MArkF

Not sure what your budget is. After grilling and smoking for 45 years, I bought Weber Kamado E6. It’s a double wall steel construction vs. ceramic. It is by far the best grill I’ve ever used. A couple of my friends have pellet grills and they have have had issues with software, clogs, pellets, etc. No such issues with the E6. Hold temperatures wonderfully, super easy to clean, uses both lump and briquettes. Fire grate has two levels, one for low and slow, the other for grilling. It’s 24 inches in diameter but I routinely make dinner for two with it. At one point, I had 2 kettles, an offset, a gas grill (spare the air days) and an electric smoker. Now I only have the Genesis gas grill and the E6. It gets used 80% of the time. So, if you grill more than anything else, I recommend the E6.

Wow. Off flavor? I have been cooking in a Romertoff (sp?) for 30 years and have never had that happen. Mark

Couple of things.... Make sure the the potatoes are rinsed well in cold water. Dry them after.Too much starch on the chip will cause them to brown too quick. Make sure they are at room temperature. If to cold on the inside, it will take longer to cook. Also, do not cut your chips too thick. I had that cause trouble too. Here in California, most prefer to rinse/soak...1st cook at 160C until soft and rubbery followed by 180C until brown and crispy. I appreciate that you do not want to double fry, but make the best French fries. I make both fires and chips this way with Yukon golds with no issues. mark

I bought a Gowise air fryer. Got tired of dealing with smell and left over oil. Now that I have used for a while, I have found that it works well and is just big enough for the 2 of us. Heats a lot quicker than my full sized oven. Its 3.8 quart but I may donate this to one of the kids and get 5.8 quart. Got the Gowise as it was considerably cheeper than the Phillips and got good reviews. It came with perforated parchment liners for the basket. Those work good. Made fish and chips the other night. Instead of batter, I put beer in the egg and then did flour-egg-flour. Came out really good! Mark

I bought a Lodge cleaning brush few months back, $7! It does a wonderful job cleaning cast iron. Mine have never looked so well. Wipe them down with a very small amount of oil after use. It came with a small hard plastic ridged scraper that I use on by ribbed grill plate. Try one one those, they are way cheap and work pretty darn well. Mark

When I recently purchased a new range, I ruled out induction because of the limitations. The big 3 for me are 1 - cannot bridge 2 burners with a single pan, 2 - you cannot run all burner on high, 3 - limitation on pan material. instead I opted for a dual fuel range with an over the range convection microwave (small kitchen). This configuration has worked very well and I get to use my spring steel wok.

I cook at 200F until meat reaches 135 ish. Cover and let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour. While resting, I crank over to max. When rested, I put meat back in for 10 to 15 minutes to crust the outside. I do this cause wife likes it that way. refidgerate over night, slice as thin as possible. this method yields a nice bark but the meat stays medium rare from edge to edge. No gray ring! Mark

I just got rid of more than 120 cookbooks effectively eliminating my collection. I get so many recipes on line now that I virtually do not use them anymore. i just wonder if I did the wrong thing....... thoughts? Mark

I just installed a DACOR convection microwave and it's my second one. It was expensive. I believe that it is a rebranded sharp but sure works well. Its the over the range style. Gives me 2 ovens to use (microwave and range). With just the wife and I in the house, it gets used as an over quite a bit. Kinda hard to clean though. The thing to remember though is that is microwave, convection, or both together (way cool). The DACOR one does not have any conventional oven capability but this has not been a showstopper for up. mark

I am a bit confused about the comments about rough surface on lodge cast iron. I have both new (rough) and old (smooth) and see no difference at all in cleaning, seasoning, or cooking between new and old. Griswold remains arguable the best, but due to the increasing popularity of cast iron they are increasingly hard to find. For me, I like lodge and have used it for 40 plus years. I have no issue with the low prices. Its cast iron after all. Mark

I had space constraints in my "oh-so-small" kitchen and after reading many articles questioning the cost vs benefit of "pro-style" ranges, I opted for a 30 dual feul range (Dacor RSD30) and matching convection microhood. Cost for all plus installation was $1300 lees than Viking 30". Am very happy with it all. Mark

