The Gastrocast

A rather different sort of Gastrocast, but with the trademark length and usual blather. I take you behind the scenes in planning for a weekend of cooking. I give you some candid feelings and thoughts about my first days of work, and I review the new Fox series, Hell’s Kitchen. I knew that there was a UK version of this show, but had forgotten it. I am sure it was perhaps much better–hang on, In fact, a second season just finished without Ramsey, but with Gary Rhodes (another great British Chef) and Jean-Christophe Novelli (a London Culianry Icon).

Flickr photoset of the baking process. Sorry no audio of this because there was too much going on.

None of the usual commercial stuff here. But if you feel like supporting the show, please don’t hesitate to visit the Paypal Donate Button Below Right.

Many Thanks, and stay subscribed for more kitchen Podchef Mayhem.

Technorati Tags: hells kitchen, gastrocast, cooking, baking, wood fired bread oven, gordon ramsey, gary rhodes, culinary podcast

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Here’s another great how to about setting up a podcatcher to download podcasts automatically.

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I am all for the reduction of violent crime, but I am a bit concerned about this BBC article about a call for a formal ban on kitchen knives. I regularly use a knife like the one pictured to slice melons, filet large salmon, and play mumble de peg with. A ridiculous ban on knives like this would wipe out almost every knife I own–they are all sharp, pointed and over 6 inches long. My bread knife, my fish filet knife, chef knives I would have nothing practical left to work with. There must some other solution, certainly. Otherwise all sorts of things commonly used to injure people would have to be banned: automobiles, pens & pencils, razor blades, pen knives, fists, elevator music, large joints of meat. . . .No, knives like these have been around for 4 centuries at least. Quit blaming the victim and start treating the miscreants who are causing the damage. More education, heavier punishment (the death penalty used to be effective) and quicker trials would be a start. Oh, and letting us all carry our own long, sharp knives around to fend off attackers. . .

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The Seattle PI has been a forerunner in the podcasting newspaper genre. Their On Food is a great podcast and one of my favorite food-news sources. I have had some problems with ipodder downloading a few of their shows, however everything usually works. Now I am no web genius, but I was able to find all I needed to download a podcast aggregator and a load a few podcasts into it within 30 minutes of finding out about what podcasting was all about–back in February. I didn’t even have broadband back then–in fact when I decided to make my first podcast I had to painfully wait while it took hours to upload it.  How can an average joe like me get up to speed with blogging and podcasting and the teaming masses be lost? The PI’s Article today is questioning the efficacy of podcasting and the PI’s involvement in it. It is a shame that rather than highlighting all the positive things about it, and encouraging listeners, all they can do is say how difficult and remote it all seems. All I can say is hang on. . .the day will soon come when the logistical problems will be a dim memory.

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Jason Pettus has said the Flickr/podcast combo is "Brilliant". Kudos to the first podcaster to think of it! This copycat seems to have brought the fruit to ripeness. :-p 



I do take exception to his remark, though, that "The podcast itself isn’t that terribly original an idea. . . ." Excuse me, out of 23–well, really 13 actual food related "podcasts" (some are just rss-fed radio shows–mine is unique in it’s special blend of myoptic ranting, life study, and crazy cookery lessons. In the Food Network Age, probably not as original as it could be, but I am on a zero budget, and work without safety net–just what podcasting is all about!

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The Podchef has had two other mentions in the past few days. Everything seems to be centered around my use of Flickr Photosets. I think Flickr is great. The combination of a podcast and a photoset bring a clarity to what might otherwise be unclear. For me, as well, they both drive eachother. It is a challenge for me to talk, cook, and shoot. As we all know it can have disasterous results. But out of those ashes a new creativity has arisen. I feel my subject matter is coming in to focus both optically and mentally and I am growing and learning things which apply to the bigger picture.



This further recognition is affirming. Sure, I am largely doing this for myself. I have fun–mostly–and I enjoy thinking and sharing concepts and ideas I feel strong about. This is leading me to thinking and acting in other areas of my profession as well. Long closer doors are seeming to open up a bit.  Nevertheless the mentions are encouraging and have a positive impact on Podcasting in general. I take it as read that my Gastrocasts do not have a broad appeal. I am not in the class of the top 100 podcasts, nor do I think I want to be. . .I am a niche and  a small one at that. I do not target any audience, but it is obviously related to one which thinks about food primarily. However to see my subscription rate raise from 9 to 53 (and I know that waivers and I am probably 3 of those myself) and my downloads recently exceed 125 for some of the Gastrocasts in only 9 episodes and 2 soundseeing tours is very encouraging. If I can do it on my own, than most other people can too. I don’t have much guidence, I am not tapped into some secret knowledge base; I have never received pod-wisdom from the hailed masters–but I have taken it from pod-friends and followed examples which I enjoy. Some of my favorite podcasts are in the link section at the left. I also listend to IT and communication podcasts.  Basically Podcasting of moderate quality is so easy to achieve, and I am grateful and amazed that anyone listens. Thank you.

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This is the main part of this week’s Gastrocast. I make myself a Cafe Au Lait and think about what to make for a dessert given the weather. Then we make a classic French pastry created in 1891 by Pierre Gateau–the Paris-Brest.

