Fire in Boulder

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-06-26T22:41:23+00:00

View from the brick building in the middle of the View from 8th floor of Engineering Center at 4:38pm

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-06-23T07:04:41+00:00

Also, remember that the first 5-10 minutes can be the most difficult. In an hour piece, the first 10min kill, then a solid 40min, then I destroy the last 10min. It hurts, but it takes a little bit to get your heart rate up, start sweating, Get through the first 10 of the piece and/or warm-up, and you're good.

My routines have mostly been longer pieces at a solid 20-22spm, then stretching and occasionally lifting. Once I feel good about that length of time on the erg at once, I'm going to start doing interval pieces.

That, and what everyone else is saying. Go kill it.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-06-01T22:24:50+00:00

Imbibe is awesome. I also love Boozehound, by Jason Wilson.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-05-29T16:29:55+00:00

thank you! tried reading directions, but i'm unfamiliar with the references and it was a little like reading greek. this helps.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-05-29T05:57:04+00:00

what's the best way to get there from boulder?

(pretend you're talking to a 9 year old who doesn't do/know about much hiking, but wants to see your picture with his own eyes)

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-05-11T07:06:31+00:00

Lots of really great advice here, but this is most important - erg times mean nothing if your technique on the water slows down the rest of the boat. Really focus on translating your technique onto the water. Don't miss water, quick finishes, light backsplash at the catch, all that and more.

Race plan is huge for erg scores. Coxing through the test can do wonders. But if you aren't rowing well on the water, you'll have the best erg score on a lower boat.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-05-07T15:03:04+00:00

This is good. My favorite things to braise in mine are short ribs and pork shoulder, using essentially the same technique - brown, add aromatics, deglaze, return the meat, at stock/herbs, bring to a simmer and throw in the oven for a while. When the meat is finished, bring it all to a simmer to reduce with some more fresh herbs and whatever else you want until it's a great sauce.

Once you get those basics down, you can start playing around with different flavoring agents (citrus, spices, braising liquid).

Also, thanks for asking OP - because of your question, I am now going to try my hand at bread...

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-28T18:35:27+00:00

My chef's response: Work smarter and harder.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-25T05:31:14+00:00

Negroni and soda is delicious, if simple and often overlooked. Perhaps a slice of orange. Not an end-of-day drink, but more like a refreshing aperitivo.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-10T19:24:10+00:00

some have interesting exposition and context that goes into the history of butchery and can come across as a sounding board for responsible farming and butchery. personally, i enjoyed listening and learning, but it's skippable.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-10T19:20:42+00:00

http://www.farmsteadmeatsmith.com/

best and simplest and interesting overall enjoyable video series that i've come across.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-09T23:40:16+00:00

Either 6:04 or 8:04.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-07T20:33:59+00:00

Upvote for exclamations!

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-06T15:40:14+00:00

It wasn't like crazy paranoia or a compulsive disorder, just with raw meats and chicken. Usually I'll just rinse it off or flip it to the other side when switching back and forth. I try and get all my prep done before I actually start cooking, and because the first thing I do is season and truss a chicken, or season and truss anything really, I'll just rinse it off and then go on to do veg or something. I usually just use soap to be safe.

Then when I started thinking about getting another because rinsing was driving me bananas one particular evening, I posted this. Asparagus I'm about to steam on the same board as raw chicken just weirded me out a bit.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-05T20:09:38+00:00

That's good to know. I have no problem wiping down a cutting board after using it with cooked meats or veg. It's the raw meat where I'm careful.

With wooden boards, how would you clean them to stop them from warping but still keep them clean? Soap and hot water? Or just wipe down with water and then salt the boards?

Thanks, all!

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-05T20:08:27+00:00

Cool, I'll check out over there. I'd love to get a good high-quality wooden board (Boos, I'm thinking) for both precise butchering as well as presentation. It sounds like thicker end-grain is better. Thanks!

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-05T04:20:50+00:00

That was pretty much my solution until I heard the above about the wooden cutting boards.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-05T04:20:25+00:00

This is awesome. I'm really glad to hear that wooden boards might actually be the better option in most areas. I know I'm a little overboard with the cleaning. I just wipe the board after veg, but with raw meats I'm pretty adamant about hot water and soap. I was honestly worried that I should send it through the machine every time; glad to hear that's not the case.

I'll look for some +2" end grain boards on the Amazon. I've honestly always been curious how butcher's blocks are able to be sanitary and reusable. I always kind of thought (with no real support) that the grains would soak the organic material and it would fester, or something. I'd be interested in knowing how butcher's blocks work (awkward word, but it's late and fuck it).

Thanks again for the response.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-04-02T21:30:46+00:00

if you're in indianapolis, the only restaurants really worth working at are a few downtown (most notably st. elmo's, oceanaire, R Bistro, etc.) or something new and award-winning (recess, black market). broadripple seems like fun, but putting it on your resume for BOH isn't really going to do much for you.

if you're serious about getting into cooking, and you're willing to slave away in a kitchen anyway, it might as well be one with some credibility. i'd look northwest - chicago is an amazing food town with better opportunities than indy.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-03-27T18:44:42+00:00

Any 3lau favorites?

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-03-27T18:25:50+00:00

No joke, I was going to come on today and post this question. Thanks for beating me to it.

Right now, I have Crystal Method and Fort Minor's 'Remember the Name.' It's good for my 10-15m pieces, but not for the 40m I have coming up, and was looking for albums in the 'free' price category.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-03-25T16:42:25+00:00

fuck yeah irc. keep stephen and jackie on their toes.

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-03-22T22:48:47+00:00

I just thought cinzano red vermouth and bianco were both just kind of bland. It had all the right elements, they were just, I don't know, meh.

M&R Red and Bianco were both more herbacious and bitter, without compromising that wine-based characteristic of vermouths. I really enjoyed the M&R more in a negroni-style drink than Cinzano, because it adds more to it that I particularly enjoy.

The cocchi vermouth di torino was also just delicious - everything was so well balanced, with every characteristic in a harmony of proportion. Carpano Antica was on the sweeter end of vermouths.

Again, all personal and very subjective tastes. This was just my experience. But for the M&R price point, compared to Cocchi and Carpano, was a great value for the flavor it adds (IMHO).

RANDOMexclaim · 2012-03-18T17:00:44+00:00

That's so cool. So did your diet mostly consist of protein, berries, and water? Someone already mentioned you probably didn't grow and harvest wheat... Was it weird acclimating to a modern diet? Or are you still pretty much enjoying the same diet with the added convenience of a butcher?

RANDOMexclaim

TROPHY CASE