sculptor
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Posts posted by sculptor
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Freezing ginger works great but it's a dangerous as all get out and I have a scar to prove it.
-- Gary
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Sitram, a French company, had a line called Cybernox. I don't know why it went out of production but it was good to 1800 degrees. It was also nearly indestructable (except in the hands of my wife ;-( ;-( ;-( .)
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Greetings,
I am very new to Sous Vide cooking. I have had moderate success with the process, but recently tried my first NY strip steaks. The results were very good, but not exactly as I expected. I could use some more experienced some advice.
I individually sealed 4 NY strips that were about 1 lb each and maybe 1.5" thick. I did not add any spices or other flavorings, just the steaks which I trimmed fairly aggressively. My theory was that I did not want a big fat cap that would be hard to sear and fully render. They went onto a 127 degree bath for about 90 minutes. I removed the steaks, dried them with paper towels, coated with olive oil and seared them in a cast iron pan with a little added butter and fresh thyme. They turned out well but were not exactly what I expected. Here is what was different:
- Texture: One of the things I like about a NY strip is the relatively firm texture compared to other cuts. Mine were much softer than a traditionally grilled NY strip. For some, the softer texture might be good, but I missed the texture I was hoping for. Question: Is this just the nature of SV cooking? Is there some way to recapture the great texture of a NY Strip while still getting the perfect edge to edge doneness?
- Juice: As we ate the steaks, I noticed that the juice that was on the plates was very red. It was not bad, but created a distraction in the meal as it was very unusual. I have eaten plenty of steak, but have not seen juice like this. Question: Is this too just how it works? Is it possible that I did not leave the steaks in the bath long enough?
- Searing: This was also my first attempt at searing a steak in a cast iron skillet. I did them 2 at a time. I started by searing the fat cap edges first which worked well, but created a good bit of liquid in the pan. The first 2 steaks seared beautifully, but the second 2 did not do as well. I am wondering if I should have poured the liquid out of the pan before adding the second pair. My guess is that the amount of liquid prevented the final steaks from making good contact with the pan. Question: Should I drain the liquid after the first pair? I added some butter and thyme and did not really want to discard that. Maybe I should have poured out and reserved the juice? Also, whey they say that this technique makes a lot of smoke, they are not kidding. Thank goodness for the whole house fan...
So that's it for now. I really appreciate any advice that might be offered.
Doug M.
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Celiac Disease is a big deal but the typical restaurant shouldn't have to be expected to cope with it or allergies so severe that the food in question can't even have ever been in the same kitchen were the patorns food was prepared... Now, that said, there are reasonable accomidations that restaurants should make. Note, most vast majority of those with gluten or MSG "issues" have simply simply bought into a silly fad so not accomidating them might make some sense however there are people with legimate gluten issues or wheat allergies...
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I stuff a roasted acorn squash half with a mixure of roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers and roasted garlic and return it to the oven again for a second roasting. Note, I add fresh thyme, diced sundried tomatoes and goat cheese to the stuffing.
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I've pureed roasted red peppers and added cream to make a sauce. It's nothing fancy but it works well on pasta with seafood.
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I like Vivace in Belmont. It might be a bit too far from SFO for your liking but still, I can't think of anything else I like that far up on the penisula.
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Finally we are in Napa! I cook excessively so on trips like this we splurge on eating out. DH agrees that it is better than buying shoes.
Lunch in St. Francis winery. Five courses with wine pairing for 50 dollars which I find extremely reasonable.
Burrata with Mizuna salad (I swear it was arugula) and pickled peaches.
Zuccini wrapped halibut. They proudly announced that it was cooked sous vide at 142 degrees and as I thought it was overcooked (at least for my liking).
Chicken roulade with panchetta and grains.
Strip steak with smoked baked potato. Steak was medium rare.
Broiled figs with blue cheese.
Hmm... it all looks tasty but sous vide halibut simply seems like a bad idea... at 142 degrees there is no question it is overdone. Maybe they should have cooked that steak sous vide instead. Note, it looked more like a slab out of a roast than a steak anyway with that grey ring of overcooked meat on the the outer edge.
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Some restaurants have noisy sections so that part of the restaurant can be avoided. Some otherwise noisy restaurants have off hours when they are fine to dine at. I don't like having to dine were the noise level makes me feel ill and I generally won't return to such restaurants. Noise levels that high are simply an example of bad management at work.
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I use an Iwatani butane torch. A couple of things I like to use it for are:
o Creme brulle
o Browning the skin on a duck before I put it in the oven (not a perfect solution
but it seems to help.)
o Browning meat cooked sous vide.
Note, I don't get a flame taste but I'm careful to adjust and use it so that won't happen.
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Looks like you need a plan B option...
Shrimp, asparagus, dill and mayo are a killer combo. I do a cold pasta salad with them but a creative guy like you shouldn't have any trouble turning them into an D'Oeuvre.
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If all you're going to do is offer cheap and fast eats with a low startup cost then I'm not sure anybody here can be that much helpful because you'll just be buying stuff from others and slapping it on bread. If you have your own oven you can roast your own meat so it would increase your equiptment and labor costs but it might save you a lot in the long run, bump your quality up a notch and let you feature things other sub shops can't do.
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Hello,
I am a newly single (male), absolutely useless in a kitchen and hoping to change that. I am moving to Montreal (Canada) and setting my new kitchen from scratch. I am looking to figure out what combination of kitchen gadgets will allow me to cook widest variety (of hopefully healthy) foods. I am happy to invest in higher-price gadgets if they really do make things easier. I am hoping to start by cooking easy newbie foods, then graduating to learning to cook complex foods. Since I am single, I am also interesting in the bulk cooking/cooking for the freezer approach.
