OliverB

just added to my amazon wish list! Have to wait until next year as I'll be gone over xmas/nye, but I can't wait to cook from it! And learn, just spent some time on Douglas' site and learned quite a bit already! Looking forward to the book.

I use black and white truffle oil as a condiment, drizzle some over eggs, steamed asparagus (with shaved parmesan and a bit of good balsamic), things like that. There's a caveat though, some "truffle oil" never saw a truffle, but contains a chemical that smells and tastes like truffle. The small print should tell you if they used real truffles. At $10 I'd suspect that it's not real truffle. That being said, it can still be quite good and it would probably be hard to tell the difference unless you server it to a truffle fanatic. I see it in the same regard as artificial vanilla taste, which can be just fine too, depending on the application. If it's good quality, you won't need much, I'd suggest to put it in the fridge to slow the oil from going rancid before you have a chance to use it up. It might get solid or cloudy, but will clear up pretty quick once you take it out. As for returning it, for $10 that seems hardly worth the trip, unless you go there frequently.

not to take this off topic, but you carbonated whole strawberries? What do you get? A fizzy strawberry or fizzy strawberry foam/mush? Either seems intriguing, just curious.

I love my Shunn Ken Onion design chef's knife. It stays sharp for seemingly ever, I've had it for 3 years, never sharpened it, and it still slices a tomato as if it were butter. Add free lifetime sharpening if you send it in. It's an oddly shaped knife, but fits my hand as if it were made for me. They have lots of other series in damaskus steel or what it's called, the samurai sword kind of folded steel. if you don't like the shape or handle of the Ken Onion. They also have some that just look like the real deal, I'd not buy those. I'd also suggest a cheap butcher boning knife and maybe a slicer too. Really handy, easy to keep sharp, and cheap enough to replace down the road. I use those a lot, not only for boning, but also for slicing cooked steaks etc.

yes, a meat slicer, stainless steel counter tops, a huge butcher block, a gas stove and for fun an old wood fired stove/oven. One of those big blenders, heated cupboards (ah, warm plates!) and chilled cupboards (not fridge cold, but basement cool, houses here usually don't have basements). A great but out of the way stereo and a waterproof laptop. Something for everybody else to do so they don't crowd my kitchen Oh, and self cleaning floors.

renegade "gardening supply stores" might have small hydroponic setups that you could use. After all, they are made to grow "herbs" and "weed"... But if you have a bright window somewhere just planting some in pots might work as well. Or if your climate allows, grow them outside in pots, that certainly works well. I plant herbs like thyme and oregano just around other plants in pot as edible ground covers. Looks nicer than the dirt too!

there's really nothing much in it, the zest is what's good. Too cumbersome for my taste though, I consider them pretty center pieces But I'd love to have a tree in the garden, have to see if they grow here (NorCal), the fruits sure look cool. But not worth the price IMO.

I also think that something is lacking, I haven't cooked from the magazine in a while. I still love getting it, but tend to skip over the recipes. It's so cheap to subscribe to that I'll keep it around for a while longer though. I did get rid of cook's illustrated, haven't cooked from that magazine in years, so why get it. Of course, me not caring for Turkey or xmas holiday things all that much, the current issues of all magazines are skim through and discard, I'm looking forward to the spring issues :-) But it's been a while that I cooked anything from a magazine actually.

I could chop stuff all day, I'm not a fan of super cleaning. Wiping things off yes, but going behind and under things, no. And I'm not good at putting stuff away at times... And yes, unloading the dishwasher. If I'd live alone I'd probably never do so, just leave everything in there and run it after each dinner. Saves cupboard space too, so I could stuff more things I 'need right now' in there!

They sell a simple cheap gas one in every Asian supermarket here. Forget the brand, you use small gas bottles that fit inside of it and it works very well and is stable and secure. They cook samples on those in the store. I'd give that a try, the thing sells for somewhere between $10 and 20 usually and works nicely.

I'll have to try that pre-sear idea, not so much for color, but I'm wondering what it does to the taste, having those nice brown bits slowly melting in the bag. I did not get a gray band, I put mine into a very smoking hot cast iron skillet for about 60 sec each side. Got a wonderful golden brown and crunchy(!) sear with no heat travel to the inside. Meat was cooled down a bit after SV. Got two Angus steaks going in in minutes, not enough time to play with pre-sear today.

