Kate Gilbert seems happy and Mike Taylor is simply flaked out at her side in this picture taken in about 1980 by Sue Bauman (Lee Jeffs). I can't work out whose left side it is on Kate's right.
Dr Ferris will be wondering what has happened to the catering tip of the week. So here it is: how do you tell if grilled or fried meat is done without cutting into it and losing the delicious juices? Leiths Techniques Bible provides the answer: "Press the surface of the meat with the tips of the fingers and compare the texture of the meat to that of the fleshy base of the thumb [itself] held in turn against each finger of the same hand to discern how well the meat is cooked. ... When the thumb is relaxed, the base of the thumb feel soft and flabby like the texture of uncooked meat. When the thumb is held against the base of the index finger, the flesh becomes softly springy and represents the texture of rare cooked meat. If the tip of the thumb is moved to the middle finger the fleshy area [at the base of the thumb] becomes firmer and more like the texture of medium rare meat. If the tip of the thumb is moved to the ring finger, the fleshy area firms a little more and feels more springy to the touch like texture of medium meat. Finally on moving the thumb to touch the little finger, the fleshy area becomes firm and loses its spring to represent the texture of well done meat. With practice the thumb test can reliably inform the chef of the stage a small joint or sliced portion of meat has reached in cooking without the need for a meat thermometer The thumb test is not suitable for large joints of meat as the outer layers may be quite well cooked while the centre may be rare. ..."
Happy prodding!
