btbyrd

Haven't tried that recipe, but Modernist Pantry ships anywhere in the world and can supply all your magic powder needs.

I order spirits neat occasionally and haven't had a problem with being understood. But I'm usually doing it at places with well-trained staff. I am a firm believer that a splash of water can open up a spirit and make its subtleties become more apparent. On our first stop touring the bourbon trail, my wife and I visited Heaven Hill in Bardstown. After completing their tour, we did a complimentary tasting where we were offered, among other things, some 18 year old Elijah Craig. It was served alongside a small dropper bottle of water. We were instructed to smell and taste the bourbon neat, then to add a few drops of water to the glass and nose/taste again. The difference between "before" and "after" was not small; the aroma, taste, and overall flavor were much enhanced by the addition of a small amount of water -- not enough to dilute things, but enough to wake up the spirit. I don't know the chemistry of why this happens, but it's undeniable. My usual drink at home is booze in a glass with ice. Not a lot of ice, but I do like a cube or two to chill things down slightly and tame the burn -- if I'm going to be having more than one, that is. I also don't tend to put ice in anything that costs more than $35 or so -- with the possible exception of some barrel strength stuff, and then only on occasion. In the expensive stuff, a drop or two of water is all I add. Unless it's the summer time. Or I just feel like it. I have no principles.

Made some mashed potatoes tonight and remembered another Foley tool that I'd forgotten about. Not a masher, but I'm hoping that my mentioning it in this thread won't be unwelcome. It's a "kettle draining device" (according to the patent) or "pot strainer" (as I call it). It keeps your potatoes (or pasta or whatever) in the pot but lets the boiling water out. I got it as a bonus when I bought a different Foley fork on eBay (with the same green handle as this strainer) that I gifted to a friend. The strainer/drainer takes up a lot of space in a drawer, but it hangs nicely alongside my other hanging kitchen tools. Not a necessity, but I do use frequently when I make mashed potatoes. And sometimes making pasta. Saves the trouble of washing a colander. Mipples. Minn.

Jon is the best. And his sharpening tutorial videos on YouTube are fantastic. And speaking of sharpening, his sharpening supplies (stones and whatnot) are also excellent. JKI’s customer service is some of the best in the business.

The angle of the "bowl" of the fork makes mashing easier than you might expect by looking at pictures. I use it more as a masher than a whipper (at least with potatoes). Really it's more of a "mash then stir, mash then stir" sort of situation. I found an episode of The French Chef online where Julia uses the fork to mash potatoes, so you can sort of see the technique. It starts around 10:40 into The Potato Episode. Maybe I'll make a YouTube video one day.

The Otto Wilde grill is the closes thing to a commercial broiler for home use that I know of. Booker and Dax are working on a broiler version of the Searzall. It’s still a ways off and think it will likely be for outdoor use only, but it will deliver a restaurant quality intense broil. These are so much more powerful than the broilers in 1800W countertop ovens (and even most full sized home ovens) that they’re altogether different animals.

I used my trusty old No. 27 to sear off some steak for lunch. There's some video in this Instagram post if you scroll over a couple pictures. I think the big paella is my favorite pan. Here it is alongside the No. 27 making some fried chicken. And here it is roasting some veg underneath a chicken. I use it all the time.

Wagyu Wednesday. Epic Darto sear. Warm pink center. There’s video of the sear on my Instagram page. Darto always delivers. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW8vLUcJLf4/

My fork is kind of bowl shaped, so the tines easily sit flattish (remember, they’re wonky) against the bottom of a pot or bowl.

It's roughly 10.25 inches long and the tines are roughly 2.25 inches long.

