Wendy DeBord

For myself, as I've aged I've grown thru several mind sets. When I began I was more idealistic, very much a feminist when it came to work and home. I spent years and years working hard long hours with great passion. In time I began to miss what everyone else was experiencing personally. I know many male chefs who feel the same way: whom miss and want a family or spouse. This isn't something unique to women. It's a price we all pay in this career. The fact that some top female chefs have families doesn't tell the whole story. Are they the working poor female chef or chefs with incomes to pay for domestic help? Or perhaps they have extended families.........but I promise you those female chefs sited for being top chefs are getting some additional help balancing their work and personal life! There will always be a few people that can over come and rise to the top (But what personal sacrifices were required of their families?). This isn't something to be debated, it's a fact. It's also a fact that this career is VERY physically demanding. We (females) have to act tough and literally carry our weight as the men do. Some of us can, some of us can't literally. This is something to be openly addressed. To not accept it as an issue is to pretend it doesn't exist. There isn't an opposition. It isn't the male chefs against the female chefs!! As to working quitely, there isn't a support system in place to support these women. If you talk about certain issues your crying and ridiculed for bringing up personal issues. But when a large group of people face the same issues it isn't just a personal issue. There are facts, walls that do exist. It's very hard to find a stay home husband in todays society. Twenty years ago it was impossible. The career of being a Chef has JUST become a respected career with the onsurge of foodtv. Once upon a time just a few years ago you were less respected if you were a chef then a lawyer or an accountant because being a chef wasn't a "professional" career. 20 years ago this industry was so sexist there weren't glass ceilings, no they were painted neon pink. Don't be nieve to think that it still doesn't exist. There are still many men who don't want to work for a women. 20 or 30 years ago there were plenty of women who wanted to reach great chef status! They've paved the road that women today walk down! Change takes time and there were multiple roads that needed to be paved for the future in and out of work. As LKL Chu eluded it IS different for women in these top kitchens (I'll add it is the same in less then top kitchens). Sometimes better, sometimes worse. When we reach EQUAL and our sex isn't even noticed then more females will be TOP chefs.

It depends upon how you define "great chefs". Your architect example Boris_A resembles what many many chefs are doing. Creating the best with-in defined terms/catagories. Most of us have a fire in our belly. But people who are recognized as "great chefs" have to go one step further. They have to create something new. Media attention gives out those labels of "great chef" and it certainly focuses greatly on that factor of "new/different". Being a female in the culinary field I have experienced most of the examples listed by the females chefs previously mentioned. Typically I've been the only female in all male kitchens. Work isn't all celebral, logical, well organized, well functioning. Kitchens aren't always professionally run work places. Often the leader/chef is chosen based on his experience at that company-not if they have the skill set to lead. Work is generally lead by a male and what that dominate males personal perspective is toward women is generally the attititute prevelent in the work atmosphere. He he isn't a strong personality then his subordinates may influence the general attitute. If the leader is sexist, his followers will be allowed to act that way. If the leader is racist, ditto. If the leader acts like this is a boys club or locker room all his employees follow that lead. You can't take biological influences away from people either. I do believe men and women are generally 'wired' differently. Females don't really like to hang out in a mens locker room atmosphere that many kitchens are. Eventually women aren't comfortable in the kitchen atmosphere or with the hours or lack of pay, and they move on out of the kitchen getting away from the crap thats allowed to go on in kitchens. I don't know of any women that are bothered by the history and brigade set up of a kitchen. In fact if it was run properly many women would welcome that over the often poorly run kitchens. I also think many women would like to get more involved with work but traditional interpersonal roles don't support the female. Granted these factors are changing. Change is inevitable, but it happens slowly. Yes, things are better in kitchens now then they used to be. Men are starting to question the male/female roles and see females thru their more contemporary eyes. More men are staying home to raise the children then ever in history. More women are rising to the top of companies. But again, change happens slowly.

I use that recipe for my standard coconut cake...........theres none better I know of.

My writing time is very limited due to work responsiblities. Quickly I wanted to say I think the "reasons" have been posted here. I could/should qoute several paragraphs already written, but lack time. I believe the essence is: that women want balance in their lifes. They don't want to give up relationships or maternity for a career. To be truely well known/established as a "great chef" it requires a very narrow and intense focus on your work so much so that it causes a VERY unbalanced personal life. I think many women see that there is more to life and more they want to experience in life then a career. I think alot of female chefs don't feel the need to be seen as achievers in public arenas. They are happy pursueing their work quitely. Personal satisfaction and happiness doesn't come with a title or fan fair, we're mature enough to not need the spot light focused on us.

Wow, I can't wait to see that show! Go Michael!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spray all my pans, then line them with parchement paper.

