MikeMac

Try the Pot in Pot method - one of the advantages to having a large pressure cooker. Put the trivet that came with your pressure cooker in the pressure cooker then add maybe an inch of water then take a plain stainless steel bowl that fits inside the pressure cooker with at least 1/2 inch of clearance all around put the banana mixture in that and steam away. This is NOT my idea I got it from http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/pipinfo.html And has saved me a lot of pressure cooking scrubbing. I am sure glad I bought a good sized pressure cooker - see other post on this

that is a great article and a web site I did not even know existed. Thank you

Ok are their any reasons other than cost not to get the larger sized Kuhn-Rikon yes I can see not using a larger canning pressure cooker for every day use but the larger Kuhn-Rikon is really easy to use and something I would recommend highly. I only have one pressure cooker and thats all I plan to have. Unless I learn something that changes my mind.

Thank you for the advice on the Sous Vide set up we were not going to get that option last after your comments I think we well

LF Michaud : I have read enough of your posts to know if you cooked it - it was probably great. I look forward to your further comments on the book.

Exactly on point "Pazzagila" The pressure cooker at our home has not passed the wife test - she will not use it but the more I use my pressure cooker especially on the induction burner the simpler it gets. And the quality of the end product is first rate. To me the key is size I think it would be much harder to deal with a a smaller pressure cooker with which you may have to worry a about something boiling up and clogging the valve. Other than handling a larger device is their any technical reason not to go with a larger pressure cooker even when cooking smaller amounts?

I am a big fan of Chef Paul Prudhomme (K Pauls) I took a course from him many years ago in which I learned how to blacken and loved it I do not think he still works in the kitchen I also like his line of Magic seasonings and I know you can get them back into Canada. While I am not a fan of the Ruth Chris steakhouse chain the original was in New Orleans but its now based out of Florida so I would probably give it a miss. Make sure you have some Chicory coffee with beignets a tradition left over from the Civil War. Their is a tradition place downtown looking at a church?

Martin you are right on the money at first I thought the 61 was too small hence started looking at the 3 phase route. But the 3 phase route is just too expensive and too invasive for a home. So we settled on a 61 electric now we are looking into the correct hood. And I know my next question will be if we already have a hood what would happen if we went to a 101 Gas? the larger ovens are just too deep to fit in a non commercial kitchen the was not designed for it from the ground up - and the price gets insane. I think electric would be easyier to maintain long term but the gas has more horse power and may be cheaper to run?

Beef - Mechanical tenderizing not seen as health risk by the Public Health Agency of Canada Background large meat packing company in Alberta was shipping contaminated meat. The issue was further compounded by retail stores mechanically tenderizing cuts then selling them with out any indication to the consumer they had been mechanically tenderized and according to the Public Health Agency of Canada now needed to be cooked to 160 degrees F. Their may be new signage requirements when meat is mechanically tenderized. I will leave it to more knowledgeable people than my self to determine what the actual safe cooking time and temperatures are using different cooking techniques such as sous vide but I wanted this to be a area of discussion

I have a Cooktek portable personally and I have seen them in newer restaurants. Even if they cook better (which they do) and are cooler to work around I have no idea what their operating costs are compared to gas. With out any scientific proof or backing I assume they are cheaper to operate than electric as they are so much cooler when operating but no idea how that would compare with gas. My experience as an outsider in commercial kitchens tells me new things especially new things that add to operating costs are not welcomed.

Get the newer one - Yes the older Kuhn-Rikon units work well but even the Swiss update from time to time. Personally I very much agree with LFMichard's comments get the biggest one that fits in your kitchen. for example you can steam broccoli in one min on high steam. Try fitting enough broccoli for 6 in a small unit. I have the 12 ltr one and do not regret it at all.

my unit does not have a timer but I could see how that would be useful. I think the biggest difference between portable and wired in would be the power. Portable units would be limited by plug in electrical current usually 15 amps at 110 Volts - I can just imagine how fast things would happen with wired in power like a standard cooktop would get 30 amps at 220 Volts.

I own a Kuhn Rikon and love it - simple works well only two red lines to watch high temp and low temp. While I know nothing about the WWF I question how long things like a timer will last. the green indicator in terms of when safe to open can be compared to the pressure relief valve on the top of the Kuhn Rikon if its raised do not open the pressure cooker. If you want amazing results get a induction burner for use under the pressure cooker I have one and its really simple heat the contents of the pressure cooker at full power till the ingredients just start to boil while stirring so nothing sticks put the top on leave on full power till the pressure builds up turn induction burner down to 7 it holds the pressure and leave it alone till done! In terms of the Kuhn Rikon I bought the big one as I was worried about ingredients boiling up and clogging the valve. In retrospect maybe that was not the best thing to do but if I was buying again I would buy the same one. Amazing quick soup!!

