boilsover
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Posts posted by boilsover
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Hi, All:
OK, I succeeded in resisting the initial paroxysm of enthusiasm for this, but I am wondering how it is playing in Poughkeepsie? Does it have legs? Or is it a Modernist flash-in-the-pan? Worth a Franklin in 2017?
Thanks!
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4 hours ago, Jim D. said:
I have read this thread (and the other one on cross-contamination) with interest. I am making an effort to be more aware of sanitary principles. From other sites I am aware of the forbidding of the use of sponges (in favor, I suppose, of the cloths that Lisa Shock mentioned earlier). Indeed sponges are expressly forbidden in the food handling laws of my state. Having mixed up a bleach and water solution and given up my sponges for a day in favor of a cotton cloth, I have to ask why the negative views of sponges. If I soak a sponge and a cloth in bleach water for equal amounts of time (I have read that several minutes is best), what is the difference? I very much prefer sponges, especially those with the hard plastic back that is great for stuck-on bits. I will be interested in any insights.
I will await a study, but I think a soak in hydrogen peroxide, then "nuking" the sponge in the MW should suffice for home use. Institutional use is a little hairier...
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9 hours ago, Smithy said:
Here's another favorite of mine: the Emsa Perfect Beaker
This is the brainchild of the owner of Frieling. He is justifiably proud of it. He commissioned the University of Alaska to calibrate it
Now,, if he would only have it made in borosilicate glass (so hot liquids do not crack/craze it), THEN it would be perfect!
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On 11/4/2016 at 7:27 PM, cyalexa said:
I will gladly share the 20 at my cost if I can manage to get them!
Count me in...
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35 minutes ago, Alex said:
True, but they're no match for the Hello Kitty peeler.
You must have the Snoopy cutlery set!
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I suggest Swiss Star peelers. http://www.zena.swiss/en
Wicked sharp and cheap. About $5 each if I remember right. They're one of those things you wonder how you ever managed without it.
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Welcome to the world of disposable manufacturing, where almost nothing is repairable, and replacement parts are unavailable. This is unlikely to change, so get used to it. I would not assume things will be different with Polyscience.
If it makes you feel any better, try finding parts for the rugged older Vitamix blenders or WhisperKool wine cellar reefer units...
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On 10/27/2016 at 6:39 PM, Kerry Beal said:
So wiping it on my dirty apron isn't recommended?
No, of course not! You must wipe it on the filthy apron, then do one, full-length pull with the sour sponge that touches everything...
Thermoworks is selling beaucoups of its alcohol wipes on the strength of this thread!
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Well, yesterday I made my weekly trip to Goodwill, and came up empty in the cookware aisle. On a fluke I walked the next aisle over, and found this pristine Georg Jensen Taverna silver-lined 20cm x 12cm x 2mm cocotte with cover, for $39. These 1970s era beauties are hard to find at any price, and it fills a longstanding hole in my batterie. Woot!
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13 hours ago, dcarch said:
There is a way to have the high temperature advantage of a PC without boiling. I modified my PC's valve to increase the pressure (therefore the temperature). I would not advice anyone else to do the same.
I can keep the pressure below boiling point and still have temperature higher than a typical PC. As a matter of fact, after stock making, the bones can become so soft (cut with a fork soft) that I can eat them. Lot's of nutrition in bones.
dcarch
Yes, this is possible--and inadvisable. You're making my point--you can maintain constant PC pressure without boiling. The issue for consumers with gaugeless PCs is knowing when to lower the heat before boiling occurs.
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2 minutes ago, dcarch said:
In reality, The metal walls of the PC constantly radiates a lot of heat (BTU lost), in order to maintain pressure due to heat lost, the water inside has to be boiled all the time, even there is no steam lost from the valve.
dcarchh
Well, this is one reason most PCs are made of stainless steel--that material's exceedingly poor conductivity results in a lucky lack of thermal diffusivity and emissivity. In other words, they're intentionally designed to radiate little heat.
IMO, it all comes down to the physics of the boiling point under pressure. With pure water at sea level, you can predict the boiling point with great accuracy. The trick on models without a pressure gauge is to stabilize the system at a point just below the boil (if you want clear stock). Many true pressure canners have a real pressure gauge, and if the relief is set at 15psi, you can easily maintain pressure at 10 psi. Is this water boiling? No.
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14 hours ago, dcarch said:
The only way a PC keeps pressure is by boiling water inside.
This is not entirely true. In a sealed environment, there will be vapor pressure generated below the boiling point dictated by the system's valve. It would be better to say that the PC will hold pressure until it exceeds the valve setting or the system cools.
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From Moderist Cuisine at Home: " Water vaporizes into steam, increasing the pressure inside the cooker as it heats. Because the boiling point of water depends on pressure, it rises too [sic] just enough to keep the water and steam temperature hovering around the boiling point for the higher pressure. The pressure continues to rise until it is stabilized by the valve."
I think you need to turn down the heat...
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3 hours ago, teapot said:
To those of you who have induction...any thoughts about the "freedom" type cooktop that Thermador makes? Does having the entire surface be a cooktop seem like it would be worth the money. I'm tempted because I have a wonderful old Griswald griddle that would be nice to use and I suspect having the entire pan in full contact with the cooking zone would be pretty awesome.
