Jenn-Air Dual-Fuel Range

Finally, after dealing with the crappy, original glass-top electric range in our house for as long as possible, I’ve had enough. Generally, modern glass-top electric ranges run the spectrum from crappy to very good. This old battlehorse was probably the very first one ever built, before the technology had progressed, so it had gotten a bit, well, slow over the years.

In fact, if I took your palm and placed it flat on the biggest burner on the range, turned that burner up to high, within 30-45 minutes you’d say, “Gee… I might need to start thinking about moving this hand in a little while”. Yes. It was that slow (well, maybe not really, but it was slow).

So, feeling flush from my recent ongoing adjunct teaching gig at Midwest Culinary Institute, I decided to purchase an upgraded range. And boy, did I!

After careful & considerable research, I decided on a Jenn-Air Stainless Double Oven Dual-Fuel Range. “Dual-fuel” means that the ovens are electric and the 5-burner continuous-surface cooktop is gas (pictured top right of this article). The larger of the two ovens is convection. The cooktop ranges from 600 BTUs to 16,000, so we’ve got a good spread there.

Chris, an guy specializing in such things, came to finish the gas line to the stove and to make sure that the ovens were perfectly level (Wendy had grown tired of lopsided cakes from the old oven). The old oven was quickly claimed by a guy from FreeCycle.ORG (a truly wonderful service if you’ve got stuff to get rid of) and was out of our lives.

The new stove is awesome. I am really, really happy with my purchase, and I got a great deal (and great service) from Bridgeville Appliance in Pennsylvania. Work with Jim there — he’s a nice, honest guy.

Here are some specs on my range…

Control Panel

• Customization options include control lockout and 72-hour Sabbath Mode.
• Bread Proofing protects bread dough from room temperature changes or drafts during proofing.
• Electronic oven controls with keypad entry activate with just a light touch.
• Electronic clock with timer provides a sleek look and easy operation.
• Auto Convection Conversion takes the guesswork out of convection cooking for consistent results.
• Drying feature makes it easy to dry fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers in the oven.
• Favorite Setting makes it easy to program and save the oven settings for a favorite family recipe.
• Cook & Hold setting keeps food warm in the oven for up to one hour after the preset cook time has expired.
• Keep Warm option keeps food warm while you’re waiting for guests to arrive or finishing up the meal.
• Delay-start cooking and cleaning puts your oven to work while you’re doing other things.

Cooktop

• Five sealed gas burners with lift-off burner caps provide easy cleanup and great cooking flexibility.
• Gas cooking surface provides the excellent heating control cooks prefer.
• SureFlame ignition protection prevents flame from being accidentally extinguished by drafts.
• Ultra high performance 16,000 BTU burner offers quick heat-up for boiling.
• Ultra low output simmer burner reduces to 600 BTUs for heating delicate sauces.
• Porcelain-on-cast iron burner grates are durable and stylish.
• Infinite surface control settings provide pinpoint temperature control for gourmet cooks.

Exterior

• Brushed stainless finish control knobs provide a sleek style accent that enhances any décor.
• Extra-large Panaview oven window allows you to see what’s cooking, without opening the door.
• Stainless steel towel bar oven door handle combines form with function for a distinctive look.
• Double oven cooking flexibility in a range that fits in the same space as a traditional range.

Oven

• Electric Two-Speed MultiMode convection oven provides Convect Bake, Convect Roast and Drying capabilities for outstanding results.
• Electric double ovens allow you to cook two different foods at two different temperatures.
• Two ovens allow you to cook two different foods at two different temperatures.
• Create-A-Space half-rack in lower oven converts from a full-width oven rack to provide extra room for a side dish.
• 5.22 cu. Ft. overall capacity provides ample space to cook an entire meal with ease.
• CustomClean self-cleaning oven enables you to match cleaning levels to soil buildup to keep oven sparkling clean.
• Bread Proofing, Drying, Cook & Hold and Keep Warm options expand oven capabilities.
• Upper oven is fully-equipped with bake, broil, toast and keep warm function to meet most of your basic cooking needs.

