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Natalie MacLean - At the World Food Media Awards in Australia, Natalie was named the World's Best Drink Writer find more wine tips and articles at www.nataliemaclean.com
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Spotting the Wine Snob
The wine snob is a rare bird. His natural habitat is marked with mature Bordeaux and Burgundy. He is best approached from a distance, lest you disturb his decanting ritual. Note the way he holds his glass at the base while swirling the wine to the top rim. See how he displays his verbal plumage in the presence of cult cabernet.
Not all wine snobs are alike; there are several subspecies. Consider borus nonshutuputus. After listening to the dinner conversation for a few minutes, he will establish territory by contradicting the next-most-knowledgeable person present. When nosing the wine, he will scent not only the region and winery, but also what the vintner and his wife were arguing about on the day the grapes were harvested.
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Borus technotalkatus is a related species, but note the difference in vocabulary. Just as mating calls distinguish many bird species, technotalkatus emits at regular intervals sounds such as "malolactic fermentation," "carbonic masceration" and "light carbonation."
Collectorosa completeca owns every great bottle from every great vintage. His most frequently heard call is, "I own that wine too." Any reference to France will cause him to pounce on the opportunity of telling his château story, including the nickname of the winemaker. Do not get excited if you're invited to his home: his wines are purely for display, and will not be consumed in his lifetime. |
Finally there's healthus maniacutus, who doesn't necessarily like wine but takes it as medicine. Instead of a vintage chart, he keeps a list of various wines' resveratrol levels in his breast pocket. He's recalculated his expected lifespan based on his reduced risk of heart disease from drinking 1.5 glasses of wine daily. His favourite book is The French Paradox. If you suddenly encounter any of these wine snobs at close range, retreat slowly to the beer cooler—they will not follow you there. Regroup and go in again with a few all-purpose adjectives such as "backward," "meaty" and "barnyard"; and some bon mots that hint at your world citizenship, such as "formidable" and "pas mal."
(Be sure to say them with the right amount of nonchalance.) Let your listeners know that it causes you great personal pain to drink white zinfandel, the equivalent of an industrial pre-mix solution.
Much status can be gained from referring to your palate as though it were a protected archeological site—distinguishing between the forward, middle and back grids. This seriousness should be carried over to the restaurant wine list, which you can analyze like a Talmudic scholar poring over the sacred texts.
But be kind. Wine snobs are not only rare birds, they are also an endangered species. They are aesthetically assaulted by bladder boxes; systematically shocked by provincials who know nothing about terroir. Increasingly, they stay in their lair rather than venturing out into the open fields of social groupings, where they have become an easy target. |
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The American Culinary Federation, Inc.
Certification Practical Testing Facility
Train-the-Trainer Workshop
Train the Trainers Workshops for 2006
October 1-2 Houston, Texas
November 4-5 Medford, Oregon
As the culinary industry grows, the American Culinary Federation remains the
leader in industry certification and professional growth for the culinarians, with a
national network of practical testing facilities. The ACF is seeking to expand the
number of top facilities across the nation to serve as approved Practical Test
Sites for the certification process, as well as grow the many schools, hotels and
clubs across the U.S. already peripherally involved in our certification practical
testing network.
The Train the Trainer mission is to populate our network with suitably trained
evaluators, particularly in the more rural areas; to provide a venue for new
evaluators to gain the mandated experience and interact with those more
seasoned; and to create a network of test sites across the country for candidates.
The process is a minimum of two days. Session times are from 9 till noon, and
1:30 to 5 p.m.
Evaluator’s Seminar
The intensive evaluator seminar on the first day will cover:
• Evaluation philosophies
• Cooking standards required by the exam
• Logistical planning
• Review of the scoring system
• Required competencies as it relates to the exams at each level
• Evaluator’s roundtable
The facility will need to provide lecture space for a maximum of 50 people, and a
LCD projector. All day beverage service is requested at cost to include coffee,
soda, and ice water.
Certification Practical Testing-on-Site
Day two, and potentially day three, will be scheduled to execute practical testing
of registered candidates.
