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EatingBen

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Everything posted by EatingBen

  1. I've a Breville something something heap of attachments. It's big and very powerful and I do love the thing but man is it big BUT All sorts of dips, pesto (no I'm not using a mortar and pestle) grating, slicing, dough, mixing flours (if it's out and already being used) whipping huge amounts of cream and egg whites. I have in the past used it for blending soups as well, when the blender has been unavailable. I will admit that since I got my thermomix I've used my food processor far far less but thankfully the room it takes up isn't needed for anything else. I have a problem, I haven't enough money for all the gadgets I want!
  2. If you build a pizza oven properly, insulate it sufficiently and have enough solid mass you can cook in the oven for a few days after it’s been heated up. So many fire them up make pizza, make high heat food, then slow cook overnight, bake multiple loads of bread, do baking and make breakfast. ‘’it’s a way of cooking I’m super keen to explore and would be a lot of fun, but it’s going to be a learning curve and need preparation to fire it up and cook.
  3. You need to check out the forno forum https://community.fornobravo.com it’s got tons of info and helpful people for both expensive fancy versions and versions done on the cheap. ‘’I’m planning on some day building one, not at my current place but one day when I’ve a bit more land.
  4. So thought I might put down what I’ve made so far. mayonnaise, I’ve made flavoured, black garlic, cranberries, chipotle chilli, avo, kewpie (chefsteps) still about 2 dozen other mayos on the list. Each time it’s taken longer to put everything in the cup and prep for oil if needed (blend chillies, mix in extra lecithin, whatever) making the emulsion is 30 seconds or less and then add a little water where needed. soup, like I said above not as smooth as the high speed blender or the thermomix but once the xanthan gum is added you can’t actually detect the vegetables as well anyway so it’s sufficient. Pumpkin soup and tomato soup so far. toum, incredibly easy blended a few tablespoons of oil with the garlic added more oil lost interest and dumped the rest of the oil in and let it blend for 30 seconds and it was done. Incorporate stuff into milk, hot chocolate, whipping in air. No effort. whipped egg whites that where leftover from something else. Was almost as fast as mayo, added sugar no effort at all no time at all as good as the stand mixer. made pasta carbonara, after rendering the bacon and frying pumpkin ravioli in a little butter I used the oil and butter in with the eggs and blended it lol together with water and some cheese (plus salt, msg) and dumped it into the pan with the ravioli and let it thicken adjusted seasoning added pepper and done. Smooth perfect and completely unnecessary to use a Bamix with but the oil being sheered into the yolk and egg was nice and warmed up the egg. Ridiculously calorie dense and delicious ice, crushed. don’t need it, love having it, won’t give it up and so far it’s everything I’ve hoped for! Bamix blades absolutely all perform differently and are somewhat interchangeable! Absolutely worth it!
  5. After killing I don’t know how many stick blenders I got a Bamix last week, it’s something I’ve wanted for years. It blended pumpkins to soup in less time and less effort then any previously it also blended the pumpkins, carrots and onion to a nice smooth texture, it wasn’t the high powered blender fine but it was darn near close and tons better then any other I’ve used (never used a professional version for commercial kitchens) extremely happy with it
  6. Nice thread! I’d love more ideas and pointers on batch cooking, I’ve lost motivation to cook after work right now and I’ve made a few batches of things and enjoyed the ease of food after work but kinda struggle with ideas and a lot of searching brings up very Americanised heavy on the cheese creams and other things that isn’t good for the waistline and the lactose intolerant like my partner.
  7. I’ve a jet engine wok burner, love the thing to bits! i use all suitably sized cookware on it on low or just above. It’s brilliant to boil a stock pot will bring it to a ferociously rolling boil in no time and bring it back to the boil in half a minute. The only issue will be you can use small pots, however a wok is a fantastic pan for more then just stir frying, sear a steak, deep fry, steam and sauté a wok very versatile item. Oh and get a Korean bbq rack thing for bulgolgi the burner will nicely char the meat. it’s also great cooking outside although I’m in Brisbane so I don’t get snow.
  8. Third for Sohla, I make variations but this is worth the time and effort. I make mine somewhat hot and spicy also a little numbing but go a little heavy on other stuff (spices) it’s super good!
  9. Modernist cuisine Mac and cheese freezes and thaws repeatedly without any issues. Béchamel Mac and cheese I’ve found can split, but I blend a little gum in (xanthan) and it’s fine as well. Sour cream with xanthan freezes fine but needs a really small amount and you need to blend using a blender, I’ve used a few different gums for freezing and all are usually fine. Ultratex 4 is my go to these days for anything I want glossy and easily mixed in. you’d be surprised at how well a lot of foods handle being frozen after being cooked and with sauces if there is a worry I put ultratex in and no issues. only exceptions have been really delicate items you can’t wrap well so if you put it in a container expect it to develop freezer burn pretty quick. Anything you can either vacuum pack or cover the surface of using cling film will freeze fine after it’s cooked.
  10. I think I’ve only once read about someone doing polenta sous vide and didn’t like the results because it would clump while cooking. I like cooking it sous vide because I’m lazy and I only need to massage the bag 2 or 3 times during the cooking. Plus once cooked lasts weeks in the fridge unopened, freezes perfectly and is easy to reheat. ‘but cook it however you want, using whatever you’ve got to whatever method you like.
