Joe Blowe

That looks like Pollo Ala Brasa in Gardena, Calif. I'm lucky to live just a few miles away from this glorious chicken shack! FWIW, they use eucalyptus as their sole source of firewood. It's cheap and abundant here in California. Although you would never want to run a smoker with eucalyptus -- due to the volatile organics that would foul your choice of meat -- it works great for grilling...

There have been many articles/studies published over the years regarding cafestol, a compound found in coffee, and its ability to raise cholesterol: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htm (I'm sure you know which direction this is headed...) In a recently released study by Aarhus University Hospital, cafestol has been linked to a reduction in fasting glucose in mice. Naturally, this now means "cafestol may contribute to the reduced risk of developing T2D in coffee consumers and has a potential role as an antidiabetic drug." As of yesterday, the media is running wild with this latest breakthrough. I never went out of my way to avoid coffee that wasn't filtered through paper. But, I guess it was in the back of mind that the *occasional* extra pot of French press *might* be having some effect on my blood chemistry. As with all things, moderation is always the key. How about you? Will you break out the old percolator based on this news? Brew up a nice pot of cowboy coffee?

There's this older thread, which is primarily about countertop models. I'm still a big fan (get it) of my 11 year old 1/4 sheet Cadco oven, but those are now selling for over 600 bucks. I did not pay nearly that amount back then, and I'm not sure if they're still made in Italy, so I can't say if it's still a good rec this time.

STPP is preferable to TSP in hard water areas. And seeing that you're in SoCal, as am I, you might want to check it out: https://www.google.com/search?q=stpp+vs+tsp I buy it in small quantities (under 10 lbs) on eBay.

Actually, the last Tribute pot I bought online, a 4.5 qt sauce pan, was manufactured in China. After receiving the pot, I called the vendor, and then I called Vollrath. They both confirmed that most of the production was shifted offshore. At least my frypans were made in the U.S. My advice is to check out your local brick-and-mortars for any old U.S. stock...

Looks like unmarked Wagner Ware. I have a few from this particular vintage -- the modern font, and lack of MADE IN USA stamped on the bottom, suggests that the pan was made around the late 1950s to early 1960s. https://www.google.com/search?q=identifying+unmarked+cast+iron

Would pickling lime be a substitute?

An old saying: I'm in the Porthos camp. But, gfweb makes a good argument, too. (Where'd the devil emoticon go?)

Having just recently posted a gripe about my Anova, I feel for you. And, one of the thoughts that popped into my mind during the Anova Fail was, "Hey, maybe it's about time for a PolyScience." Yes, this is the disposable world we live in. No, I don't like it. My effing Anova scroll wheel should function normally after 13 effing months. I'm lucky that I'm still able to use the Bluetooth function to control my Anova, but it makes me wonder what will fail next. Luckily, I still have a Sous Vide Magic controller on standby, which I am beginning to doubt will ever die...

Thanks for the heads up on Reddit forum. I just might give that a go...

FWIW, I exclusively use the Bluetooth app for my Anova. Mainly because the scroll wheel stopped working after the warranty expired. Contact with the CSR drones proved futile, as they deflected any suggestion of working with me on how to fix the problem. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, which will soon be rectified when I pull the short ribs out of the water later today

I also have a MyWeigh scale, a KD-7000, that I purchased from Old Will Knott in 2006. Last year the membrane keyboard cover finally wore out, and the power and tare switches were poking through the plastic. I contacted Knott about service and/or parts, and they responded that they do not provide any service on their scales. They just give you a new scale!! I had to mail a copy of my receipt and the battery door from my scale. A week later, I had a brand new KD-7000. Now that's customer service!

For the last ten years or so, I've been using a refillable grill brush (like this one -- here are the refills). Here in SoCal, the Land of Year-Round Grillin', I go through about two pads per year. And to attack the really baked-on junk, I use a pumice stone from the dollar store. Works for me...

And the olive oil doesn't go bitter, even after you mix "until your mixer feels too hot"? Hmmm... I'm just thinking out loud here: Wouldn't it be better to break down the basil with a small amount of neutral oil, and then whisk in olive oil at the end? (I tried David Lebovitz's recipe for basil vinaigrette a few weeks ago. I'll try your version with lemon juice sometime soon...)

And then very, very recently the number being thrown around is 50/50 Revised Estimates for the Number of Human and Bacteria Cells in the Body (August 19, 2016)

Actually, I drink them down along with some kefir. In my case, I make kefir daily and only keep 12 grams of active grains on hand (not counting the emergency supply of dried and frozen grains kept on hand). After a week or so, as Andie illustrated above, the grains multiply. Since I only need 12 grams to kefir a given quantity of milk, the excess go down the hatch! There's probably more probiotic activity in a couple of kefir grains than a small serving of yogurt...

Allow me to give a shout-out to the Kefir Lady! I bought my dried grains from her three years ago -- they reanimated very quickly, and they continue to multiply. (I just eat the grains I don't need for making kefir.)

Sclafani? http://sclafanifoods.com/products.php?category_id=1155

You found my hat!

Google "hungry water" or "reverse osmosis corrosion." Both of those will return topics on how water that is "too pure" -- in regards to alkalinity or hardness -- can strip minerals out of metal piping. The manufacturer of our kitchen faucet will void the warranty if attached to a reverse osmosis system...

Here's what I've learned about shopping in France: 1) Most items sell at or near their MSRP. 2) Things rarely go on sale. 3) When an item does go on sale, the discounted price might not be available to tourists, i.e. you have to possess the department store credit card to get the sale price. Right now, the Peugeot 23393 is €34,50 at Galeries Lafayette and $30.14 at Amazon. Model No. 23331 is €47,80 and $49.95, respectively. In short, I only [try to ] buy things I'll never see back home -- which with today's globalization, is not a whole lot.

Forget all that namby-pamby stuff like baking soda, vinegar... and oven cleaner. What you need is handy-dandy Carbon-Off!

As am I.

As per the hip pressure cooking website:

Andie, If your Zoj died tomorrow, would you run out and get another? Or, would you move on to cooking rice in your Aroma pressure cooker? I have a nearly worn-out 13-year-old Zojirushi fuzzy logic rice cooker and a Fagor gas-powered pressure cooker. Based on some rice cooking experiments in my pressure cooker (pot-in-pot method), I think I could be convinced to move the bulk of my rice and grain cooking to an electric pressure cooker. However, if the results from the electric pressure cooker do not really differ from the stove top version, I think I'll just get another rice cooker when that day comes...