eugenep

Have you tried Sweet Bitch wines http://jvwines.com/sweet-bitch-page/ or Skinny Girl Cabernet https://www.skinnygirlcocktails.com/the-cocktails/the-wine-collection I think either would be a good fit I'm guessing Sweet Bitch wines is spicy (from the alcohol burn) and sweet (from the sugar added)

I use xanthan gum to stabilize homemade fermented hot sauces The gum stabilizes the emulsion and is supposed to work as a thickener too Adding this might thicken and stabilize the powder water mixture into a syrup - if you try, please let me know if it works

don't think so - like I believe it'll turn stringy-e (like pizza cheese) something about the protein mesh structure that makes it non-ideal for melting cheese unlike ricotta (I believe) and some Latin frying cheese that's "coagulated?" with vinegar

@btbyrd - is there a store in NYC or across the river in the New Jersey area that sells Joyce birds? They say Whole Foods but in South-Eastern area. I'll try to look for it - seems worth a try. But my default chicken is likely going to be Bell & Evans owing to price, (decent) quality, and availability.

I read about the Bobo online and cross checked it here on Egullet and I think I read your post so I wanted to try the Bobo. I got mine at Chung Shing Meats, 19 Catherine St, in Chi-town. I didn't see any label to identify it as White or Black plume. The birds were 3.80 lb to over 4lbs in size. You think a seller of the Black plume would make a difference and where should I buy that? The owners of Chung Shing Meats should upgrade their facilities. The chicken might be alright but the place didn't have a clean look to it so I think that's the biggest reason for not going for another one unless there's a Black plume seller nearby?

I read on a separate post that the best chicken in NYC is a Bobo chicken. I got mine at a store on Chinatown. The chicken tasted ok and it wasn't super good etc. The Bobo was something like $3 a lb and a Bell & Evans at Whole Foods Organic Air Chilled chicken was $3.99 I think I'm sticking to the organic, air-chilled B&E one just bc the store in Chinatown wouldn't upgrade their facilities so the seller's kit is dirty looking etc. and the chicken doesn't have a package date and water accumulated in some (showing signs of age)

thanks for the recommendaiton. tried it out on Saturday while taking a walking tour of some kinda architecture exhibit walk for 1.5 miles in the City and that drink was impressive. So good for the season that I made it today for the park while playing bocci good drink. I sometimes make tepache with pineapple skin and fermentation for the summer (just add spirit of your choice) and also spiced rum (toast spices and soak in rum for 2 weeks) I might try that tecate (mexican beer) with tomato and hot sauce etc.. I think it's called a michelada or something

never tried alcohol-beer yet bc it feels too unnatural - like fat-free cream etc. but - i'm sure it tastes good for some also hmmm...but it might be purely the alcohol that's responsible for that increased desire I mean, introspectively, Alex seems right and agrees with my experience

I don't know if anyone experienced the same issue and if they can give advise on how they cope with it. When I have one beer, it's good and it's like I suddenly have this desire/interest to have another one. I mean...it's not like I have one piece of pie, that was good, and then I want another piece of pie. It's not the same feeling or desire for pie or other good foods. It's like different, like it's a stronger type of desire that really pushes me and it's like I have to resist with some amount of will power. In cigarettes we know it's nicotine but I wonder if it's something they put into the beer sometimes? Beer is fermented so I'm guessing that's responsible for its yummy complex and unique taste. But so is cheese, prosciutto, and so on. And it's not like I have the same strong desire to have another piece of cheese or ham. So..you think there's something in the beer they put in it that gives it that strong pull for another one? In potato chips, I believe it's the msg chemicals that create that strong push. I read in a book, "Salt, Sugar ,Fat...?" or something that corporate farmers create some kind of sugar fat carb mixture and feed it to pigs and the animals go crazy and keep eating beyond the point that is natural for their bodies. Corporations found they could do the same to humans (just like pigs) so they do similar things with your junk food to make it irresistible good and make you reach for another one. The only way I cope with the beer problem is to tell myself "just one beer and when that desire for the 2nd comes ignore it." Like..I don't have the desire for 2 or more beers but just one at first. But that....desire...for the 2nd will come after I finish the first and I know it's coming bc of that first drink for some reason. I don't think this desire is natural to foods like pie, cheese and so on. And it's not nicotine. So I wonder..what??

