Joe Blowe

Well, seeing as Mitsuwa is a Japanese grocery store, and H Mart is a Korean store, I'd say the selection of Japanese goods at Mitsuwa is better (FWIW, I've been to the Mitsuwa in Edgewater, the Korean grocery stores in Flushing, and countless Japanese and Korean stores in the L.A. area (born and raised). If Japanese is what you're looking for, you know where you gotta go...)

Venting is not the only issue: http://ths.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/appl/2004064556019303.html If the inspectors in your jurisdiction don't care, then great. Otherwise, you might have to undo everything when it comes time to sell the property. And don't forget about homeowner's insurance issues! Not to derail this thread any further, but we've been using a BlueStar RNB30 for the last 5 or 6 years (back when they were not too crazy expensive), and the burners are a step up from the standard-issue Garlands...

<p>Sorry to post and not PM, but I thought this would be a good way to test. So, I was able to post from Firefox, but I'm not able to preview beforehand. Also, going to preview erases the current text. Toggling format is not 100% at the moment, as you can see...</p>

Having a problem posting with Firefox -- have cleared cache, cookies, and even opened in Safe Mode. Getting the "Your post is empty" popup... This message was posted using SRWare Iron

Too late now, but I wonder if the heart could've been rescued by cutting it up, skewering and grilling à la anticuchos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticuchos Not sure, however, if it would've been any different in the end than traditionally grilled heart...

Before you purchased those handy-dandy Grill Grates, did you grill your burgers with the lid up or down? Direct or indirect? Gas or charcoal? Clean, hot grates coated with fat (oil on towel, chunk of suet) before placing food on the surface? Looking at the videos posted online, it appears to be designed for those who don't/won't pursue proper grilling techniques...

Hi there, I disagree and say you're being too cautious As I requoted here -- http://egullet.org/p1907543 -- it seems perfectly safe and prudent to cook items from a frozen state. Do you have any published information to the contrary?

Did this for the first time just the other day, and it worked out great. From Thawing cryovac-ed fish: As to Patmatrix's question regarding the safety of frozen fish vs fresh fish, Nickrey already pointed out that (quite a bit of) frozen fish sold in stores today was flash frozen at the point of origin. That time spent frozen has already killed off any parasites of note. (See Sushi Fresh From the Deep... the Deep Freeze.) If anything, people doing low-temp/non-pasteurized SV fish at home should be seeking out top-quality frozen fish, not fresh.

Or, make rice as usual and eat a half portion [/sarcasm]

Edited post to state 55C.

Did you do any research on your own? I've read repeatedly that you should never use the original packaging -- you have no guarantee that the plastic used is safe for high temps (meaning 55C or above), and there is always the possibility of small tears, punctures, or faulty seams that won't make themselves apparent until they've been in the bath for awhile... ETA: If you're buying from a local vendor that uses a chamber vacuum on the premises, then you're good to go. But it sounds like you're buying a prepacked brisket from who knows where. Just repack.

Wow! I just ran the URL through a few link scanners (this, this, and this) and it seems fine. But, I also checked my scanner log and it appears there was an attempt to install a couple of trojans around the time I visited the site. So, proceed with great caution!!! P.S. to all: Not food related, but if you haven't disabled Java in your browser yet, now is the time...

FYI, the Cooking Issues website, and the blog entry in question, appears to be back up. Was wondering if it we'd ever see CI again...

And then, out of nowhere, appeared Joe Blowe with his new sous vide rig Acting on Mr Jueneman's suggestion, I paid 35 bucks for a coffee urn from Amazon. The Hamilton Beach 40515 has a 7-liter capacity with two inches of headroom. I've got three chicken breasts in there at the moment, with room for maybe a fourth. There appears to be a problem with the temp overshooting, but I haven't put the SVM through the Auto Tune procedure yet. When everything is dialed in, this will most likely become my counter-top-short-cook rig. And, I still plan on putting together an ice chest/heater/circulator rig at some point in the near future, which will be used for the long-term cooks (will be sure to post pics!). Until then, this should keep me occupied for a while...

FWIW, I use the *timer function* on my rice cooker when making steel-cut oats for the morning. It only turns on about an hour before serving time.Why people feel the need to cook them overnight in a crock pot, I do not know...

