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I tried after watching this Marco Pierre White video on youtube. I didn't work. I then made another attempt using a Chinese recipe. That didn't work either. Finally, I tried using America's Test Kitchen. And IT WORKED!!! yes. It was a success. The told me the science stuff going on and that the high temp of an oven can dry out and achieve crackling but it will dry out the skin too much and make it tough, hard, chewy. This is exactly what happened to me in the past. So ATK would use low oven heat to dry out the surface just enough and cook the pork on a cast iron saute. This high heat and direct contact with the fire will crisp the skin fast without drying it out has hard and chewy and you'll get the cracklings. I was so pleased. Here's the free vid.

can liquid nitrogen drop the temp of fish to -4 F ? In the NYC area there are sushi lunch specials were you get 3 rolls for like $12. The price is very low for sashimi quality fish. I've always suspected that many fish at supermarkets can be eaten raw without fear of parasites without the -4 F freezing temp and that sushi restaurants selling at such great prices are using such supermarket fish without the freezing. The FDA (and/or Florida regulations) say that eating raw fish without the -4 F freeze is safe as long as the fish is farm raised on pellets not containing parasites. See Further, the sushi chef in the vid confirmed many sushi restaurants do just what the FDA regulations permit and raw salmon that is farm raised and which can be purchased in the supermarket is used for sashimi without the super freeze. Helen Rennie's blog also says the same thing - that farm raised salmon, generally*, is safe to eat as sashimi along with brazino, hamachi (yellowtail) etc without the step of freezing to -4 F. This is such a relief and I think I"m going to go to Costco to get farm raised salmon and eat that raw (as maki roll, pressed sushi etc.) even though it's not commercially frozen to -4F. Further, salmon/fish from Norway, Scotland, Faro Islands and similar areas have such high standards of fish processing that it might already be sashimi grade when its from these countries (farm not wild).

thanks for the info. This sounds strange but many of the Joe Juniors and Kamado Joes are out of stock at many places. The google search said many parts made in China and there's some sourcing issues which began in April 2020 and I'm guessing it's still ongoing. I have an 18 inch WSM. I fill it up only half full with charcoal - not a full load. I use the lighting method where I dump a chimney of lit charcoals in the middle and the outside ring is unlit. I know there is the snake method and other methods. This 1/2 load only lasts 3.5 hours at 212 F before I have to refill it. Just to save fuel, I wrap a brisket or shoulder in foil (Texas crutch) and put it in the oven for the remaining time to reach the 203 F or so in the meat. But you are using an 18 inch WSM with a full load and it lasts much longer? Like..does your technique differ from mine? My vents are open very little to control the 212F temp and there is my water basin (filled half way only).

She said also that in China, chefs aren't seen as artists and celebrities like they are in the West. And that it's a low-brow profession. But people that lived in China say that's false but I don't really know myself. Maybe she is wrong?

I used to come home at 7pm and cook also. So I end up eating at 9:30pm sometimes. But it's worth it to make food from scratch and really rewarding. It made my life more richer and fulfilling etc. I think you have the time to turn out excellent dishes. I tried cooking from cookbooks in college but it didn't turn out good. I didn't know why. But I paid a little bit more for some decent pots and pans at a sale and get okay equipment. And I stopped focusing on learning from recipes. And i focused instead on understanding the science of cooking - e.g., why long heat make meat dry; why salting overnight will keep meat more moist later when cooking; why heat will burn away a lot of flavors in delicate spices; why hot oil blooms flavors in spices. After learning about the basic science of cooking, it helped me approach recipes more easily - like I understood what I was doing and why the author wants me to put spices, meat, veg in a certain sequence. ....like I understood why some cooking time is longer and some is shorter etc. If you care about understanding cooking recipes and books from Cooks Illustrated can be super helpful. They will tell you why you are doing something every step: https://www.cooksillustrated.com

I think she was trying to do research in the 80s or something when writing her first cookbooks and she said it was very hard to find region specific cookbooks or even cookbooks at all. I guess things changed overtime. I hope the best cookbooks in China gets translated into English so people in the West can learn directly from the source. Some of my friends don't know if they are actually cooking authentic Chinese dishes when they cook in the West.

wow. It's like she's an authority not just to Western audiences but to the people that she writes about - that really proves here credentials. She did say during interviews that not many Chinese recipe books are published in China - like the cuisine of a particular region etc. - so I hope this promotes more book and recipe writing in the East.