Currently, the primary gadget/tool I identified is Thermomix (at the higher end of my price sensitivity). So, now I am looking for something to compliment its abilities. I guess it would be something that does high-temperature, something that does slow-cooking. I found a combination slow/pressure/rice/saute cooker (InstantPot brand), not sure if that's the right second gadget. Maybe a Halogen Oven too. Do I still need a microwave?
Any advice would be appreciated. Again, I am a newbie, so don't need gadgets that allow a skilled cook to make master dishes. I need something that will allow making good dishes for a person still clueless in the kitchen.
Regards,
Alex.
I have no experience with a Theromix but I'd say it's in general it's a good idea to stick with quality single function devices. Idea of diverse devices seems like a noble ideal but in practice, like many such ideals, is is not as viable as one would hope for, One huge advanage to multiple devices is they may be used simlutaniously.
If you want to cook fast go for a quality pressure cooker. If you want to cook slow go for a Sous Vide setup (which is resaonable pricewise with the new inexpensive cirulators.) Note, there is the added advantage of being able to vaccum seal food prepared in bulk for later reheating.
I'd recommend a good highend blender. Good knifes and a good board can do more than a food processor so you don't need one of those. Get a stand miixer only if you get serious about baking otherrwise buy an electric handmixer.
Some other needs are a roasting pan and rack, a half sheet pan, baking dishes, vaious sizes of sauce pans, a stock pot, a saute pan, a frying pan, a steamer insert, a thermopen thermometer (only time I'll recomend a specif brand,) a collander, a "potato" peeler, nixing bowls and cooling rack. Buy all metal pots so they can go into the oven and stick with all stainless steel (with the exception of any builtin bottom diffusor which contain other metals.) Note, rivets through to interior are a pain to clean so avoid them too.
Some disrecomendations are cast iron or mild steel and dutch ovens (I own one and it's the least practical and used thing I own.) Note, your microwave is a very practical device so keep it. If you want to go totally off the deep end both price and space wise a combi oven would satisfy your need for a diverse device and it also does things much better than a conventional oven which is why I "theoretically" recommend it.
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Nobody can give you the assurances you ask for.
Unpuffed bags are a good sign but no guarantee.
And there's more to worry about than botulism.
62 C for 12 hours probably killed everything.
Feel lucky?
I'm pretty sure it takes something like 10 minutes at 100C to degrade botulism toxin... ;-) Maybe he should make lamb stew???
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Sorry, this is a bit late for a "July" visit, but eating at The Restaurant at Meadowood in Saint Helena should be on your bucket list. This restaurant is considered by many as the best in the country.
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Oddly enough, modern pressure cookers require so little heat and vent so litte that they don't heat up the kitchen that much.
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I've been doiing a bunch of different things since I started using a pressure cooker at the beginning of the year. I posted a recipe for lamb shanks the other day because I thought the sauce was unique enough deserve passing on. I love how you can blast out veggies in 5 to 10 minutes. This means I use it for mashpotatoes every time I cook them. In 7 minutes brocolli is perfect for brocolli pesto where before it took almost an hour in a sauce pan and the results where not as good. Of the three major cookware purchases I made at about the same time (a Vitamix blender, a Dutch Oven and the Kuhn Rikon) the pressure cooker is by far the one that gets the most use.
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Maybe you need to just start a no tipping above %2 policy and just pay the servers fairly. After all, someboy that serves the most expensive thing on the menu doesn't really deserve more than someone that servers the cheapest thing if they take the same amount of effort on his/her part...
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The well know Michelin two star restaurant Manresa in Los Gatos suffered a two alarm fire early on the morning of July 7th. Though the roof of the building was damaged to the point where that part of the structure will need to be replaced, the interior and kitchen remain intact and only suffred smoke and water damage. Chef Kinch is hopeful for a speedy reopening and said "We will be back, hopefully better and stronger."
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A) 4 lbs lamb shanks (2 1arge) (trimmed)
B) 2 cups zinfandel
C) 5.4 oz onion coarsely cut
D) 3 g grapefruit peel zest
E) 4 tbs dried blueberries
F) high temperature oil1) cut D from fruit with potato peeler & poach twice for two minutes
2) brown A in F (discard F)
3) cook A...E 45 minutes in pressure cooker at two rings & use natural release
4) remove & cover A.
5) skim fat from B...E, blend & reduce by half.
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Good Balsamiic vinegar and EVOO never hurts anything
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That Sharp is still on their website.
I don't see how that Sharp looks more "decent" and more "amazing" than the Cuisinart. As a matter of fact, I've always thought Sharp should've stuck to TVs.
It's in the Sharp archive and if you try to click on find a retailer, you get nothing...
I'm just going by the reviews I read. The Sharp seemed to reviewers to be better that conventional convection ovens whereas the Cuisinart seems only to match them. This doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the Cuisineart Steamboy. I for one think it's pretty amazing that something that small can match a full sized oven and I suspect it's actually superior for reheating things.
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I've used an Iwatani tourch now for a couple of years and have not had any problems....
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Food mills are a classic kitchen device and I think every halfway decent kitchen should have one. They are very useful for purées and invaluable if you wish to separate out things like the skins and seeds from the product.
Can I successfully freeze hummus?
in Cooking
Posted
Actually I think I know how to pull it off... any gullible Billionaires out there??? 😄