btbyrd

I also keep MTG chicken and beef on hand. They have no added salt and are best suited toward pan sauces or boosting flavor of existing stocks, though they can be diluted down to "soup strength" in a pinch. They are extremely high quality and deliver on higher-end "restaurant taste." If looking for a bullion/broth replacement, MTG is an expensive proposition; Minor's is a better option, though its saltiness works against it for saucework. Minor's is superior to BTB and Knorr products, and they can be used as a seasoning in the manners that Marco Pierre White suggests you use Knorr stuff (i.e., season meat, veg, and stews with bullion paste instead of salt).

Steel makes the problem worse, as it causes the bottom to cook even faster than a pizza stone does. You need something above a stone radiating heat back down on the top of the pie. KettlePizza makes a "Gas Pro" model that's basically a pizza stone with a slab of stainless steel sitting over the top of it, working on a similar principle to the MPO mentioned earlier. I can't say how well these things work, but they're promising attempts to solve the problem.

This was my experience trying to make pizza on my Genesis.

Did somebody say "fried chicken"?! Edit: Video mysteriously unembedded. Here's a link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BdwKWAWH2dZ/

I've used Dartos to make cornbread. It works fine, but the shape is different than you get from classic cast iron skillets... flared edges along the bottom and side rather than a hard corner. The only thing I use my cast iron for anymore is nachos (in a 12" Lodge) but now that I think of it, my No 34 paella would probably work even better.

There doesn't appear to be any pH tweaking going on in the Hunter-method, at least as it was described in episode 256 of Cooking Issues. Here's the quick and dirty summary of the method as described at the end of the show: "Take the garlic (unpeeled, either single cloves or full heads) and wrap it in foil, then put a damp towel at the bottom of a crock pot and then another damp towel on top [with the garlic in the middle]. Then put the lid on the crock pot and wrap the whole thing in cellophane to keep everything sealed and put the crock pot on high (around 180F) and go for at least 24hrs, and maybe more.... you can test it periodically."

FWIW, celery salt also contains no MSG.

+1 for wanting it to fit a quarter sheet pan and be able to toast.

He's the man! I'm partial to his chicken galantine demos.

I believe that rotuts answered that question. You don't really need a circulator; cold water will do just fine. Warm water even better.

Ha! Nope. I freeze leftover stock, soup, or chili in bags and then retherm them with Joule. A super-fast way to get dinner on the table. You can also just defrost using lower temp settings, but most of the time I crank the temp and serve straight from the bag.

With a circulator.

Or not. It's no different than using a burner on a gas range indoors, and nobody freaks out about that (with the exception of high end ranges that need makeup ventilation). I use both of my Iwatani burners indoors all the time and have yet to die. They're essentially built to be used indoors, despite the paperwork boilerplate warning. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Japanese and Korean cooks use as their primary indoor burners. I wouldn't use one in a tiny airtight space, but in the context of a normal American home, it's not really an issue. Of course, you're in NYC... so the admonition to open a window is wise.

Conventionally raised layer hens are typically fed a diet that contains supplemental calcium, which yields a more shelly shell. Hens raised on pasture often do not get as much calcium in their diet, and their shells can be flimsier with less crackability -- at least in my experience. But I don't buy eggs for the shell.

I use turned wooden cups to keep my cooking/tasting/straining spoons on the counter. Also chopsticks . I can also vouch for andiesenji’s use of the metal mesh pen cups from Staples, though as she notes, they’re a little on the light side and prone to tipping over. My wooden cups were an upgrade to those... got them on Etsy.

After many years of using a plain white ceramic bain marie, I purchased a beautiful utensil crock from Alewine Pottery. They're located in the Smokey Mountains, and we always enjoy visiting their store/studio whenever we're in the area. It sits on a bamboo turntable I purchased on Amazon.

