MSRadell

The Waring blender may be a very good device but I really have to laugh at how they advertise it. They claim it's 3.5 hp but go on to say it's 1560 Watts which calculates out to just a little more than 2 hp of electrical usage! If it was truly 3.5 hp it couldn't run plugged into a conventional household or commercial receptacle, it would require a special electrical feed! Not that they are alone in doing this but not engineering type people don't realize that what they are saying is a complete joke. Horsepower is 745.7 watts no matter how you calculate it.

You may also want to experiment with the kind of Bourbon you are using, some kind of have a much stronger flavor while the flavor of others is much more mellow. Besides, sampling the Bourbons is half the fun!

We usually make a raw cranberry and orange relish for Thanksgiving. It's definitely better than any of the canned cranberry relish if you buy and being raw it has a nice flavor to it compared to cooking them! It's also very easy to make and it's something you can and should do the day ahead.

That's exactly my opinion too. The torch also seems to function just the same so I don't see why it wouldn't work nor why they wouldn't support it.

Microwaves are one of the greatest devices for reheating any menu item! In addition to being quick they also don't to dry out things like most other reheating methods do. The thing that doesn't usually reheat well in a microwave is something that's crispy, they usually get soggy or at least soft.

It's certainly a low-cost approach to starting to do SV cooking. If you're not sure SV is for you or not it may be a good place to start without committing a lot of money. http://www.cnet.com/products/dorkfood-sous-vide-temperature-controller-dsv/#ftag=CADe9e329a

Andie, listed the same things we use glass cutting boards for. They are good for many things but the many things they are good for does not include being used as a cutting board! They rapidly destroy any knife. One advantage of them that she didn't mention is the fact they are very easy to clean and sanitize, because of this fact we sometimes use them as an assembly surface for various food items.

That's what we have too, and as you said it seems to be holding up very well despite constant hard usage.

Since every dishwasher is laid out differently inside the only way you're going to find out what works best is through trial and error! Just because something works for somebody else doesn't mean it's going to work for you.

Why? I certainly don't like all meats to be brined but in many cases chicken, turkey and pork come out considerably better IMHO if they are brined before hand. I don't use a pure salt brine, I also add brown sugar and some other spices in most cases.

I normally brine just before cooking but have held food after brining. If you wash it off before vacuum sealing it you shouldn't have a problem. It's not going to have any more salt than it would if you cooked it directly.

There are several advantages to the BGE or other ceramic smokers such as the Kamado over a WSM or other ones of that type. The biggest advantage is they have the heavy ceramic insulation on them. This greatly reduces the amount of charcoal they burn as well as a long them to be used in colder outside temperatures. Reducing the amount of charcoal they burn allows a much longer time of unmonitored operation which is very nice for overnight cooks! I've gone over 12 hours with my Kamado on about 4 pounds of charcoal! Also because of the ceramic insulation the entire chamber is a much more consistent temperature. The only downside as you pointed out is that they are heavier and harder to move about, they are definitely not portable in the sense of taking him someplace else.

For those of you who don't want to go to the trouble of making it, Palmetto Pimento Cheese is excellent! It's made in South Carolina and is becoming much wider distributed, we started getting at here in Louisville about a year ago. It's certainly the best we've ever bought. They have three flavors, regular, bacon and jalapeno. Here's their website: http://www.pimentocheese.com/

Another possibility is that since the meat closer to the bone doesn't cook as fast and ends up being rarer than the rest of the meat. Thus people who normally have their meat cooked medium well or well get to enjoy meat cooked how it should be instead of shoe leather! I do know you prefer meat cooked bone in, it may be just psychological but no matter why I certainly prefer it.

Why bother turning off the refrigerator for six weeks? They don't use that much electricity and it would certainly be worth it rather than risk losing your cheese and many other perishable condiments.

Why are you going to store them at room temperature while you are away? Vacuum sealed and refrigerated would certainly be a better option.

The Lodge one is probably the best one out there. Again as mentioned by the PP be sure the size is correct for your application. The reason you see negative reviews a lot of times on cast-iron cookware is because people don't know how to use it and blame their problems on the cookware itself! Cast-iron cookware takes some time getting used to because it performs much differently than most cookware. Obviously, proper seasoning prior to use is critical but you also need to learn that it takes longer to heat up and longer to cool down so lots of people keep adjusting the burner temperatures without allowing time for the cast-iron to normalize temperatures.

Actually, with both the lever type and the pinion type you are exerting a force that will cause the device to tip if you are careful. I've found that neither one of them is really susceptible to tipping as long as you think about what you are doing when using it. As I said the lever type just seems simpler to use and smoother in actual use.

We get up to Cincinnati and visit Jungle Jim's on occasion. It's certainly an experience not to miss if you get anywhere near one! I've never looked for Reindeer meat there but I would think it's quite possible they may have it, they have so much exotic stuff.

I've used both the lever type like the OrangeX and the rack and pinion type like the HB. I definitely prefer the lever type over the rack and pinion. It seems much smoother and faster to operate and as stated by a previous poster there is less to wear out and have problems with.

Sounds like you can make some tasty items but I'm certainly not sure about the safety aspect!

We've always had a microwave and never really use them extensively until we got our most recent one. About a year ago our built in GE convection microwave died and we ended up replacing it with a new Panasonic microwave. The newest technology for microwaves is called Inverter technology and was pioneered by Panasonic although many others now have it. It's big advantage is and how it is controlled. Instead of cycling on and off like old microwaves did when set for something less than full power it actually lowers the overall power of the microwave. We've found that it defrost and heat items much more evenly without creating hotspots or dry spots. It's really quite a major step forward in how microwaves operate! Obviously is still can't brown but not as much better at doing everything else. Anybody who is considering a new microwave definitely needs to look at one with Inverter technology.

Even though this thread didn't get a lot of action when I 1st posted it I thought I would follow up on it anyway. We ended up buying the KitchenAid convection oven and had it installed last week. So far we really like it. It heats up in less than half the time that our last oven did, 350° in less than 10 minutes. So far the temperatures seem very even and seemed to be quite accurate. Having a smooth bottom in the oven with the elements hidden is certainly going to make cleaning it much easier and the 8 passes for the broiler element makes broiling much more even also. We haven't tried the temperature probe for anything, wouldn't have bought it if it cost more but will probably end up trying it anyway. Also, unlike many ovens, the inside is very bright and the lights are on so you can see what's going on. It has 2 halogen lights inside plus a very large front window in the inside is blue porcelain so it's extremely easy to see everything. The racks (3) are extremely heavy duty and one of them is on full extension rollers. Just thought anybody who's looking for a new oven may be interested. Next up, a new cook once we figure out how to modify the countertops!

I've tried using just plain sour cream on top of something I baked and it separated although not severely. I'm not sure what would happen if it was mixed in with mother ingredients like you are planning but I'm betting it would be okay. Of course I have no experience trying it but.... If nothing else you could always just top the casserole with the sour cream after you removed it from the oven to be safe.

The spices that Soba suggested are along the lines of what I used many times, I also use a little bit of Thyme and Paprika as well as some Sage but you said you'd prefer not to use that.