jackal10

Err...there are two separate things going on in sous vide cooking. The cooking is long time low temperature, but at atmospheric pressure, or near enough, The vacuum bagging is to keep the food sealed, in contact with whatever sauce and stop it drying out. The bag also separates the food from the cooker medium, often a water bath which is a convenient way to accurately control the temperature. Some claim the vacuum opens the pores of the food and permits greater penetration of marianade, sauce or whatever, but I have my doubts. I doubt if cooking freeze dried foods will have much effect, until you get to temperatures where they burn and char. Most cooking reactions need to include water. The cell structures of freeze dried foods are already fairly disrupted, - rehydrate a piece of freeze dried steak, and you don't get back a raw juicy ribeye, alas - its more like beef jerky.

Vichysoisse was first served and named by Lois Diat, chef of the Ritz Carlton New York around 1917. Many web pages, for example: http://www.metnews.com/articles/2005/reminiscing061605.htm

Scorzonera. Often seen in seed catalogues, but never grown. Cardoon. Lovely - use the blanched stems http://www.vidaverde.co.uk/ lots of unusual varieties Chiltern Seeds have Skirret http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/...skirret&cid=211

Actually Chicken Tikka and other Tandoor cooked foods are some of the more honest and authentic imports, given that most Curries are anglo-indian inventions, just as Chop Suey and Vichysoisse are of US origin. Yes the UK has a down-market convenience food culture, especial for children's foods, such as the "turkey twizzlers" that JO campaigns against, often driven by big food company advertising. Until quite recently, and certainly while I was growing up Olive Oil, for example was virtually unknown, or obtained only for medical use. Elizabeth David (of blessed memory) was one of the ground breakers, as was increased foreign travel. Now there are very few foods not available year round, and of reasonable quality, from the nearest supermarket. Maybe not truffles, but certainly truffle oil, and not just one but many varieties of Olive oil, However I think the point about the scarcity of fresh vegetables in winter the frozen north is a good one. On those grounds Canada should also have a tinned food culture, but doesn't seem to, at least not to the same extent. It also doesn't explain the jello ring...

Just what is it that many of us find so offensive about some of these foods? I'd be really interested in the social history of, say, the Jello salad, or the green bean casserole. How did these get into the culture, since we now agree they (mostly) taste awful. Maybe this spins out a separate thread. I think there are several issues: a) The use of a manufactured product where fresh are available, often better, cheaper and with no more hassle. Canned green beans, for example. Kool whip instead of cream. Margarine instead of butter. It may have been that there was a time when that was all there was available, but not now. It must also be derived from a fairly specific social environment. I'm not enough of a social historian to be specific, and I guess there will be some on this list who can correct me, however before, say, 1940 the beans would be home grown, and possibly salted or otherwise home preserved, and after, say 1980 distribution will have improved to ensure frozen or even fresh beans are as far as your nearest supermarket. There is a fine tradition of excellent "peasant" food that has been supplanted - poor people have cooked delicious things from their own produce the world over. Where did this notion that manufactured food is somehow better? Was it a cynical promotion by the big food companies? b) Nutritional values. Vegetables cooked until soggy and grey sadden partly for this reason. Its only quite recently that we have started worrying about the nutritional value of the food we eat. Partly its because we can now afford to, and partly its increased knowledge. That in turn derived from WWII research into feeding the population. c) Travesty. Another thing that rankles is that the food is a travesty of what, perhaps, was once a great dish. Most dishes can be traced back to a court or a grand restaurant or patron, that then were adapted by cooks, and spread by migration, and later by books and newspapers and the like. Seafood in aspic, or seafood mousse served cold and jellied has a long tradition - for example jellied eels, or even gefilte fish, and can be delicious. I've not tracked down how that evolved to a jello ring, and thence to jello salads, but I feel the ring shape is significant. Why is it almost always a ring? Green or French beans date from about the 18th century. Before that only the seeds were eaten, not the green pods. Often they were just dressed with butter. I have a copy of John Farley's "London Art of Cookery" of (my copy is 1796) where he gives a recipe for "French Beans ragooed" . The recipe could be made today, except I would use less nutmeg. "Put into the pan a quarter of of a pint of hot water and let it boil. Take a quarter of a pound of fresh butter rolled in a little flour, two spoonfuls of ketchup, a spoonful of mushroom pickle, four spoonfuls of white wine, an onion stuck with six cloves, two or three blades of mace, half a nutmeg grated and a little pepper and salt. Stir all together for a few minutes then throw in the beans (quarter of a peck boiled). Shake the pan for a minute or two, take out the onion, and pour into your dish. This is a very pretty side dish, which you may garnish with what you fancy, particularly pickles."

