dcarch

So how do you pick the temp? Temperature is not much of an issue. I have found that the result is quite pleasing at 140F. The problem for many people doing it this way, sous vide from frozen, no thawing, is the giblets will be cooked at the same time inside the bird. dcarch

Smart oven, "The 1800 watt countertop oven that does the thinking for you. ----" I find that insulting. On, off, bake, roast, boil. Why do I need the appliance to do the thinking for me? I use mine for all kinds of baking, including making French fries, and pork skin cracklins. Sometime as a dehydrator. dcarch

I sous vide the entire turkey, from frozen. No thawing. dcarch

"----The walls on the inside of the oven feature a non-stick coating for easy cleaning.----" I am a little superstitious. A lot of the cooking in an electric oven is done by infrared radiation, therefore I like very shiny reflective surfaces. I think it gives better and more even cooking. On a different note: Some toaster ovens can get very hot on the top. Make sure your cabinet above is not too close. dcarch

It's good to have stainless steel interior. You can use "Easy Off" to dissolve toughest burnt on built-ups. You cannot do that with aluminum interior. dcarch

There is a Goodwill store near me. The shelves are full with all brands of bread makers and various kinds of coffee machines. Will sous vide cookers be just another impulse buying kitchen gadget? Not for me. Unless I plan to deep fry, I sous vide all meats, even before they go in my smoker or on my BBQ grill. dcarch

The way SV appliances can be popularized: 1. As I said, under $100. 2. With food prices go up and up, let people know that meat cooked SV at low temperature is 5% cheaper (5% less shrinkage). 3. You can enjoy cheaper cuts of meat. You can recoup $100 investment in no time. dcarch

In your case, unless you have a large family, get the smallest which will serve 85% of your toaster oven needs. The other 15% use your regular oven. Because your electrical outlets are limited by Code in how much power (+- 1,800 watts) it can deliver, the bigger the toaster oven, the longer it takes to get up to temperature. dcarch

Most of the time restaurants don't make their own desserts. They buy desserts from the same places as you. You will be paying a lot more ordering in a restaurant. dcarch

"------dcarch, I've never been served or driven by a President. Sounds like a pretty neat guy.----" He was. He bought the hotel and the land around it to create a nature reserve. We kept in touch by e. mail until he passed away a few years ago. dcarch

"Suction" is incorrect. There is no suction involved. It is all water pressure as I said. The problem with rubber is that it ages and hardens due to ozone in air and will not give a proper seal. Silicone lasts much longer and remains flexible. dcarch

Sous vide cooking will never be popular for home cooking until: 1. People understand that it has nothing to do with "under pressure" or "under vacuum". 2. It is easier than regular cooking because you never have to check temperature with a thermometer and you can't overcook or under cook. 3. You don't need a vacuum machine. 4. When it comes to food safety, it is no more complicated than regular cooking. 5. It has to be plug & Play in one single unit for under $100 that can be used for regular cooking like a slow cooker. Just MHO. dcarch

I am totally dazzled by the two hundred amazing dishes since I last posted mine. I think I will be dreaming about food tonight when I go to bed. A few recent dishes. dcarch -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Smoked chicken ($0.79 a lb), beet stems ($0.00 from farmers market) Still getting Tomatoes from the garden ($0.00 a lb) Sous Vide chicken ($0.59 a lb) and delicata squash ($0.90 each)

One year I traveled to Costa Rica around Christmas New Year Holidays. Stayed in Villa Blanca, a nice hotel in the cloud forest. Not too many staff in the hotel because of the holidays. The manager toke care of most of our needs. Wake up calls, travel arrangements, laundry, dinner, breakfast, etc. I complained and complained about the disappointing food in Costa Rica. I even offer to advise him on changing the hotel's menu. Near the end, I asked around how much I should tip him. I was told, "I don't think you should tip him. He is Carazo Odio Rodrigo, former president of Costa Rica. He owns the hotel." There was no Taxi at that time, so The former president of Costa Rica drove us to the airport. A two hour drive, because it was in the cloud forest, you could not see more then 10 feet in front of you. I discovered later that he deducted all the food charges on our bill. dcarch

For most people, sous vide cooking the way it is done now is too complicated and it involves extra appliances. There is no reason why a crock pot, or a slow cooker cannot be modified to also be a competent sous vide cooker, and priced under $100.00 dcarch

Basically you need to find a stopper which is very soft (compliant). When you fill the sink up with water, the static hydraulic pressure pushes down to form a leak proof seal. Silicone rubber is very good. Regular rubber can get hard over time and leak. dcarch

As I understand, resistance to salmonella depends on: "----------------- In otherwise healthy adults, the symptoms are usually mild. Normally, no sepsis occurs, but it can occur exceptionally as a complication in elderly or weakened patients (e.g., those with Hodgkin's disease). However, infants and young children are much more susceptible to infection, easily achieved by ingesting a small number of bacteria. In infants, contamination through inhalation of bacteria-laden dust is possible. ----------------" dcarch

Those pop up things are worthless. If you are using a rotating spit, then all you have to do is to get a few dial face bi-metal probe thermometers and stick them in a few places, They will get you a fairly good indication of interior temperature. Once in a while, use a digital to get a more accurate reading. dcarch

"----How many bugs does it take to cause infection? I'm not going to look up the research,---" Depends a lot on your resistance. dcarch

Cut them into small cookie size squares, after they have been frozen, vacuum bag them to save freezer space. They make nice pizza cookie appetizers or small snacks. dcarch

Type "K" thermal couple probes can measure over a 1,000 F, the electronics for measuring kiln temperature is not that expensive. dcarch

It looks like still good enough for many uses. Here is a method how you can deal with it if you don't want to find someone to weld it back. 1. Clean the crack very well and use a high power magnifying glass to see where the crack ends. 2. At the end of the crack, drill a small round hole. This will stop the crack from progressing further, a standard method of stress relief. 3. Get high temperature silicone glue to fill the drilled hole and the crack. The crack, like an earth quake, actually releases any built-in stress from initial casting. You will get many more years of good use out of it still. Good luck. dcarch

Go check out some metal shops. Cast iron can be welded, but not everyone knows how to do it. dcarch

It is not possible in today's technology. They do not make digital components which can stand oven temperature, and radio waves in permitted bandwidth cannot transmit outside metal enclosures very well. There are many wireless ones which have the probe wired inside the oven and the transmitter outside the oven. dcarch

"-------- but Hydie would come around and give dinners a back massage instead ----" That is not legal in NYC. You have to be licensed to give massages. dcarch