I am from the west home of big sky's and beef and I only speak one language english. Every time I travel I feel very primitive as most of the people I run into speak more than one language. I have never run into language problems while visiting the french speaking side of Canada, sometimes it takes a few try's to get the point across but I find as long as I am respectful and remember I should know french life is fine. I would strongly recommend a visit to Montreal. One of the rewards of visiting is amazing food - from simple smoked meat at Schwartz's Deli http://www.schwartzsdeli.com To one of Canada's original wild man chefs Martin Picard and his restaurant Au Pied De Cochon http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca I hope to visit his Sugar Shack some day and see how he handles Maple syrup. He changes is menu up winter and summer and while I would not call it a healthy place to eat the wonderful seafood in season can not be too far off the mark.

Got the book and the guide - they are really great love the way the authors have tied the two books together basically most of the "base science" is in the first series. The writing seams a bit simpler and a bit clearer. Make sure you check out the rear inside cover and register your copy. Hopefully this will lead to on line access and not having to deal with these large heavy books. One disappointment is I can not find the gear guide in the book or the as a separate attachment. Well worth the money !!!

Did a great Risotto at the Canadian Thanksgiving. Info in book 3 was great but what I did was pressure cook the rice with stock refrigerate it then do the onions in butter add another 1/3 stock and most of a bottle of white wine. Was great only issue was I stirred in the Saffron at the end and it sort of disappeared maybe I did not read close enough but next time I think I will bloom it first. The end point was Risotto for a lot of people very quickly and it was very good. Love the precook and hold better than the old fashioned way.

Thank you for your clarification . Just so I understand "wet bulb" is the actual food temp which would be shown through a probe inserted into the product? and "dry bulb" is the temperature the oven is operating at?

I just got a notice from Amazon that my copy of Modernist Cuisine at Home has shipped. I am really looking forward to it Modernist Cuisine lives in our living room ( too big and bulky for anyplace else) with the kitchen guide in with my other favourite cook books in the kitchen.

Is there a place to plug in a probe? Maybe food temp is designed to work off a probe inserted into the food itself and the air temp would be the if you just wanted to set a holding temp for the drawer.

I have a Gaggenau Oven have not been able to keep it running our local service people have given up and thats why I am looking at a Rational Oven (see other post and Gear Guide Recommendations). I can not say enough good things about " Combi" cooking I bought a Electrolux "ditto" with a steam generator to use while the Gaggenau was being worked on or while they were waiting for parts to come over on the BOAT from Germany and am amazed at the quality of the end product using any type of Combi approach. My general rule of thumb is use steam and have temp 25 degrees lower than a non steam approach. With Salmon I cut fillets into plate size pieces coat it in mustard seeds with a bit of salt and cook it with full steam at 200 degrees till they turn a bit white ( fat coming out?) and serve. Usually on the tray above I will put fresh vegetables such as broccoli that I have tossed in lemon juice and a bit of salt then put a few more lemon slices on top.

I was working on another post in this Form when I thought of Charlie's Burgers. When they hold an event you get an email with some info and you have to commit right away as they fill up real quick. In 2010, it was ranked by Food and Wine Magazine as one of the top three "word of mouth" supper clubs. Each dinner event is hosted by a different high-profile chef and is held in a different location, with the location being secret until the last minute. I am not too big on the cloak and dagger stuff. I heard they have expanded beyond Toronto to offer events in London and Paris now but not sure. I am on their email list not sure how I got on it and have not had an email for a while hope they are still running great idea.

WOW Restaurants in Vancouver to work at ? Huge selection One of the best meals I have ever had is with Hidekazu Tojo ( Tojo's) wonderful man, humble but lets his food talk and it talks loud. A guy that is good lots of restaurants would be Umberto Menghi not exactly new school but who knows? You did not say were you were from but Vancouver to me means fresh seafood.

I have Jaccard Meat Tenderizer like it but always have trouble cleaning it now I am reading about people getting sick from meat with E. coli contamination from the XL Plant that supplies most of Alberta. What is scary is not only is it effecting hamburger ( Ground meat) but steaks that are put through a commercial tenderizer. What I am assuming is that their was E. coli contamination on the SURFACE of the steak then when the Tenderizer got into the meat in spread the problem into the inside of the meat so it was not destroyed by the cooking process unless according to Wikipedia the meat hits 162F - which is not a good thing taste wise. check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli_O157:H7 I wonder now about using the meat tenderizer. It works much better than the marinades that are supposed to tenderize all they do is give a mushy surface unless its a brine that brings up the moister level.

Always cooked with gas - love gas simple to use and its nice to see to adjust the flame. Then I got an induction burner - huge adjustment but for the better. Even with being limited a counter top plug in model I find it faster and more controllable that gas. Where it really plays well is with a pressure cooker. If I was redoing a kitchen and had access to lots of power with out destroying the rest of the house I would definitely switch to an Induction cook top. Do others think induction cooktops are the way of the future?

While I would not want to compare a visit to the MC cooking lab to a religious experience for fear of offending someone. Personally it would be. Good food has added so much to my life (and my weight). Good Food is the corner stone of Communication and Well-Being in our home and with our friends. Conversations during the meal provide opportunities to bond, plan, connect, and learn from one another. Trouble is especially with the kids over the years the standard keeps getting higher Dad is the cook and is held to a high standard - thankfully I discovered Modernist Cuisine.