dcarch

"----and there's a MOV on there which should shunt surges, ---" That's a good power supply circuit design. dcarch

To Blues_Cookin, Which electric outlet did you plug in the SideKIC? Some refrigerators can send a big electric surge/spike when the compressor kicks in because of the motor is an inductive load. That can kill some sensitive electronics. dcarch

I don't suppose you have an “amp clamp” electric meter to measure how much power the unit is drawing. Typically a resistive electric heating element is either working or not working. In this case, if the water temperature actually was rising in the two-quart sauce pan meant the heater was functional. What could be the problem? Possibly the solid state “relay”, which is, as I understand it, a non-ZC triac. The digital control from the electronic logic circuit may not be delivering the correct signal to the triac, causing the heater to underperform. dcarch

kayb, I find those dishes very exciting. Especially the Sweet potato and pulled pork hash. Scottyboy, You are very lucky to have a roommate/cookmate who can cook so well. Amazing and sinful looking chocolate desert. robirdstx, Nice corned beef. Which I will have to remember that can be enjoyed even it is not on St. Patrick’s Day. Pollo alla Calabrese for Valentine. I will copy you recipe for next year. Dakki, Thnaks. That the most luscious Mac & Cheese I have ever seen. FrogPrincesse, lobster ravioli with a saffron white wine cream sauce, Wow! Dave Hatfield, Very nice blog. Thanks. SobaAddict70, Thanks. That Tagliatelle, with Marcella Hazan's Bolognese sauce looks restaurant-ready. Shelby, That is one unbelievable pizza! Anna N, shrimp, hearts of palm and radishes - light and refreshing. There would be no leftovers if it were put in front of me. patrickamory, Thanks. The beef pad prik king look so good, I will have to make it soon. Franci, Thanks. Stunning fennel, tarragon salad. -------------------------- Still more Valentine’s Prties to go to. dcarch Sous vide Rack of Lamb with wild rice stuffed fennel A friend gave me some Berkshire Pork shoulder, also sous vided.

Agreed. The crosshatch makes it look like a damn Applebees commercial. I agree. I don't get the aesthetics of retangular grill marks. dcarch

I have two. I bake flat bread in between them. Makes nice sandwich bread. dcarch

Not the right kind saffron crocus? dcarch

"---So here's where we are with this: I think the machine is safe, ---" I agree. Let's put things in perspective: The pump I think is meant for submerged use and so is the heater, therefore the device is logically safe. However legally, ( I am not a lawyer) I think when you put them together into some kind of new unique use, that may be a different story. Perhaps instead of a plastic injection molded case, what about a stamped metal case? you can just ground the case? dcarch

SobaAddict70, beautiful scallops with endive and leeks. C. sapidus, I like the way you made the carrots, and the steak is not bad either. Anna N, are you talking about those dishes? I guess not, because I think those dishes look outstanding. Franci, as always, delicious veal tongue. Dejah, Don’t invite Kurt next time. But I can’t blame him for have a big second helping of the great roast. Kim, yoummy Escarole and Bean Soup w/ Italian Sausage! patrickamory, thanks for the step-by-step making of the Pozole rojo. Prawncrackers, great display of fine meals. Especially the mutton shoulder. Paul Bacino, fascinating Pimenton Infusion on a sous vide egg. Keith_W, you inspired me to make a Valentine’s meal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Amazing gifts a dear friend sent me. Yesterday, I made the Venison Backstrap (tenderloin equivalent on a deer). The cut was from a young deer. I decided that the best way to enjoy it would be to do a Venison Wellington with morel mushroom sauce. The venison was first sous vided at 125F for an hour, then put into the freezer for 30 minutes. After that, the Wellington process was put on the venison and immediately baked in the oven at 400F. OK, the Venison was magnificently done to perfection, but part of the puff pastry was slightly undercooked. Which was not too bad. I didn’t want the venison to be over cooked. The best venison I have ever had, extraordinary tender and flavorful with the morel mushroom sauce. Thank you my wonderful friend for this unique gastronomic extravaganza. The Venison was served with another incredible gift from another generous friend; real wild rice (not farmed wild rice). The rice was cooked with duck liver and flavor with sauce from the venison. Need I tell you how wonderful it tasted? Thank you my generous friend, again and again! I had “I Will Always Love You” playing in the background while dinner was served. Thank you Whitney for your wonderful gifts of music. You will always be my sweet heart. dcarch

