Anonymous Modernist 17003

I just picked up a refurbished Polyscience SV Professional Chef series on eBay for $500 without box, manual, case, or warranty. It appears to have been sold directly by Polyscience (or someone who works for them, as the eBay account was tied to a Polyscience email address). It hasn't showed up yet, but it seems like a great deal. I also picked up a Cambro polycarbonate bin and lid from a web store for $35 shipped. Polyscience and its affiliates sell this bin for $60, and hawk custom lids for $40. $100 for a plastic bin? Please. Shop elsewhere and cut your own lid to save money. Or cut up a cheap cooler, as CJM suggests. That reminds me, in my basement I have several Styrofoam coolers from ordering meat online, and I bet they'd work as excellent insulated containers for extended cooking times, and their soft material would be easy to cut into custom lids.

Anyone have experience with high BTU propane wok burners designed for outdoor use? I'd love to get some wok hai at home, and the idea of having outdoor stirfry gatherings in the summertime is quite appealing.. I looked around a bit and here are some models that caught my eye. There are a bunch of cast iron 100,000BTU wok burners on eBay for around $100. Bare bones, but they look like they'd do the job. For $75 more, you can get a 100kBTU Thai burner that looks nicer and comes with a stand. ( http://importfood.com/thaigasburner.html ) . The most expensive burner's I've found have been from Auscrown / Rambo ( http://www.auscrown.com/page/shop/browse/a/category/e/highpressurewokburners ) but they look to be worth the price. I like piezo ignitions over pilot lights, especially for outdoor use. The HP200LPB looks especially hot (har har). Auscrown also makes a little stainless cart you can mount their burners in. Anyone using these or other work burners? Anyone know how they compare to similar out burners designed for turkey frying (or the stuff from Bayou Classic)? And while we're talking wok burners, can anyone comment on induction wok cookers? My suspicion is that portable ones won't be able to draw the power required to get hot enough, but if you ran one at a higher voltage i bet it could get pretty scorching. But would it get hot enough to flame the breath of the wok?

I recently purchased an 8-quart stainless steel Presto pressure cooker ( http://www.amazon.com/Presto-8-Quart-Stainless-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B0000Z6JIW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1363975444&sr=8-6 ). I have loved its results on everything I've tried it with: stocks, bone broth (it gels like no other), risotto, beef shanks, pork shoulder... (pressure cooked carnitas are the bomb). I may try the caramelized carrot soup tonight. Haven't tried beans yet either, but I'm sure they'll be awesome. The reason I went with the Presto was that I wasn't sure whether pressure cooking was going to be a technique I'd use on a regular basis. I wanted something inexpensive, but not cheap - something that was solidly built but not boutique. This Presto fit the bill. Solid construction, heats evenly... easy to use and clean. Nice! Now that I've put it to the test, I'm a believer in the power and convenience offered by pressure cookers. Part of me wishes that I'd splurged on a Kuhn Rikon, but those things are four or five times as expensive. I don't think I could justify that given how well my Presto has been performing. I may pick up a 4 or 6 quart KR one day to use for smaller dishes. Concerning size, I don't think I'd get anything smaller than a 6-quart cooker, especially if you're going to make stocks or stews based on large cuts of beef.. Throw a chicken carcass or a pot roast in there and it can fill up quickly. If you're concerned that it might be a giant unitasker taking up valuable shelf space, you might try thinking of it as a nice pot that also has a strange lid which transforms it into a vunderkontraption. The LID is where the magic is. And lids store easily. If you have a nice pressure cooker, you won't need a stock pot; you've got it covered. Of course, having both doesn't hurt!

PipzUK: Thanks for the detailed feedback! I've scoured the web quite a bit, but that's the most in-depth discussion I've found of using the VP112 for anything besides "vanilla" sealing duties. I'm glad to hear that flash pickling works well. I've done rapid infusions before using an iSi Gourmet Whip but the texture of foods infused under vacuum appears to be much, much better. I like the idea of boozing up fruit (or vegetables, like a martini infused cucumber - ). And I was really turned on by the quick pickling results achieved by Scott @ Seattle Food Geek ( http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2011/12/quick-pickling-vegetables-with-a-chamber-vacuum-sealer/ ). Before reading your post, I hadn't heard the "normal rules" about cycling through the infusion process more than once. When you compress, do you also use the longer cycle times to get a stronger vacuum? Does letting it run the full 90 seconds (or whatever the max time is) really get a stronger vac or does it just max out at the pressure the pump is capable of generating? And it's awesome that you can just stick the containers in there and they'll seal themselves. Thanks again for the feedback!

I've been looking at these models as well and was wondering if the VP112 can pull a strong enough vacuum to compress watermelon or pineapple. Also curious if it gets good results doing rapid infusions / pickling. The allure of homemade pickles in an instant is very tempting.