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So all, I've built my own temp regulator with a PID controller and outlet to control a heating element (I'm currently using my slow cooker). My question: what do you use to circulate your water? I saw the lightobject pump and the reviews say it's not submersible (what does this mean? should I get hoses to connect to the pump parts?). Is there a better/easier to use pump.

I'd like to finally take the plunge and get a chamber sealer, but I'm struggling with the tradeoffs between this set of machines. The 215 apparently can pull a 29.5hg, while the 210 and 112 can pull 28.0hg. For purposes of sous vide/modernist cuisine and food preservation, does the difference between 29.5 and 28.0 matter? Also, the 210 and 215 can both seal retort bags while the 112 cannot. Same question: What does using retort bags offer that 'regular' bags do not? Any input on this would be much appreciated.

I'm new to the idea of molecular gastronomy. So, maybe this is old hat for many of you. But I was wondering if anyone has used natural pH indicators in their cooking? The pH scale, as you might know, measures how acidic or basic a substance is. You might remember using litmus paper in school. Of course, I'm not suggesting cooking with litmus paper... and I'm not even sure if that litmus is edible. However, there are some other amazing naturally occurring pH indicators. The classic example is red/purple cabbage broth. Mix lemon juice into the purple-colored broth and it will turn red! But if you would add baking soda, it would turn blue! This is because of a pigment called flavin which is a molecule belonging to the anthocyanin family. Anthocyanin are very sensitive to pH and are found in a range of edible plant matter. For example, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, grapes, violet petals, and eggplant skins. So, I'm wondering about applications for this. Since the affect is purely visual, it seems it would add flair and interest to the eating experience. For example, a simple a dessert with a anthocyanin-rich berry sauce and a small sampling of fruits of various pH. Another idea is a vegetable broth that included eggplant skins or red cabbage; giving it a purple tint. A simple application would be place an acidic ingredient in the middle (ex. few drops of lemon juice) before serving. However, I was also thinking of including include two small bowls for washing your spoon with a slightly acidic or base solution... turning a soup bowl into a canvas. Has anyone else played with this idea before? How have you used this? Any suggestions or pitfalls that you experienced?

I am planning to make the Cheese Grits this weekend. Recipe seems easy enough. Except I am going to be cooking for about a dozen people and expect them to eat about 1.5 servings each (a few will eat two or three servings, some only one or less than one). There will be other food, but I cook for this crowd regularly and have come to expect this ratio for the main dish. Thus, I want to cook up about 20 servings. Scaling the recipe up is not a problem. However, I am wondering how much I can scale up my pressure cooker. I have an old style pressure canner that does not vent unless it goes above 20PSI. I am experienced using it and have used it for quite a few other pressure cooked recipes (in jars) without issue. Thus, I am not concerned about using it here other than to answer the question of how much I can put in. When I can foods, I can do two full rows - one on top of the other (with a seperator) with about 8 pints per layer. Here the recipe calls for pint jars, which means I would want to put in 10 jars. Normally I would split this in to two layers of 5 each, filling up the bottom layer to an inch up the jars. Does anyone see an issue with doing this much in the pressure canner or doing a double stack? Or should I simply stick to as many jars as I can fit on one layer and just do two batches? I mean, I do have two pressure canners and one pressure cooker (non-gauged), but my wife would kill me for putting all of them on the stove at once! Thanks.

Mango puree 212g Passion Fruit puree 132 g Confectioners Sugar 24 g Xanthan Gum 2.7 g --------------------Immersion blender Heavy Cream 287 g --------------------Whipped to stiff peak, folded with puree The measurements are odd because I was going for a specific volume. I wanted a ratio of cream to puree of 5:6 and Xanthan Gum to puree of 0.8% I have absolutely no complaints on the texture or flavor

MC talks about ageing meats and fruits souse vide, and you can make fermented dairy i.e. yogurt with the souse vide. Has anyone tried to speed the ageing of cheese with the souse vide? Can it be done? I would like to take some quality cheddar and speed age one half and then serve both at a party and let people compare the two. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Hello, After recently watching a few videos of Grants tabletop desserts, I noticed in the very beginning he pours out what he calls "hot chocolate" upon the completion of his assembly he removes the two glass vessels which he poured the chocolate mixture into, and then announces it as warm chocolate pudding. I am looking to achieve the same effect, and I was wondering what I could use to achieve similar results. I would appreciate any answers or thoughts! Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my post. Here is an example of what I am referring to.

Hi: Anyone have an idea of what kind (brand/model) of temp probe is being shown on page 67 of MCaH. The probes I have and the only ones I have found so far all say they cannot be submerged. Thanks, Omar

The adviced method presented in the book for quick freezing still seems to be tedious. I don't want to spend time dissolving salt in water, let it cool, adding ice cubes, etc. and repeating the process every time. I was wondering if it's possible to make a liquid that stays liquid in the freezer and keep it in a container. So, that the liquid is already at freezing temperature and you only had to place your produce in it for fast freezing. It would be reusable and thus ready to use whenever you need it, no planning needed. What would that liquid be? Mixture of water, salt an maybe alcohol? In which proportions? Anyone tried this already? Is it possible? What are the safety requirements?

