Joe Blowe

It's not the fire inspector you have to worry about, it's your homeowners policy insurer -- if there's a fire and they trace it back to anything in the vicinity of your Vulcan, you won't be covered.

The best way to figure out small appliance energy usage is to get yourself a Kill-A-Watt. You'll be surprised what little energy a kitchen appliance can use. For example, we have a Zojirushi hot water dispenser that uses 800 watts while boiling the water, but only 55 watts to keep the hot water at 208F. To figure out how much this would cost you in your area, take 55 watts and divide by 1000, then multiply by the cost of electricity ($0.1299 in our area). (55/1000)*.1299 = $0.0071 per hour of operation in SoCal. A 1500 watt space heater running at full blast would cost (1500/1000)*.1299 = $0.1948 per hour of operation in SoCal. But as soon as you turn the thermostat down, and it begins to cycle on and off, you lower the cost of operation. Toaster ovens and the like use peak wattage while the coils are fired up, but only use a few watts to maintain the overall temp. My Cadco convection oven uses 1.2 KwH of energy for a loaf of no knead bread. That includes a 30 minute preheat at 475F, 25 minutes at 450F, and another 50 minutes at 350F. All that for a total of (1200/1000)*.1299 = $0.1558! I challenge anyone with a built-in electric oven to meet those numbers -- you can't because you're heating a larger cavity. Plain and simple. Small appliances are more efficient because they generally do a specific job in a smaller space, so to speak. Just like using a space heater to heat the room your sitting, versus turning on a whole house furnace to heat the room your in.

I believe this was covered in an episode of "MythBusters" (or some other program on the Discovery Channel). A spokesman for Reynolds Aluminum said the orientation of the facing (the shiny side) doesn't make any difference when cooking.

You say you're looking for a small, commercial 120v steam injection oven, but most commercial ovens are 240 volts. Or, if they're small, they're 120 volts with no option for steam. You don't want to hack your current oven, so that rules out adding plumbing. A new household, built-in steam injection oven will not be 120V either, so unless there's something new out there on the horizon, I'm afraid it just doesn't exist.

. . . and tell us what they taste like. ← Chicken?

Yeah, my DVR stopped picking up train wrecks long ago...

Thermapen.

FYI...

I'm in both camps: I keep the good stuff (mmm, Frantoia ) in its original bottle stashed away in a cool, dark cabinet. I also store the cheap stuff (gallon bottle of Costco olive oil) in its original bottle, but keep a good, tip-resistant bottle topped off with said cheap stuff and capped with one of these doohickeys. The hinged cap gives me a little more peace of mind. P.S. Get yourself one of those bottles... you won't regret making it empty!

This would've been a great 30 minute show...

During your searches, you must've come across the praises of Cambro. I'm a big fan, and they meet most of your requirements: it's very stackable, modular, dishwasher safe, and the lids lock tight enough not to spill after hitting the floor (but not FoodSaver-tight, of course). The only downside is that you are limited to just a few sizes: 2 quart is the smallest, and runs quickly up to 22 quart.

Honestly, I bet you could freely interchange a tamis and a chinois in the kitchen, and no one would be the wiser. But, I do believe you can buy finer gauge tamis for sifting and processing food down to a "powdery' consistency -- I'm not sure you can get a such a fine gauge chinois...

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1594996

Forty bucks is pretty tempting, but if you're really into making nut butters you'd be better off with this model.

It's off-topic for this thread, but I'll indulge you http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=oil+drum+tandoori

Cookin' on Divisadero. Despite what people say here and elsewhere, the ol' lady running the place is not that rude, and if you don't come off like some foodie-tourist-jerk, she'll cough up some good info. Prices run high on most items, but there are some treasures lurking about...

Yeah, take that crap back! This is what you want [click]. Stick with the standard-fit, self-igniting unit and use propane. And if your kit comes with separate bottles of propane and MAPP gas, you can use the MAPP for lighting charcoal -- just don't use the MAPP on food.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=18411

I am not a chef, but I play one at home, and I wear CrocsRx Clouds (not "custom" Clouds). They're only available online or through podiatrist/therapist offices. Softer footbed, better stability, money well spent for someone with bad knees and worse back... There's also the Crocs Bistro line, which is specifically made for foodservice.

That would be Cambro, and I switched over to them a couple of years ago -- haven't looked back at Tupperware or Rubbermaid since! Good stuff, can take a beating, and haven't seen nary a bug

Also, check with your local health department -- there might be some additional requirements or restrictions for a restaurant that is manufacturing/processing food, rather than just selling it...

FYI: Royal Oak produces charcoal briquettes for several different retailers, e.g. Ralph's/Kroger's store brand briquettes. I switched to that brand for my low-and-slow after the last Kingsford reformulation (that now produces voluminous mountains of ash ). If you're unsure that your store brand briquette is Royal Oak, look at the label to see if it's made in the U.S. If it is, there's a very strong likelihood that it's Royal Oak, as they're the second largest briquette manufacturer in the U.S. (and Kingsford doesn't do private-label).

As suggested by one of our fearless leaders in another thread, I'd like to see what others have to say about grilling over charcoal as opposed to propane or natural gas, and most importantly the flavor aspect. I'm a big fan of grilling over natural hardwood charcoal and, on occasion, seasoned hardwood (and fruitwood) itself. I like to amp up a steak over mesquite, grill a tri-tip over oak, roast a chicken over dried pear and apple wood harvested from my backyard, and even squeeze in an occasional hamburger or hot dog over my (current) favorite hardwood charcoal. Bliss. My wife, on the other hand, can only take so much "smoke flavor," and almost always prefers any item grilled over gas. She has a point -- I think something mild/neutral like zucchini (for example) tastes great coming off a gas grill, but I personally think anything is better with a hint of "natural smoke." But for her, I caved and bought a a little gas grill a couple of years ago. With my trusty 'ol Weber kettle by its side, it truly is the best of both worlds. Are you a charcoal zealot? Gas only? Swing both ways?

That's kinda sad, but inevitable. When I lived in NYC I spent more than a couple of afternoons strolling the aisles, and picked up my first piece of Paderno there. I hope they do well in their new spot...

One other avenue to explore is to track down a game processor and ask how much to butcher and hang the pig. Google around (meat and game) for additional names and leads...