GlowingGhoul

A few years ago, grading changed from A,B and C to A-Light Amber, A-Dark Amber, and B. The maple marketing boards wanted to be able to refer to both A and B grades as "A", so it wouldn't turn off uneducated consumers. So, What we now refer to as B grade is the same as C grade prior to the change.

Shopping at CostCo for a few years helps develop the skills needed to manage bulk purchases. Once you've got that down, you can move up to the big leagues of bulk shopping....Restaurant Depot!

Ahh, oh well. I thought the drop from 30kg to 20kg might not be enough. I'm surprised with all the slicer makers out there there isn't a "mini" commerical grade unit out there for chefs, but I couldn't find one.

I've been researching slicers for about a year. All consumer grade slicers fall short. I was uneasy about buying a used unit, but true commercial slicers seem very hard to find under $1500. I was in Restaurant Depot, and they had a huge stack of "Sir Lawrence" branded 12", 1/2hp slicers for $799. After searching around, I discovered that this unit is actually a Globe G12 relabled as Restaurant Depot's store brand. The slicer's are identical. In fact, the manual refers you to Globe for support and spare parts. The Globe G12 sells for $1218, so you're getting a $419 discount buying the relabled version. The Globe G12 is a "medium duty" commercial slicer. Made in Italy, it's beautifully contructed and easy to clean. It performs like a smaller version of what you'd find in a deli. Perfectly smooth carriage action and you can cut slices from "prosciutto thin" to 9/16". No tools necessary to disassemble for cleaning. Since it's a Globe(one of the largest slicer companies), parts will be available for a long time. It weighs about 45lbs, but I take the carriage off to move it around more easily(takes 2 seconds to remove and replace the carriage). I highly recommend this slicer, and think it's an incredible deal at the price. If you aren't a member of Restaurant Depot, you can buy it at their online equipment store (therdstore.com). EDIT: Looks like they've raised the price to $849, but it's still an excellent deal. http://www.therdstore.com/page/IFSES/SLICER/SIR-LAWR-SLICER

I believe the FusionChef circulators are the most powerful on the market. The Pearl is @ $1000 and the Diamond (more bells and whistles like 3 timers instead of one, support for core temperature probe, data logging and control with PC software included, accuracy to 1/100th degree etc) is about $2000. They sell them as "clamp on" or you can order one built into an insulated steel bath that reduces power consumption by 70%. I have the Diamond, and it's build quality and performance are incredible. I originally had the Polyscience Professional, and it's a toy in comparison (not a bad unit, just not in the same class by a long shot). The FusionChef's are pricey, but the moment you remove it from the box you know it's an industrial grade machine.

One last example. Look at Volrath's industrial mixers. Only the least expensive models are direct driven. The higher end units are all belt driven. http://www.cooksdirect.com/prod_detail_list/anvil-belt-driven-mixers

From Hobart's site: True Hobart durability and reliability. Like all Hobart products, our mixers are built to last. The body of the mixer is all steel. The spiral arm and the bowl are stainless steel. Together they virtually ensure durability and longevity. Providing Hobart reliability is the belt-driven motor. The belt design decreases noise and vibration. The belts also contribute to the mixer’s longevity. Highly efficient and requiring very little maintenance, the Hobart belt-driven mixers are the perfect engines for creating the highest-quality dough for your customers. Available in two sizes: 180-lb. and 220-lb. bowls.

With all due respect, your assessment is completely wrong. First of all, the highest end mixers, including Hobart, are belt driven. Belt driven may seem like a disadvantage when it comes to reliability, but it isn't. The reduction in heat and vibration transfer from the motor to the gearbox improves longevity (it also reduces noise, and contributes to "smoother" operation.) These aren't rubber bands, they are steel reinforced belts. Direct drives in mixers are a cost saving measure. There's some loss of power in belt drives, so a larger, more expensive motor is needed to get the same output power as a directly driven mixer. Secondly, there simply is no comparison between the reliability of Kenwood based mixers and Kitchenaid. Everything in the Kenwoods, from the motor to the gearbox is much sturdier, even to the casual observer. I've come across 2 reports of broken Kenwood based mixers in the last 20 years, and they were defective from the factory. Kirchenaid's...well, 5 minutes of searching will found thousands of reported problems. Granted, there are a lot more Kitchenaid's in the US, but that doesn't account for the huge disparity. The beautiful casing of Kitchenaid consumer level mixer's is the only rock solid component of the unit.

