KennethT

I love Coop's.... my wife and I would go there for dinner for the first night (we usually landed pretty late) every time we went to NO, which, for a while was once a year. I'm glad to hear their Jambalaya is still holding up.... also, I don't if this is still true, but years ago, they would only have Tabasco hot sauce on the table, but upon request, they would dig out a bottle of Crystal from behind the bar...

I hadn't seen this before, but after the link, it looks more like a gimmick than anything else to me. How many times do you make takoyaki?

My issue with most ciabatta for burgers is that the crust is usually too tough and that in the process of trying to bite through it, everything just squishes out.

hmmm... that Vollrath is really expensive... I could get a control freak for not much more... so now I'm thinking about getting 1 low priced, high power 240V model for fast boiling, high heat searing, and maybe a control freak for all the stuff that needs a bit more finesse... I understand looking at the Iwatani, but I think I'd rather find a propane powered stove (I can get bigger canisters that will last longer)... more research to follow...

Arrrrgghhhh!!!! I agree ye mateys!

@rotuts I don't think it's sad, but a plant that size can have large roots, so a larger pot might be in order...

Also, does anyone have any experience with any 240V burners at all, not just the one above? The 240V versions will be much more powerful than the standard 120V ones, but I'm also looking for one that has a decent amount of control - to keep things at a gentle simmer, or boil water quickly or high heat stir fry...

I've been searching around, but I can't find a unified topic where we can talk about countertop induction burners of all makes and models, so I'm starting this. Mods, if this exists, please merge... Does anyone have any experience with this item (or this brand): http://www.trueinduction.com/Commercial-Single-Induction-Cooktop.aspx It's a 220V, 3200W single countertop induction burner. It seems that you can either set it by power level (400-3200W in 200W increments - 15 levels) or by temperature (150-450F in 10deg increments) and will accommodate pans as small as 4.5" in diameter. Currently lists on Amazon for $279....

fascinating!

FYI - I usually put my travel/foodblogs in the dining section of whatever country or region I'm visiting.

Look for recipes for Silky chickens.... they're usually used for broths or stocks.. they need to be simmered a long time!

When they're alive, they make great pets! (supposedly)

I don't really have poultry porn from my own cooking (that I can find, anyway), here's a post to me having one of the tastiest chickens I've ever had... not roasted, but grilled...

That's not atypical.... but if you really needed it, you could probably hire an electrician to pull some more wires up from the building's breaker box and increase your amperage... you'd have to get coop approval first, of course.

ha! I use McMaster for work all the time... they're expensive, but they have everything in stock and I always get my delivery the next day.

Sorry to hear about your issues - what happened this year? Too hot/cold, rain?

This. I was doing some reading on Houzz where people were bitterly complaining about this product, but it seems like their fabricators were not used to dealing with it and repeatedly damaged it, prior to installation. On Neolith's site, there are specific handling instructions and equipment necessary, so like with anything, choosing the right installer is important. Since it's a relatively new product, some areas may not have any installers truly experienced or skilled with it, may treat it like any other stone product (which it's not) and cause damage and then blame the mfr of the material.

I looked this up - this looks amazing!!!! It seems like the Goldilocks material.... I'm almost afraid to start getting prices!

Has anyone had slate countertops? From my cursory reading and searching, it doesn't seem very common, but it seems almost ideal - non porous, won't scratch, doesn't need to be sealed/resealed, heatproof, won't crack, not as expensive as granite...

How forgiving is caesarstone if a glass tips over?

I've searched and I've searched, but I haven't come across a topic where we can discuss countertop materials.... After renting for many years, my wife and I have finally decided to buy an apartment. We found one at a great price, but it needs some work... the kitchen countertop as it stands now is tile. TILE! Are you kidding me!?! And not glossy tile either. It's tile that looks porous, with tons of grout lines.... How one is ever supposed to get that clean is beyond me... Anyway, this affords us the opportunity to replace it - the question is, with what? I was thinking some kind of stone - like lab benchtop stone... I want something heat proof, stain proof, sealed (easy to clean), looks decent, and (hopefully) doesn't cost a fortune.... I figure this would be a good place to discuss materials. What do you have? What do you like/dislike about it? If you had your choice, what would you use?

OK, I think I'm just going to get the new one, since I won't be moving to the new apartment for several months, and certainly have no space to use it in the present apartment... so if I bought the refurb now, its warranty would expire before I had a chance to use it (or at least use it more than once or twice...)

Yep... Yikes, only 4 left.. A few days ago there were 12!

Amazon

I'm not going to have a standard oven!