For me its 3 fold- 1 - Being a home cook and no longer a resturant cook (30 years ago)...allows total freedom of expression without portion control or answering to the "higher authority". 2 - Having a family and friends who are more than willing to try new things...complimenting successes and critizing failures. 3 - Having my children wander into the kitchen to help with 1 and 2...that may be the best of all... Mark

I opted for the Dacor (Panasonic) convection microhood. It gives me a second oven for the rare times I need it. Inside is SS and is easily cleaned with a spray of 409. Cooks the same as the big oven. I like to combination methods (30% microwave plus convection heat). Cooked a boness leg of Lamp (2.5lbs) to med in 20 minutes...nice and crusted on the outside too. Not sure if the Advantium is a "better" system but I didnt need to learn another way to cook. Mark

After reading this thread, I guess I realize how lucky I am. I live in Sonoma county California and always cook with what I drink. We get very good wines at very good prices around here....but I only wanted to add that one shouldn't skimp on the quality of the wines one cooks with because in most cases the wine flavor is concentrated during cooking....who would want to concentrate a not-so-good taste? Mark

I will never again forget to poke a hole or two into my potatoes before baking in the oven....was kinda like 4th of july and Christmas all in one oven...really spectacular actually....not as hard to clean up the potatoe "snow" as I thought and the explosion sounds we cool too.... Mark

I guess I am the only one who doesnt brine. I am attentive to check for doneness and have never had a complaint about "too dry". I am not convinced that brining causes enough moisture to be abosrbed into the bird to really make such a difference... I also do not like the added salt and suger...these are things I don't need. Mark

Cut finer while chopping habeneros...instinct is to put pressure on wound...used other finger to apply pressure...BUT...forgot to remove glove...finger stung down to my knees....did remove tears with kleenex tho.... Mark

For my kids...lemon pepper... Mark

I agree...wash well, bandaid, glove. Finish the meal, then tend to the wound. can't not feed the troups in my abode....gashes don't qualify as a meal stopper to my teenagers...lol Mark

I agree with this...simple..have found to many times that one cant taste the bird for the stuffing. IMHO, stuffing/dressing should be a side to the bird, not the other way around... Mark

Kid makes cake for school...dad (me) lets son eat cake...daughter wants brother to "burn in hell"...dog lives in house...dad (me)...lives in small house in yard....my bad... Mark

I use either rosemary or dill (fress)....tie into a brush with string...use..discard...no cleaning...lots-o-flavor added.... Mark

I lost 100+ lbs over a 1 1/2 year span. Its been 2 years since and am still at the weight I was when I stopped losing...about 160 lbs. For me, the corner stone was exercise and portion control. Sure I watched the "whites" and lowered the carbs and fat but I did it by eating less, not different. The other thing that I did was to never eat after 7:30 PM. Even if I went out for dinner, I would politely request that we go so that I could be done with my meal by 7:30. This was important as it is not good to sleep on a full stomach. But in the end, the exercise is/was the key...I can "indulge" once in a while without any weight gain at all (once in a while is defined as 1 meal per week). I did/do not find it hard to maintain my weight. I tried to change my eating "lifestyle" instead of going on a crash/crave diet (aka Atkins, Zone, McDougal). I exercise daily for 1 hour (1st thing in AM, no excuses that way). Was it a lot of work...YEP...was far easier to try the diet thing...short term, quick fix...but usually crashed and burned....I consulted a my doctor, a dietician, and my family. They went along with the food changes (less, what, when to eat). But it was all so worth it. I weigh less now at 50 then I did in high school and am in the best physical shape I've been in 30 years. I have discovered that it being physically fit that was the big payoff.... Mark

I don't mind the conversation as long as no one is in the way. If I want to be alone in the kitchen....I make whomever is conversing do some work (dishes, prep, etc)...presto... quiet or empty kitchen (mostly empty kitchen). Never fails for me! Mark

My kid had a cold hard boilded egg that was hard to peel....thought if the egg was warmer...into the microwave....Hmmm...was that a gunshot I heard? Its ok, we cleaned it up....gave my kid credit...great coverage..... Mark