KennethT

You guys are making me so jealous!!!! I've been really busy with work lately, and have had no time at all for my windowsill garden. It has been sitting idle for far too long. Right now, all I have time for is the bare minimum of maintenance needed to keep my dwarf lime tree alive - and even that is a struggle!

I imagine that the probe is rated to 700F, not 700C - which as I'm sure you're aware is about 1300degF. I don't think thermoworks is selling kiln thermometers on their consumer site!

I think IR thermometers are great if you're constantly measuring the temperature of a single item. For instance, member Kerry Beal uses her IR thermometer to check chocolate temps (while stirring to even out temps throughout the bowl). The problem is that different surfaces emit infrared differently, so the temperature you read is not necessarily accurate. You can't use the same setting to check the temp of the oven wall, versus the surface of a chicken. Plus, the IR thermometer only gives you surface temperature - so, back to the chicken example, checking the surface temp tells you nothing about how well the chicken is actually cooked internally. One advantage may be to use it to check the temperature of a skillet prior to use - but I think a moderately experienced cook can do this just as well by judging the appearance of a little oil and how it shimmers, or how a drop of water dances.... ETA: I'd be curious to hear other's experiences for people who use them all the time for cooking.

I'd also second Mitch's suggestion of Roberta's and especially Blanca, if you can get a reservation - the chef and team are extremely passionate and inspiring. Also, if you email/ask in advance, they might be able to provide a tour of their rooftop gardens where they grow much of the produce used in the restaurant.

While I think the original shake shack is a great place for locals (especially when the weather is nice), I don't know if I'd travel a few thousand miles for it... it's a good burger, but not a travel-worth one, IMO... that being said, when the weather is nice, I'll go there a couple times a month. I would consider adding Momofuku Ssam bar to the list... I would also consider removing Nom Wah... although they've received quite a bit of press lately, other than the nostalgia factor, I thought the dim sum offerings were sub-par to other places in Chinatown, and downright disappointing when compared to any average dim sum you could get in a place like Hong Kong. If you really want dim sum, I'd go to The Bao on St. Marks in the east village before going back to Nom Wah... it's a bit more upscale but I think the quality is a level above Nom Wah.. they specialize in Xiao Long Bao which are excellent, even compared to HK standards. Their scallion pancake is excellent as well - much better than average. Also, I always get a plate of stir fried water spinach. With that being said, I don't think any dim sum in Manhattan is really that great... I've heard that there is better in the outer boroughs (breakfast/lunch only) but I haven't been personally so I can't comment.

I didn't even know that anyone would dry-age an individual steak... I just assumed the aging was done as a primal. I also agree with rotuts regarding prime vs choice...

I think it depends on how long it's been aged. I've found that dry-aged meat will cook a little faster - so definitely keep an eye on it. I also tend not to use rubs or marinades with dry-aged meat - especially those that have been aged over 30 days.

Charcoal flavor and "smoke" flavor are 2 different things that have nothing to do with each other. If you want that charcoal flavor, the only thing I can think of doing is smashing a lump or two of charcoal until it turns into a coarse powder and use that instead of the wood chips in the bottom of the smoker. However, according to Modernist Cuisine, true "grilled over charcoal" flavor has nothing to do with the charcoal itself, but rather, the vaporization of dripping fat onto the hot coals. This can't be replicated in the stove top smoker. ETA: The good thing about grilling satay is that they are small - so you don't need to set up a large bbq grill. You can just heat up a few charcoal pieces and put them in a small metal box with a grate on top to grill a few satay at a time. You can put the box on top of a burner on your stove so you don't have to worry about fire. I've been looking at portable ceramic gas infrared heaters. They get ridiculously hot and would be great for doing satay - but grilling makes a lot of smoke, and I don't have a hood that vents outside - so until I can rig something up, I'm satay-less for now...

Also, this is a good company that sells greenhouse equipment: www.growerssupply.com

that was my thought as well - swamp coolers would be very effective in a hot and dry environment. But, I don't know if they're made for a small greenhouse, and the fans required for them use a lot of power. If it's not available or feasible, I would look into an atomized misting setup. These are pretty cheap to install, and will significantly lower the temperature in the greenhouse - they are especially effective in dry areas like NM. Just make sure that the droplet size is significantly small enough so that you have full evaporation before you reach the plant level, otherwise you could run into mold/mildew problems. The problem with them is that if you have hard water, they can clog. But they don't require a large fan for them to be effective like a swamp cooler would. Very hot conditions (35C and higher) in the greenhouse will definitely reduce both quality and yield, and increase the water requirements considerably. If you get lots of sunshine, another thing to look into would be a CO2 generator. With enough light and nutrients, you can run the greenhouse CO2 up to 1200PPM and the plants will grow like crazy since in sunny, warm environments, CO2 is the limiting factor wrt growth. This would be good in combination with a mister since constantly bringing in fresh air to cool the greenhouse (like with natural ventilation or a swamp cooler) will also get rid of any extra CO2 you add. Using with a mister will make it so you don't have to bring in fresh air as often which is desirable.

