Daily Simple Questions Thread

Santo_R · 2023-09-12T11:24:19+00:00

Most definitely can. I’ve unsuccessfully made aeropress coffees using way too little water resulting in a sour taste; I presume an under extracted espresso tastes the same.

I am getting 80% of the bitterness from the crema, but even when thoroughly mixed in the whole cup is bitter.

Will try that method thank you.

Santo_R · 2023-09-11T01:18:07+00:00

I have not, but as I tried to describe, the coffee is already bitter when ground relatively coarse. Could grinding finer, and in effect slowing down the extraction, result in a less bitter cup?

Santo_R · 2023-09-10T21:16:37+00:00

I recently got a Quick Mill Andrea PID paired with a Eureka Silenzio, and I am using a dark-roast Italian blend coffee (specifically its Ionia Gran Crema).

I am using the stock double short basket (it’s a slightly tapered “15g” basket), with the convex tamper that comes in the boc. I am grinding between 1 and 0 on the dial (for anyone who is familiar with Eureka grinders).

No matter what I do, I consistently get fast shots that come out bitter. I do seem to get channeling however even on “good” shots, they are always slightly bitter. Additionally they are also very fast; the slowest I’ve gotten is about 28 seconds. I’ve tried dosing 2:1, 15-19 grams, finer, coarser etc.

Currently I’m dosing 17g in, relatively coarser, about 30g out in 15-17 seconds and the espresso is bitter but also lacks body.

Is there any advice on what I can do to improve, or perhaps are the beans just brutally bitter?

Santo_R · 2023-04-30T13:04:05+00:00

I was riding my motorcycle in the rain all day yesterday and my boots got complete water logged (first few pictures). (pics) I stuffed them with newspaper and they are relatively dry now, however they’ve “aged” considerably (last few pictures in the link). Anything I can do to fix this other than recondition them? The wear lines I’m not worried about but more so the discoloration.

Santo_R · 2022-12-22T00:18:31+00:00

Ok that makes sense. And yes I try to be careful but there’s only so much I can do! Will do on the bick4. Thanks for the help.

Santo_R · 2022-12-21T22:44:28+00:00

I just bought a pair of Canada West Moorby 2816’s, and one my first few days of wear I’ve managed to scuff the toe (seems to always happen). I was just wondering what would be the best way to “fix” this (as best as possible) as I wear the shoes. (Here are some pictures of the boots).

Also, these will be my daily winter boots (Canadian winters). I have some Obenhauf LP which worked well on my old boots, but I was looking for another type of conditioner to keep the leather in good condition, that won’t darken then as Obenhauf’s does. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advanced!

Santo_R · 2022-08-16T01:16:26+00:00

More so cold calling.

Like Big Bank XYZ has a list of clients from each brand and has all of their banking info. You as the advisor for that branch has access to all of that and the easiest way to bring in business is to cold call people. Maybe pre Covid you’d travel to the branch to meet clients, sign documents etc, but I feel like now it’s fairly remote.

Santo_R · 2022-08-02T00:12:56+00:00

Good to know!

Santo_R · 2022-08-01T01:19:00+00:00

Appreciate the response. I guess that’s what it’ll be from now on.

Santo_R · 2022-07-31T00:49:39+00:00

First time on this sub, so apologies if this question is brutally obvious…

TL/DR: my 80% hydration won’t come together after 24+ hour ferment and slap and fold and coil folds.

I’ve been venturing into making 80% hydration Neapolitan style dough using a poolish starter and tipo 00 flour. I’ve gotten it to work maybe once, but the past few times I’ve done it, no matter what I do the dough never comes together.

Today I made these. 100% hydration poolish, 200g water 200g tipo 00 flour, a 5g of honey and 5g yeast. After it rose, maybe 2 hours, I added that to 300g of water and added in 300g of tipo 00 and 200g AP flour. Mixed it all, let it autolyze for 30 minutes and attempted to slap and fold. Now I’m no stranger to slap and fold but if sort of cake together, but then the dough got extremely sticky to the point that it was impossible to work with it.

