Anonymous Modernist 10

He is correct; it's drained. We found that with regards to both red meat and poultry white stocks blanching bones beforehand in a separate container of water removes a tremendous amount of potential off flavors (flavors, that is, that you don't want). Try it as a side by side comparison. You should be able to taste a difference.

Actually we used clay from an arts store that was already moist.

Looks like that link doesn't work. Can you repost it?

It is less of an issue of cross-contamination and more of an issue of flavor transfer. To avoid contamination, it's most important to make sure that air is circulating around the meat well. Mold can grow in moist spots. As for being affected by other foods, a lot of aromas are fat soluble so desired aromas can be absorbed in the fatty tissue of meat.

"kitchen Bible" --thanks for the compliment! As for the rest of your post, I would follow the parametric recipe in MC for fresh herbs for both the cilantro and jalapeño. But instead of an extraction for the cucumber, I would use cucumber juice. Let us know what you end up coming up with!

Yes, you can freeze them. The texture of the previously frozen one might be a little less juicy though, depending on the freezing rate.

Whatever temperature you're smoking at combined with the environment's humidity will determine how cooked your meat is. So if you go higher in temperature, your meat might not be as juicy. But it can still be delicious with a good quality cut of meat and a well-practiced process. You can always try using a shorter length of time if you are using a higher temperature. You might look into getting the Bradley smoker though.

Gellan is a very fussy hydrocolloid. It has very promising properties because you can manipulate texture quite precisely. But because it's ion-dependent it can act very differently depending on the liquid you are using. We go into this in more depth at the beginning of the Modernist hydrocolloids section of MC. Which kind of gellan are you using? Gellan F or LT 100? What liquid are you using?

No, just size. We generally use a 1 liter siphon at The Cooking Lab so that's what MC calls for in recipes that use one.

That's actually a really great idea. Pop rocks will burst when they react to moisture (usually that's saliva). Most fatty substances don't have a lot of moisture activity, which is why they say that they can be flavored with any fat-based substance. But N Zorbit is brilliant because it's an even drier substance, so it will keep the pop rocks in an even drier environment. Though of course powder is not as compact and the texture is different, so you will want to consider that.

Any food-grade wax will work. You just want to make sure it's pure so it's safe. We've found some in the pastry sections of supermarkets or arts/crafts stores that carry canning/preserving supplies. You can also find it online. Congratulations for trying this, by the way! It's one of my favorites but it sure takes a long time!

You're very welcome! About your question: which recipe did you use? The parametric recipe in the table or the house cure?

It is done in a refrigerator over night. Allow the starch to fall to the bottom, then pour the juice off the top, being careful not to agitate it. It's best to use a taller, narrower container for that reason.

aidenbyrne said: What kind of bags are you using? The quality of the bag can be a factor. Otherwise, like vengroff said, the meat could have pathogens growing. You could have surface cross-contamination causing the meat to ferment.

Tom Fisher said: This is one of those times that having a machine shop 30 feet away is pretty handy. Yes, that frame was custom made. But you can use a frying pan as a template and edges will become your boundary. If you use a mold, you want to make sure that it is flush with the bottom of the baking sheet. Otherwise the egg can seep underneath the frame. You can use weights as well.