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IronGAF Cookoff (hosted by OnkelC)

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Wow, where do I begin?

(Bear in mind that I'm still a relatively young chef. Still, I've got a solid foundation in traditional Japanese cuisine as my mentor was a Nagoya-raised Japanese immigrant. Sushi, sashimi, ramen, yakimono, agemono, etc. So I have some idea of what I'm talking about.)


  • First things first: No Korin. Not at this point in your career, anyway. ChefKnivesToGo is what I swear by. Free shipping on orders over $60, and Mark Richmond (the owner/merchant) has way fairer prices than Korin. He also carries Japanese blacksmiths that Korin doesn't.

    Secondly, until you give us more details on your tasks, I'm going to draw on my own experience on what you'll need for what. So, with that:

    A six-inch chef knife is okay, but if you truly want to be a Japanese chef you'll need a "real" knife. I'm talking a 210mm to 240mm chef knife ("gyuto" style). Don't do stainless, don't do VG-10 or that stuff. Get white steel or blue steel (shirogami or aogami, respectively). Japanese cuisine requires very intricate knifework, so you need a knife which can get a screaming-sharp edge. Blue steel is stronger and maintains its edge better than white steel, but it's also significantly more expensive.

    I personally use a Goko 240mm gyuto. It's fucking terrific, it sharpens obscenely fast and it's a very handsome knife.

  • However, the three traditional Japanese chef knives -- the "knife set" your mentors are probably talking about -- are the sacred trinity of the deba, usuba and yanagiba. You will eventually need all of these to reach full potential as a Japanese chef.

    Bear in mind that in America, most sushi bars sell considerably more maki than nigiri or sashimi. For the sake of maki, a gyuto or a sujihiki are outright superior knives for cutting sushi rolls than a yanagiba, and let no one tell you otherwise.

  • Do not get a santoku. This is a knife meant for the home cook, not a professional chef.

I could keep going on, but it'll be a boring wall of text without your input InfiniteBento. Give me a budget and an idea of what you'll be doing. =)

The chefs I work with all use Japanese knives and both them and several other professionally trained chefs in my area recommend them. Settling for cheap alternatives isn't going to fly with my job. We are the only place in all of Orlando that does traditional Japanese sushi. No rolls. No nonsense. So I can't settle for a knife that isn't Korin based on what they said yesterday but I'll sit down with them and discuss it further to see how the alternatives on that site roll with them.

Also, I'm incredibly petite so working with the traditional blade is going to be a bit. First day on the job, they gave me one to use and I demolished my finger with it. All of them agreed that based on my hands being small as fuck too that I should start with other sizes then make my way to traditional blades. So I'm not too worried about getting a traditional knife until later in the game.

I'm not starting from the bottom in the traditional sense of me washing dishes for months then working my way to prep & etc. They're really enthusiastic about my passion for my job and already moved me to prep but they're anxious I get my knives and start on garnishes then they will teach me to butcher their fish & prep all of them for service. Along with the fact that they just volunteered me to intern at another very expensive place around town, which I'll be interning at on Sunday, so I'm thinking of grabbing the set of 3 (Chef's, Parring, & Utility) knives and it'll run me about $350ish.

The chefs I work with are pretty particular about their knifeware so straying from Korin may be difficult but I'm going to scope out Chef Knives To Go and see what their options + pricing are. They all have specific brands they want me to utilize even though its early in the game. However, if I do enough research I may be able to convince though (its 80% unlikely)

When it came to studying, did you attend school for this or are you just hands on in the field? Did you use any material for studying? I need more books and/or films to watch. Just cranked out Jiro Dreams of Sushi (my job is EXACTLY like this. Their price point is about $100 per person. Dinner for 2 is $400. Its all insane)

I need to study as much on Japanese cuisine + French pastry as possible.
 
When it came to studying, did you attend school for this or are you just hands on in the field? Did you use any material for studying? I need more books and/or films to watch. Just cranked out Jiro Dreams of Sushi (my job is EXACTLY like this. Their price point is about $100 per person. Dinner for 2 is $400. Its all insane)

I need to study as much on Japanese cuisine + French pastry as possible.
I actually had a ton of knowledge before I started. My grandmother was Japanese, so I was exposed to all this from a young age. I also spent a lot of my free time in college studying Japanese culinary theory (more than I studied for classes, lol).

