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.

jnash85 said: This is because we don't use any humidity for this recipe. We like to still use the combi oven though because it can get a higher temperature and create heat similar to a wok. We call this oven-frying. This allows us to make large batches at a time.

salomon said: Hi Robby. The temperatures the book gives are accurate. The question of the relationship between time and temperature will determine the texture. Lower temperatures basically just warm it through. When you want it more traditionally cooked, like with a traditional braised style, you have to cook it both longer and hotter to get that texture. I've found that Italian Grandmothers have a good saying about squid: you can cook it for a minute or an hour, but not in between. On the "Cooking with Modernist Cuisine" thread on eGullet they were just talking about different ways of cooking octopus. You might want to check it out for more ideas.

The idea is that it is the most elabortate set up. It has sensors that are very precise for temp, humidity, and rate of burning wood. But it is also huge investment and pretty much meant for a restaurant / production style environment. A more approachable smoker for the home cook would be the bradley, which is still precise but less money.

Modernist cooking in France is an interesting thing. It is very much relative to classic French cooking. That being said, there are a few restaurants starting to use Modernist cooking. Gagnaire's restaurant is Modernist in composition and complexity but still has a tradional feel. Thierry Marx has a new restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental. Le Pré Catalan is another I'd recommend. And there's a younger chef at Agapé Substance who is good too.

Minibar is run by a former student of Ferran Adrià.

Daniel Rose said: The rule of thumb is that for 1/2 liter, 1 charge is sufficient but because nitrous oxide is a fat-solulable gas, if the liquid you want to foam is lean and you want it to be thicker or foamier, you may need 2 charges even in a 1/2 liter.

Scott Heimendinger said: The same ratio of a traditionally-created emulsion applies. From cream to mayonaise, you can get a range of consistencies. The benefit is just that it will be more stable and it needs less emulsifiers, like eggs, which gives it a cleaner taste. So it is more a question of intention, not technique.

Use macadamia butter and oil instead, since they are neutral flavored and add either vanilla seeds from a vanilla bean or vanilla extract.

It should be two hours, with two rings showing (as LFMichaud said, that indicates 15 psi).

soeren said: In a wet environment, it takes a long time for the Maillard reaction to occur. Searing does it much more quickly. Doing it before had really lets the flavors of the Maillard reaction penetrate the dish throughout the braising process, while the lid protects the meat so it doesn't continue to brown.