Diet

Another break from the kitchen today. This time, it's to talk about diet, nutrition, and my personal opinions on a few parts of the health culture. Personally, I think almost everything we know about "proper nutrition" is wrong, for the sole reason that there is too much contradicting evidence.

Look at the movie Super Size Me - Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McD's for 30 days and gained a ton of weight, and became quite unhealthy by the end of it. Now look at a similar movie, Fat Head. In Fat Head, Tom Naughton eats nothing but McDonalds for 30 days and he loses weight, lowers his bad cholesterol, and raises his good cholesterol. That's right, he gets healthier. How? He doesn't overeat. Simple as that.

A lot of people think that eating meat is what makes you fat and unhealthy, because of the lipid hypothesis. The lipid hypothesis states that Saturated Fat raises your Cholesterol, and high Cholesterol causes Heart Disease, therefore Saturated Fat causes Heart Disease. The study that supports this theory compared the saturated fat intake of 6 countries with their rate of heart disease, and sure enough the data supports the theory. Japan had a very low saturated fat intake and a low rate of heart disease, while the UK and the USA had high amounts of both. However, there were 16 other countries in that study that did not support the theory, such as Norway and Denmark, where the saturated fat intake was higher than that of the US and UK, but heart disease rates that were similar to that of Japan. Study doesn't look so good when you include those data points.

Here's a fun quote for you. It's paraphrased, but it says the same thing - You have a little over a teaspoon of sugar in your blood, when you have normal blood sugar levels. The FDA recommends eating 300 grams of carbs each day - that converts to a cup and a half of sugar in your blood

Personally, I don't think it matters what your diet is, provided you eat everything in moderation. When it comes right down to it, no matter what you're eating, we're all consuming the same important things - minerals, vitamins, carbs, protein, fat, and water. So eat whatever you want - just not too much of it.

Cheers!

The Do's and Don'ts of Being a Customer

I'm taking a small break from the kitchen talk today, so I can instead write about restaurants from the customer side of the equation. There are a lot of things that are ok to do in restaurants, there are some things that are acceptable, and then other things that are not so acceptable. So, in the interest of everyone enjoying your next night out (waiters included), here are a few things to keep in mind when eating out. This may not apply to chain restaurants, and some less formal places, but when it comes to nice restaurants keep em in mind.

Don't Be A Dick - It's great that you like things a particular way. You shouldn't eat things you don't like. This gives you the right to ask your waiter for your steak rare or well done, dressing on the side for your salad, and the occasional ingredient omitted from a particular dish. What it doesn't do though, is give you the right to treat your waiter like shit. Most restaurants will cook a steak to medium rare if the customer doesn't specify a doneness. If you didn't tell your waiter how you wanted it cooked, you can't complain about a medium rare steak when secretly, you wanted it well done. Also, shame on you for wanting a well done steak. Personally, anything past rare is a waste of meat, time, and energy (that's just me though).

Ask Questions - A lot of servers who work in fine dining restaurants either care about what the restaurant is doing, or enjoy being a server. They don't enjoy a barrage of inane questions like "How much ice comes with a soda", but if you ask about the food, they will take note of a few things. The first one is how you ask the question. Ask it nicely, in a manner that conveys your interest. The second thing is how technical the question is. If you ask about where the fish you're eating came from, then you sound like someone who only cares about the latest food news (currently that news is local/organic/sustainable, and around the Portland area in Oregon, gluten free). If you ask what region of the world a particular dish is from or inspired by, then you sound interested in the cuisine as a whole, and it gives the impression that you want to expand your horizons, food wise.

Make Reservations - If you're planning on going to a nice restaurant that is fairly popular, make reservations. Try to make them a day in advance, and 2-3 days if you're going out on the weekend. Obviously this only applies to places that take reservations, but it is the easiest thing you can do to make your night smooth. When the restaurant is expecting you, they will seat you time and time again, without fail. When you show up at 8:00 on a Friday night with 3 friends and ask about getting a table and are turned away, you shouldn't be surprised. As a side note to this one, call the restaurant if you cannot make your reservation, or if you are running late. Made a reservation for 7:30pm for 4 but can't make it? The staff might be a bit unhappy when they have to turn away 4 regulars at 7:35 because they're expecting you, instead of seating them because you called at 7:25 to apologize and say you won't be able to be there.

