Scott Heimendinger

I've done several alcohol infusions using the whipping siphon. While I can't speak to the nutritional safety of certain extractions, I can say that the technique is both fast and potent for these type of infusions. Botanicals work well, as do spices and candies. Generally speaking, the finer something is ground or pulverized, the better the extraction will be. However, there are exceptions such as coffee: extracting from coffee grounds will yield a very bitter flavor compared to extracting from whole beans. Have a great event, and send pics!

Hi Louis-Frederic, That's a great idea! We've actually included a list of the primary scientific ingredients called for in Modernist Cuisine at Home. I hope this gives you some shopping ideas: agar agaralbumin powdercalcium chloridecarrageenancitric aciddiastatic malt powderessential oilsfreeze-dried fruits and vegetablesgelatinhoney powderInsta Cure #1liquid soylecithinmalic acidsodium citratespecialty flours and starchestapioca maltodextrinvital wheatglutenwheyprotein isolateWondraxanthan gum

Hi enochchoi, In our Best Bets tables in Volume 3, the times given assume a starting temperature of refrigerator temperature, approximately 36F (2.2C). To calculate an adjustment in cooking time to factor in starting from frozen, take a look at the Suggested Times tables in 2.276 and 2.277. Based on the shape and thickness of your food, you can look up the additional time it will take to go from frozen to 36F.

I like to use good soy sauce, and occasionally liquid smoke, to season my steaks for sous vide cooking. I find that, when the bag is sealed, the soy sauce is forced into even contact all around the meat. It has the added benefit of "dying" the exterior of the steak a darker color, so it's not quite so gray when I remove it from the bag. However, you've got lots of options for sealing seasnoning in with your steak. The other night I cooked a skirt steak with lime juice, lime zest, salt, pepper, andliquid smoke to 52C. After a quick sear with the blowtorch, it made fantastic carne asada. Steak with salt and pepper (pre-sealing) is also wonderful on its own. For poultry, I've really enjoyed sealing the meat with a little duck fat (or olive oil), maple syrup, whole peppercorn, rosemary, corriander, and juniper berries. I find that poultry skin doesn't sear as well with the blowtorch, so I tend to give it a quick shallow-fry. In general, I find that seasoning with at least salt before cooking yields the best results for my personal taste.

Hi Luke, I've got a rundown of the photo gear I use on Seattle Food Geek at http://seattlefoodgeek.com/photography/. There are also links to a two-part series I did with Ryan Matthew Smith, the MC photographer, showing the setups he uses. Behind the Scenes with Modernist Cuisine’s Food Photographer Part 1: Getting the Shot Behind the Scenes with Modernist Cuisine’s Food Photographer Part 2: Photoshop Magic The most important element for this type of photography is having the right light. Any type of off-camera flash is going to help you tremendously. I've been very happy with the AlienBees flashes as a relatively affordable solution. Best of luck, Scott

Hi Ian, Can you describe the types of features that would interest you in a mobile app (tablet or phone) for MC?

I cooked a goose sous vide for dinner tonight. It was my first-ever home-cooked goose and it was wonderful! I followed the "best bet" tables for goose breast and I treated the leg just as I would duck legs. I wish I had followed the book's instructions on removing much of the fat from underneath the skin and reattaching the skin with Activa - geese have quite a thick layer of fat.

My (loaner) Polyscience Sonicprep just arrived and I have a few precious weeks tolearn as much as I can about the technique of ultrasonic homogenization. Does anyone have experience in thisarena, and if so, could you share your learnings? So far, I've heard that ultrasonic homogenizers (sonicators) are great for makingemulsions and quick infusions. However, I don't know anything about the water/oil ratios that I should be trying to achieve a really fantastic emulsion. In the first 10 minutes of use, I've been able to haphazardly emulsify different oils with water to achieve the texture (and look) of cream. But, I'd love to know what else is possible. BTW, I also have a rotor-stator homogenizer, and I plan to do side-by-side tests comparing the results of the two. Let the thread begin!!