I currently have a 22 inch Weber kettle grill and a 18 inch Weber water smoker (Smokey Mountain model). The kettle is very easy to clean but is still large and I have to roll it out to the patio, uncover it, prep a bag of charcoal, and I think everything is bigger than it needs to be for 2 people cooking 16 oz (or 1 lb) of meat only. - I thought a smaller model would make my life easier. The Weber smoker is large like a barrel and I have to mount a pot of water on top of the charcoal. It burns a lot of fuel and it not as easy to clean up. You have to take it a part in 3 pieces and its a lot of work overall and not worth using unless you plan to smoke like 10lbs of meat - an entire brisket, etc. - and this happens rarely for me. This smoker is recommended by so many but there are air gaps in it that never completely seals and you can't shut out the fire completely so it's going to burn that remaining charcoal all night. It's not worth burning a 1/3 bag of charcoal for a 1 lb steak or 3 lbs ribs But I thought a kamado would save on fuel and would be easy to clean owing to its small size. I read that you can hold a torch directly over the charcoal and light it that way (which is easier than a chimney and saves on fuel). I might check out the electric models Barrytm mentioned and might end up getting the Kamado Joe Jr. Thanks for the info.

I've been thinking about a smaller bbq/grill for just 2 people and I've been reading many reviews and the best quality seems to be the Kamado Joe Jr. Does anyone own such a device? I needed ask: (1) is it easy to setup and clean? (2) does it use very little charcoal and fuel? (3) what is your overall experience or do you recommend a better device? I own larger smokers and grills but the setup, cleaning, and use of fuel doesn't make sense when I'm just bbq for 2 people (my wife and I). So very easy setup and cleaning would be really important besides being able to smoke/bbq well.

it still looks good - I mean - I would eat it. That leaf looks quite large in relation to all the other ingredients.

it looks good. I would pay for this dish definitely. It looks like it has a lot of elements - like fine dining. Did it take a very long to prepare? I wasn't sure if it's practical for a home cook and maybe better for a restauranteur.

it sounds like bbq'ed water that leaves a wood flavor or like the scotch of water maybe it would go well with wood smoked bbq meats? or a scotch based cocktail? the experience might be new and interesting to the diner

wow. thanks for the info. I really like seafood and trying to cook from Eric Ripert's book. I think I'm going to check that out today. I have some trouble sourcing fresh quality fish consistently in NJ. Sometimes good but sometimes fish smell owing because it's not fresh but I can't always tell. I saw some online but it was crazy overpriced - like $50 for salmon fillet or something at Fulton Fish online.

the Aldi near me had really low prices - like 30% off the normal price - for things like veg, meat and so on. I did buy soy milk from their for $2 rather than $4 for the standard carton. It was organic so the quality label was there. But it was very watered down and when I put it into my coffee, it diluted the taste so much that it was like adding water. I think when times are tight and saving a few dollars would help, Aldi is the place I would go. Their prices are incredible if you are looking for a deal.

to get the crispy skin, the recipes that I tried required air drying in the fridge. Many Chinese recipes have the technique. In Phoenix Claw and Jade Tree (cook book), they also used a water bath. I tried it and the taste was very good. good luck. pics and a description of your results would be much appreciated.

I'm too afraid to buy seafood online unless it's canned - like canned octopus, sardines etc. I've been buying the canned stuff from Despana NYC. It's like fancy canned though. I recommend it.

Beignets are like donuts huh? maybe I'll try but I'm so embarrassed to order just 3 for $2. if you or anyone already tried it a review and pics would be super nice!

My friend said that you don't just soak the prunes in brandy and instead bakers would soak it in black tea, sugar, brandy and so on. With these brandy soaked plums, they go on to use it for baking. When you soak brandy with prunes and use it to bake, do you just pour brandy over plums and let it sit for a few hours? Or do you soak the prunes in a complicated mixture of: sugar, black tea, water, brandy? your help is mucho helpful and appreciated.