I didn't go to culinary school; I was taught the old-fashioned master/apprentice way.

Elizabeth Andoh is the Julia Child of Japanese American cooking, and her book Washoku is the gold standard. Get your hands on that book and you'll pretty much learn all the basics of Japanese food.

In terms of sushi... The Story of Sushi by Trevor Corson is really good. Trevor Corson is the most knowledgeable non-Japanese person about sushi on the planet, probably. His book is a stylized narrative, but it is FULL of unbelievable knowledge in terms of science and history of sushi.

PM me the name of your restaurant, if you wouldn't mind.
 

hitsugi

Member
Couple of things:

1. Etrian made great suggestions, and it is important to understand the knowledge they were trying to impart in their post. Korin is not the only place to buy Japanese knives, and the websites provided by Etrian sells many of the same brands that Korin does.

2. Korin is a fine place to get a knife. That being said, it is also often priced a bit higher than its competitors. However, if they want you to use "Korin" branded knives - even better; you'll save a few hundred to thousands by comparison to other (superior) knives like Nenohi, Masamoto, etc. The bar goes extremely high when it comes to specialty knives and Korin's own brand, frankly, is not THAT high up.
 
After talking with my bosses for a good while, we came to a decent conclusion. I told them that I would love to invest in heavier set knives after buying my basics first. They agreed and told me my first knives would get fucked up any way so buying something pricey would only make me weep later when it dies.

Right now, after hours of researching, I've found these two and I really like them (both for size and pricing):

KORIN SPECIAL INOX ORANGE HANDLE PETTY / UTILITY KNIFE

$138, 5.9 inch

HKR-SIOPE-150_MM.jpg


and


Misono 440 Molybdenum Gyutou

$125, 7 inches


I know I could find a cheaper petty knife but I love the color mostly. Its also made of some pretty stable material and is only $60 bucks more. >.>
 

hitsugi

Member
That's a beautiful petty knife.

I've never used a gyuto shorter than 8" but everyone is different. I once worked for someone who used a 12" that I wouldn't go near for normal work. For what it's worth, I like Misono and think $125 is pretty decent for that.
 
I actually changed my mind a few hours after on that petty knife. It was single edged so it'd be a bit more complex for me to use with my line of work. I decided on a Togiharu Molybdenum Petty (5.9 inch) instead. I'm ordering them tonight and will definitely post pictures when I get them in the mail :)

I have to use a smaller size knife because I'm incredibly petite. Even 8 inches is just too big for me. >.>
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
I actually changed my mind a few hours after on that petty knife. It was single edged so it'd be a bit more complex for me to use with my line of work. I decided on a Togiharu Molybdenum Petty (5.9 inch) instead. I'm ordering them tonight and will definitely post pictures when I get them in the mail :)

I have to use a smaller size knife because I'm incredibly petite. Even 8 inches is just too big for me. >.>

That seems pretty expensive for a petty knife though.
 
I placed my order finally. Ended up buying a carrying case for them too since saya's are way too expensive for me right now. All around $200 for it all with most of that being spent on the knives. Should be here by Friday >:)
 

zbarron

Member
Tonight I made a ham with a Crown Royal, local maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and cinnamon glaze. I served it with cole slaw and baked potato and finished with some fresh pineapple slices. It was all pretty basic. Not much worth taking a picture of but I love how the pineapple looks after the initial prep so I wanted to share.

16322005512_b8b131a853_h.jpg

While unfortunately with this magnification you can see every knife mistake this is only my second time doing this and I still think it looks cool. Also it wastes less pineapple which is always a positive thing in my book.
 

zbarron

Member
16328020195_5d60dbeaad_h.jpg

My Sous Vide Cooker finally arrived. The white is still backordered so I switched to the red so I can finally start.

