pounce

Le Creuset offers stainless replacements knobs now for those with cracked or melted knobs...

Out of curiosity, what difference or advantage would there be by making stock in a sealed container? I can put anything in a mason jar (they make big ones) and put it in the bath so it's possible, but the volume wont be near what I can do with a stock pot and an induction burner.

Yes, more vacuum and durability. I still use a FoodSaver and will probably jump to a chamber style if I buy another unit.

You can use any container and just wrap it in foil if you want light protection. I used to do this with my photo chemicals when I needed gallon sizes. I could always aquire clear glass milk and cider jugs, but proper brown ones were hard to find for free. I'm guilty of making quite a few "space mummy" jugs getting my BFA in photo. I am really happy not to be around that stuff anymore... though, the smell of fix still takes me back to some pretty fun days.

I have a question. Why not just blend the beans and alcohol up in the blender or otherwise before letting it set? Seems to me you would get more extraction with more surface area. Is there some disadvantage to macerating the beans? Different flavor profile maybe?

If you are using 80 proof vodka you are 40% alcohol and 60% water. 35% alcohol would mean a person would need to use 70 proof or better to meet FDA requirements.

In the interest of capitalism I'll add that the machine shown from this vendor is available from many vendors. It's a generic unit and rebranded by many companies. The vendor linked is a reseller in a large group of reselleers using the same videos etc. Many versions are branded 'Weston'. Other examples: http://www.cabelas.com/hprod-1/0030017.shtml http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=445342

There are many conspiracy theories about Stevia. In general it boils down to many people believing that the FDA is somehow aiding the larger chemical manufacturers (Monsanto, Ajinomoto etc) by preventing a competing sweetner from entering the market. It may just be that the FDA hasn't seen enough data on the safety. Thus many companies have creatively been selling stevioside/rebaudiosides as suppliments. There are a few products where steviosides are sold in boxes of packets like some of the other sweetners. I've seen these at the market along with the liquids. An alergy or reaction to stevia leaves should not be related to stevioside or the processed sweetner from Stevia. Leaves contain many other factors. A quick book search for Stevia in the title resulted in at least 12 cook books for Stevia. Here are a few: Sugar-Free Cooking with Stevia ISBN-13: 978-1928906117 The Stevia Cookbook: Cooking with Nature's Calorie-Free Sweetener ISBN-13: 978-0895299260 Stevia Sweet Recipes: Sugar Free - Naturally! ISBN-13: 978-1890612092 Baking With Stevia: Recipes for the Sweet Leaf ISBN-13: 978-0965607308

When I want to put a lot of liquid or oil etc in a bag I put all the solids in a bag large enough to hold everything and seal it. I don't bother with the vacuum. I just hit the quick seal on the machine. I cut a corner off and fill with the liquid. I then position the bag in a way that I can tuck the usealed corner into the vacuum sealer without everything spilling out. I sometimes position the sealer on the edge of the counter or prop it up on a cutting board or two. I carefully push out the air and push the liquid up to the seal line and then hit the quick seal on the machine. You can generally get most if not all of the air out of the bag this way. Sure you risk a little mess, but it's pretty easy after you have done it a few times. It helps to make your corner cut small and use a funnel to add the liquid. This is how I pack up soups and sauces instead of going to the bother of pre-freezing. BTW: I have found that silicone mini-loaf, brioche and tart pans are great for pre-freezing items before sealing them.

I'm all over the place in preparations. I go from fat free made from powdered milk up to a whole milk fortified with heavy cream. I've used starter in packets, but I find the best results come from finding store bought yogurt that suits your taste and using it for the culture. I like Brown Cow brand for regular yogurt and there are a few brands of labneh and Greek style yogurt that have nice flavors. I'm finding 109F is a good temp and one mostly cited. Depending on the culture going high or low gets a different flavor as some yogurts use combinations of mesophilic and thermophilic strains. A very basic approach would be to gather up your mason jars and determine how much milk you need to fill them. Bring the milk up to 185F for 30 minutes. You can do this in the bath if you like. Some people think this is just to pasteurize, but it’s also denaturing the whey proteins adding firmness to the yogurt. Get your bath going at 109F and put your starter cup of yogurt in it to warm up and get active. When your milk is down to about 112F mix in your starter, fill your mason jars and pop the jars into the bath. I don’t screw the lids on tight. The longer you leave them the more tart the yogurt. I’ll use 4.5 hours for a mild yogurt and 8-10 for more bite. I’ll generally take the jars out of the bath, unscrew the lids to let out and gas and screw the lids on tight. I then put the jars in the sink and fill with cool water and maybe a couple of ice trays and let jars cool. This step is not really needed, but it will stop the process and put a nice seal on the lids as they will create a vacuum as they cool. My bath is a full size counter steam table so it’s easy to put the jars in the bath without an issue. If you use a stock pot you may need to put something in the bottom to prop up the jars if you are using smaller mason jars. I keep the lids above the waterline to be safe. I’ve also made yogurt with specific strains like Lactobacillus bulgaricus LB-51. In this case I used 45c. This is the strain in Bulgarian yogurt that is said to have some unique health benefits. I’ve also tried soy yogurt, but didn’t really enjoy it. You really can’t miss. Using the water bath ensures that each batch tastes almost exactly like the brand you used for your starter.

