dcarch

There are many UV bulbs of different wattages on ebay. All you need is a fluorescent fixture which has a ballast that is the same wattage and sockets which will fit the bulb. I bought my 55 watt germicidal bulb on ebay like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-55W-55-watt-UV-Germicidal-Bulb-Germicidal-UVC-2G11-/290533507006?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a5257fbe I had an aquarium fixture which works with that bulb. It is a good idea to have an extension cord with a switch so that you can turn the UV light on/off from another room. It is not a good idea to look into the light. Here is a picture of my UV light in my dry age setup. dcarch

You can use the juicer for pomegranates. I think rack and pinion design will work better for juicing pomegranates. dcarch

Actually it is very practical to have a UV light for sanitizing. There is nothing exotic about UV light use. It is a component in aquarium water circulators. It is a component in many home central air conditioning duct work. I use it because I don't want anti-bacterial wash chemicals in my kitchen environment. Furthermore, the use of those washes is time consuming and expensive, and they only work when there is 100 % contact. I am lazy. A UV light only needs to be turned on and off, and move around a couple of time to avoid shadowed area. No work involved. Great for my big wood cutting board. How do you clean your heavy wood cutting board? Peroxide leaves no smell, but it is not 100% kill with microbes. I use it in my beef dry-age chamber. I use it to clean the area and tools for long low temperature sous vide cooking. The 55 watt UV setup costed me $30.00. Extreme? Going too far? dcarch

Finally, it is very practical to have small cordless hand vacuums in every room. The ones which have ni-cad rechargeable batteries are useless. The new ones with li-ion batteries are powerful and long lasting. "---- Long battery life - holds a charge when unplugged for up to 18 months Cordless, portable and ultra-compact----" dcarch

Yes, that's me. Absolutely. Never take any chances with other people's health. That is why I go to extremes when I cook for others. That's why I have a 55 Watt germicidal UV light which is what medical research labs use to sanitize. I am very relaxed with sanitation in the cooking environment when I cook for myself. But when I cook for others, I go 300% to clean everything. dcarch

Actually I have been to a few areas with no refrigeration. Lots of food were left out in tropical weather overnight or longer. If they smell, just washed the smell off and add more seasonings. No one got food poisoning. dcarch

Host's note: this post refers to a post that was split, along with several others, into its own topic on Kitchen cleanliness: methods, and when is it going too far? I think we are talking about the vacuum here which is built into the trash can. Does it have a HEPA filter? If so, how often do you have to replace it? dcarch

For one thing, dust mite droppings can pass thru many vacuum filters. There are people allergic to dust mite droppings. dcarch

I would be very concerned. A vacuum's filter is not very effective. Most of the harmful fine particles (germs) pass thru the filter and blown in air for you to breath in. Also, the smell around the garbage can is not exactly pleasant to recirculate. dcarch

I am happy with my way of smoke "sous vide". Basically, my smoker is a PID temperature controlled circulating hot air (sous vide by moving hot air instead of hot water) cooker with an external smoke generator. After smoke/cooked, the meat spends a few minutes on a hot charcoal grill to get a crust. dcarch

A few drops of Liquid Smoke? :-) dcarch

Forget it. Don't do it. I know famous chefs do it, but I can't understand why. In physics, there is a phenomenon called the "Observer Effect", which means the act of observation changes the nature of the observed. Do this experiment with your best thermometer. You can even do it with your famous Thermapen. Wrap a piece of paper towel just a little above the measuring tip of the probe. Now pour some boiling water over the paper towel. You will see how fast heat from the paper towel can travel to the tip in a few seconds thru the metal shaft. Assuming you can in fact insert accurately the tip of the probe inside the meat at the exact center of the thickest and coldest part, leaving the probe inside for a long time will completely distort the temperature you are trying to measure because the metal shaft of the thermometer will even out the temperature along the shaft by thermal conduction. IMHO, get a fast and thin probe, measure quickly and in several places to get a better idea of what you are trying to measure. Don't leave the probe in the meat. dcarch

In my video in post #24, that is a model to test out the various controls and to find out proper size for all components. The final stainless steel generator, with adjustable air supply, and air output, the quality and quantity of smoke is completely controllable from a blast of high density smoke to ultra thin smoke. Indeed, in my video #35, that is my ultrasonic humidifier in operation. dcarch

I am not sure a fan speed controller can work for a soldering iron. While the wattage is about the same for a fan motor and a soldering iron, the fan control is for inductive load, and the soldering iron is a resistive load. You can, however, us a motor speed controller for a universal type of motor or DC motor, such as a router. a light dimmer can work also. If you have an air pump, there will be no need for the soldering iron. you can light up the pellets or wood chips with a torch, the air pump will keep the amber going nonstop. In my system, it takes a few seconds to light up the smoker, and it can keep going unattended for more than 24 hours. dcarch

In my post #14, you will see a 4" dia. stainless tube, that is the burner of the system. The system works is explained in post #24. It burns pellets and chips. I am very pleased with the operation of the system. dcarch

Get a router speed control, or a dimmer (high enough wattage) to plug your soldering iron in. You can lower the voltage slightly. dcarch

If the photo actually shows the heating coil glows that bright, then I think it is burning way too hot and that heating element will not last long. Food gets burned and not cooked. I think that is a typical heating element for a domestic hot water boiler tank. If you have some electric skills, I would re-wire the coil to a voltage controller ($20) to reduce the heat. This way the heating coli will last forever and you can have a great deal more flexibility in what you can cook with it. dcarch

Don't underestimate the pervasive digital tracking system's power. Billions of $$$$ are spent each year to track consumer preferences. Your likes and dislikes may not represent the profile of the general public. Your "everyone" is not everyone else's "everyone". I agree with you. "As Seen On TV" can sucker in lot's of people to buy anything. "If you call now, we will send you a free one. You pay only S&H". dcarch

Not the fault of the programmers. Not the fault of Guy, It's all about supply and demand. The population demands, the producers and the performers supply. The problem is the culture we are in. They demand that kind of programming. dcarch

Make yogurt. dcarch

Why not just buy some and compare? dcarch

To make sure that everything would be OK, I poured boiling water into the refrigerator and let it sit for hours. Nothing happened. For hot smoking, I don't need "the smoke ring" and "burnt ends", I don't want "bark" either, just meat at the most juicy temperature. It's like sous vide by moving hot smoky air, controlled by a PID controller. There is really no need to go over 160F. I do grill the meat after smoking, sometimes. Something nice about smoking a pork butt at "TBS" smoke at 145F for 24 hours indoors when it's snowing crazy outside. dcarch

Actually, it looks about the same as Chris Hennes' " Curing Chamber Development" refrigerator. About the same size. Kind of empty inside, except mine also has this humidifier when I need to increase moisture: dcarch

My first post you will see a black tube on the top, It blows the smoke out the house thru a hole in the wall. In addition to hot smoking all kinds of meat, I can cold smoke salmon and cheese on the hottest day in the summer. Rain, snow, hot, cold, nothing stops me from smoking. dcarch