Guys, I think this is a legit topic, but I would like to give some advance warning that the moment this thread turns political, we will remove posts without warning or notification. Please stay within the bounds of food discussion, thanks. ← Is this representative of family cuisine in the US today? Anyone really cook like this still? Is it foolish for celebs (other than chefs and cooks) to publish cookery books?

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_an...ticle329859.ece "The Bush family's kitchen nightmares" How to put this tactfully: perhaps the first family could have been better advised... Alternatively maybe this shows how deeply they are in touch with the people..

Restaurants are Capital intensive Labor intensive (and reliant on skilled staff) Top-end limited (only capacity for a certain number of bums on seats) Fickle (you are only as good as your last meal) Fashion goods. Also, rule of thumb Food costs: 30% Staff costs: 30% Overheads: (heat, light, power, comms, insurance, water, linen flowers, capital costs etc etc) 30% Leaving 10% for profit, taxes and repyaing the investors. Slim margins at best, and leaves little room for disaster.

Anna N. Foams are only a small part of one chapter in "the Cooks Book" Lots and lots of good stuff in there, Perhaps not replacing a basic book like "La Technique", but fantastic reading for anyone interested in food.

What's your budget? We put in a super-automatic bean to cup expresso machine "Jura Impressa" that has given excellent service for an office of about 50 enigineers and programmers. Since programmers are a mechanism to convert coffee to code, excellent and easily accessible coffee is a must have. You can then use Lavazza or whatever beans you fancy.

You can get these direct from Jelly Belly. Apparently the Bertie Botts 10 flavour selection is amongst their top sellers Flavour guide: http://jellybelly.com/Cultures/en-US/Fun/F...lavor+Guide.htm http://jellybelly.com/Cultures/en-US/Shop/...Code%5EUSDen-US

Soup

When are you going to publish your journals? They would make a wonderful book...

Thuis is split from the Sous vIde thread. Does anyone know the time/temperature for cooking apples sous-vide? Any experiences cooking them sous-vide? I'm trying to reproduce the ancient dish of Biffins where a particular variety of apple was slow baked A recipe of 1882 on how to cook Biffins advises '..Choose Norfolk Biffins with the clearest most blemish free rinds, then lay them on clean straw on baking wire and cover well with more straw. Set them in a very slow oven for four to five hours. Draw them out and press them very gently, otherwise their skins will burst. Return them now to the oven for another hour, then press them again. When cold, rub them over with clarified sugar.' (http://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/documents/FruitGroupNewsletter03.pdf ) The article adds A successful trade developed each year around Christmas between London fruiterers and Norwich bakers, who cooked the Biffins in their cooling bread-ovens, weighted down with an iron plate to expel excess air. They were mentioned in Dickens "A Christmas Carol" "Norfolk Biffins, squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of oranges and lemons, and in the great compactness of their juicy persons, urgently entreating and beseeching to be carried home in paper bags and eaten after dinner", and in his story "The Holly Tree" ""I think a Norfolk biffin would rouse her, Cobbs. She is very fond of them." Boots withdrew in search of the required restorative, and when he brought it in, the gentleman handed it to the lady, and fed her with a spoon" Biffin apples, or beefings, have very tough skins, which allows them to be baked whole, and then preserved cold. Apparently when cooked this way they are "creamy with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg". I have the right variety of apple, but my dilemma is how to cook. If I cook at sous-vide temperatures, I suspect, as Nathan has remarked, I will just end up warm raw apple. The bread oven reference indicates quite hot, which I also doubt, since I think they would burst if they boil. Im also unsure as to whether the main mechanism is cooking or partial dehydration, or both. Help!

