Cooking with "Modernist Cuisine at Home" (Part 2)

[Todd in Chicago]

Crab-eggs-benedict.jpg

I will tell you a great winner is Instant Sous Vide Hollandaise, I just used my last pouch this past weekend. The sauce was 2 months old.

At what stage did you store it? I am presuming frozen?

PK

PK....

I completely made the sauce and then portioned it into smaller bags and sealed and froze.

Here is the Crab eggs benedict it was used on.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

So you made the sauce including the foaming in teh iSi? or up to that point and then froze?

Did you iSi it after you defrosted or just warm and put into the eggs?

thanks

Rotuts....at first I thought you were just referring to some yummy tasting food....but now I think otherwise! LOL! My wife picked up on it right away...she's a keeper that one! ;-)

JMolinari....

Oops...yeah...forgot about that. Made it up to the point BEFORE putting in siphon, and didn't bother using the siphon....just used as good ol' hollandaise sauce. I love having this stuff in the freezer as it tends to save a lot of trouble unless you happen to have all the ingredients in your fridge already.

I think my inventory in my freezer shows one left, so I'll need to make another batch.

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[ElsieD]

I would like to make the Ultrafrothy Milk Shake on page 89. The recipe states to "To avoid any unpleasant flavor, use only high-quality, DEODERIZED whey protein isolate" . I have never heard of deoderized whey protein isolate, but I can say that I have had some which left an unpleasant aftertaste which is what I'm guessing they are referring to here. Does anyone know of a brand name that I could look for? Or do I just go to my local health food store and ask for this product? And if I do, will the product state that it has been deoderized (whatever that means)?

[Bojana]

Made spicy chilli oil, then used that to make mayonnaise. It is divine, hot and throat warming, with a hint of star anis and cinnamon.

[Reignking]

Part of my disappointment is that I don't have the tools for many of the recipes. I'd love to make the caramelized carrot soup (pp 178-179), but I don't have a blender or a (working) pressure cooker -- part of my love/hate relationship with Cuisinart who don't sell replacement parts. Can the soup be made without the pressure cooking step?

I also don't have a digital scale, pacojet, blowtorch, combi oven, microplane, microwave, nor sous vide setup.

You have to have the pressure cooker to achieve a higher temperature for the caramelization. The PC is a worthwhile purchase.

Digital scales are cheap, but you can use cups/tbsp/etc.

I wing the SV setup at this point by using digital probes. Pacojets aren't for the home cook.

[Baselerd]

There's really no reason not to have a microplane.

They can be purchased for under $10 and have countless applications. I suppose its one of those things that you don't know you need, but once you have it you can't imagine living without it.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Part of my disappointment is that I don't have the tools for many of the recipes. I'd love to make the caramelized carrot soup (pp 178-179), but I don't have a blender or a (working) pressure cooker -- part of my love/hate relationship with Cuisinart who don't sell replacement parts. Can the soup be made without the pressure cooking step?

I also don't have a digital scale, pacojet, blowtorch, combi oven, microplane, microwave, nor sous vide setup.

You have to have the pressure cooker to achieve a higher temperature for the caramelization. The PC is a worthwhile purchase.

Digital scales are cheap, but you can use cups/tbsp/etc.

I wing the SV setup at this point by using digital probes. Pacojets aren't for the home cook.

I really would like to have a pressure cooker again. Maybe if there is enough left over from my tax refund.

While I don't have a digital scale, I have a nice analog scale. It's just not very good for micrograms. The smallest division is 5 grams. To make the peanut butter gelato I first weighed out three tablespoons of xanthan gum, then calculated that 0.3 grams was approximately a third of a quarter teaspoon. Fortunately the recipe worked. I've been looking at some digital scales that will measure milligrams. Does anyone have thoughts or recommendations?

I mentioned not having a pacoject only because MC@H devotes a full page to it! Not sure why I never got a microplane. Perhaps because they come in so many shapes and sizes.

[Ozcook]

While I don't have a digital scale, I have a nice analog scale. It's just not very good for micrograms. The smallest division is 5 grams. To make the peanut butter gelato I first weighed out three tablespoons of xanthan gum, then calculated that 0.3 grams was approximately a third of a quarter teaspoon. Fortunately the recipe worked. I've been looking at some digital scales that will measure milligrams. Does anyone have thoughts or recommendations?

