Broken English

A guy at work bought in the volume on Plants and Animals the other day. Now I ordered a copy, I couldn't resist it. It looks to be mindblowing. Amazon says it will be delivered next week.

Sounds amazing, I'll definately have to see it when it gets a real release.

I know what you mean about the Shuns, they don't come back as nicely upon repeated sharpenings. They're still a decent knife though, I've had mine for over 2 years now (A Santoku, a Chef's Knife and a bread knife), and I have no real trouble with anything I've ever needed to cut. For me, it's more the comfort that makes me rate them highly, it's astounding more companies don't use a similar handle design.

Haha sorry, after I saw you mentioned rib on the bone I assumed you meant cuts offered in steakhouses. As I've never been to Pennsylvania, I am of no use to you. Carry on.

For me, rib eye is the perfect balance between flavour, fat and tenderness. I'll choose it every time.

I assumed you meant the italian meat sauce. Boy did you have me confused.

I've baked a bit of sourdough in the on-site bakery of the restaurant I used to work in. I find that slowing the proving process by doing it all in the fridge after each stage (dough, then the individual loaves helps get a lighter texture with more air bubbles, and the process of folding the dough is also critical to the lightness. My preferred sourdough recipe now doesn't use an ongoing starter that needs to be fed, it just gets made the day before and sits in the fridge, then added to the main dough, which then goes back into the fridge,before being folded, portioned, then folded and shaped again, before going back to the fridge. The longer it stays in the fridge between each stage the better for flavour and texture in my view, though one day is usually the most practical (and even then it turns the making process into a four day thing). As for the original question, yes the dough may be overworked. If it feels firm (at least the recipes I've used, then it's not going to be much good (I've always worked with a soft, wet dough which is firmed and dried by the folding and shaping process. But recipes vary greatly, and I'm by no means an experienced baker, so it could be fine, you can only try it out. Good luck with it.

The way I see it, (obviously Michelin feels differently), if Robuchon is two, then WD deserves to be. At least the food is original, not near identical menus from city to city. Not to say L'Atelier is not great, it most certainly is. That said, I haven't dined at many high end places (or places at all) in NYC, but in my experience in 1, 2 and 3 stars around the place, that's how I view it. I will most certainly be hitting up a few places in NYC when I next visit, and I can't wait. It's an amazing food city.

Australian Wagyu is, in my experience, a very good product. It's not Kobe, sure, but it has many of the qualities. Deliciousness being an integral part.

I really like Corona because it doesn't give me a hangover, and I like lighter styles that you can drink all night without feeling full/gassy like with heavier beers. Since arriving in Canada I've come to like Alexander Keiths Pale Ale, and in Australian beers I love James Boags and Bluetongue Pale Ale. When I'm partial to stout, I love the burnt chocolatey notes of Cascade Stout. After two I feel like I've had a fourteen course meal though.

That was my thought, too: CI discussed (can't remember in which issue) the need for modifications to pizza dough recipes, when they're intended to be baked in home ovens, for the simple reason that few home ovens reach the temperature of a commercial oven, among other things. That's so true. You could make one batch of dough, divide it in four and bake one in a standard oven, one in a combi oven, one in a baking oven and one in a proper pizza oven, and the differences would be startling. In Heston Blumenthal's search for the 'perfect pizza', the differences between a regular home oven and a commercial one were a big issue in formulating the end recipe.

Oh yeah, and no doubt they will, but we all know there is more than one way to skin a cat, so I'm looking for additional advice I can have at my disposal to quickly determine a system that works well for me. Maybe it's a long shot, but I was hoping some people who have a bit of experience could give me a few tips on what works for them.

Fake tofu is better than the original. I call it steak.

Hi all, I'm just about to be moved onto either meat or fish station at the restaurant I'm currently working, and they use sous vide almost exclusively, which I've never used in a busy restaurant before, only at home or as an experiment. Does anyone have any tips for keeping ahead on the line at a restaurant which routinely does 200/250 covers on a busy night? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, James

I still think WD-50 is worth more than one star, it was definately two star in quality when I visited.

Yeah, I went to Q21 a few days before I left Australia, it was great, although I would say the portions were on the small side. Still, I didn't leave hungry.

I'd definatley head to Ssam bar for the weekday duck lunch and a few pork buns. I walked in at 2pm about six weeks ago and the place was less than half full. WD-50 is great, but if you're feeling indulgent, head to Masa, just to say you did. It's pricy, of course, but utterly exceptional. I would give the Per Se reservations a try, it was closed when I was there but I woulld have loved to have gone.

Keep 'em coming, I love these posts.

I love the design of the Shun handles, they're really comfortable to use for long periods, although after a while the blade seems to get harder to bring back the razor edge (the guy who used to sharpen my knives told me it has something to do with the blade shape and design).

I'm still a little upset that Per Se had its summer closure while I was in NY. I will definately go next time I'm there though.

I did that a few times before I learned. Nowadays I keep a rough approximation of ingredient quantities (when I'm winging it I just do it by taste) and if it's good I record it properly later on.

I brought a bottle of limoncello, a bottle of saba and aged balsamic from Italy through six countries then back to Australia in my luggage wrapped only in clothes without incident. My bag copped some abuse too, being dragged through subways, and there was no hassles.

A decent sense of humour goes a long way. Taking an interest is a good thing too, especially when dining alone. A waiter in Chicago took the liberty of realising I was visiting without me telling him, then took out his iphone and showed me via map a few places I should have a look at while in town. He was well rewarded with his tip.

For those who don't go to Las Vegas, the "Buffet of Buffets" is a Caesar's Entertainment pass that gives free access to the buffets at seven properties. Of those seven, three are pretty good, as far as buffets go -- Caesar's, Paris and Rio. The rest (like Imperial Palace) I wouldn't eat if you paid me. I'm not a big buffet person. It's often not much more to go someplace where I don't have to wait in a line for an hour and get to eat what I order, cooked how I want it. The big problem with Las Vegas buffets is that they have to turn a profit. (EVERY department has to turn a profit. The tables don't subsidize the resort like they did when the mafia ran things.) And when a visitor is paying $45 for an all-day pass at seven restaurants, that gets tough. We did Rio, Paris and Planet Hollywood. I wouldnt eat at Imperial either. I did Flamingo for Sunday breakfast. I stuck to Margaritaville after that. Imperial Palace I wouldn't eat at either, but their blackjack tables served me well.

I like to saute chilli and garlic, add white wine and reduce, toss in the clams and some butter, add the pasta and some chives/parsley. Bliss.