Can't wait to see how it goes!!!! What is the typical weather like in NM? I assume it is desert-like in that you should be getting lots of sun, but what are the temperatures (Day vs night)? Does it change seasonally? I've done lots of research into greenhouses (I keep toying with building one on the roof of my work building to grow produce to sell to restaurants), so I'm really curious as to how yours goes....

I use it all the time when I make some various thai dishes. Without it, it just doesn't taste right...

I don't know if you can tell from the website, but the smoker is basically stainless sheet steel, bent to form a pan and tight fitting cover. The food is intended to sit on a rack in the smoker - so heat conduction is really not that important. The heat is there to just get the chips to start smoldering, and it turns the box into a small oven.

I would smoke before putting any BBQ sauce. This will let the smoke particles better adhere to the meat. Once smoked, you can apply the sauce, wrap in foil, then bake. I don't think you'll have problems with being too dry - 20 minutes in the stovetop smoker will make the ribs warm - but certainly not even cooked through. Once you've added the bbq sauce, and sealed int he foil packet, I think that should be enough moisture since you're only baking the ribs for 1.5 hours... just make sure the foil is sealed well.

I agree with Deryn - I think an hour is too long in the smoker as well... For ribs, I would probably smoke them no more than 30-40 minutes... Or, you can do what I do, which is to start the wood chips smoking using the prescribed heat, then turn down the heat a bit once you see the smoke get started. That way, it doesn't get that hot in the box, but you still get the smoke. In general, I don't like to leave in the stovetop smoker too long (more than say 45 min) because I find the smoke gets a bit acrid after that.

I would tend to smoke it first, then put in the oven to tenderize. I've gotten good results that way.

I know this is off topic, but an easy way to clean meat drippings from any pan (even the muffin pan) is to add a little soap and water to each receptacle while still very hot - you can then put on a burner, or in a hot oven, and in a very short time, all the drippings will wipe off very easily - just like deglazing, but with soap and water.

53C for 1 hour will not tenderize significantly. Also, there is no purpose to air drying the bird before SV, since SV is a 100% humidity situation, and will negate any drying you do beforehand. What temperature do you use for deep frying? If I were to do a hybrid process, I would marinate, then SV, then chill and air dry in the refrigerator. Then I'd deep fry at a very high temp 400-425? just long enough to get the color and bring the core to temp. I find squab breasts need no tenderizing, so you really only need to cook to core temp (and pasteurize if desired). The thigh sections can be a little chewy, so I give them 4-5 hours, and then they come out great. But I've never tried a post deep fry... that could change things.

60-75 Watts.... My circulator has a 1000W element, but once it reaches temperature for most foods (in the 140-160F temp range), with the bath covered, the heater uses less than 10% power. Cooking things at higher temps (like doing confit at 170-180) will use slightly more power to maintain temperature. When cooking something like salmon (I cook it at 115F), once it's up to temp, the heater uses less than 5% power.

I find cooking sous vide is a big saver on electricity. Once the bath is up to temperature, my circulator uses less power than a standard light bulb.

Thanks for these photos! Really takes me back... A few years ago, my wife and I spent a week in HK and went to Sai Kung for a day. We also had some mantis shrimp, but the place we went did not provide scissors, so it was difficult to peel them, and we left disappointed by them as I also think they were a little overcooked and the meat stuck to the shells. This reminds me to try them somewhere else on out next trip to the area!

I love quail in all forms - but it is necessary to not overcook it, otherwise the succulent meat turns grey and dry. The quail is a pretty subtle flavor, so whether you rub or marinate, just make sure it's not too strong as to overpower it. Both breast and thigh section will cook very quickly - it's very hard to gauge with a thermometer since the meat is so thin, so I usually judge by feel. In any case, it won't take more than a few minutes - by the time it gets some color from the grill, it should be done.

My favorite time to go to NO is during Easter weekend... the weather is perfect, and it's prime crawfish and oyster season - and, unlike Jazzfest weekend, it's not nearly as crowded or expensive.

More than occasionally, a local supermarket chain in the NY area, Fairway, offers Campari for $2.50 per container. At other times it's $4.99

I'll second (or third or 4th) the Campari tomatoes... they're consistently decent... not like home grown, but definitely one of the best options I've found for off-season...