scubadoo97

He said his vice was smoking. Never said what he smokes

180 deba should be great. Have fun and let us know how it's going

Most of these were not purchased in 2009 and some have been already mentioned These are some of my favorite items. Unicorn Magnum peppermill. Yes just a pepper mill but it works really well microplane. Great for zests and cheeses AeroPress coffee maker. Unique coffee press that makes great coffee Thermapen instant read thermometer. Had instant reads before but this one is tops Japanese knives and stones I can dice a tomato like no body's business. And just about anything else as well

Western yo-deba or Japanese wa-deba, single or double beveled?

No kidding. I'd been all over those dishes. Not only did it look fantastic and I'm sure tasted as good it looked, but it sure beats the dickens out of the standard boring fare seen at potlucks. I would have seen your dishes as an oasis in the desert. Their loss but I commiserate with you.

I'm not sure about better but happy for sure Knife sharpening does in fact improve my knife skills I also enjoy coffee roasting...involves tasting wine and spirits...involves tasting cigars...involves tasting fishing...procuring fresh fish

You wonder why doesn't it taste like a salt lick?

Soup, here is a post of my first jerky attempt over at the smoking meats forum. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/sh...219&postcount=1 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/sh...550&postcount=8 The uses of a cure like sodium nitrite is good if you plan on not refridgerating your jerky or plan to keep it for longer than a week or two. Most recipes I found on the web didn't use sodium nitrite. I didn't use it because I couldn't find it. The jerky was cooked at temperatures of 170 to start and get the meat out of the danger zone then the temp was dropped to further dry the meat.

I was thinking the same thing when that big hunk of meat was put in to roast in the oven. And a consumer oven. What are they thinking?

Wow carp, I want to dive in and taste it. Great pics and I'm sure it tasted as good as it looks.

I do this too but the dish has to impress me enough. Recently had a green mango salad at a Vietnamese restaurant in Orlando. The dish was very delicious. The key was the dressing. Lots of lime and quite sweet, touch of fish sauce but my attempts at home to duplicate were good but I couldn't nail down the exact taste. It had these little pieces of celery that were sweet and just killer good. I'm sure the restaurant down the street did it different as well.

Happy 4th everyone. Going traditional today. Having another couple over for dinner tonight. I have a whole chicken cut up which was brined and a pack of thighs that I boned out and just rubbed with a dry rub.. A slab of spare ribs just came out of the smoker. I did the 3-2-1 method. 3 hrs uncovered in the smoker, 2 hrs in a foil pan covered in the smoker, then 1 hr uncovered to firm up the crust. The chicken is smoking now. I will grill the lightly smoked cut up chicken pieces and add sauce and pull the boneless thighs for BBQ smoked chicken. I am also making smoke baked beans 1 can Bush baked beans 3 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch strips and browned 1/2 onion, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/2 a jalapeno diced 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 a cup catsup, 1 tsp cider vinegar and a dash of yellow mustard 1/2 a can of chunked pineapple. This is all mixed together and in the smoker. I will take the skirt meat from the ribs and dice it up and add it to the beans. Coleslaw corn on the cob app is guacamole and pita chips Fruit for dessert. Watermelon and blueberries. I'm expecting left overs!

I've heard that meat will stop absorbing smoke at 140 due to the bark formation, pores closing up etc. not allowing the smoke to penetrate. I'm skeptical I've heard others on smoke foods forum say that the smoke ring stops forming at 140 but the meat will continue to take on more smoke as long as you give it. This sounds more plausible.

I went looking for cans that would serve as ring molds and after noticing the new can bottoms then tried to search for ones that can be opened from either side. Tuna cans would be a good size but finding one that will work was impossible in the grocery store. In the same aisle I bought a can of water chestnuts just for the can. I have since found that the small cans of tomato sauce can be opened from both sides. They seem to be an appropriate size for many applications.

I also make oven fries and keep it simple line sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut, rinse and dry potatoes. I use what ever potato I have on hand. Russets are best but Yukon golds aren't too bad. Coat in evoo and toss. Maybe add a little garlic powder, black pepper and paprika. Some times salt before cooking, sometimes after. Into a 400 oven. I find convection causes premature browning and burning since there is inadequate shielding of the fan in my ovens. I will often kick on the convection for a short while then switch back to bake. Cook till golden brown 35-40 min.

What did you do with the seeds? Isn't mahlab sour cherry seeds? BTW, the rice looks wonderful

I remember when searching out vent hoods and looking at those thinking this is for someone that doesn't cook. We had friends with a mirrored back splash around their kitchen. WTF would you do that for if you cooked.

Yes as one that is doomed to buy bread from the grocery store or make your own I can attest to the fact that loaves of french bread in the breathable plastic bags will turn rock hard if not eaten in a couple of days.

It certainly is. I've added them to sweet potatoes as well. Another thing I like to do is take a couple of cans and puree with a block of guava paste. The quava gives it some sweetness. Not as much as you would think and with only a hint of guava in the background. This makes a nice condiment to add to so many things. Soups, stews and even a tuna fish sandwich. The chipotle/guava mix holds up well in the fridge for a very long time.

Chris, sounds like you enjoy the ride. I find cooking relaxing after work and aften times find myself spending more time than I use to to prepare the meal. Not just taking more time to do the same job but going the extra mile in prep work to make it really look nice.

I didn't think Wylie crashed but he was not in his element. I am really enjoying this show. The lack of major drama is refreshing but I guess that's why I don't watch reality TV to often. I'm not into the staged drama. One thing I miss on Masters is the lack of our knowledge of meal development. I mean you have almost no idea what they are cooking until it is brought out to the judges. I like to see some of the prep and thought process that went into their plate. This is my only real criticism of the show. I want to see more cooking.

Yeah me too. I was starting to worry about the drama factor when Tim Love mistakenly put is goods in the freezer. Those quirky GE Monogram appliances Flash back to the door that didn't close all the way in the last TC. All and All a good show. The chefs are out of their element and some will deal better than others. Certainly entertaining.

Sounds like you are speaking from experience

love kafta. Lots of onions, parsley and spices. Now I'm picturing a kofta rolled ina grape leaf. Acutally sounds nice.

I've been smoking salmon a lot these days. Both cold smoked and hot smoked. I've been really getting into making smoked fish spread with the hot smoked salmon.