AeroPress Video

Escargot

I was walking through London’s SoHo on a day off while doing interviews during the Olympics. I was just walking around and I saw this restaurant Escargot that Marco Pierre White owns. Being a big chef groupie I stopped and took a picture. I first heard about Marco Pierre White in Bill Bufford’s book Heat. He was recounting a story of Mario Batalli working for White and getting so pissed off at him he threw a bunch of salt into his sauces and walking out. If you want to see a video with a young Gordon Ramsay as a kitchen slave this one is priceless.

Lucky Peach

Lucky Peach is a journal of food writing, published on a quarterly basis by McSweeney’s. It is a creation of David Chang, the James Beard Award–winning chef behind the Momofuku restaurants in New York, Momofuku cookbook cowriter Peter Meehan, and Zero Point Zero Production—producers of the Travel Channel’s Emmy Award–winningAnthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Momofuku means Lucky Peach.

My buddy Brad Hagen first lent me his issue #1 and I was hooked. It was an issue all about Ramen, every article written was about Ramen. I read that magazine for weeks and I still don’t think I read the whole thing, it is awesome. Sadly I had to give the Issue 1 back, but I have Issues 2 & 3. Now I am kicking myself for not getting #1 on Amazon, because a new #1 is selling new for $210 and used for $185! Current issues are less than $10. 

Harold McGee

On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee, if you ever wanted to know what reference book famous chefs and food nerds like Alton Brown refer to for actual facts instead of lore. This is it. The type of things you may not have questioned like “searing meat holds in juices”, lore not fact (Pg 161). Searing helps meat because it carmalizes the outside of a steak or slice of meat, enhancing the flavor. When you hear meat sizzle after browning it is because water is escaping, so that means it isn’t “sealed”. 

I have watched many a chef show and this is the Bible of food facts and research. If you really want to know about spices and flavor down to the molecular level this is the book! Like the reason cooks use vinegar and salt in egg poaching water is that in a large stock pot the poached eggs will rise to the surface after 3 minutes in constantly boilling water (Pg 90).

AeroPress Coffee Maker

AeroPress is the best coffee - espresso maker, I have ever used. Especially for the money. I have had this little guy for about a year. It is around $29 and in addition to the AeroPress, I use an electric kettle that lets me put a digital thermometer probe in so I know when the water gets to the proper temperature, about 175 F. I have a Nespresso Le Cube espresso maker and I think this little AeroPress tates just as good, and the Nespresso was $200! Also you can use coffee from anywhere, not a special pod or package. The big advantage is you can easily travel with it, and you can get hot water anywhere!