radtek

As I suspected we won't be seeing it on PBS either. Philistines! I'll get it some other way. If someone finds a weblink please chime in...

Oh I was gritting my teeth reading this thread remembering all the similar experiences I've had- one more reason to leave the biz... My observation is those who walk in and order off the menu or make ridiculous demands for substitutions are people who eat out nearly every meal and have an inflated sense of entitlement. These types have little idea what it actually takes to prepare, cook or serve food. I have witnessed this time and time again with friends and family. I've cringed at the behavior of people who think everyone must accede to their demands and make such a fuss it ruins the entire experience for everybody- except the guilty party. This was their ultimate goal in the first place. It struck me that my own reasons for eating out are to enjoy what the restaurant provides. If I really wanted something different I would cook it myself. Not above ordering my King Pao chicken extra spicy or with extra peanuts but I don't believe this is a major departure. If a person has dietary restrictions then eating out is probably a bad Idea in the first place. Going to and eating at a restaurant is not a "right" but a privilege worth paying for. The whole point is to eat their food as it is served not altered as one thinks it should be. I for one would relish the chef or owner telling a demandingly difficult customer "to get out" regardless if it was $5 a plate or $500. And I have seen it happen. These types fortunately do not form the basis of an establishments clientel. They rarely tip well and everyone seems to suffer from the exposure to this type of customer. I am not scared of these people and would eagerly tell them I do not want their business and to please not return. It's just a matter of "don't worry about the bill please leave or I will call the police..." As far as the service dogs go I have experienced this. Seemed to me that it was the trainers who relished the aspect of "the confrontation" and looked forward to aggressively putting the employee/manager/owner in "their place" when questioned about the animal. I also would try to accommodate the truly disabled but not if it would inconvenience other customers in such a way they their experience was compromised. Rare but it does happen. For example: just because someone is in a wheelchair doesn't mean they aren't an asshole and get to treat those around them aggressively or rudely. If I were to open an establishment it would be named "Submission" with a big sign by the front door: "Welcome! No ordering off the menu and no substitutions- if you don't like our food go somewhere else! We reserve the right to refuse service."

Perhaps John Besh? His Lüke restaurant here hasn't been communicated well to me by my friends. It's easy to lose your edge in this business and if the chef/owner isn't ALWAYS around to make sure things are up to par you start to see a slide no matter how talented the Exec is. AT that point they're just cooking his food. But I also think there is the "jaded" aspect to it as well. That is why I try to patronize my long-time favorites infrequently and do my own cooking. If I go too often the dishes and service just don't seem as good as my memory serves. Familiarity breeds contempt.

^^^^whew! I've suffered some painful injuries in the kitchen- serious burns on scarcely healed burns, cuts etc. Two experiences stay with me though: one was a "pickle bucket" opening incident while demonstrating to a trainee that left me with 8 stitches to the webbing between my left hand's #1 digits and the other when a rocks' glass decided to crumble in my left hand while polishing during the height of the rush. Both sent me to the ER. I was back serving drinks one handed an hour later. Oh and the boxer's fracture to the distal Rt #5 MC during a Cowboy's game. Hard to slap pizza with one good hand though I tried at first. That one took me out of work for weeks and I still feel it sometimes.

lol... One of my favorite knives is an 8" Chef's I bought at the local grocer for $8 last year... Basically indistinguishable from my Henckel International Fine Edge Pro knives but possibly containing more carbon. Once I put a little elbow into the sharpening it developed the hair shaving razor edge I was looking for. This is the same knife compared to what was available for 4 times the price 6 years ago. I figure the same forging process/factory(ies) just Chinese steel not imported German recipe. This would have been unheard of 20 years ago. I was given the opportunity to take my recently dear departed parents 40yo Chicago ground edge knives last week and even sentimentality couldn't convince me to take keep them. Times have changed folks.

I agree but Love could have avoided being such a smart-ass. It is apparent to me they eliminated him solely on this aspect. That being said Faulkner ought to do well and she nearly beat Zakarian in the last series- lost by the slimmest hair.

Wow that is a first for me. If the USDA and the CDC and FDA say toxin infected food is safe after boiling for ten minutes who am I to argue? I must say that on "ehow" the info is contradictory, which I was glad not to see in the govt websites: From the FDA: I for one- if there suspicion of botulism toxin presence in any food due to observable signs i.e. wrong pH, poor preparation/treatment or bulging lids/cans it's going in the trash. When in doubt toss it out!

