jrshaul

Some time ago, a friend of a friend introduced me to the coconut mousse pie. The effect of combining the frequently pudding-like custard with the meringue was about the same as first experiencing mayonnaise before it had de-emulsified into vinegar and oil. I was too intoxicated at the time to get the recipe, and having found coconut at the dollar store (where I now buy 90% of my non-food household goods), I'd like to try it myself. Sadly, I've yet to find one featuring the wonderful italian meringue base of the original, though an awful lot do substitute cool whip. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the warnings! I'm wondering to what degree I'm butting my head against a pointless retail mark-up. How much would I have to buy to get a proper wholesale discount, and how big would it be?

I'm going to link here to a few good'uns. Admittedly, my brain is starting to turn to jam from wildly varying descriptions and prices. Guittard La Nuit Noire coverture - $57/5kg callets. I know nothing about this whatsoever other than that it's much cheaper than Williams Sonoma. Of course, everything is cheaper than Williams Sonoma. https://www.chocolateman.com/pc-338-9-la-nuit-noire-dark-night-55-11-lb-box-coins.aspx Cacao Barry Mi Amere Dark Pistoles - $58/5kg callets. This is from an Amazon storefront, but $5.27 for Cacao Barry is pretty hard to beat. http://www.amazon.com/Mi-Amere-Dark-Pistoles-58/dp/B0028S6URO/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A30KZ5KMEUBUR8 Cacao Barry Pistoles Excellence - $65.10. A pretty good price on good chocolate from a major retailer. http://www.europeanfoodservice.com/cacao-b-pistoles-excellence/ Barry Callebaut 815NV callets - $84/10kg callets. This is from a big distributor, and the price is certainly hard to beat. But is it any good? http://wholesalemeltingchocolate.gostorego.com/chocolate-brands/callebaut-chocolate/callebaut-finest-belgian-bitter-sweet-chocolate-callets-22-lb-815nv.html Merckens 10lb Yucatan chocolate. I know nothing about this beyond that some people like it and it's really staggeringly cheap. I don't know if it's coverture appropriate, but $3.19 a pound makes it worth trying in ganache. http://www.gygi.com/shop/index.php/merckens-10-lb-yucatan-dark-chocolate-bar.html Guittard Select Milk Chocolate: I can't find much information on this, but the price is right, it's labelled "coverture," and it says "Guittard" on it. http://www.gygi.com/shop/index.php/guittard-10lb-signature-milk-chocolate-bar.html

Has anyone used a great big syringe to control the flow,or perhaps a turkey injector? I've heard of the mythical "water ganache", and this seems like a possibility. Alternately, in butter-containing ganache, a beurre monte might be an option?

The blender is a novel idea. I've had good luck with the eggbeaters, but the overspray is nothing short of comedic. Am I the only one having trouble with concentrated citrus oils? I've had cream start to curdle outright after adding not very much. The Boyajian stuff is very strong - enough so that a leak in your pocket will give a truly hideous rash on your leg.

I'd do the year in Spain, if only for the experience. Picking up functional Spanish with no out-of-pocket expense is worth the year in and of itself - and there's also the benefit of as many as fifteen credits, easily $15,000, you can skip by passing a foreign language competency test. Also, I suspect you won't much like food science. I've met a series of foodies who switched out of the major after finding out how little "food" was actually involved.

Sequential reheating of soup is dubious, and the sale of past-due goods is completely unacceptable. Instead of quitting, I'd call the health department; this way, you collect two weeks' wages when this restaurant is inevitably shut down. Wages in the food industry are notoriously poor. Some Michelin-starred chefs make less than the median elevator repairman. However, minimum wage is a tacit recognition that the employee could do better almost anywhere else if they were sufficiently competent to make the jump. If you have the skills, move on. I'm basing my assumptions off the working conditions in a small city (Madison, WI): Smaller towns with a large supply of labor and inexpensive cost of living might be a bit different. However, I can guarantee that you can pull at least $8.50 starting salary at the Subway near my apartment - and they don't muck about with food safety.

