Disqus - Latest Comments for Opinionated_Alchemist

Re: Scotch Apple Rezept - [ESSEN UND TRINKEN]

Opinionated_Alchemist — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 04:12:01 -0000

Interessant. Ich würde jedoch den Apfelessig direct zum Apfel und dem Sirup geben (verbindet sich besser geschmacklich) - eine gute Idee ist es auch ein paar dünne Scheibchen Ingwer zuzugeben.
Ausserdem - es ist wichtig “vernünftige” Whisky Vorschläge zu machen. Ich würde direkt an Glenfiddich oder Glenlivet denken (Speyside Malts). Vielleicht einen Monkey Shoulder (Speyside Blended Malt).
Aber auch einen Irischen Whiskey wie Jameson würde funktionieren (eventuell mit karamellisierten Apfelstücken).

Re: Obe Ata (Nigerian Red Pepper Sauce)

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 09:24:21 -0000

Hm…. It seems very odd - the recipe seems missing half.
The oven part is a nice touch though. I am roasting a bit the vegetables first, blend them then and add the purée again the baking sheet and (fry them even more off in the oven.
But what I mean that the recipe is halved is: the pepper stew is always one part of the stew. After that, tomato paste along with onions are fried in quite a lot of oil. Then after is separates (…) the pepper vegetable purée is added and fried again. And this is actually the basis (could be called Nigerian mother sauce). After that you can add stock and meat or add it to jollof rice.

Re: Pimm’s Fizz

Opinionated_Alchemist — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:17:14 -0000

I am not saying that this is in any way wrong - however this does sound like an attempt to utilize Pimm’s No.1.

Either way it would be slow moving (or dead stock) - or “sponsored by Pimm’s” - this “happened" to me quite often in my career.

Is it really a recipe to post and to be proud of? I consider Pimm’s rather as retail item (and something a hotel bar should have 1 bottle of in case a VIP guest is asking for a Pimm’s cup).
Furthermore I do believe that we should be pretty much over egg whites. It is a fad. It is a source of a health risk. It is a source of a potential guest complain (10-20% of people, don’t like “oxidized” egg white smell - which is like wet cardboard or wet dog).
And really? Grenadine as well? It just looks as this drink would come out of a different era.

Re: Celery Sour

Opinionated_Alchemist — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 14:41:19 -0000

Sorry me again being super pedantic. I am totally for the drink... but why calling it a sour? It absolutely doesn't make sense! It doesn't have the texture of a sour. It doesn't have the "experience" as a sour and the basic flavors. It is a celery cocktail - (or however you want to call it) - not a sour!

Re: Rich Simple Syrup

Opinionated_Alchemist — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 09:51:20 -0000

It inverts to a certain degree. This is just chemistry. The problem is also not, that the syrup is partly inverted - it is that nobody stands with a stopwatch next to a pot with sugar. That means, the variables, will have different ratios between Fructose and Glucose.

I have been working in bars for 25 years - and seen "simple syrups" which were as viscous as commercial glucose syrup!

Re: Water Kefir from 'Mastering Fermentation'

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:21:17 -0000

There is an odd flavor with traditional water kefir recipes. I found out, that this derives from brown sugars (...) and dried fruits.

I am using now white sugar - and as this would eventually "starve out" the grains, I am adding a bit of a mineral formula inside. It works like a charm.

Ultimately it taste not like much, but with fruits it will develop heaven. Strangely some fruits (apples, grapes etc.) and fruit juices taste like rotten fruit - but others (hibiscus, lychee!!, kiwi) taste great!

Never use the grains into the flavor "base". You will contaminate ultimately your grains - well - you can do it, if you have sufficient grains... otherwise stay clear and just use the "unflavored kefir" to flavor it with the aromas (fruits, juices etc.).

Re: Woo Woo

Opinionated_Alchemist — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:47:49 -0000

I am not sure, why someone might say, that a rather "basic" drink should be good...
I can understand, if the drink has been reworked. But lets see:

Vodka: basic. Maybe you could do something fancy (botanical vodka etc.). But basic vodka (and that includes premium vodkas) suck in such simple drinks.

cranberry juice: Also pretty bad. Even ocean spray 100% is not 100% cranberry. And it is simply not particularly good. Housemade hibiscus would be a solution. Or cranberry concentrate as a homemade soda?

Peach schnaps: Crap as well. There are good crème de peche. But well... the recipe is still very challenged.

The rest of the recipe Maybe some lime juice would work wonders. But then it is still a basic long drink and I guess we progressed from these drinks?

Re: Star Trek A Disaster At CBS All Access Offer Leaks

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 07:29:54 -0000

I believe that we become all like spoilt kids. Previous movies and shows were rarely as good as new ones. Even long time after STNG run, people were taking it apart and said that the original series have been so much better. Same happened with DS9 and other Newer shows. Then STNG have been the great show...