I use this one (http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Signature-Series-Digital/dp/B002SC3LLS)

[Charcuterer]

I have the same one, for less than $9US it is excellent.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

While I don't have a digital scale, I have a nice analog scale. It's just not very good for micrograms. The smallest division is 5 grams. To make the peanut butter gelato I first weighed out three tablespoons of xanthan gum, then calculated that 0.3 grams was approximately a third of a quarter teaspoon. Fortunately the recipe worked. I've been looking at some digital scales that will measure milligrams. Does anyone have thoughts or recommendations?

I use this one (http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Signature-Series-Digital/dp/B002SC3LLS)

I don't believe that scale would have the precision for MC@H gelato though. I ended up spending several hours last night looking at scales. I found one that would measure 0.01 gram up to a kg. It was about $200 however. And for that I could get a pressure cooker. But it would let me use one scale for all my kitchen needs. I gave up on the idea of mg scales as they are too expensive.

[Paul Kierstead]

I don't believe that scale would have the precision for MC@H gelato though.

On what basis do you think that? Drug dealers depend on these scales, I don't see why we shouldn't. I've used one of these for a while now and it seems very accurate, and I don't see why it isn't good for +- 0.02 mg or so.

If you want to cook the modernist items that use mg, you need to spend $9. You do not need to spend $200.

That scale and a cheap one for heavier weighs will get you in easily under $50. They are not too expensive. If you want to go ahead and make your whole process easier, more precise and with less dirtied measuring equipment, you can spend another couple of tens of dollars for an additional scale that handles heavier stuff.

[Mjx]

While I don't have a digital scale, I have a nice analog scale. It's just not very good for micrograms. The smallest division is 5 grams. To make the peanut butter gelato I first weighed out three tablespoons of xanthan gum, then calculated that 0.3 grams was approximately a third of a quarter teaspoon. Fortunately the recipe worked. I've been looking at some digital scales that will measure milligrams. Does anyone have thoughts or recommendations?

I use this one (http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Signature-Series-Digital/dp/B002SC3LLS)

I don't believe that scale would have the precision for MC@H gelato though. I ended up spending several hours last night looking at scales. I found one that would measure 0.01 gram up to a kg. It was about $200 however. And for that I could get a pressure cooker. But it would let me use one scale for all my kitchen needs. I gave up on the idea of mg scales as they are too expensive.

I'm looking to get my hands on one of the Jenning models, which are priced very comfortably; definitely not $200! I have one of their models, and it's extremely accurate (I just need another with greater precision, for really small amounts).

[Martin Fisher]

I have the exact same scale, I use it mostly for measuring meat cure. It works great.

The scale can be calibrated.

Buy a couple 50g or one 100g calibration weight when you buy the scale.

Here's a $21+ mg scale that I'm considering.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Gemini-20-Portable-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM

~Martin

Edited February 26, 2013 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[mkayahara]

Scales with that kind of range and resolution are always more expensive. I don't find it a problem to use one scale that measures in milligrams up to 100g for the additives and a separate scale for measuring in 1-gram increments up to 2kg. But then, I don't live in a tiny New York City apartment or anything, so I've got lots of space to store two different scales.

[Paul Kierstead]

Here's a $21+ mg scale that I'm considering.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Gemini-20-Portable-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM

The problem you might find with that one is that the upper 20g limit can be a problem for tare on the holding vessel. Even a very small metal bowl tends to weigh 30-40g. Sure you can use the little plastic ones, but for stuff like (say) liquid soy lecithin, they become disposable since that suff is too hard to get off of plastic. I like to pour in some fat (from the recipe) to help it from sticking. I think a 100g limit makes it much more useful.

[Martin Fisher]

I believe that scale comes with a measuring vessel as part of the set-up.

I'll check to make sure.

There are plastic anti-static weighing vessels available to counter the sticking problem often encountered with some materials.

~Martin

[Virbonus]

MCaH gives a table (page 192) that properly indicates medium rare target core 55°C. But then on pg. 198 in the recipe for Steak in a Cooler it talks about cooking the steaks to a medium rare temperature of 52°C, Can anyone explain this discrepancy?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I don't believe that scale would have the precision for MC@H gelato though.

