Cooking with AH2: for the fat ****** and meat lovers alike!

oli collett · 21 Sep 2009 at 13:47

seek said:
Sounds like you didn't steam them for long enough. Use maris pipers and steam them for 25 minutes. They should be breaking up nearly to the point of mashed potato! (these make the best chips). And for best results, before you fry them blanche them for 10 minutes.

But then why bother steaming them instead of boiling? I don't see the advantage, and I'm sure in all heston's recipes it specifies boiling/simmering water.

Van Hellseek · 21 Sep 2009 at 13:49

Well if you're following his advice and getting bad results...

Le_Petit_Lapin · 21 Sep 2009 at 13:55

I don't think I'd have the dicipline to leave meat in the oven for 24 hours, and not get the urge to cut a chunk off, fry it and nibble.

Morgoth · 21 Sep 2009 at 13:57

AcidHell2 said:
The starter
Finely shred the steaks removing any gristle or fat (I suck those bits in a sandwich).

I lol'd. The plate looks a bit sparse on the chips front.

Glaucus · 21 Sep 2009 at 13:58

Morgoth said:
I lol'd. The plate looks a bit sparse on the chips front.

bowl of them on the table.

Raymond Lin · 21 Sep 2009 at 14:02

I'd like to try it once but that is a LOT of work for some beef !

oli collett · 21 Sep 2009 at 14:04

seek said:
Well if you're following his advice and getting bad results...

I think you miss-read what I posted..

The problem I originally had was that in his recipe it said to simmer until softened or something similar which didn't seem to produce a crispy result. I then changed to simmering/boiling until breaking point which produced much better results with a really crispy outside and soft and fluffy in the middle.

Wizzfizz · 21 Sep 2009 at 14:35

One word, yum!

You'd make a good wife AH.

DoubleCheese · 21 Sep 2009 at 15:48

Good on you for seeing it through. But seriously, how long does it take?! And what does the starter end up as? Shredded beef with gherkin on toast??

I'm all for good tasting food and attention to detail...but 24hrs for a steak and chips!??? Am I the only one thinking this is bonkers? How much energy goes into a meal like this?

Glaucus · 21 Sep 2009 at 15:51

DoubleCheese said:
And what does the starter end up as? Shredded beef with gherkin on toast??

yes think of it like a pate.

DoubleCheese said:
I'm all for good tasting food and attention to detail...but 24hrs for a steak and chips!??? Am I the only one thinking this is bonkers? How much energy goes into a meal like this?

good food is worth waiting for, no idea on energy a lot I imagine.

oli collett · 23 Sep 2009 at 14:49

For those that care, the official line on the triple-cooked chips, from the fat duck cook book:
"Bring the water and table salt to the boil, then add the chips to the pan. Cook, simmering, until the potato almost falls apart. (Do not be tempted to cook them any less as the closer they are to falling apart, the better the final texture.)"

It also said to use 2kg potatoes/4kg water/30g salt ratio.

Glaucus · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:29

Is that from the proper fat duck recipe book? and if so how he hell you afford that? is here plenty in there you can cook at home or is there a lot of specialised equipment you need.

Rich_L · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:33

Like the potted beef, my local (Gordon Ramsey pub) does potted beef and served with gherkins and toast, is dead nice

Ah to be precise:

"Potted salt beef with apple, horseradish, gherkin and baby cress, rye toast"

oli collett · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:39

AcidHell2 said:
Is that from the proper fat duck recipe book? and if so how he hell you afford that? is here plenty in there you can cook at home or is there a lot of specialised equipment you need.

Yup - got it as a present last year - to be honest it's not that useful as a recipe book, each dish consists of at least half a dozen components that take hours to cook themselves. There are a few dishes you can create at home, but a lot require specialist equipment which makes them really difficult to produce. On the other hand it's a fantastic book in itself, really nice artwork and has a lengthy history of the restaurant itself and every single dish they've had on the menu in the last few years is in there.

I've also got the "a day at el bulli" book which is just as bad if not worse. All the dishes in that are small because they are designed for their tasting menu, yet require a similar amount of effort/crazy equipment to produce!

I should really get some more useful cookery books!

Russinating · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:50

This is an epic cooking thread

danny_mac · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:56

Now that is a proper bit of cooking!

rpstewart · 23 Sep 2009 at 17:59

DoubleCheese said:
I'm all for good tasting food and attention to detail...but 24hrs for a steak and chips!??? Am I the only one thinking this is bonkers? How much energy goes into a meal like this?

Having done it a couple of times now I can say it's well worth making the effort. It's not as if you're chained to the stove for 24hrs either, you put the meat in the oven and leave it.

Azagoth · 23 Sep 2009 at 18:02

Indeed! In fact, the hardest thing is putting up with the aroma. You go through the day with the smell of cooking beef constantly making you hungry.

gillywibble · 23 Sep 2009 at 19:14

Heaven.

uv · 23 Sep 2009 at 19:24

So that's why AH is a Man of Honour!

Good work, sir!