A waterbath does two things. It protects the cake from the dirrect oven heat. It adds moisture to the atmosphere it's baking in. Both can be a good thing, both can have little to no real tangable effects either. We can all add our opinion of what works best for each of us with our given recipes in our personal ovens.........but the facts are there a couple rules, and as long as those rules aren't broken your cheesecake won't crack. Doing a dance around your cake will be just as effective as baking your cheesecake in a water bath if you don't follow those 'rules'. A cheesecake is a baked custard and the same principals apply to both. You want to avoid high oven tempatures for prolonged baking. You don't want to over bake them. Both will make the protein in your eggs contract too much. The results can vary from a dense cheesecake to a rubber one or a curdled cheese mixture. If you follow and avoid those main two factors (temp. and not over baking) you can successfully bake a cheesecake in just about any heating source. The density of your finished product is a reflection of the ingredients you put into it. Regardless of the crust you use or don't use, a basic cheesecake is cream cheese, eggs and sugar (nothing else is needed). To further enhanse your cheesecake there are many other ingredients you can add, each has it's effect. You can also make a cheesecake with just about any type of cheese including savory cheese like blue cheese. The proportions/balance of your basic cheesecake ingredients matter. Is there alot of eggs, little sugar, too much cream cheese in proportion to the rest of the ingredients? Each step will have a different result/reaction. You can add thickeners like cornstarch or flour. Additional dairy, like sour cream or heavy cream adds flavor and moisture/creaminess in that they bring additional fat to dilute the binding eggs.

Joiei, thank-you for taking the time to share your photos. It's greatly appreciated! Agreed Kerry Vincent does alot for this industry! Theres many others also that donate so much of themselves for the advancement of this art............to all of them:Thank-You!

Paula Wolfert and RedSugar I moved your posts to it's own topic, where I hope you will both continue to exchange ideas on that subject. I think that many people can and will become confused if we talk on a sub-topic, with-out clearly labeling and catagorizing our comments. Recipes and methods vary greatly between a cream cheese based cheesecake and a ricotta cheesecake. Fiadone discussion.

Yes, store in your poaching liquid. Provided that you love the taste of it because the flavor will continue to penitrate the fruit. I've had to use canned pears for an item I doing tonight. As suggested in the recipe (from Herme) I drained the canning liquid and have been marinating them in my own liquid. It's working, they are taking on my flavors.

If your image is clearly halloween items, what color they are doesn't really matter. A hot pink pumpkin could be very cool!

I didn't peak at your recipe link..........but, yes pumpkin works with both white and dark chocolate.

I've held them for 2 weeks. But I've never baked them after..........it worries me that they wouldn't bake well at that point. I don't think I'd go more then 1 week in advance. I poach mine with 50/50 sweet wine (reisling) and water, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick. I don't keep my poaching liquid, typically. It becomes darker as it intensifies so it darkens your pears.

I really like the way some alchols taste with custard bases (from tirimisu to anglaise). I'm not a big drinker at all and muteing the liquour in custard bases I think brings a certain subtley/nuance that makes me appreciate the complexity of the liquour that I don't get drinking them. I'm not sure by what you mean "is there a bite?"? .....Your final taste depends upon the quality of your champagne.

Hi Richard, I know we have people that love the Cake Bible by RLB. But having worked from tons of books, there are several other books I think are MUCH better for a 1 baking book cook to own. I'd reccomend buying The Bakers Dozen which is a compulation of recipes from several very well known and respected bakers. Every recipe is solid and many recipes are the best in their catagory published anywhere.

Ahhhhhhhh I've tasted it. Heres the deal........I discovered this while working at someones bakery. To make bundt cakes, breakfast cakes (whatever you want to call them) there is a mix that can be purchased thats fab. gives your perfect results even letting you make adjustments. It's called CREAM CAKE on the bag. I believe Dawn sells this. (Someone might be able to provide a link to Dawn where you can see this product, but I have to run to work now.) I'd bet money that this is what the Corner Bakery is using, it tastes exactly the same to me. All this is, is a cream cake mix that they adjust/flavor with their cinnamon struesel. That's how they get such consistant results from one shop to the next. There is no cream filling in this cake. It's a simple cinnamon flavored bundt cake.

