Jon S
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Posts posted by Jon S
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I didn't even know the term "scalloped" before @paulraphael mentioned it. I looked up "MAC breadknife" and found the brand y'all were talking about. I know now what to shop for if I want to ever get another bread knife! Thank you guys.
Website description of M.A.C. Breadknife:"Our signature 'rounded' or 'scalloped' serrations make these knives stand out above the rest in terms of performance. The razor-sharp edges cut through foods instead of tearing through them like traditional pointed serrations. These knives are ideal for slicing things like crusty breads, soft cakes, flaky pastries, and tender roasts."
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23 hours ago, paulraphael said:
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Those finer serrations might not be sharpenable. Do you use them?
Yes, but only for the crust of the bread if it's a tad dry. I avoid using them when the crust is solid brick.
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Welcome! Looking forward to your discoveries and insights. This is a topic I'm hoping to learn more about as well.
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I should have been more clear. In the US, some suppliers will pasteurize in shell eggs, it is just not required by law. The processes can be with water bath heat, hot moist air, or even radiation.
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I've always wondered if the folks who use liquid nitrogen at home ever considered using it to try and displace oxygen in their packaging of food/ingredients.
Let's say you were about to put away some left overs (vacuum sealed or not), would it make sense use nitrogen gas?
My thinking is: if you have to the vent your dewar anyway, could you collect the gas vented and use it later for this purpose?-
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On 4/22/2023 at 2:10 PM, KennethT said:
huh. I always thought that we were told not to eat raw cookie dough because of the raw eggs in there. I would never have imagined that the flour would be the danger!
The interesting thing is that the eggs are "safe(r)" to eat raw because they are pasteurized, while the flour isn't given any treatment against those hard hitting germs.
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You know, I'm thinking the tip was sharper (unchipped?) in its past life. So it was likely able to handle garnishes then and had a more convincing appearance.
I've never seen these bartending knives before. Let alone a knife with a curvy edge. Those photos I had posted earlier were "vintage" in their description.
Guess I'll never find another like it being manufactured today.
Still, any ideas on how should I sharpen this thing? -
@Anna N I never thought to look up "bottle opener knife" Although there's no wavy blade (which I would love to proselytize buy gifting them), out of the 100 or so photos I came across, there were knives with bottle openers (attached). So that at lease solves that those grooves are indeed for bottle opening. But still, why the "wavy blade"?
@rotutsThat fish comment jogged my brain. Although I think she was just trying to pawn off her wares, I seem to recall the women (who I also believe was definitely not the original owner) saying "it's for descaling fish" IMMEDIATELY AFTER she said "I don't know".
Fun fact: That day I went walking around the stands specifically looking for a metal gear "vintage" egg beater and she happened to have one! So this "bread knife v2.0" was the bonus find.
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@rotutsIt's a flea market find! Person running the stand just had piles and piles of knick-knacks and such; a yard sell type of set up.
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What could this knife be for?
What is its true purpose?
It utilizes a serration pattern of gentle curves compared to the pointy teeth like serrations of a common bread knife.
For me, it’s an upgrade when cutting into a bread loaf since it achieves cuts without “hacking” or “tearing” out crumbs everywhere.
I don’t know its name or manufacturer (found at a flea market); when it was made; no one knows what it’s for; I failed to find any hints in all my search attempts.
Anyone got a clue or a friend who might know?
P.S. How do you recommend I sharpen this thing?
Knife details:
- Curvy edge is only beveled on one side. Opposite side is flat.
- Tang is only partially in wooden handle.
- Spine has “little teeth” (serrations). Interestingly those 5 patches alternate which side of the blade they face. (I use this for slightly tough crusts)
- Curved grooves at tip and beginning of spine look to me like made for leverage - something like bottle opening? (What do you think?)
- Punched “eye” towards tip. Has a function? (For hanging on a nail?) Maybe just for decoration? (Do other knifes have this?)
- Bottom face of handle is curved like a crescent.
- “STAINLESS STEEL JAPAN” stamped on the same side as curved bevel.
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1 hour ago, TdeV said:
"... However, for the APO, the temperature adjustment on the front panel is either too damn slow, or too damn fast. ..."
I agree. I would instantly upgrade to any countertop steam oven with some sort of physical feedback so an app is not a part of its critical functionality (why I was on the fence in the first place).
*sigh* but I gotta acknowledge and respect them for taking the risk of a venture into this domain I guess?
It's understandable if their strategy was to knowingly compromise interface design to better take advantage of "off the shelf" (already established and therefore cheap) non-custom manufactured components, in order to: to bring this to market ASAP, with as much reliability as needed to make it stable enough to sell (incrementally redesign with consumer feedback), keep it profitable, and keep it affordable.
I respect them being a part of the niche market that has been consumer level combi ovens / steam ovens. Regardless, I WOULD UPGRADE IN A HEARTBEAT. Be a dream if I could.
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2 hours ago, palo said:
@Jon S
The app is nice but unnecessary - my APO works perfectly using the controls on the bar - I got it based on its hardware capabilities not its software
p
I can agree that without an app, it's at a minimum a steam oven.
But major conveniences (some which you'd get in any oven!), are tied in the app. I constantly have to work around things I used to not have to worry about. It's one thing not having it to begin with, and another knowing what you've lost. 
A few examples off the top of my head (the most familiar):
- Not being able to turn off the fan (or even adjust the speed) so that it doesn't wear (squeaking fans seem to become an issue with these APOs).
