Yiannos

This reminds me a lot of all those damn cake shows on TV, where they are more sculpting "edible" (I'm looking at you, fondant) items than making flavors and food people actually want to eat.

I do this exact same thing, sometimes I can't think of a particular pairing for a protein or something, and inevitably I'll browse through the "weekly harvest" list from the co-ops around here in Nor Cal. I always seem to be struck with an idea or two just from seeing what is in season and fresh nearby.

This is a great recommendation, good blend of geeky and practical, with lots of detailed how/why info and recipes that work well without much fuss.

The dude's personality rubs me the wrong way, and the constant dipping of fingers into sauces and things to taste kinda grosses me out, but that is an interesting article and now I maybe dislike him a little less. But just a little

If I remember right, those two tubes (10 beans) shown in the top pic are around $13.

Yeah I have to agree on these... I don't think mine have been as bad as you describe, I have used them for some ice creams and things with pretty good results. However, while the flavor was present, there was no punch at all, and each time I felt I wanted just a little bit more. Have you ever tried Mexican vanilla beans? I have read that they are more along the lines of what a vanilla fan would want, deeper and more prominent. I have never purchased them because I have only been able to find them in quantities that were too large, or else the price seemed very steep.

Please please please don't spend money at Harbor Freight if you can avoid it. I am a tech and have bought a handful of items from them over the years, usually because they were super cheap and I needed a special tool that maybe I don't use every day. Every single time I find myself wishing I had spent a few dollars more to get something that has had some care in engineering and manufacturing. I have seen horrible welds, bad solder joints, screws missing/loose, unfinished sharp edges etc etc etc. It feels like the cheapest imported stuff you can get, like the new equipment you find at flea markets or the like. I'm not one of those who advocates spending top dollar, especially at home, but without fail it seems like my Harbor Freight tools always have to be replaced with something that actually works right. For $40, there are many better options out there, including the MyWeigh scales which seem to be so highly regarded here. This is not an attack on your scale, it is probably fine, but just a thought on avoiding that stuff in general, from someone with experience and a lighter wallet.

You can strip the pan by putting it in a very hot oven to burn everything off, some people even put them in the oven during the self cleaning cycle. Look around online and you should find some detailed instructions that will work for you.

Yeah lots of items sold at Costco come this way, appliances sold as package deals with accessories and things. I will say the pan that came with it seems to be very nice quality for what it all cost. Totally agree with your light duty assessment of the burner.

I bought one a couple of weeks ago. It is OK but the temp range is a little coarse, sometimes I find myself wishing for a setting in between the given ones. It does not feel super heavy duty to me, mostly plastic and very lightweight. For $70 it's fine, but nothing I would use every day or rely on for an important event.

If you are talking about the picture, that looks like lens distortion to me, like real estate agents use in their photos to make smaller rooms appear larger on websites etc.

On almost every non-US cooking show I have seen, what I would call a squash here they call a pumpkin.

Let's just say I know for a fact that this is not the issue with weedy's Anova (it is on my bench). Also I would include the word "some" at the beginning of your post, just as some modern electronics are incredibly robust and durable, in all sorts of extreme environments.

I always thought utility grade meat was what they used in the making of pet food and the like, the lowest of the low.

I think mushrooms out in the rain and saturated soil for hours/days is a much different thing from a few seconds rinse in the sink. I have cooked mushrooms both rinsed and unrinsed (just brushing any dirt off) and they come out identical. I have not soaked them, but I don't think anyone here is suggesting that at all.

Even my kids are somehow put off by this guy, which says a lot I think.

What about a molinillo, one of those wooden whisks they use in Mexico to make frothy hot chocolate?

Garrison Keillor, is that you?

Hey @weedy would you like me to take a look at your Anova? I have a background in electronics and I repair/restore vintage stereos on top of all of my other pursuits, I'd be happy to see if I could fix it for you. I'm not sure where you are, and also that I am basically a complete internet stranger, but if you want to roll the dice and ship it to me I can go over it as far as I am able and I won't charge you anything, just would be happy to help out if you like. I own an A1 too but have never cracked it open, the big problem with a lot of the modern micro-controlled stuff is that it is close to impossible for someone at home to work on the sometimes microscopic components and IC's with much success. But if there are any cold or cracked solder joints in there or something has come loose, I can in all likelihood get it squared away relatively easily. I mean, it's broken as it is. If you don't want to do this I totally understand, on top of everything else as you mentioned you still have the option to warranty it with the "better" unit. If you get desperate or something though just let me know, I can't guarantee anything but again no problem helping you out if I can.

I'm no fan of our sue-happy society by any stretch, but I too thought the McDonald's case was a bit of a sham... Until I learned a bit about it and saw the injury, this woman did suffer an incredible amount due to the extreme temperature of the coffee.

As someone who learned a lot from watching Good Eats and owes a lot to AB, now quite a few years later I somehow agree with you. I really enjoyed the OCD geeky/history stuff at first, but now when I watch cooking shows I really want them to be about the food. I want the chef's personality to compliment the show like thoughtful seasoning, and sometimes Good Eats is a little heavy on the Alton Brown. If I catch GE now, I find myself sort of thinking "c'mon man, get on with it, I don't care who first discovered beans 10,000 years ago".

Man, now here's a good reason not to go cheap on your cooking impletments... https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/01/daniel-boulud-chef-new-york-bistro-fined-diner-swallows-wire-db-bistro-moderne

Mmmmmmmmm crunchy textures are the best!

@Thanks for the Crepes yes sorry, Alex was correct with the Life of Brian guess, I assumed it was an easy one.

Wolf nipple chips!