[Yoruichi-san]

Edicius University, Redrum U's East Coast rival, was having their annual alumni fund-raising dinner. A group of the 'most prestigious' (a.k.a. most wealthy) of Edicius U's alumni were gathered in the Pom P. Us Dining Hall to indulge in gourmet food and listen to the University Board make their usual pitch.

As the president of Edicius U's 6th Sleuthing Club, B-kun, was making his way up to the podium to give his speech about the 'sad state of campus safety' (or so the Board had told him to say), suddenly the decorations on the ceiling crashed down to the ground. Then multi-colored streamers began drifting down around the expensively over-dressed individuals in the room. On the streamers were printed words: NOT EDICIUS, BUT REDRUM!

Looking up, B-kun saw affixed to the ceiling a box with a trap door hanging open on the bottom, which had been previously hidden by the decorations. Attached to the handle of the trap door was a thin rope, which had been strung up along the ceiling though circlets of duct-tape. B-kun arched his fine dark eyebrows and spun around briskly, his long white coat fanning out in a circle.

Following the rope into the commercial quality kitchen, B-kun discovered the end of it attached to a circular ring which was lying on the ground. It was approximately the size of his fist, with a piece about an inch and a half wide cut out of it.

A few feet away was a bucket of water with a mop in it, leaning against its edge. Pots and pans were hung up along the ceiling around the center workstation. Along one side of the room were shelves for utensils. Along another side were the doors to the walk-in refrigerator and walk-in freezer.

There was something else on the ground. B-kun bent down and dipped his long finger in the red goop. He brought his finger up to his aristocratic nose and sniffed.

His red-haired Vice President, who had followed him there squealed and reeled back. "Is it...blood?"

"No..." B-kun shook his head and his face formed into his usual disapproving frown as the image of a purple-haired head and a face with mischievous eyes and an enigmatic smile popped into his head. He muttered under his breath, "That woman..."

Edit: Clarification

Edited December 10, 2008 by Yoruichi-san

[Guest]

mercury? They could have kept it frozen in dry ice and the prank would have been triped as it came to room temprature.

[Yoruichi-san]

I only ask..

The liquid nitrogen was something I saw on Iron Chef America last weekend. As for the horseradish, I guess there was no shrimp cocktail for an appetizer on this occasion?

Back to the kitchen...

Haha...yeah...the original Iron Chef was so much better...loved the dubbing...it was hilarious!

1) was the mop water warm?

2) was the mop handle wooden or metal, or doesn't it matter?

and

3) Was some kind of punch being served at this sophisticated affair?

1) Cold or room temp

2) Doesn't matter

3) Doesn't matter

Okay...here's a hint...

the shape...the ring...;P

[Guest]

Okay...here's a hint...

the shape...the ring...;P

The "ring" is from the kitchen? I had assumed they brought that with them and just added something to it from the kitchen... OK, this leads us in a new direction! <looks up at the utensils hanging around the room> Hmmm.....

edit: nevermind, it's just the glop, I went back through.

Edited December 13, 2008 by Grayven

[Yoruichi-san]

The "ring" is from the kitchen? I had assumed they brought that with them and just added something to it from the kitchen... OK, this leads us in a new direction! <looks up at the utensils hanging around the room> Hmmm.....

edit: nevermind, it's just the glop, I went back through.

Uh...no, the ring was not from the kitchen...I don't know what gave you that impression, but I'm sorry if it did...the ring was brought along...it's the thing added that's important...and the hint is for that...;P

[Guest]

A ring doughnut wit a bite out of it - or the jam (red gooey stuff!), came out. Check the bite mark and match to teeth of suspects - Lame i think, BTW anyone tried corned beef doughnuts

I am in the dark on this completely - must be a simple answer.

[Yoruichi-san]

A ring doughnut wit a bite out of it - or the jam (red gooey stuff!), came out. Check the bite mark and match to teeth of suspects - Lame i think, BTW anyone tried corned beef doughnuts

I am in the dark on this completely - must be a simple answer.

Haha...no...no doughnuts...but it was something edible...;P

[Guest]

The red glop is edible and melts at "kitchen" temperature. Presumably, it is something that would melt at a predictable rate. It is NOT raspberry sherbet, a red Popsicle, cocktail sauce, red frozen gelatin, or red salt.

It IS found in a commercial kitchen, which is currently set up to produce a gourmet meal for a bunch of wealthy VIP's.

I've looked at cheeses, which could give you a very controllable melt rate in slightly warm conditions, but I found none that were red in more than waxy coating on the rind.

I also looked at wax itself, as it is edible. Many reasons rule it out, the best of which is that wax would just be too mundane for the likes of Y-san IMO.

So what are we left with?

Royal icing or fondant leftover from making the cake? (what are Edicius' school colors anyway?)Either of these could serve the purpose.

Perhaps the kitchen staff froze some of the punch to add to it periodically during the evening? Was that used as the trigger?

