dmg

I used a killAwatt to do the measurements. The other advantage of the killAwatt is that it has a timer. You not only know how much electricity is used, but also how long it has been on. --dmg

Hi everybody, Having bought a Sous-vide Professional (svP), I was immediately curious of how much it would cost me to run it. I used an aluminium, 8l pot (nothing fancy), filled it with running water, and set the water temperature for 56 degrees and cooked a steak for 12hrs. The svP started heating the water at approximately 1kVA. Once the water reached the desired temperature, it dropped to approximately 100VA. It took 1.62 kWH to cook the steak (12 hrs--my first). The measurements were made with a killAwatt. The cost of electricity where I live (British Columbia) is a variable rate, with 8.27 cents/kWH at the upper tier. Hence, the electrical cost of cooking my steak was C$0.13. Significantly less than the bag where it was cooked (Foodsaver). Of course, the numbers will vary significantly depending on weather (the current temperature in my kitchen is 18 degrees) and amount of food. But after this experiment I know I don't have to worry about the cost of electricity any more --dmg

I originally posted this message to the Modernist Cuisine thread, but I think it probably belongs here instead. First, I must state I have never cooked anything sous-vide (yet), but getting ready to try it. I was looking at the sous vide table for slabs in MC (2-279) and reminded me of long exposure tables for photography It would be rather fun to have the thickness expressed in terms of "Meat-Stop" increments: 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4... etc. And perhaps in 1/3 meat-stops or 1/2 meat-stops increments! For instance, 1cm is M/1 meat stop, 2 cm is M/2 meat-stops. The distance between M/1 and M/2 is 2 meat stops so if it takes 6minutes to cook at M/1, then it would take 12 at M/1.4, and 24 at M/2, 48 at M/2.8, 96 at M/4, etc (that would be row \Delta 80). In fact, if we think in terms of meat-stops we only need to have a table for M/1 at every \DeltaT, and we can compute the time for any other Meat-stop. which begs the question, how much "meat-stop" time would be considered within a safe error margin before overcooking/undercooking? 1/3 meat-stop? Perhaps, like in the old days, we should say: when in doubt, overexpose (overcook --dmg

Just to add my own view to this list. I spent one Month in Montreal in June, and visited 20 restaurants (between lunch and dinner). My top 3 places are: * Le Club Chasse et Peche Outstanding food. This is a restaurant that you can pass in front and never know it is there. This was my second visit, and in my opinion, the best restaurant in the city. * Pintxo. Spanish food. I have only been there once, but I wish I live in Montreal: I'd eat there every week. Their lunch special is a great deal, since it appears to be the same dishes offered at dinner time but cheaper. * Toque. Had lunch there. An excellent visit, for a very reasonable price (compared to dinner time, of course). Of course I'd also recommend Au Pied. It is an experience that needs to be lived but I would not eat there every week My only disappointment was XO at lunch time. The food felt messy and without flavour, and I got treated horribly, even though the place was almost empty. Overall, for a Canadian city, Montreal has a great food scene. It is much, much better than Victoria, where I live. --dmg

I visited PdC very recently (June). It was my second visit. For anybody who plans to visit ever (previous two years before), these are my recommendations: * Plates are huge, really huge. The waitress who was serving us never really commented on it. We ate too much with the appetizers and the bread that when the main plates arrived, we were just like "how am I going to eat all this"? * One of their signature dishes (the pied de cochon stuffed with foie gras) was ridiculously big. It is a plate for 2, not one person. * The duck in a can can certainly be eaten by one person, but don't eat much during the appetizers. By the time I was full I could not stand the look of the food any more. We left with more than 2 kgs of left overs. I felt so feed up, that I seriously doubted would come back. but then something miraculous happened... the next day, for lunch, I reheated in the oven the pied with foie gras (it had the foie gras from the duck in a can too---we had foie gras for appetizer so you can imagine). When I started eating it I could not believe how great the flavour was. It did what great food does: it brought me back to my childhood (my significant other is pescaterian, so we don't eat pig frequently). The flavours were exquisite. Yes, it was full of fat and calories. Yes, it is the raw pleasure of eating pig like a pig. But, oh my, the food is fantastic. So my recommendation: watch what you order, and don't overeat and you will have a great time. At least that is what I keep telling myself I'll do the next time I am visiting Montreal. If anybody is interested in Montreal eating, send me a message. I have a google map annotated with my comments and recommendations. --dmg