Sid Post

What is so good about Avocado, Coconut, or Grapesed oil? Does it have a high smoke point for frying or a great taste I have missed? Or is it just a health fad thing? I use Grapeseed oil some with my light frying and it really works great seasoning cast iron and steel cookware now that Peanut oil is so hard to find in addition to being super expensive. My sister fried some eggs in Avacado oil, and to be honest, I think she used a bit too much oil as it caused me GI distress. I am not generally a fan of Coconut so, Coconut oil/fat is something I have generally avoided. I typically see this oil in health-oriented ads and wonder if it is a more mainstream option I should consider. And, where should you use this oil and, where should it be avoided? Or, am I fine with good Olive oils (not the adultered ones), Grapeseed and Canola for light frying and roasted veggies? Or put another way: Where should I use Avocado oil? What is the wrong application for it? Where should I use Coconut oil? What is the wrong application for it? Where should I use Grapeseed oil? What is the wrong application for it? What mainstream oils have I overlooked that isn't the 'main' thing found on the shelf of every grocery store? TIA, Sid

OK. It seems like my Breville, 800XL I think that's the model, Convection Oven works well for pizzas and things like a big frozen lasagna. It will roast chicken or a nice beef roast really well too. The small air fryer it seems excels at smaller quantities of things like French Fries and things like Chicken Nuggets or breaded frozen things in general. In terms of big home oven clean up and energy savings, a tangible benefit for many in high energy cost areas or, with older hard to clean ovens. I will also note I use my Breville Convection Oven because it heats fast and often, I only have something small to cook like a fish fillet.

I am looking at modern air fryers and I am trying to figure out what all the buzz is about. Is it all just marketing? How does something like this compare to one of the better convection ovens? Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker & Air Fryer, 6-qt Capacity, 14-in-1 Functionality One-touch, one-pot meals in 15 minutes Create a meal for up to 4 with 6-qt capacity 14-in-1 functionality with Speedi Meals, Bake, Air Fry and more Rapid Cooking System delivers restaurant-worthy results SmartSwitch™ allows you to easily switch between 2 modes TIA, Sid

SAK's are nice but, a classic P-51 for the #10 cans works much better for me. If I use a SAK, the old Wenger versions work much better than the Victorinox versions in my experience. I will note that Victorinox bought Wenger so, the differences have vanished to my disappointment.

The EZ-DUZ-IT Deluxe Can Opener is a classic and works extremely well for me. They cost between $8~$13 each depending on where you shop. The Kuhn Rikon 'seamless' can oper works really well for me but, can be a bit tricky to use on some cans with weird rims since that is where the seam is a cut. It is really nice not having a lid end up in a can of tomato sauce so, to me it is worth the effort on tricky cans when I am making something that needs tomatoes and other vegetables!

I recently picked up the DeBuyer carbon steel Omelet pan with the stainless handle. It is simply awesome! Not sure if their sale continues today but, my BLACK FRIDAY purchase has been in use for about a week and it makes a lovely Omelet that is easy to turn out for a great picturesque plate. https://debuyer-usa.com/cdn/shop/files/OmeletteFrypan.png Omelet pan

Thanks! Got the short and long-handled Cape Code weeder headed my way.

Bagged ice is REALLY expensive in my area and typically is in short supply. I also live in a rural area so, going to town for ice and the ice melt on the way home is a no-win situation. The nearest "Twice the Ice" outlet is about 30 miles away and is absolutely not cost-effective. I could always install a chest freezer in my pickup and a backup generator to power it but, I still have the issue of cost to get the ice to start with. Hence, my quest for a better capability at home.

I live on a farm and need a good amount of ice each day. In the past, I have been running the 50# a day tabletop models from companies like Maytag and similar from Lowes or Home Depot mainly. At this point, they run >$300 and my last one lasted less than a year. I am on very soft well water so the mineral build-up isn't a problem. I keep my ice machine pretty clean in my kitchen so, it's not getting dusty or hot in a garage or barn either. I have a utility closet with a water heater and a utility sink in my farmhouse garage so, I could put a larger machine there and drain waste water from a commercial ice machine. I don't need 100's of pounds of ice each day but, in the heat of summer, I do use ~75# of ice in a 24-hour period. I am starting to fish more so, I expect my ice needs to grow some as well. The "Twice the Ice" ice vendor in town about 6 miles away has shut down so, I either need to make my own or buy bagged ice which gets spendy over time. What are my better options for a 'cost effective' ice machine that will last over time and make >100# a day or more with a storage capacity of ~50#? What sort of cost am I looking at for better options, where would I buy one, and what about routine service? TIA, Sid

I have been looking at the Cafelat Robot but, the Rok EspressoGC mentioned seems interesting as well. At $200, it is also half the cost of the Cafelat Robot. How is it in normal routine use? Does it hold up to routine use? Good article on CNN too!

Zwilling has good sales on Staub so, the $100 for a 4-qt Dutch Oven is hard to pass up for me generally. I wish LC wasn't so premium but, I get they are targeting a different market segment and affluence level. Lodge raw cast iron generally works really well for people of modest means but, with the inflation and supply chain problems, for me at least, everything has easily doubled in cost. 2-qt Dutch Ovens are ~$60 now and the 5-qt ovens are ~$80USD so, the difference between them and Staub isn't nearly as much as it used to be. The thing for me with enameled cast iron and pottery is worry about leached lead in questionable imported stuff. Then there is flaking to worry about with normal usage and minor handling hiccups. If a brand with a lot of name reputation for premium products makes some enameled cast iron, I at least look at it. FWIW, I don't consider Lodge or Cuisinart as a name brand with a premium reputation! 😉 Good products but, not premium in the marketplace so, manufacturing shortcuts are more likely and often easy to discern.

My experience with French and Belgian cookware is much better than that with Asian made options. The store you mentioned are not a good option for me today as the prices I saw where more than buying new online on the random items I looked at.

Ballarini Bellamonte I recently was notified that Ballarini/Zwilling was selling enameled cast iron cookware made in Vietnam. The webpage makes it resemble Staub but, I wonder. Is this just Staub molds made and fired in Vietnam? Does anyone have personal experience with this cookware? How does it rate compared to LC or Staub or is it more like the enameled Lodge and similar celebrity chef options? TIA, Sid

Turns out, the reason I was seeing only getting the $249 price was that I was not "subscribed" to their email newsletters per the email response to them. Now the normal price is apparently $199. This all seems like a 'bait and switch' type of thing like Amazon does for Black Friday sales. I would have been seriously tempted at $150 but, this whole thing is a turn off at this point.

Hmm, when I looked it was $249. At $149 it would have hit my cart and been headed my way. Wonder why I didn't get the sale price when I looked at it.