Understanding flour

Gluten comes from protein and enables it to stretch.

High gluten flour is good for  yeast raised products like pizza dough, bread and bagles.  This is called bread flour and has up to 15% protein.
Low gluten flour good for piecrust, cookies, pastry. This called pastry or cake flour and has 7% protein levels.

keep drains flowing

kitchen

• hot water 
• liquid dish detergent and a large volume of boiling water
• Once a month, pour a cup of baking soda down each drain in your home, followed by a cup of white vinegar. Let the solution sit for about an hour, and then flush with warm water. The baking soda reacts with the vinegar to create a foam that will remove most residue from tubs, showers, and sinks.
• First, pour about ¾ of a cup of baking soda into the drain.
• Follow this up with about ½ cup of vinegar poured down the drain; immediately cover the drain with either a plug or a plate- whatever you need to do to keep everything inside the drain.
• Allow this mixture to sit inside the drain for approximately 30 minutes; don’t use the drain while you wait for the mixture to work its magic.
• When 30 minutes is up, remove the cover (or plug) and let hot water run through the pipes for a few minutes.
  
  
• bathroom

• hot water 
• 1 tablespoon table salt 1⁄4 cup of plain white vinegar, and let it sit for an hour. Then, run HOT water to clear out the all of the loosened substances from the drain. For best results do this a second time
• bleach 
• drain stick
• Once a month, pour a cup of baking soda down each drain in your home, followed by a cup of white vinegar. Let the solution sit for about an hour, and then flush with warm water. The baking soda reacts with the vinegar to create a foam that will remove most residue from tubs, showers, and sinks.
• First, pour about ¾ of a cup of baking soda into the drain.
• Follow this up with about ½ cup of vinegar poured down the drain; immediately cover the drain with either a plug or a plate- whatever you need to do to keep everything inside the drain.
• Allow this mixture to sit inside the drain for approximately 30 minutes; don’t use the drain while you wait for the mixture to work its magic.
• When 30 minutes is up, remove the cover (or plug) and let hot water run through the pipes for a few minutes.

Ratios and Temperature for Sphere Magic molecular gastronomy sphereification

122 Degrees F
10% to water

Taste in Food and Drink

A fantastic cookbook is out there called "Elements of Taste" by Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky. They go far beyond the 4 or 5 elements we all use to think of when cooking: salty, savory, sweet, sour and recently umami.  

After reading the book and starting to cook through it I found I needed some notes I can refer to and/or hang on my refrigerator so when going shopping (opening the fridge door and pantry) I can quickly reference for ideas of taste combinations and layers.

Which brings me to a question I had of Chef Ryan of Nick's Next Door in Los Gatos, California.  Having gone there for several years several times a month they dropped my favorite crab salad from the menu so I asked Ryan how they go about creating a new dish.  He said he starts with the tastes they wish to impart and then select the ingredients.  He seemed startled when he saw the expression on my face and asked "how do you do it".  I said "I open the refrigerator door..."

So I am hoping with these notes on my fridge door and using Chef Watson to whom I have just been invited to test and comment on their beta...I can use up my fridge's contents before they convert to another green sauce collection.

Taste:

1. Aroma, Mouth Taste, 
2. Texture
1. Crunch
2. Smoothness
3. Pushes Forward
1. Salty
2. Picante: Peppery
3. Sweet
4. Pull other flavors and enhance
1. Tangy
2. Vinted
3. Bulby
4. Spiced Aromatic
5. Floral Herbal
6. Funky
5. Punctuate
1. Sharp/Bitter: Stops taste
1. Watercress, almonds, spinach, beer, campari, cranberries
6. Platforms: Foundations
1. Garden
2. Meaty
3. Oceanic
4. Starchy
7. Cuisines
1. Breadings
2. Glazes
3. Spice Mixes
4. Toppings
5. Broths
6. Sauces
7. Brines
8. Pickels