My Bad Randy Mans just made me get onto the compooter and talk. I like compooters. They have wires and strings and mice and stuff. What they don’t have is my Chevey. I am looking for him and miss him. Whenever I hear something, I go to a door and look for him. Where is he? I’m very sad.
Goodbye, my dear, sweet Chevey-boy. You went to sleep today while I held and kissed you. You are no longer in pain and, if there is kitty-heaven, you can jump high and chase belled feather toys forever. And should we meet again, you can roll on the floor and bonk your head in greeting, and we can play another game of peek-a-boo – and you will win, as always. The joy of having had you in my life will soon relieve the deep sadness I now feel for having lost you. Sleep well, my sweet, sweet boy.
And pain should keep me from my sleep, Then you must do what must be done, For this last battle cannot be won.
You will be sad, I understand. Don’t let your grief then stay your hand. For this day, more than all the rest, Your love for me must stand the test.
We’ve had so many happy years. What is to come can hold no fears. You’d not want me to suffer so; The time has come — please let me go.
Take me where my need they’ll tend, And please stay with me till the end. Hold me firm and speak to me, Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time that you will see The kindness that you did for me. Although my tail its last has waved, From pain and suffering I’ve been saved.
Please do not grieve — it must be you Who had this painful thing to do. We’ve been so close, we two, these years; Don’t let your heart hold back its tears.
Well, enough cob-webs – although Kira might like them because spiders are wriggly and tasty. I’ve updated the website to WordPress 3.8.1 from FrontPage …uh… I dunno what version but it’s OLD. My company is making me do this so we can test out stuff before it goes live, so that’s ok with me. And this way, Kris can blog here too without waiting for me to take the changes via email, turn on the old XP machine with FrontPage on it, put it into FrontPage, hit the publish button, and hope it all works. Besides, support for FrontPage goes away soon, so we’d be in trouble. And with that… a la cuisine!
If you think the Double Cooking Matrix was good info, we’re now using triple cooking techniques. Flavours are so way off the chart it’s not funny, and let me tell you, restaurants have become boring. I’ve yet to figure out how to best show this chart, but I will get there. Wish me luck.
This space is where I get to talk about my own stuff. My dad may edit it, but it’s mine, all mine, so be afraid.
June 5th, 2007
Now that Heck’s Kitchen is up fully, I’ve decided to go back into frequent blogging. I made a dinner in the training kitchen, which consisted of broccoli soup, two sauce chicken, and noodle rice. The noodle rice was good fresh. A good holiday recipe in the winter. I’m hoping for Heck’s Kitchen Burritos tonight, but that a hope, we are probably having sushi. I aslo have to deal with the Intern’s Birthday tomorrow, but what the Heck.
April 16th, 2007
This weekend was full of Heck’s Kitchen goodness. While I was just the camera man for Project Sushi (Rhys’ Assignment), I was the spearhead in the kitchen for Sunday night’s dinner. That consisted of egg-fried rice done in Head Chef Randall’s wok (boy did Dad have fun with that) Chicken two ways, and Assistant Kris’ green beans. Great success. Thanks for all your help, Dad.
March 25th, 2007
Our first big dinner in a long time had me and dad running around the kitchen like idiots for the most part, but the end product was well worth it. Personally, the sauce for the tuna could use some work, but otherwise, the meal was great. We must have done well, because we got someone who hates tuna to swallow the appetizers whole. Great job dad. That’s all for now, cause I’ve got some cheesecake to steal. I mean…Uh…Check my e-mail…Yeah, that’s it….
March 21st, 2007
Last night was the first true meal in Heck’s Kitchen and I can attest that it was amazing. The fried rice was delicious. The meal was well worth it, even with me having to hang behind the stove to retrieve a pepper shaker which Chef Randy dropped.I also complete my first dinner service away from home, with the assistance of my grandmother. I can say that I am totally ready for the gala.Cheveyo keeps trying to eat me. He licked me earlier in the kitchen, and I guess I tasted good. *shudder* That’s all for today.
March 5th, 2007
Although i have been cut off from Heck’s Kitchen this week, I have still been working hard, and have recently created the best apple crumble recipe I’ve ever had. I hope to try it out once Heck’s Kitchen is back into the running, but until then, I’d better keep practicing.I feel kind of guilty that I’m creating some cool meals away from Heck’s Kitchen, but if I am getting frowned upon for it, remember that I have no apparatus to work with in the big HK house.
February 24th, 2007
Another successful dinner in the kitchen on my own. This was, again, at my mothers house, so dad couldn’t enjoy the Chinese New Year-themed dinner. But, how would I have made it at Heck’s (Makeshift) Kitchen anyway?As soon as the Heck’s Kitchen is up and running again, the giant gala will happen, and that’s when I’m going to put my cooking skills to the test… On my friends and family, meaning there’s very little chance of criticism.To be perfectly honest, I’m a bit sick of eating out so much, especially since the main thing we go for is wings. Believe it or not, it gets tiring after a while.