The eggs came out great. I have two chicken breasts in there now. One with Italian seasoning and one with fajita seasoning.
 

zbarron

Member
jelllyyyyyyy
I was too for a while before I received mine. I've wanted it since the kickstarter. So far I've made hard boiled eggs, chicken, green beans slow cooked in rendered bacon fat, and I had a home made yogurt cooking overnight.
Is the Anova app out yet?
This is from a conversation I had with an Anova worker just yesterday:
The app will be released for iOS by the end of January. We're submitting it to the store and awaiting approval from Apple, which should take 7-10 days. We'll send an update once it is available and the Android app will follow shortly after. In the meantime, one of our developers has created an Android app called Anova Remote, which we're fans of!


nope...not that you really need it, but it was one of the main selling features of this thing so they really need to get this shit in order.
Very true. To be honest I am a bit pissed with them that they had such a delay in their manufacturing, their apps are so far behind but they made the time to go to CES to announce next year's updated model before half of the people who ordered this year's version even received their's yet.

I can't be too mad though. They made a solid product and the insane demand isn't something they have control over. Plus as a business you always have to be forward thinking. The timing of it all though just rubbed me the wrong way.

Update: My Yogurt is done!
16334015105_60ee09adca_h.jpg

It's amazing. It's smoother, creamier and tangier than the stuff I buy at the store. I think I may make some Naan tonight.
 

Zyzyxxz

Member
Very true. To be honest I am a bit pissed with them that they had such a delay in their manufacturing, their apps are so far behind but they made the time to go to CES to announce next year's updated model before half of the people who ordered this year's version even received their's yet.

I can't be too mad though. They made a solid product and the insane demand isn't something they have control over. Plus as a business you always have to be forward thinking. The timing of it all though just rubbed me the wrong way.
.

WTF they are adding WIFI now? Well I'm happy I got my 2nd gen for $100 on kickstarter but still what am I going to do with 3 circulators? I was planning on buying the Pro Version for $400 though since these cookers get killed by restaurant use anyway.
 

CrankyJay

Banned
WTF they are adding WIFI now? Well I'm happy I got my 2nd gen for $100 on kickstarter but still what am I going to do with 3 circulators? I was planning on buying the Pro Version for $400 though since these cookers get killed by restaurant use anyway.

Yeah...oh well...got mine for $129...might grab a 2015 model if they're cool. Could see the need for 2, not more than that though.
 

zbarron

Member
WTF they are adding WIFI now? Well I'm happy I got my 2nd gen for $100 on kickstarter but still what am I going to do with 3 circulators? I was planning on buying the Pro Version for $400 though since these cookers get killed by restaurant use anyway.
Yup. Not the most useful for me being a homemaker but there might be other improvements like a more powerful of efficient heater or it could be smaller. I also wonder how starting it from far away would work. You can't just leave your steaks out all day until they are ready to cook.

Yeah...oh well...got mine for $129...might grab a 2015 model if they're cool. Could see the need for 2, not more than that though.
I'm in the same boat. The only thing this did was make sure I don't buy a second one yet. It would be nice to do two temperatures at once.

I love this baker's rack. It's the perfect size work area and holds so much stuff in my tiny kitchen.
15716140903_ff53aa7abf_h.jpg

Here is the Naan dough. It's a good thing I saved the whey from draining the yogurt this morning. I followed the recipe and it was far too dry. I can't wait to eat it.
 

zbarron

Member
Dinner was great. I sous vide'd a diced acorn squash with star anise, corriander, cumin, cinnamon, tumeric and butter in the bag at 183*F. It was a floater but still came out great. The sauce is butter, onion, jalapeno, cinnamon, honey and diced tomato.
16335383411_9c1c6d54d4_h.jpg

Sorry for the blurry shot. I was in a hurry to enjoy it warm.

My son was being picky tonight so he had a hotdog wrapped in naan. I had a bite. It was damn tasty.
16151259007_72780408b9_h.jpg
 

zbarron

Member
They finally arrived! I love them. Slim, great fit in my palm, light & sturdy. I'm stoked to use them tomorrow :)
Those are beautiful knives. Any impressions yet? Also I bought This Bento for my wife. Judging by your username is it safe to say you've made ones before?