"---It’s a little like being mooned by an extremely pale person (such as myself). --" Ha-Haa! You got my visual imagination going highgear. Everyone's dinner is wonderful and romantic. Two thumps up! ----------------------------------------- Amazing gifts my dear friend sent me. Yesterday, I made the Venison Backstrap (tenderloin equivalent on a deer). The cut was from a young deer. I decided that the best way to enjoy it would be to do a Venison Wellington with morel mushroom sauce. The venison was first sous vided at 125F for an hour, then put into the freezer for 30 minutes. After that, the Wellington process was put on the venison and immediately baked in the oven at 400F. OK, the Venison was magnificently done to perfection, but part of the puff pastry was slightly undercooked. Which was not too bad. I didn’t want the venison to be over cooked. The best venison I have ever had, extraordinary tender and flavorful with the morel mushroom sauce. Thank you my wonderful friend for this unique gastronomic extravaganza. The Venison was served with another incredible gift from another generous friend; real wild rice (not farmed wild rice). The rice was cooked with duck liver and flavor with sauce from the venison. Need I tell you how wonderful it tasted? Thank you my generous friend, again and again! I had “I Will Always Love You” playing in the background while dinner was served. Thank you Whitney for your wonderful gifts of music. You will always be my sweet heart. dcarch

Why? PID controllers are cheap. Instead of having only one to control all, I would get more than one just in case one breaks, I can have immediate back up units.

Some pumps last not too long at higher temperature. They are all intended for fountain/aquarium uses. Althought I think the unit is safe for general use, it will not be legal unless it is electrically grounded or double insulated for UL approval. dcarch

Just a big thank you!! dcarch

Kind of messy. You need to do it in the sink or outside. dcarch

OK guys,I just tried all three methods. All three worked very well. Quick and not much waste. The third method works better with a wheel with softer bristles. dcarch

Ice cream cone maker? dcarch http://i03.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/156/661/249/1274154619910_hz-myalibaba-web10_1064.jpg

I don't peel ginger, the skin is very thin and will not effect taste. However, if you must peel, try these: 1. Use a st. steel wool pad to crub the skin off. or 2. Freeze the ginger and scrap the skin off with a knife. or 3. using a high speed drill with a 6" diameter st. steel wheel brush to brush the skin off. dcarch

I use my PC to make rice. Perfect every time. dcarch

Then you may want to check this out: You will need an volt/ohm meter (Radio Shack, not very expensive). If there is some electrical leakage inside the housing, which is very possible with inexpensive immersion heaters, and how it is connected to the other components inside, the electric power can start dicomposing the water (electrolysis) and make bubbling noise. Set the meter at the lowest AC voltage range, with one probe in the water near the unit, and the other probe in the ground hole of the electric outlet. If you measure any voltage then you should not be using the unit at all. dcarch

It sounds to me possibly the following: When you cut Styrofoam, static electricity makes many small pieces sticking every where. When you put the foam board in the water, the water drains away the static electricity, and small pieces of foam got dislodged and got stuck inside the pump impeller turbine housing and made that noise you heard. Yes could also be due to the star constellations misalignment. dcarch

O.K., strangest use of a pressure cooker. The kitchen sink plastic brush bristles all get bent out of shape after a while and get disgusting yellowish brown. 1. Soak the brush in bleach overnight to whiten it. 2. Tie a rubber band around the bristles to straighten them. 3. Cook the brush in the PC full pressure for a couple of minutes. 4. Release pressure and take the brush out immediately and run it under cold water. Your brush will have a new life. dcarch

Look carefully at Chris Hennes' cooler setup. You can see the water is covered with a piece of Styrofoam. That's the way to do it. It sholudn't take you more than a couple of minutes to make one. dcarch

It's a 220vac unit. dcarch

Made it myself. Bent some forks and had some conch shells. dcarch

Lots of delicious, fancy and complicated recipes! How about one with no recipe and no cooking? dcarch