ChldRebelSoldr said:BBQed at my job again. Tis was fun.
Fuck that looks good. I'm jealous.
ChldRebelSoldr said:BBQed at my job again. Tis was fun.
Cruceh said:So you guys think a cast iron dutch oven is worth it? le creuset and it's on sale for $130. Also, what's a good skillet for every day use since the one im using now is looking pretty old.
Good luck, I hope it goes well. You really do show off some amazing stuff on here.Zyzyxxz said:Gah I am so very nervous about tomorrow morning... so I had quit my job with my food truck since I was getting fed up with the boss despite the restaurant opening up soon.
After several days of craigslist emails I received a phone call today from the chef at Rivera, one of the top restaurants in Downtown Los Angeles which focuses on a broad range of Latin cuisine. The chef/part owner is John Sedlar (whom you may have seen recently on Iron Chef and will be on Top Chef Masters season 3).
I really hope it goes well because the guy seemed to like that I was enthusiastic and eager to work despite my shortcomings on my resume experience. I'm going up against 400 other craigslist responses so wish me luck folks! If I make it past interview I am going to stage for a day or two so they can test me out in action.
Whether I get the job or not I really thank all the kind words many of you have conveyed to me in this thread which helped make me feel that cooking was worth my time despite the hardships working in this industry. I gotta thank OnkelC too for starting the original thread a few years back when I was still in college and had not considered cooking professionally, it was the participation in these threads that motivated me to really think about it. By next week I'll know for sure if I am going to finally work in fine dining.
Cruceh said:So you guys think a cast iron dutch oven is worth it? le creuset and it's on sale for $130. Also, what's a good skillet for every day use since the one im using now is looking pretty old.
Zyzyxxz said:Gah I am so very nervous about tomorrow morning... so I had quit my job with my food truck since I was getting fed up with the boss despite the restaurant opening up soon.
After several days of craigslist emails I received a phone call today from the chef at Rivera, one of the top restaurants in Downtown Los Angeles which focuses on a broad range of Latin cuisine. The chef/part owner is John Sedlar (whom you may have seen recently on Iron Chef and will be on Top Chef Masters season 3).
I really hope it goes well because the guy seemed to like that I was enthusiastic and eager to work despite my shortcomings on my resume experience. I'm going up against 400 other craigslist responses so wish me luck folks! If I make it past interview I am going to stage for a day or two so they can test me out in action.
Whether I get the job or not I really thank all the kind words many of you have conveyed to me in this thread which helped make me feel that cooking was worth my time despite the hardships working in this industry. I gotta thank OnkelC too for starting the original thread a few years back when I was still in college and had not considered cooking professionally, it was the participation in these threads that motivated me to really think about it. By next week I'll know for sure if I am going to finally work in fine dining.
Stalfos said:Good luck, I hope it goes well. You really do show off some amazing stuff on here.
I do got to question you though, did you quit before you even started looking for something else?
Yeah it sounds like it would be a great opportunity for you. Hopefully your enthusiasm for food can help put you over the top.Zyzyxxz said:To be honest I had planned on quitting if things were not getting better since 2 weeks ago but had been casually looking around for something new for the last few days.
A chance to work at Rivera and learn Chef Sedlar's cuisine would be a great opportunity to grow as a cook. I am just hoping that I'm not competing against externs from The French Laundry.
Stalfos said:Yeah it sounds like it would be a great opportunity for you. Hopefully your enthusiasm for food can help put you over the top.
ShinAmano said:Nice...care to share methods/rubs used?
Cosmic Bus said:Italian bread:
Started the sponge yesterday afternoon and let that sit for almost 24 hours, then finished the dough, two rises (one at room temperature and one in in steam) and baking over the course of a few hours today. Brushed them with salt water right before going into the oven and then with olive oil when I rotated them halfway through. The recipe, as with most really great bread, is blindingly simple yet produces some of the best-tasting results I've ever gotten, and the super crackly, crunchy crust is genuinely mind-blowing.
GroteSmurf said:Could you provide us mere mortals with a recipe and cooking instructions on how to make this marvellous looking bread?
Or did i miss it?
Thank you!
Cosmic Bus said:Ah, you caught me just before I headed off to bed:
Sponge:
1 cup (8 ounces) cool water, about 65F
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
Dough:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cool water, about 65F
2 to 2 1/2 cups (8 1/2 to 10 5/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
warm water, heavily salted
olive oil
The Sponge: Combine all of the sponge ingredients, mixing just till a cohesive dough forms. Allow it to rest, covered, for 12 to 16 hours at room temperature. When the sponge is ready, it will be filled with large holes and bubbles.
The Dough: Add the water to the sponge, and mix till smooth. Add the flour, yeast and salt, and knead the dough till its fairly smooth but not necessarily elastic, about 3 minutes by machine, or 5 minutes by hand.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. To help develop the gluten and distribute the yeasts food, turn the dough twice during the rising time: gently fold all four sides into the middle, and turn the dough over.
At this point, you can do whatever shapes and sizes you want with the dough; there's enough here for a couple of standard loaves, one large braided loaf, some smaller baguettes... Whatever you'd like. Shape the dough and then cover it with some plastic wrap and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until just puffy.
Preheat oven to 425F. Brush the bread with warm salt water and bake for about 15 minutes, then brush the tops with some olive oil and rotate the pans around so everything bakes evenly (if you're lucky enough to have a convection oven, obviously you don't need to worry about rotating them) for another 10-15 minutes. The bread should be deep golden and have a very firm crust. Let 'em cool on a rack for 15 minutes or so and then attempt not to eat every last scrap.
cmonmanreally said:It's almost 2AM here in California but that's okay because after two weeks of baking I finally ended up with a Country Loaf that came out kind of resembling the way I wanted it to!