Any advice from you or anyone else on how to make a cute healthy Bento for a beginner?
 
Those are beautiful knives. Any impressions yet? Also I bought This Bento for my wife. Judging by your username is it safe to say you've made ones before?

Any advice from you or anyone else on how to make a cute healthy Bento for a beginner?

Bentos are super easy. Invest in a rice cooker and a tamagoyaki pan :)

Rolled egg omelettes + rice + veggies are the best meals. Also, check out this book.

That book has super quick and easy recipes for bentos. Cooking stuff up the day before is ideal if you're busy during the week. Prep your veggies and keep them sealed up super tightly so they're ready before you make your meals too. Bentos are simple but its also depending on your taste.
 

thespot84

Member
I have to make an entree for 9 saturday that incorporates Sauce Espangole (or a small sauce made from it, more likely). Does anyone have a favorite? Can be simply a great small sauce/meat pairing or something crazier.
 

CrankyJay

Banned
I have to make an entree for 9 saturday that incorporates Sauce Espangole (or a small sauce made from it, more likely). Does anyone have a favorite? Can be simply a great small sauce/meat pairing or something crazier.

Demi-Glace or a small sauce like mushroom or red wine reduction are my favorites, but I guess it really depends on the meat you're serving it with...obviously beef or rack of lamb.
 
I usually have a simple breakfast of steel cut oats or toast, but today I put more effort in it and grabbed some lettuce and fresh pea shoots from the yard and made a salad. My friend also made a batch of bacon biscuits that she froze for me, so I baked those while making my salad and eggs.

 
Found five pounds of pork belly for $8 USD today at a grocery store. Good lord.

Slow-roasted one third of it, froze the other 2/3rds. I really need to come up with a good sauce/glaze for this.
 

zbarron

Member
I usually have a simple breakfast of steel cut oats or toast, but today I put more effort in it and grabbed some lettuce and fresh pea shoots from the yard and made a salad. My friend also made a batch of bacon biscuits that she froze for me, so I baked those while making my salad and eggs.

That looks amazing. I wish it was warm here.
Found five pounds of pork belly for $8 USD today at a grocery store. Good lord.

Slow-roasted one third of it, froze the other 2/3rds. I really need to come up with a good sauce/glaze for this.
Wow. I am seriously jealous.

I just got some dried adzuki beans in the mail. Does anyone have a good recipe for red bean paste and or red bean buns? I see many recipes online and was curious if someone had a favorite one they could vouch for.
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4

On a more serious note, I've made a bunch of new stuff lately, including my first attempt at chocolate chip cookies:


They came out pretty good, although I left them in the oven five minutes too much and they hardened a bit after they cooled down. They were photogenic as heck, though.

Ham, eggs, bacon and red bell pepper pie:


It came out AMAZING. It's also massively filling. It's super quick and easy to make if you purchase some premade puff pastry for the base. For those interested, I followed this recipe. It's pretty much fool proof and really simple. One of my favourite new dishes so far.

Beef Wellington:


One of my most accomplished dishes so far. My only regret was not searing the tenderloin a bit more, which resulted in the base being a bit too moist. Other than that, it was an rotound success and blew away everyone who tried it. For the gravy I used homemade, high-power chicken broth from a previous roast (complete with beer, minced shiitake fungi and spices), veggies and some flour for thickness.

It was absolutely incredible, BUT leftovers became way, way too strong in flavour after a couple of days due to the mustard. It's definitely better if consumed the same day it was made. The next time I have some leftovers I will freeze them instead. One thing that really surprised me (other than how great it came out) is that the beef remained super tender even after two days in the fridge. I wasn't expecting that.

And finally, this week's roscón:


It came out right as rain.

For those wondering, I'm still on a high protein diet. These just happen to be my cheat meals (well, the beef Wellington was actually incorporated into my macros since it has a rather small amount of carbs).
 

thespot84

Member
On a more serious note, I've made a bunch of new stuff lately, including my first attempt at chocolate chip cookies:



They came out pretty good, although I left them in the oven five minutes too much and they hardened a bit after they cooled down. They were photogenic as heck, though.