The point is, that I don’t necessarily agree with every creative decision made. However I don’t unnecessarily criticize the shows neither.
I am just not a fan of the cataclysmic end time scenarios, which Star Trek uses as overarching stories and the subsequent serialization. Overall though the show is great.

Re: Gimlet

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 07:21:33 -0000

That’s a bit funny... because there are so many similar drinks. You might be write, if you are looking only at the ingredients. But this doesn’t work. The soda water in the Rickey totally dominates the experience. It changes the taste (dilution/strength) the mouthfeel (carbonation), the size (duh), the glass which it is served in and eventually the function.

Re: Gimlet

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 07:17:19 -0000

This isn’t true. A sour doesn’t need egg white. Replacing the lemon with lime might be ever so slightly controversial - however the character of the drink is far closer to a Gin sour than a gimlet. Gimlets a clear. The cordial gives a drink a whole different character!

Re: Red Beans & Rice Orgeat

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 22:31:58 -0000

This is an interesting idea - however there are some mistakes in and some steps didn't made sense.
Adzuki are the beans - it might taste similar to adzuki paste or mochi filled with adzuki... you the idea...
Second: vodka is just there to stabilize the recipe (extend shelf-life) hence it makes no sense to cook everything with the vodka. The vodka supposed to be just added (if added) at the end.
And there is no water in the ingredient list...

Re: Rich Simple Syrup

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 10:01:04 -0000

It is far better to make a cold syrup. Hence put the sugar and the water into a blender and blend it until the sugar is dissolved (you can stir it as well - but it takes far longer).
Heating up sugar will invert the sugar (sucrose to glucose and fructose). This wouldn't be an issue, if it wouldn't lead to inconsistency in sweetness (!) and in viscosity. Due to the inconvenience of "perfectly" keeping time and temperature constant.
Blending sugar won't run into this problem (unless you are using a high powered blender far too long, which would also heat the syrup).

The amount of sugar in rich syrup also will avoid any microbial growth. Hence pasteurizing isn't even necessary.

Re: Star Trek A Disaster At CBS All Access Offer Leaks

Opinionated_Alchemist — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:41:50 -0000

I don’t really see the lack of imagination in Picard. The story is new, using Data as integral part of the narrative has been smart. There are a lot of things to like.
I believe that especially Picard will be seen as one of the best Star Trek shows in retrospective!
Discovery for me is a bit convoluted due to its complex serialized storyline like Voyager.

Re: Gimlet

Opinionated_Alchemist — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:35:57 -0000

Not so much...
Egg white in a sour is not compulsory- not at all. The addition on egg white is just a reasonably current fav of a lot of bartenders and bars- with some disadvantages (drink becomes smelly for some sensitive people).
But no- the swap between a cordial and the production method (plus the whole sensory character)is far bigger than the addition or omission of one optional ingredient!

Re: Whatever Happened to Google Glass?

Opinionated_Alchemist — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:30:39 -0000

I also believed that Google Glazs is the future. It is true, that there are privacy concerns- but with cellphones as well as cctvs al around us, and google glass sticking out i believe it is exaggerated!

But society has to find solution for their issues: privacy, but also (and especially) the lack of “moderation” and facts is a real concern.

Google glass with a far more widespread distribution, had the ability to change the world.

But because of the opinions of few, the future is now jeopardized...

Re: Gimlet

Opinionated_Alchemist — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 06:09:32 -0000

The recipe isn't a Gimlet.
As much as I love fresh lime juice, we have to understand, that there is a huge taste difference between lime cordial and fresh lime juice and sugar.

What you see here is basically a recipe for a "gin sour".
A cocktail is the product of its ingredients (gin, lime cordial), its method (stir), its glass (cocktail glass) and its garnish. You might swap one element, if you don't really change the character of the drink. But in this case it changes a lot.

Re: Star Trek A Disaster At CBS All Access Offer Leaks

Opinionated_Alchemist — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 00:50:45 -0000

Can we put our infantile criticism away? Picard has been very good. Yeah, there were some issues, but which show doesn’t have them? And Discovery? I really enjoyed this show! Yeah- it is a bit annoying, that it is all about Armageddon of the galaxy again... but overall, the effects were great, the story somewhat new with some story twists.
Nobody wants a STCS or STNG (really)... DS9 also had its criticism and let’s not talk about Voyager.
I believe the last two shows are on level of the average Star Trek movie- which is pretty remarkable!
So what should it be? Having no new Star Trek material at all?

Re: Breville Smoking Gun Hands-On Review - Reviewed.com Cooking

Opinionated_Alchemist — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 17:19:58 -0000

This review hasn't been very thorough. I have had a couple of smoking guns since quite some time and they are really effective, if you don't mind the smoke smell in your flat... The issue is here, that you cannot expect that smoking once (and keeping the food for a couple of minutes) will do the trick. I am doing as we speak beef ribs - I smoked them 3 times and basically for altogether 1.5 hours. They will be then sous vided for about 70 hours - and voila - even slow and low ribs are not a shadow against those beauties.
Another amazing recipe are chicken legs (also sous vide - I am just a big fan).

