Professional chef help

[beerfish]

Ok, I just picked up the Alinea book and I'm considering a cook-thru. Some of the ingredients are going to be really hard to source, and possibly impossible to source locally, so I'm wondering where the pros here source difficult to find ingredients. Locally or online is fine, just wondering what your favorite places are.

 

[Alexpescado]

Hi Beerfish,
I have the book as well. Many of the ingredients are hard to find. It sounds like you love to cook. For me first and foremost is sourcing great ingredients when cooking. Especially when you can get freshly picked fruits and vegetables. I grow over 1000 heirloom vegetable plants from seed. I also like to take advantage of all the various ethnic markets in or around the city. All truly great cooking is grounded in excellent ingredients, tradition, and exceptional technique.
It is a wonderful time of the year to cook as we have Summer's Bounty and the arrival of everything Fall has to offer. Here are a couple of places that a might help you with the more modern approach to cooking.
http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-category/molecular-gastronomy-ingredients

http://www.le-sanctuaire.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ls&Category_Code=Molecular

http://www.jbprince.com/

 

[beerfish]

Lol, I've ordered from 2 of these places in the past and just put in an order with JB Prince last night. Chemicals and spices I can usually find. It's fresh ingredients that I have a tougher time with.

This book is unreal. I have the full Modernist Cuisine series and I've made recipes from there. Some of the recipes in Alinea are actually more daunting than the ones in MC. I've actually made a few variations of some of the dishes in the book, but they were on the easier side (Anti-Griddle Mango discs, Frozen salad, and Pheasant on smoking branches.)

Next year I'll be taking a closer look at my garden and creating a planting strategy over the winter. This year was our first year in the house we're in now, and we had a decent garden, but had issues with wildlife that lowered our yield.

If you're into MG as well, here are a few other places I regularly order supplies from:

http://www.lepicerie.com
http://www.molecularrecipes.com

 

[Alexpescado]

I am on the US Culinary Council with Grant and a number of other chefs.
I favor very seasonal cooking using the world's pantry, excellent method and technique while bridging the past, present, and future.
Happy Cooking

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Try baldor, and Sid wainer for fresh ingredients.

 

[beerfish]

I am on the US Culinary Council with Grant and a number of other chefs.
I favor very seasonal cooking using the world's pantry, excellent method and technique while bridging the past, present, and future.
Happy Cooking

Very cool. I'm still an amateur, but have enjoyed cooking for years. I got into MG a while back, and would eventually like to work in the industry. In the meantime, I just try to learn everything I can.

 

[prattreef]

Both of you guys can cook for me anytime!

 

[beerfish]

Just got some of my new serviceware in the mail. Stainless picks and 4oz bubble glasses. Now I just have to make something and put them to use!

 

[Alexpescado]

Here is a dish of Heirloom Tomatoes
I call it Palette de Tomate aux Saveurs d'Ete

 

[Alexpescado]

Hi Randy and James
Heirloom Tomatoes with Summer Flowers and Herbs

 

[beerfish]

Here is a dish of Heirloom Tomatoes
I call it Palette de Tomate aux Saveurs d'Ete

That is amazing looking. What types of flowers did you use there? I'm hoping to start an edible flower garden soon, since they're always difficult for me to find in small quantities.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I grow over 1000 heirloom vegetable plants from seed.

Good for you! A+++

I want to meet you or your plants. LOL

BTW, there must be an Iron Chef here in the forum.

 

[Alexpescado]

Beerfish most of the flowers were from culinary herbs. There were fennel flowers and seeds, Coriander Blooms, Thai and Lemon Basil Flowers, Cucumber blooms, Red Perilla(Purple Shiso), Lemon Verbeena,.
There are lots of Edible Flowers like Nasturtiums and Pansies which are easy to grow. I usually visit Gilberties Herb Farm in Westport Conn. late Spring.
They have around 300 different herbs.

