Wine follies

In the past few weeks, I have been noticing a trend in the wine I have been buying. Wait, backup... I drink mainly reds. I prefer Spanish reds, California Cabs, strong full-bodied Merlots, and Rhone Valley blends. I will rarely spend more than $16.00 on a bottle, with my regular price range from $9.00-$14.00. I will, on occasion (like twice a month) go for a $25.00 bottle of something special. I will be divulging some of my favorites soon.

To the post at hand. I have noticed lately that an increasing percentage of bottles have an odd feature. When I remove the foil and pop the cork, there is a small pattern of purple crystals on the underside of the cork. After a few seconds of puzzlement, I realize that the strange looking crystals were the product of tartaric acid, the natural acid inherent in grapes. When the wine ages, the tartaric acid can precipitate on the cork. This will not affect the flavor of the wine, only the balance of acidity, for the crystals, again, are a product of acid in the wine.

I bring this up for two reasons. One, don't return wines with tartaric acid crystals on the cork, it will taste fine with a good 15-30 minutes in a decanter. Second, this topic brings to the forefront a practice that any wine-drinker should make a ritual. Before decanting or before drinking a full glass if you don't have a decanter (go buy one at a cheap store like Christmas Tree shop for $8.00), every bottle should be tasted. Pour a small amount of the wine, about a half an ounce, into your glass and swirl like crazy. The swirl will allow the wine to aerate and enhance the bouquet (smell) of the wine. Before letting the it into your mouth (thats what she said), smell the wine. You ought to be smelling for a musty smell, much like wet newspaper or your grandparent's basement. If you are unfortunate enough to smell this, it means your wine is corked. Corked wine=return to the store, do not drink it. (This will certainly be its own post soon) The tartaric acid crystals, however, are not such a problem. You can feel free to drink the wine as long as it taste and appears to be drinkable. When you taste, swirl the wine around your mouth, then suck some air into the wine and swirl again. You should get the notes of the wine intended by the vintner. If you think it is crazy that you can taste cherry, leather and black currant in a wine, read up on the wine you are drinking for intended flavors so you may keep them in mind when you taste. I promise you will be able to get at least one or two.

So, next time you open a bottle, pour a small amount in a glass, swirl briskly, smell for basement, and taste a bit for a clean crisp taste that is commensurate with the variety you are drinking. If all goes well, decant it, wait as long as you can (but no need for more than 30 minutes) and drink until your heart's desires are drunk. I often find it handy to open the second bottle before you start drinking the first to let it aerate a bit before decanting, but then again, I drink a lot!

Lets Talk Equipment

So, my main thrust in writing this blog is to inform whoever decides to read my ramblings about proper ingredients. This does not just pertain to edible ingredients however. The proper tools by which one produces a meal can be equally as important as the actual food product included in the recipe. For instance, without a proper temperature monitoring device, any meat dish will either be dry or under-cooked, unless the cook has worked a grill in a restaurant and can determine meat temperature by touch. Also, without a quality sauté or frying pan, a home cook could never get that restaurant quality sear on a piece of fish. This could go on all day.

The first item of kitchen equipment that I feel I should detail on this blog is possibly the most essential of any one thing a home cook should buy. I know, I know. You are thinking that I must be taking about an item of french cast iron cookware or an expensive stand mixer. The most important thing you can have in your kitchen is much more simple and versatile.

The best thing a home cook can invest in is one good knife. Thats right ONE good knife. For any home, restaurant cook, or executive chef, there is one favorite knife. Now don't get me wrong, there are different knives for different work. But, instead of buying that $100 set of 22 knives that will be dull in five days, go to a good kitchen store and buy ONE knife. Personally, if I could have only one knife in my block, I would choose my Wusthof Ikon eight inch hollow ground chef's knife. It is versatile, it is high quality, and it is guaranteed to take care of most of the jobs a great home cook will need to tackle.

It is important, however, to not choose a knife based on looks. Personally, I have the Ikon Creme handle. it is not the most attractive option that Wusthof offers, but the business end is the exact same as it would be on the original black handle or the beautiful Blackwood option.

Now, the eight-inch chef's knife is my choice. Some people feel better with a six-inch. My mother actually prefers a 4.5-inch prep knife as her go to. It is all up to the cook. I like the blade of a chef's knife because it promotes good action for slicing, it allows for a good angle, and it rocks properly for fast chopping. It is good for breaking down meat, taking the place of a fillet knife. It is good for slicing cooked meats, taking the place of a carving knife. It is good, if it is really sharp, for slicing bread, taking the place of a break knife. This too could go on forever. Simply put, a good chef's knife has the ability to take the place of most of the knives you might have in your matching set.

For other brands, check out Wusthof Classic, Grand Prix II, or Ikon; JA Henckles Twin Cuisine series or Twin Signature series; Kershaw Shun Classic or if you have the extra money Shun Elite.

Wusthof Ikon- triple riveted handle, full length tang, all around great knife.

JA Henckles Twin Cuisine- Great heavy handle, durable blade, one-piece forged handle, full tang without rivets.

Shun Classic- top of the line Japanese blade, super sharp and balanced.

Celebratory beverage anyone?

