JasonCampbell

Not sure if I'm posting this to correct forum, to be honest I'm sure I'm not, but... Following on from this thread, I think it would be an idea to have a 'Fish & Chips' eGCI. Before anyone asks, no, I can't do it- even if I do have a big stainless steel chip fryer.

Probably isn't necessary on the paper towels. I was doing it because I was using a pasta cooker with perforated holes as opposed to a fry basket. I'm not sure whether cooling or refrigerating them with a coating of oil helps the process. In theory the oil would seal the fries defeating Dave the Cook's suggestion that the refrigeration or freezing dehydrates the fry surface making it crisp better. Maybe the process is different with British chips. But the first cooking drives off the moisture from the potato? The second cooking crisps it up? So as the chips (fries) are going to be fried anyway I can't see the logic of the kitchen paper. Not that it ultimately matters, we'll all cook our potatoes as we see fit. And anyway aren't French fries banned in the USA... Sorry couldn't resist that one.

I'd still bring the chips (OOPS! Fries) to room temperature, as Holly has said the fry recovery rate is always an issue. I like chips, so I bought a Lincat commercial (counter top) fryer, it holds 4 litres of oil and that helps with the recovery rate. Actually I have a suspicion that's the only reason it makes good chips, although it's wattage is greater than the domestic fryers I've seen. Question. Is it necessary to drain the fries after the first fry? On kitchen paper I mean. I just drain them in the fry basket then freeze them still coated in oil.

I'll be honest and admit that the plagiarism argument is over my head- I haven't got the finances or time to eat in any of these restaurants. I've never met the chefs so I don't know their personalities. I saw Heston on a TV show and found it entertaining and informative. But then I am a prole. One thing I do know is that plagiarism is rife in the 'foodie' world, Delia borrows from Acton and so on. If I take Delia's steak and kidney pudding recipe (borrowed from Beeton who borrowed it from Acton) and adapt it, through experiment and numerous attempts at what point (if any) can it become mine? And if it can never be mine who should I acknowledge as the source of my inspiration? As to Jay and the Observer, I enjoy his writing, but I do accept that the OFM isn't very good. Finally, anyone got the latest news on how many angels can stand on the head of a pin?

As Basildog has said, it isn't just local produce, it's local suppliers. I use my local butcher (not my nearest butcher) over a supermarket and benefit from seasonal produce at excellent prices. I'm also able to get meats that the supermarkets just don't stock. In my location we have excellent pork, good lamb and pheasant. For good beef I'm going to have to extend my 'local' boundary to 100 miles. Living in the Cotswolds I'm going to find fresh fish a rare treat, or take a trip to Cardiff fish market. So my point is that we should avail ourselves of the best of our local produce and support local shops to the best of our ability.

I'm in agreement, a basic stock is the way to go, you want the essence of the meat, not chicken broth. I think we add root vegetables out of habit, I can make a tasty chicken stock just using chicken wings. OK and a few spring onions (scallions). The benefit of not using the root vegetables is that the stock starts out much clearer, and the chicken essence isn't fighting against the other flavours.

If you accept that you may omit the herbs, why not omit the root vegetables also? If you are trying to achieve a stock that fully reflects the essence of the meat, then it seems wrong footed to introduce root vegetables. They rob more than they give.

That's a great trick if you can pull it off, almost chameleon like...

It's a very relative question, money that is. I earned twice as much as I do now in my old job, and that was a catering job. I did well financially out of that job, but the hours, the shifts, the crew turn over, the inflationary demands of the customers and the 'boss'- all that just burnt me out after a 15 year tour of duty. If we wonder if cooks are underpaid then all we have to do is look at the local jobs market. If in your area there are loads of cooks hammering on restaurant doors then it's a well paid job in all probability. If this is your experience, can you tell me where you live? My experience is that the 'hospitality' industry are always moaning that they can't get the staff... Work it out for yourselves

Gosh, It didn't look like it was that far on the map, 2 hours is a fair old trip. Not that I wouldn't love to eat in your restaurant. A quick glance at the rail network suggests that a train journey is out of the question, which is a pity. I guess I'll just have to eat my 'Surf & Turf' and be thankful.

