JoNorvelleWalker

At the start of COVID as store shelves were going bare I craved a bit of gruyere. The only gruyere available was a whole, uncut brick. At about $50. That gruyere is still in my refrigerator, still uncut. Someday I will develop the courage of my convictions. Maybe.

I've been told I have a big head. But probably not that big.

Do you have any spinach?

Last night's kilogram boule: Previous batch was 63% hydration. This was 66% hydration. For me 66% worked out better than 63%. I could use the Ankarsrum dough hook and did not need to switch to the roller. Mixing was 10 minutes on low and 10 minutes at 3:00. After bench rest the dough handled beautifully. Using less flour on the board solved my previous seam sealing difficulties. This loaf had more volume than any I have baked in recent memory. It was over the top of the banneton. Final proof was 105 minutes. One outstanding problem: as can be seen in the picture, the boule surface dried out and developed a skin during the final proof. Unfortunately this is typical for me with this size loaf. For a smaller boule I would cover the banneton while proofing. But for these loaves I don't have a vessel large enough, at least not that I can think of. Would plastic wrap around the bottom of the banneton be of any help?

On the bright side, good color choice for the aprons.

I've looked into ice machines but so far nothing has appealed to me. What's wrong with ice cube trays? I seldom use more than one or two trays a day, and wet ice does not appeal to me any more than water puddles on the kitchen floor.

Batch 23 was otherwise OK but more viscous than I would have liked, which made pouring and measuring difficult. Back to the drawing board... Batch 24: 90g blanched Spanish almonds 90g apricot kernels 350g water 280g sugar 30ml Wray & Nephew Overproof 30ml orange flower water What was new this time is that I skimmed off the foam layer* after homogenizing. So far so good. *and no, fear not, the foam did not go to waste.

The A4 box is a good induction cooker. I believe the additional pans are only available as a set (you could write them and ask). While I can only say good things about the A4 Box, I must admit I hardly ever use mine. But I like knowing that I have it.

Is the orange cup for spitting?

I have no desire to create waste. However for sanitary reasons I don't prepare protein on any of my wooden cutting boards. The thought alone causes me shudder. I used to pound chicken parts on one of my NFS plastic boards till I got tired of chicken bits on my glasses and in my hair. With a sous vide bag I don't have to wash a cutting board, my pounder, or my hair. Plus, I figure I have a lifetime supply of sous vide bags, particularly the larger size. And whatever I pound on, the bags and I will be in the landfill soon enough.

I'd worry about the mess of cleaning the Silpat. My method is to put the protein to be pounded into a sous vide bag.

Breville offers a rotisserie, so that leaves Anova.

The exudate collects in the hotel pan (which currently is soaking in the sink). Or on the bottom of the oven, depending.

I finally cooked the pork loin... Three hours (I was aiming for two and a half hours, but you know how mai tais are) in the APO at 59C. Then seared ten minutes at 250C.

No, no need. Edit: Think of the interior of the oven as a big sous vide bag.

No, just as shown in the picture.

Thanks. I had forgotten the blade had a reverse thread. This afternoon I couldn't get the gearbox back on (possibly due to overnight-hardened mashed potatoes). What worked were round nose pliers. All seems good. And there are leftover mashed potatoes.

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/153870-anova-precision-oven/?do=findComment&comment=2366764

Pork loin, mashed potatoes, and peas. Applesauce with mace.

Help! I employed the Breville tonight for mashed potatoes. Potatoes were fine. Problem is I cannot disassemble the mashing leg. The instruction book was not much use.

59C. Next time I might even go a little lower.

Not much to see. I use a Vollrath hotel pan with a rack insert. The pan and roast are now out of the oven and I am preheating the oven to 250C to sear, while the rest of dinner cooks.

Can't get the video to work?

Never hurts to have a spare.