Unpopular Poet

So here is a question to the TM owners on the thread here - I have been reading about it for sometime and there are some people in reviews/comments elsewhere that claim that the TM makes food just fine, but not as well as if it was made from scratch, on a stove, etc. I am not sure I totally understand this - is it because there are temperature discrepancies, etc. that make the TM uneven and unreliable? I am in the process of moving out of my kitchen I spent years planning and building - it is a good thing - we are moving by choice to another state but I was wondering if the owners have experienced the same "not as good as" end result as some of the reviews. I don't get it, but maybe there is something I am missing. I am going to be living in a space that I cannot improve for the next year or 2 and think that the TM might be a good fit - thoughts? Thanks!

Pacman Ghost Breakfast Pizza - so ugly but so delicious.

2 Americanos. The breakfast of champions.

This was Christmas Day - I bought a Prime Rib Roast at Publican Quality Meats in Chicago - 65 day aged. Fantastic. The carving on the finished product was the result of too much red wine....and people getting aggresive about eating.....it was fabulous but almost too rich - I hate to say it, but I preferred the Chuck Roast....Also cooked via ChefSteps sous vide recipe.

Breakfast pizza is a wonderful way to start the day. This one didn't last long. The leftovers are particularly good when they sit out and come to room temp...no leftovers this time around.

So it has been way too long since I have been on the boards - I have missed everybody! We are starting to try and put the pieces back together after a spur of the moment move to Iowa from the Chicagoland area. Going to sell our house we just finished a year ago so this is our last Christmas there. Made a wonderful chuck roast courtesy of the awesome people at ChefSteps. It was absolutely fantastic. Definitely my favorite of the chuck roasts I have had. I added an extra step and glued the roast back together before tying it and it held together well out of the bath. In some ways the french dip sandwiches I made the next day were better....

It is my second Bluestar and I couldn't be happier. Made my first steaks on the salamander last night...I bought some beautiful ny strips that were on sale and they turned out amazing. 7 minute total cooking time, the fat was crispy and the inside was a perfect medium rare all the way through.

Here is the latest!!! I tested it out and in less that 15 seconds some bread was well....toast!

For some reason these won't attach correctly....ugh! More to come as to get finished!

My contractor promised a working kitchen by Thanksgiving and he delivered! There are still a ton of things to do, but I cooked in the new kitchen for the first time last night and it treated us well! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We are making progress! The floors are in and the cabinets have been put in place. On Friday, they set the sink and measured for the rest of the countertops. We have about 2 weeks of other stuff before the countertops go in, and then tile and appliances....looking forward to Thanksgiving (hopefully!!)

I have to say that I recently purchased a whole Berkshire head, belly and shoulder. The difference was significant - especially in the belly and shoulder - here's a pic of the shoulder brining....it was fattier in all the right places and absolutely more flavorful. I wish I had a pic of the belly!

We are almost through the drywall phase. I added some low voltage lighting for under the cabinets and a coat closet where the fridge was originally going to be pushed all the way back. We needed some spec for the HVAC cold air returns so everyone won! Hardwood starts next week, then cabinets, then measuring for countertops and so on. Looking forward to a nice celebratory meal in about 1.5 months....

Technically, there is no ability to take a photo from the same vantage point, since the old vantage point no longer exists in some aspect. This rendering is "kind of accurate" but not really since there will be a pot rack (which comes from my Grandfather's restaurant) and a few other thing, but you get the point....The salamander is missing and what not, but otherwise, this is the rough layout. Today's dilemma was HVAC..tomorrow it will be something else. My contractor is awesome though -- zero complaints when it comes to both his work and attentiveness -- 1st class all the way.

You can't put pipes on an outside wall, that would be folly. The pipes that connect to my sink come through the floor and cabinet - plenty of space from the pipes to the outdoors! Our HVAC guy is handling makeup air. The 220 would be nice but I already have one going in for the steam oven, so that would eat up 40 of 200 amps on 2 appliances....I love wood floors and don't care who knows it