as I love chocolate sorbet, I think it would be overkill/a bit lost with all the other chocolate. I recently had a fantastic carrot and sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) sorbert (tart-sweet, complex despite its being so cold, and a gorgeous shade of orange, which contrasted beautifully with the brownie it accompanied) at Brewpub, in Copenhagen. Although sea buckthorn does have novelty value, I think any tart fruit or combination of fruits (or herbs, e.g. lime and basil) would make a terrific foil for all that chocolate.

The "Gourmet" without the "Plus" had a aluminium-cast head instead of a stainless one. Thanks! I admit I do prefer stainelss to aluminium, but if that's the only difference... Hm.

Excellent, thanks!

In a lot of places in the EU, they still keep eggs on the kitchen counter (for up to a couple of weeks, in some cases), wthout any apparent ill effects (salmonellosis is not one of those easily missed subtle things). In your place, I'd use the raw eggs in cooked recipes, even though I tend to be laughably neurotic about the possibility of food-borne illness. Hard boiled, I don't know; i think they always smell funny.

It's been suggested that gums may also make whipping easier, although I have to admit that regardless of the sort of cream I've had on hand, whipping it has always seemed to be one of the easiest things to accomplish, so... I don't know.

The use of moulds appears all over the place in Modernist Cuisine, but their capacity and shape are often unspecified. I'concluded that this means that the volume and shape don't have a significant effect on the result, but are there any shapes/sizes that you've found particularly useful?

Can anyone pinpoint the diferences between the iSi Gourmet and Gourmet PLUS models? The iSi site only lists the Gourmet PLUS model (in both the US and German versions of the site, I'm guessing the latter model has supplanted the former). I can get either model on amazon, but not from the same seller, and the sellers' descriptions don't make it possible to compare the same points: bullet points listed for the PLUS: High-quality stainless steel bottle and head Etched markings to indicate maximum fill level Fixed stainless steel dispensing valve for precise application and control 3 Decorator tips with durable stainless steel threads Silicone banded head for heat protection during hot applications The description also notes that 'The Gourmet Whip's features for the professional chef also include: -Heat-resistant silicone gasket with removal tab for quick, hygienic cleaning -Ergonomic charger holder with non-slip silicone grip -Dishwasher safe -Closed and sealed system - supports HACCP requirements -2-year warranty'. The seller of the Gourmet (not PLUS) model just uses a lot of nonspecific language to say 'it's cool and pretty, you gotta have it', which deosn't tell me a thing about which of the PLUS features it has/lacks.

Host note: The discussion of sourcing/alternatives to Wondra flour outside the US has been split off into its own topic, Wondra Flour Outside the US: Sources, Alternatives. Michaela (aka Mjx)

I had shark once, and it tasted faintly of ammonia; I was told this was usual and 'special', but regardless, I'd say that if it is usual for shark to taste like that, you might want to think twice about it. Also, what sort of presentation are you going with? Whole, skin and head on? If not, regardless of how 'fun, weird' your fish looks when it's on the slab, when it's served, it's just going to be 'fish', in which case, I'd focus on finding the tastiest reasonably priced fish for your purposes, and if the name isn't 'fun' enough, just find out what it's called in another language (e.g.the one whose cuisine is inflecting the dish as a whole), and use that.

Catfish.

I always add flavourings (oils, water-based infusions, alcohol, etc.) to the cream, and carry on as usual; I've never run into any problems.

The language of the American Northwest is Italian?! News to me In Italy, if you request 'latte' in a coffe shop, they'd probably look at you like you had rocks in your head, but they just might decide to give you what you requested: a glass or cup of milk. I suspect Debenhams of smugly inverted snobbery as a marketing gimmick, not any real concern for clarity. But then again, if the end result is clarity, who cares?

Cook's Illustrated addresses this in their November & December 2012 issue (p. 2). They peeled and sliced some apples one and two days ahead of baking them in an an apple crumble (holding them in the refrigerator in zip-lock bags), and compared the results to those using freshly prepped apples. They found that after they were baked, the apples showed no discernible differences in their flavour, texture, or colour, regardless of how recently (or not) they were prepped. This being the case, putting the apple slices in acidulated water seems like an unnecessary step (no idea whether flavour would be leached, but it does make sense).

If you have some way of covering a lot of space around the dessert, you might try making the mixture as described, then using a brush to shake/spatter it on. It would be coarser than a spray, but beats clogging your oil mister. You could test the technique on a plate, first, to see how it goes/how much the effect can be controlled.

Andie's advice about keeping the plants pinched back is important for another reason: If the plant grows a lot, you'll probably decide to repot it, in a pot that gives it 'enough room to grow'. And, it will grow. And, while it's growing, it will temporarily but entirely call it quits, with regard to producing flowers. Our two chili plants are about three years old, now, and one has been producing heavily since early summer (the other, inadvertently repotted in a really large pot, only started flowering about a month ago). I pick the fruit at all different stages, and mostly just string them on thick thread to dry.

That's a lovely dessert! How did you dehydrate the pumpkin wafer? Low oven, microwave, something else?

Not questioning the value of the sv setup (although reading through the books, I'm fairly certain that in a number of instances, other methods would yield at least very similar results), but as I noted in the OP, it's just out of the question, at this time: I've no room to set it up, which is the reason I'm focusing on the smaller items (e.g. measuring devices, tools that produce interesting shapes/textures). I have some gelling agents (xanthan gum, agar), and I definitely appreciate your short list.

Thanks, that's precisely what I wanted to know!

Chris, would you elaborate a bit on this? I'm wondering whether the pressure cooker is being used in MCaH to cook things that are similar to what is cooked sous vide in MC (e.g. meat, custard [bases], as well as soup), or whether the sorts of things being made are simply quite different to the sou-vide cooked ones in MC.