The Kitchenaid (Whirlpool) washers are excellent, albeit noisy, machines in my experience. If you're finding that food residue is left on your dishes after working well initially, odds are the macerator (food grinder) is broken or clogged. It's relatively easy to clean and/or replace for anyone who's handy with tools, but any appliance repair person can do it. I use a single Finish tablet, and everything comes out spotless. We do several loads a day, and I never pre-rinse. When I started seeing food residue, my research turned up the macerator as the most common cause. In my case, there was a lot of "junk" (cherry pits, other hard things) preventing the blades from turning. Once that was cleaned up, it went back to performing flawlessly.

Exactly. I guess all the people handwringing over having to clean this don't use a dishwasher. I have to clean the pot after pasta anyway, can't have the salt and starch residue getting into whatever I'm going to use it for next. Cleaning the stovetop is no fun. It is a bit overpriced though. I'm sure we'll see knockoffs for $5 sooner or later.

The Vita Prep 3, at $475 should definately be a consideration by anyone considering a Vita Mix. The "official" line from VitaMix is that the extra HP (3 vs 2 in the 5200) is for driving the heavy duty cooling fan, but that's bunk. I've owned several VitaMix units over the years, and we use ours every day. The 3HP Vita Prep (there is a 2HP Vita Prep as well), is definately stronger with thick mixtures. The Vita Prep 3 doesn't bog down nearly as much as the 5200 with the really tough stuff. Better cooling, spare parts included (an extra mesh gear - the part on the mixer that the container connects to), and a very nice chef's cookbook geared towards restaurant, rather than home recipes make it worth hunting a Vita Prep 3 imho. You won't go wrong with any of the models, but I like the extra bit of "heavy duty" in the Vita Prep 3. If you buy it from JL Hufford @ $484, you'll also get a case of 5 different iced coffee drink mixes...about 20 pounds, enough for several hundred drinks

Wow, is that a one time (personalized coupon code), or a general one?

Oh, there is a flavor change between pre sous-vide smoked and unsmoked meat, the problem for me is that what's left after long cooks (like ribs or brisket) is no longer recognizeable as having a traditional smoked flavor. What method of smoking are you using, for what duration, and what cut of meat? For me, a 5 pound smoked brisket manages to completely saturate 20L of water with an intensely smokey scent, and yet the resulting meat has barely a hint of smokiness to it.

Here's an explanation of what happened: http://appliedrationality.blogspot.com/2012/02/tempest-in-lunch-box.html That's hardly an explanation of what happened, but a snarky, sarcastic interpretation filled with quite a few assumptions. Rationality can be neither liberal nor conservative, so that site's claim to rational thinking from a "liberal perspective" is utterly absurd. Perusing the latest information from a variety of sources now seems to indicate this was the action of an individual teacher, who, dissatisifed with the quality of the child's lunch, put a school lunch tray, chicken nuggets and all, in front of her. That teacher has since resigned. Whether or not usurping a parents choice of what to feed their child was school policy is not clear, as there are officials from the school who won't comment, but I think it's safe to say we won't be seeing any schools trying to implement such a policy in the near future. So, as is often the case, the truth lay in between the extremes.

I find smoking before sous vide is useless. At least with 3mil bages, the smoke scent(and flavor) migrates to the water. I apply a rub, sous vide to perfection, thouroughly dry, then grill the unsightly meat for a few minutes per side at 600 degress+ on a gas grill with the lid down. The resulting smoke imparts a pronounced flavor, even though it's not the same as wood generated smoke. To be fair, I haven't smoked for longer than 3 hours, but i imagine the loss of smoke flavor would be similar even with a 7 hour smoke. Perhaps the answer to retaining smoke flavor is in thicker or different material bags.