Growing up, mashed potatoes were one of my favorite foods. In the winter, my grandmother would serve them as an entree with hamburger gravy. Simple but delicious. The somewhat sad fact is that my mother and both of my grandmothers only ever used instant potato flakes to prepare mashed potatoes. Potato flakes are a fine product, and I keep them around for various purposes even today. One of their virtues is that they effortlessly deliver a super smooth, creamy mash. But given my early life experiences, I have come to associate super smooth potatoes with lower-quality instant product. Which is to say, I generally prefer somewhat lumpy potatoes -- small chunks of potato suspended in a continuous phase of buttery smooth potato. I have definitely passed my fair share of riced potatoes through a tamis (usually combined with half their weight in butter, a la Robuchon) and while that's delicious, if I'm making mashed potatoes to go alongside a roast chicken or meatloaf or whatever -- it's rustic lumpy goodness all the way. Which is where my fork comes in. My preferred masher is a Foley fork. I first learned of the Foley fork from Julia Child, who used it to make mashed potatoes and guacamole. It's perfect for those tasks. (Julia also used a ricer and even a Kitchenaid stand mixer with a whisk attachment to make mashed potatoes -- there are many paths to deliciousness.) These were made by the now defunct Foley corporation of Minneapolis Minnesota. You can find them on eBay or Etsy or just keep your eyes open at thrift stores and antique malls. They're relatively inexpensive and make good gifts. There are modern knockoff versions, but I've never used one so I can't personally recommend them. This particular model was well used before coming into my life, as is evidenced by the state of the handle. It was originally painted bright red, but that's now just a ruddy tint over visible wood grain. I personally like that kind of patina on vintage kitchen gadgets. Anyway, what sets this fork apart are that the tines are gently curved. Not only that, but they're all kinda janky and uneven with each other. This is intentional, as the minor imperfections facilitate mixing and mashing. Janky tines -- they get the job done! If you want things smooth, you can smash all the lumps you want with this fork, but it's not overly aggressive so you can ease off before you're hitting smooth puree territory. Nice for lumpier mash, perfect for guac. I also use it to beat scrambled eggs and flip proteins in pans. It also brings batters together pretty well without working them too hard. It's wisklike but doesn't carry the risk of incorporating a bunch of air (unless you really want it to). Sometimes I cook my mashed potatoes sous vide, rice them, and pass them through a tamis. Sometimes I use an Oxo masher with holes that delivers a less labor intensive lump-free result. But most of the time, I just reach for the Foley fork. Unlike those other tools, it's always at hand.

Happy holidays everyone! Disgraceful.

To echo what has already been said, if you're using a venting pressure cooker all that's required is a low hiss. If you're using a non-venting cooker like a Kuhn Rikon, just check to see what bar/line you're at on the pressure indicator. If you hear hissing on those cookers, you're overpressurized and it's venting through a safety valve. Check the manual on your Alto. But no matter what, it shouldn't be hissing full blast.

Toast?

The APO is 15% off ($509) as an early Black Friday deal.

Or meatballs. Or chicken/veal parm or whatever. Or gringofied low-brow spaghetti with red sauce topped with garbage low moisture shreds. Also good for cheesed-out garlic bread. I haven't used one and infrared broilers are much better than lower-end ones. But the Searzall is better than the broilers on any of the mid-tier electric and gas ranges I've used, and there are certain applications (like searing foie gras) where I'm doubtful any standard broiler could replicate the Searzall's results. And having that power in the palm of your hand is something special compared to conventional broilers. It's a much more precise tool for delivering heat where you want it (and none where you don't).

Do it! The cheese melting is so satisfying. My wife, who is a good cook but not really a gadget gal, gets into it without hesitation and Searzalls her burger cheese and breakfast sandwiches with gusto. Also good for shredded mozzarella over pasta. The palladium coated screens don't burn out. And I'm still running my original set of non-coated screens after six years and they show no signs of burning out. I do have a spare set, just in case. In the event that there are problems changing screens, the Booker and Dax support crew is very good. cdh on eGullet had problems with the screws and sent it in for repair and Dave fixed it for him.

I just wanted to bump this thread to ask those who have Chef's Presses what size they like (if they have used multiple sizes). I'm going to put these on my wishlist for Christmas, since they're kind of inexpensive (for a gift, anyway) and I'm hard to shop for. I was thinking about getting two 8oz and two 13oz ones, but I don't know if the "mix and match" approach is best.

They seem stupid to me. What's the draw?