Performance

• Gas cooking surface provides the excellent heating control cooks prefer.
• Electric double ovens allow you to cook two different foods at two different temperatures.
• Infinite surface control settings provide pinpoint temperature control for gourmet cooks.
• Ultra high performance 16,000 BTU burner offers quick heat-up for boiling.
• Ultra low output simmer burner reduces to 600 BTUs for heating delicate sauces and melting chocolate.

Wendy's winning cake

This cake by Wendy just won Best Of Show at the Butler County Fair. Congratulations!

I think we can retire on the prize money.

On June 24, 2008, version 2.1 of the hydrocolloid recipe collection edited by Martin Lersch was released. This excellent collection is a useful (and free!) resource for those of us interested in molecular gastronomy. See below for download links for the PDF of the current version as well as the previous two versions. A PDF reader is required to view or print this document. (Please see the note below about printing.)

Lersch describes this new version, excerpted from his blog post:

This new version includes corrections of typos, minor additions to the property tables, plus an important update in the gelatin section and a recipe for agar filtration.

Thanks to feedback from a reader there is also recipe now for agar filtration (based on a Spanish forum post). This works just like gelatin filtration, but is much faster. Apparently you get more or less the same results with regard to clarity, flavor and color.

If printing the collection, make sure the hydrocolloid properties table is rotated so it prints correctly. This table is presented in landscape format. The right most column of the first page is gelatin - if you don’t see it, try printing these pages again. The pages are optimized for printing on A4. If printing on Letter sized paper, make sure you check the “resize” or “fit to paper” option in your pdf reader.

Lersch, from the Forward of the new edition:

A hydrocolloid can simply be defined as a substance that forms a gel in contact with water. Such substances include both polysaccharides and proteins which are capable of one or more of the following: thickening and gelling aqueous solutions, stabilizing foams, emulsions and dispersions and preventing crystallization of saturated water or sugar solutions.

In the recent years there has been a tremendous interest in molecular gastronomy. Part of this interest has been directed towards the “new” hydrocolloids. The term “new” includes hydrocolloids such as gellan and xanthan which are a result of relatively recent research, but also hydrocolloids such as agar which has been unknown in western cooking, but used in Asia for decades. One fortunate consequence of the increased interest in molecular gastronomy and hydrocolloids is that hydrocolloids that were previously only available to the food industry have become available in small quantities at a reasonable price. A less fortunate consequence however is that many have come to regard molecular gastronomy as synonymous with the use of hydrocolloids to prepare foams and spheres. I should therefore emphasize that molecular gastronomy is not limited to the use of hydrocolloids and that it is not the intention of this collection of recipes to define molecular gastronomy.

Along with the increased interest in hydrocolloids for texture modification there is a growing scepticism to using “chemicals” in the kitchen. Many have come to view hydrocolloids as unnatural and even unhealthy ingredients. It should therefore be stressed that the hydrocolloids described in this collection are all of biological origin. All have been purified, some have been processed, but nevertheless the raw material used is of either marine, plant, animal or microbial origin. Furthermore hydrocolloids can contribute significantly to the public health as they allow the reduction of fat and/or sugar content without loosing the desired mouth feel. The hydrocolloids themselves have a low calorific value and are generally used at very low concentrations.

One major challenge (at least for an amateur cook) is to find recipes and directions to utilize the “new” hydrocolloids. When purchasing hydrocolloids, typically only a few recipes are included. Personally I like to browse several recipes to get an idea of the different possibilities when cooking. Therefore I have collected a number of recipes which utilize hydrocolloids ranging from agar to xanthan. In addition to these some recipes with lecithin (not technically a hydrocolloid) have been included. Recipes for foams that do not call for addition of hydrocolloids have also been included for completeness. Some cornstarch recipes have been included to illustrate it’s properties at different consentrations. Recipes where flour is the only hydrocolloid do not fall within the scope of this collection as these are sufficiently covered by other cook books.