I'm using a refrigerated Beckman TJ-6, which only gives me about 1500 Gs. However, that is ample for every separation technique I've tried so far. Pea butter and corn butter, for example, work like a charm. However, they require longer spinning times due to the lower G forces - for example, I spin my pea butter for 3-4 hours. Considering the great deal I got on my centrifuge, and the fact that it holds 2L, I've got no complaints :-)

Hi Keith_W, My plan is to run two circulator baths - one for white meat and one for dark. I also plan to seal the SV bags with an herby brine (rosemary, juniper berries, sage, sugar), which I'll freeze into ice cubes ahead of time so my FoodSaver doesn't choke on it. After the bath, my plan is to briefly deep fry the individual pieces of bird to crisp the skin. Instead of making gravy, I'm planning to make a pressure-cooked carrot, soy sauce and turkey-part demiglace. This will be my first attempt at this approach, but how bad could it be, really? :-) -Scott

Thanks, Max, I'll give it a shot!

The turkey is going to take a long, warm bath, if that answers your question :-)

Hi Dominic, I have a FoodSaver and I'm not a huge fan of it. I briefly used the edge-style sealer sold by SousVide Supreme, and I was a bit more impressed. Note that any edge style sealer you choose will have problems when sealing liquids or wet foods. -Scott

You sure can! I've done 72 hours in my original DIY sous vide machine, and it was ready to keep on going!

I've never had a problem deep frying the burgers, even straight out of the sous vide machine. I like to coat my burger patties in brown sugar before frying (or even before cooking sous vide), and it helps develop a wonderful crust when you fry. I only fry at 375 for 30-60 seconds and I never have a problem with overcooking (I also make thick burgers). My best guess is that you may not have enough fat in your burger - that would explain the dryness. I prefer burgers with 15-18% fat content. They stay jucier and more tender.

If you want a cheap and easy version of the coconut foam, go buy a can of "Light" Coconut Milk. Add sugar to sweeten, if you want, and pour the can in a whipping siphon. Charge with 1 cartridge and you'll end up with the coconut equivalent of whipped cream. Stable for hours, no additional ingredients necessary. Makes a great pie topper, too :-)

I want to make pumpkin cracklins with the same texture of pork cracklins, or at least the texture of the tapioca puffs from the book. I sliced pumpkin flesh thin and dehydrated it. My guess is that I need to vacuum-impregnate the dehydrated pumpkin with a starch slurry. Should I use Tapioca? Cornstarch? Or, following this method, will I end up with a pumpkin chip instead of a pumpkin cracklin?

I purchased a food dehydrator (not the Excalibur, as I wish I had) and although it does a fine job, it's shaped like a cylinder which makes it a pain to arrange foods. The top of the dehydrator is detachable and contains the fan, heating element and thermostat. I place this part on the top rack of my oven, then put my food on a wire rack on a sheet pan on the oven rack below and close the door. It performs beautifully :-)

I can't remember where I read it, so I may have this slightly wrong, but... For quick-brining meat, it's not the vacuum pressure that does the work; it's the change in vacuum pressure. For example, when I made the pastrami recipe, I brined it for one day instead of 3 using this technique. I put the meat and brine in a rigid vacuum canister and pulled and released the vacuum over and over again. I didn't do an A-B test, but I do know that my pastrami was fully brined from edge to edge.

dominic.labelle said: Generally, Versawhip is the additive of choice for making foamable liquids. I've found, though, that you need to start with a flavorful liquid or the Versawhip's own flavor takes over. Water + Versawhip yields a foam (not very stable) but it's not something you'll enjoy eating.

I do generally apply a dry rub before smoking. I find that it helps the exterior of the meat remain at the right level of moisture to absorb the smoke. I have absolutely no scientific evidence to support this approach, however.

Wow, that's beautiful! I'm cooking brunch for a few friends this weekend and I'd been afraid to try the striped omelette without a combi oven, but this gives me confidence. I also love your beet variation - it would make for a wonderful dessert presentation, too!

I've made this recipe a handful of times and it's one of my all-time favorite soups. I take shortcuts when I'm hungry, but still get great results, even with: "Adult" carrots Store-bought carrot juice Skipping the carotene butter Not coring my carrots Skipping garnishes Here's a photo version I made of the steps, in case anyone finds this helpful.

I built one too. Then about a dozen more :-) So cool to come to this forum and see that you guys have done this project and are happy with the results!

I suppose it depends on what you define as out of the ordinary equipment. I've had tremendous success with many of the pressure cooker recipes. The carrot soup and french onion soup are unbelievable! But, I've also adopted the practice of adding a little baking soda to meats that I want to brown, in general. I made a version of the pistachio gelato using store-bought nut butter and nut oil (cashew) and a regular old ice cream maker, and had great results.