Flickr Photoset here.

The two chocolate links mentioned in part A:

• Chocolate propaganda site
• Sharffen Berger Chocolate

Here are some links to the products mentioned–the pastry book is one of the places where this dessert came from:

Technorati Tags: chocolate, paris brest, culinary podcast, baking, desserts, gastrocast

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Why is it that whenever I try to shave time off of a Gastrocast it grows exponentially? This weeks offering had to be broken into two parts–a beachside chat about chocolate and the absurd position some vegans take; and part B–the actual cooking which is really the show. Part A was an afterthought based on mis-babbled information in part deux. I hope you will listen to and enjoy both parts.

Please leave comments here or at podchef AT gmail DOT com

Technorati Tags: chocolate, vegans, gastrocast, cooking, culinary podcast

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I’ve been mentioned in rather flattering terms twice this morning. All I can say is Thanks! For those coming here based on those articles, Welcome! I hope you like what you see and here. Please leave comments.  Thanks.



For a bit futher clarification, though–I did not think of the Flickr photoset/podcasting combination myself. I don’t know who may have been the first, but Bicyclemark and Lloyd Davis are two of my early inspirations for how the two mediums pair so well. The interlinking available on the web today, with trackbacks, tags and product links make this sort of podcast a very real and valid communication method, both for narrowcasting and for communicating a broader message beyond just a blog.

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Great to see an increase in my feedburner stats! Thanks to everybody who made the switch! Things should be much easier for you now. Hope it helps.  Welcome to any new subscribers.  Just a note, for those who don’t know about Tags–in the lower righthand column, below all the commercial buttons, are some words. These link to posts in this blog that contain these themes, words or ideas. They are also linked to the broader spectrum and are searchable–you may have even found this blog because of these tags.  So, if you’re new to the Podchef’s Gastrocast, and this blog, please click around and see what’s already gone on and lays below the surface.



Thanks for keeping subscribed.

Podchef AT gmail DOT com

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First Limeys,  and now every ginger-headed Briton will be known for this–eh what, Flight Commander?

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If you will kindly turn your attention to the left-hand column you will notice two new buttons under my photo.  The first new button is a new Feedburner feed button–it is the prefered button if you want to subscribe to this podcast and have the mp3’s automatically downloaded into an ipodder client. It is the same feed as the buttons in the right-hand column. If you merely wish to subscribe to this blog for the witty insight it provides by have no interest in hearing me drone on about cooking then you may use the Feedburner feed, or the Motime RSS Feed labeled RSS2.0.  I would actually like to remove the Motime button as it is redundant,p but there is no way to without breaking all syndication.



The next button I have added is a small chicklet banner for The Podcast Outlaw Network–to quote them: "The Podcastoutlaws Network is a group of Podcasters who aim to shine the spotlight on the lesser-known Podcasts that don’t receive the attention that they deserve!"  They have a growing collection of podcasts from the fringe. I am happy to say they picked me right up.



Finally, I want to recommend this tutorial for anyone interested. It is a short Java Powerpoint Presentation about podcasting with an aim at making is easier for Professors to use and distribute over an Angel network. The first part of the presentation has some fantastic graphics about subscribing to an XML feed, etc. I was tempted to paraphrase and use some screenshots of my own, but David Passmore has done such a great job I think you should all just have a look and pass it on. Truly useful stuff, whether you’re a Prof. or not.

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I was just chatting with Bicycle Mark about the status of my RSS Feed.  It seems that if you are subscribed through the Motime RSS 2.0 button in the left column under my photo, then you are not recieving the enclosures correctly.  If everyone would please switch to the Feedburner Feed then I will dispose of the Motime Button to avoid further confusion. I should have done this from the get-go, but the relevance got lost in the haze of memory. Thanks BM and sorry if I have confused anyone, or caused them extra work!  Let me know if this helps! BTW the Feedburner Feed works both for RSS-ing this blog and it’s podcasts in separate aggregators.

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Another longish show. In this week’s Gastrocast I include a bit more of Saturday’s Soundseeing Tour. I head off to Skagit Valley Food Co-op. I also talk about my upcoming job cooking Raw Food and then we head into the kitchen to capture Spring with a Fava Bean, Pea, Asparagus and Mint vegetable accompaniment to a Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes & Baby Carrots.

The break between rant and cooking is at 40:45 if you want to divide up your listening time. I do hope you will listen to the whole thing. Let me know if these are getting too long, or are too much to take in. Thanks.

Flickr Photoset is here.

I plug the WLW-Winegeek.com podcast.

If you aren’t already subscribed to this podcast, please consider doing so. You can download the ipodder podcast aggregator client by clicking the button in the lower righthand column and then you can subscribe to the feed by clicking on the Feedburner Logo. This service is free and simplifies your life as everytime I publish a new show it will appear on your computer. Also, if you want to keep up with all the blog posts, please add me to your news aggreagator with the Feedburner Link. Then you can keep up will all of the Podchef’s Mayhem and politically incorrect views.

You can contact me at podchef AT gmail DOT com or Skype me at podchef.

Here are the products mentioned:

Technorati Tags: cooking, culinary podcast, soundseeing, food co-op, gastrocast, Lake House, Raw Food

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