I just received my optional bag rack today. It fits into the Demi just fine, but if you put it on it's side so you can put bags on top of each other you could only fit 2 bags, maybe 3 if it's something thin, the 4th shelf would be above the water line. No issue for me, I'm not sure why I'd want to have bags in there flat, seems vertical offers better circulation, but if that's something important to you now you know I still think it should be part of the package, I can't imagine that thing costs much to have made, but it's also not absolutely necessary for family size amounts. I had my pork chops standing in the grill the Demi comes with. They stand on the bottom piece with the holes, but don't cover all that many and heat convection seemed to work just fine. Still a nice addition.

that turkey pile of bones I'd throw out, but then, I'm not sure what I'd want turkey broth for to begin with, I'm not a big fan of that bird. But if it were chicken I'd throw it out. I did before actually, just because I left the carcass out for a couple of hours after dinner while still being with guests. Not worth any risk, can always make an other chicken or just buy parts to make stock if need be. As for the egg story, thanks for posting that, I was always wondering about that! When back in Germany I can't find any eggs in a fridge, they sell them off the shelf, while here they're always cold, now I know why!

"But it was Chris Kimball, editor of Cook's Illustrated, who cut to the heart of it. "Utter bullshit," he said when I asked what he thought of cooking times" I don't think much of Kimball and his (oh so folksy) publishing empire, but this makes me wonder then, why, Chris, do I find a book called "The best 30 Minute Recipes" published by your empire on my shelf? :laugh: And why does a lot of your show and publications revolve around making a 3 day prep dinner in 45 minutes? That's an odd statement there, Mr Kimball... But yes, those 30 min (or what ever time) recipes and books are crap. Either full of short cuts or simply unworkable. And anyway, if you have only 30 min, get some take out or make something simple as a sandwich, eggs, a soup, don't try to roast a turkey.

My favorite knives: Shun Ken Onion Chef's knife (it's as perfect for my hands as can be) and cheap butcher knives, the ones with the curved blade (boning or slicing knives I guess). The Shun is amazing, I've had it for 3 (or 4?) years now and have never sharpened it, it still goes through a tomato with ease. Add to that the free lifetime sharpening service by Shunn, and I'd buy it again and again. Well, in my next lives that is. For now I can only recommend it to anyone that asks

I'm far away from culinary school expertise, and I've never eaten one, but to me this whole beef wellington thing seems rather boring. Never even heard about it 'till Hell's Kitchen on TV and I doubt I'd ever order it. That aside, a nice sauce with fresh wild mushrooms comes to mind at this season. Also something nice with winter root veggies, roasted babies, or a sauce. If the meat is of top quality, maybe just sear the outside and then serve ultra thin slices raw (carpaccio style)? Foie Gras sounds great in there too, I'm wondering if the meat could be wrapped in duck skin that gets crispy, instead of the cliche bacon? Or - if that's not possible - make "duck skin fries" to layer on top and a foie gras sauce? Or new baby potatoes, very buttery (maybe cooked in butter?), the meat rare with a good sear (Sous Vide?) sliced nicely, a bit of compound butter melting on it and a nice crunchy salad? Or something with beans? A sauce, or some nice heirloom beans on the side. I love beans. Baby carrots also come to mind, maybe glazed with maple syrup? A bit of pepper for zing. Surf and turf if some nice seafood is in season where you are? Crab season just started here in NorCal, I could imagine some fun things in that direction. Or more rustic things, cooked over wood fire or chunk charcoal, maybe even right on the coals? An Argentine cowboy twist in a way. With a piping hot cup of coffee :-) Green beans, beets, all those yummy winter things come to mind. And eggs. Just throwing out some ideas, no idea if they'd work or work in a school environment. I'd also spend some time in the school library and on google~~ Good luck, let us know what you end up making!

we're all learning :-) Use the cooking chart that came with the demi, it shows for how long you have to cook something at least, and also the max time you should allow. Or follow the link above. Also, do fill the demi with hot water, but wait until it's up to temp before adding the food! I wait some 10 or so min to make sure water temp is stable before adding food. And the food has been out of the fridge for a while by then, so it's close to room temp. I usually take it out when I turn the demi on. Oh, and the pork chops came out fantastic, among the best I've ever had! 3hrs in the water and a flash fry all over.

unless the steak is as big as the entire inside you'll be just fine, putting it down flat is I think how it's supposed to be. Just make sure the water can get up around it everywhere. And fill the machine to the fill line. As for the rest, that's how I've done it, s&p and a quick 60 sec sear in a very hot cast iron pan. Turned out fantastic. Maybe dab it a bit dry to allow for better/quicker sear. I then slice steak for serving and sprinkle a bit fleur de sel or some black salt etc over it, plus an other grind of fresh pepper. Should not need more. As for the time, it's not so much about "up to temperature" but also takes time for the fat and collagen to dissolve and get all juicy. It won't overcook as the temp never goes above med rare at 130, but I'd guess it'll take more than just 45 min. Search around a bit and see how tough or lean your meat appears. My short ribs cooked for some 8 hours and could have used more. I just submerged 3 thick pork chops that got s&p, dried garlic and dried oregano on it. I still have to read up on using fresh garlic etc (grows in ground where botulism spores live), and dry rubs are - well - dry. These will swim for some 2- 3 hrs. I'll also flash them in the hot pan, hoping for some nice moist and tender meat, not the usual rubber these cuts tend to turn into all too often.

