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Cool, thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what I end up with, both with the reduction, and with the super-beaned extraction.

No need to can vanilla extract. It's high in alcohol, so will keep just fine on the shelf by itself, supposing you put it in a reasonably clean container. I'm not sure it's necessary to can vanilla paste, either. Plain vanilla beans are ok if they're in a sealed container (so they don't dry out), so I can't imagine vanilla paste would need much in the way of preservation, beyond perhaps refrigeration. Andie would probably know for sure, though. A few days ago, I decanted the four batches of vanilla I started in post 305, about November 2010. I labeled the containers again, and combined all the vanilla bean pieces, spread them out in a glass container, and set the kitchen ceiling fan on high. The next morning, they were dry. I waited a couple of days, and just today I put them in a glass jar with a flippy lid (technical term :-) and sugar to fill the jar. I think it's about a liter in volume. Yesterday, I decided to start some new extract. This time, I combined 120 grams of Madagascar beans from my original purchase (32 beans) with 100 grams of 190-proof Everclear in a pint jar. I did the same with some Tahitian beans (49 beans). I'm going to let them sit for a month, then top off with 80-proof vodka. I was aiming for a two-fold extract, but was estimating the math in my head, and got mixed up, so I ended up with a 2 1/2-fold. Oh, well. It should be good, regardless. Today, I made a simple syrup of equal weights white sugar and water (200 g each) and added 200 g of my Tahitian/Madagascan blend extract when it had cooled. I reheated it, to drive off some of the alcohol, and bottled it. I'm guessing it's not as vanilla-y as I'd like it, and maybe a bit sweeter than I want, but we'll see. I also took 1.5 cups of my Tahitian extract and put it in a Rival Crockette (only has a low setting). I haven't plugged it in, yet, but I'm going to in a bit, here, and see if I can reduce it some, based on Andie's recommendation to reduce with a butter warmer for stronger extract. I don't have a butter warmer, so the Crockette will have to do. I'm just wondering if any volatile flavors will evaporate out with the alcohol, and if so, how it will affect the taste. And last, but not least, I started a new infusion with 50 grams of whole coffee beans, 50 grams of roasted cocoa nibs, and 25 grams of Tahitian vanilla beans in 125 grams of 190-proof Everclear in a quart Mason jar. I'm going to top that off with 80-proof vodka in a month, with the intention of having it eventually turn into a vanilla-Kahlua-like liqueur. I'm thinking that perhaps I should have crushed the coffee beans, but if in a month, the infusion doesn't smell like coffee, I can always whir the mix in the blender and try again. I'm not too impressed by my cocoa nib infusion of two years ago. I still have the nibs in there, but I'm wondering if I should have tried to find unroasted nibs. If I can easily find some, I will try again with those, and see if there's any difference. As a general note, I think that my original infusions were a bit weak in the bean concentration. So, I'm giving the warming reduction a try for one. If that works to my satisfaction, I will probably go ahead and try it with the others. I was thinking of ordering more beans, but the prices at the Vanilla Products on eBay have approximately doubled since 2010. Not surprising, since pretty much everything has gone up, but I can't afford to go buying more beans at the present time. I will be keeping an eye on them, in case the financial situation improves. Luckily, I had all the stuff I needed, already, to do my recent experiments.

I've had my Berkey since about November 2008, so that's right in line with how often you replace your spigots. Thanks!

Seconded. I love mine. And the added bonus is you neither need a replaceable gasket, nor to get the pressure gauge checked on a regular basis. The weighted valve does the trick. The dial gauge is more of a visual cue than anything else. The pressure is regulated by the weight on the valve.

Andie, I've had my Big Berkey for a while, now, and I noticed, a few weeks ago, that the spigot was leaking. The white washer on the outside was cracked. I replaced it with a rubber washer for a 5/8" hose, and had Warren tighten it. It worked well for about a week, but now if I turn the spigot handle, it's torquing the whole spigot such that the washer moves far enough away from the metal to allow water leakage. I am not thrilled with their spigot, and I'm going to find a brass or stainless replacement, but I was wondering if you have had such issues.

