We’re Back!

A new day, a new design. Hi, everybody. I’m Tim and I do design here at ChefSteps. I took a couple days to clean up the blog design over here so figured I’d might as well throw a new post up as well. As you can probably tell, we’ve been working on a lot of new things over on the main ChefSteps.com site as well over the past few weeks: features, designs, and improvements. We are stoked and ready to go, we have a ton more stuff we’d like to roll out soon!

We’ve been doing a lot of experiments on the website, and we’ll be doing more to test and see what you guys find most helpful (Also, please tell us!). If you have any questions, comments, or general feedback about the website, we’d love to hear it. In the meantime, enjoy the minimalist quiet of our new blog design!

We like to go around and whisper chefsteps! every once in a while; it’s really fun to say and I think it’s a great way to inception ourselves into the public. Try it! Go ahead, I’ll wait.

See?

One last thing: We have a t-shirt! We’re selling it at teespring.com/chefsteps and are so close to our goal! It ends tomorrow, so please spread the word! Thanks!

ChefSteps Forum | Cook Something Liquid from Something Solid

Grant Crilly’s Culinary Challenge 8 on the ChefSteps forum last week instructed participants to create a savory or sweet liquid dish (soups, shooters, cocktails, desserts, etc.) from one that is normally solid. Forum members were encouraged to use sous vide infusions, blenders, strainers, centrifuges, or any other clarification techniques that they could think of. We had some great posts describing the process behind developing some of the dishes, which is one of our favorite aspects of sharing information on our forum.

Grant, Chris and Ryan each picked their favorite dishes to feature on our Pinterest board.

Grant Crilly: My favorite entry this week was Johan Edstrom’s Asparagus Soup. I loved the agar filtration technique and the subtle marketing message that he included in the photo. Nice!

aparagus-infusion-Johan-Edstrom-Chefsteps

Chris Young: I chose new forum member Maria’s Har Gao/Xiao Long Baos. I am passionate about XLB and hope that Maria will continue experimenting with additional versions of the dish. I also want to give an honorable mention to Tim Sutherland for his great backstory on the Curdled Chunky Warm Fish Head Milkshake.

xiaolongbaos-maria-chefsteps
Ryan Matthew Smith: I picked Brian Douglas’ Scotch Eggs as my favorite this week. The vibrant color of the Sriracha really pops against the egg yolk.

sous-vide-Scotch-eggs-Brian-Douglas-ChefSteps

We are retooling the Culinary Challenge within the next few days and will make an announcement with the new format and schedule on the forum as soon as possible.

As always, we’re thrilled to have new members joining the forum and participating in the challenges. Please share with your interested friends, as we extend our culinary community.

Cheers,
Grant, Chris, Ryan, and the rest of the ChefSteps team

ChefSteps Forum | Cooking with Coffee

Grant Crilly issued Culinary Challenge 7 last week on the ChefSteps forum. The objective was to prepare a dish—savory or sweet—utilizing sous vide techniques and coffee.

Grant, Chris and Ryan each picked their favorite dish to feature on our Pinterest board.

Grant Crilly: My favorite entry this week was Brian Douglas’ Sous Vide Coffee Panna Cotta. It was a great use of 4 simple components.I also appreciated that he originally tackled a blown sugar technique. Way to go, Brian!

 

Chris Young: New forum members Tim Sutherland and Andrew E both did really great work this week. I voted for Tim’s Coffee and Cigarette because of the extensive sharing he did of his entire development process. We’d love to see more of this kind of open source collaboration. Nicely done, Tim!

 

Ryan Matthew Smith: My pick this week is Andrew E’s Coffee Butter Poached Sous Vide Scallop Salad. Excellent arrangement on the plate and a great perspective on the the shot, plus it looks delicious!

We’re thrilled to have new members joining the forum and participating in the challenge—looking forward to seeing new creations and processes as are your fellow forum members!

I have posted Grant Crilly’s Culinary Challenge 8 on the ChefSteps forum. This week’s challenge is to make a savory or sweet liquid dish (soups, shooters, cocktails, desserts, etc.) that is normally solid. Use sous vide infusions, blenders, strainers, centrifuges (we are using ours for sure) or any other clarification techniques that you can think of. Consider using essential oils to create clear and interesting drinks and soups. You can have multiple layers based on densities, solids as garnishes and whatever else you can dream of.

Take the challenge in your own kitchen, then share your results via the ChefSteps forum. Describe the dish you have chosen and techniques used to make it. Describe where your idea or inspiration came from and what your plan of attack was, and finally, post your pictures.

The top 3 picks (sometimes we have a tie) will have the photos of their dishes posted on the ChefSteps Pinterest board. Please have your entry posted by Sunday. Good luck!

