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earth2table: Where There’s Heat, There’s Fire?
September 13, 2006

Stu Stein

September 13, 2006
I met with Bargreen Ellingson Foodservice Supply & Design, who I will be working with for my kitchen design.

We talked about the overall philosophy of Terroir, the execution of my small-plates menu, how I want the kitchen to flow and of course, my budget.

Each station needs to have access to both a heat source and cold-holding space, regardless of their location in the kitchen. To do this, I have to think outside the box and not necessarily identify each station by classic “French brigade” terms. After doing some research on the subject, I’ve decided to incorporate an induction burner or two into the overall design.

Individual induction burners have the advantage of being flexible with highly controllable power. They are easily moved throughout the kitchen, give off little heat and fit into my sustainability requirements as they are extremely energy efficient. For pans, they do require magnetic-based materials such as steel, cast-iron or other combinations of metals that will react with the magnetic field. I don’t really see that as a problem

According to one manufacturer’s Web site, 90% of every dollar spent on energy for induction cooking goes right into the pan, while cooking with gas delivers only 55% to the pan and traditional electric ranges, about 65%. In addition, when pans are removed from induction-cooking surfaces, the cooktops go into standby mode, using almost no energy. Incapable of producing heat on their own, induction cooktops only generate the magnetic fields that cause pans to heat when the pans are placed on top.

Chef-owner Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago did a great deal of research on different producers when choosing his induction equipment. The company Achatz chose has a product that allows you to set an exact cooking temperature in degrees. You can place a pot on the induction burner and in the immortal words of master pitchman Ron Popeil, “Set it and forget it.” Or, I can use the induction burner to temper different chocolates at the exact, proper temperatures.

On my nightstand:

• “The Omnivore's Dilemma” (Penguin Press, 2006)

• “The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine” (Gotham Books, 2005)

• ”Jim Cramer’s Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World” (Simon & Schuster, 2005)--I am opening a restaurant, you know, and I need all the help I can get.

• “The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin’” (HarperCollins, 1997)--Not everything is culinary-related.

• Because everything old is new again: Michel Guérard’s “Cuisine Minceur” (William Morrow and Company Inc., 1976) (originally published in French under the title “La Grande Cuisine Minceur,” (Editions Robert Laffont, S.A., 1976)

• And because everything new is new again: “Sous Vide Cuisine” (Montagud Editores, S.A., 2005, originally published under the title "La Cocina al Vacio," Montagud Editores, S.A., 2003).

Sustainable Web site of the week:

Blog for Rural America: The Center for Rural Affairs, a private, nonprofit organization, is working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities. Check out “Small Meat Processors Fight for Fairness” and “Grass Fed Beef--Credit Where Credit is Due.”

And the journey continues.

Cheers!

Stu

Posted by Stu Stein on September 13, 2006 | Comments (0)