RTG is legit. They've got the largest selection of tinned fish anywhere, and Dan provides fantastic customer service. He always lets you know about the shipping situation -- what box they're using and why -- so you'll know that they're not trying to make money by overcharging on postage. Dan is also very active over on the tinned fish area of Reddit. Each tin comes wrapped in paper, so it's kind of like Christmas when your order shows up. Their prices are pretty good, but the selection is the real draw; if you've ever wanted to try a $50 Michelin starred can of fish, RTG has you covered. I also like buying from TinCanFish.com -- especially the spicy mackerel from Minerva (which I eat a couple times a week). My other go-to tins of non-tuna are the Matiz spicy sardines (which I get on sale at Fresh Market for $3/can) and the spicy Nuri sardines (which I get from World Market whenever they have a sale). Amazon, horror of horrors, also has a pretty good selection, though many are through third-party vendors like Caputo's Market. If you're an enthusiast of canned fish but don't know what to try next, I highly suggest checking out the Canned Fish Files with Matthew Carlson over on YouTube. Just a nice fellow eating fish with chopsticks and letting you know what they're like. He even has a RTG unboxing video. Anyway, here's a random recent video of his comparing standard Ortiz tuna (my favorite) with their ventresca. RTG is the source of Matt's "Another Fish Conquered!" poster. I have one on my fridge. And for a more surreal and more disgusting take on Ortiz, there's always Slow Jabroni. Fishfluencers are real, y'all.

Greetings! I had some memorable meals in Zagreb when I visited once for a conference. There's some lovely food and wine there. If I ever get the chance to go again, I hope to visit the coast.

We use ours all the time to melt cheese, a task at which it is truly unsurpassed in my kitchen. We have a decent electric range and a toaster oven that both have broilers, and the Searzall craps all over them. That's about all we use it for, as we have multiple other ways to sear. I also don't tend to cook steaks sous vide. But if I did, and I lived in an apartment with no high output heat source and no ventilation, I'd use it all the time. If I could snap my fingers and turn my V1 into a V2, I certainly would. The palladium coated screens aren't BS -- the very first version of the screens didn't have that coating and could burn out during heavy use. They figured that out and shipped new screens though. Having an extra internal screen to spread out the flame more in the pro seems like a real improvement. Dancing cheese: http://www.instagram.com/tv/BwBEcfBAIIk/ http://www.instagram.com/p/CS7fAGIpaDa/ I take a little longer than is really necessary in the second video because I was focused on the camera and because the cheese slices were so thick.

I'd toss it. Per Doug Baldwin:

Some nice ones in this thread. Here are my chef knives: From left to right: 300mm XL Takeda gyuto (Monster cutter, cabbage/watermelon slayer, slicer, stays sharp forever. An orca: the apex predator of my kitchen.) 11" vintage carbon K-Sabatier (Classic) 270mm Sukenari ZDP-189 with amboyna/horn handle (most beautiful, versatile midweight grind) 240mm Yoshihiro k-tip gyuto (super flat profile, like a super long nakiri with an awesome tip, great for chopping greens, also works well as a yanagi for slicing raw fish) 240mm Anryu 240 with buckeye burl/horn handle (workhorse. great on dense root veg. lovely steel) Beral/K-Sab "bread" chef's knife. (Kind of a novelty, but sort of fun to use. I don't have a high-end serrated knife, and this is closest. Breaks through crust and slices the crumb smoothly) 210mm small Takeda gyuto - (The only "santoku" I have. Nice and tall, not 300mm long. Great food release. Nice steel) 210mm Anryu (My kitchen workhorse. Most of these knives are stored in a bag or roll, mostly because they're too long to fit in my knife block. This one isn't.) 210 Takamura R2 (Classic Laser. One of my few fully stainless knives. Very thin.) 8" Z-Kramer Carbon (Thinned by Japanese Knife Imports, it's scary thin. Ghosts through everything. Best tip out of all of them. Sharpens amazingly well. I wish it was longer, but you can't have everything) Monster Takeda: Anryu family portrait:

I have no first-hand experience, but on an old episode of Cooking Issues they mentioned that commercial induction wok burners can be pretty righteous. The Museum of Food and Drink was doing an exhibit called "Chow: Making The Chinese American Restaurant" and they couldn't use gas in the space so were forced to use induction. Some of the Chinese chefs saw what they'd be cooking on, and being used to high powered gas burners, they raised their eyebrows in suspicion. The chefs changed their tune as soon as they started using the burners. They could apparently take the wok from cold to cherry red hot in no time. This is just an anecdote as reported on a radio show, but that story stuck with me as I was doing research on wok burners at the time. From photos of the MOFAD event, it looks like they were using Garland units.