Shel_B

Mixed review. I really like the results I get from the Bialetti. The coffee is easy enough to prepare and I purchased a couple of pre-ground Lavazza blends. Actually, I bought one package and the company sent me another at no cost. Maybe it was a special introductory offer <shrug> I essentially bought the machine for a quick hit in the afternoon, and the pre-ground is perfect for that. It also adds to the Italian espresso feeling which rounds out the experience. However, I'd be more satisfied had I purchased the next larger size. This one's a skosh small for my big hands, just a bit too dainty.

I came across this thread quite by accident, and I'd like to tell you a little story about my dealing with Microplane. I had the standard, skinny grater and lost the sheath that protected the blade. I contacted the company and requested a new sheath. The woman I spoke with asked that I send her a picture of the Microplane for which I needed the sheath. At the time there were two similar versions and the sheaths were specific to each model. I sent a pic, the woman acknowledged receipt, and I fully expected to hear back with a price and any other details. A couple of days later I received a package from Microplane. It contained a brand new grater with the sheath, and a note thanking me for being a good customer. There was no invoice or mention of a charge. I contacted the woman, asked about the omission, and with what I swear was a big smile in her voice, she said it was compliments of the company. Over the ensuing years, I've purchased other graters, every one of them from Microplane.

It's my understanding that "cooking wine" usually (always?) contains salt and possibly other ingredients. The ingredients in the Cab are de-alcoholised wine from concentrate, Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), salt, preservative (Potassium Metabisulfite). The red cooking wine has the same ingredients except for some generic red wine instead of the cab. To answer your question, I doubt that there'd be much, if any, noticeable difference between the two. If possible, I'd suggest using some regular, inexpensive, red wine and stay away from cooking wine. The general rule is that if you can't/won't drink the wine, you shouldn't cook with it. For most people, salted wine is undrinkable.

I've tried cooking soup and heating water in the machine, more just to see if it could be done (it can), but it's very inefficient and somewhat time consuming. Every now and then I'll add a cold/cool ingredient that needs to be warmed, and the Vitamix does a very nice job with that. I love the machine. It does what the makers claim it does, and it does so without fuss or complaint. I bought it in mid-November 2018, and for years I used it at least once a day, often more, and thus far it's never missed a beat. 😍😍😍

Vitamix tall 64-oz container: When I purchased my Vitamix 5300 it came with the short 64-oz container. After a while, I learned that a narrower container might best suit my needs, and I found a great deal on a 32-oz container. It showed me that the narrower container would, indeed, be a better choice. For a while, I looked on eBay and Amazon for deals on the tall 64-oz container, but could not find what I wanted. Most offered were second-party or unknown brand containers, which I didn't want. The few used Vitamix containers that I found were more beat up than was acceptable. And I didn't want to pay full retail for a container that I didn't actually need ... Last week I received an email from Vitamix saying that the tall 64-oz container was on sale for Labor Day, and the price was such that I could get a new one and end up saving about $80.00. CLICK! and today the new container arrived ... just in time for the start of soup season.

Thanks to everyone who jumped in on this. Considering your comments, I'll pass on a surface thermometer. The oven thermometer and the Thermapen should be fine going forward. I do love the Thermapen, and use it a lot.

Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated. Has using these thermometers improved your cooking in any way?

I've seen two types of thermometers used to measure the surface temps of pans, etc. I'm curious about them. One style has a flat head on a probe, and the temperature is measured by contact. The others style I've seen is a temperature gun pointed at the surface you want to measure and can be used at a distance from that surface. If you've used either of these styles, I'd like to hear your thoughts about them. What are the pros and cons of each type? Are they accurate and consistent? Have they helped your cooking? Any brands that you'd recommend? I'm just starting to think about getting one having seen them used recently on several cooking shows.

Chef Boyardee, Spaghetti-Os, and now this ... What's next, Pizza-in-a-Pouch?

@IndyRob, have you tried this? If so, what salamis did you use? How'd it turn out for you?

That's given me some ideas. Thanks!

The result of my experiment was pretty good. It certainly provided proof of concept. First, the pancetta didn't have as smooth a texture as the 'nudja that I purchased earlier. However, after cooking down, the textures of the two were quite similar, both visually and in terms of mouth feel. When I do this again, and there will be another attempt, I'll look for a little more fat from the pancetta. The aroma when cooking the sauce was intoxicating. The smoked pancetta's aroma in the sauce was subtle but very much in evidence. It added a nice and somewhat special dimension to what was essentially a simple sauce. I mixed the peppers in a 2:1 ratio of Calabrian peppers with the arbol. The arbol added a nice depth to the sauce, and when the sauce was about done a final tasting revealed something more would be helpful. I added some ground Kashmiri pepper and that turned out to be a pretty good guess. Overall, the experiment was successful, and now some fine tuning with proportions are in order. Nonetheless, the concoction made a very nice sauce although I wasn't thrilled with my choice of Rao's fusilli. It was OK, but I think both Rustichella D'Abruzzo and DeCecco (of the brands in my pantry) would have been more satisfying. Overall, I'm pleased with the result.

The peppers have been ground in the spice grinder, so they are quite fine. FWIW, I've added a good amount of seeds to the mixture ... I love the intensity they contribute. Anyway, the peppers will be fine enough to be lost in the pancetta. I've done something like this before. I'll run the garlic through a press rather than dicing/mincing with a knife, as originally planned. I agree that it's a good idea.

I'm going to try an experiment today: Home made imitation 'nduja to be used specifically in a pasta sauce. Here's the plan. What do you think? Any suggestions? I have a chub of locally made pancetta affumicata, some of which I'll dice and put in the freezer along with the bowl and blade of the food processor. I've freshly toasted and ground two types of Calabrian peppers as well as some arbol peppers. I've played with that combination in tomato-based pasta sauces and like the result. I'll dice/mince a clove or two of garlic, depending on size, and add that and the ground peppers to the cold pancetta, and just whirr the whole thing around until I get a texture that'll melt into the pasta sauce.

Call me skeptical. In my experience new owners rarely maintain the quality of the original, especially when the original was a long-standing family operated business. The last four family operated businesses with which I've had experience suffered greatly at the hands of their new owners. I'd love to be wrong in this case.

I didn't know about them until just a few hours ago when I watched the video. Hope it was helpful to you.

Just saw this earlier today ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYxXNJNVu9E

Jon Stewart compares Chicago-style deep dish pizza to NYC pizza ... Caution: some bleeps are in evidence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXIpp59eoU

Don't have a dishwasher.

Thanks so much for the link, and making te search simpler and more convenient for me. The way I'm cleaning the lid is fine, but I did learn about disassembling some pieces, one of which I didn't even know about. Thanks again ...

I've been washing the Instant Pot lid by hand, including running water all over lid. I didn't see how washing the lid like that could cause any problems. But this morning, while washing the lid, I realized I never looked into the issue ... just decided it should be OK. So, using the due diligence side of my brain, I'm looking into it. Could there by any problems if I continue as I have been? I've not noticed any yet, and the lid's been washed 6 or 8 times.

😍👏 Another beauty!

Brown Rice Stir Fry

😍👏

I use it, and distilled white vinegar, to remove the discoloration that often appears on stainless steel skillets and pots. A better option than Bar Keeper's Friend for that purpose.