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Hi, unfortunately I couldn't find a recipe for a more 'traditional' crème brûlée in MC. I mean Cr.Br. made from cream and egg yolk. I am having trouble with getting a perfectly crisp caramelized layer on top. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes it is less crisp probably due to the still a bit moist cream. Air drying in the fridge doesn't seem to help enough. Should I use a different type of sugar? I tried granulated sugar, powdered sugar, cane sugar. Or should I change 'strategy'? I now caramelize the sugar with a torch. I hope you can help me so I can achieve a perfect crème brûlée every time. Thanks, Raul

Hi everybody!! (this is very cool, thank you.) I am an aspiring chef and hope to land myself a job in a somewhat modernist restaurant when i move to Vancouver in the spring, i have been in the industry for 7 years and am pretty comfortable in the kitchen. I was just wondering if anyone knew of any restaurants where i could practice these relativity new techniques or any restaurant that someone would recommend to work at in order to advance my knowledge/skills in the culinary arts (i know this is possible in almost any kitchen but am looking for the best opportunities). Thanks everyone! Spoons (23 and just a culinary baby)

Does anyone know of a source for Ultra-Crisp CS, or for an equivalent Product?

Does anyone know of a source for Maltrin M100, or of an equivalent product?

I'm looking for a place that uses many modernist techniques in Chicago, as I will be visiting there, and I haven't really gotten a chance to experience modernist cuisine in a restaurant. I don't want anything too expensive (like Alinea). In like the $75 range. Thank you very much!

I was thinking about making a batch of these as Halloween party treats, but I have two questions: (1) Can store-bought lard be substituted for the rendered ham fat? (I don't have any on hand and I don't have any other reason to cook a ham in the next couple days.) (2) Assuming the answer to (1) is yes, and assuming I don't brown the flour as specified in steps 5-6 before incorporating it, will the result be a lighter colored bar than the photo in the book? (I would like to color the bars in brighter, wilder colors than what is depicted in the book, so I think the logical approach would be to minimize the recipe's brown coloration before trying to add food coloring.) Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

A friend just pointed me in the direction of this website, where you can order samples: http://asia.foodinnovation.com/product.asp?prod_num=585323

I've really been enjoying the brining section in volume three. On page 3*157, under "The Chemistry of Brining and Curing with Other Salts," I just need a little clarification on this passage: Is the 10:1 referring to 10 parts salt to every 1 part phosphate, or is it 10 parts sodium tripolyphosphate to 1 part sodium hexametaphosphate. If the later, must they be combined together to work properly or can they work exclusive from one another. Thanks for any help you can offer. Jacob

My Waring Pro deep fat fryer was only reaching 340F when it was set at 375. So I took it apart, found a calibration screw on the inside, and calibrated against a high-quality digital oven thermometer. Now, however, it is way off at the lower end, reaching 195F when set at 175F. Worse yet, when I turn it up to 375 it gets up there, but then apparently goes into a high temperature shut-down and won't work at all. Does anyone know of an electric fryer that will go higher than 375F, ideally to 425F/200C, and at the same time is reasonably accurate? Otherwise, I might be inclined to short out the thermostat on this one, and adapt it for use with a PID controller, if I can find a suitable9 high temperature sensor.

I don't know where to buy essential oils and i'm wondering if they are all edible ? Dominic

I can't find a source for the Texturas Brand products. I‚’m specifically looking for Trisol that‚’s specified for the Crispy Halibut Cheek recipe 3-334. Can anyone suggest a source?

yesterday, someone wrote in to us to ask: I am a little confused by volume 6. On page 6-68 the table Best Bets for Cooking Tender Meats Sous Vide suggests 58C as the suggested target temperature. Later though on page 6-86 in the table Best Bets for Cooking Tough Cuts beef hangar steak is listed with a target temperature of 50C. Is this an error or am I just not getting something. I have a hangar steak I butchered and I'd like to see what this cut is like done sous vide with a quick char after. Should I be using 50 or 58C? For hangar steak, short ribs, and many other cuts of meat, a variety of time/temperature combinations can produce great results, but each will have a unique texture. If you're after a result similar to traditional slow-braised hangar steak, use the lower temperature recommended in the table Best Bets for Tough Cuts, and hold it at that temperature for a couple hours. But if you'd rather have more of a grilled or pan-fried texture to the steak, cook it to the higher temperature given in the Best Bets for Tender Cuts table, and pull the steak out of the bath as soon as the core temperature reaches the target value.