Get a Kenwood. It's a 40 year old design, rock solid all metal gearbox, indestructible motor, and yet, with it's aluminum chassis, it's reasonably easy to move around. They have a Cooking Chef line has built in induction heating as well, if that's useful for you. In the USA, they're sold under the Viking brand, as well as Hobarts "consumer" line. I ditched our Kitchenaid for a Kenwood and never regretted it....it's much more powerful.

Add me to the Nespresso appreciation club. Results are consistantly excellent, and while not on par with the best barristas, it's better than many coffee house coffees I've tasted. My only gripe is the .55-.60 USD price per capsule. I am stunned that the Keurig K-Cup system is so popular though. Blech. My BUNN A-10 produces drip coffee that's infinately better in quality.

Last night I tried an 8lb boston butt which was seasoned with a basic rub, cooked for 48 hours @ 66c (150f). I was a little concerned becuase of some very small air pockets in the bag which caused it to float slightly (but anticipating this from other long cooks, it was held beneath water level with retaining grids). After ice bathing and opening the bag, it passed the "smell test". I finished in the oven @ 500F "Convection Roast" for 20 minutes. Texture was fantastic, and pulled apart easily. However, as others have said, I would not go beyond 48 hours, because a very small amount of the meat nearest the bone took on the characteristic "mushiness" of overdone sous vide meat. Next time I may limit it to 44 hours. The mushy part comprised less than 1/4 ounce of the meat total, so wasn't of any consequence when mixed in with the rest. After mixing the flavorful "skin" in with the rest of the pulled pork, BBQ flavor was lacking a bit, so I mixed in the left over dry rub for an excellent overall result. I'm wondering if a 7 hour smoke makes any sense. Does the smoke penetrate deep into the meat, or simply sit on the surface? If it's the latter, I doubt the reletively small quantity of smoked "skin" would have an appreciable impact when mixed into the rest. Can anyone speak to the impact of smoking prior to sous vide? My experience with smoking other meats prior to sous vide it that the water develops a distinctly smoky scent (3 mil bags), but the meat itself has at best a muted smoke flavor vs traditional smoking.

Would the application of the sauce prevent the skin from becoming crunchy? I'd like to save the fat, but it seems the smoke "contaminates" it. I could be wrong though...the reserved fat was nearly black in color, maybe it's still usable, but I assumed it wasn't. Thanks for your ideas.

In the US, pork related Trichinella cases are down to about 5 cases or less a year, and all of those in the last decade seem to be from home-grown pigs. The risk is so small as to be nearly non-existant if you are using commercial USDA graded pork.

I've finally mastered a method of rendering nearly all the underskin fat, and getting a delectable, wonderfully crunchy skin. My method, with a 5lb duck, has been simply to clean, truss, and season with sea salt. Then, using a rotisserie on my gas grill, cooking for 3 hours at approximately 325. I also use a smoker box filled with cherry wood. Server with apricot sauce. As delicious as the results are, I'd like get a bit more adventerous with the seasoning. Keeping the cooking method in mind, what would you recommend I use to season the skin?

With ever increasing reports of food borne illness, and given that we eat a lot of fruit and veg in my home, I've become concerned that simple water rinsing is not an effective way to clean produce. I've seen various systems that claim to clean produce of pesticides and destroy bacteria. I like the idea of being able to quickly and effectively clean all my produce when I bring it home, but I have to wonder if any of these systems really work. I'm very dubious about "no rinse" sprays, but perhaps the "ozone" or "Ultrasonic" systems actually work. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding this equiptment?

Looks like a great, full featured unit. I don't think there's any problem with soft air all the time. It might slow down production if you were sealing hundreds of bags a day, but I'm sure that won't be a problem Boil detection too - what a nice bonus. Good luck pep, I never heard of that brand, but I've never found fault with Swiss engineering!

Robert: I'll bet you can observe the "boiling meat" effect now Do you have a link to the Busch pump manual you referred to?

You are more tolerant than I would be Robert. Regardless of whoever's fault it is, they should pick up the damaged unit and replace it with a new one.