pbear

I did a similar experiment a couple months ago, except I used a countertop convection oven rather than a saute and didn't bother with the soda. IMHO, to make the comparison accurate, you have to add back the water lost by cooking conventionally. Doing that, I thought the conventionally-roasted version was slightly better than the pressure-cooked one, and a heck of a lot easier. It did take a little longer, though.

Umm, to clarify, although the West Bend slow cooker has an adjustable heat control, it's not a thermostat. I never tried using it as a slow cooker for that reason, together with the fact that it's completely uninsulated. On the other hand, the cooking vessel makes a fantastic bain marie insert for a Sous Vide Supreme, which is why I bought it in the first place. (Gave away the base.) Which, incidentally, is another solution to this problem and, in fact, the one I use most often. (Various inserts, not just the WB). Be sure to elevate the insert somehow, so heat will flow around it.

andie, that looks like a really cool unit. Not sure I'm going to get one, as I've already solved this problem by other means and have rather limited space. But it's definitely going on the "recommend" list for friends looking for a small slow cooker. And, really, it's plenty large enough for lots of dishes, especially those like Beef Bourguignonne and Roghan Josh which are basically just meat in a sauce. Indeed, those sorts of dishes are about half my slow cooker repertoire. And, yeah, Syzgies, "boggles the mind" nicely captures my annoyance that no one has brought a temp-controlled slow cooker to market (besides the unit Andie mentions, which isn't quite the same thing). It would be darn easy to do. By the way, in case anyone wants to try my solution, here's what I do. As mentioned, this only works with an old-fashioned analog slow cooker. I hook this up to an Auber PID controller, but the Sous Vide Magic (linked above) is similar. Rather than the settings recommended in the manual (or those generated by auto-train), I use P = 40 and I & D = 0. (The manual explains how to do this.) Those settings were suggested by someone in the original sous vide thread (at a time when I was a lurker rather than a poster) and I find they work very well. What happens is that, when the controller senses the target temp is being approached, it dials back the flow of electricity. (This is why only an analog cooker will work; a digital one would have fits if that happened.) In effect, the controller becomes a thermostat and prevents the cooker from exceeding the target temp. Problem solved.

Not my experience. And I did a lot of work with crock-pots over the period fifteen to twenty years ago. Had pretty much every size and shape they made at the time (all with analog controls), a dozen in all, a few of which were duplicates. (I used them as buffet servers for parties, as well as cooking with them.) Worked up slow cooker variations for pretty much every recipe in my then-repertoire where they fit (that ended up being more than 150 recipes), There was a pretty consistent trade-off of convenience vs. quality, which I eventually realized was because the crock-pots always ended up at a low boil. (Not to be confused with a rolling boil, like one can get on a stove-top.) Venting the lid slightly helped with this problem, but didn't eliminate it altogether. I've since solved the problem by using a PID controller (although, in fact, I rarely use a slow cooker as such anymore, preferring sous vide, a pressure cooker or, crazy talk, a conventional simmer), but apparently this solution doesn't appeal to you. Your choice. Good luck in your search.

According to Cuisinart, it's "an oval ceramic cooking pot." IOW, the same glazed pottery as traditional Rival crock-pots. The thing to remember about slow cookers is that none of them (AFAICT) have an effective thermostatic control. The upshot of which is that they all end up cooking at a boil eventually. The only way I've found to beat this problem is to use a PID to control the cooker. And, for that, you need to use an analog rather than digital unit. Don't know whether you have a PID controller (e.g., an Auber or Sous Vide Magic) but, if not, you're likely to be frustrated no matter how much (or little) you spend. Conversely, if you don't care about boiling, a cheap unit will work as well as an expensive one.

Of the commercial brands, the only one I've tried that I like is Stubb's. Not sugar free, but much less sweet than most. Available in a spicy version. (They also make a sweet sauce, but obviously you'd want to pass on that.) YMMV, but worth a try.

You're crossing up two things. The spores of Clostridium botulinum are extremely hardy and laugh at sous vide temps. Indeed, only the high temps achievable in a pressure cooker will kill spores. The reason they're so hardy, though, is that they're not doing anything. Once they come out of suspended animation, the normal vegetative state of the bacterium is a delicate little flower, active only between 38º and 113ºF (3.3 to 45ºC). See here, citing Hauschild, A.H.W. 1989. Clostridium botulinum. In Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens. Doyle, M.P., ed., Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY. Recommended sous vide temps generally are well above that, and those that aren't are for brief cooks of foods safe to eat raw.. ETA: Bear in mind no authority (at least, of which I'm aware) recommends using acidity in sous vide to prevent or control botulism. I'm just trying to explain why.

