scubadoo97

Absolutely

The A Maze N smoke generator is an excellent addition and one that I've been thinking about but you can also rig up a cold smoke generator like this one which is inserted into the hole where the chip loader goes. You can use this to pump smoke into your smoker when cooking at lower temperatures. You can also add a computer fan to the exhaust to help dry out jerky by keeping a lot of air circulating. Just be careful if you are burning chips as the increased air circulation can cause chips to ignite. I use chips most often but the Masterbuilt does very well with chunks that have been split down to size to fit the chip tray. A couple of good sized chunks will burn better with less white smoke than a handful of chips.

I also have a Materbuit 30 inch electric smoker. It really has been an excellent buy. I went this way over a Cookshack because I wanted to see how much I would use it before putting down the cash for a Cookshack. So far the Materbuilt has met my expectations. They do have some issues with poor wiring but the new models are suppose to have addressed the problem. I circumvented and did some rewiring when my unit was new to reduce the chance of a problem. The only issue I've had is when I tried to smoke on a day when it was in the 40s. The digital control panel gave an error message until it warmed up I couldn't get it to turn on.

I wouldn't classify Weight Watchers as a fad diet. It is nothing more than a low calorie diet that uses points instead of calories to monitor what you take in. You can eat anything you want as long as you don't exceed your point or calorie allowance. By eating lots of fruits and vegetables you lowered your calorie intake and by exercising you burned more calories so it was a given that you would drop weight.

I cold smoke salmon in the summer in Florida so the ambient temperature in my smoker can be around 90+ degrees. I use a home made cold smoke generator similar to this on only tricked out a little more. http://www.smoker-cooking.com/build-a-cold-smoker.html I had problems with the surface of my fish getting lightly cooked even with a big tray of ice in my smoker. What has worked for me is using a couple of foam frozen ice packs that I slip in a zip top bag and then put the fish directly on top of the ice packs. I've done smokes for 2+ hours without any noticeable firming of the flesh.

Yes I have. It worked very well.

Isn't Knorr a type of powdered spice mix? But I know what you mean. Knorr is a typical item found in most kitchens in Mexico. We do tacos of all types from very traditional Mexican to the gringo ground beef tacos most of us grew up on. I don't use any prepackaged ingredients except the tortillas. Basic comfort food.

My use of leaves is mostly for stuffing. Grape, mulberry, cabbage, Brussel sprout (not the small ones but the big leaves on the stalk), Kale, collards and lettuce are all game. I have used banana for wrapping but not for eating.

I was in Home Depot and saw a pack of plastic scrapers in 3 sizes that are used for fiberglass application. I use these along with my stainless kitchen scraper for food pick up off the cutting board.

they are very rustic and the handles are really cheap crap but they work well. I have a couple of santoku/kirisuke like knives in blue steel that were under $40 each and stay very sharp and resist chipping. I got them as beater knives but use them quite a lot for regular prep work.

Timely thread. My wife and I are looking at taking a trip to SF/Napa next month. First time for me

I guess we don't close it completely to lock unless it's going to be run.

We don't run the dishwasher every day but we load as we go. No desire to have a sink full of dirty dishes waiting to be loaded

The local farmers markets around me are not manned by local farmers. More often it'd people that go to the wholesale market in Tampa and pick up produce to sell at farmers markets. Not really different from what we see in the grocery store but at higher prices.

I'm big on zest and use citrus zest quite often when finishing a plate. Use it in dressings as well. so much flavor in such a small package. What ever citrus is on hand. Orange tangerine, lemon, limes, alone or in combination. What ever is available.

No kidding. It shrinks down to nothing and it's not uncommon for my wife and I to eat a whole head. Not bad for you if you don't over do the oil.

heidih, I like to add leftover roasted cauliflower or other roasted vegetables into a fritatta. The sweetness of the vegetables with the eggs is excellent.

There are a lot of variables besides the wood. It will be interesting to see how this turns out and what can be learned from this venture. It would be great to do a blind tasting of these products at barrel proof.

My wife and I started WW a few months ago. I refused to go on a diet that restricted any food groups (that includes alcohol) or follows a set menu plan from a book. The whole enjoyment of cooking for me is being creative and cooking on the fly or off the cuff with whatever is at hand. So far I've lost about 20 lbs. I like WW because it is basically a lower calorie diet that uses points instead of calories. In essence it makes you accountable for what passes your lips. After the first month of counting points it has been pretty easy to cook most meals and not count points. I will still try to figure out the points in a dinner that I made on occasion. The weight loss has started to ebb but is still coming off very slowly which I'm okay with. Going to the bourbon sampler in KY this week and having a good time with friends. I expect some weight gain but should be able to reverse.

I section grapefruit into supremes. I find it's just the easiest way to really enjoy the fruit. No seeds membranes or spray in the eye. It only takes minutes to section with a good sharp knife. I have two trees in my backyard. When I'm tired of sectioning I will just juice the rest.

You poor soul. And a knife purest to boot. Biggest problem with these types of gadgets is where to store the unitaskers.

Golf balls? With my Vita mix and now with the BlendTec, I have been making a corn soup that is pretty simple and easy to make. I've been using bagged frozen corn which is placed in the blender with some sauteed onions and celery. Water and milk are added as well as chicken stock base and a tsp of chipotle. Cilantro can be added for more flavor if desired. This is blended up to a smooth consistency and taste like it was made with cream. I've added some toasted corn at the end and blended lightly to add some texture and flavor. Very rich and creamy. I've been enjoying it both cold and warm.

Good example. A sushi restaurant that it heavy handed on the wasabi is one thing but a meal at Charlie Trotter's is quite another.

These peppers are grown in my state of Fla. so they have been showing up over the last several months. I love them most any way but one of the best bang for the buck flavor wise is to just eat them straight up. The sweet pepper flavor is one not to miss and something that you don't get from the larger peppers.

I've gotten yellow mustard out of a shirt with this product http://www.grandmassoap.com/ as well as many other stains that I thought would never come out