Ozcook

Okay, that worked. Never seen the lightswitch b4. Formatting clearly working now. Thanks.

I use Firefox. I have found with the upgrade I can't use any of the formatting tools in a post. They are all greyed out.

Pork Belly Adobo I tried this recipe last night. Unfortunately I found it unbearably salty so I had to throw it out. I measured everything to the gram. If I make it again I will halve the soy and fish sauce and substitute water.

Have you tried Esquire in Eagle Street? www.esquire.net.au

I haven't read the Amazon reviews of the AWS, but I am guessing it is still more accurate than eyeballing a fraction of a teaspoon.

I use this one (http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Signature-Series-Digital/dp/B002SC3LLS)

My technique is different to the common method. I put the sauce ingredients (e.g. soy, oyster, rice wine) and the aromatics (e.g. ginger, garlic, shallott) into a small bowl and combine. I microwave the vegetables. I dry the meat with paper towel before slicing it into strips. I get a wide, heavy based pan screaming hot. I add the oil (ghee, coconut, or rice bran) which will smoke immediately. I then add the meat strips and evenly distribute them in the pan, pressing them down a little (but not stirring). I wait for about 10-15 seconds or so before I begin stirring the meat. Any sooner than that and there is a risk some of the meat will stick. I then quickly stir the meat for a few seconds until it is nearly cooked. I drop the heat to medium and add the sauce/aromatics. The lower temp combined with the sauce drops the temp fast, allowing a little braising. I give the sauce/aromatics enough time for the aromatics to cook - maybe 30 seconds or a little longer. The I add the vegetables, up the temp, and quickly combine. I find that using this method, I don't have burnt aromatics, burnt vegetables or tough meat. I should add that I use an induction cooktop that instantly alters the heat output. Although I use a heavy base pan, I don't think it would retain the heat as much as a heavy cast iron wok, so I am not sure if this method would work as well with your wok.

That's a good point. If the OP's friend suddenly has to cook low carb 24/7 then simple recipes are needed far more than gourmet creations. A sous-vide would be very useful, as would a good pressure cooker.

I have found some very good recipes in the Dana Carpender books (along with the dross). I often modify the recipes to lower the sweetness or the quantity of dressing as the originals are, to my taste, way too sweet or the salads way overdressed.

The Heston recipe didn't work for me. I just ended up with pork bits tougher than rock candy. I would love an alternative method.

Has anyone figured this out yet? Is there a brand of plastic wrap that has successfully been used to fry herbs without melting? MelissaH How about this: http://www.amazon.com/Mastrad-A64501-Top-Chips-Maker/dp/B004Z762VA I use it to make vegetable chips. I can't see why it wouldn't work for herbs.

I have 2 questions that have been bugging me: (1) Sous-Vide and shelf life. If I buy some vacuum packed meat (tenderloin, lamb shanks, whatever) that has a use-by date 2 months ahead and I sous-vide the meat to pasteurization, quick chill it in an ice bath and put it in the refrigerator, all the sous-vide books I have read say the meat should be consumed within a week or frozen. Why should the use-by date of the meat be so drastically shortened compared to the raw meat I started with when both are vacuum packed? (2) Temperature and tenderness My recollection is that meat cooked to a temp above about 185F starts to lose moisture (and tenderness) as the water is forced out of the meat, which is why it is not a good idea to make a stew at a rolling boil (212F). That being so, why do stews made in a pressure cooker at 250F come out tender? Applying the stated principle, the stew should be like concrete. Why is it so?