btbyrd

BSOAFP vs Wonder Bread.

There are smart ovens and there are toasters. The former might claim to be the latter, but I'm in the "it's best to have both" camp. I don't eat that much toast, so all I have is the BSOAFP. Its toast takes forever. It is uneven. It is acceptable.

My CCK vegetable cleaver is my go-to dicer.

Been doing a good amount tacos and fajitas recently. Got a tortilla press for Christmas and now I can consistently make pretty good ones in very little time. Keep an eye out for sales on Masienda’s masa at Whole Foods. Last night I grilled a NY strip steak. Tacos weren’t the original plan, but but dinned turned out great regardless. Some fajitas from last week.

That is absolutely stunning, Jo! I'd be cutting with that nakiri non-stop! Great looking handle too. Is that a 165 or a 180? You've gotta get a cutting board that's somewhere between cheap plastic and the soft "special occasion" feel of hinoki. There's no greater pleasure than putting really beautiful high end tools to use.

You have summoned this obligatory video on how to cut a tri-tip.

Get a butane burner and go outside. That’s what I do. The problem isn’t with you or your technique but with the inadequate ventilation in almost all home kitchens.

These are tacos filled with creamy poblano peppers, onions, and mushrooms. A hit with my wife, who is mostly vegetarian these days. Making your own tortillas is a real game changer. Masienda's masa harina is fantastic and produces tortillas more beautiful and flavorful than Maseca. You can get a fantastic Victoria brand cast iron tortilla press for like $25. I haven't started making flour tortillas yet, but you don't need a press for those. I ordered a small wooden rolling pin in anticipation. There are few things better in life than fresh flour tortillas. Or fresh corn tortillas. Fresh tortillas rock.

Perhaps the best resource I've found is Rick Bayless's "Taco Manual" series on YouTube. I just kind of watch them at random whenever there's a new one posted, but it's really upped my game. Here's the first video in the playlist:

I just want someone to give me 5 Staubs in various sizes. And let me pick the colors. Is that too much to ask? And Control Freak Home. And an ANOVA Precision Oven. And some silver lined copper. Or just some straight up silver pans. A set of silver pans in various sizes, please. An enormous Blue Star cook top with either the griddle or French top. An enormous hood that vents the cooktop and the pair of combi ovens that you've mounted in the wall. Makeup ventilation. Solar panels and a RO filter on all the water coming into the house. Carbonation on tap with an ice machine. A low speed rack/table to hold the Minipack vacuum machine. Low boys everywhere. Stainless everywhere. Finished concrete counters. Salmon leather magnetic strips for knife storage. Some new knives... someone get me a pair of rehandled, spa-d out Fujiwara Denka in 230 and 270mm please. And a Takeda Cleaver and some custom blades from Ben Kamon IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

Porcelain will stain and discolor over time. Much of it can be removed with Bar Keeper's Friend, but it's the sort of thing I only do once every few years. Some manufacturers (notably Staub) use dark porcelain on the interior of their pans. It does take some getting used to in terms of judging browning, but I like the look and it looks less "dirty" over time (even though it's the same amount of crustified).

If you're buying the small tubs for consumer use, the MTG stuff will last basically forever in your fridge. Like six months to a year. Just use clean utensils when you go in each time. If you wanted to freeze it in cubes, you could always dunk the bottom of the ice cube trays into warm water to help them release.

Yesterday I got dressed up and went grocery shopping. Then I came home, changed into my cooking clothes, and spent the rest of the day in my back yard because the weather was *perfect*. I got so much sun. Anyway, everything I cooked and prepped was done outdoors, and I did a lot of documenting. This was both an extravagant meal and a bulk prep session for future meals. We've now got protein and veg coming out of our ears. The menu was b 40oz porterhouse seared over binchotan charcoal, cooked again over wood coals on my gas grill, and finished in a low oven. Also some yakitori chicken. Grilled asparagus, red onion, eggplant, and purple cauliflower came to the party along with some binchotan roasted fennel bulbs that I cut up, tossed with charred fronds, and dressed with blood orange and lemon juice, olive oil, and some cilantro/mint. There was a classic arugula salad with shaved parm, lemon juice, and olive oil. And a cilantro yogurt sauce I got from Jean-Georges. It was stupid you guys. A bit of the grilling experience: So stupid.

Just preheat it longer. Breville’s smart ovens are real dumb about thinking they’re up to temp. They just lie about it.

If you could deep fry them in schmaltz, that’d be winning. I’d salt them and put them on a rack in the fridge overnight, pop them in the freezer for like 15 minutes and then deep fry as your pre sear. You don’t get a pan sauce, but the uniformity of the sear is superior and there’s less worry about overcooking. You could even shock them in an ice bath after frying and quickly blot them dry.