thanks @gfweb and @robirdstx I think I'll try both techniques. The pre-browning of the bread crumbs is actually pretty impressive. I could potentially get a really good browned crumb while cooking the easy-to dry out pork chop at a low temperature I think I didn't have the guts to put a larger amount of oil on and just treated it like frying a steak a normal sauté - didn't know about the quantity of oil needed

okay thanks - I'll try both methods next time I use only a thin film of oil - like a coating for pan frying steak - maybe more oil and wait for it to get hot enough to hear the bread crumb sizzle Hmmmm...like I'm using that overpriced burner, Control Freak, and it read 385F so it should be hot enough (deep fry temperature) Maybe something wrong with the burner and it's not heating evenly so it reads 385F but it's only in one small space? I'll double check But I did wonder why I needed oil to get the breaded coating to brown. The oil can rise to 375F or higher and once spreaded on food, it will heat the food more evenly but it wasn't browning without the oil (even though it should) I thought it was water from the pork chop creating steam or something that is preventing the panko crumbs to brown and that's why it needs a layer of oil In ATK's schnitzel recipe, they have you dip the breaded pork chop in oil (deep fry) so I wonder if the breading needs a layer of oil??

Hoping to explain the problem clearly. A standard recipe would call for a dusting of pork chop/chicken etc. in a coat of flour, egg whites, then panko/bread crumbs and then pan fry I would add oil to the pan and then the breaded protein. The breaded protein browns nicely on one side before I flip it Problem - it looks like the first side absorbed all the pan oil. The second side doesn't brown and remains white panko crumbs. I'm assuming it should brown like toast even without oil but it doesn't brown and remains white To get it to brown I have to add another coating of oil to the pan so that the panko absorbs it Question: shouldn't it brown without a layer of oil like how toast browns? Like...I wonder if moisture from the protein is dropping the temperature to 212F and you can't get above the boiling point of water That's why a layer of oil needs to be added to raise it above the 212F level for the breaded coating to brown You think that's right or do you see the problem I'm talking about? thanks

Hmmm.. I wonder if you could just infuse the ginger in the rum for a few days or week after pressing out its juice to extract more if its flavor

I was thinking how it could make super expensive scotch and wine available to average people with a moderate income. I drink scotch and wine but not regularly because of the cost I would prefer the real thing but the lab version might have a place ..think about drinking 50 year scotch on a daily basis (with moderation of course)

New producers believe they can make a "chemical?" compound to make an equivalent to scotch whiskey without the aging. It might work - anyone tried it? https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/03/07/disruptive-technology-may-change-the-whiskey-industry Choice quotes below in case of paywall Endless West, based in San Francisco, is one such. It has done away with barrel-ageing entirely. Using a gas chromatograph, which separates a mixture into its constituents and then spits out an analysis of that mixture’s make up, the firm’s researchers claim to have identified the molecules which give different whiskies their flavours. Josh Decolongon, Endless West’s chief product officer, says a compound called 4-ethylguaiacol transports him to, “a chilly holiday night spent indoors...burning logs and sweet spices”. Ethyl butanoate, on the other hand, he associates with candied apples, tropical fruit or perhaps grapes. Mr Decolongon and his team use a mixture of techniques, including distillation and solvent partitioning (taking advantage of the different solubilities of most chemicals in water and oily liquids) to extract these and other compounds from things like plants, yeasts and barrel wood. Once they have obtained these flavours, they add them to pure ethanol bought from an outside supplier. The result is Glyph, a spirit that takes around 24 hours to make and sells for about $40 a bottle. Endless West is the only company so far to eliminate ageing entirely, but at least seven others are speeding the process up. In Los Angeles, for example, a firm called Lost Spirits inserts heated barrel wood into distilled spirit and blasts it in a reactor to quicken the process. That takes six days, and produces a drink called Abomination: Sayers of the Law. All this will count for little if age-defying whiskies taste bad and people will not buy them. The Scotch Whisky Association, a trade body which represents Scotland’s whisky industry, bristles at the idea that production can be rushed or replicated. Abomination has received some excellent reviews, and chromatographic analysis of it reveals a similar chemical signature to that of conventionally aged whiskies. Glyph’s reviews are mostly mediocre, although your correspondent found it tastes good when mixed with a slug of ginger ale. Both firms’ products are proving popular with tech-minded youngsters who enjoy the stories about a break with tradition. Meanwhile another age-defying distillery, Tuthilltown Spirits, in upstate New York, is trying a different approach. It agitates its barrelled whiskies to accelerate maturation. Its workers do this by placing bass shakers around the warehouse and playing loud music through them. They say bass-heavy dubstep works best.