Darienne, It's funny how seeing something once will prime you to see it more readily in the future. I had to laugh, yesterday, when I visited a thrift store that I've never before visited, and saw not one, but TWO of those cake molds. They wanted something close to $8 for each of them. I don't need one, but I immediately thought of you. The other day, I was at Goodwill, and I saw what appeared to be a round copper cake pan, maybe 8-9 inches in diameter, for about $3.00. I bought it, but I'm not really sure what it is or what it's for. It's not lined with tin, and has a half-rolled edge and a very rounded side-to-bottom corner. I'll take a picture, later, and post it. Tracy

Oh, it IS! I love it. It's even better than the stainless one I got several years ago, new. I think the design of the handle makes for a more secure hold against the pot. I have used it at least once a day since I got it. Andie, a while back, I got a brown bottle with a ground glass stopper. I was amazed that it sealed so well. I was very impressed. I don't have anything in it, now, but I'm wondering what it may have been used for, originally. I think it's an apothecary bottle. It's about 3-4 fl oz volume, I think (I don't have it in front of me). I'm thinking of just using it as a display piece, once the house is put back together. Bottles with ground glass stoppers have been used for chemicals, especially ones that would have held liquids that would have affected cork, rubber and other materials used for stopping bottles in the old days. Laboratories were still using ground glass stoppers in everything from tiny vials to big carboys as recently as fifteen years ago - the last time I was in a working lab. They may still be for all I know. Perfumers use them so that the essential oils and scents will not be affected by other materials. They seal so well that perfumes have kept for years without evaporating. They also look elegant. Here are some. Way cool. Mine's brown and narrow-mouthed, but otherwise looks exactly the same as those. I have tea tree oil that makes rubber dropper bulbs deteriorate. I may use it for those,and have the dropper elsewhere,and rinse it out with rubbing alcohol between uses. Or maybe get the dropper bottle that I see on that website. I'll have to keep my eyes out for more of these. I'm a geek and a mechanical engineer, so I'm very curious about how they manufacture(d) the stoppers. I'll have to look that up,.

Oh, it IS! I love it. It's even better than the stainless one I got several years ago, new. I think the design of the handle makes for a more secure hold against the pot. I have used it at least once a day since I got it. Andie, a while back, I got a brown bottle with a ground glass stopper. I was amazed that it sealed so well. I was very impressed. I don't have anything in it, now, but I'm wondering what it may have been used for, originally. I think it's an apothecary bottle. It's about 3-4 fl oz volume, I think (I don't have it in front of me). I'm thinking of just using it as a display piece, once the house is put back together.

If you don't want to buy a chamber vac sealer, the ones at Cabelas (rebranded Weston Pro, as far as I can tell) is very good. I've had one for several years. I had the FoodSaver ones before, and I was not happy with them. The Cabelas one has a 1/4" seal, and the foam, heating element, and teflon tape are all replaceable. I imagine the pump(s) is (are), as well. It's not cheap, but at roughly $400, if you buy two of the FoodSaver ones, you've paid for the Cabelas model (or the Weston Pro). Cabelas runs sales every so often, too. Also, you can seal liquids in canning jars, or can freeze them and seal in bags with this vac sealer. Someone had come up with a way to seal liquids in bags, but I haven't tried it out, yet. Usually, I pressure can my liquids, or freeze and vac pack, or just freeze in a canning jar. ETA info about liquids.

Yes. There would have also been a (usually) tall container. See this video: <removed link (th)> You really don't need the original matching container in order to use your strainer. You can use a large sturdy glass in place of a container as long as the strainer portion fits snugly atop the glass. As you shake this makeshift cocktail shaker, you just make sure you hold the strainer (and its closed lid) snugly to the glass portion so there won't be any leaks as you shake it. Thanks guys. It's very lightweight, so I'm pretty sure it's aluminum. It's nice to know I can use it with a glass or a jar. Edited to remove video from quote.

The "funnel with strainer and cap thingy" looks like the top to a cocktail shaker. You're just missing the shaker chamber. That makes sense about the strainer thingy. So the cap and the strainer thingy would have both been part of the cocktail shaker? How would I determine if it is silver plate vs. aluminum? I'll have to take a better look at both those and the funnel they were taped inside of. Thanks!

Here are photos of some of the items I scored today. Foley pot strainer Shot glass measuring glasses Funnel with strainer and cap thingy. Edited to remove extraneous signature line.

Today, I went to an estate pre-sale with my partner. He got a bunch of tools, and I got several things for the kitchen. Among my finds were four embossed measuring shot glasses. Three are Glasco, and the fourth doesn't have a name on it. The Glasco ones have teaspoon, tablespoon, ounce, milliliter and dessert spoon measures. The other has tsp, tbsp, oz and cc measures. One of the Glasco ones has a pouring lip. I have never seen anything like these before. I'm going to use one, and put the rest away for just-in-case. I also got two aluminum canning funnels. One had a strainer insert, and the insert had some sort of cap for the strainer. It is a push-on fit, and I'm not really sure of the reason it's there. Once it's out of the dishwasher, I'll take a photo and post it. I also got an acorn-shaped tea ball, an old Foley pot strainer (with a little handle on what I would consider the inside surface, and a yellow Bakelite handle), and a spritz cookie press.

