dougal

I'm sure you know that the ideal way to do that is patiently, in the coldest part of your fridge, so that none of the meat actually gets above 4C, 39F...

Specifically for roasting Veg, with a view to deglazing, I'm one more voice for cast iron. A touch of background. I wouldn't have paid money for this particular pan. But I got a ridiculously good deal on this Le Creuset set, and the "rectangular baking dish" was in for a hefty *negative* price. It was heavy and just a baking dish. It got stashed away. Time passed. I got an induction hob. (Fantastic). But my aluminium roasting tin couldn't be deglazed on the hob. The dish reappeared... Now, Someone-I-Used-To-Know was a Veggie. And she hated my heavy Le Creuset pans. BUT she was completely bowled over by this pan for roasting veg. I'd say it was was fine for roasting meat, pretty damn useful for pasta and the like (stays hot nicely) and if she'd agree with me on anything now, it would be that the cast iron pan made for truly special roasted veg... In the UK, the 12"x8" pan sells for a price equivalent to about $100 - but you should look for deals, for example on old colours. It cleans up without much problem, but unlike a non-stick pan, it will give you something worth deglazing. Having tried a few other pans, I can say that the cast iron one *is* different, and better for veg. I'd be astonished if you were unhappy with the performance of one. Its weight is a nuisance, for storage and washing, as well as lifting to and from the oven. But it does seem to *work* better...

There really is *VERY* little risk to people from the virus as it currently exists. Even if it were in domesticated birds in the EU, which it isn't, it would still offer very little threat. Its similar to the chance of being struck by lightening right after winning the lottery! Just now, to have a chance of catching it, you need to be exposed to a lot of it. There's not going to be a lot *on* a completely plucked and washed bird. And after cooking, there shouldn't be any *in* it. As far as I know, the *only* people to have contracted the disease from food were the Vietnamese family who drank the raw blood of a diseased duck... Those domestic precautions that are adequate against salmonella should be plenty adequate against HPAI, in the very highly unlikely situation that the European 'food chain' (with so much traceability) should deliver you a diseased bird. That said, I'd rather not be downwind of an Indonesian *plucking* a bird...

I gather that the French and Italian experience has been that *demand* has collapsed. Even though the disease has only been found in wild birds in those countries... This may be irrational, but hey, its humans making decisions! It certainly looks like a very hard time ahead for those in the poultry business. Since the virus doesn't survive in meat cooked to 75C, there's really no risk to consumers of *adequately* cooked meat. Just wash your hands carefully after handling raw poultry! But we do that anyway, don't we? Realistically, there's precious little risk of buying infected meat. If it gets into a hen-house, it'll lay it waste overnight. Its not as though there might be the odd poorly bird in the flock...

The law was in a mess over Crayfish. Has it been sorted yet? Fairly recently it was only in the Thames catchment that they had the authority to issue licenses... There are other problems with the Signal Crayfish. They climb out of tanks and walk cross-country to infest new waterways, hence one needs a license to "keep" and transport them. But there's an exemption for many designated postcodes. And you don't actually need a license to 'keep' them if they are for your immediate consumption. But transporting them home for supper might still seem to need a license... And isn't the use of a trap, or rather "a fixed engine", itself a problem on fresh water? These 'mitten' crabs. Presumably they don't taste, cook or dismantle particularly differently to those we already enjoy - or do they? As river dwellers, do they need any special 'cleansing' treatment, the addition of extra salt, or what? I'm guessing that no one has itemised them yet in any regulations, for keeping and transporting them, but what other paperwork and permissions would be needed for the chase? And given their diet, just how fussy should one be about the water quality?

I don't know about the Netherlands, but in the UK **all** true Le Creuset *frying* pans are actually non-stick coated. http://www.lecreuset.co.uk/castiron/frying.asp I have one of the non-stick 'omelette' pans with a similar coating. It works well, perhaps despite my using it for making Tarte Tatin-ish things in it. A little bit of "loading" of the non-stick with oil, in the same sort of way as any other non-stick pan was/is the only treatment it has had. The coating *looks* quite unlike, say, a Tefal pan, BUT, its nothing like the inside of my Le Creuset Grillit. Run your finger over both to feel the difference! The Grillit's black iron interior needs to be treated like a Wok and be cleaned very gently, to accumulate and maintain a 'patina' (of burnt-on grease actually) which will give much better release. Is your friend trying to dry-fry in an unseasoned pan? Or turning the heat up too high after warming the pan? Otherwise, its hard to guess what the problem might be. Have you seen it or tried it yourself?

We were trying to make hollandaise and the ten-step (nine, actually, on this unit) control just wasn't working out. One setting was too low and one was too high. We had to keep switching back and forth endlessly. With a gas flame, you can dial it in exactly -- and you can also lift and lower the saucepan a little in a pinch. Plus on a gas range you can use copper, which is best for that kind of delicate saucemaking. ← I have a basic de Dietrich 4 ring. It has 9 power steps ( & off). For the hollandaise, you might have used the higher setting and... lifted the pan a little, occasionally! The more expensive models have a 16 step control. But do ask yourself - what other *electric* hob would you seriously consider making your sauce without a double boiler? The advantage over gas is purely convenience - whether you need to use the hob top as workspace, or whether you clean the hob yourself. Two clear advantages for induction. However compared to other *electric* hobs the advantages over other electric hobs are that it provides a steady simmer, and much, much better responsiveness. And Bleachboy - with a suitable roasting tin, you can easily deglaze it on an induction hob. However, for current models, just check that a fridge magnet will stick to the base. Whether its a pot or a roasting tin, that'll tell you whether it'll work on induction. Some stainless will, some won't. But its easy to test...

Jacqui - I'd emphasise Jackal10's advice that for *cold* smoking you really should look to decouple the smoke generator from the food holder (the smoke chamber). However, the Bradley generator can be unhooked, and you can find on the web descriptions of using the generator detatched and connected via hoses and a cardboard box (to provide more residence time for cooling) when cold smoking. You mentioned being in a "tropical country". This will provide its own challenges for cold smoking. Some folks seemingly employ coolbox icepacks to keep the temperature low enough to prevent food spoilage. And I'm sure you'll appreciate the need for an electric smoker to be the correct voltage 110 or 240. As an addition to the previous comments, I am aware of lots of people that have failed to make DIY replacements for Bradley pucks from compressed sawdust and chips. However -- I also know of one Bradley owner who happily makes his own from solid wood - essentially slices of an appropriately sized branch. Being in the cold north of Scotland, he has little problem with excessive heat for cold smoking. His Bradley generator feeds a Whisky barrel as the smoke chamber...