OliverB

luckily I needed some more beans, so I ordered two of these to come along :-) Now I guess I have to go to the mexican market for that sugar, or does some other brown sugar qualify too?

The drive through at the I&O I see here doesn't seem that great of an idea, the lines are usually very long, going down the road. And since they do make everything on the spot (as far as I know) it takes a while to get your order. It's probably a lot faster to park and get your take out order at the counter. I'd love to have a greek influenced burger place, that sounds interesting! Or is it just Greek owned, but no culinary influence?

I would think it was an isolated event, as was hopefully the near fight between a guy in a souped and jacked up truck and some kids in a sedan behind me. In a very nice and expensive area actually, San Ramon or Danville or where it is. But I like bacon on my burger, so I never went back, as they don't have what I want. The burger I got was rather bland, but I did not know about their "secrets" that aren't on the menu (?). I've never been inside one, I liked that they had two drive through windows and managed where you get your order, that seemed to speed up (the very long and slow) like a bit. And that I did not have to talk to some quacky speaker, but a person with some wireless tablet thing took my order. I won't be back, if I eat fast food 5 times a year it's a lot, so it doesn't matter to me, there are others that serve what I like to get. We're actually gonna get one more, against the protest of all the people that live around that empty lot, and I know plenty people that love them - to each their own

An other one for Trader Joe's imported. Seems kind of stupid to import pizza from Italy, but they are pretty tasty and have some of that "italian pizza" taste that I can't define or replicate as well. I never eat them as is, I always add stuff to them, but they make a great base for a quick dinner. I usually sprinkle some dried oregano on them, sometimes granulated garlic, always fresh basil (after cooking), halved cherry tomatoes or sundried tomato, salami or prosciutto, maybe even extra mozzarella, things like that. They bake up nice and crunchy. Matter of fact, it's probably what we'll have for dinner tonight since I won't have time to cook.

do they finally offer bacon? A fast food burger has to have bacon on it! Only time I went there they did not have it (as I was sort of rudely made aware of) and "secret" menus are a bit stupid IMO. Might have just been that one location? Never went back to one, so I don't know. In Texas they better hire people with a nicer attitude though!

Haven't been there in a long while, but it's the one place I go to if I have a fast food craving, no other comes close to crap greasy food with a high dose of guilty pleasure :-) If I go I get the bacon ultimate cheeseburger with fries, a large order of poppers and a couple of their bbq and sweet/sour sauces. I skip the drink and take stuff home, enjoy it with a beer instead. The big sirloin burger is pretty good too. Their fries are a soggy mess, which adds to the guilt part A burger needs to have bacon on it (so In'n Out is out) and be floppy, greasy, and lie in my stomach like a rock Well, a fast food burger.

psiweaver: if you just want to start with Sous Vide any food saver or similar machine works. You can't do some of the odd things like compressed watermelon (which has nothing to do with Sous Vide I think) but I have yet to come across something I want to cook and can't make with that setup. There are some things where I guess a chamber machine is necessary, but those are few and I can live w/o them. If you have the funds (and space) get the chamber machine, but if your main interest is sous vide cooking you really don't need to spend that much.

As far as I know (and wikipedia - coca leaf in coca cola) they still use the leaf extract in coke. But the main flavoring I can detect is lots of sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Makes sense that these things work well with ham. I've never used coke in cooking, but I think I'll try it with some pork this spring. Or maybe simmer some brats in it? Doing the beer boil with brats doesn't seem to do anything much, I consider it a waste of a good beer, but coke could add a nice sweet layer, and the sugar should help with a really nice browning. I rarely drink it, but do have some bottles in the pantry somewhere. Might as well use them. To my surprise you can find coca leaf tea online even on Amazon.

hmm, interesting idea, I might have to try that! Maybe you get more caramelization working with the thick pulp first? Like working with tomato paste in the pan first, then adding water. You add tomato juice (water) and then cook it down, intensifying the taste even more. Actually makes sense once I think about it, I really have to try this!

a 2nd printing is not necessarily a 2nd edition. There's really no rule for this "first edition" thing, depends on whom you ask. I'd consider anything first edition that's the same as the first book coming off the press. Even if a 2nd print run has a handful of typo corrections - which I think is unlikely, since it's costly to make a new plate just to fix one word. I believe these are printed with real plates, not some digital process) But just ordering a second shipment off the same plates is not a 2nd edition to me. Not that I care what collector's value this might have some day, I won't sell it so it has no monetary value anyway Now, amazon does not know or care about how many books were printed originally, it's not like there's one guy sitting there paying attention. As long as a publisher flags a book as available they'll take orders, even if they don't know if (or when) they can get it. They also won't indicate what edition it is, it's all the same to them. If you just ordered now, you might get lucky and get one from the first print run, but I think Nathan mentioned that those are close to sold out, so you might have to wait until June or later for the 2nd order to start arriving. I don't really care, it's now supposed to ship April to May13, May 14 is my b'day, so that's just perfect for me

Found it, it's called The William, here's a video and google for william stove will get you more: Not induction it seems, but an interesting idea.

