Gerry wrote on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:09:44 -0700:


G> You're taking a direction I didn't predict and can't even
G> really follow. But it sounds really bad.

??>> Incidentally, simmering is not much different in
??>> temperature from boiling and I refuse to believe that at
??>> most 5 degrees makes much difference. Now, if you referred
??>> to "poaching" where the liquid does not actually boil, I
??>> would have to agree.

G> I'm not an advanced cook, but I know some sauces, soups and
G> other foods shouldn't be boiled, but should be simmered. So
G> whatever the minor difference is, I can't say it doesn't
G> apply to tako.

Let's stay away from correcting each other, especially about
mistyping something from another poster, which can lead to bad
tempered exchanges, sorry! I don't consider myself an advanced
cook either and it is a practice where not all terms are well
defined. I'm just interested in the supposed changes in sea
food on cooking. Despite what I had read previously, it is
possible that long cooking does not tenderize octopus and it is
only the bashing with a mallet (or a daikon) that is important

However, I recently tested a roasting thermometer by immersing
it in "boiling" water, ie a turbulent liquid with large bubbles
so I just now repeated the experiment. I reduced the heat so
that small bubbles were coming up, which is what I would call
"simmering" and the indicated temperature dropped at most 2 F
degrees. If I turned down the heat so that the bubbling stopped
completely, "poaching", the temperature did drop. It was hard to
decide the amount but most poaching is done for a short time
after raising the liquid to an initial boil.

There are other cooking terms that are ill defined too,
"blanching" being one. I understand it as throwing vegetables
into boiling water and removing them into ice water immediately
the water boils again (sometimes used to sterilize bean
sprouts.) Others extend the boiling for a minute or two but
still call it blanching.



James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not