  11. You’ll need a drier polenta cooked just a little longer this isn’t a time you want to experience all the textures you want it cooked fully you’ll need half a cow of butter and about equal portions of salt turn it out onto your tray chill cut out your shapes then fridge overnight. i cook polenta sous vide at 95c for almost 2 hours you need asbestos hands and solid gloves as the polenta will need a few massages during the cook but it works extremely well. 1:1.1 polent/liquid to fry them I dust them in potato starch and plain flour then far more oil then you think in a pan. ‘The results are acceptably good but you know you aren’t eating anything healthy
  12. It can be the culture you are using, I have two one produces much more sour yogurt then the other. But like you I like yogurt that’s a touch puckery so I add milk powder I use a good one it’s a powder that mixes up into a milk I don’t mind drinking (some are absolutely awful) and I let it go for 12 hours frankly probably closer to 16 I don’t time it. The milk powder adds more food to eat, also produces a thicker result.
  13. Every time I’ve tried to do anything I think the phyllo assumes I’m terrified and starts turning to dust. I would love a good strudel, it’s been a few years since I’ve had a good one. I hadn’t considered that, next time I’m at the busy store I’ll take a look and see what I can find. I wouldn’t mind trying a few desserts.
  14. Phyllo pastry? I’d never would have imagine it could stand up to that kind of thing. I look at phyllo wrong and it crumbles. ‘hadn’t considered fats on silicon brushes, I use a spoon for basting in an oven as I find a brush doesn’t pick up enough and it brushes off the coating. i think this might be a case where everyone has their particulars from what they have learnt and learnt to manage. I’ll find a few brushes and next time try them for oil marinades and so forth and see if I get a better result for them.
  15. I’ve never found a silicon brush I liked, marinade never sticks to it so you can’t get the damned marinade from the bowl to the cooking meat. BBQs I use a few squares of paper towel rolled up and kinda jagged like as a brush then throw it away once it’s done.
  16. Natural bristle bushes are better, mentioned above go to an art store they quality there rivals anything anywhere else and will last decades, I’ve a few over 20 years old. ‘wash them properly hot water, little soap on the palm of your hand make a cup with your hand and swirl the bristles against the palm in small circles and then rinse and let dry overnight and never put them into a dishwasher. never smells, never looses bristles, never have an issue.
  17. So I’ve managed to hold of buying the oven and I’ve been watching this thread and also looking at the issues that have cropped up. ‘’I’m still seriously considering it, but just wondering if it’s worth it? Does people find it does what it says on the tin? And does it do it well?
  18. So as it turns out it was for product sales, joule oven which appears to be a rebadged breville smart fan oven that doesn’t sous vide or do combi. kinda dislike chef steps being a product placement “thingy” as I like all their recipes and work they put into teaching.
  19. I think they are using semantics to sell an idea of lacklustre results on my wedges in an oven compared to the deep fried ones I made last week. I’ve had an “air frier” I’ll remain with traditional cooking like sous vide, gels, muddling with ph, fire and spices.
  20. Any flour paste that hasn’t yet been added to liquid will freeze well. Ive at periods of time frozen roux at different stages without issue its always before adding any liquid once that flour hydrates its no longer stable in my experience without stabilisers like xanthin gum so i tend to freeze the unthickened “broth” separately. I’ve added all kinds of spices, herbs, additives to the roux and frozen them in ice cube trays and ive not had an issue dropping a frozen cube into hot stock and using a whisk while it melts.
  21. I’ve a high powered gas wok burner outside, want a big charcoal bbq. Inside I’ve unfortunately a plain electric cook top and a portable induction cook top. Moved here from an apartment that was gas and really good gas cook too at that as well. im going to stick with gas outside and when the kitchen gets renovated it will be changed to a high powered induction cook top. For years I fell into the camp of gas but the cheap induction cooktop has converted me it’s a 100 times better then gas has ever been in the 19 or so years I’ve had it. Plus these studies are just confirming everything already known about gas cook tops they aren’t as healthy and combustion if any type shouldn’t be in a closed environment especially in places where we don’t have lots of mechanical ventilation like the USA in Australia we have doors and windows and that’s about it mostly not all kitchen hoods vent outside unfortunately. charing peppers doesn’t work as well with induction though haha
  22. It’s oxidising from the air. It’s unlikely anything you are adding unless it’s moving very high on the pH scale which is unlikely so the other culprit is air. And yes stick blenders still incorporate a fair about of air into the mix and it’s enough that the process will still take place. You can somewhat off set it by adding more acidic ingredients, buying a blender that will suck the air out of the jug, using a drinking container that isn’t clear. The oxidation is affecting the colour more then the contents.
  23. EatingBen

    Costco

    Usually love Costco but right now in Australia our government has sold out and demanding everyone get sick for the economy. ANYWAY Costco (like every other grocery store) is experiencing stocking issues so they were out of lots of usual things we get as everyone rushes to purchase a life time supply of anything they find. most of the fresh meat was gone, chicken was obliterated including the pre made butter chicken . The Kirkland dishwasher tablets gone (actually most Kirkland branded cleaning products where gone), the vegetables where well hammered and lots of the dried noodle packets where gone although they hadn’t been murdered like lots of other things. they did however reconfigure the isle for toilet paper it was now 3 brands stacked as high as I am tall in some areas and about 2 wooden pallets deep. Costco prepared as best they could and remained standing during these difficult times haha it’s a shame really but we are expendable for the economy I suppose.
  24. Nothing more then a silicone spatula is needed. A whisk is for later once cooled if you need to whip it.
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