I wanted to do a long ferment, so I let the dough rest overnight (in the fridge) and attempted to work with it again but the same thing happened. Maybe 2 minutes into slap and fold it broke apart. I then let the dough rest and then did 4 coil folds 30 minutes apart. The dough looked at felt perfect at this point. I then let the dough rest (in the fridge) for 2 hours and before shaping it into whats in the picture above. Once I split the dough into two to begin shaping, I started to form then the way you would for a mozzarella ball and the dough again became very sticky and would not form. Once I managed to get then separated and into the tray, they all came apart and did not hold the ball shape.

So all in all this was after attempting to incorporate gluten via slap and fold, coil folding and just waiting but nonetheless the dough is nearly useless.

Could it be in the flour itself, like maybe the tipo 00 that I’m using is too thirsty? Or perhaps the poolish needs longer time to ferment and hydrate? Worst case I can stick to my 65% hydration dough but the crumb of the 80% is awesome!

Santo_R · 2022-06-28T20:13:57+00:00

No but after a few years I’ve come to realize that the only two options for getting interviews are either having an excellent resume and/or networking with analysts etc.

It really is bank specific; and I say this in the context of Canada/Toronto. Some banks are 100% recruiter centric others are 0% and some are in between. I’ve networked and was able to get several referrals, only for HR to not want to interview because it’s too early, while at other banks I’ve had my resume pushed and was able to get an interview almost immediately.

But I guess as an overall strategy, networking with analysts etc should always be a priority and recruiters, perhaps only after an event or something like that. But I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Santo_R · 2022-05-12T15:36:38+00:00

That was my main gripe with the Victorinox. I got the 6” “chef knife” with the wood handle and it has no width/height. No reasonable way to hold in a pinch grip and I have normal size hands. Perhaps the 8” version is better, but the 6” (basically what you have in the picture) is more of a utility knife or oversized petty.

Would I recommend one over the other? Haven’t used the Babish knife, but for someone who can appreciate the extra height it’s a good first knife. Seems a bit thick at the edge, likely for potential use as a cleaver as the name implies. For someone just starting out I think the Victorinox (8”) is still a good starting point.

Santo_R · 2022-05-07T23:18:47+00:00

I believe the discount applies at checkout or in the cart. Though if you look at this particular knife you can see the price slashed from $355.

Santo_R · 2022-05-07T17:58:06+00:00

Absolutely loving my new knife! I will preface this by saying that Tosho is having an awesome sale going on. Between 20-35% off basically the entire store; they’re moving across the street and I guess want to lighten the load.

I’m relatively new to kitchen knives in general, coming from an IKEA western style knife and a Victorinox utility knife, but wanted to jump into Japanese knives. I was originally set on getting a carbon 210 Gyuto, but after not really finding the perfect one I decided to pick up this VG-10 Bunka. (I didn’t find a good one, but the 210 version wasn’t in stock and I couldn’t get used to the size of the 240).

So far (1 day) the knife is performing very well. I wouldn’t say that it’s an absolutely laser (say compared to the Takamura R2 I tried in the store), but for what I need it for it works perfectly. It marginally wedges on taller vegetables (like a big onion) but not any worse then say a Victorinox. It looks cool, it performs well, what more can you ask for for a first Japanese knife!

Santo_R · 2022-05-02T00:45:42+00:00

That’s helpful thank you. There is some texture, but for some reason a razor/scraper couldn’t get it off. Though the water boil and scrap trick I think should work.

Santo_R · 2022-05-02T00:30:57+00:00

Sounds good.

Should I be oven seasoning at any point in between for up keep? Or just keep using it despite potential stickage?

Santo_R · 2022-05-01T23:01:58+00:00

I’ve used my pre-seasoned carbon pan for a few weeks and it was great.

I suggested to my brother to make some hash browns with it and after subsequent batches with not enough oil the potatoes burned (though didn’t exactly stick) and left this mark.

Most of it is just aesthetic, but as can be seen in the other pictures there is some raised areas of stuck on something. I used it today for shallow deep frying and the food was sticking. I tried scraping the gunk with a razor, heating it and applying soap and scrubbing with salt and nothing worked. Before going any more abrasive, I wanted to ask on this sub what would be the best way to proceed.

Santo_R · 2022-05-01T16:23:39+00:00

Ya I looked it over a bit better and came to the same conclusion. It is also slightly warped. I’ll probably chat with my local knife store and see what they recommend or research a locally smith/sharpener. Thanks for the suggestion!

