Michael Ruhlman

I grind my teeth a lot when I see Rachael on TV. I feel like she's talking to me as if I were a not-very-bright four-year-old, and I resent it. But part of my resentment is that i feel she's speaking directly to me--which is the source of her power on tv. I spent a couple weeks watching her show in production for my new book and came away with a genuine respect for the quality of her work, how hard it is to do this stuff, and what a pro she is. All this stuff is evolving. We need smarter shows along with shows for the masses like Rachael's. Robb's point is a good one--Julia's early shows were smart and entertaining and educational and I think eventually we'll have one or two shows that find that combination again, in the same way maybe that 60 minutes, a news show, created a new form and became a mega hit. I hope, anyway.

katie won because her food was the best and because she was judged to have the most definitive leadership skills for Todd's kitchen. Autumn's food, Sara's food, and Katie's food was all good, they were all cooking at pretty much the same level. I'm told that, yesterday, Katie was officially introduced at Olives, where she was made a sous chef.

I agree, odds are against it and it doesn't mirror the industry obviously. The women were not favored by any means. So the question is really why did women who were better than men try out for the show? One possibility is that only cooks who were at a certain level tried out for the show. The women and men were at the same level professionally, but the women, who have a harder time advancing in the male dominated kitchen, were at a higher level technically. Thus, in the relatively unbiased format of cooking under fire, which only sought to measure technical ability, the women were destined to win. This outcome, given industry bias, now that I think about it, may have been inevitable.

how about the best three cooks? the producer of the show asked me to make sure that anyone who wanted to see the conclusion should know that in most places it's a double show tomorrow starting at 8pm. He says they're great shows, and I believe him though he's biased. and we can only imagine what dire musings jinmyo would have on the subject... perhaps afterwards i can be persuaded to reveal the identity of culinarycathexis...

my guess is that because the plastic never goes above 212 degrees F./100 degrees C., plastic molecules don't get into the food or affect its flavor. can't deny the lack of sensorial appeal, but cooking anything slowly gently for a long long time is its own kind of pleasure

thanks for the post and I'll check out that forum.

the advantage would be the need for less fat, lower heat, easier storage, and general conveniece and perhaps even a better finished result. I'm wondering though if it works; it seems to me the density of the fat does something important in the traditional cooking process. Also, there's a danger of botulism poisoning in the vacuum packed bag held at low temperatures.

Can anyone tell me if he confits sous vide?

At this stage both Ming and I are giving Todd the ultimate say because it is his future employee. That said, the final two competitions being a mystery basket and a give-us-all-you-got situation, the verdict has been clear and unanimous in each case, as it had been throughout the whole competition so we didn't run into any problems, though i suppose we could have. most pbs stations i believe are running the last two episodes back to back, btw.

come on, man, that was a stroke of genius by a true artist under pressure on national television. It actually tasted really good--swear to god.

Mais non, cynical buzzdraft. The producers made it clear from the outset our decision was ours to make alone. Moreover, todd really was thinking about his restaurant, not about ratings or personality. who was going to be the best cook--that was the bottom line. those who've observed that mistakes were overlooked in favor of better food are accurate. we were looking for the best cook. JP, in the team cooking, was the weakest link. So much cooking has been sliced out because of the awful time constraint. He made some pretty signicant cooking errors and decisions that weighed against him. in the next episode, katie's food was the best of any of the bunch, and we admired her decision making process, critical to be able to make the right decision in a stressful kitchen situation. btw, if anybody's up at 8 am tomorrow, you can see ming and todd square off with a quickie mystery basket on the Weekend Today Show.

I hope you're not suggesting i put that gel crap in my hair like my metrosexual co-judges. And yes I think that at this stage all these cooks could work at an excellent restaurant.

remember, it's not just peeling the grape, it's peeling it while still on the stem

You're a true crusader, Angela. Many thanks.

it's a japanese noodle shop, but with more artful and upscale offerings conisistant with his work in three and four star kitchens. that's all I know! I'll try and get adam to post a description here.

no one's been more frustrated than i--my dear old mum in west palm doesn't even know when or where she can watch the show. pledge weeks are over now and I'm told by the producer, john rieber, that it should resume its normal schedule starting this wednesday. He writes: This will clear up confusion regarding the schedule of "Cooking Under Fire." We always knew we had two rerun weeks, due to local PBS fundraising. As a result, the next new episode of "Cooking Under Fire" will premiere as planned on Wednesday, June 22. Below is all the information you need to enjoy the show, including information about KCET's scheduling. They have moved us to 10:30p, which actually resulted in higher ratings for us. Wednesday, June 15 - rerun of episode 7, "Mastering The Terrine" - if you missed it in LA, tune in at 10:30p and see this one, it's terrific. The finalists are on to Miami, where they have to make a terrine. Ming and Todd also cook for them, and there is alot of local color as two of our finalists take an impromptu dip into the Atlantic. Our finalists now are: Katie, Katsuji, Autumn, John Paul, Matt, Sara and Yannick... Wednesday, June 22 - premiere of episode #8 - Cooking For The Common Man. Join Guest Chef Michelle Bernstein as she takes our finalists to a cubano sandwich stand, then they are put into two teams, where they must make a family-style meal for the judges. Great drama between the teams! Wednesday, June 29 - premiere of episode #9 - One Fish, One Hour, Three Ways. Guest Chef Norman Van Aken meets our finalists at the Miami waterfront to buy fresh fish, then it's back to his restaurant to cook one fish three different ways in one hour. GREAT show! After this, our final four head to NY for episode 10 (July 6), and the big finale, episodes 11 and 12 back to back on July 13th. A BIG surprise, so don't miss them! I hope this helps you enjoy the show, and thanks again to everyone for supporting Cooking Under Fire!

My good friend Adam Shepard has just opened Taku in Brooklyn on Smith Street near Pacific. I'm very eager to know how it is (since i won't be in nyc soon) and hopeful for Adam, who's a really talented chef. What's it like, how's the food? Anyone familiar with my book Making of a Chef will recall Adam as a young intense culinary student. Adam has told me that anyone who brings a copy of the book to his restaurant with each instance of his name highlighted eats and drinks for free.

I trust you on the fridge issue for cuts of meat like this. and perhaps anything other than fermented sausages? salted cod dries beautifully in the fridge as well. what do you use for a "curing chamber?"

fridge is too dry, hang it in a cool very humid place (too dry and the surface dries and prevents the interior moisture from escaping).

or make it yourself. niman sells jowls. it's cured (refrigerated with salt and seasonings like garlic and thyme), then hang it in cheese cloth till its very stiff and you're good to go.

no, no revised edition is coming out. i'm writing a book to follow soul of a chef. for the new book, i returned to the cia to see how things have changed, thus the rumors... embrace your clean edition, hold it close to your heart, and take heed...

Golly, Mr. Ruhlman, are you the "pretty boy graduate from an overpriced trade school"? ← I'm fine with pretty, just don't fuck with my knives.

Is THIS RECIPE in the book? ← better be

You forgot to add a smiley, right? ← yeah, of course, ming's first rate and a lot of fun...though something of a head sweater, we called him Shiney Chef, kept the make up girl busy...

ironically, for the significant item to describe who he was, during tryouts, and what food meant to him, he brought a bag of salt. it was one of the reasons he was chosen...his appreciation of the importance of salt.