In addition to the above (especially sandwiches) Confit the wings, legs and thighs (if left). I usually reserve one just of this. Risotto is delicous Curry has already been mentioned Pie, with cubed turkey, onion, parsley and hard boiled eggs under a pastry lid Finally croquettes or pancakes...

A fellow egulleteer kindly gave me a piece of mother. Happy to treturn the favour, but probably only in the UK becasue of the logistics There are a few places (google) that sell it

I have a UK bottle here. Ingredients are different again: Malt Vinegar (from Barley) Spirit Vinegar, Molasses,Sugar, Salt, Anchovies, Tamarind Extract, Onions, Garlic, Spice, Flavouring. Also labeled "The Original and Genuine"

You are trying to hold the potato at about 70C/160F for 30 mins, then cool rapidly. The idea is to get all of the potato to that temperature for that time. It won't cook them. You have to cook them subsequently.

Nope water quality has very little effect. Most add some salt to the water the potatoes are boiled in, but I think this has marginal effect, as little is retained compared to the amount of salt you add when mashing.

Hmm..probably my confusion and conversion from 60C-70C. (e.g McGee 2nd edition p458). I meant after cooling reboil the potatos for the normal length of time - say 20 mins. Potato starch retrogration is discussed in many food science papers since its an important step in making dried potato flakes, and many snack foods.

I think its 170F not 160 F to fix the starch, but it won't matter. Its the cooling that is important. Afterwards cook them just like normal potato. That is more like 20 mins after coming to the boil, rather then 5. Then you can mash them or evn use a hand blender.

A goose won't feed 10 people. 2 might. "Silly bird, too much for one and not enough for two". 4-6 people tops, and lots of goode fat. As I'm sure you know, the key step in bagel making is to dip into for a minute or so into boiling alkaline water befoe baking. If you haven't got edible lye, or chinese Alkali water, use a couple of tbs of baking soda. The alkali givs the shine.

The dough is 67% hydration, but high speed mixed. I give the formula here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1054933 The couche is floured heavy linen (Furnishing Ecru from http://www.russellandchapple.co.uk/index.asp ). You only need a metre or so. One end is the linen wrapped round a rolling pin, though I guess any lump of wood would do, and the other is the roll of linen itself. The whole lot goes in a plastic bin liner to prove. Dry and sterilise it in a low oven after use. The resulting baguettes from the video. The top one is bent since it caught on the peel as I was putting it in the oven. Note the fine blistering on the crust since I retarded them overnight to fit my baking schedule, having proved them for 4 hours These baguettes are as long as I can fit in the Aga. As I said, I've still a way to go, but practice makes perfect.

OOOh this will be fun! Can we hope for some Lyonnaise specialities? Maybe with chestnuts, with onions, etc?

Potato primer is here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=31701 If you don't fix the starch first, all that beating will make the potato into a sticky mess of wallpaper paste. To fix the starch you need to go through a process called "retrograde", wich fixes it in its granules, rather than leaking out. Cook the potato slices at 70C/160F for 30 mins, then cool quickly to room temperature, under a running tap, for example. You can then cook them normally and beat the sh*t out them without getting glue. You can also reheat them with a little more hot milk. You can always tell the ignorance of a kitchen that just dumps the unfixed potatoes in a food processer adds enough butter and cream and serves the resulting disgusting "pommes puree", even in very high rated establishments. I usually send it back.