The following are items required from the host facility for the practical exam
testing:
• Cooking stations for 8 simultaneous candidates
• A listing of small equipment which is available for use by the
candidates, including pots and pans
• Persons (apprentices or employees) to clean stations, wash dishes
and be available to help candidates locate needs during the exam
• It is preferred that the host facility can provide stocks and order
groceries for each of the candidates and bill them. If this is not
possible, it is expected that each candidate must provide their own
groceries. In this case the host will provide a list of suitable convenient
sources where the candidate can purchase their needs. Storage for
foods and kitchen space for making stock should be available on the
day prior to testing
• The facility should provide a listing of convenient accommodations for
overnight attendees
The ACF national office will promote the training opportunity to its local chapters
in the surrounding area. Potential attendees include current and future
evaluators, chapter leaders and certification chairs.
The ACF will also advertise the practical testing opportunity to potential
certification candidates.
In addition, this is a great opportunity for culinarians in your area to be tested.
Culinarian Candidates for the practical exam will be charged a $100 fee (made
payable to ACF) to be tested, this fee includes only the testing space during the
session. All other expenses will be the sole responsibility of the candidate being
tested.
All attendees, trainers as well as candidates for the exam, must register with the
ACF national office.
ACF will provide
• Brad Barnes, CMC, CCA, AAC, the ACF National Certification Chair as
the on-site workshop director. Chef Barnes’ expenses will be fully covered
by ACF
• Email notification to all chapters, evaluators, CMCs and Judges in the
vicinity of the TTT program
• All paperwork for the exam
• Candidate applications
• Management of reservations for the session
• Liaison and support for the host as needed
Please complete the attached application to host a Train-the-Trainer workshop
and submit it to ACF.
For more information, contact:
American Culinary Federation, Inc., Attn: Certification Coordinator
180 Center Place Way
St. Augustine, FL 32095
800.624.9458, Fax: 904.825.4758
Email: certify@acfchefs.net
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Keep Food and Water Safe after a Natural Disaster or Power Outage
Food may not be safe to eat during and after an emergency. Safe water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene includes bottled, boiled, or treated water. Your state or local health department can make specific recommendations for boiling or treating water in your area.
Food
Identify and throw away food that may not be safe to eat.
- Throw away food that may have come in contact with flood or storm water.
- Throw away food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture.
- Throw away perishable foods (including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers) that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for 2 hours or more.
- Thawed food that contains ice crystals or is 40 degree F or below can be refrozen or cooked.
- Throw away canned foods that are bulging, opened, or damaged.
- Food containers with screw-caps, snap-lids, crimped caps (soda pop bottles), twist caps, flip tops, snap-open, and home canned foods should be discarded if they have come into contact with floodwater because they cannot be disinfected.
- If cans have come in contact with floodwater or storm water, remove the labels, wash the cans, and dip them in a solution of 1 cup of bleach in 5 gallons of water. Relabel the cans with a marker.
- Do not use contaminated water to wash dishes, brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, wash your hands, make ice, or make baby formula.
Store food safely.
- While the power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
- Add block ice or dry ice to your refrigerator if the electricity is expected to be off longer than 4 hours. Wear heavy gloves when handling ice.
Feeding Infants and Young Children
- Breastfed infants should continue breastfeeding. For formula-fed infants, use ready-to-feed formula if possible. If using ready-to-feed formula is not possible, it is best to use bottled water to prepare powdered or concentrated formula. If bottled water is not available, use boiled water. Use treated water to prepare formula only if you do not have bottled or boiled water.
- If you prepare formula with boiled water, let the formula cool sufficiently before giving it to an infant.
- Clean feeding bottles and nipples with bottled, boiled, or treated water before each use.
- Wash your hands before preparing formula and before feeding an infant. You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer for washing your hands if the water supply is limited
Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces.
CDC recommends discarding wooden cutting boards, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers . These items cannot be properly sanitized if they have come into contact with contaminated flood waters. Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces in a four-step process:
- Wash with soap and warm , clean water.
- Rinse with clean water.
- Sanitize by immersing for 1 minute in a solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach (5.25%, unscented) per gallon of clean water.
- Allow to air dry.
Water
Water may not be safe to drink, clean with, or bathe in after an emergency such as a hurricane or flood. During and after a disaster, water can become contaminated with microorganisms, such as bacteria, sewage, agricultural or industrial waste, chemicals, and other substances that can cause illness or death. This fact sheet offers the following guidance to help you make sure water is safe to use:
- Listen to and follow public announcements. Local authorities will tell you if tap water is safe to drink or to use for cooking or bathing. If the water is not safe to use, follow local instructions to use bottled water or to boil or disinfect water for cooking, cleaning, or bathing.