From MCAH... This was a fast and easy recipe to follow. I wasn't totally sure of the whipping siphon process but what I did was: add the first nitrogen bottle, then discharge the air with the bottle right side up. Then I added 2 additional nitrogen bottles. The end result was lovely and it almost perfectly matched the photos in the book. It tasted great - not too sweet - light & fluffy. It was awesome warm out of the microwave. The fiance wanted some frosting so I gave her some on the side. It looks like quite a bit was left in the whipping siphon at the end but I imagine that's the nature of things with that particular implement. Overall a great success!

Hi there, Where can I find the metal 'molds' used in the books to make things like set gels? They look like 12" approx, long metal rectangular bars, that are set perpendicular to one another (usually on a silpat) and used to cage in liquids or batter-- for things like set gels. Been searching all over and I can't locate any. Thank SO much cheers, Becky

Hi, I just bought a Kuhn Rikon 7.4l pressure cooker, but wondering if I should pick up a flame protector/tamer since I cook on a gas stove. Wondering if anyone has any experience with (or without) one? Thanks, Shawn

Hello Everyone, I have heard that Sodium Citrate is also called sour salt, also know as Citric acid. I went to a place called Spice barn online and they sold "sour salt". I was not really paying to much attention since I was sitting at home and was also buying a few other spices. After the spices came in, Left the box on my table for a few days, I was in no hurry to open the spices or use them. Once I was ready to use them then it struck me, I had Citric Acid and not Sodium Citrate. So My question is, Can I use Citric Acid for everything you would use Sodium Citrate for? Or do I need to buy more? Thanks, Rick.

Has anyone ordered from 1pmproducts on Amazon? They seem to mostly sell home chemicals, but they seem to be one of the better Amazon retailers for Sodium Citrate. I saw one mention of them on this forum, and they said that shipping was slow. Anyone have any other experiences? They seem to have positive reviews, and their Sodium Citrate is listed as USP/FCC, but it appears to be bulk sold. Basically I want to be sure it's legit and safe to eat. Thanks!

I cooked beef short ribs according to the 'MC At Home' recipe. 72 hr. 144F. using a Polyscience circulator in a Polyscience plastic tank. Used a Food Saver unit to seal the ribs in a bag. There was a small amount of air in the bag, but not enough to cause it to float. I removed the bones prior to serving the ribs, and as I did so, I noticed an unexpected and slightly alarming odor in the meat that reminded me of a visit I had once made to a slaughterhouse. Not rotten meat, but dead animal. The odor persisted but was suppressed by the smell of the red wine glaze when the food was served. No one seemed to notice this odor, and the unanimous consensus was that the ribs were awesome, but I am curious what caused it with the goal of eliminating it in the future.

From the topic "When to Thaw and When to Cook Directly from Frozen" (MC 2,258-264) I get the impression that the best option most of the time is to just cook directly from frozen. Have you done any experiments to see if water loss is reduced if proteins have been thawed slowly before cooking sous vide? Conventional wisdom has it that thawing should preferably be done in the refrigerator.

This recipe is a staff favorite around The Cooking Lab. http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/crispy-chicken-wings-korean-style/

I'm sure this is a total rookie question but here goes: In the recipe for Vegetable Stock, ice is listed as one of the ingredients. I presume that you should literally add ice to the bag of ingredients going into the sous vide, right? I mean, later, that same section of procedure mentions an ice bath. I just didn't want to confuse the two. Given that there is no other liquid I'm pretty sure you want to add the ice. It just seemed a little odd to me that ice is added instead of water. I'm interested in the reasoning behind that.

I want to make caramelized carrot soup (M.C. at Home p.178). Is the needed carrot juice: 1. something that you buy in the grocery, 2. from another recipe in the book that I cannot find, or 3. should I just throw carrots in my Vita-Mix to make the juice? Thanks

We've just added this recipe to our recipe library online! http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/pressure-cooked-carnitas/

I'm having a party theme " chicks gone wild" I want to make a chicken noodle/pesto course. I would like to make chicken noodles-- I spec using TG ( which one --Rm/GS/TI ) Any help would be appreciated..in making an use of ingriedients? Paul

I was wondering why the difference in cook times between MCAH and MC for the pressure cooked polenta. The quantities of ingredients are the same but the MC version is vacuum sealed and PC'ed for 8 minutes while the MCAH version is in a mason jar and PC'ed for 12 minutes? Should the cook time not be much closer together? 50% more time for something with the same amount of product? I ask because I made it on the weekend and to say it turned out subpar would be a very large understatement. I will be trying again but want to know if I should be cooking it for 8 minutes or 12 in mason jars? Any help is greatly appreciated. Edit: Started thread in wrong location, sorry.

Does anyone have any experience using sous vide techniques for making soy milk? I was hoping that I could vacuum seal the ground soy beans with some water and leave them to stew at 180 or so for an hour, but wanted to see whether anyone has already experimented with this...

Hello My name is Travis I Tried the Caramelized Onions and they turned out great. So much flavor, I was very happy with them. sadly though I think I broke my pressure cooker. I think I cooled it down to fast.

Anyone know the benefits to infusing oxygen into foods? There is this O-Pal oxygen machine now being funded on Indiegogo and It sounds interesting. http://www.indiegogo.com/O-Pal I wonder what it would actually do to the taste of foods? Would added Oxygen make say a truffle sauce more flavourful?