Sam Fahey-Burke

Try switching to granulated sugar. A lot of powdered sugars have traces of starch in them to prevent caking, which can result in a stiff foam. Sam

Ribs must have gone off (rancid???) during cooking. This can happen if the meat isn’t fresh or has been handled improperly. If food smells bad coming out of the bag it should be discarded.

Hi matash, The bones are used to add body to the finished sauce, so there‚’s no need to caramelize them. The browned ground meat provides the caramelized meat flavor. Does that answer your question? Sam

Hi vinlo, It takes longer to cook in a jar because heat takes longer to penetrate glass than it does a vacuum bag. I recommend using the Modernist Cuisine at Home version (12 minutes in a jar), but bear in mind it will still need to be simmered a little with the mascarpone and butter when finished. Hope that answers your question! Sam

It‚’s unnecessary to freeze Garlic Confit. If it‚’s stored in a sealed container, it will keep for months in a refrigerator. Sam

Hi Alex, Unfortunately, we made those with the laser printer in our machine shop. You could look into having one custom made. Sam

Hi Adrian, 1. Stainless is better because it is nonreactive and holds up better in the dishwasher. 2. We use a bowl that is big enough to hold the strainer without any mesh overhanging the sides. Hope that helps! Sam

Any application that involves too much heat or exposure to moisture is going to cause the Pop Rocks to do their thing before you get a chance to eat the finished product. I would suggest incorporating them into a glaze or icing-type preparation that can then be applied to an already baked, cooled item. Sam

1) Yes. That is correct. 2) With only one charge, the foam will be very unstable, and it will likely seep out and quickly become liquid. I recommend using two charges.

Hi charles_brooker, The carotene butter is probably still emulsified. I would recommend gently heating it until it breaks and then chilling it again. Sam

Hello, Straining ensures a uniform texture, which is something we think is important. But if it’s not important to you, feel free to forgo that step. Unlike a similar recipe in Modernist Cuisine, this jus gras emulsion isn’t stable when reheated because it doesn’t use the same emulsifiers. If you aren’t very worried about aesthetics, you can reheat it and then hit it really hard with a hand blender. It’ll always look slightly “sweaty” but will still taste great. Sam

It will probably work if you cut the recipe in half and used a 1L siphon, but the sides of the siphon will get coated with the contents when you dispense it, so the final yield will be less than a halved recipe in a larger siphon. For best results, make sure to shake the siphon vigorously in between charges and to dispense its contents by holding it straight upside down. Sam

Yes, 0% steam is the correct setting.

Hi! I'm Sam, one of the developmental chefs at The Cooking Lab. I worked on both Modernist Cuisine and Modernist Cuisine at Home. Here are a few more answers to your questions. We use Reynolds brand for food service. It comes on a giant roll from restaurant supply stores and wholesale purveyors. The plastic wrap creates a perfectly flat surface, allowing heat to conduct evenly through the leaves. You definitely cannot substitute calcium citrate for sodium citrate. They are completely different products with their own uses. We get our containers at Fred Meyer, a local chain store. I think some models of the FoodSaver come with containers, too. Looks great! Classically, risotto recipes call for a 3:1 liquid-to-rice ratio. Because there is limited evaporation in a pressure cooker, you can use less liquid to cook the rice. Our ratios differ for each variation, but they are all around 2.5:1 I hope that helps. I'll try to come back and answer more questions later. Sam

Hi Victor, It was probably the temperature variation that made the difference. We use a professional chamber vacuum to seal everything very tightly before cooking. Over an 18-hour cook period, five degrees can make a big difference.

Hi Mikemac, I would use something that contains plenty of juice. For instance, I‚’ve had a carbonated greyhound that was really good. Sam

Hi CJM, Sorry for the late response, but it looks like everything went well for you! We‚’ve cut a lot of things with the laser. Things that are flat and thin tend to work best. We‚’ve made snowflakes out of brik pastry, and we‚’ve cut letters and numbers out of thinly sliced carrots and radishes. As Judy noted, Scott used the laser to etch a face onto an omelet sheet once, too. As a general rule, cook your foods after laser etching because doing so will help dissipate any burnt flavors. Sam

Hi CJM, Sorry for the late response, but it looks like everything went well for you! We‚’ve cut a lot of things with the laser. Things that are flat and thin tend to work best. We‚’ve made snowflakes out of brik pastry, and we‚’ve cut letters and numbers out of thinly sliced carrots and radishes. As Judy noted, Scott used the laser to etch a face onto an omelet sheet once, too. As a general rule, cook your foods after laser etching because doing so will help dissipate any burnt flavors. Sam

Hi smdb01us, That should work fine; we get ours from a hardware store.

When cooking a tender cut, I recommend cooking it to a core temperature, but not holding it there for hours because it will start to leak liquid. For a rib eye, 54°C will cook the steak to medium rare very consistently. For tough cuts, reference our Modernist Cuisine tables for many good options. For short ribs, I suggest starting with 62°C for 72 hours.

Hi miika, If the soup is too thin, I suggest adding more carotene butter.

altorg, We like both the 210 and 215 models.

Hi Kovbasa, To prevent a pressure cooker from burning your food, there are two fixes: 1. Use jars (this method is usually sufficient). Place a trivet in the bottom of the cooker, and add about 1/2 inch of water. Screw the lid of the jar on tightly, and then unscrew it about quarter of a turn. You can find more about this method on our garlic confit page: http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/garlic-confit/. 2. Use a heat diffuser (i.e., a big piece of heavy metal or a cast-iron pan) in between the burner and the bottom of the cooker.

Hi kreppart, Sweetened cranberry juice will carbonate fine, but we think it‚’s a little too sweet for this dish. Hope that helps! Sam

Hi skwasha, Any type of methylcellulose will work fine. Sam