Kerry Beal

I haven't found this to be the case. I have more problems with liquid leakage than crystal formation.

I have previously just pushed both thumbs against the underside of the rim and the lid pops off. My problem has come about because I'm vacuum sealing the jars in my chamber vac. That thing sucks and the lids are very, very firmly attached.

Ah ha - just went and looked at the pryer on the swing-away - it's got that lovely flat piece - should work without mangling the lids as long as the hooky bit doesn't mangle the edge. But just noticed I have two of these in the chocolate room for opening pails - they worked beautifully even on the smaller lids.

It's dark chocolate which is more prone to leakage than milk or dark mixed with milk. The better tempered it is, the more it contracts, and if the caramel is even a degree or two cooler than usual it expands a bit more than usual - you might get a leak you didn't have before.

But it's not the screw part of the jar lid I'm trying to open.

Any changes in the chocolate you are using?

Both pretty close.

Love to see a picture.

I use both the narrow mouth and wide mouth mason jars - I have several dozen of them sealed at any given time. Are they available in stores? I'll be down in Buffalo on Wednesday so could look for them there. Looks like the website you linked to is Canadian - I should be able to get my hands on them easily here.

I've seen that suggested before - never tried it.

Interesting - are they glass?

Following the advice of dbinokc over in the freeze drier thread - I've been vacuum sealing shut mason jars full of freeze dried food. Of course I like to access those jars then vacuum seal the caps back on. I've found the church key I own to be causing damage to both the lids and the jars so I'm now in search of something that will pry off the metal lid and leave it in reasonable condition to reseal. Couple of things I've found with potential - this Miracle Vacuum Jar Cap Lifter and these hand made Elegant Wooden bottle openers. Both would be a bit expensive to get my hands on here in Canada - though the Elegant Wooden bottle opener would be quite easy to copy if I could just figure out where the metal piece comes from (Lee Valley doesn't seen to have it). I'll of course be watching thrift stores for the Miracle Vacuum Jar Cap lifter - I've probably picked them up and returned them to the bin over the years with out realizing what they were. Any other things that would work that I might not be considering? Thoughts on the two items I've found?

My caramel center is pretty liquid - you could however add some chocolate to it and some booze at the end and get a nice strong flavour I would think.

I'm just curious to see how much like the original the sous vide then freeze dried meat will be. I plan to package up with the osmosome, add as much moisture as they have lost, then treat them like I would have if they had been removed already cooked from the freezer. I'm sure that this means MORE stuff will go to Manitoulin! Will have to take a bunch of stuff along to play with of course.

Gave the pig skin another go, also some Thai peppers that were in the freezer and a little container of eggwhites I found. Sous vide chuck eye, the osmasome from it, apricot puree. Blackcurrent puree - dry as a chip this time. Turkey and kimchi. Much crispier kimchi than the Trader Joe version.

Apparently page 246 of "Is there a Nutmeg in the House" discusses Trinity Cream. Reference here.

Tom - check out the marshmallows in post #56. Very crispy. Chocolot had the guys do Peeps for her. Maybe Matt can address the volume and cost effectiveness questions.

Darlene - welcome to eGullet. I agree - stainless is the prettiest! Not sure what there is in the way of soup in the freezer - might be some scotch broth. I have a batch going now so it will be a day or so before I can try it. The trays are quite long - you'll want to start clearing out some space in your freezer now for the pre freezing. It's not a difficult process - don't think age will have any effect on the ability to do anything with the machine (expect perhaps lift it!). You'll get into a rhythm of removing the water from the vacuum oil, filling it up, making sure all your various parts are turned on and valves closed, check the gasket to make sure the door seals properly.

Suspect it would - should do an aW test on it.

Here's mine. Imperial cheese added makes it cheesier. Mom's Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients 1 lb macaroni 3 tbsp butter 2 cups milk 3 eggs ½ lb shredded old cheddar cheese (1/2 to 1) 1 tsp salt and pepper 2 tablespoons grated onion 4 tablespoons melted butter 1 cup breadcrumbs Method Cook pasta until soft. Drain, add 3 tbsp butter, shredded cheese and when melted add milk. Add eggs, onion, salt and pepper. place in large casserole dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs that you have mixed with melted butter. Bake at 350 until browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

But they've trimmed way too much of the fat cap!

This morning's unloading - The remaining Meyer Lemons and some raw corn. Can't believe how tasty this corn is. It's so much better than the commercial FD brand I bought in the past - pays to start with the best ingredients. Black current and peach puree. The black current is back in the freezer - way too thick and dense to FD completely. A second run though should finish it off. This is some Bon Maman cherry preserves that I had pureed for a chocolate center. Lots of sugar - so a very different texture than the unsweetened purees. A bit of leftover ganache - it has quite a fascinating texture - I think l could roll truffle centres - FD them, then dip in chocolate. Should be interesting. Big batch of guacamole. Followed Mr Mikes way of dividing the batch - broke into nice squares after it had dried.

5. Yeah - probably does.

Interesting - I did suspect there is a reason that maltodextrin is used for various liquids. Now - where is my supply of it buried?

I've wondered about that - but always used them as is. I'd try a trial of both and see what you get.