I agree with most of whats been posted. There are different "tips" "tricks" people employ when baking cheesecakes, like: using a waterbath, cooling in the oven, cooling covered, etc.... But you don't find out how acurate those "tips" are until you break them and your cheesecake turns out fine. A cheesecake is a baked custard. To bake a custard well you have to respect/follow some basic principals. You want to cook this custard (egg mixture) gently, just until it's set. If you over-bake eggs they tight up because the moisture is squeezed out of them. Theres several books now on the market that explain the exact way this works. How you bake this custard gently doesn't really matter. You can use a water bath. You can bake at a lower temp.. You still can over cook your eggs by baking them too long even though you've employeed a gentle approach. Authors give times and techniques to bake their cheesecakes. But this is a varible that may or may not work given your oven, your circumstances. The time it takes in one oven will be different then the time it takes in another. Just like all baked goods you have to learn what "signals" tell you the item is finished.......time is NOT a reliable factor. Tempatures and methods can be changed and give you equally successful results. It's also correct that when the cheesecake cools it contracts, tightens, settles. Sometimes the edges of your cake stick to the side of the pan and when the cheesecake contracts the sides don't release and the cake cracks. Either spraying your pan before baking or running a thin knive around the edge after the cake comes out of the oven both work to prevent it from sticking. I'm not so sure over-whipping/beating your batter causes it to crack. If you have large air pockets the cake deflates in that area but it doesn't crack. I've often been asked what is the correct internal temp. of a baked cheesecake. I'm sorry I still don't have that answer.........I think it can be established BUT if your cake retains too much residual heat (it will continue cooking) and that may blow your ability to use the science of temp.. You'd also have to establish at what temp. it's placed in to cool down.

I just wanted to add that I made the opera torte recipe from Dorie Greenspans book. I used Lesleys formula for the glaze and it was perfect! Thank-you Lesley!

I want to make darn sure everyone knows that Peter Reinhart is currently taking questions here at egullet (hurry up before he's gone). He's such a hugely respected chef I feel it's really an enormous honor that he's here! Please feel free to post all your questions in the Q & A forum for him.

Thanks for the input everyone. You all leave me with another question.........I've always had issues with crusts that didn't involve finely ground ingredients (like nuts or graham crackers) unless they had other ingredients to bind them. The issue being they don't pack together tight, so when I cut the crusts they break apart. I further grind purchased graham crackers crumbs, because they aren't fine enough to pack tight, so they don't cut well. Can anyone address this, help me out? I must be zigging when I should zag........what am I doing wrong...........

Thanks for the help Neil. I'm still wondering what temp. is better? ..........because you have to add in the factor of how it sets up.

Answers 1. If I'm using sugar in my phyllo I do lightly spray my muffin tins or pans so if the sugar leaks it won't stick to the pan. Typically the butter between the layers of the phyllo leachs enough that it doesn't stick in your pans. 2. You can bake them earilier in the same day. They begin to loose flavor the longer they sit. 3. You want to wrap them as air free as possible because it's the contact with air that makes phyllo dry. I typically don't keep left over phyllo, unless I have an imediate use that day for it.

Ladyyoung98, unforunately no one can give you an exact answer. There isn't one right answer, period....it doesn't exist. A combination of factors go into what anyone would suggest. Mostly it comes down to being there and tasting exactly what you've got and seeing how that oil mixes with your candy melts. I can't taste or see thru the computor......the only way I can make an experienced guess to help you is if you can post exactly what your using. What exact brand of oil are you using and what exact candy melts are you using? Have you tried adding a drop or two of the straight peppermint into your candy melts? I'm really not sure that you need to dilute it at all. The very best way to find the answer to this question is for YOU to taste what you've got and play with it until you reach the right ratios. Most candymakers do not use candy melts because they feel they are inferior to real chocolate that contains cocoa butter. So it's going to be hard to find people that can advise you on using them. As to your oil, I believe any oil designed for eating will work to dilute your peppermint oil in. Which oil you use is your choice, what tastes good to you. I'd suggest something neutral like veg. oil. How much oil to dilute will vary too. It depends upon your candy melts and how well they accept other oils. You have to experiement with this yourself because unless someone is using exactly what you've purchased they could be wrong. I'd suggest you melt you candy melts, add a drop of your strong peppermint oil and taste it. Is it fine? If not, add more peppermint. If it's too thick, add more veg. oil or shortening to thin down the melts to make them easier to work with.

Except that doesn't tell them it's a frozen souffle and you can't omit that fact. Honestly it's about trying a dessert or not, what words sell it. Rarely does the description really match the reality. If you take a black forest cake, it's going to be different tasting from each and every person who makes it. Add to that the people who are making it in a non-classical way and you've got 2 zillion possible tastes for that item. One day I make a classic black forest, months later I make a different version, then later I make another version and so on. How much do you bother to tell your diner? A certain percentage will be expecting exactly the version that they tasted. How come this doesn't taste like the last time I ordered it? The pastry chef screwed up...........or should you never revisit a dessert you've already established?

I'm going to assume that I was making a French version both times from Michael L. and J. Torres. Agreed that the temp. of the sugar syrup controls the consistancy.........whats everyones target temp.? Do you go with 330F or Michaels 260F? The texture seemed right when I first made it and got firmer overnight. Two more questions: 1. Dirrections say let it sit overnight, but don't mention whether it's covered or not, opinions? 2. How much cocoa butter roughly?.......just what coats my nuts? Last comment..........I'm really getting sick of thermometers! Sometimes I've even used 3 in the same pot to cross check, they're never are all at the same temp... and placing them on the edge of the pot has almost a 10 degrees difference then the center of your pot..........I see why many pro.'s don't use them!