Finally, there is one last thing I'd like to remind you all of before you go out to eat again. It's the Golden Rule for eating out.

Don't fuck with the people who cook your food.

We won't do anything to your entree, or your appetizer or your salad. In this kitchen, we don't have problems with customers. They might start out problematic, but the food fixes that all on it's own. At restaurants that aren't aspiring to 3 Michelin stars though? It might not be the same.

That's all for today! Be nice to your servers, the happier you are the happier they are.

Sugar

So, we back here in the kitchen got a little distracted today during lunch service, and thanks to that, I have fun stuff to blog about! Sugar. Here in the restaurant we use a lot of sugar garnishes for desserts. One of them is a sugar spiral, which is nothing but caramelized sugar. They're a lot of fun to make, and really easy when done right, and they make everyone go "Oooohh, ahhhhh, you're so talented!" So, here we go into the wonderful world of sugar.

So, here's what you'll need
1 very very very very very clean, small pot
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 Spoon
Silpats if you have them. Otherwise, wax/parchment paper.

Put your sugar and water into your pot, and let it sit on medium heat until all the water has boiled out and the sugar begins to caramelize. While this is happening, fill your sink with about 2 inches of cold water, and lay out your silpats/parchment/wax paper.

Once the sugar has reached a good caramel color (looking for a fairly dark amber, almost red), dip the bottom of the pot into the water for a few seconds while stirring the sugar with your spoon. Pick up a spoonful and drizzle it back into the pot. You're going to want to do this over and over as the sugar cools, so you can get a good visual on the proper consistency. You want thin thin ribbons that fall from the spoon fairly quickly, but not so quickly that the ribbon would break if you were to start wiggling the spoon vigorously. Cause that's the next step.

Once your sugar makes nice ribbons, pick up quarter to half full spoonfuls and drizzle in patterns onto your chosen surface. After a few seconds (10-20), they'll be set up so you can pick them up and put them on desserts to impress your guests! With practice, you can start blowing sugar bubbles (quite difficult), and then move on to sugar sculpting, which can be even more difficult.

Good Luck!

Mike, C'mon. Seriously.

So, we're waiting for Mike Symon to man up and get on the scheduling train so we can fly to New York for Iron Chef America. Still. It's been 3 months now. I mean c'mon Mike, seriously? It won't be that bad. Maybe we can ask the network to edit out the parts where Patrick makes you cry, that'll speed things up. Right? We've been waiting to fly out there to film for 6 months now, and the last 3 were because of you!



C'mon Mike. Seriously.

Happy Rapture!

Supposedly the rapture happens today. So, here's a celebratory drink or two for those among us who are overly confident that we'll still be fine tomorrow morning (save the hangover). We might as well enjoy ourselves, right?

The End of The World
.5 oz Bacardi 151
.5 oz Vodka
.5 oz Wild Turkey

Straight into a shot glass!

The Antichrist
.5 oz Everclear
.5 oz Bacardi 151
.5 oz Absolut Peppar
Dash of Tabasco

Straight into a shot glass, Tabasco on top

The Elvis
1 shot Banana Liqueur
1 shot Hazelnut Liqueur
2 shots Bakon Vodka
Splash of cream

Shake with ice and serve over ice in a rocks glass

On an unrelated note (I hope), I am walking in my culinary school graduation ceremony today. I'm quite excited, even though I finished classes 6 months ago, and got my diploma in the mail 2 months ago. Mostly because I can go back and be a jackass to all my classmates because I'm doing better than they are. And they all disliked me during classes. Because I was usually a jackass to them.

Good Times.

BBQ Time

Today's post will be all bbq. Nothing says summer like firing up the barbeque and spending a day drinking, cooking, and eating. Preferably with the addition of colorful explosives (I'm a fan of the 4th of July, could you tell?). So, to kick off summer, here are a few things to remember when you break out the ribs, chickens, and steaks.

Make Your Own BBQ Sauce - Everyone has their favorite brand of barbeque sauce, whether it's A1, Jack Daniels, or Sweet Baby Rays. My personal favorite barebeque sauce is my father's, and I would love to share it with you all, but he won't tell anyone the recipe. So here's a few ingredients for you, but no measurements. Everyone likes their sauce differently, and these items together make the perfect launching pad for your perfect sauce.

