Msk

I'm also very curious what people think about the texture from hydrating the pasta and how viable/successful hydrating pasta with flavored liquids would be. I've thrown around the idea of making basil or olive "water" to hydrate pasta for different dishes I typically do using those ingredients.

I'm so glad somemone finally started this thread! I did the Mac 'n Cheese and I love it. The topping is so crunchy and amazing (and simple) I foreseee that being my go to topping for all caserole type dishes. I used panko to great effect. I too did the red wine vinegar, and it was delicious and my Maple Vinegar becomes 4 weeks old today! I also did the Peanut Butter custard that used the 2 Karageenans and thought it was very good. I think that preparation has alot of potential to run with my own flavoring creativity. Its pretty darn easy too. Since I was experimenting with it the first time I put it into several different molds to see how it unmolded and had the best luck with my silicone ones. I also poured the hot base into my isi and let it set overnight in the fridge with 2 charges. IT WAS AMAZING! It was light and melted in your mouth much lighter than a whip cream but with more body than a foam. Highly recommended. Mike

I've had frozen drinks made with LN, and the texture is amazing. Literally like pudding with no discernable texture from the ice crystals. Also its cold enough to do this to pure alcohol, so no dilution!

Anyone have a clue if the Sous-vide supreme one could pull a strong enough vacuum to compress a watermelon? That form factor looks very attractive to me. Mike

Ideas in Food "the book" has a very interesting technique where you first hydrate your pasta in a bowl (or Bag) on the counter for a couple hours before finishing cooking in the sauce. The pasta then cooks in just minutes (in the sauce usually) and comes out with a very interesting and uniform "al dente" tooth to it. I followed the technique and made the Mac 'n Cheese recipe, and it is now my go to recipe (until my Modernist Cuisine arrives). There are also several other applications of this technique where you can replace the water with other liquids to flavor the pasta. I have not tried this yet but am very excited to do so. THey have also recommended doing this "Hydration" technique with Arborio rice to eliminate the stirring for Risotto. Mike

Here is one from ChefRubber Additive Kit And Another Texture Kit A third with some Hardware Here Mike

I haven't read this book cover to cover yet, but it is long on content and techniques. It's very different than I thought it would be in that there are no pictures (at least in the kindle version). But some of the techniques and the possibilities they offer are very exciting to me. I made the Mac and Cheese using the "Pasta Hydration" technique and it was awesome. To me this book is not about recipes per se, but a highlight of an interesting technique that you can bring your own spin to. The balance between sceince and pragmatism in the kitchen is pretty amazing here. Mike

I make a super-easy pasta from Cooks Illustrated. Bear with me, this is from memory. For about 1 Lb of pasta Plum Tomatoes Seeded and Diced, maybe a cup 1/4 Cup Olive Oil (you can use less if on a diet, just add pasta water if its dry) 1/4 Cup Chopped Kalamata Olives Couple Tablespoons Chopped/Chiffonade fresh Mint or Basil (I happen to prefer Basil) 4 oz Feta Boil Pasta Strain and reserve some liquid Stir in Oil, then tomatoes, then Feta, then Olives, then Basil Whats great is its easily adaptable, for example change to Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomates, and Asparagus Mike

After watching that awesome video, I pre-ordered the book. I only wish I could have ordered it for my iPad so I can take it with me on the train when I commute! Everything looks so fascinating to me, from the photography, to the subject matter, to the recipes. Mike

I own a BGE, and its a great product, had it for about 2 years. I also just recently bought a BBQ Guru which is a computer controlled temperature sensor that automatically controls the temperature of the Egg by conecting a fan at the bottom air inlet. Great product, especially for the low and slows. I just did a 10 lb chuck shoulder roast overnight for 12 hrs with it. What I lve about it too, is that it is basically a charcoal brick oven for baking too. I cook pizza in it quite a bit. Mike

I am in a rush unfortunately and can't provide the link at the moment but Alton Brown also did a Good Eats episode where he made Masa from scratch. it may be worth trying to find it or google for the transcript. I have been dying to try this myself. Msk

Then Chufi I have to thank you so much for that technique because it has revolutionized my mushroom usage. They really are awesome that way. I slice the mushrooms because that is typically how I use mushrooms mostly for omelletes, stews etc. Its amazing to watch how much liquid exudes from the mushrooms with nothing else in the pan. Thanks! Mike

I do something I learned here on EG, but unfortunately I forget who recommended it as it was a sidebar to another thread. They called it "Dry Frying" mushrooms. For simple concentrated mushroom flavor, just slice them and put them in a hot skillet and keepp moving them around until the water evaporates and they carmelize., Its healthier and the best mushroom flavor I have ever had, even those bland button mushrooms work well like this. MSK

Not that one, it switches on if the temp goes 1 degree below your threshold. I used it to turn on and off a heating pad to keep by fermenting beer at a certain temp during winter in the garage. Edited to add: Typically its the analog controllers that have the large threshold gaps often as high as 8 degrees.

