May 16, 2008
Posted by Amanda Clarke, May 15, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Despite the implication of their name and the regularity with which they appear behind coffee bars, for topping dessert-like beverages with snowy mounds of dairy goodness, cream whippers are good for more than whipping cream. In restaurant kitchens the devices are prized for making and keeping delicate sweet or savory mousses, sauces and foams, which would be difficult to create or to maintain for any length of time with more traditional equipment. At home, I find them particularly handy for creating easy, lighter or lightened interpretations of high-calorie indulgences like dessert toppings, ranch dressing, cheesecake and more.
How Cream Whippers Work
Cream whippers, also known as “cream siphons” or just “siphons,” work fairly simply. A liquid is placed in the siphon canister, which is then sealed tightly with a gasket-lined threaded cap. A metal cartridge or “charger” containing highly compressed nitrous oxide (N2O, aka: laughing gas) is slipped into the charger sleeve, which is then fitted onto a threaded site on the siphon canister cap. As the charger sleeve is screwed into place, a hollow pin in the center of the threaded site punctures the charger, ushering the nitrous oxide into the siphon canister where it dissolves into the enclosed liquid.
When the canister is inverted and the discharge lever squeezed, the gas escapes—forcing the liquid out with it—through a narrow passage, expanding as it leaves the siphon and leaving behind a foamed and frothed liquid.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, May 15, 2008 at 5:15 PM
Look, dark gray goo in a white ball! Don't you want to eat it? Yes!...
Well, I do because I know it's just a sesame rice ball, known as tang yuan in Chinese and one of the few Chinese desserts that I'd actually long for. Bite into the glutinous rice-based skin and unleash the hot, sweet, black sesame paste within. Where I'm Cooking From knows what I'm talking about; she says, "Now all I want is to introduce as many people as I can to the sesame rice ball experience, if only to have company while I eat mine."
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Posted by Robyn Lee, May 15, 2008 at 3:15 PM
If you visit Leeuwarden, Netherlands within the next six months, you might get to sit on one of the giant yolks of Dutch artist Henk Hofstra's art installation, "Art Eggcident." Unfortunately, there are no giant strips of bacon or slices of toast to go with it. [via Coldmud]
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, May 15, 2008 at 2:45 PM
As reported today, CBS is dropping $1.8 billion in cash on CNET. CNET in turn owns popular food site Chowhound. Remember the old days of Chowhound, when it was simply, basically, black text on a white background and the pages took forever to load? Amazing to see it go from a bedroom operation under founder Jim Leff to a property of a major entertainment network. Informed chowhounders are already anticipating changes, like their valiant foodie leader Leff appearing on CBS sitcoms and Letterman.
Updated: Jim Leff opines on the purchase: “What we don’t need, however, is a broader slice of diners participating. A real flood of unsavvy diners could dilute the knowledge level.”
Posted by Robyn Lee, May 15, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Food portions today are obviously larger than before, but by how much? Look at these pictures of food portions from 20 years ago next to today's versions; it's like comparing a kid-sized portion to the adult counterpart. Except that was the adult-sized version. It's not necessarily alarming to see, but might make you think twice the next time you go for a large Starbucks mocha or bucket of popcorn.
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There are over 5,000 varieties of tomatoes in the world; how do you become an expert in them? You could train with Paolo Battistel, Britain's first 'tomellier', who acts as a tomato consultant and runs courses on cultivation at his tomato school near Lake Garda in Italy.
Posted by Robyn Lee, May 15, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Opening a coconut can be an arduous task, but if you're Ho Eng Hui, Malaysia's top kung fu master, you can smash through a coconut with just your index finger! Although he broke his finger in 1993, he has been giving weekly demonstrations of his "digit's devastating power" for the past eight years until recently retiring.
Watch the "coconut-piercing index finger" in action, after the jump.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, May 15, 2008 at 12:00 PM
McDonald's Southern-style chicken biscuit tastes like an oversized McNugget in a buttery, greasy biscuit that you've had so many times before.
It's too late to snag a free Southern-style chicken biscuit from McDonald's—the breakfast promotion lasted today between 7 a.m and 10:30 a.m—but if you missed out, don't worry; it wasn't totally free. As we mentioned before, there was a medium or large drink caveat, so the "freebie" cashed in at a minimum of $1.50. Overall, it wasn't the most mind-blowing experience since McDonald's already sells biscuits and chicken McNuggets, and together, they approximate this same taste concept.
But borderline mind-blowing is that you can eat fried chicken for breakfast without hauling to a less-accessible Chick-fil-A or sneaking in last night's leftovers. McDonald's only has the normal-sized sandwich, whereas Chick-fil-A also does an adorable mini version.
McDonald's sells the Southern-style chicken biscuit for $1.99 and $3.39 for the value meal with drink and hash browns. So again, today's "deal" wasn't a huge deal.
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15-year old Jennifer Sharpe sold 17,323 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies in one season, more than any other Girl Scout has ever sold in the same time period. What's the secret? Manning her own temporary Girl Scout Cookies booth every day of the week probably had something to do with it—that's serious dedication.
Posted by Robyn Lee, May 15, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Ever eat a slice of cheese but stop at the rind, unsure of whether or not it's safe for human consumption? Zoe Brinkley of New York City-based cheese shop Murray's Cheese reassures you that yes, you should try eating the rind ("Do you like it? Then eat more. Do you have wax and shreds of cloth in your teeth? Don't eat that one"), before going on to identify different rinds and why they exist. Look at the Affineur's Concept Map to get a quick glance at cheese taxonomy.
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Slate finds 10 wines worth drinking under $15 and available at Total Wine & More. "Generally speaking, the foreign shelves will have much more to offer. . . One usually surefire method of finding interesting foreign wines: Let the importer be your guide. The United States is blessed with a small army of superb importers, who bring in excellent wines at all price points."
Posted by Jamie Forrest, May 15, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Photograph by the Seattle Cheese Festival
For all you Seattleites and those from neighboring areas in the Pacific Northwest, the 2008 Seattle Cheese Festival starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday afternoon. Held outdoors every year at the wonderful Pike Place Market, the fourth annual Seattle Cheese Festival is open to the public, has a suggested admission of $1, and represents one of the largest gatherings of cheese aficionados in the country.
On display (and available for sampling) are hundreds of cheeses from around the world, and for the more serious turophiles, there are seminars and panels, cooking demonstrations, a wine garden and a children’s scavenger hunt. (Seminars, panels, and the wine garden have additional admission fees.)
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