Cheap Source for Molecular Gastronomic Compounds
November 14th, 2007
Although I’ve long derided, snickered at, and generally disparaged the trend towards foams, airs, and wholly unnatural emulsions in fine cooking, the mad scientist in me has finally won out (with a little prodding), and I’ve set out to begin experimentation.
Unfortunately, the specialized emulsifiers, thickeners, and gelifiers employed in this style of cooking are often prohibitively expensive. Texturas (Buy), one of the most popular product lines, starts at $30 for the cheaper compounds on up to $100+.
Now the good news. In the bulk spices section of my local organic co-op, I was able to buy enough lecithin, agar agar, and xanthan gum to keep my experimenting for months — for about $8. These and related products are sold as nutritional supplements or as alternatives for people with food allergies. While the co-op would be the last place most folks might expect to find these additives, it’s an affordable way to get your feet wet.
Fast Food Ads vs Reality
Fast Foods: Ads vs Reality should give you pause next time you’re thinking about fast food, especially with so many delicious, fast, cheap, and healthy home-made alternatives.
Chocolate delicious accident from beer byproduct
November 12th, 2007
National Geographic News has summarized new research on the emergence of chocolate from beer-making — placing the use of chocolate 500 years earlier than previously thought.
The researchers seem to think that people saw these useless, discarded cacao seeds, roasted them and then made a horrible bitter drink that then took off and has become the fantabulous variety of chocolates we have today—which seems reasonable enough. The end of the article is a little bizarre with a random chef discussing how this research could:
… fuel creativity and spark the imagination of chocolatiers and chefs. … As a result, we get new ideas about using chocolate in savory as well as sweet dishes and about pairing the flavors of chocolate with other flavors, too.
I really don’t see how the discovery that chocolate was found earlier than previously thought will change the way we experiment with chocolate. I suppose it would be interesting to see someone do something like oh, say, a savory sauce made with chocolate and peppers. What I want to know is what this fermented cacao fruit drink tastes like.
Intro to Freezer Savings
November 12th, 2007
On the heels of Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food comes Wise Bread’s Intro to Freezer Savings.
One of the most interesting and useful techniques outlined is the use of ice cube trays to freeze easily portioned amounts of just about anything — stock, sauces, purees:
I’ve been freezing lots of pumpkin puree in cubes to use for homemade pumpkin vinaigrette and pumpkin lattes.
More freezing wizardry to come.
Make your food photos palatable
November 11th, 2007
Deb over at Smitten Kitchen wrote an excellent piece on food photography yesterday, complete with heaps of food porn. It’s a good read with helpful suggestions, a list of the gear she uses and and a reasonably comprehensive set of links to other sources for advice on food photography. I think she sums up the requirements for good photos with the following:
… the only thing that will ever make a difference in the consistent quality of your photos is practice. You can’t learn it from a blog post, a book, a manual, it doesn’t come embedded in pricy [sic] prosumer technology — you simply need to take pictures of every single thing that you see.
The same is, of course, true for cooking, writing, programming, etc.
I also recommend checking out the smitten kitchen flickr stream for a constant dose of mouth-watering pictures.
Cork’d for beer? Not quite.
November 9th, 2007
Having been a huge fan of wine mega-site Cork’d for some time, I’ve always hoped and prayed for — and on several occasions considered making — an equivalent service for the beer lovers among us.
So imagine my excitement when Dan Cederholm, one of the original creators of Cork’d and web designer supreme, announced his new beer-themed service today: Foamee.
And imagine my disappointment when the service turns out to be not equivalent to Cork’d on any front, but just a Twitter log of who owes who a beer on the Internet. I got out of bed for this?
Bacon Salt?
November 8th, 2007
I’m as big a fan of salty pork as anyone. But a seasoning salt that tastes like bacon?
Now, I’m not saying I’m against the idea; I’m not immune to the siren call of bacon-flavored popcorn or French fries. But Bacon Salt, which comes in Original, Hickory Smoked, and Peppered flavors, contains such appetizing ingredients as MSG, Disodium Guanylate, and Yellow 6. I’m also not sure what to make of the Hickory flavor, which is apparently vegan. Vegans, is there an unmet demand for delicious bacon-y products amongst your ranks?
Bacon Salt sells for $4.49 a pop. I remain skeptical, but does anyone have any real experience with this?
Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food
November 7th, 2007
Freezing food is a great way to save money. It allows you to buy fresh items in bulk and at the peak of freshness and enjoy them for months to come. The appropriately-named Former Fat Guy Blog has just published a comprehensive guide to freezing just about everything. Take a look.
Potato Bacon Soup
November 1st, 2007
The problem with most potato soups, really, is one of texture. Some are watery. Some are gloppy. Most are gritty or grainy. After some experimenting, I’ve developed a potato soup technique that produces a silky, sumptuous soup that’s still plenty hearty. The key is adding your potatoes in two installments. The first gets blended to form the base of the soup and give it body, while the second is added later and cooked until perfectly tender — no more overcooked potatoes. The result is a pleasant contrast in textures — the smooth soup, firm chunks of potato, crisps bacon bits.
Potato Bacon Soup
- 1 lb bacon, diced
- 2 pounds potatoes, mixed Russet and Yukon Gold, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 quart Vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
- Heat a skillet and fry the bacon until crispy; fish out the bacon and pour the delicious, delicious bacon fat into your finest soup pot
- Sweat the onion and garlic over medium heat until they just start to pick up some color. At this point your kitchen will smell like bacon and garlic and onions, and you’ll be tempted to stick your head into the pot and begin gorging; resist this temptation.
- Add the peeled potatoes and veggie stock and simmer for 30 minutes
- Using your favorite stick-blender (or food processor, counter-top blender, potato masher, or sharp stick), blend the soup until it’s smooth and creamy. The soup should be smooth and rich but not gloppy or pasty; adjust thickness with more vegetable stock as necessary.
- Add in the unpeeled potatoes and bay leaves and simmer on low until potatoes are fork-tender, about a half hour
- Fish out the bay leaves, check your seasoning (you did remember salt and pepper, didn’t you?), and add the dairy product of your choice
- Serve with aforementioned bacon and chives