KennethT

My kaffir lime tree has started to flower. I'm debating pinching them off until the tree gets a bit older. I don't have much use for the fruit - not like I'm making Thai curry pastes from scratch!

Just taking a look, I may wind up just getting the 11" carbon steel fry pan from Vollrath ($25) and cutting the handle off... dimensions of the pan itself are very similar to the Lodge that's out of stock, and I can get 2-1/2 of them for the price of 1 Darto.

Thanks for letting me know. I haven't purchased anything yet. I put my email address on the Lodge list for them to let me know when it comes back in stock, but with free shipping, I'll consider the Darto, partially because I was also thinking about getting a carbon steel pan or two.... but to tell the truth, I've seen some other carbon steel pans for a lot less - like the Vollrath for like $20+, and still have the rivet-less design.... but I'm thinking about it.

huh... so the grey cable with the 3 colored things aren't wires, but they're water tubes?

we dunked the tacos in the broth....

I don't have much experience making Mexican food, but both my wife and I love it. This was a first experiment making duck birria tacos. Birria has become a huge trend in NYC - but I still haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it just looks and sounds so good. Also, I used some pasilla de Oaxaca, which is ridiculously smoky, along with "fire roasted" canned tomatoes, and I charred the onion/garlic and duck legs with my propane torch - needless to say, when I put the duck/sauce in my SV bath for its 180F 8 hour soak, it smelled like a campfire. My SV bath water still smells like a campfire! After I took the bags out of the bath and cooled them a bit, I let them sit overnight in the fridge. Today, the smoke is still present, but it's definitely mellowed. This was really tasty - I'm glad I made 2 meals worth at once. Next time I'll make 4!

Personally, I am not that concerned with aesthetics... I'm more function over form. So I really don't care if I have a foot pedal on the floor in front of the sink. Now that I think about it, you don't even really need a latching relay. I can just get a maintained foot switch (capable of repeatedly passing 6A, so more than enough for 2 15W solenoid valves)... it can be attached to a flexible jacketed cable and float on the floor near the sink.

So it looks like you have 2 solenoid valves - one on the hot and one on the cold, correct? Basically, all you really need are 2 solenoid valves, a foot switch and a latching relay. Hmm..... Now my contractor will really think I'm nuts!

The porcini sauce had a ton of flavor - but the shrimp were really there as a lean protein. I think it would have gone better if I had used some duck confit meat I have in the refrigerator, but we're having duck birria (for the first time) for lunch today so we figured we'd try to be healthier and go with shrimp which are always in the freezer.

A relatively fast dinner while prepping lunch for tomorrow.... Linguine with dried porcini sauce. And a nice wine to go with...

wow. I knew that dairy had become a thing there, while historically not being so, but that is just crazy! When in Beijing, I thought it was interesting all the stores selling the yogurt in those little clay pots that were returnable, but I had never seen the supermarkets there!

Definitely not, but the veggies typically have an addictive savoriness about them that you wouldn't know was pork, but just tastes amazing. No wonder why I love the veggies in Asia...

I'm curious how you recrisped the skin. I don't remember - do you have an oven? I know they're not common in China.

Did I read this right - 2-1/2 hours is considered a short lunch break?!? Some places here only allow 30 minutes, and some allow nothing and people eat lunch at their desks while working!

I checked this out... first off, I'm not a huge fan of the idea I had to give them an email address just to see if they deliver to me. @Shelby or @kayb - can you pick the items in your box, have limited choices, or is it whatever they feel like giving you, like a CSA?

That industrial look is really cool...

It's reversed - you don't want anything made on Monday when everyone is hungover and not paying attention...

how do you prep the dou ban jiang? The stuff I get is very chunky - do you chop it up finely before adding?

Sorry - I just saw this post now... But, if using a really smoky chile like the pasilla de Oaxaca or a chipotle, would that smoky flavor survive the freeze/defrost?

I just picked up a bunch of pasilla de Oaxaca chiles and was planning on making something similar to this. I love the intense smoky flavor of the the pasilla de Oaxaca... but when I make it, I can't use all of it at one time, by a long shot. Does anyone know if this type of salsa freezes well? Or when defrosted does it lose a lot of its essence?

How did the flavors of the ginger, soy and sambal go with the rosemary? You don't often see them together..

Last night we were in the neighborhood of our favorite Thai seafood place, and because it was just so nice out we couldn't resist! Shrimp chips with nam prik pao - nice and shrimpy. Limeaid Raw shrimp with lime juice, chiles and herbs - like a Thai ceviche Fried gourami salad with coconut lime dressing. Pak boong A typical Thai steamed fish with lime/chili sauce Dessert - ground peanut and black sesame in a sweet ginger soup.... And another order of shrimp chips - they're addictive!

Wow- that looks like a feast for 8 people!

It's a chicken pesto panino. Chicken breast, what they call "pesto mayo", arugala and tomato

I haven't done it in a long time, but I found that 24h at 133 turned out really well - not too much loss of juice and tender with just a bit of chew as a steak should have - ready for the quick sear.