This year, I tried something similar to &roid. Only, instead of a brine, I did an equilibrium rub. Winged it, really, based on prior experiments with other meats (this is one of my continuing projects at the moment). Here, I figured 1-1/2 tsp salt per pound would be about right. So, for a 3 lb brisket (flat), I used 4 tsp table salt (27 g) and 1/2 tsp curing salts (6.25% sodium nitrite). Tossed together, sprinkled half on each side, set up in a ziploc bag and chilled for four days, flipping every 12 hours. (Not sure the flips are necessary, but figure they prevent juices from pooling against one side only.) Wasn't sure that was enough time but didn't feel comfortable leaving any longer without a vacuum (for which I lack the equipment). Cooked 36 hours at 150ºF, which is my usual preference for brisket. Very happy. Fully tender without falling apart. (The falling apart thing is my least favorite aspect of the traditional dish.) And, perhaps more to the point, it turns out four days was indeed enough, as the color and flavor were uniform throughout. (Sorry, no pictures; don't have a decent camera either.) Oh, and saltier than a normal brisket, but nowhere near as salty as a normal corned brisket. IOW, pretty much exactly the target I was aiming for.

I've not used a stand mixer attachment for sausage, but I have used an electric grinder, which I assume is similar, (Later, I moved to a hand-cranked grinder, which I prefer. Have never used a dedicated stuffer.) Yes, you are very definitely supposed to remove the blade and disk when using the stuffing attachment. (The OP doesn't indicate whether he did or didn't.) It shouldn't take much force to use the attachment. Only enough to move the sausage mixture into the screw, which does the actual work. Assuming leaving the blade-and-disk in place isn't the problem, two other possibilities come to mind. One is that the mixture warmed in grinding. The solution is to chill before stuffing. (Indeed, I would say this is a good idea regardless of the method used to stuff.) Another is that the mixture was ground too finely and/or sheared rather than cut. Chilling the meat well before grinding (preferably until ice crystals just begin to form) will help with this problem as well.

Actually, I'm no fan of no-knead, and said so in Post #16. But, as my mother likes to say, there's a reason Baskins-Robbins has more than one flavor of ice cream. Some people are dedicated enough for the Tartine method, others top out at no-knead, and many (that would include me) come out somewhere in between.

With all due respect, it sounds like you haven't made the Lahey recipe (link above). No, it's not much like the Tartine method. For an explanation of the former, see Bittman's original NYT article.

BTW, I don't think anyone has linked to the earlier marathon eGullet thread on the Lahey recipe. It's here. Of the many, many great insights in that thread, I found Joe Blowe's recap particularly useful. Although, I have to say, when all was said and done, I ended up going back to regular kneaded breads and use no-knead mainly as a suggestion for friends who want something easier. And, yeah, I didn't post in that thread. I wasn't even a member then. But it was one of my inspirations to join.

I think this is the problem. If you look at the original Lahey recipe, it calls for 345 g water and 430 g flour, which is a hydration just over 80%. Your ratio isn't quite 69%. No wonder you can't mix it with a spoon. I've worked with that hydration for a kneaded bread. I needed a machine. As for how much to mix, he says "Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute." I'd call that a lot more than "the merest stir."

As mentioned upthread, no, this isn't true. Here's a post in the Trader Joe's thread, quoting an emailed explanation from TJ's customer service dep't. BTW, to refresh folks' recollection, KA didn't used to make flour TJ's flour. Rather, the latter was selling KA flour, one of the few non-private label items in the store outside the liquor aisle. In 2009, TJ's discontinued KA and brought in a similarly-formulated private label flour.

It was the other way round. TJ's dropped KA so it could move to a lower price point.

IIRC, both companies say no. Though the former is formulated to emulate the latter.

