TheTInCook

Just following up the spent cereal issue, with some reading I did on laiskonis' blog. He uses the spent bread much from his cinnamon toast ice cream to flavor a creme anglaise for the dessert, and he also uses it to make a puffed snack item by combining it with tapioca starch.

So, is it better or worse tv watching then The Restaurant?

Bringing politics in here? Really? Anyway, I'm mostly 'offended' for two reasons. First, he's a shrill propagandist. In the first episode of the second season in the US version, he was scaring kids by telling them that vanilla ice cream is made from cute lil' beavers. W.T.H.? Am I really supposed to believe that vanilla flavor manufacturers are going to give up cheap and potent vanillin and its derivatives and analogues, in favor of beaver glands? It just makes no sense on the face. If the company is making a cheap enough product that it's speccing vanilla flavor (as opposed to extract), they wouldn't use castoreum, for which there is no large commercial base. His claim also got debunked here http://www.vrg.org/blog/2011/06/17/beaver-gland-castoreum-not-used-in-vanilla-flavorings-according-to-manufacturers/ Second, he's learned nothing from his disastrous efforts in the UK. He keeps on going with that arrogant attitude of his, and it rankles.

Second the broiler. That's what I did when I experimented with raclette and potatoes. Had to toss the remainder of the raw cheese. It stank too much for the roomies.

Sometimes you gotta do with what you got. Most of the stuff is fairly generic. Personally, I don't think there is much of a difference in quality. Most of the branded stuff you're getting from molecular gastronomy outfits is just repacked from an industrial source. There a few, like TIC Gums that retails their own, but that's it. There are a few items, like enzymes where proprietary products are an issue, e.g. Pectinex. There are also some designer hydrocolloids and stablizer blends too. I think most stuff can be done with the basics.

I picked up a pedo egg thingy at the dollar store for my gargoyle feet, and it would almost make a decent microplane. I'm thinking of getting one to use as a nutmeg grater because it's got a little cubby area that I can put nutmegs.

Seems like it's taking forever to get here. Amazon just upgraded the status to 'shipping soon.' I also bought a hydrometer so I can be master of sorbets too.

From some searches online, I think that some health/supplement stores might be a good source for some stuff. I'm planning on checking it out in person, sooner or later.

Yup, it's a great forum. I did a little a further research, and according to the chef of a little molecular place in Galacia, the perfect pairing to psychedelic sannakjji is napalm.

Yah, get a raspador. A lot of hispanic markets carry them.

Also, I believe that electric stimulation will not work for color change. IIRC, octopi suppress the expression of color by contracting the pigment sacks in their skin.

Come on guys, Luigi Galvani. This is over 200 year old technology.

I think besan tends to be naturally non crispy. I make some nice puffy vegetable pokara, and they lost their crispness in a couple of minutes.

Never heard of that either. Maybe he's misunderstanding some of their guidance? Pretty sure that USDA has no authority over catering. Pig skin is fairly safe stuff, they scald it to get the hair off, and IIRC most packers wash corpses with some sort of antimicrobial rinse. I've heard of a few cases of food borne illness happening at quinceaneras where the family butchered the kid for cabrito. They nicked the gut, and caused the meat to get contaiminated.

Jus, mostly geletin, but also concentration of the other stuff in it through reduction. Jus lie, a pure starch esp corn or arrowroot. Never heard of a jus splitting before.

I use a mix of chedder and cream cheeses and scallions. I'm thinking of adding some liquid smoke, since I usually cook these in the oven. I have to wear gloves because the juices that get sprayed from scraping the peppers irritate my hands like nothing else. Also a variation using habeneros.

I just ordered a Hamaltin Beach 4qt ice and salt machine. Couldn't see dealing with the hassle of the inserts.

Did a little more research, and in one of my dow charts Methylcellulose type A4C (which is what I assumed you have since it's one of the recommended types in Ideas In Food) is rated as "better" for air entrainment, while Type F50 is rated at "best." This scale has three scores good, better, and best. So yeah, F50 is recommended, but you can probably get by with A4C.

I can't see it making a huge difference. Type f methylcellulose is a hydroxypopyl methylcellulose, and that just generally means it gels at a higher temp. It might have a higher sugar tolerance, but I don't really remember. The mc called for in that recipe is rated at 50, which means it's a low viscosity colloid. The type A methylcellulose is just normal methylcellulose, which means that it is much thicker, makes a stronger gel, and gels at a cooler temp. I had some chart somewhere (that I can't find now), that showed that type f might be a better foamer, but it wasn't much of the difference. The 'margin of error' overlapped. Give it a shot, coffee is cheaper then carrot juice.

Ask for a cooking try out. In the past I would have said ask for a one night shadow, but free labor is for suckas. As long as you've got good attitude and communication skills, you don't have to worry too much about clothes, unless they are absolute rubbish. It's not like you're applying to the FOH. Second interview is a good sign. At this point they are more then likely looking for reasons to not hire you, then to hire you, if you catch my meaning.

Looking to buy a home ice cream maker, but I'm not sure what brand or type to use. What are you guys using?

Check out the cooking issues blog. Their two french fry posts detail some enzymatic treatments that might help. Some of them were discarded because they lead to 'hollow fries', but that seems to be the thing called for in pommes souffle. I think the best bet is a \<1hr poach at 65 deg C. This would activate the native PME enzymes that strengthen the potato. Wouldn't bother with laminating potato slices. It seems too finicky and failure prone.

I believe tartaric acid is also sometimes used in the boiled sugar base for tartness.

What are you guys doing with the spent cereal? I was thinking that drying it out and toasting it so it maillards nicely, and then crumbling it would make a tasty addition to the ice cream.

I sometimes like it in fried rice. Cooked lettuce stems are very Chinese and very French.