Emperor Bohe said:Does anyone have a good recipe for making chow mein gravy? I can never get the gravy to taste as good as it does in restaurants.
dyonPT said:http://diogom.no.sapo.pt/oreo_tripla.jpg[img]
Giant triple OREO...DONE!
PS: yes, that's a meal plalte! Huge! :D[/QUOTE]
Cake mix and whipped cream? Looks awesome :D
What should I do tonight IronGAF, a pizza or a new loaf of bread?
saturday night should be pizza night IMHO. Please keep us posted about the results and throw a pic in.MrBig said:Cake mix and whipped cream? Looks awesome
What should I do tonight IronGAF, a pizza or a new loaf of bread?
Halycon said:Best of luck Zyzyxxz!
Everyone in this thread would vouch for you
Unrelated note: Lamb Rack!
No recipe, I just dumped all my favorite herbs and spices on it (salt, pepper, rosemary, granule garlic, chopped onion, paprika, cumin). Tastes great, and sooooo tender. However I'm kind of iffy on cooking times and temperature for lamb racks. I browned all the sides in a skillet coated with olive oil, then it went into the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. In those 20 minutes it barely cooked at all. Of course this is the way I like it but most people I know prefer less blood in their meat. Should I leave it in longer for medium or raise the temperature?
(I didn't have my thermometer with me so I couldn't check without cutting it.)
How long do you leave it in there?cartoon_soldier said:In my lamb cooking I have generally finished it in the oven at 425 F. Never made a Rack yet though. Your pic is bit too rare for me, I like mine at Medium.
Halycon said:How long do you leave it in there?
MrBig said:Cake mix and whipped cream? Looks awesome
What should I do tonight IronGAF, a pizza or a new loaf of bread?
GiJoccin said:That's awesome, did you cook that in the oven with a lid on the pan? What recipe did you use?
I'm definitely jealous of the blistering you got on the top of the loaf! What temperature did you cook it at?
MrBig said:Battle of the pizzas!
Topped with roast beef and a Garden Salsa Sun Chips Crumble.
Added a bit of peanut oil to the dough for an interesting taste.
I got some whole wheat flour for making bread, I can try that as well. See if they have Garden Salsa or French Onion, they're the most flavorful imo.ElectricThunder said:Looks pretty awesome to me and nifty idea on the peanut oil. I'd considered experimenting a tad along similar lines with the wheat dough pizzas, but as long as I'm stuck using this damned crooked cookie sheet things can get pretty ridiculous in terms of runoff from the excess and otherwise!
Found some Sun Chips in my area, probably give them a go after I finish one other Boulder Canyon next week.
Dude, congratulations!Zyzyxxz said:Woot, I am officially working at Rivera (los angeles) now! As long as I dont fuck up big in the next 30 days of my probation period. Hopefully the boss wins Top Chef Masters so our restaurant can gain even more attention now.
Nice! Living the dreamZyzyxxz said:Woot, I am officially working at Rivera (los angeles) now! As long as I dont fuck up big in the next 30 days of my probation period. Hopefully the boss wins Top Chef Masters so our restaurant can gain even more attention now.
Aquavelvaman said:Nice! Living the dream
Zyzyxxz said:Woot, I am officially working at Rivera (los angeles) now! As long as I dont fuck up big in the next 30 days of my probation period. Hopefully the boss wins Top Chef Masters so our restaurant can gain even more attention now.
Looks perfect. Can't wait to try this one day.WinoMcCougarstein said:I made beef wellington for the first time tonight and I loved it! Will make it again someday.
Congrats dude, can't wait to see new pics once your settled in. Well doneZyzyxxz said:Woot, I am officially working at Rivera (los angeles) now! As long as I dont fuck up big in the next 30 days of my probation period. Hopefully the boss wins Top Chef Masters so our restaurant can gain even more attention now.
I always prepare pizza dough exclusively with wheat flour.MrBig said:Running low on my cornmeal for using on my pizza peel. I had bought a small bag of yellow cornmeal but it is way too strong. The white-old fashion cornmeal I have been using isn't as bad but I'm still looking for something that is less noticeable in taste. I don't really want to have any taste it at all. Recommendations?
Zyzyxxz said:Woot, I am officially working at Rivera (los angeles) now! As long as I dont fuck up big in the next 30 days of my probation period. Hopefully the boss wins Top Chef Masters so our restaurant can gain even more attention now.
MrBig said:Running low on my cornmeal for using on my pizza peel. I had bought a small bag of yellow cornmeal but it is way too strong. The white-old fashion cornmeal I have been using isn't as bad but I'm still looking for something that is less noticeable in taste. I don't really want to have any taste it at all. Recommendations?
I use a jar of bread crumbs mixed with some herbs to flavor my sauce, I guess I can use that for that purpose as well, since it would just be adding to the flavor that's already there. I'll try it, thanksOuterWorldVoice said:Would panko work, or would it burn? It would certainly have less flavor if it just toasts. I am not sure if it would have the "lube" effect though. Might be worth trying.
OnkelC said:Congratulations! You deserved it.
I'd love to see pics from your future workplace. What rang have you been hired to?
You'll do well. Just soak up as much as you can. If you have time, try going in on your days off, to learn more about the other areas of the kitchen--butchery, pastry, and the like. It would do great things for your skills.Zyzyxxz said:Woot, I am officially working at Rivera (los angeles) now! As long as I dont fuck up big in the next 30 days of my probation period. Hopefully the boss wins Top Chef Masters so our restaurant can gain even more attention now.