The idea is great. However... you are at the mercy of what's hidden under the glass. The detector circuits on conventional induction hobs are already complex and idiosynchratic; the electronics or these so-called "zoneless" are even more complex. Likewise, you need to understand how the unseen induction coils fit together, how large they are, etc. People assume there are many of them and that they interlock, but this is not necessarily the case. It is therefore less than reasonable to assume that, e.g., a fish poacher or large braiser will be evenly heated. I would not consider zoneless without a high confidence that the model I want has been thoroughly debugged and has a good service record of 4-5 years,
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3 hours ago, Anna N said:
Somebody will chime in here I am sure.
Yes, 40 amp 220V is standard, but there are some induction ranges require 50 amp. Fewer all the time, though.
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6 hours ago, Yiannos said:
@Anna N do you consider your induction cooktop an adequate substitute for the temp control you might have with gas?
Count your settings. Induction is inherently discrete--there is no 7.125 setting. 100 may be enough, but Zeno's Paradoxes aside, you cannot have too much adjustment.
Consider propane, a/k/a self-owned infrastructure. It's as simple as changing the jets in your gas appliance...
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Cost is always a factor. The best bang for the buck is a $50 PIC hotplate.
However... IMO, most of the attraction factors of induction over gas are convenience-related. Cooler kitchen, easy cleanup, minimalist look, etc. are all great. As far as performance goes, you need to be careful that the induction hobs you choose are even (many are not) and have a lot of settings (most do not). Then you need to assure yourself that you won't ever have warped cookware, won't ever use large stockpots, and won't ever bang/drop anything onto the Ceran. And you probably need to resign yourself to digital displays to adjust heat, rather than by looking at a flame.
One factor to cross OFF your list is energy savings. The early claims that induction is so much more efficient (and therefore economical) have been largely debunked. It's not as efficient as claimed, and depending on where you live, gas isn't that expensive. A study done in UK about the payback/recoupment time for a mid-size restaurant switching to induction was something like 14 YEARS.
I would also recommend you get a hood regardless of which you choose.
My bottom line advice is that (a) if you can afford the gas 'top, you'll probably be happier; but (b) if it's a stretch, go for induction. I also suggest you check out the better induction hotplates, like the Vollath Mirage Pro (about $500, 100 heat settings, great build quality). You might make an informed choice, and even if it's for gas, these hotplates are very useful.
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8 minutes ago, Alex said:
Have you been lurking inside my brain?
Well, if we lived in the same city, WE could get that dreamt-of ham, and use my Hobart.
Don't get me wrong, these things are cool. If you'd get pleasure from it, it is a good deal. And if you're willing to expend the time to resell/ship, you can't get hurt too badly...
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OK, you asked for it. How about that, if you're like me, you will seldom use it? Or that it will hog much-more-needed counter space? Or that you will spend more time cleaning it than actually using it? Or that it weighs a ton?
I still delude myself that I'll use my fullsize Hobart slicer for bulk processing and then freezing foods. Or that I'm going to find friends or relatives to jointly invest in a whole Serrano ham to slice. Never seems to happen... The Hobart has made friends with my cube steak machine, though...
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Alert: Zwillingonline is offering the Demeyere double teppanyaki/plancha at a closeout price of $149 and free shipping. These have not been available in USA, and were >$500 when ordered from foreign sellers. They are blemishes and bad packaging, but warranteed. I bought two.
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2 hours ago, lindag said:
I cannot bear it if there's a fly in the house, they're disgusting and filthy and I don't want them landing on anything I'll be touching. As someone else mentioned above, I cannot cook in a kitchen if there's a fly around, I have to get rid of it. I have screens on the windows and doors and I use them!
And don't get me started on mosquitoes!
You and Walter White...
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5 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:
I checked the potatoes and onions in the bedroom... I found an old Purple Carrot meal kit that had liquefied... I also found an all but empty 1989 bottle of Rioja whose cork had fallen in.
Hmmm, I wonder why you have flies. Are there watermelon rinds in the China hutch? I can jest because I've done worse...
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4 hours ago, Cyberider said:
I've made several pizzas already and the heating elements in closer proximity might be an advantage for that. It came with a 13" diameter pan which just fits and that's a good-sized pizza for me.
Just watch, the coating on that pizza pan will peel in short order. Also, try making sense of the "Frozen" v. "Fresh" and "Convection" v. fanless settings when making pizza. And who, really, needs a "Cookie" mode?
As I said, the BSO is OK for non-toast tasks. Just overrated, overpriced and not that smart.
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IMO, the BSO is consistently overrated and overpriced. I have the biggest one, the 800XL. Most of the functions are unused. It's a lousy toaster, especially if you try to toast breads containing no sugar. Anything tall cooked in it comes perilously close to the upper elements. It's not even all that "smart"--unlike Sunbeam toasters in the 1960s, these units don't judge brownness with a sensor, they merely run (sometimes poorly) on set programs. The build quality isn't tops, either
Still, the Breville is an OK Jack-of-All-Trades. And it's a somewhat manageable size.
Knowing what I know now, I would buy that Oster for small oven use, and find a minty Sunbeam T-20 for my toast.
Searzall--After the Honeymoon?
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
Thanks. Is it completely without "torch taste"? I mean, I already have 3 torches I use for all manner of things. Do you feel complete with that heat-diffusing head? Is it more sliced bread or a fad IYO?