Ronco Wired Controller Here is a temp controller I use for brewing, it only works in 1 F increments so I am not sure if it works for the most demanding sous vide applications. However I may try to rig this up with a heater and do a test, maybe using a cooler like I would a mash tun. It can be purchased pre wired so that helps, but you would also need to buy the thermocouple to put in the water bath. I dont see why it couldnt be used with a crock put with the temp on high. Msk

CDH, That strong dark llooks great. I have learned that I really love that style. Chimay Blue and McChouffe are two of my favorite beers. Do you think the dark candy syrup is what gives it that grape soda like flavor? Its hard for me to describe it any other way, though it probably does not do it justice. Msk

ZGT1, I am interested to hear how the Grapefruit beer turns out. Also Amarillo hops do give a "grapefruit like" caharacter to beer that you also might want to try at another time. I just brewed the original golden ale from the class but substituted Amarillo for the Cascade. Very delicious. Msk

This is a great idea, I can't wait to try it. I use the microwave often to reheat chicken and "soften" tortillas. I wrap them both in wet paper towels which seems to keep them from getting rubbery. Thanks for the tip! Msk

I'm pretty sure the manual for the portable solaire says don't cook with the cover down, that may be different with the bigger versions since the portable's lid is rather thin steel. I would probably give the roasted chicken a try though, on low, keeping a close eye. Msk

Joe Blow summed it up well. Just be careful with marinated meats, but I tend to wipe excess marinade off no matter where I am cooking it. Fish, chicken, veggies, they all are great. You just need to keep an eye on veggies a bit more too, and turn the heat down. Roasted peppers are exceptionally well done on the ifra. I cooked two 2 inch ribeye steaks last night with a perfect charred crust and no grey area before the nice pink center. I can even keep those store bought burger patties pink in the center and crusty on the outside with this thing. Msk

I also bought a Solaire protable to play around with the technology. It rocks, for searing, better than any other grill I have ever had. Steaks, Burgers, and chicken breasts come out great once you get accustomed to the intense heat the thing generates. Its also ready to cook on 3 minutes. I typically cook my steaks in cast iron, then finish in the oven, but this beats that for me. The downside is there is a bit of a learning curve because, the heat is crazy on high, and you never cook with the top closed. The wind also seems to impact the flame more than others (as in knocks it out). I agree with the comment above, I will never buy another grill without an infrared element to it. MSK

Ah... you found that picture of my wort chiller in action back in the Chef's Beer Thread? ← Your cooler rocks...no pun intended. Msk

I think every beer I have made has been underattenuated and full of esters. I have still loved every one better than the mass markket beers. However, I am really interested in the impact of proper yeast pitching and fermentation temperature control wll have on the quality of the beer. The fermentation temperature one is a tough one, the yeast piece I'll just do with a starter. There is a great yeast pitching calculator at Mr Malty According to this I have been underpitching by 1/2 to 1/3. My fisrst fermentation control will be in a plastic tub with water and frozen ice in liter soda bottles swapped out to ty to maintain mid 60s. Your advice so far has been spot on Chris, I have even gone back to buckets from my carboy because of the glass issue. I also bought a Therminator to hasten the cooling of the wort to pitching temps, and that has had a huge positive impact on my beer clarity. ( Don't have a pond nearby ) Time for me is more of an issue than budget so equipment that makes thing easier and faster are well worth it for me. Msk

I can't keep that Golden Around long enough to age, I just kicked a 5 gallon keg of it las week. Everyone I know that drinks that stuff can't get enough of it. I recently brewed a nut brown from Northern Brewer, and its nice. I think I messed up though and I only produced about 3.5 gallons of beer when I was supposed to make 5. The resulting beer was very chocolatey versus nutty. However it is drinking really nicely now with some age. Next up is the Northern Brewer Dubbel kit. I kind of like the kits because they pre-measure all the grains and there is no waste. However, maybe I'll do your recipe Chris and pitch it on the yeast cake of this Dubbel. Chris you gave me the bug bad. I have even started listening to The Brewing Network For my next batch I am going to try and control my fermentation temps better snd ferment at 64-65. Glad to see everyone doing well, thanks again. Msk

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel I really liked this beer. Interesting Tripel / IPA combo. The head lasted forever...... Msk