I have a similar unit as andiesenji, just not with adjustable speed you find on newer models. I got it years ago when my inlaws always had tons of tomatoes. Since then they have reduced their crop since they travel so much, and I hardly ever use the machine. It does work very well though, very fast and very easy to clean. They say you can drop a whole apple in, but it has to be a small apple. But still, not having to cut things into tiny pieces is great. You can also make very good orange juice with it, but you have to peel the oranges first. Quick and easy with a knife, and the juice is really nice. I made carrot juice for the French Laundry carrot soup with it last I think. (a wonderful soup by the way, google for the recipe!) I'm not much for fruits, so I use it (if I use it) for veggies and I can't imagine a better machine. The pulp that's left over is pretty dry, the high rpm really seem to spin out most of the liquid. I should use it much more, with all the great veggies on the market now, but you need quite some produce to produce a good amount of juice. And it's best to make juice fresh, so I'd basically have to have this thing on the counter. I don't so I forget about it, even though it's just on top of a cupboard. The smaller unit you show is probably quite good too, Breville knows what they're doing. But as mentioned, it's nice to have the "waste" container off to the side (and it's a good size) even though I don't keep the pulp. I'm not sure if you really need the adjustable speed, to me it seemed they started offering that since other brands marketed it, but maybe it helps with some things. Oh, I have yet to juice a tomato in it, since the crop shrank I use what we get fresh or in sauces, and at $2.50/lb at the market I don't quite feel like juicing those wonderful heirloom tomatoes. I might try with a cheaper box of damaged/over ripe ones some day though.

never thought it would matter on a gas range, though I don't have one. Cooked on one recently and was surprised on how much hotter everything around the pots is, since heat comes up around the pots and pans much more than with electric it seems. My inlaws have a gas range with a simmer function that actually turns the fire off and on by itself (not sure how it times that or measures the heat) that seems neat. I'm pretty sure they're all the same size and are also very easy to clean, no nooks and crannies anywhere. Don't recall the brand, but once I run a gas line to my kitchen, I'll be looking into those. But in general, I'd prefer same size on electric and gas. Matters little if my pot is smaller than the electric burner, matters lots if it's larger. There's actually an interesting new stove out (electric) that senses how big what ever is that you put on, even odd shapes, creates a virtual burner of the correct size (with a similar display on the front control) anywhere on the cooking surface. Kind of a neat idea, you can squeeze a small pot in between somewhere or cook in a large oval roaster, the hot area underneath is the exact size. No idea how well it works in reality, but the idea is sure interesting.

well, I ordered the portable with an 18 inch wok from amazon, plus the two nice wok cooking books. Looking forward to changing up what I cook! And it's getting nice outside, what better thing to do than cook with fire!

Great, thanks for the photos!

Thanks Chris! I guess you use a wok with a long handle? The ones they sell have just two handles on the sides, tossing with that setup is probably less possible? I think I'll get the 18 inch setup, it's the same burner and size is plenty. If it fits my regular wok, that'll be an extra bonus.

And an other reply from the Kahuna folks, I had asked if they would also sell the big kahuna with the small wok: ======= Hello, Yes, that is correct the Big Kahuna burner is only available with the wok kit. We only recommend using the wok that comes with the kit as it is specially fitted to sit properly on the burner. Also, we cannot customize the wok kits. Thank you, Stacey ========== So they don't even recommend using a smaller wok on the big kahuna, that's interesting. Those that have the Big Kahuna, is this an issue? Does a smaller wok wobble around or get too close to the flame?

I got a reply from Bayou Classic, I asked if their fryer would work with a wok: ================= Hi Oliver, Thank you for you email. We actually would only recommend the SP10 (High Pressure Burner) for Wok cooking. The heat output is ideal, and the heat shield on the burner would help protect the flame from any oil. http://www.bayouclassiccooking.com/high-pressure-cooker.html We do sell a Turkey Fryer Kit with a SP10 unit (which, many people also use for steaming lobsters, clams and crawfish boils too) http://www.bayouclassiccooking.com/32qtstststfy.html or if you want a more reasonable option you could purchase the SP10 and then this Aluminum Turkey Fryer Kit as well http://www.bayouclassiccooking.com/30qt-aluminum-turkey-fry30.html. Hope this helps! ================= That burner is rated 185.000 BTU, so definitely hot enough! (I'm getting a bit confused by these wide ranges of BTUs on items that seem very similar. Is there a clear definition on how to get to this rating, or is it a marketing gimmick?) Problem I see with this burner is that the cooking surface is flat, I can't imagine balancing a round bottom wok on there in a safe manner. I guess the big or portable kahuna is a better solution.

