eugenep

not doing an oil poach - just saute (pan heat) I know poaching in oil (for salmon) is a common technique But I just wanted to skip the step of sous vide with the Control Freak by laying meat on top of a fry pan and hitting the 150F button (super fast and easy) this would save a tremendous amount of time and I don't have to go through several steps of filling a pot of water, taking out my thermometer, bagging the chicken and so forth but the major reason for not doing it (besides the ones already listed) is because it might be weird and not something done by most people - like weirdo behavior

thanks for the tips but - excuse me for not clarifying - I'm not trying to get a sear but use the skillet to warm the meat to 150 F (sorry not 140 F for chicken breast). Put oil in the pan But chicken breast in The pan heats to 150 F and oil heats to 150 F The chicken in the oil should heat to 150 F but the issues seems to be the thickness and whether or not the 150F will hit the inside on time (might take like 1 -2 hours) unless you cut it super thin I didn't want to use the word "pan heat the chicken" bc it might sound too weird or confusing and just use the word "saute" to describe the pan heat technique of cooking I"m aware that meat and vegetables brown at higher than the boiling temperature of water 212 F - sort of assumed that everyone that cooks know you can't brown meat in boiling water temperature There's this issue with drying out too. Proteins retain a lot of their juice a 150 F and the temp needs to go higher to squeeze the water out (so that's why I think the protein will stay moist at 150F) The drying seems to come from the open air (like letting meat sit on the table too long) and dry heat from the fry pan I'm interested to see if the air and heat drying would dry out the protein in the 1 - 2 hour it takes for the heat to penetrate the thickness of the chicken ** I have a feeling someone is going to tell me you can't pan fry something at 150 F because frying is technically done at 375 for optimal results and 150 F won't cut it. But I'm not trying to pan fry but "pan heat."

I'd be interested in hearing about Heston if anyone's ever tried it. I don't know about performance but the design is A+ which is enough for me to want it

maybe I'll try it one day. But hoping someone else more experimentally inclined or maybe did it before might make it easier for the rest of us.

I was thinking though - what if we just cut the chicken breast or fish thin so that the heat doesn't have to penetrate a thick cut - thereby reducing the pan frying time ? If we could saute the meat without creating a water bath (sous vide) every time we do delicate meats on the CF it would be a lot quicker. I use the precision saute pan heat for sauces - holandaise - and caramel (like 320 degrees?) and it's very precise, uniform heat that never ruins my sauce or burns my caramel and it's fast but I'm thinking the heat is always through a liquid medium (so heat transfer is fast) ***Lastly, I think Americans are used to a long braise but not a long saute frying. If the temp is kept low at 140-150F the meat would not dry out owing to a long cooking time (just like how we sous vide meat at low temp without drying it out). It might be possible to do a lengthy pan-fry (saute) just like a long braise but I think Americans aren't used to the concept - like something so foreign or alien to how we cook (with saute being fast and braise being long) that it's just mere custom, habit that's preventing us from doing this method - of a braise style pan fry.

QUESTION: to get precis temperature in meat like fish fillet or chicken breast, I create a sous vide using the CF thermometer and pot of water Has anyone tried to get this precise meat temperature using a saute fry pan - like set it at 140 F and then put a chicken breast on it ? I'm guessing this works but it's going to take like a 1-2 hour sear for the low heat to penetrate the thickness of the meat. This is because heat can transfer easily in water but not through meat and air (without a water medium)??? I never tried precision meat searing but has anyone tried it? And do you think my above picture is correct (like it works but it'll just take 1-2 hours)?

