wattacetti's Profile
Elderberry flowers
Well, thanks for the replies thus far. I don't do a whole lot of frying but I'll try with a small bunch to see what happens. Will also attempt light pickling and of course fresh.
Elderberry flowers
It will soon be time for these things to start appearing on a tree I have access to.
I know how to make syrups and so forth but does anyone have a method to preserve the flowers for savory uses?
Wine "mark ups" in restaurants
Unless it's a BYO with no corkage, you're going to be spending something extra than the retail costs of wines. The markup you're willing to put up with depends on the wine, the locale and so forth, again with cheaper wines getting higher markup than pricier bottles.
In Montreal many places are averaging 100% markup which to me is reasonable. The 700% markup that I saw at Nobu San Diego however, wasn't.
If you know the wines or have access to retail pricing for national brands via your smartphone, you can quickly see what a markup is.
Markup on wines by the glass are worse.
best artisanal breads/bakeries in Quebec
Le Pain dans les voiles in Mont-Saint-Hilaire. Won a baguette prize, but try their fougasse if they have it and get a Gault.
Shiso Plants in Montreal?
Can you wait? Mme Pinsonneaut at the Atwater Market has sold plants for the last couple of years, though she's not active until later on in the season. She sets up near the fishmonger.
What are your FAVORITE meals or dishes to enjoy when it's HOT outside?
Vodka and lemonade slushies.
Le Creuset Cookware on Viking Induction Range
I have a Viking portable unit which has pretty much the same limitations as your range.
LeCreuset: doesn't work (same pieces work on Fagor and Miele)
leCuistot: variable depending on piece (same pieces work on Fagor and Miele)
Lodge: variable depending on piece (frypan didn't work, did work on Fagor and Miele)
DeBuyere (carbon steel): works
All-Clad Stainless: works
Vollrath: variable, depending on line (induction-ready restaurant line doesn't work)
Demeyere: works
You're not going to break your cooktop unless you drop something like Chemicalkinetics said. It certainly won't be for heat - my IR thermometer shows that I can hit 500ºF with a cast-iron surface via induction.
You will however find that the Viking brand will be quite limiting to what lines you can use.
"vegas strip" steak, an all new cut of meat ....
Maybe not - that pretty much sounds like the development of the flatiron steak.
dried seafood
Yes i have - it's reconstituted in several changes of water. The consistency is different but the taste is more complex.
Bacalao isn't salty again with adequate changes in water.
dried seafood
Among the others that people have already suggested, dried squid, dried cuttlefish; both reconstituted and then treated like fresh.
Dried whole fish of various sizes, which are used for different types of dashi.
Dried sea cucumber. Will make you strong.
Are you also considering bacalao?
Meat glue, turning scraps into filets
You do realize that this is a naturally-occuring enzyme that is involved in wound repair, right?
Anyway, cowboyardee's suggestions on how to avoid are spot on, but you can also exclude commercial hot dogs, surimi and most processed foods.
Restaurant Closings in 2012
Are you sure Iguanas Ranas is closed? There were people inside having a meal when I walked past about 30 minutes ago.
Paleo eaters?
You're supposed to eat fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, skipping grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.
So, any market can handle fish (though you'll be looking for line-caught if you want to be strict about it), vegetables (organic), fruit (any organic except hybrids), roots (technically skipping potato) and nuts.
The meats will be more problematic since grass-fed cow is problematic in Montreal and I'm not sure who's doing artisanal pork. Free-range chicken, game meats should be relatively straighforward (or you can take up hunting).
Wheat can I buy wheat grass?
I would suggest Tau to start. There is also a shop next to Le Pain dans les voiles in Mont-Saint-Hilaire but that's a bit far.
I generally see wheat grass at Mondou, but that's cat salad.
32 qt stainless steel commercial stock pot.
I have a Vollrath Tribute 22 qt because I wanted an induction-ready pot. I could have gone bigger but I didn't for two reasons: height and ability to heat contents.
If you're doing this on a home stove, does your cooking surface (cooktop, range) have the capacity to handle some thing this large, do you have clearance between your cooktop and your hood to be able to handle something this large, and are you able to safely lift a pot of very hot liquid that runs in and around 80 pounds? And can you stir it?
