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.

Is $249 a sale price?

Can't speak for anyone else but, traffic overall today was rather low. It was only worse at one point along a really busy street as we approached an outdoor mall which had the Petco I was going to. Even at this outdoor mall however, parking was pretty easy and I parked pretty close to the Petco store (closer than I would on a normal weekday after lunch before school lets out at my local Walmart). The stores I went to didn't have much foot traffic. At Petco, both cashiers were idle and getting store help was easier than on a normal shopping day, even mid-week. Lowes was really light too. The parking lot seemed fuller than usual but parking wasn't bad and my checkout process actually was faster today than it was at any of my trips to Lowes in the past two weeks. News reports locally say peoples spending is up overall but, the number of items purchased is down relatively significantly. Foot traffic at the malls and other locations is up (post-COVID) but, purchases as noted previously haven't been as big as it has been in the past. The only thing related to this forum that caught my eye was the Staub 4qt Dutch Ovens on the Zwilling website for $99. The tall 5qt version is $149 and available in limited colors.

Is this a good induction cooker? Also, are the other pans available individually or just as a set of three? Also, it looks like these are on sale for 40% off.

Shrink-flation is real for many products everywhere, not just Amazon. Supply Chain issues are further causing pricing chaos. Then there is inflated shipping charges at many stores so, the sale price may be good but, the delivered price is the same or more by the time it hits your door.

Traditional pancakes have their place but, as I get older, nutrition quality matters. Plus, the taste becomes an issue as well. Sandwich bread for me is a classic example. Kids typically have a strong affinity for simple plain white bread which lacks what most consider to be good nutritional content. Lots of simple carbs and sugar and missing a lot of what classic bread used to contain. As I got older, my preferences in bread evolved more into heartier breads that were typically browned for more flavor along with more whole grains which is closer to what our predecessors ate before "Wonder Bread". These days, a lot of people are pre-diabetic as well so, a simple pancake with a sugary syrup really has some bad side effects for them. I know as I have gotten older, I do much better with complex carbs and proteins that digest slower and more evenly without spiking my insulin levels. If I go to a hotel 'free' breakfast or diner on the roadside somewhere, I don't have an issue eating a classic pancake stack but, I better add some eggs, bacon, or sausage or my sugar level is going to crash in an hour or two. To only be a teenager again where I could eat anything without a care in the world ... like powdered donuts and various Hostess cakes without a care in the world! These days, if the hotel continental 'free' breakfast has Otis Spunkmeyer muffins, I am apt to put a hurting on them even though they aren't that good for me at my age! In terms of pancakes, I'm looking at them like I do breads where I want something more complex and hearty with a good flavor and without having half the stuff in a commercial chemistry lab in it. I'm not saying I'm against modern food additives, just that I want Banana flavoring to come from Bananas, Blueberry 'nuggets' to come from Blueberries, etc.! I am definitely not in the Chocolate Chip and Funfetti community of pancake consumers! Honey buns and Ding Dongs I parted ways a long time ago as well. This is a big part of what brought me 'full circle' back to the humble pancake and French Toast. Waffles and Crepes are occasionally an option as well in a more full featured breakfast but, I need to be mindful of sugar and simple carb Insulin spikes without enough complex carbs and protein. Hearty bread in an egg wash at home is a nice option but, outside the scope of this pancake thread or any camping/hiking breakfast options.

A bit harsh IMHO. Sure, I could use White bread exclusively for my sandwiches but, a good multigrain is a whole lot healthier and IMHO tastes a lot better. Then there are the issues like getting mustard all over my fingers because the white bread lacked integrity and fell apart where the multigrain held on to the mustard, tomato, lettuce, and deli meat. If you can't tell, I'm not into a super sweet non-nutritional white bread and like a good quality bread. Pancakes may not be sandwich bread but, there are real differences in taste, nutrition, and quality.

When I posted originally, Amazon only had Bob's Red Mill pancake mixes at >$20 per box which was simply unrealistic for someone looking for a reasonable pancake mix. When I can get Kodiak locally for $5/box, there was no way I would pay $27/box for the Buckwheat pancake mix. Today, I found some vendors with 4 boxes per order that were in the mid-$20's so, ~$6~$8 per box which was more 'palatable' for me. I have some Bob's Red Mill Buckwheat and 7/10 grain pancake mix ordered to try out. In the meantime, I found a box of Krusteaz Buttermilk which I brought home from my trip to Lowes in the 'big city' ~35 miles away. I hit several larger stores while I was in town and, the main grocery store chain had no Bob's Red Mill or Krusteaz pancake mix. Walmart was my best source but, they had none of the store brand, one variety of Pearl (aka Aunt Jemima), some Bisquick, and the Krusteaz I bought (only 2 boxes left).

Krusteaz comes up a lot in "best" pancake mix reviews. While I really like the brand generally, I wonder how much is driving by paid reviews, ad spending, and similar revenue based systems.

I'm actually looking for the Bob's Red Mill Buckwheat pancake mix but, ~$35 for ~12oz is unreasonable! I will probably get some of the 'regular' next time I'm in town and it is in stock. Supply chain and stock problems here in East Texas make things like that problematic.

The powdered buttermilk at a Walmart suggests this is an option. My experience with powdered eggs is marginal at best.