Martin Fisher

Homemade cheddar cheese straws! ~Martin

Thanks! ~Martin

I've been waiting for over a month for the Baldwin book to again be available on Amazon. The notebook is a great tip, I keep one for all of my projects, general cooking, baking, charcuterie, cheese making, wine making, vinegar making, lacto-fermenting, etc. I'm currently working my way through all of the 2100+ posts in the 2011 and 2012 sous vide threads. ~Martin

Yeah, I've got one setting right here. Allegedly safe at a continuous 80C, some say 110C, we'll see. ~Martin

No polycarbonate container with the FMM, he said the shipping is too much. I'm only 160 miles from Niagara Falls. Oh, well. ~Martin

I've had one on my wishlist for some time......guess I'll have to spring for one soon. My local rinky-dink restaurant suppy doesn't stock 18 or 22 quart polycarbonate containers. Grrrrrrr!!!!!!! ~Martin

I think that's a much better idea. I would also pipe in the smoke with an A-Maze-N smoke generator (piped in only because I think that high humidity may interfere) The A-Maze-N smokers are great. I highly recommend them. http://www.amazenproducts.com/ ~Martin

Yippee!!!! The FMM and the Geratherm basal thermometer both arrived today! ~Martin

re: Italian tomato preservation without canning. In the case of Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio, they're bred to hang on the vine for many months. As I understand it, they're often lightly smoked before hanging. They're not dried like a sun-dried tomato, their acid level is what preserves them for later sauce making. I have seed to plant, I'm anxious to see exactly what they're like. re: sauce making I'm not sure if it's original, but I came up with a technique to create conserva and consomme without the harshness of lengthy cooking and canning. re: tomato varieties. If we're talking tomatoes available at a farmer's market and the like, it's possible that there could be any number of dozens and dozens of Italian tomato cultivars. More likely, generic San Marzano and Roma, which are the most well known, but, unfortunately and IMHO, they're not great flavorwise. re: green-shouldered tomatoes Same deal with the green-shouldered tomatoes in Spain, I was surprised at how tasty they are. A couple suggestions if you want to included cultivars that folks can grow themselves. Red Pear Piraform, for a green-shouldered slicing tomato of Italian origin. Martino's Roma, for a good, highly productive and flavorful tomato for sauce or drying. There are, of course, others that I highly recommend, but, some are not so easy to obtain. HTH ~Martin

Looks real good, Syzygies. Fatalis are great! ~Martin

No doubt, but I I'd like to keep the set-up as neat looking as possible. I don't want to hear any complaints from "the one who must be obeyed"! ~Martin

Thanks! I'm getting there! I ordered the Geratherm basal thermometer today. ~Martin

Thanks! I'll look into it further. Drilling several holes would certainly help, but I'm afraid that may encourage cracking. I've noticed on some coolers owned by family & friends that the lids have a tendency to crack, but that may be due to excessive UV exposure when folks leave them out in the sun for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, I didn't pay close enough attention to determine if a certain brand is more prone to cracking. ~Martin

Urethane spray foam is a powerful insulator. How would one ensure that it expands to all areas in a long oddly shaped lid? ~Martin

It's good to know that ping pong balls can take the heat. I looked at 25mm polypropylene balls, but they're expensive, no matter the source. Surprisingly, solid polypropylene balls are typically less expensive, but of little use. ~Martin

No doubt, but the old Coleman coolers were insulated all the way around. ~Martin

It appears that most, is not all, Igloo, Coleman and Rubbermaid cooler lids are not insulated, other than the dead air space. Does anyone know for sure? I'm thinking that it may be good idea to drill a hole and fill the cavity with expanded perlite and then close-up the hole with a stainless steel toggle bolt and washer. Thoughts? Sorry! I have OCD! Thanks! ~Martin

A combination square could also be used, there are many makes and models available in a wide price range. ~Martin

My family has cured hams, bacon, etc. the old way for generations, once hams are properly cured they can be hung in the kitchen at room temperature and average humidity to age for months without trouble. Not so with many other things, case hardening and it's associated drying issues being the biggest problem. ~Martin

What's the major difference between the All-American sterilizers and canners? I have two All-American canners. Thanks! ~Martin The primary difference, as far as I know, is that the canners have a traditional jiggle-type weight, which gives you the option of 5, 10, or 15 PSI, but that is relative to sea-level pressure. The sterilizers, on the other hand, have a pressure gauge, and that requires as certain minimum level of intelligence in order to control it -- something that the FDA is clearly not ready to assume that most consumers possess, just as they assume that consumer don't have a thermometer, nor a timer, and can't be trusted to use either one, and therefore everything has to be over-cooked to 165F. If you are at a high altitude, as I am (7000 ft), I believe you can easily convert a canner to a sterilizer by simply replacing the jiggle-valve with a pressure sensor. Otherwise, your canners will probably do just fine, although you might want to modify them to allow an SVM to monitor the internal temperature. Bob Thanks! 878 ft. here, where I do most of my cooking, and 1948 ft. at the place in the hills. ~Martin

What's the major difference between the All-American sterilizers and canners? I have two All-American canners. Thanks! ~Martin

I just ordered the FMM. I've gone a bit over the monthly budget for such projects, but not a big deal as long as the better-half doesn't notice! LOL ~Martin

I buy Spanish olive oil off of Amazon in the UK, it comes post free and in 2Ltr plastic bottles., it is perfect. If you go to your Amazon.com and type in 'Carbonell Olive Oil' you will be able to get it as well. Thank you! ~Martin

The best EVOO that I've had I discovered during a trip to southern Spain , it had a very pleasant fruity olivey flavor, no hint of burning bitter harshness that some olive oil has. Nothing I've tried here at home, even those a bit olivey flavored, at any price or from any source, has come close. ~Martin

For best results, yes, I agree, but any freshly grown herb has the potential to be better than what's available in many markets. ~Martin