Update Intl has a version that is induction capable and the other two are either aluminum or aluminum disc bottom so you're limited to gas or standard electric. My chef friend has a Polar Ware on her commercial stove (gas); gets the job done.
Choosing a wine refrigerator
The venting depends on the unit. Suggest insulating the hot water line in the prep sink
Do you remember the first steak you had?
I think I was seven and it was at a friend's birthday party being held at a local Ponderosa. I remember it being a sirloin (or whatever it was that Ponderosa sold as sirloin), ordered medium-well because that was how everyone had theirs, and came with mushrooms (canned and reheated) and baked potato.
Before this point I had never had a large piece of unadorned cow. I decided I liked steak at this point, but it didn't take very long to realize there were much better ones.
Choosing a wine refrigerator
$1700? More than adequate for most models, about $1200 short for Eurocave and Transtherm. It's around the price of a GE Monogram unit.
The two euro models tout a compressor system that is isolated away from the unit to eliminate vibration as well as a system which returns humidity that's normally sucked away as part of the cooling process. For what you're doing and what I think you'll keep, I don't think humidity will be a critical factor to you.
For vibration, you can always pop it onto rubber feet but again, I don't think vibration should be much of a concern here.
Your bigger issue will be to install it in a spot where it can vent its own heat and not be heated by an adjacent source (installing it close to a dishwasher would be a bad thing).
Choosing a wine refrigerator
How much do you want to spend? Do you want a glass door or a solid door? Will it be built-in? Given that you want to do this as a remodel, I'm assuming that it'll be a glass door so that guests and visitors can see that the refrigerator is stocked.
The Transtherm and Eurocave versions have temperature and humidity control, vibration control (offset compressor) and impressive prices.
GE has several units which range up to about $5-600.
Features: adjustable racks to accommodate different bottles, an easy way to set temperature (you should get a remote thermometer anyway) and preferably a unit that has minimal vibration though this unit isn't going to be ideal to hold wines for aging.
Keeping it fully stocked as suggested by E_M actually will help the refrigerator since the additional thermal mass will help with maintaining temps.
Personally, I'd build a wine cellar to store wine and build in a small drink/snack refrigerator in its place. Your big refrigerator is going to be pulled open for milk, drinks, and fruit more than anything else.
New Fuchsia Dunlop book
I have shipment 28-Apr-2012 coming from Amazon.ca. One month delay from the initial date. We'll find out next week whether or not I get a "there is a problem with your order".
Cured meats and wine... what wines do you drink?
Amontillado and oloroso sherries. But it kind of depends on what's on the plate so I'll also reach for Priorat, Montsant, dry Rieslings and Pinots. Savagnin has worked remarkably well too.
piment d'espelette [moved from Home Cooking]
Fairly easy in Montreal. Perhaps a road trip.
Clementine peels
I've kept the peels and just dried them without shaving of what little pith there is.
wine pairing for pasta with ramps?
I had this in Berlin a couple of years back. They paired it with a Pinot gris from the Rheinhessen.
Cooking Fat
Wow - Crisco. That was popular back in high school but for different reasons.
I don't bake but the last time I attempted pie crusts I used butter and lard. For general stuff, safflower oil, butter or the appropriate animal fat to match the animal. I very rarely cook with olive oil, preferring its use as a finishing oil. You use whatever suits your cooking style.
Help I have GIANT steaks!
I'd sous-vide to hit the appropriate internal temperature, then torch the outside with a very hot grill.
Smoked Easter dinner?
Why not? Traditional always seems to be ham, lamb and brunch, so all three are out given what you've already listed.
The only traditional beasts that you haven't listed on your menu are bunnies and chicks but if they're not going to eat ham and lamb, they're not going for the other two proteins.
36 vs 48inch ranges, ranges vs cooktops and Kitchenaid pro-series?
Vote for two ovens, either range + single wall oven or two wall ovens. You might not bake as much but two ovens provide a whole lot of flexibility especially for roasting and finishing.
Size of the cooktop depends on your cooking style and how many pots/pans you will have going concurrently (I've routinely done six items when entertaining).
