slkinsey

Indeed there can be argument regarding this claim. I have just spoken to one of the most prominent physical chemists in academia, who assures me that the molecular structure of a liquid is not changed when it passes through a magnetic field (unless that liquid contains a lot of dissolved iron, I suppose). Think about it... how could this possibly be true? If you pass a solution of, say, H2O and sodium chloride through a magnetic field, how could the molecular structure possibly change? If this were true, how could we do MRI scans? After all, the magnetic fields used in an MRI are infinitely more powerful than those produced by something like the Wine Clip, and the human body is mostly liquid. Now, I've had a MRI a time or two. Are you suggesting that my body today is fundamentally different than it was before I was MRI-ed because the magnetic field changed the molecular structure of the liquid in my body? MRI, by the way, works by aligning all the atoms along the same axis, not the molecules. Before you suggest that the science is indisputable and we need to read up on Michael Faraday, I suggest you look for support that is a bit more current than 1840. (By the way, Faraday's findings about the disassociation of molecules in a liquid medium had to do with passing an electrical current through the liquid -- hence the word "electrochemistry.") Anyone who understands experimental psychology knows that certain kinds of perceptual tests are guaranteed to produce certain results. The only kind of test that would truly demonstrate a real effect would be a double blind ABX type test with a statistical analysis for significance if any difference was shown to exist. The reason you see so much skepticism in this thead is due to the fact that many people on these boards have the applicable scientific, psychological, medical and culinary knowledge to doubt the veracity of your claims. My training in psychology, for example, leaves me quite certain that I could conduct taste tests such as you describe using a nonmagnetic Wine Clip and achieve similar results. This does not mean that the Wine Clip doesn't work as you suggest... but it does mean that your "2k taste tests" prove exactly nothing.

One interesting thing I'd like to see is the effect of the Wine Clip versus other treatments like swirling the wine in the glass for 120 seconds. I'd like to see something like: A. Clipped fresh out of the bottle versus B. Non-clipped fresh out of the bottle versus C. Clipped and swirled versus D. Non-clipped and swirled We know there will be a big difference between AB and CD. But, even if there is a clear difference between A and B, if there is no clear difference between C and D there is little value in the device.

I'm curious, what temperature should a burger be when it gets to the table? Depends on whether or not you want it rare, medium rare, medium, etc. Also, if a burger is clearly cooked to the medium stage and yet arrives at a rare temperature, we know that it sitting around cooling off for a while before it came to the table.

Hee! Now, when I saw "picaman" I just assumed you were a really, really tiny man.

"Hi, my name is Anthony Bourdain, and these are my friends Rick Bayless and Bob Villa. We're hanging out here on my patio drinking Coors, eating Burger King's new Santa Fe Fire Grilled Chicken Baguette, and popping Immodium. Later we're going to take out a second mortgage on the house at credit-card interest rates. Because sometimes real people in the real world are just too fucking lazy to do anything but drink Coors and eat Burger King -- they don't want to earn money, cook, or even take a shit. And did you notice we got Glen Frey to write the music for this commercial? Coors, Burger King, Immodium, and second mortgages: a step in the right direction." "This afternoon, Rick and I are going to be whipping up some delicious Immodium daquiries with frozen Coors in a swell Mikita drill-powered blender Bob knocked together with a few pieces of scrap PVC."

Oh yea. That stuff is awesome. The liquid form is particularly fast-acting. Trust me, I've eaten Taco Bell at 4:00 AM in the middle of a cross-country road trip.

Hah! I was thinking something like that too. We could definitely do griddled (i.e., pan fried) and broiled burgers, we could see the difference between different grinds and different meats, we could look at the effects of different griddle temperature settings, we could par-cook one and finish it after it has been sitting around a while (which is something that apparently happens in some places) and we could see what kind of difference it makes grinding the meat immediately before cooking the burger as opposed to, say, 24 hours before. Obviously, we could also set some mutually agreed upon standards and terminology. I have a KA grinder attachment, BTW.

Good, but far from the best I've had in the city. A really good Guiness depends on a lot of things: the nitrogen setup, the condition of the setup, how much Guinness they sell (i.e., how fresh the product is likely to be), etc.

ah, but that acidity plays well against the burger, methinks. i'm a pickle freak. I thought the pickles were good. I wish more places would offer sliced pickles along with the other toppings so I could put them on the burger.

That I seriously doubt. When I peeked in the kitchen what I saw was a fairly standard looking salamander -- albeit with perhaps a bit more height -- with flames on the top. I don't see how flames could possibly have come from the sides given the piece of equipment I saw. Maybe I'm wrong, though. We need to get someone to go in there and watch them do a burger. Tommy's a smooth talker and seems to know the place...