I think the darker the ale the higher the room temperature? I think I saw that on some scale chart. I'm too lazy to correlate proper serving temp for each type of ale so I just drink it at room temp and cold for lagers I did try chilling and icing some of my ales on a hot day from Allagash and Founders and the taste was lost and I tasted less of it These beers are pretty pricey and twice the cost of mass market lager so I try to get the most enjoyment possible but what's weird is that with Blue Moon Beligian ale, it seems to taste better cold or over ice even though it's an ale? I mean..it is mass market beer so the flavor isn't really that high and I'm assuming the average beer drinker always drinks there lagers and ales cold from the frig (so Blue Moon designed it to be drunk from frig maybe??) I tried Stone brewery and haven't been a fan of theirs - not even there xocoveza that is probably alright but not that great

that's pretty interesting. i've always had my stouts at room temperature bc it was an ale. it would be interesting to have this from the frig just because it's a lager - like a cold stout? i wonder how that works out - like doesn't the cold lessen the flavor ? or does it makes it taste better since it's a lager ?

thanks for sharing and bottles look nice - like there's this authenticity about them owing to what seems like handwritten labels in the background and the minimalist style of the labeling etc. for the rums and cognac, do they taste especially different and interesting in some kind of different way? if so, where do you buy it or how can i purchase (hopefully at a fair price)? for rum, i drink diplomatico and other Venezuelan rums that are very high quality and Cruzan is my everyday mixing rum tips on other products would be super helpful. thank you

The first time I read about that theory, I thought the author was joking - namely, that beer civilized mankind and we turned from nomads to farmers because humans wanted to make beer. But that theory kept coming up in more books and I started taking it seriously. There was some kind of evidence that the settlers could have grown different types of edible plants other than grain used for beer that was easier and more efficient and settlers had knowledge of these other edible plant stuff. But the settlers chose to grow the much more difficult beer grains instead so this supported the view that we became civilized owing to beer. It's FRIDAY!! so the thought is a lot of drinking for the weekend. I finished my last drop of beer like 3 days ago and have only a half bottle of chardonnay left. Other than that, I'm stuck with uninteresting spirits for the evening - cheap whiskey etc.

ok. you are now officially in the club. I'll message you the secret password.

are you doing sum theeng that bridges your background in science and interest in food? welcome welcome amigo

Fuchsia is pretty great. I'm cooking with Fuchsia's Simple Everyday Chinese Food right now (title sounds something like that). Her recipes call for chili bean paste and not the bean oil that is sold in most US stores so the amazon link is to the paste. I didn't go with the chili bean oil sold in most stores because the Chinese technique appears to be to create an oil infusion from base aromatics and fermented things - like an infused oil that is created in the pan. This is so different from the Western technique where you just fry the aromatics and then use a stock or wine to create a pan sauce. The Chinese technique seems to create an oil sauce that coats everything else so that the end result is s dry stir fry with no sauce but an infused oil that flavors the dish. The chili oil would already have a double dose of oil so I used the paste as called for in her recipe. I still have a second new unopened bottle of Lee Kum Kee chili bean oil that I plan to "reverse shoplift" - that is, put in back in the store that I bought it from. It sounds weird but I don't want to waste throwing it away. I don't think it's illegal to reverse shop-lift? I'm going to walk in casually holding it in my hand and pretend to look at the chili oils and then subtle put the one in my hand back on the shelf and buy something else. Lol Ummm...when cooking Chinese I found that infusing my own chili oil with sichuan peppers and black cardomom and using Chinese noodles (not the Thai Kitchen ones at Shoprite) from Chinatown made a big difference to the taste. Also, Chinatown has the horizontal cross-cut spareribs called for in the recipes along with Chinese garlic chives with buds on, water spinach, etc. and dried shrimp and shitake you'll need. The poultry is super fresh and better than anywhere else: muscove duck, young duckling, genuine hen, squab, and more I take a carry on cooler and train it from the WTC to NJ

If you are interested in chili bean paste (fermented broad beans) that are in many Sichuan dishes, the best is supposed to come from Pixian county I tried the one below and threw out my Lee Kum Kee branded one https://www.amazon.com/Sichuan-Pixian-Xian-Broad-Paste/dp/B00A9OF6NS I recommend it; great quality

it kinda looks like a Chinese version of McDonald's mc muffin sandwiches but healthier