I've seen this problem in other BBQ joints. They aren't actually busy enough to serve the que as it comes ready or rides in a holding pattern. Too many pull yesterday's or even older out of the cooler/fridge and reheat. Doesn't mean it isn't tasty- just not what most folks are looking for. At home I'll do this but that's at home... I say if you can't get behind the food and philosophy it is time to move on. Sounds like you are coming to this realization... and are having trouble letting go. Job's a job and there are plenty out there.

Once present the toxin cannot be removed or destroyed by boiling or pressure cooker temps. The primary reason for pressure canning is to kill the spores of Clostridium botulinum before they can start to spread. The toxin is the by-product much as alcohol is the by-product of yeast. So are gasses. Sustained temperatures above 212F will destroy the spores. Simple boiling will not accomplish this even if it was for hours- which I may add would ruin your canned goods. Clostridium botulinum is nothing to fool with since it is present in almost everything including meat. Normally it isn't an issue but canning in particular creates the perfect environment for the spores to grow and multiply- specifically if the pH isn't low enough (below 5.0 at least!) and if the temperature was not raised above boiling somewhere around 230F for at least 15 minutes. They like an airless, neutral warm environment which a canned good provides if proper measures are not taken.

I have a hard time believing that a laceration to the "bone" healed in less than 24 hours no matter how sharp the blade was. It is easy to misperceive anatomy and fingers are quite complex. My instinct is that you cut to the lowest level of your skin which is very thick in the area of the hands and one's fingers in particular. I cut the top side of the intermediate phalanx of my left middle finger straight down the middle, from knuckle to knuckle. There isn't much there and the skin is fairly thin. Quite possibly you saw tendon and or fascia if you saw something white- when the skin splays open this is usually what you'll see. Bone doesn't appear white but a deep dark red. All very vascular. Luckily you did not require the services of a hand surgeon to fix a serious problem! I too have been seeing inexpensive ceramic knives at the discount hardware stores. May be time to start experimenting with one...

I have a hard time believing that a laceration to the "bone" healed in less than 24 hours no matter how sharp the blade was. It is easy to misperceive anatomy and fingers are quite complex. My instinct is that you cut to the lowest level of your skin which is very thick in the area of the hands and one's fingers in particular.

Boiling takes care of everything except Clostridium botulinum. If the lids are puffed up then they definitely are not safe. Perhaps the tomatoes are acidic enough. Open a jar and test with a pH strip or meter. That should give you the proper information. Out of the range toss.

Too long and you'll go past extracting vegetable flavors and go into the realm of vegetal flavor which is pretty undesirable. Imagine what broccoli and cauliflower cooked to mushlike consistency tastes like- that's vegetal.

LOL I have a few of those around the house! A fantastic idea! I keep 5 gallon stainless steel cornelius kegs around for beer and they are awesome for storing clean water. Many homebrewers in Sandy's path were filling these up in anticipation of the loss of drinking and cooking water.

I'm curious to know what your son's current course of study is. Having got into college he must have had decent scores. Regardless, work experience and some food and beverage/managerial courses does go a long way. I'm a big supporter of the didactic experience balanced by the practical side. Many grow and progress through OJT but I think it's harder and takes longer. Plus you need someone to actually take you under their wing, to promote and nurture. My brother despite a PLM business degree went into hospitality management after working as a waiter and bartender throughout university and beyond. He's been in management without formal education in the area for the bulk of that time and now well into his 50's has recently passed his Sommelier exam. He has been solely on the beverage side for at least 12 years with a great deal of responsibility involving many locations, employees and millions of dollars worth of liquor, beer and wine. So it can work both ways. After holding almost every position front and back of the house I rose to the position of General Manager (serious headache) at the age of 21. Earned two different degrees since then; frustrated got out of the biz after 20 years and went into the medical field. Talk about the proverbial pan and fire!

I'm sure you are absolutely correct! I saw no signs of fermentation which would be a major signal of anything growing. Still, when in doubt- toss it out!

There are "poaching pans" that will deliver perfectly poached eggs every time. My Cordon-Blue trained mother- god bless her- did them this way when I was a child and until my 30's never saw them done freestyle until my experiences in fine dining. What I did see then was a lot of wasted egg due to unskilled or just plain lackadaisical treatment of the poaching process. I think egg-rings in some shallow simmering water would aid most folks and deliver consistently poached eggs without waste and just the right size for English muffins.

