Robenco15

Hi All, Just got some Fleur de Sel in the mail today. It came in a plastic bag in a burlap sack. Not so sure if that plastic bag is the best way to store it though and was curious how you store yours. I am aware of salt pigs, etc. and have an 8 oz. Le Creuset mini cocette for my next to the stove kosher salt, but since Fleur de Sel isn't something used in every dish and not as frequently as Kosher, didn't know if there was a better option. I assume keeping moisture out of it is a must and since it costs so much compared to typical salt I definitely want to treat it the best I can. Thank you!

Not a Vegan at all, but maybe there is some inspiration here?: http://www.chefsteps.com/projects/vegetable-demi-glace-recipe-development#/vegetable-glaze-r-d-v4

Bouchon. I haven't had Bourdain's, but I loved this one. I also didn't have all of the ingredients because of the snow storm. These included, short ribs (used chuck roast instead), pearl onions, garlic, and thyme. I also used More Than Gourmet beef stock, but obviously I would have preferred making my own. Not possible unfortunately. I probably was missing other stuff too. That being said, that fact that it came out as well as it did and how much I enjoyed it speaks to how good the recipe is. Really enjoyed making the wine reduction and doing the cheesecloth nest for the beef and refrigerating it for 24 hours and doing the garnishes separately. The only curious step was that I thought it was common practice to flour the beef before searing, but that didn't seemed to be called for here. Great recipe though. Can't wait to go back and do again with everything part of the recipe, including homemade stock.

So the recipes aren't very good/there isn't much to take away from them?

TK's Boeuf Bourguignon with what was available in the fridge. Have been snowed in the past two days.

Instead of creating a new topic, I figured I'd unearth this one. I have a good grasp on the science behind sous vide and the safety, etc. I'm not looking at this book as an intro. to sous vide or anything that I haven't already learned from Baldwin's stuff, Chefsteps.com, or this forum. I have used the sous vide method for a few months now and feel comfortable with it. I am a huge Thomas Keller fan and was interested in the recipes that are found in this book. I was curious as someone who is a dedicated home cook, comfortable with using scales, and uses an Anova immersion circulator. I have two concerns: 1. I don't have a chamber vacuum sealer. I use the water displacement method. Besides not being able to compress fruit, am I going to be able to do the other steps of the recipes? I understand that a lot of them call for liquid in the bag, which isn't a problem with the water displacement method, but I wasn't sure if I'd be missing out on other benefits (if they exist) of using a chamber vacuum sealer with liquids. 2. Is this book worth it for a home cook who has experience with sous vide? I have read that TK's temperatures aren't recommended, but I know enough to go off of what I prefer/learned. It is the other recipe ideas, techniques, and nuances I'm hoping to pick up. What do you think?

Got Daniel: My French Cuisine, Manresa, Le Pigeon, and 4 Seasons at Table no. 5. Really loved adding Daniel and 4 Seasons at Table No. 5 to my French rep. which already included Bras' Essential Cuisine, Astrance, The French Laundry, Les Halles, Ma Gastronomie, and Julia's Mastering the Art of..But perhaps my favorite surprise of christmas was Le Pigeon. Really enjoying it. And Manresa reminds me of The French Laundry Cookbook in its story and excellence of recipes. Really fantastic. But being inteoduced to Alleno's food and planning on cooking it and sourcing it all is incredible. I've decided I've reached a point where I don't need anymore more equipment or books and want to start spending money on the actual haute cuisine products available to me.

Oh, with the right apps, it could be! I'm finding some o yhe best apps are for ipads. Don't have one of those though...

Ha, I'm an elementary music teacher so 'tis the season to show the little kids The Nutcracker. The one I've been watching over and over is Baryshnikov's version on VHS. Really fantastic and if I didn't know who Baryshnikov was before, I definitely do now. I'm getting a Waring Xtreme Blender with variable speed control. Cannot. wait. Along with Alleno's 4 seasons at table No. 5, Manresa, Daniel, a cast iron skillet, and a bunch of other stuff. My favorite gift is the ones where I assess what I got and what I need to perfectly complement it all, and buy it myself. I'm thinking a #120 or #200 lab sieve. iPhone 5s, gold version, too, but that isn't cooking so who cares right?

Nothing very specific. I use my cloth strainers to further strain stock, make infused oils, and that is all I can think of now. I was just curious about the Chemex. Was wondering if they were something special that I should look at buying.

Sous vide? Grab that at Craft? Saw one there last week, looked fantastic.

Yeah I have reusable cloth strainers that I like, was just curious about these chemex filters. thought they did a better, but slower, job of straining things and depending on the application I'd be ok with that.

Hi All, So a quick question. I just learned about of Chemex and I see it seems to be a drip method of making coffee. I don't drink coffee. Probably never will. But I see the guys at chefsteps.com use the sheets to strain product. They always use it with the Chemex glass apparatus (carafe?). Can I just purchase the filters and then put them in a bowl strainer to strain things or do they need to be used in a very specific way? With the carafe? Do they need to be folded into a conical shape? Thank you!