I make yogurt. Perfect control for all your mesophilic and thermophilic needs.

I just made a peppadew and cheddar. Yum.

I think only the ones destined for bellota grade otherwise the pigs can be pen fed commercial feed.

You don't mention if you bring the milk to a high temp with the powdered milk and then cool to 109. In my experience bringing the milk to 180 makes a difference in how firm the yogurt will set. I have tried 2% out of the jug mixed with powdered milk and warmed to only 109 and the texture was not "set". I have not tried to get sour cream (or greek style) thickness with just adding powdered milk. I suspect it would take quite a bit more powder than a cup to even get close. I do think you will get a "thicker" result by adding powder and draining over just draining. Fat content is probably going to add a lot to the texture as well. Drained whole milk yogurt is going to be "thicker" than drained 2% yogurt.... I admit I buy Trader Joes Greek Style yogurt now when I want this thickness. Yum yum yum. They even have a non-fat version!

Did you do a side by side comparison? Did you notice any difference? Describe the texture you were expecting and what process you use to make your yogurt.

Look for Coco Goya Cream of Coconut in the Mexican food section of your store. That's where I get mine. Party or liquor stores may also have it as you can make a pretty good Piña Colada with it.

The powder has an abrasive where I don't think the liquid does. I don't use the powder on the outside of my All Clad because I think it will dull the polish.

My Costco store has the Waring Pro fryer for $36 after a $10 discount. I haven't seen them online for that price.

I've ended up in a temporary rental due to a job relocation. Unfortunately, the hood in the kitchen is non-vented. Does anyone have any suggestions for air filtration when you have a non-vented hood? I was thinking of putting an Air Washer or similar ontop of cabinets, but wondered if it wold really make a difference. I'd imagine that there are a number of people dealing with non-venting hoods in large older building etc. Anyone?

Yes, it's just the cleaning part I want to skip. One less pot to scrub...and I'm man enough to admit I have made quite a mess in dumping a pot roast on the counter..and then the floor trying to make the transfer to my stoneware cooker. I did go down the WS to look at the unit. I was not completely impressed with it, but still think it's nice. I was expecting something more substantial in the outer stainless, something like the rest of my All-Clad, but it's sort of thin. The aluminum non-stick insert is really light. The digital readout is nice. It has the standard low/high/warm settings, but the manual doesn't give a temp for the settings. Now, what's the story on non-stick coatings not doing justice to the Millard Reaction? That would be a deal breaker.

Yea, that's why I am coveting and not gloating. Maybe Santa will be kind this year I run a couple of Cuisinart slow cookers now. I am starting to appreciate wanting to skip the brown and transfer step in the process. I can't find a manual for the All Clad to know what kind of temp settings it has. The West Bend Versatility units look very practical and adjustable, but that All clad machine is just so sexy....

Anyone else coveting the new All-Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker ?

There are quite a few references in this thread and in others in this forum. When searching you can put a + symbol in front of each word to ensure you get posts with all words. If you use an advanced search it can be helpful to check the box for showing results as posts. This will help you find the exact post in a thread that contains your terms. Try this link to one of NathanM's posts in the Confit thread.

I think you could easily make rings or other basic shaped by using a mold that can absorb/hold the calci and spray the top with more calci. A ring would look nice on a plate, but really would not hold it's shape unless you let it solidify.

I'm not sure anyone suggested high temp sous vide, but if you raise the boiling point of your medium you have less evaporation. I tend to just use a lid on my bath. I use glass canning jars sometimes in my waterbath. These can take a little pressure and will allow gas to escape. If I wanted to use high temps I'd probably use jars. Obviously they wont come up to temp as fast as a bag, but thats not a real issue in longer times.