SNewman004

Great. Thank you! I had a feeling it was the amount of fat.

I’m having problems with my cheesecake crust coming out soggy and greasy. My recipe follows, and I am using a 12 inch non-stick springform pan. I am lightly greasing it with pan spray, which I may not need. Bake at 350 for 10 min, let cool and fill with cheesecake mix. Bake cheesecake for 30-40 mins. There is a water bath under the oven rack, but the pan is not sitting in it. 3 cups graham cracker crumbs 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 3/4 cup melted butter I am trying to figure out where I’m going wrong. Too much fat? Is it not baked long enough? Do I need to brush the cooked crust with egg white? Thanks!

Are there any challenges I should look out for, or any tips you can give me on baking a pie in cast iron? Maybe I'm just a little intimidated, but every recipe I've looked over sounds incredibly easy! I'll probably start with a good, old fashioned, pecan pie with a flaky crust, and some sort of fruit pie / cobbler.

https://www.biography.com/news/joseph-priestley-carbonated-water

The second photo is from the early 1900's in downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama

I'm curious if anyone has seen an antique apparatus in person. I've seen these in old photos and have read about them. They are gorgeous! I would love to open a modern lunch counter and have one of these beauties on display.

Hey Nancy, we use the guacamole in a number of our dishes as well as a garnish. I think we can cut back our batch made during prep if the waitstaff does the guac appetizer table side. I also think our guests would enjoy the extra attention.

That is a small part, yes. The main problem is the amount of avocados we are slicing open and scooping out. To be fair, it is time consuming but not terrible. I'm just trying to get a little insight into our higher prep-time items. I will absolutely try the robot coupe and see how it comes out!! Thanks y'all!

We get them "green" and by the case. We store them at room temperature and they ripen over a few days.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with a manual tortilla machine / maker. I am not talking about a tortilla press. This machine basically takes a batch of masa dough that is placed on top, through a roller with a cutter, using a hand crank. The machine will flatten and cut uniform size tortillas. I've been looking at the Monarca brand. The reviews seem to be below average. I'm trying to find ways to shave some labor dollars without sacrificing quality. Our restaurant goes through an average of 300 to 500 tortillas a day depending on business. Thanks for your help!

'Our menu is based on Mexican and Latin American flavors, therefor we can't not have fresh guacamole. We fly through the stuff!! One recipe uses 72 avocados which yields about 20 quarts of guacamole. We go through this amount almost every day. On top of having someone (or a couple of) people pressing fresh tortillas, we are spending a lot of time on this menu item. I can't think of any way to make the guacamole less labor intensive without sacrificing the quality. I have considered table side, or to-order made guac. Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks!

I've been making basic corn tortillas with masa, water, and salt. I give them a little kneading after the dough is formed. I double press them on the tortilla press and through them on the flattop grill. Sometimes they puff, sometimes they don't. Is this puff necessary to the texture? I've noticed a slight difference. What can I do about the grill temperature, water content, etc to make sure they come out perfect? Thanks!

I also used a few poblano peppers from a local farmer that were amazing! Now all I'm getting are waxy, tasteless peppers from Sysco and the breading isn't staying on them either. We are probably pulling the dish until it's fixed...or until next season.

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Obviously I'm not making traditional Chili Rellenos, just trying to make a decent dish with some great flavors! It tastes great, but the plating I cannot take to the next level for some reason. Any suggestions on plating? It tastes delicious covered in fundito but the presentation stinks!

I've made a small batch of a red wine sangria reduction and it came out beautiful! Tart, fragrant, and sweet! I'm using it on our pork Carnitas tacos. However, I have two issues. 1) The reduction is thick until it hits the hot pork Carnitas. It runs all over the tortilla and plate. I'm scared to reduce it down more because I love the flavor as is. Could I maybe reduce it with more red wine? How do I keep it thick and beautiful? 2) Making a larger batch for the restaurant proves to be a little time consuming and expensive. So far, two gallons of sangria has reduced down to 1 quart of sauce. This isn't really a problem, but are there any cheats to yield more on a sauce like this?

I am having trouble getting my poblano to keep its shape. I have charred the outside over a flame, then breaded with Panko and deep fried. I then cut open one side and stuff with the filling, cover with fundito and toast the top. It tastes amazing but looks terrible on the plate. Help!

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I'll play around with it. Thank you.

Thinking about putting a chorizo burger on the menu. It would most likely be a 50/50 blend of chorizo and ground chuck. I'm thinking this means I can't do a mid rare burger? Anyone have any experience with this?

What is the best way to execute tamales as an appetizer in a restaurant? I'm looking at 7-10 minute ticket time. I can only think of pre-steaming the tamales and steaming or simmering in sauce to order. Does anyone have any experience with these in the professional kitchen?

Yes I thought of the powdered milk but didn't think about blending the solids. Thank you so much! I will try this!

I've developed a very tasty vinaigrette with tequila and brown butter, but since my fat source is solid at room temp, the vinaigrette will also solidify. I know I can replace half with oil, but my question is how to maximize the brown butter flavor if I go that route. Thanks!

I am consulting on a menu with a friend for a new concept, and even though I have made ceviche a few times with friends, I'm trying to figure out the best way to execute this dish to order. I have not decided yet on shrimp or fish, but I don't want it to be raw, or over-marinated and mushy. Any advice? Main flavors will be lime, jalapeno, cilantro.

Last year I dried a good bit of cayenne peppers and I found the dried leaves to be extremely fragrant, so I put them in a spice grinder and have been using them as a seasoning. It adds a very unique flavor! Now I am drying honeysuckle leaves, wood sorrel, wild lavender, and dandelion greens. I can't wait to see how they turn out. Has anyone else used dried leaves to add flavor to food? I get so bored with our normal dried herbs!