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hattermad

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Posts posted by hattermad

    How Do You Feel About Buying and Using e-Cookbooks?

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    In general I prefer my paper cookbooks - there's something about looking up at a shelf of books for inspiration, pulling one down that takes my fancy and then leafing through to find an old recipe I might need reminding about.

     

    That said, I have both paper and e-versions of 'Modernist Cuisine at Home', and I use it on the iPad far more - the additional enhancements to the e-version make me reach for it every time. If it was identical to the paper version but on the ipad, I doubt that woul dbe the case.

     

    So...both, in their place?

    Edge Pro has a New Website

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Historically I have sent the knives out for someone else to do it, but the wear on the knives per sharpening has taken its toll. I have in mind that doing it myself I might be a bit gentler with the wear - but only if I do it right. I've begun sharpening myself recently with a few whetstones of various grits, but no sharpening system. Something like the edge pro is obviously a significant investment. But then so are a set of new knives...

    Edge Pro has a New Website

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    nice. the EP has made all the difference w my global knives which were a bit difficult to get 'just right'

    I think I remember you mentioning in the past that there were some tips you were given to sharpen the globals on the edge pro - care to share the knowledge?

    Have picked up a set of globals and whilst they're very sharp now, the edge does look more acute than other knives I've owned, so any tips on sharpening in the future would be appreciated.

    Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 2)

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I just checked back the letter - unfortunately my comment earlier on being able to shortcut the wait for the customs payment letter was incorrect, as it gets a new parcel reference number at this point. This caused a week's delay for me, so it's a bit disappointing.

    Time frame was: Order placed 12th Nov, Order shipped 18th Nov, Stuck at customs 26th Nov, letter received and paid 2nd Dec, delivered 4th Dec.

    Candy/Confectionery Thermometers

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Just to be clear - being 10C off is only 18F, not 50F. 9/5C + 32 = F is the conversion, but for differentials the + 32 does not apply as it cancels out.

    That said, I think being 10C off is pretty bad, IF you were measuring at the target temperature for candy making. I personally use a thermapen and have found it accurate across a range of temperatures, but I have specific thermometers which match the thermopen at some points but then sail off wildly as they get further away from their intended target range. If the thermometer is 10C off at the temperature it's intended to target, it's nigh on useless.

    Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 2)

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    First post, and I'm working my way through all the relevant threads, but since I've pretty much just fallen in love with the Anova and I'd quite like to order mine yesterday, I was wondering if anyone has had one delivered to the UK, and whether or not they ended up making any donations to HMRC or Fed-ex's handling fee department? I could live with the VAT, but have heard tell of couriers charging some fairly horrendous fees for its collection on top from importers of other goods.

    Thanks.

    I imported to the UK. You will get hit for VAT at 20%, and may get assessed for duty if you order more than one (one by itself doesn't break the duty threshold). Anova didn't use fedex to dispatch, they used USPS, which ends up being parcel force over here. they charged an additional 15 GBP for clearance which was somewhat grating after the hefty shipping and handling charge.

    The most frustrating part is waiting for the postcard to come through the post so I could pay the vat and clearance, however I think I could probably get around that next time as the link provided to pay vat online uses the original parcel reference, so if I'd had the link emailed or provided online, I could have paid much quicker and got the circulator through quicker than waiting for the postcard from parcel force which took more than a week to arrive.

    Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 2)

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    So, the expense incurred:

    199 USD for the circulator

    69.95 USD for shipping and handling to the UK

    I did get hit for vat on import as expected - 20%.

    I did not get hit for Duty as the total value was too low, but if you're ordering multiple items, you may do, so bear that in mind - the best lookup I could do suggested this would be just above 4%. That was classing it as a water heater - bear in mind I didn't have to test that this was what customs would have applied.

    Annoyingly, I also got hit by a fixed charge from the courier company for having to handle the customs clearing - I stupidly left the invoice at work, but it was around 14 GBP. The rest of the charges I understood and it's up to me to decide whether I'm happy or not to place an order, but this was a surprise and left me a little less than gruntled given that the courier was their choice and would clearly be dealing with a cross border shipment, I expected this would be included. It's small, but I will complain about this to Anova.

    I'm going to leave my comments on whether I'm happy with the overall cost until I have had a chance to use it a bit more - initial impressions in use are great and temp appears to be spot on, but I am heading to Italy tomorrow and won't be using it for a week. I also have a pet peeve about amazon style reviews after owning products for a couple of hours which I don't wish to resemble.