any good wire brush with a long handle will work. Just make sure to buy one for your grill, I think some of the coated grills can get damaged with a steel brush and you might want to use brass or what it is instead. Long tongs, the longer the better. And squeeze them, some of the bbq set ones have more spring back than I like, my favorite is a long kitchen style one, locking and with a spring in the handle. Get one extra for moving hot coals around. A wireless bbq thermometer. I have one that has a small temp desiplay in the thermometer unit that stays with the grill, and a wireless temp display and timer unit. Really handy if you are running back and forth doing stuff in the kitchen. Wood chunks for smoke, I prefer chunks over chips. The chimney for sure. Infrared thermometer for fun. Cast iron grill is great for high heat steaks etc. Those veggie grates are great too, but do buy quality stainless steel. I had a cheap weber knockoff that got warped during the first use, returned and exchanged it for the square weber one which works great. Down the road a fish holder, not sure what they're called, can be handy. Those fish shaped grill things where you put the fish inside and you can then just flip the thing instead of trying to flip the fish with tongs and a spatula. Oh, yes, a spatula is handy too. Some like a bbq glove, I find them more cumbersome. And don't forget the most important bbq tool: beer bottle opener :-)

ah, thanks, I just ordered mine too. Also just got a reply but all they told me is that it's now on their website, no comment on why it's not part of the demi delivery or why it's not clearly noted that this would be something essential to buy. I thought about using a rib rack, but this thing is custom made and will hopefully work better.

I'm using a food saver and yes, that side down :-) It's just at home, so it doesn't matter, would not work well in a restaurant though Also the chicken got a very thin rim or what you want to call it, looked pretty odd. I'd trim it into a rectangle or - what I did - slize it, I'd not serve it to guests looking like a smashed little pillow :-)

ah, hot sauces! One entire shelf in my fridge door is full and there are a couple more here and there. We love the whole line of Cholula, they have a couple different flavors now. My boy loves them all, makes intricate mixes with them, not bad for a 7 year old! I also love Frank's and especially Tiger Sauce, of course the asian Sriracha or how it's spelled. The only one I never use and just keep around for fun is Dave's Insanity Sauce. That's really just a gag, as it's so extremely spicy that it's unusable IMO. Maybe if you have some old meat of questionable quality (I'm sure this sauce kills any bug it comes even close to!), but other than that, it's really more of a gag than anything. I've had it for years now, and used exactly one drop. The one I put on my finger seconds before breaking out in sweat and uncontrollable laughter with tears running down my face. Fun times~~~ It's quite interesting that there are so many of these sauces out there, and many of them actually have a distinct flavor. Not just HOT, but recognizable. Considering that there's not that much variety in what's in them, I find that surprising in a way.

one add on: Chicken turned out great, very moist and juicy. Machine temp display does fluctuate by up to +/- 1.5 degree with very short jumps here and there. Mostly it stays in the +/- 0.5 degree. Does anyone know where they measure the water temp? Given that there's no circulation through a heater, maybe they have more than one probe? I can't quite think of a "perfect" way to measure a bath w/o inserting a probe into the water. I'd use my bbq thermometer if it wasn't all sooty and dirty, I'll do that once I get a dual probe one for my BGE. My infrared gun is probably useless here, as I'm sure it measures the water surface temp. But over all, the machine seems well built, comes up to temp quickly and does what it's supposed to do. That my vac bags leave an odd surface on food from those little channels on one side of the plastic is an other issue, also the chicken breasts all looked like pillows in a way, I guess SV comes along with some trimming before serving. The surface can't be avoided unless one has a vac packer that uses bags that are smooth on both sides I guess. No big deal at home, it does make for some artificial man made looking meat though :-D

I think future posts will be in the regular (and IMO too long) SV thread, so last notes here unless there's more talk just about the Demi. Salmon tasted fine, but was dry and to my taste overcooked. Might be user error, I had steaks that I cut from a whole tuna and had frozen, it was probably a mistake to take them out of the original vac-sealed freezer bags to add some s&p, as there was a good spoon full of liquid in each bag that now was no longer with the fish in the new bags. Don't know. Taste was quite fine, but texture was more like an overcooked pork chop, a bit dry and rubbery. Have to try that one again I guess. Tonight I have some chicken breasts in there, we'll see how that goes. But further cooking notes probably don't fit into this thread here, so see me over in the loooooooong thread if I have further things to report.

Salmon steaks simmering :-) Curious how that'll turn out