How far is Padstow from Ilfracombe, how long would the journey take via automobile? I'm not that interested in Rick's (as all his mates call him) place, but lunch at Basildogs sounds like a possibility. Maybe I could bring the extended Campbell tribe- think the Adams family but with a Welsh accent... The goat curry sounds just the job for diner, any more details?

I'll have to check that out I suppose, my web searches have generally suggested a thirty minute flight in a helicopter to Swansea. Which is nice for Swansea but impractical for me...

You think you were poor, we use to do the same thing with a mouse... Over a burning box of matches.

I'm going to Ilfracombe next month, don't be jealous. I can't get out of it, I must go- I'd invite you all but my car will be full of screaming relatives. But so as you don't feel excluded, where to eat in Ilfracombe? Is this as good as itgets?

If you like pig and fish then Cardiff indoor market is worth a look. If you like offal then Newport market is definitely worth a look, they also have a stall selling sausages with 'minimum 70% meat'. But they lie, most of them are far too meaty, only in Wales can you find a trader that sells down his food. I bought a pigs head to tease my young son with last time I was there, he didn't get the joke, he was expecting a Buzz Light-year'(?)

Yes, but you get the American version of steel, we have the British version of steel, very much like the French version of steel, only more steelier. That's the problem with America today, they just don't have access to a good pan.

Here in the UK a good source is Nisbets, you can order online- they aren't the cheapest but they're a good bet for just about anything catering wise. Not much help to our cousins across the water I know...a nice cheap pan.

Probably because the fans of cast iron skillets and black steal pans are all too busy cooking? But you make a good point, you don't need a $100 dollar anything to make good food, my kitchen is made up of things bought piece by piece. There's no matched collections of cookware here. You can start cooking with a heat source, a hand me down knife (which you have had professionally re-sharpened), and a $20 sauté pan. That's how the professionals do it- most often. As your interests and horizons expand you slowly pick up bits and pieces of culinaria along the way. Hence my stock pot cost £5, my oven £500, and my deep fat fryer £150. One hundred and fifty pounds is a lot of money to cook French fries, but with careful shopping I spent only £80 (second hand), and I cook a mean portion of chips. My £120 food processor remains hidden away under the counter, used twice. Here in the UK a cast iron skillet is a rare beast, and a black steel pan even rarer. I guess such things are only found in the kitchens of people who cook. Sorry, I'm digressing...

I have one, a sauté pan, I also have a cast iron skillet, both are treated pretty much the same way in my kitchen. I don't scour the pans, often I don't even use detergent to wash them. Hot water suffices. My black steel pan is slightly warped but that happened because it got plunged in to a sink of tepid water whilst still very hot. I like black steel pans, they are effective and good value for money. But when it comes to pots I much prefer the catering stuff in aluminium and stainless steel.

The much missed Pirate's Platter from the Golden Egg was a great fave. The Golden Egg, a venue that always held me in anticipation. There was the cowboy one, with beans. The Pirate one with fish fingers, and another one which I forget. We used to go there for special occasions, the one in Newport South Wales. Happy Days...

I think most people actually believe they're spending specific money on specific things. But even reformulated your way, that's still a bit of self-deception that people use to justify financially irresponsible purchases. A dollar is still a dollar, a calorie is still a calorie, and most people still refuse to understand either of those realities. A calorie may be a calorie, and a dollar may be a dollar; but both are artificial measures defined by man. Some calorific substances are very bad for you, gasoline is a good example.

And it seems a fundamental madness to research such a pill when we haven't even solved the problem of world hunger. Fat people just aren't funny anymore, they are a reminder of the imbalance between the haves and have nots.

But It wouldn't as that cut of meat in all probability isn't available in my location. Certainly some cuts are the same regardless of locality, they just have different names. But often the cuts would be very different. You end up with a situation where the ideal recipe is there but you can't find it due to the complexities of translation.

Think I have to agree with you....but sooooo many kitchen stories are the same. Tony, are your ears ringing? Any thoughts? I'd have to agree with that, Kitchen Confidential just confirmed what any catering worker already knew. I don't think there's space for a Kitchen Confidential Part 2. At the same time the excerpt reads well enough to me, maybe this type of thing will become the new 'pulp fiction'?

Horrible, trendy, and thoroughly indigestible; not fit for human consumption. And nobody has mentioned laverbread... Welsh Caviar.