Ah(I) Tuna!

Another product I scrutinize is tuna. Not only the tuna I serve but the tuna everyone else serves. I enjoy good tuna and my customers have grown accustomed to quality fresh tuna. Too often when visiting other restaurants I am served a frozen tuna product that has been altered to enhance the color of the flesh. To the best of my knowledge it's a cold smoke process that permanently turns the meat a bright pinkish red color. No matter how old that tuna gets it's still the same fluorescent pinkish color. You may have seen it at your grocery store in the frozen fish section. The tuna is usually triangle shaped and often packed two to a pack. Many restaurants serve it because tuna is a tricky animal. It spoils quickly and the flesh of fresh tuna begins to turn gray when exposed to air. So it's difficult to slip it by the customer. How do you know it's safe to order tuna in a restaurant? Two big factors, the restaurant's reputation and price. Good tuna is not cheap, bad tuna is.

There are different types of tuna varying in quality. The most precious is "Bluefin". Used extensively in sushi and sashimi. It's VERY expensive and is becoming scarce. Next down the tuna chain is "Big Eye". Very nice tuna and a good alternative to Bluefin. Then comes "Yellowfin", this tuna is probably the most abundant among restaurants that serve fresh tuna. It's not as expensive and is still a nice product. It's also broken down into grades of quality. Number one being the best, then two++, two+ and two. It's further broken down by size. The smaller the fish the less expensive. Bigger fish have a higher fat contact. In tuna and many other fish fat is a good thing. The bad thing is the fatter the fish the higher the mercury content. It is most prevalent in Bluefin. They are larger, dive deeper, and have the highest fat content. There was a recent study done in New York city studying Mercury levels in tuna and the amounts were alarming. The highest levels were found in Bluefin. I'm not suggesting you refrain from tuna, you would have to eat tuna often to worry about it.

Other types of tuna are Albacore and Skipjack. I'm seeing Albacore sold fresh and is also used in canning. Skipjack, also known as Bonito is canned and dried.

A couple of terms that are associated with tuna are "Ahi" the name for Yellowfin tuna, "Maguro", the Japanese term for Bluefin tuna and "toro", the fat under belly of Bluefin (Abolutely delicious).

Because of the severe shortage (and the price)of Bluefin I serve Big Eye and #1 Yellowfin. Still great products if you can move enough to keep it fresh. Hence the reason why so many restaurants serve the frozen variety.

I've included a link below about sushi tuna. I encourage you to try it. I like it seared rare with a little soy glaze, pickled ginger and wasabi. Rare seared tuna is also known as "tataki". I also feel it should be eaten with chopsticks. I hate it when I'm served thinly sliced rare tuna with a fork. When we go out I'm going to have to start bringing my own chopsticks with me.

http://www.sushifaq.com/sushi-items/sushi-items-tuna-maguro.htm

Go Time

Just took a break at Death's Door before heading into the home stretch of the dreaded yet much anticipated month of August.

I'll be posting soon. A little about the restaurant scene in vacation spots and the untidy business of cleaning up the results of a bad decision.

Love My Tender

I have fought more battles over beef tenderloin than any other product. I have five menu items that are garnered from beef "tenders" including my biggest sellers filet mignon, in 8 or 12 ounces. I also serve tournadoes of beef, twin steaks cut from the tapered ends of the tender, beef satay using smaller trimmings and a steak sandwich. It's important that I get good tenderloins. They are not created equal. The U.S.D.A inspects and grades most commercial meat products in this country. Any beef products for sale to the public must be inspected. If the product is shipped over state lines it must be Federally inspected. USDA grading is voluntary. So if you see meat for sale at the local grocer that says USDA inspected it is usually meant to confuse the customer. ALL meat must be inspected.

The grading system for beef is "Standard" (sometimes referred to as commercial), "Select", "Choice" and "Prime". Within each category are sub-categories in regards to marbling or "yield grades". So when I order USDA "Choice" from a purveyor it may not be the same quality as another suppliers "Choice" product. Also there are some unscrupulous suppliers that will fudge the system and try to pass off "Select" for "Choice" and "Standard" for "Select". I specify USDA Choice for all my beef products. I also require yield grade 3 to 5. The higher the yield grade the more marbling (flavor) there is. I also want to mention "Angus" isn't a grade, it's a type of beef cattle. Because something is "Angus" does not make it better. The Angus folks have done a nice job of marketing. I usually try and avoid it. It's not worth the added cost.

