FlashJack

Not only odd. Very frustrating. As you say, app only. Bad design. Use the app @rotuts. Come to the dark/light side.

Indeed it is but there is at least one workaround. If you want OFF, there is no such thing. But program a next next step for many hours at 25c. Warm room temp. Anova seems to think there could be major liability problems with allowing 'clients' to shut the thing off. This is insensible, unreasonable, illogical and utter BS. Lawyers? Anyway, you'll love it.

Although not a cookbook, does anyone have thoughts on Stanley Tucci's Taste: My Life Through Food? The Amazon 'Look Inside' is ridiculously short.

Your position is entirely reasonable. I too had the CSO and was happy. I do think it's worth wrestling with the app and its annoying wifi setup simply because it will allow you to do firmware updates (which, admittedly, are also troublesome). Even if you are happy using the buttons on the handle they are not independent of the firmware. Past updates have also done useful things like reducing the flickering of the light. I still have my money on your coming around at some point. Meanwhile, please report your impressions. (And Jo is right; there is not bluetooth: it's wifi or nothing.)

@rotuts you can indeed do just as you say. Completely manual and wifi free. Right out the box the first thing to do is a burn in/clean to get rid of that new unit smell. The booklet has the details. In due course I expect you will weaken and come over to the dark side of wifi and firmware updates. The benefits are just too great. Happy cooking with the APO.

OK, a probably ill-advised toe in this water: What thoughts on the MP Pizza podcast by MC? I have happily bought MC, MB and MP. I think they are (1) extraordinarily valuable works of research and publishing and (2) execrably bad in their writing, editing, indexing and, sometimes, conception. I have an extreme aversion to Nathan. His main gig is Intellectual Ventures. That oxymoronically named company is a patent vulture. I also don't like the "worked with Stephen Hawking" thing. That sounds to me like clerking for Clarence Thomas; there have been a lot clerks most of whom have likely become only hacks in good suits. (Also -- and I've gotta get over this -- to have been CTO at Microsoft is, to me, a badge of utter shame. I have lost so many nights to known-buggy software that shipped, corrupted my files, cause me grief and made my life visibly worse as to never being able to have anything other than utter scorn for Bill Gates and his conspirators. I don't care if Bill eradicates malaria, cures cancer and solves the hydrogen thing. He stole my money and a lot of my life. Don't start me on auto-numbering.) Back to the podcast. I just listened to the third episode. It's weirdly unfocused and unproduced. Ep 3 was supposedly about flour. I know *a little* about flour. I ended up knowing less. I heard rehearsed nonsense and came away thinking: 1. I sniff a lot of undisclosed commercial affordances and back-scratching going on here (I'm trying to be polite) 2. It's just not interesting 3. Is related to (1) and my off-topic rant: I just don't trust these people. I think they are burning their best asset. Thoughts?

You're welcome Palo. It covers steam in general but the APO is predominant. You might also like https://cookingwithsteam.com/ It's appliance agnostic but I'm predisposed to it because it is produced in Melbourne. The pair who do the podcast are located right next to my closest market so it feels homely to me.

Does anyone have a suggestion for rue? It's a beautiful plant and I have one growing very nicely in a pot. I picked it up at a market in memory of my old friend Joe (he would have been 101 next week). We spent many happy hours in his shed making grappa, some of which was flavoured with rue. Yes, rough grappa with rue is ... bracing. I found a Thomas Keller recipe where rue is a component of the sauce. It's not a recipe that appeals but I'm otherwise coming up blank.

Congratulations. You'll love it. Re stacking, I'd say yes within reason. The APO gets warm on top but not what I'd call dangerously hot. Just be aware it vents a good deal of moisture from the front right. You might want to avoid that plume. Try it and see. I can't imagine anything disastrous. Re online resources: I find the Anova community thread ho-hum. I expect you will get more out of this Reddit discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/CombiSteamOvenCooking/

I can't properly answer your question, not having a Searsall Mk I. I'm tempted but will resist. It's basically a one-trick pony and a solution to a problem I don't have. I can cook a great steak on a grill and can sous vide lesser quality meat and then finish on a grill. I have a good enough burner that attaches to a butane canister for creme brulee. I'm not much taken by the new palladium gizmoish palaver and suspect Dave Arnold might be full of BS. No for me. But go get one and report.

That's a lovely post Jo. Gel on.

No cream. Keep it light. Pernod and chorizo sounds great. There's almost no way to go wrong with mussels. Simpler better. Plenty of parsley and, depending on the direction you're going in, a good touch of chilli.

Thank you. I need to up my toppings game.

That looks great. Can you explain the 'bee sting' toppings please?

Problems with shipments from China? Anyone else had such a message?

I'd not heard of these before. The prices are eye-watering. You'll needs Nathan's funds. But Australian! If you corrupt enough eGullet people into this one Jo it could restore our national accounts.

You got off lightly with a warning from the universe Jo. Buy a lottery ticket with the money you just 'saved'. I still haven't got over losing a Nikon 28-200 zoom that toppled from a tripod I hadn't give enough attention to. I had to replace it with a cheaper 28-300 that I still can't love. Flash has its place but sometimes takes a lot of taming.

Why break the habit of a lifetime? Think of the resale on that shiny piece of kit. Have you deprived yourself? No. Keep it clean as a badge of honour.

Hi Jo. I've not been clear: I've been happily running the app on my iPhone. It's good enough. After you mentioned an improvement to the app on the iPad I installed the app on my iPad. It is, as you say, disappointing that the app is not iPad native. We're stuck with it until Anova releases an API. I'm not holding my breath.

Sorry, Jo, to get your hopes up. When I read your post I checked the app store from my iPad and installed what popped up in search. It is, as you say, the IPhone app running on the iPad. At least it's right way up.

That is cheap. I installed the IPad app thinking that if it's JNW-approved it's worth a try. Not so.

Which was Jo? I use the iPhone app. It's not great but it does the job. Is there an advantage to using the IPad version?

Nor me. I shelled out for an iPhone 13. My Nikon DSLR and primes have been on long loan to a friend. I'm not sure I'll ever pick them up again. The iPhone 13's low light capabilities are amazing. Focal lengths of 13-26-75 not what I'd choose but there are quality pixels to burn for crops. Computational photography is turning all our good gear into the equivalent of the box Brownie.

The covid-safe reasoning behind that eludes me. And, I'm sure, you and many more.

It was a rooster leg. I've enjoyed this series. Wire him up with a hidden dinner-cam.