Looks great. I recently made the cookies from here: http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/the-food-lab-the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html (very long and very sciency) and they turned out great. Worth the read for sure.
 

zbarron

Member
Let me see if I can find my old sweet azuki bean paste recipe. If I can, I'll throw it to you.
Thanks. Last night I took half the beans and made Tsuban. My wife wanted it for Chinese Red Bean Buns so hopefully it'll still be good. If not I can make Anpan with it and use the other half once I get a good recipe for the right style.
On a more serious note, I've made a bunch of new stuff lately, including my first attempt at chocolate chip cookies:



They came out pretty good, although I left them in the oven five minutes too much and they hardened a bit after they cooled down. They were photogenic as heck, though.

Ham, eggs, bacon and red bell pepper pie:



It came out AMAZING. It's also massively filling. It's super quick and easy to make if you purchase some premade puff pastry for the base. For those interested, I followed this recipe. It's pretty much fool proof and really simple. One of my favourite new dishes so far.

Beef Wellington:



One of my most accomplished dishes so far. My only regret was not searing the tenderloin a bit more, which resulted in the base being a bit too moist. Other than that, it was an rotound success and blew away everyone who tried it. For the gravy I used homemade, high-power chicken broth from a previous roast (complete with beer, minced shiitake fungi and spices), veggies and some flour for thickness.

It was absolutely incredible, BUT leftovers became way, way too strong in flavour after a couple of days due to the mustard. It's definitely better if consumed the same day it was made. The next time I have some leftovers I will freeze them instead. One thing that really surprised me (other than how great it came out) is that the beef remained super tender even after two days in the fridge. I wasn't expecting that.

And finally, this week's roscón:



It came out right as rain.

For those wondering, I'm still on a high protein diet. These just happen to be my cheat meals (well, the beef Wellington was actually incorporated into my macros since it has a rather small amount of carbs).
That all looks great. Spending time in the kitchen is always worth it.

Speaking of Cheat Meals I made Chocolate Chip Cookies myself and that plus a tangerine was my son and my lunch.
16403575282_10911e9412_h.jpg


I didn't feel like the best father after that so I had a cucumber tomato salad with a lemon, mint and parsley vinegrette and my son had an apple.
16402744441_2600276acd_h.jpg


Yesterday I was glued to the kitchen. I made eggs for breakfast, oatmeal with fresh fruit for lunch and for dinner I made BBQ slow cooked chicken, sous vide cubed butternut squash which I then grilled for some char with some home made labneh made from home made yogurt. After that I made the Tsubuan.
 

le-seb

Member
That looks great! I wonder if you can add in frozen spinach for some more vegetable matter.
Probably because of its filling potential, it reminded me of this terrific veggies pie recipe I've made twice or thrice a decade ago.

Imagine some eggplant, spring onion, potatoes, button mushrooms, broccoli, carrot and bell pepper, all coated in some kind of bechamel sauce made with feta and parmesan cheese, pine seeds and oregano. And add some garlic and a couple whisked eggs in the mix, too.

Almost as good to eat as it is long to cook.
Shitty picture from the site where I've found the recipe (like it's 2003 again!):
tourte-legumes-320.jpg


Now I want to make it again. Well done, IronGAF!
 

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
Maybe brunch for a couple of friends.

French toast with Nutella centre, bacon, strawberries, raspberries, banana, and toasted pecans caramelized in maple syrup and bacon fat. First time I'd tried using Nutella that way and first time toasted and caramelized nuts for a brunch, but both turned out great additions. French toast looks a bit odd shaped in the photo because I use bread rolls, cutting off the crust all around the outside leaving a long square block of soft white bread which I think gives a good result both visually and in texture.

 

le-seb

Member
Let's pretend I've been able to enjoy some good skiing this weekend
- which I couldn't because it snowed way too much and both roads and ski resorts were closed -
and I craved some totally unhealthy delicatessen and cheese meal:
CIMG0704.JPG
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
That looks great! I wonder if you can add in frozen spinach for some more vegetable matter.