    Hope that helps those considering a purchase for now.

    • Like 1

    Polyscience Sous Vide Toolbox (formerly known as SousVide Dash)

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    Hi All,

    I am pleased to report that We have licensed the technology behind SousVide Dash to PolyScience. They have just released an app called PolyScience Sous Vide Toolbox based on this technology.

    SousVide Dash will continue to exist alongside the new app, and will continue to be updated and supported.

    If the UK App store is anything to go by, it looks like this isn't the case unfortunately - the last update was in May 2012.

    Also the Polyscience Sous Vide Toolbox hasn't been updated since August 2012.

    Shame as I thought this would be a good accompaniment to my new circulator, but I'm always reluctant to buy something that isn't being regularly updated, even just for iOS compatibility / look & feel.

    The Searzall by Dave Arnold

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    This seems like a worthwhile product, whether or not one is a sous vider, and I am not trying to pick a fight, but just curious: if you want seared meat, why not just sear the meat, rather than investing hundreds or thousands of dollars in equipment and then, on top of it, having to make compromises and work-arounds and buy ever more equipment? Have not salamander broilers served us well for decades? In addition, one has to look at the failure rate and perpetual problems with home sous vide equipment. This seems more like a Popular Science or Popular Mechanics project out of the 1950s, like building your own computer or airplane, rather than a true culinary sea change. Sous vide cannot possibly be the best option for everything that we cook, and it really smells of something that will be viewed as a fad of its time a decade or two from now...

    So the reasons I like sous vide:

    • Control of temperature allows previously 'tricky' processes to be performed much more easily (creme anglais, hollandaise, etc.), with the same quality of result.
    • Consistency of result - my steak or eggs are always done 'so', with little practice or effort, and variation for different tastes of 'doneness' can be made controllably and consistently.
    • I like good food, and I am an average cook.
    • I like toys.

    As a result, my meals are of better quality than they were before I was introduced to sous vide. It's definitely not for everything, but it works well for me in many applications. I've not had any issues with failures of equipment that were any worse than if an oven had failed half way through a casserole.

    I should also point out that it's not the sous vide that adds the (sometimes) unpleasant flavour - it's the use of a blowtorch. I tend to use a cast iron pan or a hot grill (I'm in the UK - I think what we call a grill is your broiler - heat from above) for final sear, though i also have an iwatani blowtorch - I'm just a bit better with the pan and grill than I am with the blowtorch.

    Also, sous vide has been around for a long time so I'm not sure it's valid to call it a fad, it's just become more popular now as equipment becomes more affordable - perhaps in the home it will become a fad, but I know very few people who have tried it and not stuck with it - not for everything, but as another addition to the arsenal in the kitchen.

    • Like 1

    Cooking with "Modernist Cuisine at Home" (Part 2)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Finally got around to eating the butternut squash soup I had made. I definitely think I messed it up - it was very sweet and overall was overpowered by the coconut milk. I couldn't grasp of a seasoning that would have corrected it to something I would be happy with. I'm guessing an increase in the caramelisation in the initial stage would have added a more savoury flavour to the dish.

    I will get back to the carrot soup with my (frozen) carotene butter at some point.

    Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 2)

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Originally: sousvide@waterbaths.com, which was listed on their website a while back. Received a reply when asking about when the 220V would be available in mid-October, but no reply to my shipment date query placed last week.

    Now: help@anovaculinary.com, which was posted on the web page. Answered within hours (and to be fair they were probably sleeping when I sent it).

    Anova Sous Vide Circulator (Part 2)

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Realised today when I saw a post on their facebook page that they had changed their email address and I had emailed the old one. Not that I'm saying they shouldn't have monitored the old one, but things slip through the cracks...

    Anyway, emailed a query on my shipment today and had a reply from Natalie within hours!

    Cooking with "Modernist Cuisine at Home" (Part 2)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Two tries with the mac and cheese (actually cauliflower cheese, but the 'cooking macaroni' section was not the difficult bit). In scaling down the recipe, I obviously miscalculated the sodium citrate the first time (which I was making with bicarbonate of soda and citric acid), as the result was very runny and didn't emulsify completely. Second try (fortunately the real run, with other people eating), I used the scaling feature in the inkling version which I bought on Sunday, which prevented my math fail.

    Best cauliflower cheese I've ever made. I will by some sodium citrate to make it even easier in future - my OH was not keen on the chemistry experiment in the kitchen.

    • Like 1
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