I'm not really sure if this belongs in this subforum, but it seemed the best place to put it. I returned on Friday from a two-week trip to Germany and France, ostensibly for a World Action Pistol Championship, but also to EAT!!! We spent one week in the Philippsburg, Germany, area, and ate at several places around there, including the place we stayed for the week, in Böhl-Iggelheim, called Waldhaus da Claudio. There, I had a pizza that was supposed to be a pizza Margherita, but it was basically a cheese pizza. It was tasty, though. The next night, we went to a family restaurant called Schmidts, in Wiesloch (I think-I wasn't driving). I don't remember what I had, but I do remember that it was good. There is a restaurant next door to the range, called Schützenhaus. It's a little mom-and-pop place, but with excellent food. Chanterelles (pfifferlingen) were in season, so they were offering a lot of their dishes with a cream sauce made with the chanterelles. We ate there two nights, and the first night, I had pork cutlets with the mushroom cream sauce, with noodles. It was indescribably delicious. The savoriness of the mushrooms nicely complemented the pork, which was not in the slightest bit dry. The next night, I had the veal with the mushroom cream sauce. Again, it was very good. Twice, we ate at the range, where they run a lunch counter where they cook a hot meal to sell. They did not use disposable tableware, which I thought was very nice. It was good food, pork roast with potatoes and carrots. The carrots were too sweet for my taste, but the rest was very good. By far the best meal we had was at a little restaurant in Lyon, France. I lived there for about 9 months, about 20 years ago, and I wanted to go back to see how it had changed. When I was there, I was a student, so didn't have a lot of money to eat out. Well, we wandered around the rue de la Révolution in the drizzle, and happened upon a little restaurant on rue Tupin, called the Café Comptoir chez Sylvie. I was looking at the menu, and Warren was looking in the window, when we were invited in. The hostess was very warm and welcoming. We ordered some wine to drink, me a Beaujolais, and Warren I'm not sure what, but I asked for something sweet for him. We took our time ordering, as everything looked wonderful. I had a quenelle au brochet sauce aurore, which was delicious, and my partner had a steak, which was prepared exactly as he'd ordered it, with a sauce Beaujolaise aux échalotes on the side, and mustard offered, as well. These dishes came with a gratin on the side, which we shared. For dessert, I ordered a crème caramel, which my partner had never before eaten. He loved it. I was too full to have more than a bite, but it was very good. <sigh> I wish I could go back. It would only cost a mere $900 for a round-trip ticket. Tracy

Sedimentary give it that nice thickening broth, though.

Would a food processor work? I'm guessing, though, that to use a food processor, you'd have to halve or quarter the oranges, so maybe that's not the best idea.

Please do. I'm interested to see what it looks like. I keep my stand mixer, coffee maker, dish drainer, toaster oven, bread maker, knife blocks and BoardSmith cutting board out ready for immediate use, and my vac sealer on the counter, but not readily usable (it sits sideways, so I have to rotate and plug in to use it, but since it's heavy, this is acceptable). Or, well, I did in the house, but since we're still not back in there, I'm not sure what we will do when we move back. I keep other small electrics in the bottom of a corner cabinet, close to an outlet, but not actually close to where I use them. That might change when we move back (use location, not storage location, I mean). We have a microwave shelf in the house, so that's not on the counter. My HUGE granite countertop piece that I got at a yard sale lives on the kitchen table, because it's too large to move every single time I want to use it. In the apartment, I have a microwave, toaster oven, and my Big Berkey out. The Big Berkey sat on a microwave cart in the house, but I don't know where it will go when we move back, because we haven't replaced the cart. Don't know that I want to replace it, either.

Today, at the Salvation Army store, I saw a Cambro 1000LCD insulated beverage container for $12.99. It's missing the gasket, but that's replaceable. I think I can probably sell it used for more than that.

Heh, I'll have to remember that! But they used a couple of ozone generators in the house for two days, and it really worked to get the stink out.

Well, it's possible they didn't know, 25 years ago, what they know now. I haven't yet done any independent searching on the smoke byproducts of a house fire, but I intend to.