The new cat is a great addition to the family. Thing is, everyone loves it so much, I don’t get to bond with it at all. (No finger pointing…DAD…)
December 2006
Well, along with the launch of the site, I also completed my first dinner alone in the kitchen. It was a rather conventional dinner, just a simple Caesar salad to start, followed by an interlude of mango sorbet. I then served my homemade thick-crust pizza. For dessert, I constructed a large fruit platter of pineapple, raspberries, and grapes. Although simple, the dinner went over quite well.I want to see how many different types of cuisine I can try before the holidays are over. I’ve got a whole week to use and I plan to make the most of it.The random color co-ordination complaints and worries about everything that isn’t directly related to cooking make absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.
Most likely the first and only Heck’s Kitchen dinner this month will be on New Year’s Eve. Personally, if any of us (including me, I am the teenager) plan to stay up, I doubt that stuffing ourselves with food at 7:00 is a good idea. My suggestion would be an easy, but not quite filling meal that we can all enjoy throughout the evening, and also we could eat smaller lighter things after dinner to help keep us up late, but that’s just my idea. Dinner should be early, say 6pm, so that we don’t fall asleep.
This table, derived from Hervé This’, Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor, pg. 310 (2006, Columbia University Press), shows our progress in experimenting. While we’re unlikely to try everything, this is a guide for inspiration when all else fails.
I’m still building the chart, so it’s by no means complete.
First Cooking Method
Technique
Contact with Solid
Simmer-ing Water
Boiling Water
Warm, Dry Air
Hot, Dry Air
Humid Air
Oil
Infra-red
Micro-wave
Acid-ifica-tion
Contact with Solid
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Simmering Water
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Boiling Water
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Warm, Dry Air
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Hot, Dry Air
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
Humid Air
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
Oil
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
Infrared
71
72
73
74
75
67
77
78
79
80
Microwave
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
Acidification
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
In the above table:
green means the combination is in regular use in our kitchen;
red means that the combination has been tried without success;
grey means that the combination has not been explored;
yellow means that the combination has been tried with moderate success but is not a part of normal use
white means that the combination is being planned
No matter what, the experiments are a whole lot of fun, and everyone wins.
This is twist on and a re-creation of Kris’ mom’s second day corn, served when Kris was a kid.
4
ears of corn, with husks
water
4 tablespoons
butter
½ teaspoon
sea salt
¼ teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
1
Soak the corn, with husks on, for 30 minutes.
2
Preheat a grill to 200°C (400°F).
3
Grill the corn, with husks, for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove and let stand 15 minutes. Remove the husks and threads from the corn.
4
With a sharp knife, cut the kernels from the cobs and place in medium non-stick pan.
5
Add the butter, salt, and pepper to the kernels in the pan, and sauté for 4 minutes, over a medium high heat. Serve immediately.
Servings: 4
Yield: four half cups of kernels
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Cooking Tips
The butter should be at room temperature or softened. If using margarine, you can use it as is from the refrigerator.
The corn can be grilled a day in advance. Husk the corn after grilling and place in a freezer bag in the refrigerator.
Reviews
Pretty close to what I remember! It took dental surgery to remind me of one of my favourite dishes. – Kris 02/07/2007
Recipe Source
Author: Randall S. BeckerSource: Heck’s KitchenThis recipe is one of the first really successful attempts at applied Molecular Gastronomy. It uses two cooking techniques: 1. wet steaming cooking over a fire, which does the initial cooking of the kernels, picking up the flavours of the cob and charring of the husks for a smoky taste; and 2. an oil fry in butter to generate a Maillard reaction to caramelize of the outsides of the kernels.
This is a big warning. Not all lecithin is the same. Health food stores carry some interesting 97% pure soy lecithin. We’re not sure what the remaining 3% is, but you’re pretty much guaranteed that it’s not going to taste very good. The last bit we got hold of smelled like damp chicken feed, which, unfortunately for us, is what we use for kitty litter, and that is not particularly appetizing, to say the least.
Since the previous report, a number of manufacturers are advertising Soy Lecithin with a nutty flavour. Clearly, it’s no longer considered flavour neutral.
"What is this place, a restaurant? Am I in Hell? No, I'm in Heck!"
Goodbye, my dear, sweet Chevey-boy. You went to sleep today while I held and kissed you. You are no longer in pain and, if there is kitty-heaven, you can jump high and chase belled feather toys forever. And should we meet again, you can roll on the floor and bonk your head in greeting, and we can play another game of peek-a-boo – and you will win, as always. The joy of having had you in my life will soon relieve the deep sadness I now feel for having lost you. Sleep well, my sweet, sweet boy.
I’m still building the chart, so it’s by no means complete.