KennethT

Wow @Chris Hennes your stuff looks amazing - all your practice is certainly paying off!

Thanks everyone for the replies... I decided to get the Key Top (the one on Ebay that I linked to above) but wound up getting it from Amazon for $69 plus free shipping. I'll report back once I've had a chance to use it...

@Paul BacinoHave you used it for whole chickens? How does the chicken sit on the spit? Does the majority of the weight just sit on the bottom plate? Otherwise, I'd imagine the spit would just spin inside the chicken without it turning.

Thanks both @andiesenji and @boilsover - I hadn't thought about the grease spitting all over - I was actually thinking about sitting it on top of my stove (which wouldn't be used at the time) and facing it towards the wall where I can hang a sheet of foil or something. No, it doesn't look like there is any distance adjustment, which would be nice, but I don't think critical for what I want to do... My biggest concern is how a chicken would sit on the central main spit - I don't see from the photos what would keep the spit from just turning inside the chicken while the chicken itself doesn't move, and I can't seem to find the user manual online... Also, FYI, I just saw this same machine on Amazon for $69 including shipping... So, I guess, worst comes to worst, I can get it from Amazon, take a look at it and the manual, and if I don't think it will work well, just return it and start looking all over again...

@andiesenji What do you think of the one I linked to above? One of the things I like about it is that it is open - there's no door there to trap heat inside and turn it into an oven rather than a true rotisserie. But I'm curious as to your thoughts since you're always so knowledgeable about this stuff!

@boilsoverwhich Farberware one do you have? It seems like you'd recommend it...

@rotuts I've tried that before, but rather than using the IP, I cooked chicken thighs SV, then chilled to refrigerator temp. Coat like normal but I fried in oil a bit hotter than normal because I wanted to brown the crust but only warm the insides to eating temp. It worked well, but I don't think the crust adhered as well as normal - sometimes it would come off in big flakes..... but I think it was definitely worth revisiting.

@JoNorvelleWalkerI prefer them too but they're more expensive... One of these days, I have to run down to the poultry market in chinatown - I've always seen good prices there on lots of different types of poultry - poussin, squab, quail, silkies, etc... I have lots of room in the laydown freezer in the corner of my dining room.

Either Chinatown, or I was thinking using rock cornish hens or poussin if I was feeling fancy...

I was looking at something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Electric-Vertical-BBQ-Grill-Kebab-Machine-Kebab-Shawarma-Cooker-Rotisserie/332461249270?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D49451%26meid%3D511a5b67752049f5993eb435485e7741%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D332461249270&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Afc8d7efe-f979-11e7-b4ca-74dbd1804888%7Cparentrq%3Af6c81d891600ab15e9eb1d82ffe78e27%7Ciid%3A1

This looks great, but is a lot more expensive than I was looking to spend...

Wow... that thing is huge! Way overkill for what I need - the biggest bird I'll cook weighs less than 3 pounds...

I've been lusting after a CSO for quite some time, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

@dcarch I've seen yours and, of course, have considered making my own. But since I don't have scrap material lying around, I'd have to buy all the parts, which seemed to cost about the same as a small, inexpensive prebuilt model. Not to mention the time to make it, which I'm a little short of right now...

Bumping this thread.... I've been thinking about getting a rotisserie for my small NYC apartment, mainly to do small birds - cornish hens, small chickens etc.... there are only 2 of us, and we try not to make leftovers, so a small sized one would be fine. I see some are vertical and others horizontal over a range of prices... Any suggestions of what I should be looking at? Thanks..

Do any of them pick when fully ripe? That's the biggest problem I have with some produce is that a lot of it is picked green and "ripened" in transit which never tastes the same. Just because it's red doesn't mean it's ripe!

I'd be curious as to what you think about greenhouse hydro tomatoes. Are there any local growers like this in your area? I've found that a proper cultivar grown in good indoor conditions can yield tomatoes as tasty as the best local summer tomatoes, even in winter - the only issue is that they're more expensive.

Many years ago (long before I heard of either Edge Pro or eGullet) I bought one of those two sided stones in a restaurant supply store - it came with a plastic holder/case with suction cup feet so it doesn't slide, and it is made to sit in a bath of mineral oil. it was really cheap and works well, as long as you try to maintain the knife's angle when you use it - that's where the Edge Pro shines - keeping the angle consistent. If you get one of those stones and it doesn't come with the plastic case/mineral oil bath, you can always soak it in water and then lay it on the counter on top of a folded damp towel, which will keep it from sliding. As you sharpen, keep putting some water on teh surface of the stone using your fingers so there is always a small "puddle" on top of the stone which will help lubricate and remove metal filings as you go.

I cut mine about an inch thick - they were the best french toast I'd ever had (texture wise) - fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside

@JoNorvelleWalker I understand that you may not want the chorizo french toast, but the methods are applicable to other flavors

Do you have the original Modernist Cuisine? In it is a great recipe for a french toast using the chamber vac. A few years ago, I did a savory chorizo flavored french toast (simmered a whole lot of minced chorizo in the cream before making the custard) - it was amazing....

Thoughts of Singapore.... Chicken in Black Nut curry (minus the black nuts!) I love this non-coconut based curry, but my neighbors probably hate it as our apartment (and hallway) will smell like shrimp paste for the next week...

When I do chicken rice, I use a master stock that I made years ago using a few silkys, garlic, ginger, etc. I'll put the chicken breast into a ziplock with a bunch of the master stock and cook at 145F until pasteurized. Bring the stock to a boil to coagulate the impurities, strain, then some is used to make the rice, while the rest is added back to the master and refrozen. Every once in a while I need to top up the master, and I'll then defrost the whole thing, add more garlic/ginger etc. and simmer for a while then refreeze.

Dinner tonight: Moulard duck breast with potato galette cooked in duck fat, and kumquat sauce... obligatory greens are spinach sauteed in duck fat. This concludes the fancy cooking for the rest of the year!

We started planning our summer vacation trip, then had a craving for: Roti prata Belacan kang kung Curry prawns Belacan whole fish