Kent Wang

I just did some burgers this way. I put the burgers on a plate then fit the chimney starter over it. It's quite amazing that you can accomplish a lot of what conventional grilling can with just a chimney starter and no other equipment. I also feel a bit safer grilling this way on my patio, than having a full on grill.

Searing is a good point to bring up. I agree with Fat Guy that sous vide is a great way to cook without fat, but if you sear it it does introduce a bit of fat. Though at high temperatures I think it doesn't absorb much. If you really want to avoid fat entirely, you could use a salamander if you have one, or the affordable alternative, a chimney starter.

That was a great tutorial, Chris. I'm having a hell of a time getting the wax off my citrus, and I read over the thread about that. Did you de-wax yours? As a cheat, how about using all kumquats, not peeled? They have the highest ratio of peel, and the pith isn't bitter.

What was your exact recipe for the chicken? I did thighs a few times and it came out a bit too tender (must have been too low temp).

Should I not use the plastic take-out / doggy bag containers in the microwave?

Why don't you run it at 135F? What's the typical range for a hot tub?

I've used a clamp juicer. Good yield, but a bit slow.

Hey, you can leave your cocktail glasses in your three seasons room to keep them chilled. As someone not from the north, what is a three seasons room anyway? Just one where you don't have a heater?

I just made a stock out of half a roast duck and it was quite milky, with no additives. I think it's all about dilution; I used a fairly small pot. Oh, and I do think it's something to write home about. Maybe it's not so great at the restaurant after you've eaten a duck already but it's great to take home to make soups, risotto, etc.

Dan, this is a mighty useful project. I know I would have really liked to have such a guide when I was starting instead of just relying on the liquor store employee's recommendations. I made an older post about the rum issue: How many rums do I need?

Never tried the Bull Nose brand, but certainly the Lee Kum Kee doesn't have any detectable bones. Also I want to clarify that the Lee Kum Kee (and possibly all schacha sauces) has a very mild amount of spice, not none at all as I stated earlier. I just put some on a mapo tofu.

Shanghaist has some photos of the machine

Chris, you have more gadgets (especially the big ones) than anyone I know of on this forum.

I just put some on my eggs. Glorious. I put the eggs in the pan first, then the sauce on top, and stirred it up a bit. The first time, I put the sauce in first and it got burnt. When I first moved to China I was distraught that I couldn't find anchovies (to put on pasta). Now I just use sa cha sauce.

Has your teenager picked up much interest in food? Is she a food snob, compared with her friends?

Kasma Loha-unchit says that jasmine rice is best steamed. I haven't tried it, but it may also be that other rice types are also best steamed. I've been too lazy and have only used my rice cooker.

Interesting. Do the apples add much flavor to it? Does it stay carbonated?

Wikipedia has a brief explanation. I only discovered this recently and I've gotta say this is a must have sauce. If you only have two Chinese sauces in your fridge, you need a spicy one, and then shacha. I've gotten the one by Lee Kum Kee. It's quite mild and not spicy at all, with a lot of anchovy-like flavor. On a single bowl of noodles, you could use a quarter of the jar if you like a lot of it.

This is the first dish my mom taught me to cook. Fry the tomatoes with some salt and quite a bit of sugar, when almost done, drop in scrambled eggs. I don't get the thready texture you're talking about; I've never had it like that. Could you get a photo of that?

This looks nice. But is it easy to get thin strips? I have a zester from Target that has an additional, um, large zesting hole that only removes a perfectly wide strip, but also takes out quite a bit of the pith too. It's very easy to use though.

Ah, macadamias, the king of nuts. How much do they go for down there, since Australia is the largest producer of them? Though a friend of mine who just visited thought everything was quite expensive, relative to the US, with kebabs on the street going for $12 (USD is currently almost at parity with AUD).

I did this very thing. I did chop the bones, and I'm not sure if it affected the flavor; my guess would be that it was minimal. But the stock was so rich it would've covered up anything. Be sure to skim the fat that collects on top. It's very tasty but I find that you can't use it in large amounts because it has an odd astringent effect.

I, too, only learned about the proper pronunciation from Our Man in Havana. But it seems to me it's more die-ke-ree, with a short ke sound? I'm forced to use lemons here much of the time as it's quite difficult to find limes.

Do you have a curing chamber?

One of my favorite things about China is the smell of steamed baozi in the air.