blackp

If the bottom of your pan is not totally flat and even why would you even consider using a CF? Assuming that the pan was slightly warped the sensor would be reading the temp close to the centre while one edge may not be even touching the glass therefore not getting the same induction input of those parts of the pan which were touching. It's all about precision. If you have an old warped pan toss it or use it on gas. If on the other hand you are keen to get an even temperature precisely held, then use a decent pan on your CF and get the benefits that you paid for!

I won't experiment as I am certain that it will not work. The Maillard reaction which gives sautéed meat it's characteristic brown outside occurs between 300°F and 500°F. Crank your Control Freak up to Sear using a cast iron pan and enjoy the steak!

I'm not sure that I understand how this can be true. Inside the pressure cooker the steam must build up to a level where there is enough pressure to lift the weight or move the spring depending on the type of pressure cooker. Surely the amount of force required would be the same at high altitude as it would at sea level. If that is true the pressure inside the pressure cooker would be the same and therefore the temperature would be the same also. Have I missed something?

Meld is one of the increasing number of things which makes me say "Why didn't I think of that?". I've been using sous vide for years and this device is going to allow me to use my stove top to accurately control a water bath. I haven't yet begun to think of all the other things I can do with an accurate stove top. If Darren and his team deliver a quality product as planned they will revolutionise stove top cooking. I'm already thinking that I need more than one! While I "know" Darren through participation in a private sous vide online group, I have no propriety interest in Meld.

Dale's book is one of the better SV books I have. It has a good instructional section and lots of interesting recipes including some from guest chefs. It is illustrated with good quality colour photography (unlike most SV books) and I have cooked several recipes from it with success. I understand the reservation of adding $27 postage, but if you can overlook that it is a good book which is easy to recommend.

Unpopular Poet - Interesting combinations. Did you know that you don't need to bag things that you want to infuse? Just submerge them in a container which will fit under the lid of your chamber machine and run the vacuum. I generally stop when the boiling looks like it will make a mess, and for stronger infusion you can do this multiple times. I've not been as adventurous as you but vodka into watermelon is delicious as is gin, and speed pickles made by infusing cucumber slices with champagne vinegar were also successful. Cheers, Peter.

My guess is that you can put larger and or square items into the oven combined with the fact that there is only a flat surface to clean in the event of any spills. Side benefit is there is no fragile turntable to break, and in my case it is the turntable part of my MW which is causing the noise - must be a bearing or similar, so with no turntable that part cannot break down. No idea why, but all of the commercial MWO's I've seen have no turntable. There must be a reason!

My microwave is starting to make strange noises so I'm assuming that a replacement is on the agenda soon. I've read a bit about domestic microwaves with no turntable and seen conflicting feedback, but generally negative. I'm wondering if it is worth the expense to invest in a commercial microwave (no turntable). I understand that higher power doesn't mean faster defrosting, but faster cooking or heating should be possible. I have read that some commercial ovens use dual magnetrons to ensure that the microwaves are well distributed, but some other models use a fan to stir the microwaves around. The only advice I have been given is predictable: Commercial shops tell me that the commercial ovens are much better / stronger / faster etc. etc. and the retail shops tell me that the commercial models are too expensive and not needed in a domestic situation. Seems like everyone is a supporter of whatever they sell Has anyone had experience with commercial microwaves? Do they really work any differently from domestic versions? Is spending perhaps 4 to 5 times the price worth the investment or a waste of money? I'd appreciate any feedback.

The latest SVM sensor is practically bullet proof. I've had one continuously submerged in my SV tank for nearly a year now and it still works fine. The older style sensors (straight sided cylindrical shape) had issues with moisture if you left them submerged, these new ones do not seem to have the same issue.

As for the freezing of fish - I regularly purchase whole sides of different fish including salmon and portion them, vacuum pack and then freeze them. I find that the texture of the thawed product or that cooked SV from frozen to be almost indistinguishable from the fresh article. There is one caveat to this though. I get all my fish from a place that supplies top end restaurants. The main reason for this is that they are very careful that all their fish is "dry processed" - that is that once the fish flesh is exposed no water or ice comes into contact with it. If the fish flesh had been wet or even sitting on a bed of ice as is common in fish retailers the flesh tends to absorb water and apart from the potential contamination issue if you freeze that fish the water crystals will break the fish down as it freezes. So to cut a long story short freezing fresh fish works fine - so long as the fish flesh is kept scrupulously dry. Regards, Peter.

While I haven't tried it with ribs I did a blind taste test for bacon where I had 3 pork bellies all treaded identically up to the point where: 1 was smoked. 1 was cooked SV and then smoked. 1 was smoked and then cooked SV. All cooking and smoking times were the same for all pieces. I gave samples to several friends marked only with numbers so none of the eaters had any idea about how they were prepared. The results were one person short of 100% in favour of cook SV and then smoke. The one person who didn't like that best preferred the smoked only sample. Nobody liked the smoke first and then cook SV batch. My guess is that the sv cookery lowers the intensity of the smoke flavour. Must get some ribs and give it a try both ways.

If you are using an aquarium air pump for your 'bubbler" I would not consider using it to pump smoke directly. The "tar" in the smoke will very quickly gum up the pump mechanism and stop it from working permanently. Aquarium pumps typically use a vibrating motor and one or more rubber/silicone membranes which enclose a small space fitted with one way valves so that when the motion is in one direction it sucks in external air and when the motion is reversed it blows that air down the outlet tube. It is these valves which will not survive the "tar" in smoke. On the other hand the Smoking Gun and the similar Aladin which I have use a fan to suck air through the burning wood chips and force smoke through the outlet. Even these can gum up but it takes quite a bit of use to gum the fan up to the point where you need to clean it whereas a tiny one-way air valve will clog up and fail to work with very little contamination. Sorry for saying what won't work rather than having a solution to your problem, but I suspect that there isn't a simple solution. That's why we have smokers and smoking gun type devices.

Sous Vide Baby Food? A friend who I converted to Sous Vide cookery about a year ago has recently had an addition to his family. Given that the son is about to start eating solid food he asked me about using SV to make baby food with 100% vegetables and/or fruit rather than the store-bought versions in cans and bottles which have all kinds of other ingredients and additives. On the surface this sounds like a good idea. Pureeing could be achieved in the bag just by mashing it up and there is no chance that any nutrients would escape into the boiling water as for conventionally prepared mush. Has any of the SV community made baby food? If so are there any tips or tricks or things to avoid? Are there better time/temp charts for different foods to become "mushable" but still nutritious? Please excuse my ignorance here as SWMBO and I have no children so I have zero clue about the best way to feed miniature humans. As a total aside I read today that Marion Mathie who played Rumpole of the Bailey's "She Who Must Be Obeyed" (The original SWMBO) passed away this week at the ripe old age of 87. Leo McKern who played Rumpole who incidentally was an Aussie passed away around 10 years ago. Cheers, PB

The only downside I can see to "permanently on" soft air is for vacuum infusing. I have no particular scientific reason for saying this, but the quick burst of atmospheric pressure does seem to cause better infusion. That said if I had the choice between a machine with permanent soft air or none - I'd take the soft air option every time.

I have the cut-off sealer with a single time setting and it works fine.