All recipes have been changed to SI units which are the ones preferred by the scientific community (and hopefully soon by the cooks as well). In doing so there is always uncertainty related to the conversion of volume to weight, especially powders. As far as possible, brand names have been replaced by generic names. Almost all recipes have been edited and some have been shortened significantly. To allow easy comparison of recipes the amount of hydrocolloid used is also shown as mass percentages and the recipes are ranked in an ascending order. In some recipes, obvious mistakes have been corrected. But unfortunately, the recipes have not been tested, so there is no guarantee that they actually work as intended and that the directions are complete, accurate and correct. It appears as if some of the recipes are not optimized with regard to proper dispersion and hydration of the hydrocolloids which again will influence the amount of hydrocolloid used. It is therefore advisable to always consult other similar recipes or the table with the hydrocolloid properties. The recipes have been collected from various printed and electronic sources and every attempt has been made to give the source of the recipes.

Since recipes can neither be patented nor copyrighted, every reader should feel free to download, print, use, modify, and further develop the recipes contained in this compilation. The latest version will be available for download from this page and will also be announced on Khymos blog. I would like to thank readers for giving me feedback and suggestions on how to improve the collection. Feedback, comments, corrections and new recipes are always welcome to webmaster at  khymos dot org.

Download:

• Texture - A hydrocolloid recipe collection (version 2.1, June 2008) - 1.6 Mb
• Texture - A hydrocolloid recipe collection (version 2, May 2008) - 1.8 Mb
• Hydrocolloid recipe collection (version 1, August 2007) - 433 kB

I earned my Certified Culinarian!

We’re heading toward the end of our BASIC COOKING 1 class at Cincinnati State Technical & Community College’s Midwest Culinary Institute… We just finished the 1st night of the 8th week (out of 9 weeks), which means we’ve got three more class meetings ahead of us before the end of the term.

Last night I lectured on Sandwiches (Chapter 22 in Gisslen’s PROFESSIONAL COOKING 6th Ed, for those of you following along at home) and we executed our labwork for that chapter as well. My students made Club, Hot Ham & Cheese, and Submarine sandwiches, and all of these sandwiches rated between “good” and “awesome”. The students continued their focus on presentation of their food with some nice presentations arriving at the chef’s table.

This Thursday, we’ll be performing a “dry run” of our practical final exam to get the students ready for that exam (which occurs a week from Thursday). During their “dry run”, I will also quiz them with questions to help them prepare for their written final (which happens next Tuesday).

This has been a good class because of the good people in it. Last night, they presented me with an engraved silver fork. There is a story behind this — in culinary school, we mandate the “two spoon tasting method” for tasting products. The explaination of the “two spoon” method is pretty simple… Imagine two spoons, one in your left hand and one in your right hand. The spoon in your right hand goes into the food being tasted and then carefully transfers the food to the spoon in your left hand, which goes in your mouth. This preserves the sanitation of the food items and minimizes use of tasting spoons.

Well, I understand the “two spoon” concept completely, but for some reason am unable to reliably coordinate my left & right hands, so I tend to (loudly) mess up and use the wrong spoon fairly often – grabbing food with the right spoon and putting it into my mouth, for example, much to the delight of my students. I jokingly said, “someone needs to get me a nice fork or spoon for tasting to help me remember”, and my students thoughtfully gave me the fork (which is engraved, “Yes Chef”) to help me remember them (and to properly execute the “two spoon method”). A very nice, thoughtful gift.

I will be teaching BASIC COOKING 1 again in the Spring term, and look forward to teaching BASIC COOKING 2 in the Summer term.

I haven’t blogged about this because I’ve been too darned busy with it, but wanted to talk about the fact that I’ve been hired as an adjunct culinary instructor at the Midwest Culinary Institute (”MCI”) at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. After shadowing for several terms and in several classes, Winter 2008 is my first term solo teaching COOKING 1.

There is a fair amount of behind-the-scenes lecture development, syllabus development, test preparation, grading, requisitions, writing, etc. involved with getting a first-time class up-and-running, so I’ve been very busy with that. It will be much easier when I teach this class again in subsequent terms as these materials will be recyclable into the new class.