Hello Shai N. That is a great looking piece. Need some help here. I soaked brandy and prunes for 24 hours and used it to make a prune clafoutis based on Michel Roux's recipe. The clafoutis came out great tasting but the prunes were bitter. Did I soak the prunes too long? 24 hours? Or was it because I was using some cheap E&J brandy? And I need to use a pricier brandy? Not sure if it's because the baking in the oven 40 min at 370F wasn't long enough to cook the bitter alcohol out? I tasted the prunes before soaking and they taste good - no bitterness. So I think it's the brandy.

thanks. this is very helpful. I'm going to try this technique. so far it's like I'm seeing a lot of different ways but not sure what actually works. your tip is a good direction to start

thanks Liuzhou. will keep in mind. I watched youtube videos on lamb and chicken biryani and it looks like they parboil the rice separately to almost to 90% doneness and then add the rice on top of the wet braised meat I guess that's how some cooks keep the rice dry and non-soggy? And it looks like some cooks fry the spices in oil with the meat too before adding rice. I'm guessing the cookbooks adding spices later on (with the rice) and not braising the spices with the meat might be some kind of personal preference or something?

Hello, I needed to ask if I can change the normal technique of making a biryani: STANDARD COOKBOOK TECHNIQUE 1. Saute: You saute the meat, garlic/ginger/onions 2. Boil: then you boil this in water for 40 min 3. Add Rice and Spices: you add rice the spices (cardamom, cinnamon stick, etc.) into the water and cook for another 15 min until rice absorbs all water QUESTION: 1. Can I just boil the spices with the meat in step 2 (i.e., braise the meat with the spices) so that the spices get infused in the water and meat more? I read on Cooks Illustrated not to boil the spice more than 30 min (not sure why?) 2. I usually cook rice at 1 cup rice to 1.5 cup water. But this ratio leaves soggy rice with too much water. Is the ratio closer to 1 cup rice to 1.25 cup water? Or less? Does anyone have comments on the right ratio? thank you

I've had my Gaggia for 2.5 years before it broke. I descaled and cleaned the brew group regularly. But the grinder or grind motor got jammed and I couldn't fix it. I bought it on Cooks Illustrated's recommendation. I used a Jura at work and liked it and got the home version Jura A1. The price is similar to Gaggia but with less features - namely, it doesn't have a milk frother. Overall, the Jura A1 is by far the best coffee maker. The engine is quiet and the cleaning requirement is much less - you just change the filter or pop in cleaning tablets without having to take out the brew group and oil it and brush it like changing oil in a car or something. I read the Jura A1 lasts up to 5 years on amazon.com reviews so I'm hoping I could use it for at least that long. The downside of the Jura A1 is that you have to buy a new filter every 2 months at $25 a piece or $150 for a year's supply. You also have to buy cleaning tablets and it looks like there are a lot of fakes being sold on amazon.com (based on amazon reviews). Ultimately, the cleaning materials would equal the cost of the machine $700 - $800 in about 4 years. The work around seems to be to buy non-Jura filters at a lower price but their is the risk of the machine breaking. Overall, I'm glad I got the Jura and will likely use a generic filter to save on cleaning supplies. The cost of the machine will be worth it if it lasts at least 5 years - amazing coffee so far.

I read more on google that high quality beans should be less caffeinated - which is ironic since many drink coffee for the caffeine (and not always the taste). The lower grade robusta has more caffeine than higher quality arabica generally. I guess the "coffee judger-people?" thinks the caffeine should be more mellow - resulting in a better drinking experience?

peaberry coffee bean: when a coffee cherry fruit produces one bean instead of 2. This is supposed to result in more concentrated flavor supposedly. I read online that its just nothing but marketing hype but some bloggers say it does make a difference. I tried some from Invalsa today after roasting at https://invalsacoffee.com/collections/bolivia/products/bol-peaberry It does taste very good but a lot of high grade beans, AAA, 87+ points etc. taste good also from Invalsa. The price is the same for high grade beans so I thought it is worth a try. Available at $9.99 lb with free shipping if you are interested in the link. I hope this supplier survives the Covid-19 recession because their products are great.