As we head towards colder weather and the holidays, I thought it might be a good time to talk about meat. Some might say summer, the height of barbecue season, is the time for meat; but I think of summer as a time for beautiful, fresh vegetables, not of meat. For me, a big hunk of steak is for when I want something warm and hearty. We are all about passion for food and the science behind good cooking. A well cooked steak has plenty of good science behind it and can make those carnivores among us start to drool like Homer Simpson with a donut. But the first ingredient when cooking meat is respect. Continue reading “Ribeye Steak: The Secret to Perfect Steak”
Tag: food science
Independent replication
I know what you are thinking. Ben makes the recipes he writes about sound easy. It seems like understanding the science behind what I’m cooking will help. But I can’t really make that. Can I? Continue reading “Independent replication”
Focaccia: Are You a Yeast Sniffer?
Ever been called a yeast sniffer? What would your reaction be? Shakespearean indignation?
Blackguard! I challenge you to a duel.
Catholic guilt?
It was only once…in college…everyone else was doing it.
Sinful pride?
Damn straight. I’m growing some premo stuff right now.
For a distinct group of pastry chefs, sinful pride is the correct answer.
According to one of my culinary school instructors, there are two kinds of pastry chefs: plate jockeys and yeast sniffers. Plate jockeys are responsible for composed desserts at restaurants. Yeast sniffers fill bread baskets. There is very little crossover among professionals. I myself have primarily been a professional plate jockey; but I find few things more therapeutic than baking fresh bread. This one is for that little chef in all of us that likes to sniff a little yeast, if only recreationally. Continue reading “Focaccia: Are You a Yeast Sniffer?”
Linkonomicon VI
Mushroom Soup & Homemade Stock: The Root of All Flavor
This week’s recipe is a bit of a two-for-one. The “main” recipe is a fall favorite of mine, mushroom soup (PDF – 770kb). This recipe only has five ingredients (not including salt and oil, which are staples, not ingredients), the most important of which is not, in fact, the mushrooms. It’s the stock (PDF – 115kb). Just replace the mushroom with any number of vegetables and we can still make a delicious soup – as long as we start with good stock. So, if we want to understand the science behind great mushroom soup, we need to understand the science behind good stock. Continue reading “Mushroom Soup & Homemade Stock: The Root of All Flavor”
The Finch and Pea 