As this hasn't drawn a response from the MC team, I will hazard a guess. Which would be that they presume folks doing a tailgate party will instinctively give the meat more of a finish than they (the MC team) consider optimal. So, they undershot the sous vide temp to compensate. Notice the regular sous vide steak recipe (p.194) doesn't do this, but there they indicate a very specific finishing technique (deep frying at high temp for 30 seconds). As I said, that's a guess. If someone from the MC team shows up with a different explanation, I will cheerfully defer. FWIW, I'm not a fan of sous vide steak. (Though I love sous vide in other applications, e.g., roasts). Just trying to answer the question.

FWIW, a little googling on the VP-112 turned up this eGullet thread on the machine and comparing it to other options.

Probably just a fluke. What style and brand of rice?

I second the suggestion of Epicurean boards. Read Products makes a similar line (indeed, it's been around longer). Both are woodfiber laminates, basically sawdust bound with plastic. They're sturdy, light and relatively gentle on knives, yet easy to clean. Woodfiber laminates have been my "go to" boards for over ten years now.

I've been thinking about this thread for a few weeks and paid attention to what tools I use often. My list is as follows: knives (obviously), especially an 8" and 10" chefs stirrers, especially a pair of woodfiber laminate paddles tongs, specifically, a silicone tipped tweezer-type one iced-tea spoon (my ghetto Kunz spoon, especially for testing sauces and samples) immersion blender (for the obvious uses) kitchen shears (mostly for opening packaging) pastry scraper (mostly for moving stuff from cutting board to pot) silicone spatula (to clear pots and bowls of product) hotpads (for the obvious use) electric scale (ditto) cutting boards (ditto) vegetable peeler (ditto) Thermapen (guess)There are others, of course, but that's my main "go to" list.

Hmm, I've done short ribs 24 hours at 150ºF and was very happy with the results. Nicely tender, though not falling apart. For that, I'd try 36 hours. Nickrey's suggestion probably gets to the same place as regards reduction of collagen to gelatin, though the texture would be a bit softer (less water extracted, which is either good or bad depending on personal preference). Given your stated objectives, torolover, I suspect you'll like my approach better, but you should try both. But, frankly, I wonder whether the problem is the meat you're sourcing. Have you prepared conventional braised short ribs with that meat? Were you happy with the results? If you haven't done that test, I'd recommend it first. If nothing else, it'll give you a baseline for comparison. And maybe it's simply that this isn't a cut you like done sous vide. Nothing wrong with that.

I've done beef heart 48 hours at 131ºF and was quite pleased with the results. And I generally prefer to do long cooks of beef (chuck, etc.) for 24 hours at 150ºF. With the latter, I find the texture at lower temps to be a bit squishy (to use the technical term). Whereas the former is by nature a "tight" cut texture-wise, so the lower temp worked very nicely. YMMV.

Bear in mind there's a big difference between the roux for bechamel and the roux for gumbo. As for the latter, I agree with HungryC that half an hour is sufficient if one is making it conventionally, i.e., using medium heat and stirring constantly. Have never heard of or tried a low heat, little-stir approach, but don't see the advantage unless one were doing this often and in large quantities (say, in a restaurant). And, if I were to go that route, I'd probably figure out a way to do it in a slow oven (like oven cooked polenta). As it is, the conventional method works fine for me (occasional small batches), so I'm unlikely to invest in the learning curve of a low heat method.

My $0.02's worth. I haven't done an international move, but I did move back to the west coast (San Francisco), leaving behind in storage in my mother's attic on the east coast, an incredibly well-stocked kitchen. My place is tiny, so shipping out that kitchen wasn't an option. Instead, I built a minimalist kitchen from scratch. In retrospect, I wish I'd taken a third approach. What I should have done was cull a minimalist kitchen from the well-stocked one and shipped that. Frustratingly, many of the things I acquired over the years are no longer made. Or their current versions often don't work nearly so well as the ones I had found before. Even if the cost of shipping is greater than the cost of purchase, having tried-and-true stuff you know works and/or suits your cooking style is worth it. Minimalism just goes to how aggressive the cut for what gets shipped. By the way, IMHO, the single most useful appliance in a minimalist kitchen is a countertop convection oven (or combination convection-microwave). It's a great way to cook veggies, will bake small batches of pretty much anything, does a nice job with quick cooking foods like sausage and fish, and is a handy tool for braising. You probably don't have one (I didn't), so buy that when you get there. But seriously consider buying one.