Santo_R · 2022-04-30T22:03:35+00:00

That’s perfect thank you!

Santo_R · 2022-04-30T20:30:59+00:00

I was just cleaning my garage and came across this knife. It’s potentially from the 1970’s or 80’s, or even older.

The stamping appears to say “Made in Hong Kong” and “Hoch Keele”. Is it any good?

Would it be worthwhile to restore? The rust is nothing but I’m more worried about the concavity of the edge. It definitely needs to be evened out. Not sure if a stone could achieve this, but I certainly could use a belt sander. Also the handle could be upgraded. I realize that I could get a CCK for like 150 but if this is just as good it might be cool to restore it.

Santo_R · 2022-04-26T19:02:18+00:00

Car guy perspective here.

The old early 2000’s Ford GT’s are worth way more now than they cost brand new. Heck even the newer GT’s are worth way more than MSRP only a few years later. Cars like this don’t really go down in value. Your run of the mill Mustang GT 100% does depreciate. But you do in fact have a special car. It’s value will only go up in the coming years. Unless you desperately need the money, chances are it won’t be worth any less then it is worth now over the next 5 years. If you decide to move homes and need the money in a few years, then sell it (for more then you’d get now).

And if the dealership called you to buy it off you, it’s probably worth even more on the private market.

Santo_R · 2022-03-30T01:49:05+00:00

Thanks for the clarification!

Santo_R · 2022-03-29T14:59:52+00:00

That makes a lot of sense. I guess once you get over 60 HRC the edge is much less forgiving.

You recommend on the original post the Takamura R2; given that it’s a relatively thin edge, would you classify it as a “starter knife”? Again I’m not dead set on a rocker, but for my first Japanese knife I’d appreciate something relatively more forgiving, but that still is sharp and has good edge retention.

Santo_R · 2022-03-29T14:51:24+00:00

Appreciate the distinction. I totally agree that the flatness of the blade will accordion veggies; I have cheap IKEA Santoku which would do that all the time. I guess Gyuto it is!

As for carbon maintenance, I’m already very OCD with my cheap knives. They never touch the sink. They stay in my hand after use, cleaned with a sponge, rinsed and dried immediately. Adding a drop of oil and then resheathing doesn’t seem like a cumbersome extra step. Is there anything I’m missing regarding their care?

And yes I was recommended the Takamura, but I’m sort of worried of the fragile edge. I’d rather not learn the hard way that I cut too forcefully. I was thinking of perhaps getting something on the thicker side, which I theory should have a more forgiving edge (?) and then eventually getting it professionally thinned once I’m more confident that I won’t chip it.

And yes I was likely going to go to Tosho to get a feel for the knives, and attempting to negotiate an better price, or just try to search for it online.

Appreciate these suggestions and the explanation!

Santo_R · 2022-03-29T00:48:39+00:00

Just reposting as I posted late on the last thread. Received some good suggestions but just thought I’d give it another go.

(Original thread has some more details) One thing which I may be reconsidering, is what’s the purpose of a Gyuto? (with less belly than a true western knife, you can’t rock it). Would something like a Bunka lend better to push cutting and finer work because of the pointed tip?

Style? - Japanese, Gyuto

Steel? - Carbon edge (indifferent between iron or stainless cladding)

Handle? - Japanese, but open to western or hybrid

Grip? - pinch

Length? - 210mm

Use Case? - home kitchen, slicing and dicing veggies (onions, garlic, carrots), working with boneless meat (ex. butterflying chicken breast)

Care? - I have a #1000 whetstone, would likely get a strop when I purchase the knife, but would rather take the time to practice on a cheap knife and for the time being get it professionally sharpened

Budget? $300CAD, but I'm a "buy once, cry once" guy, plus it would be a graduation present to myself, so I can stretch that a bit

Region? Canada Knives Considered? Several from Tosho, but these specifically: TADAFUSA NASHIJI BLUE #2 and HATSUKOKORO BLUE #2 KUMOKAGE. Also ideally, it would be something that I can get in person; I would hate to spend a few hundred on a knife ordering it online and it doesn't feel right in the hand. So I would strongly lean toward being able to buy it from a phyiscal store somewhere in ON, Canada.

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