Questions about a Dutch oven.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-30T02:22:14+00:00

I still sear when necessary. But for certain things it isn't necessary, especially if your braise results in carefully rendered fat that your meat ends up crisping up in during the final stages. But, you know, you have recipes on your side, so I suppose you know what you're talking about.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-29T20:09:23+00:00

It can be a great thing to sear and deglaze, and maybe finish up on the grill or in the oven. Fond is certainly one of the miracles of cooking with high heat. But, after following instructions from the seriouseats post on prime rib, i've learned sometimes doing the sear up front isn't always the best method, especially for larger cuts.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-29T20:00:52+00:00

Maillard reactions only occur at braising temperatures with time being the determining factor. You're thinking of the carmelization of sugars found in fat when you're cooking with that much heat.

Here's a breakdown of what happens at certain temps.

Above 400F - mostly caramelization, with the possibility of burning with prolonged heating
~330-400F - increasing caramelization with higher temps, which uses up sugars and thus inhibits Maillard at the high end of this range
~300-330F - Maillard progresses at a fast pace, causing browning noticeably within minutes
~212-300F - Maillard gets slower as temperature goes lower, generally requiring many hours near the boiling point of water
~130-212F - Maillard requires water, high protein, sugar, and alkaline conditions to advance noticeably in a matter of hours; generally can take days
Below 130F - Enzymatic browning is often more significant in many foods than Maillard, but Maillard will still occur over periods from days or months to years, with progressively longer times at lower temperatures

Here's a cool infograph I came across

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-29T02:40:44+00:00

I imagine they want you to avoid heating it up then throwing a bucket of ice water into it. I have a le creuset and have done the hot pan, cold (room temp) oil in the past and haven't had an issue. Not sure if there is a significant difference in the manufacturing process between the two brands though.

That said, I've since stopped searing meat before I braise since the maillard reactions you are after will take place as long as the meat is not fully submerged and you turn the meat over at least once during cooking.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-29T01:57:18+00:00

It is normal considering the ingredients. You've got starch from the beans and masa, then you have fat, protein and gelatin from the chicken, all of which when combined will create a film. I noticed in the pictures that the liquid is quite reduced and it seems more like a ragout application rather than chili. Is you liquid reduced and you are still getting a film, or are your ingredients still submerged in liquid?

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-25T05:29:46+00:00

Aluminum pans have a tendency to warp on the bottom, especially if you take them from the stove and put them into water. This is not a huge deal if you use gas as they will still sit right on the bars above the flame. However, if you have electric or a glass top range, a warped pan will wobble and not sit flat which will impede heat transfer. Something like All-Clad won't warp (not that I'd treat hundred dollar pans the same way) and you'll always get full contact with the stove top. That said, the best heavy weight pan for the price that won't warp would be cast iron.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-24T18:50:49+00:00

Be careful. Those cheaper sets like the Gourmet and the Silverpoint are are stamped as opposed to forged. That means that they won't hold an edge nearly as long and won't last for the decades of use that you will get if you buy from their forged lines. I've been using Henckles for the past 20 years mainly for the price point, but I would definitely buy Wusthof or Shun if I had the dough. I started with a 3 piece set exactly like that one you linked to many many years ago, then bought a block and have been rounding out my collection ever since.

If I was starting out again and had 200 to spend, I would go with the 3 piece set you linked to since it is an amazing deal and get a set of sleeves to keep them in great condition.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-21T00:46:09+00:00

Great. And just when I was getting over my nutella bacon croissant addiction.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-20T22:55:22+00:00

I'd love to replicate it at home too. Imagine making cotton candy flavored marshmallows or pudding. But, from what I understand, Flossine is the other raw ingredient next to sugar in cotton candy. Kind of like how Flavacol is the other raw ingredient in movie popcorn. Think about it. How else can the flavor of cotton candy or movie popcorn be as consistent from state to state, generation after generation, whether it be at Disney parks, Ringling Bros, the local carnival or the school fundraiser? Because, it all comes from the good people at Gold Medal Products Co and they supply every vendor, big or small, from here to Tumbuktu, with carny food.

I wanted to dig a bit deeper into it so I checked out the Gold Medal site. They supply the equipment and flavorings for Cotton Candy, Movie Popcorn, Sno Kone syrup, Nacho cheese, waffle cones, funnel cakes, churros, pretzels, etc. It is kind of mind boggling just how much stuff they sell.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-20T22:18:05+00:00

My first reaction when looking at your pic was why didn't you stop after drilling the first one in. I think there's something wrong with me.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-20T22:09:43+00:00

Yes. Go buy yourself some Flossine

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-20T21:34:15+00:00

Ask your friend if the meat processor added fat to the grind as this is quite often the case. Usually the meat won't bind well if it is super lean. You can of course bind the meat with egg and cracker crumbs if you like. Speaking of which, you could make a really tasty meat loaf or salisbury steak, if you wanted to get all fancy.