I wonder if this Street Food series will be similar in theme to Chef's Table - where it's not about recipes or technique but a personal drama with a hero/narrator, conflict, resolution etc. that is partly autobiographical and beautifully shot e.g., Mr. Ivan Ramen suffering the tragedy of losing a loved partner and struggling to find his place identity A woman from Lat-Am escaping a bad marriage and finding a new life in Philadelphia though food etc. Human personal dramas and stories with food in the background

hey guys - check it out ATK's book, Sous Vide for Everybody, mentioned EGullet: “The technique slowly spread to chefs in the U.S.— largely thanks to the Internet. Chefs began to acquire sous vide circulators for their kitchens in the early 2000s. (Thomas Keller was one of the first.) The only problem: No one really knew how to use them. None of these chefs had come up in the kitchen world using them. No one had spent time experimenting with them. Enter: the website eGullet. The forums on this culinary-minded site were a place for people to geek out on food-related issues, and sous vide was a perfect subject. On eGullet, explained Boston chef Tony Maws, people like Grant Achatz, Sean Brock, Wyliê Dufresne, and many others “would talk about what they were playing with, and [how they used] different times and temperatures for different proteins. There was a lot of sharing of knowledge, and over time we figured out this technique.” Excerpt From: America's Test Kitchen. “Sous Vide for Everybody.” "

I use MSG and water in place of stock sometimes when for example, a recipe says to do a 2-3 hour braise of offal in stock (to take out the gross gamey odor in offal) and then to throw away the stock. I would be wasting 2-3 liters of my hard to make stock if it weren't for MSG + water substitute. I grew up with the media bias against MSG when I was a kid so as an adult it's like I still have this childhood belief that's difficult to change. But based on new information about MSG, when I go to an Asian restaurant and if they use MSG, I would be okay with that and no longer feel like my life is at risk. I learned that MSG is in our potato chips and many other foods we consume everyday. It could be the MSG in chips that make us have a craving for it (can't eat just one). So...it could be that all Americans have been eating MSG on a regular and daily basis (if they eat potato chips etc.)

Link at https://www.wsj.com/articles/rescuing-msgs-unsavory-reputation-11556337610?mod=hp_lead_pos11 But if paywall - some choice quotes: OUT-OF-FAVOR FLAVOR What’s it in? MSG is found naturally in some foods like yeast, tomatoes and cheese, and is commonly added to others, including chips, soups, frozen dinners and ranch dressing. When added to food, the FDA requires MSG to be listed among ingredients as monosodium glutamate. The image issue: Four in 10 Americans say they actively avoid MSG and many people identify themselves as sensitive to it. The average American consumes around half a gram of added MSG a day, according to the FDA. Is it bad for you? Studies have found no conclusive evidence that MSG has any adverse health effects on the vast majority of people when consumed in normal concentrations. Is it good for you? MSG is about 12% sodium, roughly one-third of the 39% in table salt. Makers of MSG say that when sprinkled on food it can help people reduce their salt consumption.

