KennethT

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...

I have researched blossom end rot quite extensively as it is a common problem when growing tomatoes hydroponically in greenhouses. It is also quite complex.... Technically, Crepes is right - ber is caused by a calcium deficiency in the fruit - but there could be many reasons for having this defiency - only one of them being not enough calcium in the substrate (soil). Some heirloom varieties are naturally prone to it - this is because their root system is not strong enough to take up all the nutrients necessary to provide for the plant when it is growing quickly. To combat this, most professional greenhouses use hybrids, or more recently, grafting heirloom plants to hybrid rootstocks. Another issue is ventilation. Tomatoes need quite a bit of wind to allow the necessary amount of nutrient to reach the leaf tips and fruit. Wind across the leaves increase transpiration rates, which increase the amount of water intake from the soil which carries more nutrients with it. Still air in the microclimate of the leaf slows transpiration, and with no water movement there is no nutrient movement to the extremities. Another possible problem could be soil pH. This is a common problem in containers as there is typically less biological activity. One way to combat this problem is to add a good amount of healthy compost. Compost contains tons of beneficial bacteria which will help keep down the population of anaerobic bacteria which cause pH to drop significantly. Which leads to another thing - make sure the container's drainage is very good - wet feet is a breeding ground for anaerobic bacteria which will rot roots (decreasing nutrient uptake) and also lower pH which decreases the availability of nutrients to the plant. Wow... sorry about this - I didn't intend for this to get so wordy!!!! I hope some of it helped...

echo the above... plus, I use mine at least once a week just for salmon. I like it rare in the middle and just flaking - so I use Sous Vide Dash to help me setting a 102F core temp with 115F bath... it's perfect every single time, completely unattended, so I can focus on side dishes while it's going. I can't imagine how I lived without it!

Very true Anna... I can still picture being in a market outside of Chiang Mai seeing a vendor surrounded by several HUGE mounds of curry paste. Her customers would come to her, she'd scoop out what looked like a good pint or so, put it in a plastic bag, and off they'd go. I was there with my cooking teacher/market guide who explained how most people do not make their own paste or make their own coconut milk - it's just too time consuming... plus, there are usually several vendors in each market that supply that stuff freshly made. When I get home tonight, I'll try to see if I can find a photo of that vendor... truly a sight for a westerner!

I will add to my previous post that you can make a very respectable curry by using practically any prepackaged curry paste and canned coconut milk. While every cookbook says to "crack" the coconut milk, I find it's almost impossible using canned milk, so instead, I buy cans and try not to move them very much before opening. I'm trying to get the contents to settle as much as possible so that the thick coconut fat rises to the top. I spoon off the thick fat (you should be able to cut it with a knife, ideally) and fry a tablespoon or two of the paste in that - be careful as it will sputter... Once it smells nicely aromatic, I dump in the rest of the can of coconut milk and whisk it in until smooth... simmer until it has the consistency you like, then add a squeeze of fish sauce and lime juice until it tastes right...

I may be in the minority here, but I think the best curry pastes cannot be done here in N. America, if you pound yourself. The problem is that the ingredients that you need are not grown locally, and by the time your store gets them, they are old, somewhat desiccated and do not have the flavor profile they did originally when very fresh. Not only that, but some ingredients are just impossible to find. Sure, we can get thai bird chilis here, but typically, curry pastes are made with chilis that are not available here fresh, and reconstituting dried ones is definitely not the same. Personally, I think I get a flavor much closer to what I got in Thailand when I use the refrigerated or frozen prepackaged pastes - specifically Nittaya brand. I find Mae Ploy to be too salty. I also have a slight issue with grating your own coconut - since most of the ones I find are not as juicy as they should be and it's a ridiculous amount of work. Again, I like to use frozen coconut milk that is 100% coconut milk (product of Thailand or Phillipines) with no additives. In a pinch, the canned cream works ok too, but just don't expect it to crack easily if ever.

I keep the fried food on a rack and use a heat lamp... it's not good for reheating, but it will keep fried foods hot while waiting for subsequent batches and will not trap the steam which leads to soggy crust.

I've never heard of a "jetlag diet"... can someone please fill me in?

I think this is a really great idea - I have never backed a kickstarter before, but today is the day I changed that! I love SV Dash, so if this product is even close to being as good, I think it would be a big hit. ETA: I think this has a much broader appeal than SV, which is still in the early adopter stage. Everyone uses their stove top to simmer, and if other people's stoves are like mine (ie inexpensive), it's almost impossible to find the exact spot on the dial to make an even simmer for a long period of time wihtout it cooling off or getting to hot from time to time. So instead, it requires constant monitoring - which is a real pain... This product would automate this... Now, if they would just make one that could survive in a pressure cooker, that would make my stock making even easier! I constantly have to check on my PC to make sure it's not cooling or overheating.....

These are becoming much more common now... they had been made for a couple years by a company called Solaire, and I gather Charbroil makes one now too...