JoNorvelleWalker

I posted the footnote because @rotuts had wondered about the discrepancy between 700F and the maximum stated cooking temperature of 450F.

No.

The footnote about the 700F temperature says: "Temperature is reached on the surface of the carbon fiber heater."

I wonder how full fat Dutch cocoa would work in that?

As I said, one was 25C and one was 26C. Not much difference but cast iron measured higher than stainless, as predicted.

Now that Amazon has sent me an IR thermometer to test I did a quick experiment: I measured a stainless steel pan and a cast iron pan both at room temperature. At the default emissivity setting of the instrument the stainless steel measured 25C and the cast iron measured 26C.

The Anova interior is 16"x12.5". The Anova has been my primary oven for years.

Liners would not take up much freezer space but the Matfer bannetons have the linen linings permanently affixed to the wicker.

Me too. And I'm first in line! (Being library staff had nothing to do with it.)

I could fit one or two in the freezer, just not eight or nine. Do you have the link to the King Arthur page? Meanwhile I will try to google it, although I didn't see it previously.

I had to laugh. By "coincidence" Amazon is now wanting me to evaluate and review an infrared thermometer.

I prefer wicker with linen liners. I had been storing my bannetons where they received sunlight. What I don't understand is how the liners got wet. Flour, I guess, is hydroscopic, but in the decades that I've been baking I've never had wet bannetons, nor for that matter a mite infestation.

Thankfully not! But I did look at a dead one with a 30x loupe. They may indeed be mites, although mites are supposed to be light colored and these are dark.

I only have three freezers.

Yesterday was traumatic. By chance I noticed my battery of bannetons was crawling with insects and the coating of flour on the banneton linings was damp, one might even say wet. I have not been able to identify the species. The creatures don't seem to be flour mites or weevils. They were/are round, black, about 1.5mm diameter. They don't fly but they move fast. They were not present last time I made bread. Eight bannetons went in the trash. I spared my expensive Matfer. After cleaning it as best I could I heated it in the Anova to hopefully kill any insects that were left. A couple of these intruders had fallen in my marble mortar. I washed the mortar thoroughly, as I did neighboring mixing bowls. My Banneton care routine has always been to shake out any loose flour, then storing the bannetons near the dining room glass doors where they can get some air and sun. I'm guessing part of the problem has to do with this summer's high humidity. I would love to know how other bakers store their bannetons and how they care for them. And if anyone has a guess as to what insect I'm dealing with, that would be helpful too.