kryptos1

This is a great question you bring up. Your situation may be like mine....the current job pays more than being a chef or restaurant owner with more flexibility/ability to balance with regular life. The job supports the hobby and going to school is for raising your culinary IQ. Seems there is that chance some day you for what ever reason leave your current profession and pursue your passion, that education may come in handy to get into certain places. I am not that accomplished a cook but its by far my favorite thing to do. Recently purchased a copy of Modernist Cuisine and have been studying that in great detail (taking topics and further researching outside the book). This is really putting a solid foundation under me and I assume are the same topics a school would be teaching (food safety, thermal dynamics, history of agriculture, etc...). Guess what I am saying is there is a huge knowledge base out there, including people in this forum, that perhaps you could learn as much there as in school (minus the instructors personal experiences). So if you have the same level of knowledge as a culinary school and decide to take up the profession, are you disadvantaged? I don't know....seems like many chefs and restaurant owners are not formally educated. If its anything like the corporate world, most jobs come from someone you know. Maybe spending time with local chefs would get you in just easier than a green chef out of school. While I am studying I also know a great sushi chef and looking to get a job doing food preparation to master knife skills and put what I am learning to work (free intern basically). Curious to hear from those who did school thing.....maybe they see a lot of ignorance in my response.

There are 2 restaurants in Minneapolis that claim to have created this style where they take 2 1/4 patties, throw cheese between then use their fingers to fuse the 2 patties together. One calls it Juicy Lucy and the others Jucy Lucy. Interesting gimmick that works pretty well Keeps the grill clean of burning cheese as well.

Kansas City - 9AM in the store today, $34.99/lb

Tres Agaves - Just for the tequila. I learned of tequilas that I would prefer to the favorite scotches.

(I need a new camera....Canon SX30IS hopefully soon) 2x6oz Pisciotta Farms 80/20 beef patties stuffed with smoked cheddar, chibatta bread, and made "Jucy Lucy" or "Juicy Lucy" depending on which place you prefer.

Dr Richard Fankhauser from the University of Cincinnati (Biology and Chemistry) posted all of his recipes and experience making cheese. I have spent hours on this page reading. Dr Fankhauser's Cheese Page

Has Kansas City suddenly experienced accelerated climate change? Or are those limes and lemons coming from, you know, elsewhere? Things have been strange here! Image showing pricing....and people who don't want me to take their photo judging by the looks on their face.

Kansas City River Market Normal Produce (imported): Lime and Lemon 7/$1 Grapes large bundle $1.50 Oranges 4/$4 Spices $1 per scoop (not sure how many ounces but its a lot) English Cucumbers $1/ea (individually wrapped, way cheaper than Grocery store) Melon 3 for $5 Pineapple (whole) 3 for $5 Local Green House Herbs: $1 per bundle....huge variety Local Asparagus: $3 for 10 stocks Local Eggs: Medium $3 Large $3.50 Extra Large $4 Jumbo $4.50 Super Jumbo (poor chicken) $5.00 Local Chickens (these are great..much more expensive): Whole 3-5lb $3.50/lb Whole Cut up $3.75/lb 6 piece (2 breast, 2 legs, 2 thies) $4.50/lb Boneless Breasts $6.95/lb Leg Quarters $3.50/lb Wings $3.25/lb Backs and Necks $1.25/lb Liver $2.25/lb Hearts $1.00/lb Local Pork (per pound): Liver $1 Jowl Bacon $3 (this is great for Italian dishes) Bacon Ends $3 Bacon $6 Brats $4.25 Breakfast Sausage $4.95 Italian Sausage Hot or Med $4.95 Pork Burgers $4.50 Ground $4.25 Loin Roast $4 Shoulder Roast $4 Ribs $4

@frdagaa Yea definitely agree.....wish the budget would have allowed. Next time though I am pretty confident 350 degrees and 2 minutes will work. My first rodeo with Morels so wanted to try a little variety

For some reason I cannot post the pictures from ImageGullet or Flikr. Photos: Morel Experiment Purchased 10 small to medium Morels for $15 at the Kansas City River Market Cut all 10 in half, only 1 had some ants. Took 10 halfs and soaked in water for 1 hour (water was put in a shaded damp area of my yard....says online takes 2 years minimum to see if any grew) Took other 10 halfs and placed in a dish for 1 hour Put in egg bath with a little water to dilute as it says above, then flour: white and almond flour, cayenne, seschuan peppercorn, black pepper, kosher salt. Let sit for 1 more hour (says 30 minutes above....I had to go shopping) Cooked one of each as follows: 300 degrees Cleaned 105 seconds cooking = Taste: mild crunch, chewy mushroom good mushroom taste Temp: Medium high on tongue 60 seconds more = mild mushroom, 6 of 10 crunch Not Cleaned 105 seconds cooking = Same taste, slight more crunch 60 seconds more: same mushroom taste, no additional crunch, lingering flavor and tasting cayenne then mushroom turns bitter in time. 325 Degrees Cleaned 105 seconds cooking Taste: slight more crunch as 300, mushroom flavor the same 60 seconds more: More crunch, very slight less mushroom taste Not cleaned 105 seconds cooking Taste: Not soggy, good flavor 60 Seconds more: Taste: Crunchier, crust taste, then followed with more mushroom (not strong though) 350 Degrees Cleaned 105 seconds cooking Taste: Desired crunch, desired mushroom flavor 60 seconds more: n/a Not cleaned 105 seconds cooking Taste: Same crunch, more distorted mushroom taste 60 Seconds more: n/a 2 Minutes @ 350 degrees Cleaned Visually: Best yet, no flour look, all mushroom Taste: Same, slight more crunch Favorite: Uncleaned 2 Min Optimal, lots of mushroom and light crunch Cleaned: These are the good crunch and flavor, all mushroom

Interesting post! Resting mushrooms intensifies flavor Most everyone cuts in half and do some type of cleaning $40-$70 a pound. Kansas City Market had about 10 medium sized in a bag for $15, 10 or so large ones for $40 if soaked, dump the water to distribute spores (curious what growing environment is the best) If cooked at 350F oil, would think the time to kill any contaminate in the mushroom or egg would be low (my ASSumption)

That looks great! I recently discovered sichuan peppercorns when looking for an authentic kung pao like recipe. Really like the flavor and have used it in other dishes like roasted phesant/chicken with thyme. By random chance I stumbled across a cooking show featuring suchuan peppercorns and was utterly jaw dropping appalled at what he did! He took a plate of crushed sichuan peppercorns and completely coated a steak thick with them! I am not sure how that steak was editable and feel sorry for those who tried it.....their mouth would be numb and the taste would stick with them for a week. http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/everyday-exotic/szechuan-peppercorn2/index.html

Not scary at all! Looks like you cooked them to make everything safe. City Market has morel at a decent price....should I be asking how they were cleaned and change how they are prepared in order to get that crust/crispy? Never had morel's the way you made them but sounds great!

Kansas City (Kansas side, Westwood Hills), amateur home cook, urban setting. Really enjoying the first book so far.