In this episode of The Free Culinary School Podcast, we finish the final segment of our three part series on basic hot side cooking technique.
In This Episode
- Discussion Segment – I answer Dino’s question about Olive Oil being used as a go to cooking oil.
- Technique Segment – We discuss the Basics of Frying, Confit and Deep Fat Poaching. Also, professional tips and tricks for these techniques are discussed.
- Question and Comment Segment – I answer Stephen’s question regarding how to cook proteins to their proper finished temperatures.
- In The Culinary Quick Tip – I go over the proper professional technique used for breading items before they are deep fried.
Also, as discussed in this episode, here is a link to some of the new culinary books that I’m excited about reading.
Other Resources Mentioned In This Episode
- Thanks to Brina and PiggyRibs.com for their support!
- Check out Old Fat Sailor’s Tomato Sauce Recipe and Mickey’s Cheese Cake Recipe.
- How to make a Stabilized Butter Emulsion using Xanthan Gum.
If you have any questions or comments about the information covered in this episode, please comment below or click on the contact link at the top of this page to send me an e-mail.
Cook With Passion!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Great episode! I’m a huge fan of Duck Confit (had it Tuesday night) but have never cooked it. I have been cooking duck more and more as of late and when I can, I save the skin and freeze it, hoping to build up a good skin stock in the freezer. I have a wonderful Asian grocer nearby for fresh duck, but still can’t get my hands on duck fat. no worries, I will.
Mind if I ask a few questions regarding what you went over?
I butter poached a lobster tail last night, added a little vanilla in there. First, I defrosted the frozen lobster tail (I know I know) by running it under cold water for a while, then I blanched it in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes, took it out, put it in an ice bath….shelled it, then put it in the butter (about 165-170) for about 7-10 minutes…does that sound right? I don’t eat lobster (yet…long story) but my fiance said that it was cooked perfect, and was good, but had a more fishy taste to it. Is this because it was a frozen lobster tail? or my process.
Also, with your shallot-butter tip, since I currently have a big bag of shallots in the fridge, and I love shallots, I plan on giving that a try….how much duck fat do you really need? I have the skin from a few leg/thighs, can I add a little canola to the rendered duck fat if I don’t have enough of it?
I posted a few pics on my blog if you’re interested.
one last question — saw your comment on my blog. Since I need my daily podcast fix on the way to work and XM Radio is lacking in content as of late, what other podcasts do you recommend?
P.P.S. I was reading a quote from my company’s new magazine (wsj.) from Eric Ripert regarding cooking with olive oil. I found it interesting! It certainly goes along with your philosophy. check it out http://magazine.wsj.com/gatherer/the-nose/eric-ripert/ – he also recommends Sitia olive oil, and based on magazine the quote/article was in I expected it to be 1,000,000$ but quite the opposite! 13$
R.P.
Lobster: Your process is spot on. Using frozen lobster tails may affect the texture but it shouldn’t make it taste fishy. My best guess is that the lobster was probably a little old to begin with before they froze it in the first place. This can be avoided by, (1), finding a reputable source for lobster that doesn’t freeze them just because they are starting to turn and (2) always using fresh lobster. I have a couple of posts planned for how to break down fresh lobster; but the fresh stuff (still alive and kicking), is always the way to go.
Shallot Duck Butter: You only need enough duck fat to cover the sliced shallots for it to work. With the “skin stock” in your freezer this should be enough if you render out the skin as described in this episode. If it’s still not enough, a little bit of Canola Oil will work and is definitely recommended since it has a neutral flavor and will not affect the flavor of the duck fat. But don’t forget, once you render off enough duck fat it is reusable and you can freeze it up to 6 months.
Podcasts: The only other cooking podcast that I listen to is the “Splendid Table” Podcast put out by American Public Radio. Although it doesn’t really cover ground breaking technique and the like, as a professional chef, it gives me a good understanding of what is going on in the culinary world as the customer sees it. After all, I can serve you a cutting edge dish with all sorts of flare, but if you don’t understand it then my dish is worthless. The Splendid Table Podcast gives me a good view of what the average person is concentrating on in the food world. This is the same reason why I still watch the food network; I don’t learn anything new as far as technical stuff goes, but it gives me a good insight into my customer’s psychology.
P.S. Eric Ripert Rocks. He is one of my favorite chefs. He’s not a wanna be, he’s the real deal.
Hi Chef Jacob,
Thanks for clarifying the oliver oil go to question.
Correction. FYI:
It seems that you’re corresponding to two Dino’s. The Dino that you’re referring to with having his own Podcast called “Alternative Vegan” is not me.
Dino,
Sorry about the mix up. I guess the other Dino just got a free plug! Anyways, thanks for your question and I’m glad I could help.
I recently thawed the Thanksgiving turkey that I received from work and attempted to confit the hind quarters. It’s ripening right now! I used whatever turkey fat I could render and supplemented with canola oil.
When I pulled my pot out of the oven after 10 hrs to cool, it smelled a little funky (emphasis on a little). I used an oven thermometer, to confirm 200 degrees. Is this normal? What sort of smells should I be looking for after the ripening process? Are there any food safety issues, or just quality?
Thanks for your help!
Ethan,
If you salted the turkey legs first for at least 24 hours, then they should be safe. Here are some steps in the order which they should have been taken:
*Salting (24 hours)
*Rinse Salt
*Completely Cover Legs With Fat
*Place in 200 degree oven for 8-10 hours
*Let cool on Counter top in fat until room temp
*Place in refrigerator and let them ripen in the fat for about a week.
As long as you followed these steps, and the turkey was fresh to begin with, you should be OK. If you’ve never made confit before, that little “funkyness” you’re smelling could just be the rendered turkey fat, which does have a bit of a musky scent to it when hot.
However, since I can’t be there to smell it for you, please use caution. Like the old saying goes, “When it doubt, throw it out!”
Hi – I’ve always found the process for battering and frying fish, onion rings, etc. in the restaurant to be messy or time-consuming due to the steps involved and necessary clean up. Do you have any tips for streamlining the process, especially with a large volume of orders, to make battering and frying quicker and cleaner? Thanks.