I'm not a vegan and, when I was younger, I was a very meat and potatoes guy. But a friend introduced me to Buddhist cuisine of ancient China where they would use tofu to create an imitation meat that has the look, texture, and taste of meat. I think Chef's Table did an episode on Buddhist cuisine. The dish and cuisine I had was so successful in its taste that I never imagined I'd eat only non-meat for an entire meal. I would go back and order it occasionally to the Buddhist restaurant. This was in California though. I think they have similar places here in NYC. I found this one Buddhist restaurant on google with over 900 reviews (very positive). They appear to serve both meat and vegan dishes. http://www.buddha-bodai.com/menuUpdate.html

lol to tell you the truth I just made that one napolean and gave it to my GF who made a mess of it and it collapsed in this messy puddle I just cut it into cracker size and keep the mousseline in the fridge and spread it like jam whenever I eat it it's super good. I think the pic can't describe the taste I froze half the puff pastry for next time which I tried to make again last weekend It was too close to the broiler (the last step of caramelizing the top) and it caught on fire all that butter melted off the layers of black smokey dough and became a pool of oil -fuel for the fire I panicked - it was like a raging fire in my oven I googled what to do and it said to let it burn out on its own since oven is safest place for a fire I just let it burn but decided to tell my GF (since there is a fire and her life is at risk too) She decided to be more proactive and took it out of the oven and the oxygen gave the fire even more fuel and the fire became bigger I told her to put it back in pronto and then i googled some more and it said to throw baking soda on it which I did but the second attempt at napolean was a failure that was sccccarrry

I used Cook's Illustrated's Sous Vide for Everyone book version SV for 8 hours at 170 The recipe was used for Sichuan twice cooked pork belly with Italian peppers Suuuuuuper good

many baking books call for frozen berries instead of fresh I think it's because the freezing and defrosting has destroyed the inside cell walls of the berries so it's easier to turn to mush than fresh berries ...like freezing creates ice crystals out of the water in the fruit which then punctures the cell walls like knives and now easier to turn to mush once defrosted *** I'm not sure what your recipe is but if you are mixing and blending the cranberries into the cream cheese, the frozen might be better since the insides of the berries should be easier to break down

I like how the fish was butchered. I'd like to try that style sometime - depending on the method of cooking I guess

I heard Italians (in Italy) don't know what Chicken Parmesan is and I think Alton Brown said it was invented in America. I wonder if it's still eaten in China - the red wine lees dishes? But - damn - I'm like super astounded by the amount of fermentation, drying, preserving of Chinese cuisine. It's like pork but also duck, chicken, beef, seafood like scallops, shrimp, sea cucumbers etc and a crazy amount of vegetables. I read Noma's fermentation book but it doesn't compare to traditional Chinese cuisine in preserving and fermenting. It's like everything under the sun. Super good too. And the amount of knowledge is super vast

I've been stalking NYC's Chinatown stores for fermented red wine lees to make all sorts of exciting Southern Chinese dishes but no luck The closes I got were white wine lees and I found out that it's used for a lot of desserts etc. and not for savory but I bought this fermented stuff and marinating it with chicken tonight I hope to eventually find those red wine lees so I could do my own fermenting. Maybe will buy on Amazon here is the link https://carolynjphillips.blogspot.com/2011/08/scarlet-rice-wine-of-northern-fujian.html If anyone can advise on whether or not I can substitute white lees for red lees in these dished that would be helpful

I'm going to save this recipe and try it when it gets colder here on the East Coast. This sounds delicious. thanx

Please help if you know the answer - much appreciate it I've managed to fine white wine lees but not the red one called for in most recipes. Do they taste that different and can I just substitute white for red? Is it like substituting white wine for red wine in cooking or white tofu for red tofu? Here is an example of a recipe: http://carolynjphillips.blogspot.com/2011/08/fujians-red-wine-chicken.html thank you

I am super interested in how it would work. "No need to use a frighteningly hot pan to sear. We’re truly excited to be able to make something crispy without the omnipresent risk of a grease fire." I wonder if the steam oven can really sear the protein? Wish they could explain further And....guessing they control the wet bulb temperature of the food by controlling the temperature of the steam? Because the temp of the steam is the temp of the wet bulb temp on the food.