Oh yeah, I'm absolutely trying spinach the next time I try it. It definitely looks like it could go really well with some leafs. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't add any cayenne pepper and I would also pass on the red pimentos, as they add too much flavour.
 

zbarron

Member
I made chicken fajitas last night. I didn't take any pictures at the time but I made more for lunch so I just took a picture.

I put 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts in a 140*F water bath for about 2 hours. In the mean time I made restaurant style Mexican rice with the sushi rice I had on hand. That turned out tasty. When the chicken was done I put pepper and onion in the cast iron and blackened it with some fajita spices and a little butter. Sliced and tossed the chicken in and topped and served. That sizzle is one of my favorite sounds on this planet.


15814093144_c08c04ab41_h.jpg
 
Beef Wellington:



One of my most accomplished dishes so far. My only regret was not searing the tenderloin a bit more, which resulted in the base being a bit too moist. Other than that, it was an rotound success and blew away everyone who tried it. For the gravy I used homemade, high-power chicken broth from a previous roast (complete with beer, minced shiitake fungi and spices), veggies and some flour for thickness.


Is there a specific reason you chose to use diced up mushrooms over making a duxelle with them? As well as whole grain mustard over dijon? I assume taste preference?

I'm curious how it would taste in comparison to the traditional recipes I've seen. In most recipes I've seen they use duxelle, dijon, and prosciutto or sometimes even foie gras pate.

It looks incredible ! I'm hungry just talking about this ;____;
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Is there a specific reason you chose to use diced up mushrooms over making a duxelle with them? As well as whole grain mustard over dijon? I assume taste preference?

I'm curious how it would taste in comparison to the traditional recipes I've seen. In most recipes I've seen they use duxelle, dijon, and prosciutto or sometimes even foie gras pate.

It looks incredible ! I'm hungry just talking about this ;____;

Well, that's what the recipe I followed called for. The larger mushrooms were very firm and flavourful (on top of really expensive), so I guess that way they remained that way instead of aquiring much of the taste from the shallots. I guess that a duxelle would also add a lot of extra moisture, which could be *bad* for the pastry if you are not careful. Using a firmer filling probably helps to avoid any misfortune.

As for the grain mustard, I believe it has an extra kick that I wouldn't get with normal Dijon mustard, but I'm sure it would come out wonderful with Dijon.
 

zbarron

Member
Dinner tonight is a traditional soup and bread. I used the "Almost No Knead" recipe since it sounded interesting and I had some spare beer lying around not getting drank.
16442958822_e5db552de4_h.jpg

The recipe suggests doing the final rise on the parchment paper inside a skillet. The bunching up of the paper is what gave the bread it's odd shape and lovely lady lumps you see on the bottom left.

The soup has been simmering most of the day and is still going strong. This is it about half way through.
16443356762_b3c72b42d1_h.jpg

I filtered out a lot of that oil already. I added up all of the ingredients in the soup and it was a lot lower than I expected. All the ingredients made about 4 quarts of soup and come out at 1,255 calories and with filtering out a lot of the oil it's probably lower.
 
The recipe suggests doing the final rise on the parchment paper inside a skillet. The bunching up of the paper is what gave the bread it's odd shape and lovely lady lumps you see on the bottom left.

Heh, next time you can cut the parchment to fit the pan before putting the bread on it. The only tricky thing about that is lifting the parchment + bread up to put into the pan.

I made a simple salad of greens (pea shoots, lettuce, kale) from my garden to go with some braised tofu knots with radish and carrots.
 

zbarron

Member
Heh, next time you can cut the parchment to fit the pan before putting the bread on it. The only tricky thing about that is lifting the parchment + bread up to put into the pan.

I made a simple salad of greens (pea shoots, lettuce, kale) from my garden to go with some braised tofu knots with radish and carrots.

Yeah that is what I normally do. This recipe is meant to be an easy daily bread and it was a lot easier and damn tasty. I may make this my daily bread.

If you don't mind me asking where do you live where your garden is producing such beautiful produce? I am thinking about getting a small green house to extend our small growing season.
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Oh man. I really, really want to grow my own basil (among other herbs), but my kitchen doesn't get enough hours of sunlight for that :(

Edit: But maybe I could plant them in my office...
 
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