I recently re-read "Think", the first chapter of Micheal Ruhlman's "Ruhlman's Twenty", that says thinking is the cook's best weapon. A crucial part of this is mise en place, having everything in its place. Ruhlman expands on the idea saying that meez isn't just all the ingredients organized in little ramekins, it's a way of thinking.
This got me thinking... how do people organize and setup their kitchen, "kitchen mise" if you will, to facilitate cooking at home?
If I may, I'd like to brag for a minute about 2 nights of culinary success. Last night it was veal scalopini with Che'f Jacob's Brussles and a Caesar salad.
Tonight, it was braised pork country ribs. The ribs were seared and braised in beef stock with onions and cerery. I used some of the drippings as a base for a pan reduction of sauteed onions & mushrooms, then combined dijon mustard, honey, and BBQ sauce. The favor profile was just what I was going for, and no knife was necessary.
I don't own a stock pot so subbed a crockpot for chicken stock.
I had frozen rotisserie bones and mirepoix. Added bouquet
garnie of peppercorns,bay leaf, rosemary,sage and cloves.
Let it go for about 12 hours, skimmed,cooled, refrigerated
overnight , then bagged in 1 cup portions.
Only got 4 cups but it's a start.
I think the title says it all. :)
As for me, I don't feel that I *need* anything but I love knives and wouldn't mind a new chefs knife like this... white steel Konosuke 240mm.
Just wondering if I'm the only one here that's a garlic maniac? I love garlic and put it in everything. Also I've been playing with roasted vs. blanched and haven't found a preference yet for when to use which. Does anyone have a "rule of thumb" for when you choose to roast vs. blanch garlic?
By the way, a little sautee'd garlic is great in eggs! :-)
Two foodies walk into an Asian market....ba da bing.
Translation:
My sister and I went food shopping together and we left an Asian market with a 5 lb. bag of glutinous black rice. When we got home we split it and then googled it to find that the primary use seems to be as a dessert rice. There are Thai recipes where it's cooked with coconut milk. I will try that, but since I have enough to try other recipes I wonder if anyone out there has ideas or tried and true uses for it.
Hey Stella Community and chef!
I'm going back to college for the last semester of the school portion for my apprenticeship, and the equipment list requires me to expand my piping tip collection.
In my search for the required tips, I came across a set of poly carbonate piping tips for a decent price, claiming to be "unbreakable" along with several ways they can assist in improving your icing decorations.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any objections to poly carbonate or any preferences between the two.
As I supremed a grapefruit for breakfast it jogged a memory from my childhood. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas the meal started with a fruit cup. Yep, I said fruit cup. My mom would supreme grapefruit and orange, then add another seasonal fruit maybe sliced apple or pomegranate seeds. That tradition is one that I looked forward to as a kid, but somehow it has fallen by the wayside. It made me wonder how many of us foodies this has happened to. What were your traditions as a kid vs. now?
The Holidays are coming and many people may spend their time off in the kitchen cooking for family, friends, or maybe more importantly, themselves. :P
I created a list of seasonal fall and winter ingredients and their complementary flavors to take with me when I go shopping to pick up what looks good or is on sale. I figure that rather than set recipes or dishes, this style will help bolster my "in the moment" creativity. For those familiar with the Flavor Bible, this may look eerily familiar. :)
We have a party to go to tonight. There is a gift swap, and I just wanted to show you what I made. Follow this link to my FB page.
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/photo.php?fbid=319186391528753&set=a.319185681528824.76225.260924904021569&type=1&theater