Wingo I upgraded my lights this year with great results. I bought two nice fixtures which made a tremendous difference in the plants. I previously used a couple of 6$ two bulb fluorescent shop lights that I bought years back from Home Depot. The fixtures were suspended with chains and I would drop the lights just above the seedlings as they emerged. My reflectors were wrapping the entire area around the seedlings with aluminum foil.

 

[beerfish]

We have nasturtium in the yard this year and I'm almost finished construction of a small indoor aquaponics system for the rest of the year. I'll have to plan it out well so that I have plenty of garnish!

I'll have to check out the farm up in CT next year. Thanks!

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

@Alexpescado

Yes, a better light is very helpful in the growth of the plants. But since I am have been with lighting for so long, I lost interest in putting the best light on them. Lately, most of my interests in planting is to develop container that needs less attention during our absence(of course, that is triggered by my constant travelling issue). In fact, there is one design I want to patent it but I do not want to patent it until I know it works well.

@Beerfish
I originally made an outdoor aquaponics system but since we have snow in NYC during winter, I changed the outdoor tank into saltwater and scrap the aquaponics. Instead, I am trying to setup a rainwater collector to save water and to fertilizer the plants better but we are already in the autumn and the barrels are not even here. LOL. Looks like it has to be next year. What fish are you putting in your aquaponics? Don't grow tulapia, it's only $1.99/lb in Florida supermarket. LOL I have seen a system with both tulapia and shrimps together.

 

[beerfish]

@Beerfish
I originally made an outdoor aquaponics system but since we have snow in NYC during winter, I changed the outdoor tank into saltwater and scrap the aquaponics. Instead, I am trying to setup a rainwater collector to save water and to fertilizer the plants better but we are already in the autumn and the barrels are not even here. LOL. Looks like it has to be next year. What fish are you putting in your aquaponics? Don't grow tulapia, it's only $1.99/lb in Florida supermarket. LOL I have seen a system with both tulapia and shrimps together.

I'm doing a small indoor system, so I'm just going to be using goldfish for now. I have a wide shallow bed for the plants and I'm building a controller to run water through the grow bed for 15 minutes every hour. It won't be a huge system, but I'm hoping it's big enough for lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs throughout the year.

I'm also saving room for an add-on bed that will let me start seeds for outdoor planting much earlier than I normally would, which will hopefully give me a much stronger harvest next year.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I'm doing a small indoor system, so I'm just going to be using goldfish for now. I have a wide shallow bed for the plants and I'm building a controller to run water through the grow bed for 15 minutes every hour. It won't be a huge system, but I'm hoping it's big enough for lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs throughout the year.

I'm also saving room for an add-on bed that will let me start seeds for outdoor planting much earlier than I normally would, which will hopefully give me a much stronger harvest next year.

From past experience,
When doing any aquaponics or hydroponics, note your humidity. Ventilation should also be considered in advance.
Also it's always safer to have a very shallow portion of water in the bed that never really gets dry in case of power outage.

 

[beerfish]

From past experience,
When doing any aquaponics or hydroponics, note your humidity. Ventilation should also be considered in advance.
Also it's always safer to have a very shallow portion of water in the bed that never really gets dry in case of power outage.

With the volume of water I'm using, I'm not too concerned with humidity. The bottom couple of inches in the bed remains wet, as it drains to the small hole in the PVC that I can change the height of as needed. I picked up a book on it beforehand, so I've researched it quite a bit, I just haven't gotten around to finishing the construction! lol

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

When I see the phrase, "much stronger harvest next year", I thought you are going to feed the whole family and may be township with it. J/K

 

[beerfish]

When I see the phrase, "much stronger harvest next year", I thought you are going to feed the whole family and may be township with it. J/K

We've got 1.25 acres, but had some issues with late planting due to groundhogs and rabbits destroying our early plants. I'm hoping next year to be able to feed the family for a few months! We got a decent amount of squash and eggplant this year, some tomatoes and corn but a lot of our other plants didn't do very well after being eaten by wildlife. (I haven't harvested the root veggies yet.) Next year I'm doing more raised beds and fencing everything in. We're also putting two bee hives in the yard next year, so we should get much better pollination as well.