Carrot (Remember to saute vegetable matter before adding other ingredients)
Onion
Celery
Ketchup
Cola (I prefer Coke)
Brown Sugar
Cayenne Pepper
Black Pepper
Chili Powder
Paprika
Oregano

And, if you're feeling adventurous, maple syrup can make some amazing sauces. It should be noted that you can use tomato products like crushed tomatoes, tomato puree or paste, or whole tomatoes, instead of ketchup. I just prefer it because of the salt content and the consistency.

Make Your Own BBQ Rubs - We've all seen the jars of assorted spices sitting on the shelves, or the shaker bottles that make you wonder if they intend for you to shake it on top just before eating, or put it on the meat before cooking, or the 2 pounds bottles that last 7 years. Here's a thought - make your own rub! It's very simple, all it takes is ground spices, salt, and sugar. Here's my boss's rub recipe. He said the quantity of spices and herbs can be adjusted so the rub can go on anything.

Raw Sugar
Kosher Salt
Sel Gris (fancy salt)
Thyme
Oregano
Red Chili Flake
Paprika
Dried Ground California Chiles

The important thing here is to have exactly equal portions of salt and sugar. 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup kosher, 1/4 cup sel. Or whatever your batch size might be.

Take Your Time - Don't rush it. Don't rush it at all. If you're doing 2 chickens, don't rush em. If you're doing 1 steak, don't rush it. If you're doing 1400 burgers, don't rush em. But you should probably get a bigger barbeque.

Thats it for now! More of cooking in the great outdoors tomorrow! (Backyards count, right?)

The Cure

It's getting to be summer time here, and it's about now when everyone starts to break out their bbq's, grills, and smokers. So, over the next few days, we'll get down on some bbq rubs, some cures, and some smoked foods. 

First things first, smoking, and we're starting from square one. Don't let anybody tell you that your kitchen keeps you from doing smoked foods. You can build a stove top smoker for hot smoking, and with some crafty maneuvers, you can do cold smoking as well.

To build a stove top smoker, you can go cheap or expensive. The cheap way consists of aluminum foil covering the bottom of your biggest pot, with a wire rack over the top of the pot, sealed by more aluminum foil. Put your wood chips in the bottom (apple is a great smoking wood), crank the heat, build some smoke, and hang anything you want from the rack. The "expensive" way is going to a local restaurant supply store and spending roughly $20 on 2 hotel pans, a grate insert for said pans. Put one on the stove top, put down your wood chips, put the grate over the top and the 2nd hotel pan on top upside down as a lid. Build up smoke and place your food items on the grate. For those interested in cold smoking, you will need to purchase some ductwork from Home Depot, Lowes, or any store of that nature. To cold smoke, you simply need the smoke to travel far enough so it cools down by the time it reaches your food. These setups can be difficult to jury rig in a home environment.

Now that you've got your smoker ready, let's chat for a minute about all the things the can be smoked. Just about anything. From cheeses to meats to fish to fruit, almost anything can be smoked. Today, I'm just going to give you one recipe (dinner service is starting and I'm supposed to be at my station in like 4 minutes).

Smoked Salmon!

1 Salmon Filet

1/4 cup Salt

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Paprika

1 Tablespoon Thyme

2 Tablespoons Black Pepper

Mix everything together (except the salmon), and rub it on the salmon. Let it rest in the fridge for a few hours, then rinse it off gently. After rinsing, sprinkle all the black pepper over the flesh and let it sit for another 20 minutes in the fridge. You're doing this because after it's been salted/sugared, the black pepper will help a pellicle (a tacky skin) form on the outside of the fish. After that's done, throw it into your smoker for about 30 minutes with good smoke, and from there, enjoy! It goes great with a very simple chevre "mousse", recipe below.

1 cup Chevre

1 Teaspoon Shallot (minced)

1 Teaspoon Chives (cut very small)

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

1/8 cup Water

Throw everything into the food processor and blend it smooth. The water is purely for texture, so feel free to add as you see fit.

Til next time!