If you want control, the Vollrath Mirage Pro is the way to go. It has 100 power levels that you can quickly scroll through with a knob. It responds basically like a gas stove, though it's not as powerful as 240V. I will say from experience that having only 15 levels of power control is far from ideal -- especially on a 3200 watt unit. Those are good for high-heat applications like boiling water, searing, or stir-frying but they're awful if you want to dial in the perfect simmer or keep your pressure cooker pressurized at a constant level. Most units also tend not to have a lot of control at the low end of the temperature spectrum, but the Mirage Pro was specifically designed to go as low as 80 degrees for tempering chocolate, and has a lot of range both at the hot and cool ends of the temperature spectrum. Also, as a general rule I don't trust induction hobs that pretend to hold a specific temperature unless they have a probe (e.g, Control Freak or Hestan Cue). The claim that induction burners can warm up to specific temperatures are mostly marketing nonsense. Even if the hobs have temperature sensors built into the cooktop, the readings there depend on the cookware you're using. Lightweight pans are liable to be much hotter than the intended temperature because the sensors don't register them as well as heavier weight pans. At any rate, I'm a big fan of the Vollrath and a major critic of low-end units with few power settings and membrane switches. I also like the fact that it will run on normal power, so I can take it with me if I'm going to be cooking somewhere with questionable cooktops. The only thing that I don't like about it is a lack of consumer warranty; Vollrath only honors the warranty for commercial use. I can't say exactly why they do this, but I suspect that idiot customers have something to do with it. Also, I know it's not induction but I'm also a big fan of the Iwatani 35FW portable butane stove. It is extremely powerful and supremely portable -- no electricity required! The downside is that it runs on butane cartridges and those only last about an hour (and the power falls off as the cartridge approaches empty). Iwatani gas burners aren't likely to be permanent (or only) burner in your batterie, but I find them useful in all kinds of situations. The 35FW is more powerful than the burners on the two crappy gas ranges I used for years in past rental homes. My current house has a GE electric range with a glass top, so I picked up the Iwatani burner to use with clay cookware that requires a flame. But I also find it useful for searing outside (so I don't smoke out my kitchen) and for going car camping. They're cheap and fun and provide the real "cooking with gas" experience.

I've been using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream and sorbet in my Kitchenaid stand mixer. Haven't tried using dry ice yet, but that is supposed to work just as well (and it's much easier to source and store). My first attempt was this strawberry-Angostura sorbet recipe from ChefSteps. The flavor and texture were incredible. I should have made a double batch! I'm going to start experimenting with flavoring agents sourced from Mandy Aftel. I added a spritz of violet extract - alpha ionone - to that strawberry sorbet, and it only further added to the delicious berriness of it all. I have some vanilla ice cream base in the fridge that's demanding that I add some black pepper essential oil before churning (following a recipe by Mandy and chef Daniel Patterson). And I've got some peach isolate that is just crying to be made into a frozen dessert. It smells so good!

He has graced the forum before, but not in that uncommonly shaggy state. 😊

Who has two thumbs and just bought all the Ortiz anchovies available at his local World Market? This guy. Great deal! I was just bemoaning the low quantities of anchovies in my pantry. They shall sit nicely aside my bounty of Ortiz tinned tuna I picked up on some insane World Market promotion late last year.

I just cut the cucumber in half and pull the wrap off each side. Works well enough for me... your mileage may vary. Sounds like the OP is suffering from a case of dull knife syndrome. This malady is shockingly common. There is a cure, but you can also invest in a cheap letter opener or bag opener like the ones mentioned above.

Perhaps the best essay I've ever read on chic salts is Jeffrey Steingarten's "Salt Chic" in "It Must've Been Something I Ate." The essay explores the impact that different trace minerals have on the perception of salt flavors. The gist is that not all "sea salts" are created equal; some are indistinguishable in flavor from inexpensive and pure Diamond Crystal, while others have detectable flavor differences -- not always for the better. McGee joins in to drop some science knowledge. If you've never read Steingarten, you're in for a treat.

The Mirage Pro is the way to go.

The farming practices that go along with glyphosate are in many ways more destructive.

I was going to suggest incomplete combustion as well. This is strange and is not something that should happen with gas burners, even the side-burners on grills. If you dial back the gas flow and double check that there's proper ventilation, that should solve the problem. As Okanagancook points out, there's probably a simple adjustment you can make on your grill that will get things working; check out the grill's manual, as it likely has instructions on how to do exactly this. Side burners on grills are often used infrequently, and often get neglected. I know that's the case on my family's grill. Over the seasons, they can go from functioning well to in need of a servicing. Pollen and spiders like to clog things up, and hot-cold-hot seasonal cycles can make connectors and regulators wiggle ever so subtly. We must be forever vigilant in our battles with entropy. Also, if anyone's looking for a cheap gas burner for outdoor searing, I highly recommend the Iwatani 35FW butane powered stove. It is the most powerful portable gas burner on the market, and the fact that you can take it anywhere is a real game-changer -- even for those of us lucky enough to have outdoor grills with side-burners. If it's raining outside, I can sear on my front porch instead! And if I ever need to go to someone's house and don't trust their stove... or go to a picnic or camping... or start a catering business... or...