Thanks for the bump -- I forgot to report back! It just so happens that I did 26 hours at 132F. I also did a post-sear, sliced and trimmed, and made a jus. There were no leftovers that night! I do plan on coming back to this thread, once my new gear is up and running... P.S. Today is my 10 year anniversary on eGullet. I may not be the most active poster, but I've learned a lot and use this website as my default reference guide. Thanks to everyone!

So, is there a big difference between with and without sugar? Without the sugar, is it like a thinned out lungo? Could it be that they're pulling cafe cremas?

Part of the process (detailed here) is to add sugar to the portafilter before brewing. Needless to say, the geeks on the various coffee boards are a bit reluctant to do this!

If you have a decent health food store in your area, they're sure to have flax seed oil. Whole Foods might also have it...

What you're looking for is a yaki-ami. If you have a Japanese grocery or discount store in your area, you can pick one up for around 2 bucks. Or, you can spend way too much for this one. Do note that the target market for these are households without an outdoor grill or indoor broiler. They're made for just getting a char on things, but not necessarily for prolonged grilling. When given the chance, Japanese would much rather grill over charcoal!

I received my CDN Q2-450X thermometer today, and my CVS KD-1342 basal thermometer as well. (I noticed that the model number has been transposed elsewhere as KD-1432 -- look for item no. 233142 in stores.) A quick test indicates that the SideKic might be 0.5F over. Better than under, I suppose. Will let things settle down a bit and try again later against my Thermapen...

I like the idea of cooking until departure, but I was concerned about the drop in temp over the ensuing hour-long drive (or two, if we make stops). If I pull the roasts out of the transport cooler and see the water temp was in the 120s, would there be cause for concern? The other option occurred to me last night, but I did get caught up in the idea of "unveiling" SV roasts to the crowd and transforming them before their very eyes! However, usually everyone is either uninterested or distracted, and they just want food NOW! I'll make my life easy and go with that! Question regarding initial cook temp: Any perceptible differences between 131 and 132 over the course of 36 to 48 hours?

I went ahead and bought the SideKIC -- it's a good device to start with as you only need a container for water. And, should I feel the need for something bigger and better, I'll always have the SideKIC for a secondary water bath. I started a new thread and am looking for advice on cook/chill...

After skimming this thread, it seems to me you only have three options: 1) Buy a budget countertop induction burner, with good reviews, and hope for the best. 2) Buy a propane burner (like this one, for example) and use it outdoors. Within in your budget. 3) Buy the best, a Cooktek built-in single hob or countertop induction burner. Very expensive, but worth it. I'd skip the better quality standard hot plates -- they're expensive (~$200 for a good one at a restaurant supply store), and they might not offer anything better than what you already have...

So, after years of research and bookmarking , I finally broke down and bought a SideKIC. The next step was to get a smaller cooler than what I already had on hand. (An 8-quart Cambro has also been converted and put to use). With everything in place, I jumped right in and picked up a 3 lb. chuck roast. As I was excited to get started, I skipped the trimming and removal of silverskin and such. I just lightly coated it with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder, and put it in at 131F/55C for 24 hours. (I had read that salting meat before a long cook might have a “corning” effect, but it wasn't noticeable.) At the end of the SV cook, I slid it right under our infrared broiler for 2 minutes per side. It was great! But, there's room for improvement. Here's my next project: My sister-in-law has volunteered to host Christmas dinner at her place, and the guest list has grown to about 35 people! She's in desperate need of extra mains now, i.e. any type of roast meat, and I said I'd bring three chuck roasts to the party. I'm thinking of taking the temp to 132F and cooking for 48 hours this time. There were some gristly parts on the last roast that could've used a bit more time in the bath. I'll season with some type of rub, less salt. At the end of the cook, chill in an ice bath then refrigerate overnight. Next day, open the bags and reserve liquid to make a jus. Vacuum pack the individual roasts again, this time with salt. Put back in the fridge until drive time. Before leaving the house, fill my larger cooler with 130F water, toss the bagged roasts in, and drive an hour to their house. Upon arrival, fire up their grill and put some color on the roasts. Heat the jus, slice the browned roasts, and arrange in their chafing dish. It sounds like a great plan on paper, but of course I'm worried about the second vacuum packing and water bath. I know it's pasteurized at this point, but is there any cause for concern? Maybe I should just keep them chilled until arrival, and then bring them up to temp when it's closer to dinner time?