Cheers,
Grant, Chris, Ryan, and the rest of the ChefSteps team

ChefSteps Forum | Almost Like Grandma Used to Make

We asked Johan Edstrom, one of our most prolific forum members, to issue last week’s Culinary Challenge 6 on the ChefSteps forum. The objective was to cook something that your grandmother would have cooked and give it an update. Use new tools and techniques, juxtapose something old with something new, or simply plate your grandmother’s cooking in a contemporary way.

Johan, Chris and Grant each picked their favorite dish to feature on our Pinterest board.

Johan Edstrom: My favorite entry this week was Chris Koller’s Succotash. I liked the plate, the colors, and I wanted to eat it right away.

 

Chris Young: I chose Joshua Sharp’s modernist take on Salisbury Steak. It was a great nostalgic food idea, and it looks well executed.

Grant Crilly: My fave was Brian Douglas’ Better than Nintendo Cake. I cracked up at the story of the “Better than Nintendo Cake” name and it’s something that I haven’t seen before.

If you’re new to the forum and you haven’t participated in one of the culinary challenges, please join in this week. We’re eager to see your creations and so are your fellow forum members!

Grant has posted Culinary Challenge 7 on the ChefSteps forum. This week’s challenge is Something Coffee. Prepare a dish — savory or sweet — utilizing sous vide techniques and coffee. For example, consider using coffee for an infusion, broth, rub, smoking media, or a textural component. Your idea can be coffee anything!

Take the challenge in your own kitchen, then share your results via the ChefSteps forum. Describe the dish you have chosen and techniques used to make it. Describe where your idea or inspiration came from and what your plan of attack was, and finally, post your pictures.

The top 3 picks (sometimes we have a tie) will have the photos of their dishes posted on the ChefSteps Pinterest board. Please have your entry posted by Sunday. We’re looking forward to being heavily caffeinated (as usual) while we enjoy your entries.

Cheers,
Grant, Chris, Ryan, and the rest of the ChefSteps team.

Puff the Magic Sorbet Dragon

Although we’re passionate about making modernist cooking techniques more accessible and relevant to home cooks, we also like to pull out all the stops and have some fun once in a while.

Here’s our recipe for Aerated Green Apple Sorbet:

We know this recipe calls for a vacuum chamber sealer and plenty of liquid nitrogen, which aren’t commonplace kitchen tools or ingredients, but even if it isn’t something you’ll actually do at home, we hope you’ll enjoy learning about how we prepare this dish. If you do have the means to prepare this recipe, the sorbet is sure to surprise guests both visually and texturally. It’s one of Grant Crilly’s favorites and can be adapted to a grape, wine, whiskey or pretty much whatever you can think of version. It is a very versatile dish. Besides, who doesn’t want to puff out a little dragon smoke like our friend, Tim Ferriss?

Tim-Ferris-enjoying-aerated-sorbet-ChefSteps

Enjoy!
Chris Young, Grant Crilly, and Ryan Matthew Smith

Disclaimer: Liquid nitrogen is very dangerous. Use at your own risk or with a trained professional.

ChefSteps Forum | Around the World in 8 Days

Chris Young issued last week’s Culinary Challenge 5 on the ChefSteps forum. The objective was to embrace the spirit of being a novice by trying to cook another culture’s cuisine using both traditional and modernist techniques.

Our forum members took up the challenge to push their skills and posted some compelling dishes. Chris, Grant and Ryan each picked their favorite dish to feature on our Pinterest board.

Chris Young: My favorite entry this week is Chris Koller’s Spanakopita with Homemade Sous Vide Tzatziki. I wouldn’t have thought of doing a Greek entry and now that I’ve seen it, I think it’s brilliant. Looks absolutely delicious; contemporary and nostalgic at the same time. Well done, Chris!

Grant Crilly: I also chose Chris Koller’s Spanakopita. That sh*t looks bomb! Super beautiful filo, as a chef I like the way he pulled from existing tried and true recipes so he could focus on his newer technique alone. Smart. It rarely works out to try ten new things at once. it’s very difficult to learn that way. One focused step at a time is the way to go!

 

Ryan Matthew Smith: I chose Brian Douglas’ Groudnut Porridge with Plum and Kashata this week. I like his composition and clean presentation, plus it looks delicious.

We were all really impressed with the dishes that were submitted. Honorable mentions go out to Nor’Eastern for taking on the challenge of spherification with Soy Caviar and to Jim for making us drool with his Sous Vide Octopus Salad.