I'm not sure I ever ate corned beef warm/fresh before, but reading this thread made me curious. I happened to walk by a display of uncured (scam!) ready to cook corned beef at Trader Joes and got me one, made it last weekend. Without having any reference, it turned out great! Interesting to note, all the spice were in the brine, not in a package. They had permeated the entire piece of meat with a great spiced flavor. I cooked it in the slow cooker on high for 5 hours, could probably have gone a bit shorter. It was falling apart tender, wonderful rosy like a rare steak. Now I'm really tempted to make this again myself! Instructions said nothing about removing foam. The foam looked pretty icky, but once I tried to skim it off I noticed that I'm removing all of the floating spices, so I just left it, figured I won't use the liquid for anything anyway. And it all sank to the bottom! Meat came out nice and clean. I'd even buy this package again, even if it's not authentic, it tasted really good. And maybe it is authentic, I have no reference and can't just travel across the country to try the NY benchmarks. Nor do I know of a Jewish deli where I'm at. We got 3 meals out of this meat, two dinner, one lunch. Not bad!

I'd be looking in Concord, I guess they should have it as well, thanks!

I hope this thread will live for a while, I'm always looking for fun salads! I don't have any pictures though. Two of my regular go to salads are: * Arugula drizzled with some olive oil, either red wine, sherry, or balsamic vinegar, s&p and sometimes a pinch of sugar. If I have them, I'll throw a handful of cherry tomatoes in there too. This might also include cubed cucumber, sliced fennel, pine nuts or other nuts, depending on what it's being served with. But it's very quick and easy to make last minute and I love the taste of arugula with just about anything. * Sliced Nappa cabbage (and red cabbage if I have some) which gets dressed with olive oil and/or sesame oil. Vinegar is either seasoned rice vinegar or red wine, s&p and a pinch of sugar at times. Tomatoes might fly in there again, and maybe even a couple leaves of arugula or basil if I have them. Dressing again to go along with the rest of the food. ===== In summer, caprese is our go to Sunday lunch, with fresh tomatoes and basil from the market, basil, olive oil and balsamic, s&p, fresh mozzarella and a nice fresh bread. I can't wait! And the whole family loves it, the kids compete with me on who gets to eat the sauce out of the bowl. They usually win :-) I might also make a bag of "herb salad", which is a nice mix of salad greens with some herbs thrown in. That might also include any of the above ingredients, maybe mushrooms, sun dried tomato, and might serve as a bed for some kind of protein or eggs. The kids usually pick what they want out of the lot, and what that is changes on a daily basis.

where is that at costco? fridge or freezer? I love their salami, would not mind having a quick but tasty dish in reserve if pressed for time. Not a product I would have expected from them, but I'm sure it's good.

ah, Lassi is a good idea, thanks! And yes, peanut butter is interesting too! Wasn't a PB&banana Elvis' favorite food? I have some honey roasted peanut butter from the machine at whole foods, add banana, maybe a drop of vanilla (and a shot of rum ), hmm, that could be good. Maybe even with cold coffee added? Or just a pouch of the starbucks instant coffee? Hmmmmm...

I don't toast all that often, but when our cheap junk toaster died (or was killed by my wife, LOL) I started to look around. As I maybe use it once a month I was not tempted to spend a couple hundred on one of those pretty and fancy chrome machines. And I have an issue with the slot size on most of those, they don't fit most of the sliced bread we buy, and I like to toast a nice long slice of a chiabata etc once in a while. While at Ace for some coals for my BGE I walked past a Hammiltion Beach Toastation which was on sale for $40 and grabbed it. I was intrigued by the long slot which will allow me to toast even a long slice of Bavarian farm bread. And it's a little toaster oven at the same time! You move a lever on top which open or close the toast slot to keep the heat in as oven function. I'm usually skeptical with multi function things (except swiss army knives) but figured I can always return it, so why not. And you know what? Against all expectations it makes a great toast! I was concerned, since it has just two long "glow sticks" on each side of the bread, and one under the (removable but I leave it in as crumb catcher) tray, and toasters usually have that woven row of "glow threads", but no matter what bread I throw at it, it makes a perfect and even toasted toast. At least by my definition. Golden and crunchy. I have not yet used the toaster oven function, and since I have the one slot model there's a wider two slot model too) but the tray is big enough for one toast sandwich or a slice of pizza or something like that. Of course, I'd have to sneak into the kitchen at 3am if I intended to just make one slice of pizza, w/o the kids and wife wanting one too. Reviews on amazon are all over the place, all I can say is that I'm happy. It does not have any fancy sensors, you kind of have to play with the first slice to figure out what setting you'll need for your desired toastyness. No biggie for me. If you look for something cheap that looks nice and works well, it might be worth looking at this little machine. Oh, and you can watch your toast while it browns through the window! The only toaster that I'm aware of where you can do that is a very expensive designer machine I saw in some catalog. I have no clue if my toaster would hold up to daily use of a 4 person household, but so far we've had no problems. You have to watch a bit that you set the bread on the riser bar correctly, I guess it could potentially slip off once lowered into the large oven chamber, but that has not happened to me.

I'm hoping to hear back form the Kahuna people if they sell the big one with a smaller wok as a set as well. I'd rather not have a 22 inch wok to store somewhere. Also hope they tell me that the big kahuna can still be bought as a single unit.