We’re almost 5 weeks into the term, and I’ve got a good class of students who are willing to work hard and embrace the methods we teach at MCI. Some students have been using knives “incorrectly” (not to school’s standard) for years, and we work to un-learn those habits and to develop good habits for setting up stations, using knives, preparation for class, sanitation, and cooking.

So far, I am staying far ahead of the instructional preparation curve for the class, though being sick (with the flu) and being out of town (Las Vegas) recently has made it necessary for me to scramble a bit. I believe that, with a few hours of work this weekend, I should be completely caught up.

I am very much enjoying teaching, and look forward to continuing to teach classes at MCI.

I recently started reading Charcuterie & French Pork Cookery by Jane Grigson, originally published in 1967. It is both an interesting historical document and an excellent introduction to charcuterie. The recipes are classics and, while rather uncomplicated by today’s standards, still yield excellent results.

I am reading it because a chef-friend of mine is opening a new place this year, and she’s very interested in preparing charcuterie in-house and has invited me to assist them in getting up and running.

As you saw in yesterday’s blog post, here is the menu we served for Christmas Eve. Here, I’ve expanded it to include the wines we served.

My mother & father joined us, along with Paul, and Deb, two close friends. After Wendy & I went shopping Wednesday evening, I worked much of Saturday on preparing for the meal. Prep was pretty easy because I’d thought out a timeline, and everything went according to plan.

Goat Cheese & Marinara, Crostini
de Marques Gelida Sparkling Wine, 2001
I made the crostini at home, so they were crunchy and peppery. Delicious. The richness of the goat cheese and marinara were a nice foil for the sparkling wine.

Jonah Crab Salad
&
Asparagus and Cream Cheese in Puff Pastry
Verget Pouilly-Fuisse, 2005
This was a pretty presentation — on a small rectangular plate, I built the crab stack, pretty with the red salad, white crab, and green avocado cream, on the left side and put two discs of the asparagus & cream cheese puff pastry on the right.

Apple and Chestnut Soup, Spiced Cream
Crios de Susana Balbo Rose of Malbec, 2005
Our only ‘miss’ of the evening with wines — the 2005 Verget Pouilly-Fuisse we’d planned to serve just did not pair well with this soup — all the warmth was taken away from the soup by the wine. Wendy pulled the Rose of Malbec and it paired nicely.

Shrimp, Mushroom Ravioli, Sage Browned Butter
Verget Pouilly-Fuisse, 2005
When Wendy tried one of these ravioli while I was preparing it, she thought they were plain and somewhat boring. However, the addition of the sage browned butter seemed to bring this dish alive for her.

Seared Foie Gras and Poached Pears on Brioche, Moscato Glace
Mondavi Moscato d’Oro, 2005
My personal favorite dish of the evening. I poached Bosc pears in Moscato, sugar, orange rind, and spices. Once they were soft, I removed the pears and chilled them while I strained and reduced the poaching liquid by about 80%, down to a nice glaze. At service, we cut and toasted brioche rounds, cut thin fan-shaped slices of the pears, and seared the foie gras briefly on a very hot griddle. Assembly was putting the foie on top of the brioche (so it could soak up the foie juices), fanned the pears out around, and topped with the warmed glaze.

Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Port Sauce
All-Crust Potato Gratins
Brussels Sprouts with Pecorino and Walnuts
Tres Picos Borsao Garnachia, 2004
Three new recipes, and three successes. The pork tenderloin was seared, wrapped, and marinated overnight before it was cooked sous vide. Having the pork cooking on its own with no chance of overcooking allowed me to turn my attention to other items and was really a load off my mind. Plus, the flavors were top notch and the meat was exquisitely tender. The spiced port sauce was a wonderful compliment. The gratin was a thin layer of potato gratin that was flashed under the broiler at service to make it hot and very crispy. Really tasty and good textural contrast with the tender pork. Wendy & I really like Brussels Sprouts prepared well, and this preparation was very nice — toasted walnuts provided a crunchy counterpoint to the salty tang of the pecorino.