Yeah I didn't notice, but that does kinda suck it doesn't do ounces. You can always convert I guess. ChefSteps allows you to edit their ingredient amounts in a recipe and then change back and forth between grams and ounces. That could be useful if they use a specific ingredient that you are using. And there is always google.

How about this one? http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-ACP-200-Digital/dp/B003STEIYY/ref=sr_sp-atf_image_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1387080265&sr=1-1&keywords=aws-200 I asked for it for xmas and found out about it through the ChefSteps.com team. They recommend the 100g model through their shop. If it is good enough for them it is good enough for me. But, unfortunately, I don't have any experience with it yet, sorry, but there are reviews!

Thank you! Feeling good. Definitely can't afford to get both and return one later. Plus, who knows if I'd be able to return it haha! Falk it is. And I learned an thing with those copper diffusers so good thread!

It's an idea. I'm probably going with Falk as that size is most ideal. Eventually will buy the smallest Matfer saucepan to have that really tiny option. Wouldn't mind hearing opinions of the falk ss interior though. I don't think I've been around long enough to understand that reference to another poster. Not trying to piss anyone off. That large diffuser plate is an ingenius idea though. Sounds like a solution to those long griddle burners I personally always felt were not the best use of space.

So can you use those large/longer copper diffusers as a warming station to keep things warm in their pan. Obviously the pans would have to be small enough but you could probably fit 3 or 4 pans on one large diffuser and keep them all warm. That is pretty cool.

I'm curious to hear how the stainless steel interior is different as I don't really know much about it besides it is brushed and different than the typical stainless steel interior of pans. Also whether it affects anything, good or bad. I'm not really worried about keeping copper pans shiny. And the falk is brushed so that should be very easy to keep up.

Analyze the heck out of it! You've got to live with your decision a lot longer than we do <LOL>. Hey, I do pretty much the same thing, and when I finally do make a decision, I'm much more likely to be happier and have a more suitable product than not. And everything I've taken careful time to decide upon, gives me pleasure every time I use it - every time! Yeah I've always analyzed larger purchases. I discovered forums at an early age and have used them relentlessly before I buy anything significant. I think the size of the Falk is perfect for what I want. The Matfer 1qt is apparently a 3/4 qt and that is too small. The next size up is a little over a quart and a half which is too big. The Falk at 1.37qts seems to be a great compromise. So for those of you that have Falk pans, what is that stainless steel interior like? Easy to clean? I don't know why it is so different than all of the other types of stainless lined copper pan. Does anyone have the stainless steel handles? I figure since they are the same price and the cast iron, and the cast iron will heat up much more than the stainless steel and apparently there is a danger of the cast iron rusting, why wouldn't I go with the stainless steel? Plus, the angle of the handle looks to be similar to the All Clad handles I have and like.

I agree! But I want what I want and like what I like. Back in October when I was in the Per Se kitchen they were all using All Clad (probably copper core but it was hard to tell). I'm sure there are many reasons for that, a lot of it being Thomas Keller's name and marketing, etc., but nonetheless they do use it. Which is unfortunate if it is copper core because that truly isn't giving them the benefits of copper anyway. But yes, I am well aware most restaurants use cheaper aluminum pans, and a great pan doesn't make me a better cook, but it is something I've always wanted and I'm comfortable spending my money how I want to.

I am definitely over analyzing it. When I prepare to spend over 200 dollars on a pan I tend to do a lot of research. I think what it is coming down to is the size and the matfer is either too small or too big and the Falk at 1.32 quarts seems to be just right. I'll take more opinions though!

I've read that the stainless is different than the typical stainless interior you'd find in an all clad or similar pan. It doesn't seem to be 18/10, or whatever the typical stainless steel is and it has a blueish gray color. I've also read and seen photos of the stainless steel interior with black spots all over it from someone who owned the pan. That is weird. I don't know how I feel about the stainless interior being brushed and I've read it is harder to clean than the normal stainless steel interior of most pans. Unfortunately all I have to go by are reviews of people who have owned them as I can't see them in person until I make a purchase. I understand there are a lot of positive reviews, but that is a negative that pops up from time to time. I also have read that the cast iron handle isn't exactly cast iron and rusts if you don't season it, but that doesn't both me as I would buy the stainless steel handle. So any information on that Matfer Bourgeat sauteuse? The previn website seems to list different dimensions in terms of volume size than other websites. They stand by them though so it is quite confusing.

Does anyone have any information or experience with this Matfer Bourgeat pan called a sauteuse? http://www.previninc.com/shop/Matfer-Bourgeat-Copper-Slanted-Sauteuses.html Is this just another name for a saucier? The picture is pretty terrible in terms of telling exactly what it is and I contacted the company and no other image is available. The 1qt is what I'm interested in as I don't want a 2qt saucier to go along with a 2qt saucepan I have. Smaller is better and 1qt should be good (compared to the 1.37qt I was looking at of the Falk). The Falk is more expensive and has a weird stainless steel interior that is worrying me, compared to the polished stainless steel of the Matfer. Thank you to anyone who has any information or experience with this type of sauteuse pan!

I have those same paper plates!