Well, time to admit my faults.

Thank heaven sage minds straightened me out on the
sauerkraut thing. That first batch turned yellow and got
soft with the most *interesting* odor. That was the one
I capped with the s/s/ steamer basket.

Started a second batch. Used the 2mm slicing blade
for my FP and teh cabbage shredded nicely. Bought
a birch table-leg and used that as a tamper. Beat the
crap out of it to press it down. Used kosher salt and
no add'l water. In place of the boards on top, cut circles
out of one of those roll-up portable cutting board
sheets. Kinda neat. They can be folded to get thru
the jar neck, than expand to cover the whole of the
top. Used 2, then compressed with a cylindrical
dipping dish, with weight inside the dish.

Seems to be progressing nicely, but I need to
cool it a little, I think. My kitchen's just too warm.

An interesting discovery.

Decided to do a balsamic reduction, and something
prompted me to cut the cup of BV with a cup of chick
broth before starting the reduction. Eureka! The whole
thing clouded up and refused to clear!

My chemical muse then advised me that BV is aged
in oak casks, and are thus suffused (!) with tannin.
Tannin + protein = precipitated protein. (I'm told
that drinking black pekoe tea will help a little in
healing of an ulcer.... same reaction)

Making a split-pea soup w/ ham for dinner. Found
a recipe on BigOven, but, unlike P St. Germain, the
carrots and stuff are not pureed with the peas. Is
this common? I always use Goya ham (jamon)
flavoring in the pot, and add the cubed ham at the
end - after my nuclear stick blender has forced the
soup to recognize the power of entropy!

Best wishes to all for the holiday season. Even a
Christian can eat latkes....

Alex
Wise men do not kill their enemies; disposing of the bodies is *such* a bother.

Chemiker wrote on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:45:26 -0600:

> Best wishes to all for the holiday season. Even a
> Christian can eat latkes....

You know, I was intrigued by your signature and your admission. I'm a
chemist and I've never met a bench chemist who could not cook. I know
one or two, including one who could have been a successful chef, who
don't cook to avoid putting their wives to shame :-)

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:57:03 GMT, James Silverton wrote:

> Chemiker wrote on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:45:26 -0600:
>
>> Best wishes to all for the holiday season. Even a
>> Christian can eat latkes....
>
> You know, I was intrigued by your signature and your admission. I'm a
> chemist and I've never met a bench chemist who could not cook. I know
> one or two, including one who could have been a successful chef, who
> don't cook to avoid putting their wives to shame :-)

i didn't know that was your profession, james. i find that interesting.

your pal,
blake

I guess you can take the chemist away from the bench,
but not the bench away from the chemist. I've found
that, when you put AgNO3 into solution, it doesn't evolve
into (for example) Ferric Chloride. My books on stoichiometrics
and separation science are pretty much useless, but the
stuff I learned in PChem still comes in handy. Gotta
luv them azeotropes. Seasoning chili should follow what
the rules you learned with your first separatory funnel.
Add cumin AFTER you degrease the chili.

My sauerkraut seems determined to prove that entropy
is alive and well in my kitchen!

BTW: found out that "salting out" as a technique has
very limited use in cooking. <G>

Alex


On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:57:03 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> Chemiker wrote on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:45:26 -0600:
>
>> Best wishes to all for the holiday season. Even a
>> Christian can eat latkes....
>
>You know, I was intrigued by your signature and your admission. I'm a
>chemist and I've never met a bench chemist who could not cook. I know
>one or two, including one who could have been a successful chef, who
>don't cook to avoid putting their wives to shame :-)

On Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:53:44 GMT, blake murphy
> wrote:

>On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:57:03 GMT, James Silverton wrote:
>
>> Chemiker wrote on Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:45:26 -0600:
>>
>>> Best wishes to all for the holiday season. Even a
>>> Christian can eat latkes....
>>
>> You know, I was intrigued by your signature and your admission. I'm a
>> chemist and I've never met a bench chemist who could not cook. I know
>> one or two, including one who could have been a successful chef, who
>> don't cook to avoid putting their wives to shame :-)
>
>i didn't know that was your profession, james. i find that interesting.
>
It is interesting. Chef Robert del Grande of Cafe Annie in Houston is
much celebrated for his culinary brilliance. He holds a PhD in
biochemistry from UC Riverside.
--

modom