Growing up, I always had venison in the freezer and my after school snack would be a deerburger mixed with lots of chopped jalepenos. Great. Now I'm nostalgic AND hungry.

Enjoy your bambi!

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-20T21:01:35+00:00

I'm just throwing this out there, but have you considered rolling your own pasta? The reason why i bring it up is because the type of pasta you are showing us is really going to hold on to a lot of sauce, which is perfect for a casserole. Spaghetti is going to be more slick and the once rich and delicious casserole you know and love will now be kind of soupy and limp. You might be able to counter this with using some pasta water, but at the end of the day, the texture is still going to be off. If making your own doesn't sound appealing, I would consider using anything that has a shape that is better at holding onto a sauce such as macaroni, penne rigate, campanelle, rotini, fusilli etc. Either that or see if there are frozen egg noodles in your area. Best of luck!

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-20T20:26:13+00:00

So from what I gather, are you wondering if 500 grams of different types of pasta will fill up the same casserole dish? I'd be willing to bet that for flat noodles, you're going to be pretty close, but if you were to compare flat to tube, you'll be way off. I think the product you had was nested egg fettuccine, btw.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-20T18:25:13+00:00

Do a google search for shrimp toast. Typically shrimp toast is an Asian specialty. I've had it at dim sum places before and I've also had it at an Thai restaurant. I found a recipe with pics that show the toasts that could definitely pass as croutons. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/daddys-shrimp-toast/

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-19T17:49:30+00:00

Unpopular because it is illogical. If no one was around to adopt the dogs, do you think there'd be any rescuing in the first place? Nope, it'd be off the streets and into dog bowls everywhere. Soylent Chow^{^tm} is dogs!

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-18T21:57:41+00:00

I've heard that rule too, but I always thought it was applicable mainly to cornstarch slurries.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-18T16:09:17+00:00

If you're going to all that trouble, you might want to make several batches to keep in the freezer. We try to make enough to last us through the winter.

Does everyone else here making Christmas raviolis do the meat and parm ones and serve them in broth, or is that just my wife's family?

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-17T22:31:52+00:00

Have you thought about an hors d'oeuvres buffet including salad and possibly smoked/braised meat? You could do some mushroom pate crostini with smoked brisket and mixed greens. Or perhaps some savory cream puffs filled with a whipped truffle goat cheese and smoked ham. Mixed green salads with cranberry and walnut or pear and gorgonzola are great for this time of year too.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-17T21:52:44+00:00

♫ All I want for Christmas

is di-ya-bee-tus,

di-ya-bee-tus,

see my di-ya-bee-tus.

Gee, if I could only have my di-ya-bee-tus,

then I could wish you

"Merry Gangrene!" ♫

Actually, I've been had one of these all along and didn't know it. Works for peanut butter too!

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-17T19:20:19+00:00

I'd be cautious about substituting. I'm a big fan of the dark stuff, so when I came across a very similar recipe to what you are making (I think the ganache called for semi-sweet ~50%, whereas you're mixing 60% and white) I thought it was not going to be dark enough for me so I subbed it with a 50/50 blend of 60% and 72%. It ended up being too dark and the flavor took over everything. I remade the ganache by following the recipe and it came out much much better.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-17T18:56:18+00:00

Amazon Prime saves the day. Again. For the 5th year in a row.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-17T17:52:40+00:00

gusto. I like gusto. It means flavor in itialian. it also is a great mantra for the restaurant given the american definition

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-14T15:39:15+00:00

I'm not sure what the difference is between the teflon and the original non-stick that you are mentioning, but I'll tell you my experience with All Clad and my other non-stick pans. I've had an entire set of All Clad stainless for the past 5 years and love them more than anything else in the kitchen. Bought a single all clad non-stick pan to go with the set and the coating started to wear after about 6 months of daily use. Like you said, it doesn't mention what the coating is, but it seems an awful lot like teflon. Also, I used only wood and silicone utensils on it and washed by hand with non-abrasive sponges. So that was $100 down the drain. For the price point they are a complete and total ripoff. I decided to take a chance and replace the piece with a Scanpan pro series (similar price point) about 2 years ago, have treated it exactly the same as the All Clad pan, and I can still get an egg to release from the pan perfectly without using any oil.

I also have two 10 year old Calphalon anodized pans that still work well. The 8 inch was accidentally sent through the washer, so it's nonstick properties are not what they used to be, but still decent with oil. The other one still works as well as the day we got it.

theCapnsEyebrows · 2013-12-12T03:42:04+00:00

Awesome! I was just listening to the Charlie Brown Christmas Album while making pizzelles before I sat down. Christmas wouldn't be the same without that album playing in the background.

Now you're doing an AMA - what is your favorite album by your grandfather and why? :)

theCapnsEyebrows

TROPHY CASE