The electric eggbeater was used for 13 batches of ganache in a row with zero failures. A hippie stole one, but it was mercifully the completely inedible tea-infused ganache I was too embarrassed to throw away... This is pretty much a 100% inversion of what I do - I'm very nervous about adding a water-based ingredient (corn syrup) or liquor to a ganache in fear of breaking it. Do you slowly drizzle it in or dump all at once? I sometimes make a syrup of the liquor if I'm using a great deal by reducing it with the sweeteners. I've never, ever heard of mother of chocolate before, but I'll try and find some on your recommendation. I feel marginally less embarrassed of my ignorance on the basis that Google hasn't heard of it either. However, the big problem of the day seems to be that I'm using store-bought whipping cream, which I suspect is on the shallow side of 30%. How should I seek the good stuff? Also, infinite Internet kudos to anyone who can tell me how to add citrus oils (a la Boyajian) without breaking the ganache.

Induction systems have a big jump on standard resistive elements due to more efficient heat transfer to the pan. A cast iron skillet on a 1,800W induction setup is a very nice option, and you aren't stuck with a single-purpose gadget.

The presliced frozen leeks in a bag are just stellar. $1.50 a pound! As a broke student, I now put these in eggs to dull the pale yellow horror of the same @#$! thing for dinner.

In the universe, there are only two truly infinite things: Ganache preparation techniques and obnoxious political advertisements. Those between Canada and Mexico have already suffered too many of the latter, so let's discuss the former instead. My technique (which is, honestly, in need of refinement): 8oz (by weight) dark chocolate 4oz (by measure) whipping cream 1T corn syrup Coarsely chop chocolate. Bring cream mixed with corn syrup to the beginning of a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate. Mix well with electric eggbeater turned up pretty high.

The problem is that while Valrhona and El Rey are quite keen on consumer purchases, the more pedestrian stuff is only available in much larger quantities. I already know that $20/kg chocolate is superb; it's the cheap stuff that interests me.

Let's just say "Less than 500 pounds." I know people who drive vehicles lighter than that. Does anyone offer a sampler of a variety of chocolates? I've used some Green & Black's I got for a song, but found it to be just a little sour for my taste.

Let's just say "Less than 500 pounds." I've seen cars that weigh less than that... Does anyone offer a sampler of a variety of chocolates? I've used some Green & Black's I got for a song, but found it to be just a little sour for my taste.

These all look superb. Can you link to the marshmallow recipe (or containing text?)

I should probably specify here that I'm looking to buy a very large amount of chocolate, if not immediately. I'm sorry to hear that the Callebaut reps are such schmucks - $6CAD/kilogram is an absolutely superb price, but I doubt I could get it with a 50lb order. ChocolateMan stocks Guittard coverture for just over $5/lb. I have yet to taste it personally, but I hear it's rated well, and the price is right. http://www.chocolateman.com/pc-338-9-la-nuit-noire-dark-night-55-11-lb-box-coins.aspx

I'm sorry to hear that; I'd heard nice things about the Orchid line and hoped to use it. How much should I expect to pay for coverture at foodservice rates? I'm under the impression there's a not insignificant discount.

Cupcake Wars. Anyone placing collard greens into a dessert pastry needs to be fired. Into the sun. The absence of Rachael "I can't even make toast!" Ray suggests she has returned to the dank pit of the abyss from whence she spawned. Either that, or it's default assumed. Fieri himself may be only marginally less unpleasant than hydrochloric acid exposure (it's itchy!), but Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is a fairly respectable sort of show. The restaurants feature above-average or unusual food, and he's decent to the owners and staff. Not notably intellectual, but good to watch at 11PM on the treadmill. "You should be using higher quality butter. And no processed ingredients!"

After reading some comments by eGullet members, I've found superb prices on bulk coverture. Albert Uster carries several varieties in 5kg sacks for around $45, a great savings over Green & Black's or even Callebaut. What's your preferred chocolate for under $10/kg?

I prefer my mother's recipe macaroni and cheese. (It's a fairly basic bechamel-and-cheddar affair.) After baking in the oven, I wrap the tray in towels and it stays hot for hours. Transferring the food to a preheated ceramic crock pot liner also works well.

The mason jar attachment is a neat idea. Vita-Mix also sells some smaller carafes, but I remember them all as too large for your purposes.

It's possible to extract flavorings or oils from some unusual sources - pistachio oil, for example. Alternately, I've seen folks blend peanuts or other unusual ingredients with liquor, then centrifuge out the oils and solids.

This is an extremely reasonable price. If one were to wish to purchase restaurant-sized quantities from AU, what would the pricing and shipping look like?

Check the nearest university's surplus department.

IIRC, Kenwood mixers are sold in the USA as Cuisnarts. Sometimes apparently identical products have different internals (don't buy anything from Wal-Mart if it's suspiciously cheap!), but I suspect they are internally identical.