Bob (this one) wrote:

> Reg wrote:
>
>> I'm in two professions. I'm an old time computer programmer
>> with one foot still in it to pay the bills, plus a caterer
>> and small producer of cured and smoked products.
>
>
> What sorts of products?
>

Many types of hot and cold smoked fish, various smoked
sausages, pastrami, coppacolla, breseola, several fermented
meat products. I'm starting to do aged cheeses but I don't
think it will scale well. Not a bad hobby though.


>> I recently
>> bought a property with a second kitchen that I'm in the
>> process of getting certified.
>>
>> As to rfb related stuff, I'm happy to say customer demand
>> for breads and other baked goods is coming back after just
>> about disappearing during the Atkins craze. The great baked
>> goods drought of 2003-04 is just about over, and I'm thankful
>> that I get to bake in quantity again.
>
>
> What do you bake, mostly?
>

Bread is the only thing I have any formal training in,
so there's a lot of that. Many different types.

As far as desserts, mostly in demand are plain old pies,
cakes, tortes, etc. Sometimes petite four platters. For
myself I'm doing a lot of Pierre Herme recipes right now.

>> The info I look for tends to be the more detail oriented
>> material that's hard to find in most textbooks, the usual
>> source for 98% of my information.
>
>
> What areas are you most interested in getting more info in?
>

I'm constantly looking for information about packaging and
preservation. It's difficult information to find, and much of
it is geared toward large scale producers. For instance, I'm
still trying to find information on minimum useful levels of
nitrite in preserved meats. The maximum allowed levels are well
covered in regulations, but not much info about quantity vs.
efficacy, etc.

Also, in researching MAP I haven't been able to find much
about if/how I could make use of it. Again, it's geared
toward large producers.

Etc.

Food safety issues in general are important, and you've been
a great help here. Thanks especially for posting things
like this:

http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Turkey.html

In-depth, authoritative, but still geared toward the real world.
I don't worry about thawing poultry at room temperature anymore.
Now *that's* information I can use.


>> I especially like hearing
>> from professionals because the information tends to be both
>> rare and useful.
>
>
> <LOL> And idiosyncratic. I've had to unlearn a lot of stuff in recent
> years. Things I "knew" from school or old-timers who told me their
> versions of culinary truths. Along comes some of the good food
> scientists and blew away the cobwebs. Harold McGee, Shirley Corriher,
> Russ Parsons and a few others. And others who are good researchers and
> present the works and words of pros, themselves and others - Bernard
> Dupaigne, Maggie Glezer, Nick Malgieri, Alford & Duguid, Carol Field,
> Berenbaum. Wayne Gisslen's baking books.
>
>> Like your blue cheese dressing recipe, among many items.
>> It's still a hit with the crowd.
>
>
> <LOL> Been a while since I posted that anywhere. Reminds me to make
> some; been a while for that, too.
>
> So simple when I do it at home - any blue cheese, crumbled, heavy cream
> whipped to soft peaks, stir together and rest for a few hours or
> overnight. Viola.

People don't believe me when I tell them the recipe. When
you use a really high quality, non-UHT cream it takes on a new
dimension.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com