Return from California and Colorado

welcome back, ready to go back to being jealous of your posts! :)

Thanks Dale. It was a long trip and I'm glad to be home.

You and I have similar tastes in more than wine Larry. Yes, it was quite loud (on a Sunday evening no less) and very close quarters...we were seated in the small bistro tables that are across from the bar so my back was basically at the bar. Our tablemates were fun and we all took it in stride much like one would at a Paris bistro but it did take away from my enjoyment of the meal......Oysters and cold cracked lobster (how does Thomas Keller do lobsters that are so tender?) followed by trout with almonds and haricots vert...cheese for dessert. FYI, they served the best baguette I've ever tasted. All well done.

...and a stop for a couple hundred other people. There is a line out of the door all day long at the bakery.

Hi again Bi!!

On Thu, 27 May 2010 14:23:42 -0700 (PDT), "Bi!!"

As a follow up to my last, this URL might be interesting to you.

Thanks for the link. I'm goign to attempt it next weekend. The lobster at the Keller restaurants is outstandingly tender without being mushy and it has a deep sweet lobster flavor. I am usually not a lobster fan, I find the tail meat to be tough and stringy if not cooked perfectly and the tails and claws cook at different rates when steamed or boiled.

I'm borrowing a sous vide immersion bath machine from a chef friend of mine. The time and temp are automatically regulated. He paid about $600 for the machine for home use and it's the size of a home countertop fryer.

I like Batard Montrachet with broiled lobster. To me there is a smoky, earthy quality to Batard that goes well with the slightly grilled flavor of broiled fish/shellfish. I also think that the intense citrus and butter flavors of Batard match well with lobster.

I'd go for a Meursault Genevrieres any day especially with steamed or boiled lobster....especially those lovely Bleu's from France.

That would depend on the power of the heater. Generally, you need PID only when the power of the heater is such, that overshoots are likely, and you want to avoid that. If the heater is relatively weak, I don't see why a thermostat won't do. The important thing is to assure the accuracy and the sensitivity of the temperature sensor, and make sure the temperature is uniform in the entire volume (active mixing?). Then you can set the target temperature and hysteresis with good precision (I would suggest 0.1C). I'd be happy to help you set it up, if I was anywhere near you; as it is, I can provide only remote encouragement. :)