There's probably another way to describe this objection, because of course any medium-rare broiled piece of meat will be cooked significantly more at its edges than in the center. The issue here, I think, was that the exterior 1/8-1/4" of meat was totally overdone and dried out even though the center was rare. Actually, what I found odd about it is that it wasn't exactly an exterior versus interior question. It was more like this: This struck me as a little odd given that they were broiled...

To be clear, the group was against cancer. Breast cancer, specifically. Right... that's why they kept on offering free breast palpations to all the girls. Checking for lumps, you know...

Dude, you could be an awesome salesperson for Immodium. I mean, if anyone knows how great that stuff works it has to be you. I can see it now... "Hi there. I'm Tony Bourdain and I've just spend all day eating God knows what in Kuala Lumpur. I'm pretty sure that the guy who sold me this beef skewer hasn't washed his equipment or his hands... ever! Normally, I'd be spending about 6 hours of quality time in the throne room after a day like this, but I have to catch a 22 hour flight in about 45 minutes. Believe me, if you've ever spend a few hours in one of those pint-sized airplane thunder jugs you know you're lucky if the pins-and-needles in your feet go away by the time the plane is on the ground. "So I'm taking a tablet of Extra Strength Immodium AD. When you eat at the places I've been eating, you know this stuff is your best friend, and with all the lower GI parasites I've caught over the last 18 months, I know what I'm talking about. After I take one, two or fifteen of these little babies, my bowels will be sealed shut like Fort Knox in no time at. That's gonna make my flight a lot easier... and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it'll probably make the flight easier for everyone else in the plane as well. "So when your bung is running like a crack addicted thief from the LA police, do what I do and reach for Immodium AD. Don't leave the Western Hemisphere without it."

I guess I'm the first to report... It was a great time, with many interesting eGulleters in attendance. SuzanneF was thoughtful enough to provide pencils for all, and also brought along instant-read thermometers and a sensitive electronic scale. The only negative things to say about the venue is that it is extremely dark. We were joined midway through our meal by 30 or so drunken people doing a "pub crawl for cancer" which made conversation a little difficult. The service was prompt, expert and congenial. I thought the burgers were very good. They're broiled under a salamander, which gives them a very nice crust. The main negative for me -- and it really took the quality of the burger down a whole rating -- is that the beef did not appear to have any seasoning whatsoever. Everyone seemed to agree that the burgers needed salt badly. Many of us also found that the beef near the edges of the burger was cooked significnatly more than the beef in the middle. Mine was medium rare (as ordered) around the outer few inches but mushy and rare in the middle. Interestingly, SuzanneF's burger, ordered rare, was exactly the same as mine. Otherwise, the size, texture, greasiness and beefyness were excellent. The buns were acceptable standard burger buns of an appropriate size -- not quite as good as some of the denser brioche-type buns that can absorb more grease, etc. without getting soggy. It was perhaps a bit more than I would want to eat for lunch on a work day, but no one was holding a gun to my head forcing me to finish it. The prices are very reasonable. Excellent onion rings. Batter dipped and clearly cooked a la minute. Our definitive rating will be forthcoming once the scores have been tabulated, no doubt.

Tell that to James Bond. Yeah I've always wondered about that, why Bond always orders his "Shaken, not stirred". I assume because in the original novels it was more of a satire then a serious story. You nailed it with the second sentence. He ordered it "shaken not stirred" because it was déclassé.

I'm thinking low 6 figures. But that's a total guess. As it so happens, I have some friends who are actors and have appeared in many television commercials. When you're talking about a major, nation wide, heavy rotation television advertising campaign, a "no-name" principal actor can expect to make around $100,000 once the initial fee and all the residuals are added up. A major, nation wide, heavy rotation television advertising campaign with a celebrity endorsement typically starts at around 1,000,000 dollars for the celebrity. Bayless might be making a bit less than this, simply because he is not quite up there in "Emeril land" in terms of name recognition... but I can virtually guarantee his compensation was not in the low six figures.

I disagree with the assumption that because Bayless made this deal he will no longer work toward his previously stated goals. Even if one concedes (for sake of this discussion) that his BK ad is both a "sell out" and an act of "self-betrayal" that doesn't necessarily equal a complete abandonment of his mission. It only affects how some people perceive him, not his ability to work toward his goals (and, if he has truly abandonned his goals, then the BK deal is not inconsistent after all). Perhaps Bayless' reputation isn't as important to him as getting his message across is. This deal may have felt like a big pay day and an opportunity in Bayless' mind. The problem with this line of reasoning is that a huge part of Bayless' work towards his previously stated goals is evangelizing and publicity. In this kind of work, his reputation and how people perceive him is of primary concern and directly affects his ability to work towards those goals. If people who might otherwise be receptive to his evangelism are less inclined to listen to him because of his BK endorsement -- and it does not strike me as a reach to suggest that many of the people who might be so inclined aren't exactly admirers of Burger King -- then his ability to influence people towards his philosophies may be seriously inhibited.

