Porthos

My DW said to tell you she's jealous. (So am I.)

and @MelissaH Did you use thick cut bacon? SE's recipe calls for it but I am using regular thickness. I'm wondering if the thickness is just that important for non-immediate use.

Mine is the Bluetooth version. I bought l last May. Min to Max is approximately 3 1/2 inches.

I don't SV in bulk - just one meal at a time for 4 adults and a pre-schooler. Goes back to my initial interest in SV, moist chicken breasts and pork chops for my DW who has issues with any protein that hints at being dry as a result of her bariatric surgery. I have been pleased with chicken breasts done at 147 for twice the time that Baldwin's charts list for a given thickness. When I tried lower temperatures she didn't care for the texture and couldn't convince herself that it was safe to eat. I will be using a 28 qt cooler when I try 12ish pounds of corned beef in about 3 months, but for that cooler I have some thick styrofoam that I will fashion a lid out of. I also have to be mindful of how much water weight I deal with if I have to move a filled vessel. Mostly I have to bail out a lot of the water before I can finish emptying it. Darned disintegrating spine ...

It's not a thing of beauty but I'm gonig to give it ago. I can't resume my bacon experiment until tomorrow but I am running a test to see how much water I lose to evaporation with the setup on the right. I have about 4 1/2 hours before I have to shut it off.

I think the time has come for me to put action to thought. I have been thinking of re-purposing a small cooler to become the water bath vessel. I will not create a tight seal, however, especially after the "trapped steam" warning. I have an "addiction" to coolers and have good candidates sitting in my garage.

It is very posibe that they have changed since 'nothing is constant except change'. FWIW I have used Brillo pads on my polished S/S pans for several years and have not noted any change in the surface. I will be using BKF on the Instant Pot since the isuse is discoloration as opposed to stubborn food residue.

I keep Brillo pads and BKF in the kitchen. I tend to like BKF for discoloration.

I have to start over. Lost too much water overnight and the Anova did what it is supposed to do - it shut off. 78 F water temp when I went into the kitchen. Bacon wnet into the trash and now I'm figuring out how to cover 20 qt the stock pot I use for SV.

I have started my SV'ed bacon experiment. I have a pound of bacon in its cryovac package in a 145 F bath. It will go for 15 hours. Then the test of whether it will crisp up in a 450 F oven.

At faire some of the things we prepare are "pass foods", that is, someone will carry the bowl around the feast tables and offer small spoonfuls to whomever wants some. This style bowl is easily carried cradled in one arm leaving the other arm/hand free to dish up whatever they are offering. Chunked potatoes, chunked fruit and cooked veggies work particularly well in them. This is the one bowl I can never pass up when found in a thrift store.

@Anna N From a post of yours in part 1: " I rather doubt that I would go for the Smart version since I have found very little use for the Bluetooth capability of my Anova." I loaded the app when I received my circulator. Never used it. I will have to see what model my DD ordered when I get home.

I am going to start reading this thread from the beginning. I am curious if anything has been talked about regarding getting the inside of the S/S liner really clean? I haven't used it yet but my daughter, who bought it, has and since I do most of the dishes I have been frustrated. I hand-wash everything before it going into the dishwasher for an express cycle, and still the liner comes out looking not quire right; no obvious food bits but a mottled look on the surface.

@rotuts I don't really care that the TJ's is organic, it just seems a bit fresher than the stuff I get from my local megamarts. The Turkish smelled amazing ... ETA: I don't know how my local Penzey's stays in business. At most there is only ever one other customer when I go there, going at different times on different days of the week.

I buy my Cambro from a very good local restaurant supply store where all of the pieces are al a carte. Cambro lids are very specific even within a style. You have to buy a lid that was made not just for the shape and size but for which material the Cambro is made from. I bought the round Rubbermaid containers that I ended up not caring for.

For me, round for things that will be refrigerated, square for stuff on the shelf. Round allows for more airflow as far as I can tell. If I'm wrong I can accept that.

I picked up some Turkish oregano and the roasted garlic. I have been using Trader Joe's organic oregano and will be interested to see which I like better.

I'm with asthasr and andiesenji. I do have other containers but I like my Cambro containers the best. I bought some 6 qt Rubbermaid containers for the restaurant supply area of SamsClub but don't care for them. For coarser things like barley and beans I use a Better Home and Gardens riff on the seal-top OXO acrylic containers. Instead of a button they have a toggle that is easier to grip when in the "open" position.

I snacked while I was out running a bunch of errands. So dinner was 2 over-easy eggs with good toasted sour dough to sop up the left-over yolk. Sublime.

Background: Each year for the southern California faire I try to add some one thing to improve the feast kitchen. Since my daughter is taking over the management of the kitchen I asked her about a couple of options. She liked the idea of have more shelving space for dirty cookware and serving pieces. Currently the shelving unit is a 36" x 14", 4 shelf unit that is somewhat shorter than 5'. Best find of the day: Chrome wire shelving. 36" x 18" inch, 5 shelves, 6' tall. Normally $39.99 when on sale at Target. I got it for $27.00. Dirty dishes shelves accomplished. I found a 13" Wilton Armetale platter and my very most favorite-shaped feast serving bowl, $3.59 each. Not shown: 3 brand new 13 gallon tall kitchen trash cans for $2.70 each and a knife block for my FIL's kitchen. He's not living here right now and I'm not much for knives in a drawer. It was a very productive thrift shopping day.

So far this morning have found a BSR #8 CI pan for $3.00 and a 2mm disc for my Cuisinart for $1.00. And the day is young.

From an email: Now through January 16th, get a free $6.95 value half-cup jar of Penzeys Roasted Garlic with any $5 purchase. To get yours, just bring in this email, or the coupon above, to any of our stores and spend $5. Or if you can't get to a store, visit us online at penzeys.com. After reaching $5 in spending enter 43953C into the apply code box when checking out. It's easy. Regular shipping and handling charges will apply, but regular shipping is always free with just $30 spending. This really is tasty Garlic. Don't delay. I have no idea if they assign specific codes to each shopper or not. I will be going there tomorrow. One upside to having to go to Anaheim twice a week to deal with things related to my FIL's terminal illness is a Pensey's that is near his home.

Two different thoughts for when half-portions aren't feasible. 1) You could carry a small cooler loaded with reusable ice blocks, and when the food makes it feasible, put the leftovers in the cooler. 2) My DW had bariactric surgery in 2009. I told her up front that I understood that she wouldn't be able to finish restaurant-sized portions and when we needed to leave the uneaten food behind, it was ok. She does order off of the apps menu if there is something specific that interests her. These thoughts may or may not be useful, I am just passing them on to you.

@gfweb Thanks for the answer. California legalized the Lottery to benefit education. Sacramento's answer was to cut education funding. Nothing new under the sun.

A friend of mine just posted this on Facebook. Is this a real tax or a photoshopped hoax?