I also have my chocolate notes from the CIA book in case it helps amateurs (like myself) Crystal Types 1 - 4 bad. Types 5-6 good. Type 1 melts at 64 F Type 2 melts at 72 F Type 3 melts at 79 F Type 4 melts at 84 F Type 5 melts at 94 F Type 6 melts at 97 F So heating above 84 but below 94 will melt Type 4 (and below) crystals but retains Type 5 and 6 crystals. Tempering to 90 F (for dark chocolate) is optimal because it’s between the 84 – 94 sweet spot. But seeding this will lower the temperature and contain Type 4 crystals along with Types 5 and 6. So once you seed (lowering the temp and adding bad Type 4 crystals) you need to heat it up to 90 F again to get rid of the Type 4 crystals and leave only Types 5 and 6. Alternative Technique: (1) melt out all crystals completely; (2) cool the chocolate and agitate it so that both Type 4 and Type 5 crystals form; (3) rewarm chocolate to melt at all Type 4 and below crystals leaving only Type 5 crystals for seeding; (4) maintain at proper temp during use Seeding Technique: (1) melt chocolate to remove all butter crystals – 120 F for dark and 104 F for milk and white chocolate; (2) slowly add bits of tempered seeding chocolate and stir; (3) make sure proper temperature, no unmelted lumps, and viscosity is right, then test it out to make sure there are no streaks and it sets quickly; (4) if it fails the test, the continue to add more seeding chocolate and continue to keep the right temperature to melt Type 4 crystals and test again. 90 F for dark and 86 F for milk and white chocolate is optimal tempering temperature. Agitation will promote the formation of cocoa butter crystals. Test to see if agitated enough if sets quickly without streaks. Residence Time at the 90 F temperature is needed for both the Type 5 crystals to form and Type 4 crystals to melt. Milk Chocolate and White chocolate take more residence time than dark chocolates. You need to test a sample to see if it sets quickly without leaving streaks to ensure there are no Type 4’s left. Under and Over Seeding. If you don’t seed enough, then Type 4 crystals can form and result in fat bloom. If you overseed, then the viscosity will be too thick. You need something like 1% of the chocolate to be Type 5 crystals. Long residence time at 90 F will keep forming a lot of Type 5 crystals. Some chocolatiers will reheat a portion of this (above 94 F) to destroy some Type 5 crystals and maintain lower viscosity for a thinner liquid. Ganache. The emulsion can break when the fat separates. The fat coalesce and clumps together and then floats to the top of the ganache breaking the emulsion. This happens because of two reasons: (1) either there is too much fat in the ganache; (2) or the ganache is agitated the wrong temperature. When it is hot (90 F or greater) the fat won’t clump together because very liquid. When it is too cold (below 74 F), the fat won’t clump because it is already crystalized. The danger is when you agitate the ganache between 74 F to 85 F and in liquid form that the fat will start to clump together and separate. Separated ganache will have a grainy texture and must be repaired. Repairing a ganache. You warm it between 90 F – 94 F. The max temperature is the temp that will not destroy the Type 5 crystals but destroy all those below, like Type 4. You then agitate it to create more Type 5 crystals. If this fails to repair your ganache, this could mean there is too much fat and you need liquid to thin it out. Adding liquid creates space between the fats so they don’t clump together. Liquids can include: spirits, syrup, water, milk (not cream bc too much fat). Milk and water can shorten the shelf life of the chocolate so that’s not good. The best option is spirit or syrup. Do not add too much liquid or else it will soften the ganache too much. Emulsions are mixtures of fat and water. One component of fat/water is broken up into tiny size 10 microns within the other ingredient. The broken micron bits are the dispersion and the thing the microns are broken up into is the continuous phase. When fat microns are dispersed in continuous water phase, this is a fat-in-water emulsion and includes ganache. When water microns are dispersed in continuous fat, this is a water-in-fat emulsion and includes butter. The emulsion breaks because there is too much of the micron dispersion phase so they do not remain separated for too long and clump. When clumping happens, the separate from the continuous phase. In a broken ganache, there is a too much fat micron dispersion in the continuous water phase – so that’s why you need less fat and more water to repair your ganache. Agitation of the ganache when it is neither too hot or too cold, will cause the fat microns to clump together and then break the emulsion. When making a ganache, use tempered chocolate. Do not heat above 94 F or else the stable crystals will be killed off. The ratio for ganache is: 2 parts chocolate and 1 part cream. Then little bit of buttery, corn syrup, and liquor. · The glucose syrup is there is absorb the excess water from the cream which will then prevent bloom and stabilize the emulsion. The amount of syrup required would be 10 -40% of the cream. 25-30% is a good amount. Syrup isn’t added for sweetness (that comes mostly from the chocolate). The syrup stabilizes the emulsion because it makes the liquid thicker (thereby preventing the movement and separation of fat in water). When cream is added to chocolate, the sugar in the chocolate seeps into the liquid in the cream and then can later recrystallize as sugar crystals – breaking the emulsion. The syrup prevents this re-crystalization process. Syrup is not counted as a liquefier because it binds more liquid than it gives. · Liquor is added to thin out the thick fluid and also for flavor. Butter is optional and is added to substitute for cocoa butter in the liquor (it also adds dairy flavor). The amount of butter should be 50% of the liquor. · Cream and liquor both add water. The cream also adds butterfat. This butter fat is responsible for the lower melting temperature of ganache vs. dark chocolate. · Storage. Cream based ganaches are safe for only 3 weeks. You need liquor, invert sugar, and glucose syrup to soak up the water and extend the shelf life. · Chocolate. If the cocoa butter is very high, then the chocolate will be harder and the risk of the emulsion breaking and bloom is higher owing to the high cocoa butter. If the cocoa butter is very low, then the chocolate will be softer but can be too soft to set properly. Chocolate for confectionary purposes should contain at least 32% cocoa butter. In sum, butter fat softens chocolate while cocoa butter hardens it. Steps to making a ganache: ( (1) Heat the cream to boiling; (2) pour it into tempered chocolate and let sit for 1 minute undisturbed; (3) start stirring a circle from the inside out, melting the chocolate; (4) if some chocolate is un-melted, heat but not above 94 F (enough to melt but does not destroy stable crystals); (5) now add soft but not melted butter (butter cannot be melted or its emulsion will be separated); (6) now add liquor or flavorings (after butter because you don’t want to cool the temperature until butter is melted into ganache); (7) cool to room temperature, about 72 F, but do not refrigerate or else emulsion will break. This may take up to 1 hour depending on your room temperature; (8) agitate briefly to help crystalize the fat (both cocoabutter and milk butter). Do not agitate too much or else it will change the texture from smooth and creamy to short; **Remember, you can agitate ganache either when it is really hot or really cold but not in the middle. Agitate when it is really cold to about 72 F here. (9) once the room temperature is reached, you have to pipe it within 15 min or else it will crystalize; (10) once piped, wait 15 min to overnight for the ganache to fully harden. Do not refrigerate ganache because it will form unstable crystals.

