Matthew Amster-Burton's Profile

Don't Put Your Hand in the Noodle Machine: Notes From Ramen School in Osaka

szymaskiea, the good news (I hope) is that I have a couple of chapters that could work as standalone articles, so maybe you won't have to wait for the book!

Don't Put Your Hand in the Noodle Machine: Notes From Ramen School in Osaka

Hey, Redwulf, I don't have the recipe to share, but it appears in the new book Simply Ramen by Amy Kimoto-Kahn, which is worth getting in any case.

Don't Put Your Hand in the Noodle Machine: Notes From Ramen School in Osaka

Thanks so much! Cinderelly, I LOVE Tsujita. Certainly the best ramen I've had outside Japan and among the best anywhere. The only tsukemen I've enjoyed more is at Fuunji in Shinjuku.

Don't Put Your Hand in the Noodle Machine: Notes From Ramen School in Osaka

Thanks so much, everyone! Olve, what did you do in the 5-day class?

Ramen book is probably not happening, but you never know. I do have at least one and possibly two new books coming out this year, though. This one:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/209036771/not-one-shrine-two-food-writers-devour-tokyo-ebook

And one not about food.

Why Great Tea Doesn't Come Cheap: Digging Into the High Mountain Economy

This is a great piece, although I'd argue that the takeaway is (as you implied) great tea DOES come cheap. You have to go crazy high-end with tea before the cost per serving exceeds a can of PBR.

The Secrets Behind Making Incredible Matcha

Thanks very much, niks1973. I also prefer to make matcha with the chasen, and I keep several on hand—but one of them is reserved for making hot cocoa. :)

The Secrets Behind Making Incredible Matcha

Hey, fsutrill! You can pulverize your own tencha at home and pass it through a very fine mesh strainer, but you're really better off buying it already ground. I just went to a cool tea shop in Vancouver BC called O5 where they let you grind your own tencha in a real stone grinder. A gimmick, but a pretty awesome one.

Matcha is made with just tea and water. You certainly can make a matcha latte with milk and sugar, and it'll be tasty, but don't waste good matcha on that--cheap "culinary" matcha is fine.

The Secrets Behind Making Incredible Matcha

Shaking isn't going to produce as nice a thin, creamy layer of foam as you'll get from one of the other methods, but it'll be fine. Are you in Portland? They definitely sell matcha gear at Uwajimaya.

The Secrets Behind Making Incredible Matcha

Modab, that's great! Couple of things:

1. If you have a Daiso store in your area, you can get incredibly cheap, decent-quality matcha whisks and bowls there. (Like a $4 whisk and $1.50 bowls.) You can also whisk your matcha with an Aerolatte or similar electric milk frother, and it works great. You can also shake it in a well-sealed container, like a mason jar or thermos.

2. As for water temperature, you can just boil water, pour it into an intermediate container (like a Pyrex measuring cup), and let it cool for one minute or so. That should do it.

Enjoy your matcha!

The Secrets Behind Making Incredible Matcha

Thanks so much, Niko. Glad you enjoyed it.

5 Rules of Hong Kong Dining That You Should Know Before You Go

Yeah, Beast, I figured a lot of this extended far beyond Hong Kong, but I don't have the firsthand experience to back it up.

propermake, we have the Orca card in Seattle. It's good on bus, streetcar, ferry, and our one train line. Not accepted on funicular or aerial tram, because they don't exist.

Thanks very much for the kind comments, folks.

5 Rules of Hong Kong Dining That You Should Know Before You Go

Oh, good question, lhg. Tipping at Hong Kong cafes is uncommon, and most include a 10% service charge already. I should have mentioned that. Thanks!

Eating Soup Dumplings in Shanghai? Xiao Long Bao Are Only Half the Story

SJB are very popular in Yokohama's Chinatown and are fairly readily available in Tokyo, if that helps anyone.

F-Words of Wisdom from Pizzaiolo Chris Bianco

Couldn't agree more, Ed.

Just to be clear, I don't think there was anything remotely unusual about the interviews I did with Bianco. This is just the way he talks, and I think it's charming and funny, so I wanted to highlight it. And yes, I made it absolutely clear that I was a writer for Gourmet. The thing that struck me when I first met him last year is that aside from being a great pizza maker, this guy is a world-class character, and I'd never seen that highlighted. Which is weird, because most reporters love pizza, love eccentric characters, and curse a lot.

This was not a "David Chang move" for Bianco. It's just Bianco. He's not going to swear at people who come to his restaurant; he's just going to make them life-changing pizza.

Cooking with Kids: Toy Doner Kebab

lagomorph, you raise a good point, and I am not qualified to say whether this is a doner kebab or a gyro, since I have not tasted it.

Cooking With Kids: Food Pyramid for Preschoolers

Yeah, a lot of stuff on the site is reasonable. Not the part about low-fat cheese, though.

Cooking With Kids: Food Pyramid for Preschoolers

"Anyway, Matthew, I do agree with them that it's an important time for establishing food habits--it sounds like you do yourself, because you're reinforcing the habit that food is something to be enjoyed."

That's not what they mean, Wendy. They mean that taste preferences harden during this time like yesterday's Play-Doh. It's absurd.

delilah, I know a lot of adventurous eaters who grew up eating crap. That doesn't make your argument wrong, since you did say "usually," but I'm skeptical.

Cooking with Kids: Bacon Doughnuts

mcmvoices, I use lard for all sorts of things. Pie and Cornish pasty crusts, flour tortillas, refried beans, stir-frying. It really does make the flakiest crusts, although beef suet is also great.

Cooking with Kids: Bacon Doughnuts

Thanks, folks. I buy organic pork leaf fat from Skagit River Ranch at my local farmers market, and I render it at home. If you have an organic pork producer in your area (you probably do), they should be able to supply you with lard. Alternatively, if you don't insist on organic, check at an Asian or Latin American grocery; both should carry fresh lard or pork fat which will be much, much better than shelf-stable lard in a box.