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Given that the current Anova Steam Oven still has bugs (I've had two replacements under warranty - so far) and the internet is rife with complaints about this oven, I wouldn't touch the new "Pro' version with a 10 foot pole.

In my quest to avoid ordering take out, but make the least amount of effort and mess possible, the Fasta Pasta arrived at my door today. Orzo and pastina are generally my go to pastas and straining them is messy, so I will be trying this thing out (despite it lacking cooking info for tiny pasta).

Manado is the main city of Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. In general, the people from this region like their food really really spicy. They love to say that their food is the spiciest in Indonesia, which is saying something. Personally, while I like spicy food, eating it the traditional way is quite a bit much for me, bordering on unpleasant, so I've altered it to still have a lot of chilli flavor, but with an overall heat level that won't induce hallucinations. You can adapt my adapted recipe to make it spicier if you prefer. Serves 2 Ingredients: Spice paste (bumbu): 6 cloves garlic 5 candlenuts, roasted at 350F for 10 min. 4 big red chillies, sometimes called prik chee faa in Thai or Holland peppers in my local Hmart 2 red Thai chillies (to make spicier, use 4-5 Thai chillies) 3 inches fresh turmeric, peeled 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled 4 skin on chicken thighs, trimmed and cleaned 6 shallots, sliced fine - about 1/8" wide 1 inch galangal, smashed 1 stalk lemongrass, pounded 2 salam leaves 6 kaffir lime leaves 2 big red chillies, halved and chopped - large dice (to make spicier, add a small handful of Thai chillies, chopped) 1/2C chicken stock + some water if needed 2 plum tomatoes, large dice 1/2 fresh turmeric leaf (optional) 1 pandan leaf (optional) 1t salt 1t sugar 1/2t chicken powder 1 large bunch Thai basil, leaves picked - maybe 30 leaves? 3 green onions, chopped in 1" lengths Method: 1. In a small food processor, grind the spice paste ingredients until finely minced. Remove to a mortar/pestle and grind until it is a smooth paste 2. In a braising pan with some neutral oil, brown the chicken thighs and remove 3. In the same oil over medium to medium/low heat, fry the sliced shallots until softened and slightly browned 4. Add the spice paste and fry until the oil separates out and bubbles through the middle 5. Add the galangal, lemongrass, salam leaves and kaffir lime leaves and fry until fragrant 6. Add the chopped chillies and fry for a minute or two until slightly softened 7. Add the stock, tomatoes, turmeric leaf, pandan leaf and seasoning, then add the browned chicken - add water until the liquid reaches about halfway up the chicken 8. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes 9. Remove the cover, turn the chicken pieces over and simmer for another 5 minutes 10. Turn the chicken pieces again and simmer until cooked fully 11. Remove the chicken and reserve 12. Simmer the sauce until quite thick, then remove turmeric leaf and pandan leaf, lemongrass and galangal if desired 13. Turn off the heat and add the Thai basil and green onion and mix thoroughly to wilt and return the chicken to the pan to coat, then serve. It should look similar to this:

Andrew Janjigian at Wordloaf is selling his (clean) Anova Precision Oven for something really cheap. See here. Noteworthy because he says "As you may know, I’ve been developing recipes for and testing the Anova Precision Oven for the last few years, and have loved it. I use it for bread all the time, both for proofing and baking, with and without steam, and it works great. I also use it for sous vide, “air fryer,” and traditional cooking; it comes in handy when I need extra oven space or simply don’t want to fire up my main range for something small. (It’s great for reheating pizza, for example.) "Anyway, Anova has a new version in the works; not a replacement for this one, but rather a Pro model, with a touchscreen and some updated design. I just got sent one to test out, and I need to make room for it, so I’m going to sell this one at a deep discount." I can find NO information about the new model online. But I'm interested. (Do you think it has a self-clean cycle 🤣 ? )

I use buttermilk culture for cultured butter as per New England Cheese Making supply Co - here

I succumbed to reports of Bella Copper copper heat diffusers, and have discovered that these plates work well as a baking steel. Amazing results for puff pastry tarts and baguettes!

Mrs. C fried the trout and made the sauce. I stir-fried bean sprouts with shallot, garlic, sliced jalapeno, and chives.

