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Hot chillis have other uses besides cooking. dcarch From Wiki: "-- Medicinal[edit]Capsaicin is considered a safe and effective topical analgesic agent in the management ofarthritis pain, herpes zoster-related pain, diabetic neuropathy, mastectomy pain, and headaches.[31] However, a study published in 2010 has linked capsaicin to skin cancer.[32][33] Pepper spray[edit]Main article: Pepper sprayCapsaicin extracted from chilis is used in pepper spray as an irritant, a form of less-lethal weapon. Crop defense[edit]Conflicts between farmers and elephants have long been widespread in African and Asian countries, where pachyderms nightly destroy crops, raid grain houses, and sometimes kill people. Farmers have found the use of chilies effective in crop defense against elephants. Elephants don't like capsaicin, the chemical in chilies that makes them hot. Because the elephants have a large and sensitive olfactory and nasal system, the smell of the chili causes them discomfort and deters them from feeding on the crops. By planting a few rows of the pungent fruit around valuable crops, farmers create a buffer zone through which the elephants are reluctant to pass. Chilly-Dung Bombs are also used for this purpose. They are bricks made of mixing dung and chili, and are burned, creating a noxious smoke that keeps hungry elephants out of farmers fields. This can lessen dangerous physical confrontation between people and elephants.[34] "

I guess you are still missing part of what I said above"----It is very nice that I can taste test while the food is being cooked and adjust seasoning if required. For large piece of meat I can even probe temperature once in a while.---" Each time you cut and seal, the bags get smaller, soon I will have close to a hundred bags of various sizes to manage. I have found that the cheaper bags have the problem of the "quilted" layer delaminating after a few cooks. darch

There will be very little, if any, air inside. The bag will have some marinade, seasoning, or sauce. The meat will give out some juice once heated. The hot water softens the plastic bag, and the heavy weigh holds down the bag to allow hydro-static pressure to squeeze out the air. dcarch

Sure. Also someone had asked about how I weigh my bags down. dcarch

As I said in the above post, there are more reason than just $. In any case, I use boil-able heavy duty bags which are $0.40 each. And recycling means a lot to me. Shopping, buying takes time too. dcarch

Any reason why you can't make your own using 11" wide rolls? dcarch

Nope. No coupon needed. I checked their catalog again. Item #69645 dcarch

It will take a minute with an angle grinder. An angle grinder is about $15.00 at Harbor Freight. dcarch

I cook with sous vide bags, un-sealed. It is very nice that I can taste test while the food is being cooked and adjust seasoning if required. For large piece of meat I can even probe temperature once in a while. After cooking, I rinse the bags, turn them inside out and store them. After I have lots of them, I throw them in the clothes washer and they come out totally clean and good for the next round of cooking. Bags are not cheap, and it take time to seal/unseal. dcarch.

I have the La Nuova Altea hand crank one and the Betty Crocker electric. Got them both for $10.00. They work OK. And how about this for extruding noodles? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2at42sKp2k dcarch

Things can get confusing on discussing issues. I actually am not disagreeing that salt can be corrosive to SS. I do understand very well the science of corrosion and electrolysis. I have done much electro-plating, electro-discharge machining, battery making, and studies in chemical qualitative analysis and equilibrium. Everything I have said, you will see, I am actually in agreement with you. Under certain conditions and with some types of SS, which is not common in the kitchen environment, salt can produce chlorine, one of the halogen elements which can easily damage the oxide protective layer on SS. Regarding your link, It is important for me to point out correct information, which I feel is important for a public forum; I have worked in the Chrysler Building, that the Chrysler Building stainless steel has been in hostile NY weather and pollution for 80 some odd years, and not a detectable sign of wear. And I need to point out as well misinformation that, stainless steel is no where to be found except galvanized steel in the 77 floors of HVAC system, and air in an office building can not corrode SS. dcarch