Other red foods? Tomatoes, red bell peppers, cherries (especially maraschino). These seem unlikely, except in a paste or sauce form. Red wine tomato sauce? Possible.

Whatever it is needed to freeze hard, while also being able to be formed into the gap in the ring before or during freezing (not that freezing has actually been confirmed, but it is the most likely.)

So what have I missed? Just the actual identity of the gloop, I think. Back to the kitchen!

[Yoruichi-san]

The red glop is edible and melts at "kitchen" temperature. Presumably, it is something that would melt at a predictable rate. It is NOT raspberry sherbet, a red Popsicle, cocktail sauce, red frozen gelatin, or red salt.

It IS found in a commercial kitchen, which is currently set up to produce a gourmet meal for a bunch of wealthy VIP's.

I've looked at cheeses, which could give you a very controllable melt rate in slightly warm conditions, but I found none that were red in more than waxy coating on the rind.

I also looked at wax itself, as it is edible. Many reasons rule it out, the best of which is that wax would just be too mundane for the likes of Y-san IMO.

So what are we left with?

Royal icing or fondant leftover from making the cake? (what are Edicius' school colors anyway?)Either of these could serve the purpose.

Perhaps the kitchen staff froze some of the punch to add to it periodically during the evening? Was that used as the trigger?

Other red foods? Tomatoes, red bell peppers, cherries (especially maraschino). These seem unlikely, except in a paste or sauce form. Red wine tomato sauce? Possible.

Whatever it is needed to freeze hard, while also being able to be formed into the gap in the ring before or during freezing (not that freezing has actually been confirmed, but it is the most likely.)

So what have I missed? Just the actual identity of the gloop, I think. Back to the kitchen!

Ooh...one of the things you mentioned is indeed correct...although you might not realize it ;P...it's probably not something that you've ever frozen before...and for a good reason...and that reason is part of the answer .

[Guest]

Ooh...one of the things you mentioned is indeed correct...although you might not realize it ;P...it's probably not something that you've ever frozen before...and for a good reason...and that reason is part of the answer .

Grr....

So what on my list did I discount AND changes somehow after you freeze and melt it?

I felt that icing/fondant was the most likely. Royal icing, when thawing, "sweats" like from Orson Wells running a marathon. It's positively disgusting. Most people who've been married a year or more can attest to this. I've never worked with fondant, but I would assume that a something similar happens making it quite nasty. But I said these were likely.

Red bell peppers get positively disgusting when frozen (very mushy), but using one to complete the ring would be tricky. Frozen cherries are actually quite good.

I've never actually frozen a whole tomato, because honestly, who would? The implementation seems tricky.

I was leaning strongly towards cocktail sauce, but you said the glop didn't smell of horseradish (key ingredient, I grow my own).

Tomato sauce freezes quite well, as the success of frozen lasagna proves.

Tomato paste? I'm loathe to test it in the freezer just for this though.

Cheese wouldn't necessarily need to be frozen to work, even if I could find a red kind.

Then there's the wax. I've never frozen it. Does freezing food grade wax make it's melting point change somehow? Or does it sweat and soften enough to release itself from the ring?

Of all of these, I'm going to narrow my guess to either the fondant, or the wax.

[Yoruichi-san]

Ooh...one of the things you mentioned is indeed correct...although you might not realize it ;P...it's probably not something that you've ever frozen before...and for a good reason...and that reason is part of the answer .

Grr....

So what on my list did I discount AND changes somehow after you freeze and melt it?

I felt that icing/fondant was the most likely. Royal icing, when thawing, "sweats" like from Orson Wells running a marathon. It's positively disgusting. Most people who've been married a year or more can attest to this. I've never worked with fondant, but I would assume that a something similar happens making it quite nasty. But I said these were likely.

Red bell peppers get positively disgusting when frozen (very mushy), but using one to complete the ring would be tricky. Frozen cherries are actually quite good.

I've never actually frozen a whole tomato, because honestly, who would? The implementation seems tricky.

I was leaning strongly towards cocktail sauce, but you said the glop didn't smell of horseradish (key ingredient, I grow my own).

Tomato sauce freezes quite well, as the success of frozen lasagna proves.

Tomato paste? I'm loathe to test it in the freezer just for this though.

Cheese wouldn't necessarily need to be frozen to work, even if I could find a red kind.

Then there's the wax. I've never frozen it. Does freezing food grade wax make it's melting point change somehow? Or does it sweat and soften enough to release itself from the ring?

Of all of these, I'm going to narrow my guess to either the fondant, or the wax.

[Guest]

Reminder to self:

ACTUALLY READ THE POST BEFORE POSTING IT!!!!

Someday, I will learn that lesson.

So to work, the ring would have to be placed around the tomato, which was impaled on the mop handle, then frozen all together. Cumbersome and unlikely, but possible.

I think it much easier to embed the ring part way into the tomato, then freeze it, leaving enough room for the mop handle.

