One thing that G and I miss from San Fran is the plethora of taquerias and taco trucks. There’s nothing quite so tasty as a juicy carne asada taco with a side of fresh pico de gallo and a lime. So when we had some uncooked tenderloin, I thought to whip us up a reminder …
I was planning to sous vide another batch of pork belly when G pointed me to a (then recent) post on making sio bak (aka siew yuk) from I Eat I Shoot I Post. Hmm… same meat and cut, can brine with the same spices, and both are superb in part because of the texture …
I managed to weather the great cupcake fad of 2008/9 without ever having to try or learn to bake any. However, thanks to G, I’ve regrettably succumbed to the macaron craze that’s spread worldwide with the virulence of the Macarena. My culinary interests are normally related to savory solids and sweet liquids, but since I had an …
… you take the opportunity to experiment. Scallops (specifically Hokkaido-originated ones) are at the top of G and I’s favorite seafood list, so it was with mixed emotions that the family was recently “gifted” with a large bag of frozen jumbo scallops. As fans of Top Chef might recall, this particular shellfish is a very …
It’s not everyday that I come back home to a new kitchen gadget to try out: a shiny pressure cooker. Silit is apparently a well-known brand in Germany for cookware that likes to combine fashion with practicality. This particular model comes with a glossy outer coating and non-stick interior. The lid and handle slide nicely …
Posted on Lettur.com is this fine example of engineering and cooking making the usual geek circles (excerpt): Chocolate Chip Cookies… 7. Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein 8. 473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao 9. 236.6 cm3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10) To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat transfer …
Between G’s pregnancy and related respiratory issues, the list of foods that she should avoid is quite long and includes basic staples like chicken and dairy products. As an alternative to cow milk, she’s been drinking more soy, which has comparable levels of protein but significantly less calcium. Manufacturers of soy drinks do add vitamins, …
A quick search for “chawanmushi recipes” yields thousands of results that have one thing in common: vague cooking instructions. The actual recipes themselves are more or less the same: 3 parts dashi (with mirin/soy sauce) to 1 part beaten egg, plus additional ingredients. Steaming the mixture however, is an entirely different matter. Most of the …
Continuing from part I on spherification, above is an example of reverse spherification that doesn’t take a lot of effort: multi-colored yogurt drink spheres. Here’s what you’ll need: For the Bath 5g of Sodium Alginate 1L of distilled water Take an immersion blender and thoroughly mix the sodium alginate with the distilled water. Tap water isn’t …
Inspired by a conversation last evening with the always entertaining T & A, I did a bit of follow-up research on a topic near and dear: sous-vide and meat. A mentioned that a chef had said that searing helps to trap juices and improves flavor when cooking with sous-vide. It’s a widely debunked myth that searing …
