things id like to learn...

omshanti

Ok so ive had no formal chefs training….Im a bit daunted to take a class on raw food prep, as A) they are expensive, b) they seem dish driven and c)they are time consuming.

I learn really fast and have always(ehem) been a good cook.( that was the tooting of my won horn, sorry;) I wish to learn techniques to make my food prep for the new biz easier and expand the reportoir too. my wish list?

1)spreading techniques with an angled spatula for a more even tortilla( although my version with two peices of parchment paper and a rolling pin gets good enough results) jsut time consuming

2) sprouting or otherwise preparing that rice i see everywhere at the raw food resteraunts…It is dry at cilantros but was tender and good at Au Lac.

3)julianne-ing (i that a word) is there a machine that does this? my food processor basically grates it…ugh sio i do it by hand…

anyone have some ideas for me…i have a longer wish list but i thought id start here! teehee

Fee

You can get a ‘thing’ like a potato peeler but with extra spikes in to make julienne strips or a mandoline may have a additional nblade that does it. I have a spirooli which does good julinne strips and much quicker than doing it by hand.

Id like to be able to spread better too!

katmondu

Heh! Well, now i have a technique for spreading. What a good idea! Another thing you could try is putting a flat book or pan on top of your top layer of parchment and press down, and then finish off the job with the rolling pin.

There is a site on how to sprout rice: http://www.sproutpeople.com/seed/rice.html. From what I understand only unprocessed brown rice will sprout.

There are special disks that come with some food processors that you could use for the julienne technique but I don’t know how good of a job those do – I’ve never tried it. I just use my mandolin which comes with a blade for julienne-ing (hehe).

omshanti

thanks guys my cheapy mandolin doesnt come with a jullianne thingy….time for a real food processor i guess! ;) glad i could help with the spreading technique katmondu! teehee

KristensRaw

WILD RICE: This is how it’s done in the Raw restaurants. Buy wild rice from www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/wildrice.htm They are the best!

Then, if you have a dehydrator, place 1/2 cup inside a 1/2 gallon mason jar filled with purified water. Seal the jar. Place the jar in a dehydrator for 24 hours set at 105 degrees. Once the 24 hours are up, drain the rice (doesn’t always smell the best, not super bad or anything, but if there is a small odor, no worries). Anyway, drain the rice, maybe a light and gentle rinse, then add other ingredients to it that you wish.

Cheers! Chef Kristen Suzanne 

writeeternity

I’d love to see an automatic jullianner! People who wouldn’t normally eat vegetables will eat them if they are in little matchstick shapes. I made a salad this weekend for my parents and boyfriend that had raw zuchini in it, carrots, asparagus, beets and vidalia onions. I barely put any dressing (just a little raspberry vinegar)on it and they ate it and even asked what was in it-they could’t tell.

I’m actually getting into making no lettuce salads because my dad was told he could bleed to death because of the interaction of leafy greens and his medication! My parents seem to like them better as well. This is great news because it’s easier to make a salad ahead that lasts and hard vegetables will last possibly a week where as lettuce salad wouldn’t. The vegetables could be kept dry or could also be marinated.

We have something out here called dilly beans and I’m going to try to make those. Usually they’re “canned” but marinated would probably taste the same.

Omshanti- if you sprout the rice and make sushi let me know! I’m curious if you could do it- now that would be a big seller! Also candied orange peels would be great. I’m going to experiment with that because the orange is so good and I read it had pain reducing components in the skin that make it something I want to eat more of.Then you could dip the candied orange peels in dark cacao!

I bought cacao nibs and what a disaster! Maybe I can get them to work when I get the vitamix.

My mom said she thought the program I am considering is a great idea. She said she would pay for the cooking class starting in a couple months. I hope this works out – but I may be like Lucille Ball in the kitchin!