Of course I can be wrong on this, just because it is on the internet, or in manufacturer's instructions does not mean it is the truth. For instance, the article Paulraphael linked to is totally wrong about the stainless steel used in the Chrysler Building, it is not 302 SS, it is called "Enduro KA-2" Steel. I have put many "Dry Clean Only" fabric in regular cloths washer with no problem. I regularly put "Not Dishwasher Safe" items in dishwasher just the same. Cookware manufacturers do not make the metals they use, they just buy them for their factories, and they do not generally hire scientists in writing their instruction manuals. I would not be surprised that either they play it safe, or just copy other manufacturers' manuals who buys the same metal for their products. The bottom line is, of the 20 some odd stainless steel pots and pans in my kitchen, I can't seem to find any pitting. Some of them are more than decades old. dcarch

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I may be wrong on this. It depends on how high a vacuum you are trying to create. A laboratory vacuum pump for creating very high vacuum requires an oil which has a very specific vaporization characteristics. Also, there are many way a vacuum can be created mechanically. each may require a different viscosity oil for lubrication. dcarch

We are talking about normal kitchen use, and normal general quality SS cookware, not $0.99 cheap SS cookware. Normal cookware SS is 18/10 stainless, or something close to that. Chromium and nickel are very expensive metals, cheap cookware will not give you enough of those metals to be qualified as stainless. I have done many times with salt "tests", as many people also have. I have made salt baked chicken and salt baked fish in my SS cookware many many times with no sign of pitting. Don't forget, stainless steel is used extensively in marine salt water environment. Your observation of the bottom of a pan with stain (rainbow stain) which coincides with the burner geometry is of a totally different phenomenon. It has to do with the thicker chromium oxide causing interference with incident light waves (partial Newton Rings). dcarch

There is no such thing as "stainless". They are all classified as "Stain resistant". Actually, it is more accurate to call metals "corrosion resistant" or "rust resistant". I am not sure how you can easily stain metals. You can anodize aluminum or "blue-ing" or " parkerizing" gun metal, using various methods. I am not sure regular table salt (sodium chloride) can have any effect on normal stainless steel, regardless of concentration and (kitchen) temperature. I am not sure in the kitchen you can find another metal which has more negative electrochemical potential to cause galvanic corrosion to chromium (stainless steel). In the manufacturing industry, stainless steel tanks are use to transport and cook the most corrosive chemicals. I have been cooking tons of tomatoes to make tomato sauce every year for centuries, never have I found any pitting on my stainless steel cookware. In the kitchen, aluminum cookware pits very easily, but not typical stainless steel cookware. dcarch

As long as you have water around, You are perfectly OK. That's why you can boil water on fire using a paper container. You can find youtube videos of that. dcarch

And BTW, turkey necks, chicken hearts, and gizzards make very potent chicken stock. They sell them cheap in packages here in stores in NY. And BTW, what do they do with turkey feet? I have never seen them in stores here in NY. dcarch

Bones by themselves have basically no flavor. The marrow inside, and the small amount of meat give the stock flavor. Skin also has no flavor. I think skin, tendons, and cartilage contribute to texture of the stock (gelatin). That's why chicken feet by themselves for stock will not have much chicken flavor. If you want good chicken flavor stock, go to a Chinese store and buy old chickens. They sell old chickens specifically for making stock. Very flavorful. dcarch

In addition to what KennethT said, also you need to understand D:S ratio when selecting one. The distance-to-spot ratio (D:S) is the ratio of the distance to the object and the diameter of the temperature measurement area. For instance if the D:S ratio is 12:1, measurement of an object 12 inches (30 cm) away will average the temperature over a 1-inch-diameter (25 mm) area. Also, reflectivity effects all thermometers measuring by IR radiation, does not matter cheap or expensive. The ones with adjustable emissivity control allow you to compensate the effect. dcarch

Perhaps it was a cast iron pot. After a while a cast iron pot will turn totally black (seasoning) from cooking other stuff. dcarch

If you don't mind doing conversions, laboratory beakers are highly accurate and heat resistant. dcarch

I am not sure who first used the word "slash". It is so violent. "Slit" is a much more correct word to use, IMHO. Slash is when you use a sword with the intention of cutting something (someone) in half. dcarch

Never seen scallops with more than adductor muscle in NY area. I have seen scallop sushi and lobster sushi. dcarch

A metal pan in a high heat convection oven will probably work much better. dcarch