Cocktails and beverages (also sauces) need not only time but also the right technique. Liquids have a small surface - hence you need to shake them or swirl them in the smoke and probably also use several times the smoking gun.
And the gouda? Needs also to be left in the smoke for longer time (and probably several times smoked). As mentioned - traditional smoking takes hours. 5 minutes with a tiny amount of wood just won't cut it.

Re: In Search of the Ultimate Mai Tai

Opinionated_Alchemist — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 23:08:51 -0000

The Ultimate Mai Tai isn't made with 2 different rums. It is made with one outstanding aged rum - and all ingredients, are letting this rum shine.

Inspired by this article here - I have responded.

https://www.opinionatedalch...

Re: Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Episode 3 Review — Point of Light

Opinionated_Alchemist — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 18:45:03 -0000

Hm - I don't get this rant. I mean even the critic which has been written here - doesn't make sense.
Do I like Discovery as much as Next Generation? Probably not. The design (CGI and all) is very good - and the stories are also good. It is just, that the characters have been better fleshed out in other series. But this just might still come.

The only thing, which I am not necessarily agree with (but what is kind of a compromise) is the used technology. While it is only in design leaning at the original Star Trek series - I do miss, that real futuristic outlook (I mean Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa already are talking with us, and while holographs are not yet really widespread, we have also technology today which looks better than the holographs in the series. Hence it seems, that putting Discovery into the timeframe before the original Enterprise series is the biggest mistake. But then we have characters, which we can refer to as Trekkies - and other Trekkies are just hating, how "good" the starship (technology and all) look... It is a compromise... one which I can live with.

Re: Is the More-Is-More Spirits List Overrated?

Opinionated_Alchemist — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 15:20:46 -0000

I have been always middle of the pack - but it depended obviously on my bosses.
The issue here is: not every product of a big liquor company is bad - but it is surprising, that some companies even really care which "SKU" you are carrying. E.g. I always appreciated Bacardi 8 años for an almost unbeatable cost-value, however when I haven't listed Bacardi Carta Blanca, the reps have been often pretty pissed off.

I totally agree, that having a huge portfolio is ridiculous (even if you are a "one spirit focused bar". Mostly not more than a handful products are consumed - and in the best case, there are maximum a dozen, which are appreciated by some guests. The rest are just dead weight - slow-moving or non-moving.

There are few jewels, which are great - even to sell them once a year - but most products are just useless.

Re: Is the More-Is-More Spirits List Overrated?

Opinionated_Alchemist — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 15:01:25 -0000

There are few jewels, which are great - even to sell them once a year - but most products are just useless.

Re: Luay and Amir

Opinionated_Alchemist — Sat, 04 Aug 2018 04:48:13 -0000

It is sad, that this sad and unfortunate incident is used for propaganda.
As per the Israelis, the F-35 has been NOT used in Palestine (it doesn’t really make any sense, as this airspace is not restricted at all - hence can be accessed by any fighter jet without risk of being shot down).

And I know, that I sound slightly cynical here - but I don’t want to be here to question the heartfelt of the families and supporters. However IMHO you can’t really justify one injustice against another.

Even by the European Union (which is far more neutral than e.g. the US) Hamas is considered at least a fundamental organization. The peace process in Palestine is stuck, and there is definitely more to do than blaming one or the other nation to be the “Goliath versus David”. As long as one side gives reason to the other side to intervene with excessive measures, nothing really will change.

Re: Forget the F-35: Why America's Military Misses the F-14 Tomcat

Opinionated_Alchemist — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 15:20:04 -0000

The article is quite nonsense and is based on passed headlines (which were fueled via Russian propaganda, misinformation, exaggerations...) instead of basing the topic on real-life scenarios and real-life necessities for the Navy.

The F/A-18 has been well liked and has proofed itself - most people don’t know, that it has been always rather a truck and not a nimble “sports car”. The F-35 is topping the performance of the Super Hornet in basically every way.

What I am especially surprised of is that the article states that the Russian and Chinese airmusters are competitive in stealth and other cutting edge technologies, which is for sure not true (but in the wish-dreams of Russian and Chinese generals). They are not even close.

It seems, that Dave Majumdar just repeats (sorry for the clear words: without brain), what the current “emotional” perception about the F-35 and its competitors is. There is no critical thinking, no “taking the Russian performance stats with a grain of salt” - or whatsoever.

Re: Does Water Quality Really Matter in Cocktails?

Opinionated_Alchemist — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 17:27:38 -0000

I really don’t think that this article about water had the depth and seriousness what it claims to have.
1) it talks about quality water or good water, but it doesn’t really state once what this really is.
2) there are a lot of references in the article about people saying and doing special ice. But where’s the proof? There are claims and perceptions in gastronomy which are followed at times for hundred years, but have been a disproved. Can any person really faste the difference of water? Proof or a test is needed!
3) if “soft” water is good, what’s about distilled water (no minerals at all)? It probably is far cheaper than Acqua Panna-