I am just a home cook and and an amateur at chocolate making but I did read the chocolate making book by CIA, Culinary Institute of America The CIA procedure would: (1) turn up the temp super high to kill all good and bad crystals (2) It would then cool down and form the good crystals by seeding the chocolate with pieces of chocolate. This seeding will cool down the chocolate where if forms the bad unstable crystals below the 34 C you mention I'm guessing (3) to make sure you keep only the good crystals and kill the bad ones, you then need to heat it up again to the point were only the good crystals are present So it's by seeding the chocolate in stage 2 that cools it down too much. I guess if there was a way of seeding without cooling it down below that special 34 C range it would be innovative I don't know if this answers your question but I hope so and please correct me if I'm wrong. thank you

@jimb0 - nice. I was always afraid of adding other ingredients to bread just because I thought the flavor of carrots, fruits etc. would be lost when mixed into all that dough and the high heat of the oven might further burn off and destroy some/most of the "flavor molecules?" responsible for flavor - e.g., when adding lemon zest (can't taste it) I've only had fruits/veggies mixed bread from mass market grocery chains and these didn't taste that great so..i wonder about the taste of veggie/fruit mixed breads and whether or not its worth it (e.g., does the flavor add to the bread and is it still retained after mixing and baking etc.)

there was this one theory by historians that we moved from a hunter-gatherer society to a grain based agricultural one because humans wanted to grow grain to make beer so that's why we settled down to farming and civilization happened beer gave rise to our civilization and that without beer we would all be nomadic barbarian hordes

it's beautiful i've been saving for a house too but the ones I can afford in a nice neighborhood close enough to work are not good looking i guess we'll see i always thought houses farther away from the major metropolitan areas would cost less with better value errr...if the house you purchased is close to the NJ - NYC area and within affordability please message me for tips on areas to look at- e.g., Rutherford etc.

thanks for the info I always assumed the IPA was beer named after the British one (for marketing purposes) and the two are different - with American hops being the distinctive and defining character profile of the IPA