Either way, as the tomato thaws, (and presumably turns to the same nasty mush that the peppers did) it falls apart and releases the ring.

So how do you know this about tomatoes, hmm? Why did you freeze one?

[Yoruichi-san]

When you freeze fruits and vegetables, the formation of ice crystals damages the cell walls...destroying the structure of the food. The higher the effective water content, the more damage is done. If you freeze something like a tomato, when it thaws...it becomes mush.

But the key for the tomato, is that it can be frozen separately from the ring...b/c for the contraption to work (and what I was hinting at earlier that you were forgetting to take into account), whatever it was has to be frozen into place on the mop handle itself, since once the ring is filled it's impossible to tie the rope around it...the ring with the rope pulled taught must be placed on the contraption at the last moment (before the pranksters make their getaway). The tomato, in it's natural state, will keep it's circular form as it sits in the freezer, freezing...

So to summarize, they put the mop in the bucket of water, skewered the tomato onto the handle, and froze the contraption. They set up the series of duct tape circles to hold the rope up on the ceiling where it would be covered by decorations, they attached the box with the trap door to the ceiling, attached the rope to the trap door handle, pulled taught to keep it shut, and then tied the rope to the ring and placed it around the tomato...when the tomato thawed and became mush, the tension in the rope pulled the ring away from the mop, which was held in place by the much more massive (and thus still mostly frozen) block of ice in the bucket. The trap door fell open, and voila...Redrum wins round 1 ;P

[Yoruichi-san]

Reminder to self:

ACTUALLY READ THE POST BEFORE POSTING IT!!!!

Someday, I will learn that lesson.

So to work, the ring would have to be placed around the tomato, which was impaled on the mop handle, then frozen all together. Cumbersome and unlikely, but possible.

I think it much easier to embed the ring part way into the tomato, then freeze it, leaving enough room for the mop handle.

Either way, as the tomato thaws, (and presumably turns to the same nasty mush that the peppers did) it falls apart and releases the ring.

So how do you know this about tomatoes, hmm? Why did you freeze one?

Yep...good job! You figured out most of it really quickly...that was great...just missing the Food Science (which I have some experience with...that's how I know )...and don't forget the rope ;P

[Guest]

But the key for the tomato, is that it can be frozen separately from the ring...b/c for the contraption to work (and what I was hinting at earlier that you were forgetting to take into account), whatever it was has to be frozen into place on the mop handle itself, since once the ring is filled it's impossible to tie the rope around it...the ring with the rope pulled taught must be placed on the contraption at the last moment (before the pranksters make their getaway). The tomato, in it's natural state, will keep it's circular form as it sits in the freezer, freezing...

So to summarize, they put the mop in the bucket of water, skewered the tomato onto the handle, and froze the contraption. They set up the series of duct tape circles to hold the rope up on the ceiling where it would be covered by decorations, they attached the box with the trap door to the ceiling, attached the rope to the trap door handle, pulled taught to keep it shut, and then tied the rope to the ring and placed it around the tomato...when the tomato thawed and became mush, the tension in the rope pulled the ring away from the mop, which was held in place by the much more massive (and thus still mostly frozen) block of ice in the bucket. The trap door fell open, and voila...Redrum wins round 1 ;P

When you freeze fruits and vegetables, the formation of ice crystals damages the cell walls...destroying the structure of the food. The higher the effective water content, the more damage is done. If you freeze something like a tomato, when it thaws...it becomes mush.

Cumbersome, as I said, but possible.

do it several other ways, but the mop frozen in the bucket seems to help ensure the timing. I like it.

One question, though: Why, in a busy kitchen, didn't anyone on staff notice a mop bucket in the freezer with a tomato on the handle? Seems rather conspicuous?

I can't wait for the next. Well done. :bow:

[Guest]

Watermelon is very high in water content and is soft to begin with. take the metal ring (likely a bracelet from his purple haired friend) push it into a piece a watermelon stick it over the handle of the mop, put in freezer for the appropriate amount of time (the freezer may have been set for above freezing so temperatures/time for items to freeze might vary) remove and attach rope, well actually string, being that it is a kitchen I'm sure they would have string on hand to tie up turkey, roasts, and any other cooking needs, string is very versatile. The rest of the question has already been covered so I won't drone on repeating it. At least this is my 2 cents.

On another note, my first inclination about purple hair and enigmatic smile was, sadly, those troll dolls sold in the mid 90's.

[Yoruichi-san]

Cumbersome, as I said, but possible.

do it several other ways, but the mop frozen in the bucket seems to help ensure the timing. I like it.

One question, though: Why, in a busy kitchen, didn't anyone on staff notice a mop bucket in the freezer with a tomato on the handle? Seems rather conspicuous?

I can't wait for the next. Well done. :bow:

Thanks...and I'm soooo glad you asked that question ...you see...

disguised herself as the Chef and her fellow pranksters were her sous Chefs...Y-san's a very good cook ;P. Of course, her secret Chef sensibilities wouldn't let her mess with the food...