Alot of restaurants serve "Choice" beef. Few serve "Choice" tenderloins. The reason? They are very expensive. Even some of the big "steak houses" don't serve "Choice" filet mignon. What is usually served is the same product you'll find in the grocery store, "cow" tenderloin or "Commercial" grade. An eight ounce cow tender will cost about three bucks. The same portion of "Choice" product is between 10 and 12 bucks. So when you're looking at a menu, think about the cost of the steak, and everything that comes with it and ask yourself if this restaurant is selling me a quality filet mignon at $19.95?

In addition to the grading, age is important. I like to "wet" age for 21 days then dry age for another seven. Proper ageing makes for a firm yet tender steak. My test for for tenderness is literally "fork tender". You should be able to cut through an eight ounce filet with a fork. Granted it won't cut easily but it should cut through.

Within the tenderloin itself is a difference in quality. The best cuts, typically filet mignon, come from the "barrel" or "Chateau" section of the tender. That's the very center from which only three "barrel" steaks can be cut. (The photo above is a 12oz Choice, barrel cut filet.) Next is what is referred to as "center cut", the portion of the tender that begins to taper. Then there is the "butt" and the ends. All quality product but best suited for specific uses. If you look at the beef tenderloin video in the side bar you'll notice the smaller steaks being cut from the tapered section of the tender and the larger ones from the center.

We serve a "barrel cut" filet mignon and tournadoes which are "center cut", if you watch the tenderloin video on the video bar you can see the larger steaks being cut from the barrel and the smaller filets from the narrower sections of the tender.

Most steak eaters have their preference of cut. I happen to be a "filet guy", many people I've talked to believe the filet lacks flavor and prefer a New York or ribeye. I contend that they probably haven't had too many good quality filets. In my opinion a well marbled, aged, "Choice" filet eats as good or better than just about any other cut. Just be prepared to pay top dollar for it.

Acknowledgements

I'd like to congratulate Jesus Cruz (aka Cacho) my sous chef, on the birth of his daughter yesterday afternoon. He warned me when he came in that he thought today would be the day. I didn't doubt him. Of course it would be on a Saturday night.

I'd like to welcome Michael Walsh, a chef from Cleveland who's been writing a blog similar to this one since 2006. In the link section you can find him at "A View From The Kitchen".

I've been searching for chef's blogs and have been surprised how few of them are out there. Many are just vehicles for promotion. I try and stay away from that but I will occasionally use this blog as a tool to communicate with my customers.

Chef Walsh's blog comments on National and local trends, personal feelings and professional experiences. Much in the same style as I do. Photos also play a big role.

As I discover other chefs blogs I will add links.

Africa Hot

It's that time of year again when the thermometer passes 90 and the dew point over 60. It's freaking hot in my kitchen! It easily reaches into the low 100's during a hot shift. Conversely in the winter it's freaking cold. We have an old-school ventilation system that doesn't have "make-up air". Hence we have to keep the windows open so the restaurant doesn't have negative air pressure. If we didn't, in the winter we'd suck air down the chimney, thus no fire in the fireplace and in the summer we'd suck the air conditioning out of the dining room. It's already hard enough to cool this big ole building. So we do what cooks have been doing since discovering fire........sweat. After a hot spell we get used to it but it is uncomfortable. I remember last year I woke up Sunday morning after a hot and busy Saturday night with the worst headache of my life and it just wouldn't go away. I thought it was because I had been on the wagon for a few days but after doing some research discovered it was a symptom of dehydration. Geez, that after drinking a six pack of 20oz Gatorades during my shift AND being on the wagon.
To combat the heat we do a couple things: I order Poweraid by the case with our Coke order. We keep it in the cooler and I encourage the boys to take advantage. We also throw some in the freezer for Poweraid slushys. I also just started sporting the latest Chefwear fashion, for lack of a better term, "Capri's", "clam diggers", "high-waters", or "petal pushers". (For all you baby boomers out there) I prefer the term "clam diggers" myself. I remember wearing them as a boy. Hey, they may look funny but they work, It is much more tolerable wearing the mid-calf pant. The added leg ventilation makes a big difference. We also don't wear chef jackets, It is more comfortable wearing the light, white, short sleeved "cooks" shirt than chef whites. Probably due to my lack of formal training and my maverick streak I have never been a fan of chef jackets. However I do keep a nice clean embroidered jacket on hand for when I venture into enemy territory. (The dining room)