On what basis do you think that? Drug dealers depend on these scales, I don't see why we shouldn't. I've used one of these for a while now and it seems very accurate, and I don't see why it isn't good for +- 0.02 mg or so.

If you want to cook the modernist items that use mg, you need to spend $9. You do not need to spend $200.

That scale and a cheap one for heavier weighs will get you in easily under $50. They are not too expensive. If you want to go ahead and make your whole process easier, more precise and with less dirtied measuring equipment, you can spend another couple of tens of dollars for an additional scale that handles heavier stuff.

I base my opinion on the manufacturer's literature that the scale has a Linearity of +or- 2d, Repeatability of +or- 2d, and a calibration tolerance of +or- 0.2g.

http://www.awscales.com/portable-precision-scales-1-gram/237-amw-1kg-digital-pocket-scale

...as well as on the many Amazon reviewers who say the scale is inaccurate for small weights.

The MC@H gelato recipe calls for 0.3g xanthan gum.

I have never been a chef or a drug dealer but I used to be a scientist.

[PedroG]

There are as many definitions of "medium rare" as there are authors, and it may also depend on the kind of meat, e.g. I cook beef tenderloin or pork to 52°C and racks of lamb to 55°C.

[Ozcook]

I haven't read the Amazon reviews of the AWS, but I am guessing it is still more accurate than eyeballing a fraction of a teaspoon.

[Martin Fisher]

Ooops!!!!! After closer look, that is NOT the AWS scale that I have.

The one that I have is 100g x .01g!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012LOQUQ/ref=pe_175190_21431760_cs_sce_dp_3

~Martin

[lame username]

I believe that scale comes with a measuring vessel as part of the set-up.

I'll check to make sure.

There are plastic anti-static weighing vessels available to counter the sticking problem often encountered with some materials.

~Martin

I save the plastic scoops from my husband's protein powder jars. They seem to be anti-static and are small enough not to use up the weight capacity.

[Paul Kierstead]

I base my opinion on the manufacturer's literature that the scale has a Linearity of +or- 2d, Repeatability of +or- 2d, and a calibration tolerance of +or- 0.2g.

http://www.awscales.com/portable-precision-scales-1-gram/237-amw-1kg-digital-pocket-scale

...as well as on the many Amazon reviewers who say the scale is inaccurate for small weights.

The MC@H gelato recipe calls for 0.3g xanthan gum.

I have never been a chef or a drug dealer but I used to be a scientist.

Perhaps, but unfortunately you were pointed at the wrong scale, which looks identical. Try

http://www.awscales.com/portable-precision-scales-01-gram/229-amw-100-digital-pocket-scale

Which can be had at amazon for all of $10

http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Signature-AWS-100-Digital/dp/B0012LOQUQ

I use this one almost every day, and it works great. It certainly isn't perfect; the buttons and display are crap, it could be faster reading, it turns off too quickly, etc. But it is very functional.

Just plunk down the $10 and save yourself a lot of trouble.

[Virbonus]

This was dealing with the same steak - a NY Strip. I agree there are many definitions of medium rare but 3° C is a fairly large difference. The Steak in a Cooler was offered as an alternative way to skin the same cat and I suspect there is a typo so I'm hoping someone from the MC team will look at it.

[nickrey]

A number of us had a discussion about this issue before Douglas Baldwin published his book.

The convention that was agreed upon by that particular discussion group was:

50C/125F rare

55C/130F medium-rare

60C/140F medium

70C/160F and above well-done.

This is what Douglas later used in his excellent paper "Sous vide cooking: A review" that was published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science (2012), Volume 1, pages 15-30.

The article is available on-line here.

As for other temperatures being used to define levels of doneness, I'd agree with PedroG that everyone has a different definition and 3C is not unusual in terms of differences. The best thing is to work out what you like and use that.

Edited February 27, 2013 by nickrey (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

That one seems better for the purpose. Even so I'd rather have just one scale out on the counter, with that one scale being able to weigh anything I'd reasonably use for cooking. I don't live in a New York apartment but I do live in an apartment, with flour in the bedroom and glassware under the bed.