As I go tonight to celebrate a friends recent engagement, I have a difficult time deciding what I want in my glass when I toast their future life together. I have never liked champagne all that much and will now refuse to pay the grossly bloated prices french makers get for their famous sparkling white. A great alternative to champagne is Prosecco, an italian variety produced mainly in the Veneto region just north of Treviso. The main difference between Prosecco and champagne is that Prosecco's second fermentation process is done in stainless steel as opposed to wood, making it much less expensive to produce. Prosecco comes in varying degrees of sweetness beginning with the least sweet Brut, then extra dry, and finally the sweet dry variety.

When enjoying Prosecco, treat it just like champagne; serve it chilled as an aperitif or mix it's sweeter varieties with orange juice for delicious mimosas. Be wary of one thing however. Prosecco does not ferment in the bottle like champagne does. This means that the younger the wine, the better it will taste. Without in-bottle fermentation, sparkling wines will spoil and taste horrible. If possible, try to consume your Prosecco within two years.

Sparkling whites are not my usual swill, so I have not tried a ton of varieties, but what I have tried I have liked. Here are a few label shots of my favorites. If you are a repeat reader of this blog, you will find that I, and I am sure many others, have a horrid time attempting to remember names of European wines if they aren't really impressive bottles, or good reds. (I have spent a good amount of time tasting and researching Spanish and Rhone reds, so be prepared for a steady diet of those fabulous regions.) So, I find it helpful to see the label on the bottle when I try to find it in a store. Don't worry, you will be getting plenty of bottles from me that you will remember the names of for YEARS!!!

$9.99

$13.99

$17.99

First Blog

This is the initial offering of the GastroMetrics blog.  This blog will review and rate ingredients, food products, wine, restaurants, and most importantly the tools we use to prepare and enjoy some of our most delectable treats.  

First, a little about me.  I am currently a law student in my last year of law school.  Although I spend my days reading, writing, and learning, I take time every day (usually three times a day) to enjoy the best of life has to offer- preparing and devouring delicious food and drink.  

From my first job at fifteen years old cooking in a Hospital kitchen, I have been mesmerized by all things edible.  I grew up with a Pennsylvania-Dutch baker for a fraternal grandmother and a first generation Italian butcher for a maternal grandfather, not to mention a mother whi is a fantastic all-around home cook.  Growing up, both sides of my family  were at their best at the dinner table.  These influences certainly have influenced my style of cooking in ways that present themselves daily.  

From that horrible job cooking in a hospital kitchen, I moved into chain restaurant kitchens.  The product was only slightly better that the mass produced "food" that the beaten and broken chef in the hospital was forced to produce.  These jobs taught me exactly how I didn't want to cook.  Instead, I observed by grandmothers and mother cook the food that defined who they were and where they came from.  For instance, my Italian grandmother, my mother, and now myself all prepared our gravy (pasta sauce for those without an Italian heritage to live up to) in different ways.  I would elaborate, but this will certainly be a posting in the very near future.  

By the end of high school I worked my way into the restaurant job that taught my more than any other.  It was in a chain steakhouse that is everything but the drab chain restaurant food that is probably coming to mind.  Everything was scratch-made and steaks cut twice daily in a walk-in butcher's cooler.  The ground meat was the trimmings of the whole tenderloins, rib roasts, and top sirloin.   Salad dressings, sides, sauces and gravies were all made fresh daily.  During the weekdays the restaurant was not open for lunch because the prep took all day.  Needless to say, the food was spectacular and the lines were out the door every night.  I took advantage of it all.  I learned the intricacies of butchery that my grandfather did not have the chance to teach me (he passed away before I was old enough to wield a knife).  I learned southwestern flavors from a true master, Bianca Ruiz, a quiet Mexican woman who grew up in New Mexico.  I learned how to make homemade mayonnaise with nothing more than a whisk and bowl.  In short, working there taught me that good food takes time.

After a few other kitchen jobs I moved to the front of the house, waiting tables and eventually finding my way behind the bar.  It was there that I learned how to compose a perfect Martini or Manhattan for people who had been drinking the same drink for years.  I learned which drink best complimented the meal, be it an oaky chardonnay, a robust pinot noir, a dry vodka martini, or a hoppy ale.  From that point in time I was more able to have a rounded approach to gastronomy, or the relationship between food and the people who love it. (Okay, that is my definition of gastronomy, not Webster's)  

Strangely, however, it was the time of my life spent out of restaurants that is the true drive for this blog.  For the last five years I spent time in the business world, and now back in school.  During that time, I moved out on my own (now with my lovely wife) and away from the support of my family's home cooking ability.  I suddenly realized that I was unable to reproduce what I was creating in the restaurants of my past because I didn't have the tools I needed to produce a successful dish.  It was not until recently that I have been able to equip myself with the proper tools, the best ingredients, and ability to produce restaurant quality food for my family, friends, and the occasional competition judge.  

SO, at this point in my life I have taken all that I have learned practically, all that I have read, and all that I have tried in restaurant and formed a perspective on all things edible.  I cannot exactly describe what that is to someone else, but it drives me to want to share with you what I know, what I hope to find out and what I may just stumble across.  So read frequently and enjoy.

-Kris