If you see me in the dining room this time of year it's probably not because I'm shmoozing with the customers. It's because I'm getting old and it's harder to stand the heat. So if you see some middle aged guy with arctic cammo clam diggers on say hi but please don't make fun of my pants.

Salty's Knives (Click on photo for close ups)

Bob Kramer Meji 240 Damascus


The workers all dressed in black


Three Michael Raders


Kanemasa Mukimono


Shigefusa 240 Kitaeji Gyuto and Mizuno Tanrenjo 240 Suminigashi


Michael Rader Small Santoku


Shigefusa 240 Kitaeji Yanagi


Shigefusa 270 Yanagi


Speaks for itself. Arguably three of the best gyutos in the world.


Masamoto 240 Gyuto White Steel Mizu Honyaki


Shigefusa Nakiri


Nenohi Kiritsuke. This is one sexy knife. Unsusual characteristics. It will take some practice to master it.


Misono 360mm stainless bread knife. If you want to spoil yourself get a good quality Japanes bread knife. Incredibly sharp. This thing tears up cutting boards.


Old faithfull. Hattori KD 180mm santoku. I've owned and used this knife for seven years. (As you can tell) It's in need of refurbishment.


Watanabe 270mm Damascus sujihiki. This knife is unreal. The steel feels unworldly, as if from another planet. Used primarily for sashimi. Double beveled.


Seki Cut Deba. Used like a small clever. Also great for breaking down whole fish.


Masamoto 360mm hon-kasumi yanagi in white steel. My go to sashimi knife. Some people dis Masamoto, I think this is a superb knife.


The Queen Mother of all knives. Mizuno Tanrenjo 390mm special blue steel honyaki yanagi. Select ebony handle with hand tooled silver. Ebony saya (sheath). Traditionally used for sashimi I also use it for slicing boneless whole roasts.


Yawakawa (or something like that) santoku. I bought this inexpensive knife on ebay to try out the Japanese handle. (Which I liked) Surprisingly sharp handy knife.


Togiharu 180mm santoku. A good all around knife. Nice edge and retention. Used often for everyday prep.


Takeda 240mm cabon (white) steel. The blade on this thing is huge. A cool rustic look. Great long lasting edge. Especially for white steel.


Carter Funayaki 203mm in white steel. This is one sexy knife. Used alot. Much like a santoku, great for slicing and dicing just about anything. Very thin blade so you have to use discretion when using. Extremely sharp.


Sabatier utility knife. Old school French made knife that I use more as a pairing knife.


Mr. Itou 190mm Gyuto. This one is like the hot rod in the garage. Rarely taken for a spin. The handle is a matter of taste. Some people think these bold knives are gaudy.


Fugiwara 270mm stainless sujihiki. Although this on is single beveled. I use this often for sashimi and tataki. Also occasionally as a filet knife.


Hiromoto 270mm carbon steel gyuto. Used for rough prep. Great for lettuce, cabbage etc.


A.E.S. Damascus barbeque knife. My much maligned Argentinian bbq knife. A thick informal knife that in Argentina is traditionally brought to outdoor barbeques.


Global Vegetable knife. This remains from the old guard. Good for cutting soft vegys.


Mr. Itou paring knife. I don't use paring knives much but this one is cute.


Misono Honkotsu in Swedish Carbon Steel. Sturdy knife for cutting anything with bones. I use it most for cutting between the bones of rack of lamb during service. I'm still looking for a Japanese knife to trim tenders.


Chroma Eight inch Chef's Knife
This used to be my every day knife. A good sturdy journeyman's knife.


Hattori KD 210 Gyuto. It doesn't get much use but this knife is the "Ferrari parked in the garage". I'll take it out when the weather is nice just for the sheer pleasure of driving it.