Random Food Questions Thread

[mgm9128]

It is lovely. They have really great chestnuts, too.

 

[foodguy]

catching up on a couple of threads:
1) i use nonstick rarely, but never for omelets. i've got an old cast aluminum pan (must be 30 years old) that i've never used for anything but omelets and it is more nonstick than any teflon i've ever used. cleaned only with salt and papertowel.
2) older champagnes can be remarkable but they're very different beasts. i remember doing a tasting with remyy krug years ago and those old bottles were just amazing, fading but beautifully with even more character, like catherine deneuve today as opposed to when she was 21.
3) the problem with moldy chestnuts is major and it's because most of the crop these days is imported from china, via slow boat, apparently. you really should support local growers, though. not only are they bringing a better product, but they're reviving a tree that was once nearly extinct in America (please, beg me to post a link so i can piss edina off again). in california, i really like correia chestnut farms, which is right outside of sacto. looks like you'll have to save them for next year, though ... they're a small operation and already sold out.

 

[edinatlanta]



not only are they bringing a better product, but they're reviving a tree that was once nearly extinct in America (please, beg me to post a link so i can piss edina off again).

I'm interested in this story, actually.

So my champagne question still stands. This is probably my last chance to show my parents I'm not a total waste of a son so I'd really appreciate some help. (3)

Other queries:

A recipe I have calls for pork bones. The butcher only sells neck bones. Does this matter? Also they and the pig feet I need appear to be frozen. Does this matter?

What does one do with a hog maw?

 

[b1os]

Probably this one? http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/05/food/fo-calcook5 or http://articles.latimes.com/1995-12-17/food/fo-14957_1_american-chestnut-trees

 

[foodguy]



I'm interested in this story, actually.

well, ok then.

So my champagne question still stands. This is probably my last chance to show my parents I'm not a total waste of a son so I'd really appreciate some help. (3)

which question was that? if the question is champagne, yes is the appropriate answer.

Other queries:
A recipe I have calls for pork bones. The butcher only sells neck bones. Does this matter? Also they and the pig feet I need appear to be frozen. Does this matter?
What does one do with a hog maw?]

without knowing the recipe, it's a little hard to tell. but neck bones are the only pork bones i've seen sold as such ... if it's gelatin you're looking for though, pig's feet are best for that.
hog maw is chittlin's. cook outdoors.

 

[edinatlanta]

I'm interested in this story, actually.

well, ok then.

So my champagne question still stands. This is probably my last chance to show my parents I'm not a total waste of a son so I'd really appreciate some help. (3)

which question was that? if the question is champagne, yes is the appropriate answer.

Other queries:
A recipe I have calls for pork bones. The butcher only sells neck bones. Does this matter? Also they and the pig feet I need appear to be frozen. Does this matter?
What does one do with a hog maw?]

without knowing the recipe, it's a little hard to tell. but neck bones are the only pork bones i've seen sold as such ... if it's gelatin you're looking for though, pig's feet are best for that.
hog maw is chittlin's. cook outdoors.

thanks sir!

My question was when we opened a bottle of prosecco it had a regular cork and the bottle exploded when my dad tried to open it. Was curios what was up with that.

here's the recipe, looking for the collagen in the broth. http://norecipes.com/blog/2009/12/30/tonkotsu-ramen-recipe/

side note: no one sells chicken bones but I can get chicken backs. Will that be OK you think?

 

[edinatlanta]

also, how much do I love foodguy as a poster/human being? A fuckton or just a whole shitload?

 

[foodguy]



thanks sir!
My question was when we opened a bottle of prosecco it had a regular cork and the bottle exploded when my dad tried to open it. Was curios what was up with that.
here's the recipe, looking for the collagen in the broth. http://norecipes.com/blog/2009/12/30/tonkotsu-ramen-recipe/
side note: no one sells chicken bones but I can get chicken backs. Will that be OK you think?

big mwaw to you too edina.
some old-school proseccos or wannabe old-school proseccos (prosecchi?) are finished with a regular cork, and sometimes a line of twine through the capsule to hold it in place. contents are still under pressure, though, so you need to be careful popping them. not knowing exactly what your dad was doing, my guess is that he might have been using one of those auger openers that have a solid nail ... those pretty frequently will shatter the cork.
you want a corkscrew that looks like this (and i'm just talking about the business end)

not like this:

 

[edinatlanta]

It was the latter. My parents will have some faith in me soon enough!

 

[edinatlanta]

also, fg, i totally implied that I knew you IRL at Christmas Dinner. and by "implied" i mean that i basically said I do.

 

[foodguy]



also, fg, i totally implied that I knew you IRL at Christmas Dinner. and by "implied" i mean that i basically said I do.

well, looks like i'm dead in atlanta now.

 

[otc]

Not really a question--more like a random food thought:

Just tried the Victorinox/Forschner 8" chef's knife vs a Henckels Pro-S. Both were new out of the box (so not a fair comparison of what would happen over time as you sharpen it but a fair comparison for the average home cook). Cut up some potatoes and onions.

The Forschner was better by far. The edge felt sharper and the narrower blade profile made it far easier to make slices even and thin. Something about the smoother finish on the sides of the blade made it glide through the potatoes much better--the Henckels felt sticky once it got more than a half inch in even though the edge itself was sharp and cut through the potato just fine. The fit and finish was obviously nicer on the henckels but the black fibrox is a lot better looking than the plastic handle on something like a Dexter knife.

I know its pretty much already the standard budget recommendation on the forum (and I have a few friends with them...always feel like a good knife) but it was enlightening to compare it with the Pro-S and not the Classic or other lower end Henckels. Looks like my mom will be choosing my christmas gift and returning the Pro-S

 

[b1os]

How much do your chef knifes weigh? Mine weighs 190g/6.7oz. It's an 8" Zwilling Twin Pollux. Cheapo but I've got it for even less. It seems a little on the heavy side and sometimesmakes problems when cutting vegetables, too. (same stickyness problem as otc described)

 

[mgm9128]



How much do your chef knifes weigh?

270 grams, or 9.5 ounces. 10 inches.

 

[GQgeek]

A bit off-topic, but god damn, I love Thomas Keller. My copy of ad hoc just arrived, and I can't believe I've never read this in any other cookbook. I figure a lot of people do this wrong so here you go.

When you make a salad, he says to season everything separately. For some things I was already doing that. The thing I wasn't doing and that was an instant revelation as a huge improvement over what i was doing, was not to pour dressing on the salad after everything was in the bowl, but to pour a bit around the side of a bowl with just the leaves present, and then to toss, so as to get an even amount of dressing on each leaf.

What a simple but brilliant technique to obtain good results every time and not end up with a pool of dressing if you overdo the dressing, which i'm now ashamed to say I have been guilty of at times.

Modernist Cuisine is arriving on a separate ups truck this afternoon. Can't wait!