dcarch

What's the price for ramps this year? dcarch

I have been disappointed with many crab cake recipes. They all tasted very good, some even tasted great, but they were not much different then fish cakes. dcarch

I have made a few knives, and I have cracked a few. Too aggressive hardening and/or improper tempering, IMHO, caused those spontaneous cracks. A manufacturer's fault, not a user's fault. dcarch

Do read your microwave manual. Some microwave ovens can be damaged if operated without food or water. dcarch

BTW, make sure your plates do not have fancy metallic gold/silver designs. A few seconds in the MW and you will be crying afterwards. dcarch

My plate warming method: One damp hand towel between two plates, stack the plates inside the microwave. Depending on your MW oven power and thickness of the plates, the plates will be boiling hot in no time. dcarch

The little DC motor which powers your pump has a limited life because of the carbon brushes can be worm. A shaded pole AC motor is extremely long lasting because it has very few parts. In my set up, the stirrer actually pushes the bag away, so there is no danger of damaging the bag. dcarch

I never buy regular yellow bananas. The stores here sell bananas which have black spots at a good discount. They have spots because they are ripe or have superficial bruises on the skin. They are ready for eating immediately or in one more day. Great for making banana bread. Yesterday I paid $0.99 for 3.25 lbs. dcarch

Very nice build! The pump you use, is that a self-priming pump? I use a simple external shaded pole AC motor with a rod and a stirrer. Nothing to go wrong even at very high temperature. dcarch

Asian stores have good fish, especially live swimming fish. dcarch

If you like beet greens, seed some beets in a pot and you can keep cutting beet greens. Beets don't need a lot of sun. If you have a garden and you like ramps, next time when you buy ramps, just eat the tops and plant the bulbs. You will have your ramp patch. dcarch

Thank you Smithy and Franci. One dish I didn't take pictures of. It was gobbled up too soon. Shopping at Whole Foods, I scored big time. they were selling large globe shaped artichokes. The chokes came with 10 inch long stems. People were breaking off the stems and left them in the bin. I took two chokes and bagged all the discarded stems, 4 lbs? The cashier only charged me two artichokes. If you watch Peppin's shows, you know how often he uses vegetable stems. Also, often at farmers markets, you can get beet stems/tops for free. About the asparagus stems. Those are Italian purple asparagus “Violetto d' Albenga” variety, They are larger, sweeter and not as fibery as the green ones. Really nice! dcarch

Basquecook – You have done justice, It would be a crime to mess up Berkshire pork. Anna N – How did you get the skin so perfect on the chicken thighs? And I see you are able to source high quality shrimps. ChrisTaylor – When you don’t see bones showing, that means the ribs are very juicy and tender and expertly done. Dejah – Very nice combination of ingredients for the Kalua Pulled Pork. Patrickamory – that American-style spaghetti and meat sauce looks better than any I have seen in restaurants. Plantes – very nice atmosphere for a dinner with your family. Ann_T – You are going to get in trouble with the Italians. You keep making such wonderful pizzas. Soba – Beautiful pictures, and really appetizing scallops on spaghetti. Franci – Amazing short ribs! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I enjoy cooking vegetable leaves separate from stems because they require different cooking time, and they taste a little different. A few dishes with stems. dcarch Hanger steak on purple asparagus stems Trout and broccoli stems Curry pork and mustard green stems

A very good question. 1. I do, very seldom, vacuum and seal. Although I don't remember when was the last time. 2. I trust more the plastic used for boil-able bags specifically designed for high temperature sous vide water baths. I made clotted cream yeaterday, at 180F for 10 hours. 3. And this unique use I came up with. As I said, I am interested in recycling and re-purposing materials. dcarch

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