Update: Turns out that there are all sorts of potentially carcinogenic things that can be released in a house fire, and smoke is both oily and corrosive. If something is porous, it's not likely that it can be made completely clean by any known cleaning methods. I imagine that if I had access to a really hot kiln, I could probably cook off any gasses in the pizza stones, but that wouldn't take care of any particulates. And there's really nothing that one can do to clean unsealed wood. Also, smoke can penetrate plastic bags and cardboard; thus, the admonition to discard any food wrapped in such materials. And smoke particulates can adhere to plastic well enough that they can't be removed. My ex, who is also still a friend, and was a firefighter and investigator, said he would not take chances with any plastic food-containing items, such as Tupperware (of which I have none) or the plastic lids of glass containers, such as the lids that come on Pyrex storage ware and on Glasslock containers. Plastic wrap, parchment, waxed paper, and foil are probably contaminated, as well, so should be replaced. Any hygiene items in plastic containers are likewise better to toss and replace. Plastic-handled cookware that is otherwise metal or glass is perfectly safe to use. The usual objection to keeping those items, according to the service providers, is aesthetic: They can't get the smell out, and people would rather not be reminded of a bad event. Me, I'm not so picky, so we'll be keeping the Revereware. Of course, people can always make their own judgements about whether they would like to risk certain things. Many people eat "undercooked" eggs and meat, myself among them, because we like those things better that way, and we feel the risk is minimal. However, I CAN repurpose many things for non-food use. I have marked all the wooden utensils (spoons, spatulas, etc.) with red, to remind me they're not for food use. I can use them for mixing other things, like potting soil, or wax, or whatever. Likewise, the plastic cutting sheets can be used in the shop for mixing epoxy, or can be used for scooping up cat yak. The silicone mats (Silpat and the like) can be used for non-food purposes, too, and the pizza stones will be put to use as a resting place for filled bullet casting molds, or for the welding table. I'll have to replace all the Pyrex storage lids and the Glasslock lids, but the glass containers themselves are fine, after washing. The food in canning jars with rings and flats should be ok, after a wash of the exteriors. Wooden- and plastic-handled knives will be ok, too. I won't take a risk with stuff that will directly contact food, but for the most part, that stuff is not too expensive to replace, with the exception of the pizza stone and the large cutting board. But of course, the cutting boards can be repurposed for non-food uses, as well. Already, my laptop is showing signs that it's not long for this world, so I can already see the effects of smoke on electronics. I hope this info will help someone down the line, if he or she is victim of a fire.

Very cool. How did you dry it?

Why spend $100 every two years or so for crap? I wouldn't want something that expensive to be considered disposable. Just suck it up and buy the one that can be repaired. You'll recoup not only the money you would have spent on replacing cheap junk, but also the time, hassle and irritation. The Weston Pro (and the Cabelas-branded version) are very good. You can get the Cabelas one on sale, periodically, if you are willing to wait, and they will ship it to a store near you for pick up for free. Edited to remove "not $500." Just checked Cabelas website, and they're now $500. But still, over 5 years, you've got your payback, if you only buy $100 FoodSaver models, otherwise. It doesn't look like the "professional-grade" FoodSaver machines are that inexpensive, though. Cheap ain't good and good ain't cheap.

Cabelas has a 50-foot roll of 11"-wide bag material in a cutter box for around $20. They're not as reusable as the Foodsaver ones, but they're not as expensive, either.

I had a whole, long thing typed out, and lost it. Grrrrrrrrr.*** MJX, the considerations are both odor and chemical contamination. Burning just wood releases a lot of contaminants, which is why you want to have a well-drafting flue. Burning building materials, such as insulation and vapor barrier, releases more toxic chemicals. Smoke is apparently oily and caustic. The oils in smoke can bond with plastic, and make it impossible to clean. Wood coated with paint or varnish is cleanable, but according to Dave, where the finish is penetrating and doesn't form a film, odors and stains are more likely to set in. The mineral oil/wax coating used for wooden kitchen utensils is water resistant, rather than repellent. He said odors in a board can sometimes be eliminated using baking powder, but too much will cause the board to stain, since that is also caustic. It also seems to me that the oily smoke particles will have bonded with the oil/wax finish. While that would be easier to remove than it is to clean plastic, the cleaning process might ruin the board, anyway. According to a friend of mine who is both an electrical geek and a fire dude, because of the corrosiveness of smoke, and the lack of encapsulation of most electronics, over time the smoke particles will deteriorate the solder connections and insulation on wiring and cabling. Also, carbon particles can form short circuits and paths of lesser resistance, where small exposed traces exist on circuit boards, and also where higher voltage circuits exist. Smoke can also infiltrate processor sockets. He had a chimney fire about 10 years ago, and chose not to replace some of his electronics. Over time, most of them, including ones that were not exposed to as much smoke, have died premature deaths. He suspects that it was because of smoke damage. The insurance company said that all the food is a loss, including canned goods. I asked the ServPro people why the canned goods, and they said that most people don't want the smoke smell that they can't get out of the labeling, although the food itself should be ok. I'm guessing that my extracts, vanilla, cacao nib, aniseed, cinnamon, etc. are ok, since they're all in canning jars (not vacuum sealed, but screwed down tightly), but I will be starting new at the earliest opportunity. I think I'd rather replace my wooden utensils that were exposed to open smoke than take chances with our health. And I do know that soot got inside the kitchen drawers, because the trash bag roll that was in our lowest drawer was covered with a fine film of oily soot. That gives me pause. <sigh> I think the aftermath is worse than the event... I will continue to add more information as I receive it in the hopes that this will help some other poor, unlucky soul in the future. ***Edited to say that it looks like I DIDN'T lose it, but I'm going to retain both posts for a bit.