Cheese course — Epossies, Manchego, Pont-L’Eveque, and Cambozola.
Jonsey Old Tawny Port
I served individual cheese plates with brunoise of macerated pear. The Epossies is Wendy’s favorite cheese and it looked very nice on the silver spoons we used to present it.

Petit fours, white chocolate raspberry mousse in chocolate cups
Elio Perrone Clarte Moscato d’Asti, 2005
Wendy worked very hard to make beautiful petit fours and, boy, did she succeed! She also made a white chocolate raspberry mousse using a raspberry coulis I made for her, and the mousse was really good. Paul brought some sinful chocolate chip cream-cheese chocolate muffins that we added to the plate to take it over the top.

Chocolate-covered grapes
Elio Perrone Clarte Moscato d’Asti, 2005
These grapes are easy to churn out and are really a fun way to end an evening. Everyone thinks they’re being served rich, heavy chocolate truffles, but when they bite into one and get the squirt of flavor, they’re delighted and manage to find room to eat a few, even after the preceeding courses.

It was a great night. Wendy & I had a lot of fun preparing the meal for everyone!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

After cooking all day for the dinner we’re hosting tomorrow, Wendy & I met up with Dave for dinner and some last minute shopping (we needed to find plates for the ravioli course and the cheese course and maybe the dessert course, and some more table decorations (since the decorations we’d previously accumulated no longer fit on our new, larger dining room table!)). Robin didn’t join us because of an ongoing battle with a nasty sinus infection. Sleep it off, Robin!

We went to OLD TIME POTTERY (which was closed), to Meijer, and to Garden Ridge. We found something suitable for the ravioli course and plenty of decorations, but no luck with dishes for the other two courses.

We stopped at IHOP for dinner — Wendy was craving it! While we were there, Dave asked me to go over the menu for tomorrow, which I did. Two ladies sitting near us asked, “What time shall we be there?!” and commented that the menu sounded great.

Here’s the menu… Comments and thoughts about the event will be published later.

Christmas Eve 2006

Goat Cheese & Marinara, Crostini

Jonah Crab Salad
&
Asparagus and Cream Cheese in Puff Pastry

Apple and Chestnut Soup, Spiced Cream

Shrimp, Mushroom Ravioli, Sage Browned Butter

Seared Foie Gras and Poached Pears on Brioche, Moscato Glace

Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Port Sauce
All-Crust Potato Gratins
Brussels Sprouts with Pecorino and Walnuts

Cheese course

Petit fours and raspberry mousse in chocolate cups

Chocolate-covered grapes

On Sunday, November 12, 2006, a few days of involvement on my part (and many, many additional days involvement on the part of Chef Neace and other employees of Cincinnati State) came to fruition with the serving of a recreation of the last dinner served to first class passengers on the Titanic.

I participated with preparations on Friday, Saturday morning, and Sunday through service of this complex meal. 100 guests, all decked out in tuxedos and fine dresses, enjoyed the event. Our menu was slightly modified from the original, and is below the fold.

The First-Class Menu
As served in the first-class dining saloon of the R.M.S. Titanic on April 14, 1912

First Course
Hors D’Oeuvres
Oysters on the half-shell
Shrimp Butter Canapes

Second Course
Consommé Olga

Third Course
Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, Cucumbers

Fourth Course
Filet Mignons Lili
Saute of Chicken, Lyonnaise
Vegetable Marrow Farci

Fifth Course
Rack of Lamb, Mint Sauce
Confit of Duck, Apple Glaze
Sirloin of Beef, Potatoes Anna
Minted Green Peas
Creamed Carrots

Sixth Course
Punch Romaine

Seventh Course
Roast Squab & Cress
Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette
Pate de Foie Gras
Celery

Eighth Course
Waldorf Pudding
Peaches with Chartreuse Jelly
Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs
French Ice Cream

The original menu can be viewed here.