- Use only bottled, boiled, or treated water for drinking (however, see guidance in the Food section for infants), cooking or preparing food, washing dishes, cleaning, brushing your teeth, washing your hands, making ice, and bathing until your water supply is tested and found safe. If your water supply is limited, you can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer for washing your hands.
- If you use bottled water, be sure it came from a safe source. If you do not know that the water came from a safe source, you should boil or treat it before you use it.
- Boiling water, when practical, is the preferred way to kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Bringing water to a rolling boil for 1 minute will kill most organisms. Boiling will not remove chemical contaminants. If you suspect or are informed that water is contaminated with chemicals, seek another source of water, such as bottled water.
- If you can't boil water, you can treat water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or unscented household chlorine bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite). If you use chlorine tablets or iodine tablets, follow the directions that come with the tablets. If you use household chlorine bleach, add 1/8 teaspoon (~0.75 milliliter [mL]) of bleach per gallon of water if the water is clear. For cloudy water, add 1/4 teaspoon (~1.50 mL) of bleach per gallon. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for about 30 minutes before using it. Treating water with chlorine tablets, iodine tablets, or liquid bleach will not kill many parasitic organisms. Boiling is the best way to kill these organisms.
- Do not rely on water disinfection methods or devices that have not been recommended or approved by local health authorities. Contact your local health department for advice about water treatment products that are being advertised.
- Use water storage tanks and other types of containers with caution. For example, fire truck storage tanks and previously used cans or bottles may be contaminated with microbes or chemicals. Water containers should be thoroughly cleaned, then rinsed with a bleach solution before use.
- Clean surfaces thoroughly with soap and water, then rinse.
- For gallon- or liter-sized containers, add approximately 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) household bleach (5.25%) with 1 cup (240 mL) water to make a bleach solution.
- Cover the container and agitate the bleach solution thoroughly, allowing it to contact all inside surfaces. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse with potable water.
- Flooded, private water wells will need to be tested and disinfected after flood waters recede. If you suspect that your well may be contaminated, contact your local or state health department or agriculture extension agent for specific advice. See Disinfecting Wells After an Emergency for general instructions.
- Practice basic hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and bottled water or water that has been boiled or disinfected. Wash your hands before preparing food or eating, after toilet use, after participating in clean-up activities, and after handling articles contaminated with floodwater or sewage. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to wash your hands if you have a limited supply of clean water.
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Book Review
The Culinary Institute of America introduces
The Professional Chef 8th Edition
Hyde Park, NY, September 5, 2006 – Named one of the five favorite culinary books of this decade by Food Arts magazine, The Culinary Institute of America's The Professional Chef is the gold standard of culinary text books and a mastery of complete knowledge. The Professional Chef 8th Edition is thoroughly revised and expanded for the modern kitchen—freshly peppered with contemporary methods and ingredients and fully stocked with step-by-step instructions and essential techniques. For the serious professional and dedicated home cook, The Professional Chef is the book to reference and replenish.
Including essential information on nutrition, food and kitchen safety, and tools and ingredients, The Professional Chef explores techniques for the full range of food items from vegetables to poultry, meats to grains, soups to sauces, cakes to quickbreads and custards to confections. With a good understanding of cooking techniques, the reader will then learn plating techniques for salads, sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, entrees, and desserts.
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Offering an entirely new section on world cuisine, The Professional Chef features a thoroughly visual orientation with charts, illustrations, maps of all regions and four-color photographs of commonly used ingredients. The Professional Chef creates a confident familiarity with each world cuisine, enabling cooks to intelligently incorporate new flavors, traditions, and techniques into their own rhythms.
As Eric Ripert, Chef at Le Bernardin in New York City observes, "The newest edition of The Professional Chef is truly an amazing book of technique. The addition of World Cuisines is a wonderful way of introducing culinary traditions from far away regions to the aspiring students, professionals, and even home cooks enchanted by The Culinary Institute of America. Without a doubt, a true inspiration for all."
The Professional Chef features 650 all-new four-color photographs of fresh ingredients, step-by-step techniques, and plated dishes by award-winning photographer Ben Fink and over 640 recipes with contemporary variations, including 130 basic recipe formulas illustrating fundamental techniques that guide cooks through every essential step, from mise en place to finished dishes.
The Professional Chef 8th Edition is globally considerate, methodically revised, entirely accessible and utterly indispensable to serious cooks. So long a pillar in the culinary community, the CIA's bible of cooking has a place on the shelf of any studious collection. Why not make yours a ProChef Kitchen?
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