Well, this is called consistency in the restaurant business!

I usually just whack garlic with the side of my cleaver but when I want it very fine sometimes use this.

@BonVivant that fried okra and tofu has me drooling. What's the procedure for the tofu and duck yolk sauce? Okra was also on our menu today. Lunch was a variation on "Meat and Three". The okra is sliced then rolled in cornmeal prior to frying in hot oil. My Mom couldn't fix enough for us kids.

I think it's the turmeric that makes you golden!

See - I don't have to worry about that, as I don't own one. And if something is left out, it just attracts vermin Rosie. That's been happening for Significant Eater for decades.

You are all giving my husband too much credit 😉 I don't let him touch my knives and I welcome the help in the kitchen, especially when it's a dish I'm pretty sure he'll be able to manage on his own (he would eat this three times a week!!) so my stealth plan is that he learns how to do more and more of this recipe on his own. THEN I can come home and have him hand ME a plate of dinner!

I keep mine out on the kitchen island. I never thought to put it in a drawer.

That is absolutely stunning, Jo! I'd be cutting with that nakiri non-stop! Great looking handle too. Is that a 165 or a 180? You've gotta get a cutting board that's somewhere between cheap plastic and the soft "special occasion" feel of hinoki. There's no greater pleasure than putting really beautiful high end tools to use.

I used to have an OXO garlic press and gave it away. That thing was super annoying to clean and it would clog after a clove or two, which would defeat the purpose (ease of use / speed). I find it much faster to process with a knife (trim the root end, smash gently on a cutting board with the flat of a knife to release the clove (and any frustrations I may have), collect all the peeled cloves and then mince as desired). You are going to need a knife to remove the peel anyway, so why not also use it to mince the garlic... that way you can also control the size of the mince (the press tends to transform everything into mush). Speaking of Gilroy, my local Northgate market sells Gilroy garlic. Nice stuff, just bought some the other day. $1.29 for 3 (small) heads.

All that makes sense to me; thanks, @blue_dolphin. I find the whole process, from 3.25% cow's milk to 83% butter on the refrigerator shelf, pretty interesting.

I'd wager the mix of bacteria used are pretty similar, though probably not exact. In both processes, they fractionate the cream from the skim milk prior to culturing the crème fraîche or future butter so they're working with a high fat substrate so it makes sense they'd have some similarities. Any commercial entity producing a fermented product at scale tends to keep their bacterial strains confidential. Even if they deposit samples in a public biobank as part of a patent or trademark process, they're probably not the exact same cultures used in production. I found these strains listed as being used to culture butter here: Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris (Leuc. citrovorum) The strains listed for crème fraîche production tend to be much the same crowd, although like here, where they list the first 3 strains above, they also say things like, "often others," and probably won't cough up the exact cocktail of bugs.

I know we have a few investors on eG...

Thanks @blue_dolphin, that is a cute cartoon, if a bit lacking in detail. My interest was piqued by @pastrygirl's assertion that the cream was made into crême fraiche before being made into butter. Is that really what happens? I imagine that making crëme fraiche and making butter are similar processes, especially in that culturing includes thickening and flavor development. But surely, the same bacteria aren't used for the two products?

Patagonian scallops with roasted chile Poblano in a cilantro-lime-habanero sauce.

I really enjoyed yesterday's beans on toast so I had almost the same thing today. Beet greens as the veg and Rancho Gordo ceci neri (black garbanzos) as the bean:

Tri-tip, cooked SV then seared, with steamed cauliflower in butter.

Hi @ElsieD ... last night I came across these in my files and I thought of your request. Maybe they'll give you some ideas. I'm planning to combine ideas from these two recipes and put together a "Taco Tuesday" for some neighbors: https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/chicken-tinga-tacos/ https://youtu.be/O6L7qpLXdk0

I think the S&B is the way to go. I know the Karashi you are stocking very well and while it is much sharper and hotter than the S&B it lacks the complexity you are looking for. You may consider adding a tiny pinch of sugar (to harmonize the taste, not to sweeten) and a more generous pinch of MSG. Other than that you are golden … (Come to think of it: of course, one could use a different vinegar to add additional depth)