To report back I just opened the package of confit and gave it the sniff test. It wasn't foul or rotten at all but the fat smelled slightly rancid so it went right into the trash. I'm sure the confit was safe to eat but the quality was shot. What I've taken from this is that if an item is preserved the quality can suffer even if it stays cold for years at a time. Most likely the years of light exposure from opening the door and any oxygen permeating the vacuum sealed bag contributed to the fat turning rancid. Perhaps in a light proof can it would have survived but who can say for sure.

I can get them really cheap but the fragility automatically rules them out. While wishing it were otherwise the kitchen is just not the place for ceramic knives until they will be able to withstand the abuse a traditional metal knife does. My impression is that they were originally touted as never needing sharpening but found this to be hardly credible. Not needed probably because they would break before needing sharpening! Good to hear someone with experience.

I wonder what happened to dear poor old chappie? He never reported back...

I drank some lackluster Paulaner Hefe and Oktoberfest on draft at the Wurz-fest at New Braunfels. Some Lindemans Peche and also a Chapeau Kriek today with some Shin Ramyun for a late lunch. Both excellent. Finished the evening off with several goblets of some of my homebrew 55 ibu IPA. Dangerous having a keg just sitting there...

I've seen and experienced it. Not sure I care for head in the bottle as you really don't get to appreciate the aroma that much. IMO it's usually a result of a combination of overcarbonation, poor handling and improperly chilled beer.

It's good to see all the passionate and informed- no, expert replies in this thread. I bought my first PC from walmart about 8 years ago for $16. It was an aluminum T-fal 4qt jiggle-top. Fantastic for the impoverished college student! It was worn out due to abuse by rapping metal spoons against the lip and marring the edge and went into the recycle bin. The replacement was another walmart aluminum 6qt two handle jiggle-top that served me less than 2 years before upgrading to a 6qt all steel Fagor Rapida Express. I still have that last 6qt waiting to be pressed into service if the need should arise! The steel construction of the Spanish-made Fagor was a big seller for me and the 20% off coupon from BB&E brought it into my price-range. IIRC it cost me around $35 after taxes. I'd like to make some points that I don't think have been really touched upon but that are important- especially for the entry level pressure-cooker cook: 1. Be gentle with your spoons, spatulas etc. It's ridiculous to ruin such a great tool by being careless and rough with the sealing surface. Particularly with steel. 2. Keep the gasket clean and dampen it before placing the lid on. As the rubber ages it gets stiffer and the water helps a great deal achieving in a seal without the need for pressing on the lid, gripping the handle, etc... 3. The life of the gasket will be shortened by cranking on the heat and keeping it that way throughout the cooking period. Again once reaching pressure reduce to a gentle hiss... 4. The degree of flame/heat you will need to bring up to pressure and maintain that gentle hiss be it jiggle-top or more modern venting depends on how much liquid and food is in the cooker. More food and liquid obviously needs more heat. This will become second-nature after developing a feel for one's particular model. Overload a PC and you will have problems. Most likely ruined food. Furthermore, the difference between the steel and the aluminum is vast. The Fagor still looks nearly brand-new while the aluminum looks pretty shabby fairly quickly. That being said don't wait to buy if you can only afford the least expensive jiggle-top. Upgrades will come in time but the experience and pleasure should be come sooner rather than later! I just love doing short ribs in less than 25 minutes. I don't even bother to brown them any more.

Such a great thread! It's cooling down here but probably not like the rest of you guys are experiencing. I may just wait till April to start this process. Anyway, my understanding is that the mold(s) are needed for their enzymatic actions upon the complex sugars in the soybeans so that they can then be fermented properly as mono and disaccharides. Obviously one could use enzymes such as present in beano or the like, however loss of complex flavor will most likely result. There is a reason for the lengthy process and the difference between quality and cheap mass produced soy-sauce. Off the top of my head I seem to remember that barley is present in Miso so the use of ground barley malt would also lend the enzymatic effects at extremely warm temps- perhaps speeding up the entire process or circumventing the absolute need for aspergillus for saccharification. However, my thoughts are that the two enzymatic actions harmonize and complement each other. It'll be difficult to avoid fungi in this process as it will naturally occur. Since I have plenty of barley malt on hand I will forego the wheat flour and use my own ground malt flour instead.

Was it kept in a cool dark place? If so and no weevils it's probably just ok to use- maybe for a bunch of pasta or heavily flavored muffins. If it was exposed to light and/or warm temps such as the top of the fridge then it'll be rancid most likely after a year. One can keep it in the freezer or fridge if sealed up really well so it doesn't pick up any flavors from these areas. Times are hard but ultimately flour is inexpensive so might be a good idea to toss it.