Modernist Cuisine(page 2-291 et seq.) has an extensive discussion about using pressure cookers and pressure canners to make stocks, and their conclusion is that cooking the stock at 1 bar or 15 psi over ambient, resulting in a temperature of 121C, generally produces the best results, although some recipes call for using an autoclave at temperatures up to 130C. However, as I live in Taos, NM, at an altitude of 7000 ft/ 2133 m, some adjustment is required. To reach the same temperature, I would have to run the pressure up to 18.5 psi. Unfortunately, most pressure cookers either use "jiggle" weights or spring loaded valves which come in 5, 10 and 15psi increments. Also, most pressure cookers don't have an independent pressure gauge, and none that I am aware of have a means to actually measure the temperature of the water/steam, much less the temperature of the stock or other food you are cooking. In addition, experiments by Dave Arnold and Nils Norén have shown that pressure cookers that vent the steam cause an undesirable cloudiness in the stock, and some loss of flavor/quality, perhaps as a result of venting the aromatics. And finally, without venting steam, it is difficult to maintain a desired pressure/temperature, even with a pressure gauge, unless you are willing to stand there and monitor the pressure and adjust the gas flame. There had to be another, better way. After discussing this with Douglas Baldwin, I bought a 25 qt. All-American Sterilizer, model 1925X, and proceeded to modify it to use a PID controller, the Sous Vide Magic (SVM) controller from Fresh Meals Solutions, to control an electric griddle to control the temperature, and a second SVM to monitor the temperature within the stock pot. I removed the pressure regulator, fitted a T-adapter, threaded two SVM probes through it, and then reassembled the regulator. Now I can bring the water in the sterilizer to very close to the boiling point, drop in a stainless steal pot (an All-Clad Pasta Pentola) with the stock, secure the lid, and let the pressure build up. I can vent the steam manually, or not, as I see fit. And if I am canning something, I can monitor the temperature inside a jar filled with water to make sure it is getting hot enough to sterilize the food. For further details, seehttp://freshmealssolutions.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=71:high-altitude-pressure-cooking-and-stock-making&Itemid=100088.

I found a recipe for eggless ice cream that calls for mono- and di-glycerides. I have searched but can't find a source. Does anyone know of a source for small quantities of these, or substitutes that will work?

I want to make pumpkin cracklins with the same texture of pork cracklins, or at least the texture of the tapioca puffs from the book. I sliced pumpkin flesh thin and dehydrated it. My guess is that I need to vacuum-impregnate the dehydrated pumpkin with a starch slurry. Should I use Tapioca? Cornstarch? Or, following this method, will I end up with a pumpkin chip instead of a pumpkin cracklin?

With chamber vacuum sealer, I learned that I can pickle the food instantly. Can I use this technique for speed brining? so that I can brine the chicken breast in brining liquid few minutes instead of brining the chicken breast 24 hrs. If I can speed brining with chamber vacuum sealer, can I use the rigid container, brining liquid, and meat to brining it without vacuum bag?My friend showed me that he used pickling liquid with sliced onion in the stainless bowl and operate the the sealer without bag. I wonder if this affect the quality of chamber vacuum sealer.

where do you buy the pastry bars shown in the book? Can't find anything online. thanks

Any experience on pros/cons of spice rubs on ribs before smoking? Wondering if flavors get funky in the sous vide process.

I just had a look at the errata page and noticed that it was dated April 26, 2011.Are there plans for similar list for the second printing? I assume that while most of the errors on the list will have been corrected (I haven't checked yet), some new ones might have crept in?

We've now put the recipe, with a video, tips, and introduction by Nathan, online here!

Thought I'd share this... http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2010/02/diy-sous-vide-heating-immersion-circulator-for-about-75/ It ended up costing me a little over $100 because of different parts and shipping costs... but mine looks exactly like his and works great. Just takes a little spare time

I see that MC has instructions for Lamb stock but not Lamb Jus.Do you think this would be a similar procedure as in the Beef Jus recipe with the pressure cooker? Thanks

I received the following response to an inquiry to DOW: METHOCEL SG A150 FDG has been discontinued. Possible replacements are METHOCEL SG A7C, METHOCEL SG A16M, or METHOCEL MX. For samples and pricing information please contact Ciao Imports at (866) 249-0400.

I have a question about the garlic confit recipe in a pressure cooker. Do the jars have to be closed? thanks! 'dmg

Does anyone know where I can find the perforated spoons that I always see being used in spherification demos? There is a picture of one being used on this site as well.