Chris Young has posted Culinary Challenge 6 on the ChefSteps forum. This week’s challenge was offered up by Johan Edstrom, one of our most active forum members. The objective is to cook something that your grandmother would have cooked, but give it an update. Take advantage of new tools and techniques, juxtapose something old with something new, or simply plate your grandmother’s cooking in a contemporary way. Johan will be choosing one of the top three posts this week along with the usual suspects at ChefSteps.

Take the challenge in your own kitchen, then share your results via the ChefSteps forum. Describe the dish you have chosen and techniques used to make it. Describe where your idea or inspiration came from and what your plan of attack was, and finally, post your pictures.

The top 3 picks (sometimes we have a tie) will get their photos posted on ChefSteps’ Pinterest board. Please have your entry posted by Sunday. We’re looking forward to seeing some updated blasts from the past!

Cheers,
Grant, Chris, Ryan, and the rest of the ChefSteps team.

Holidays Got You Down? Cheer Up With A Little Red Wine!

It’s that time of year again…you’re desperate to find the perfect way to express your appreciation to those influential people in your life. What gesture will really pay tribute to the courageous, caring individuals whose ideals keep you going day after day?

We are talking about Presidents’ Day, right?

Well, whether it’s Presidents’ Day or that other holiday with all the hearts and chocolates floating around, you can impress your loved ones and pay tribute (use some gorgeous Washington state pears) by making this recipe for Red Wine Poached Pear.

Happy Valentine’s and Presidents’ Day from
Chris, Grant, Ryan and the rest of the ChefSteps team.

 

Michael Natkin Codes and Cooks | Gigandes Beans with Romesco in Saffron Broth

While many of our chefs were traveling last week, Michael Natkin, our lead developer stepped in. Many know him from his Herbivoracious blog and we’ve had a voracious appetite to get him in the kitchen to produce a step-by-step recipe for you. We thought this would be a perfect time to show off this multi-talented guy, so here is Michael’s recipe for Gigandes Beans with Romesco in Saffron Broth.

Gigande Beans with Romesco in Saffron BrothThe recipe has several steps, so we broke it down. You can prepare each part separately and then reheat and assemble with excellent results.

1. Prepare the gigandes beans. Alternatively, you can use jarred pre-cooked gigandes. You can also substitute a different large bean if you so desire.

  • Pick through the dried beans for any extraneous material. Rinse well.
  • Soak overnight, optionally in a vacuum bag with 450 grams water.
  • Repack with 1000 grams fresh water. Do not seal bag.
  • Cook sous vide at 90 °C, securely hanging the bag over the rim of the cooking vessel. After 90 minutes, start testing a bean every fifteen minutes until tender.
  • Drain and chill beans.

2. Michael prepares the potatoes and leeks:

 

2. Next up, Michael concocts the wonderful Catalan sauce, romesco, made from roasted (by blowtorch) red peppers, tomatoes, roasted garlic and toasted nuts:

 

3. Now to make the delicious saffron broth:

 

4. The last step before serving, here’s Michael assembling the final dish:

 

Cheers to Michael
and many thanks from
Chris Young, Grant Crilly, Ryan Matthew Smith and the rest of the ChefSteps team!

ChefSteps Forum | We Do Like Greens, Eggs and Ham

Ben Johnson, development chef extraordinaire, issued the Culinary Challenge 4 on our forum last week. The objective was to use sous vide and other modernist techniques to recreate and update a dish from your childhood that you despised.

There were some really creative dishes posted and some great stories regarding childhood food preferences. Ben, Chris, and Ryan each picked their favorite dish to feature on our Pinterest board.

Ben Johnson: My favorite entry is Brian Douglas’ Prunesco Sauce with Cod and Vegetables. I like the cleanliness of the plate and his think outside the box approach. I also like that he used a different technique, i.e. blowtorching.

 

Chris Young: My pick of the week is Nor’Eastern’s Microwaved Rind of Brie. Ingenious and something I haven’t seen before.

 

Ryan Matthew Smith: I chose Chris Koller’s Edible Dirt Salad this week. Nice use of depth of field in the photo and beautiful presentation overall!

 

Chris Young has posted Culinary Challenge 5 on the ChefSteps forum. This week’s challenge is to try to cook another culture’s cuisine, but do it as a mash-up of the traditional with the modernist.

Take the challenge in your own kitchen, then share your results via the ChefSteps forum. Describe the dish you have chosen and techniques used to make it. Describe where your idea or inspiration came from and what your plan of attack was, and finally, post your pictures.

The top 3 posts will get their photos posted on ChefSteps’ Pinterest board. Please have your entry posted by Sunday. We look forward to seeing what you all come up with!

Cheers,
Grant, Chris, Ryan, and the rest of the ChefSteps team.

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