Eliot, I think you're missing much of the point and are mingling separate points in this discussion. No one has been saying that people shouldn't endorse Burger King or that it is fundamentally wrong to do so. What they are saying is that it is a hypocritical sell out for Rick Bayless to do so because of his high publicity evangilism for philosophies that are incompatible with BK's business practices. Bayless' endorsement of this sandwich is fundamentally no different from one of the principal members of PETA endorsing a BK burger with 50% less meat because it's a "step in the right direction." You state that he made the commercial with "tongue firmly in cheek" as though it is a fact. This is an assertion I would challenge as I hardly see how this is possible for someone in his position. It bears mentioning, by the way, that Bayless put himself in that position. Bourdain or Ducasse could do a Burger King commercial with "tongue firmly in cheek" because they have not spent years morally decrying the business and culinary practices of Burger King and similar corporations -- it has the effect of undermining everything he has been saying over the years and giving people who have been listening to him reason to doubt his sincerity. At least one of his colleagues and idological comrades appears to share this sentiment, and I have little doubt that he is alone in this regard. Another, separate point is whether it is possible to produce less processed food at a similar price point, with a similar profit margin, with similar consistenty and with similar or better quality. I am not sure it is possible to settle this point definitively in this forum, but the presence of little places like White Manna, chains like In-n-Out and others similar suggest that it is not out of the question. Autogrill in Italy is a shining example of great "fast food" made with high-quality, minimally processed ingredients -- they are found at every "rest stop" on the autostrade. The fact that the fast food places set the bar so ridiculously low in terms of quality makes this seem all the more feasible. As Toliver points out, one may end up with an overcooked chicken breast from time to time, but even this has got to be better than a BK "chicken breast." In closing, I have to add that I don't see how you could possibly think that Bayless' BK advert will "open his message up to a potentially larger audience." People who haven't or wouldn't hear of him won't care, and people who might be predisposed to appreciating his philosophies will likely be disenchanted with his apparent two-faced behavior.

What do you mean, you "took the cover off?" You cooked it in a closed "roaster?" If this is the case, just eliminate the cover part and you'll get plenty crispness. Another way of saying "covered roaster" is "steam chamber." A few slits in the skin to help the fat escape help too.

The roasted corn thing is simply a flan made with dried roasted corn: 4 cups roughly pureed roasted corn, 2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, salt + pinch smoked paprika... simmer corn and milk for 10 minutes, cool, mix in all other ingredients, put in individual ramekins and cook in hot water bath until set in 300F oven... makes four 6 oz ramekins... can reheat in warming oven before service. I turn one of these out onto the center of each plate. The Brussels sprouts and guanciale is simple too: blanch sprouts in plenty of salted water until not quite tender (~5 minutes) and immediately shock in salted ice water bath... drain when cool, cut each in half the long way and reserve... render out thickish slices of guanciale in a saute pan over low heat, remove guanciale when beginning to get crisp and reserve, reserve the fat in a separate container and wipe out the pan... just prior to service, crank the pan up to high heat for several minutes 'till it gets screaming hot, throw in the sprouts and guanciale fat, sauté until the sprouts begin to brown on the flat surfaces, then toss in the guanciale to warm them through. I put several Brussels sprout halves and a few pieces of guanciale on the plate around each flan. Then drizzle on a touch of herb vinaigrette to cut the fat and give it some brightness (thinking about trying this with lovage and/or marjoram as the herb).

So, I'm reading through the NY Times Food section this evening and what should I see but the following paragraph in an article on "sustainable beef" called Balancing Cattle, Land and Ledgers:

I'm heading to Sam's for Thanksgiving. I'll be waiting for a PM with directions. Seriously, though, it's a great way to cook turkey -- easier and better than the traditional methods, IMO. I can give you a write-up if you want.

No need for any heat. Tea will infuse into room temperature vodka just as it will into room temperature water. Use the same amount of tea you would to make very strong hot tea with a similar volume of water. Taste the infusion every so often, and when it attains the strength of flavor you are after strain out the tea leaves.

And not only that, but my ferrets are pissed off that those sanctimonious bastards banned ferret bites in the workplace too. So now they get no fondling, they don't get to bite anyone... it's getting so they can hardly bring themselves to come in to the office and put in an honest day's work.

I've given up on trying to roast a whole turkey all in one piece. These days, I debone the turkey entirely (keeping the breasts whole); braise the leg meat in red wine, port, aromatics and super-reduced turkey stock from the bones; and then roast the brined breasts by themselves. The braising liquid reduces down to an amazing sauce with the addition of some butter, the breasts roast to the perfect temperature in about 45 minutes, and the braised leg meat is everything one could possibly want in turkey dark meat. One does miss out on the "drama" of a whole turkey carved at table, but I plate everything so it makes no difference to me,