- Having the way to use the oven light be a 3-5 sec moment after I toggle pausing/stopping my cook (which can reset my timer)
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Not able to "program" phases controlled by temp readings or time settings.
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"Downloading" a preset cooking program as a template from their official recipe list
- Then there's the timer not starting until the preheat is done, when in the app you can start the timer immediately
This "precision oven" I "own" doesn't feel like mine when I can't "precisely" control it (use it to its fullest like I used to).
I'd love to have more control over how I cook, that's why I bought it.
My personal take: It's like buying a high performance vehicle for that sake, getting to use it on the race track for a few weekends as intended, then overnight, not because of how you drove it or where you parked it, it gets stuck in first gear. Why? Because someone else thought it'd be a good idea to give it an automatic software update that you couldn't prevent even if you wanted to, so that's your reality now. (And you don't even know what that update was for, so it might have been unnecessary for your needs).
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13 minutes ago, ElsieD said:
I did call Anova about this and much to my surprise they called me back about a half hour later. They suggested I pull the plug and leave it unplugged for at least 15 minutes so it could re -set itself. I'm not sure what re-set means but at any rate I unplugged it overnight and tried the proof function again this morning. It was set to 81F, but the temperature went to 92.
Some electronics "remember" things based on components that are built to have a charge (capacitors). Once the device is unplugged, the source of that charge is gone, and so it will "forget" after the charge naturally dissipates. This is why you sometimes have to "wait [30, 60, etc.] seconds before turning back on" a device when it's giving you issues.
Hope that helps!
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After returning my first APO because it wouldn't connect to my app, this second APO stopped being recognized all by my apps (iPhone & iPad) at the same exact time, all of a sudden about 6-8 months ago. It was a struggle to get it on the app, many hours of work for even me, an IT guy.
It has really limited my functionality and ease of use. I was originally on the fence to purchase due to the lack of control without the app. I have to have $600-$1200 remote (that constantly changes) essentially? Not to mention the possible security risk of it requiring to be connected to the internet on my home network to just to communicate to within 10-15 ft. I'd like to have the option to opt in to the network connection for this reason.
Additionally, I'd like to be able to opt out of this required connection to the internet because it is almost certain that an automatic background update caused the issue. I can't update my phone (and why should I if it works the way it is? Just like the app was.)
If this APO hadn't been connected to the internet, it wouldn't have changed a thing, it'd be secure, and I'd still be able to fully utilized the functionality of a tool I paid over half a grand for.
I wish the consumer market had a countertop steam/combi oven that didn't NEED an app. God I wish this so much. Unfortunately that just isn't the case yet.
P.S. My background is in computer hardware and software & security of those. If I had the hardware and known this was going to be the case, I would have attempted to create a second home network isolated from the internet and see if connecting it to that would have worked. Granted, this "solution" would have caused me to pay for another endless energy bill that communication devices like routers and modems consume, and I'd have to get whatever device the app was on to switch wifi networks just to send commands or receive notifications during use, that means it'd be useless as an internet device for the duration of that use, i.e., it would ONLY be an ANOVA app device for the duration of each use.
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Do you have the ability to share your recipe?
I've been craving the peanut butter & chocolate cream pies from the time of my Honeymoon in Maui 2 years ago.
It seemed a popular item there but I've had trouble finding any where I live.
(They placed chocolate over the crust, it might have been more of a ganche?, then the cream on top so I'd be curious to see how this one sets
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On 12/21/2021 at 10:33 AM, blue_dolphin said:
iSi silicone spatulas & bowl scrapers (sadly no longer available)
If only...
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On 3/8/2022 at 1:11 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:
Anova has decided that they need to replace my oven. @TdeV, how did you get your oven back to them? Did you keep the original shipping box?
I had my old box & foam but they also offered to send me the new one so I’f have proper snug packaging for the old one.
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New Stuff on APO. (Which probe is better? Why the change? -money saving or performance/issues?)
Is anyone aware of issues with the probe breaking? I’m on my second APO. My initial oven was unable to be connected to Wifi after many hours and variations. So the second one has come in and as I’m setting it up, I notice three things are different between them.
1. The tank has a black protective “sleeve” face. It can move (has some play), I believe this is to act as a buffer for heat, although it could also be a cheap and easy way to hide cracks that will appear.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
2. There is a silicone piece (about 2 pencils thick, and about a that long too *#2 pencils*) that fits into the groove between the base of the water tank holder and the side of the oven. (To redirect steam/heat?)
3. The probe is shorter by a few cm and has changed jackets (No idea what the new material is, I assume the old material was a fiberglass cable jacket (woven/braided). This new one like a thermoplastic or silicone. Don’t know what the change was for and doubt I’d get a real answer if I asked customer support.
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Happy to have someone with so many questions and bringing their own wisdom of experiments.
Glad you are here and that you’ve found us! You definitely belong! 😆
Good look with the candy, can’t wait to see photos of attempts or showing off the hard earned ideal lol 😉 (Humbly of course!)
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On 11/29/2021 at 11:23 AM, Jon S said:
Just got an email from AnovaCulinary.com
Looks like Andrew Rea from "Binging with Babbish"/"Babish Culinary University" is collaborating with Anova to show off their Precision Oven.
I wonder what will come of it...
Hopefully new a fun, creative, and simple recipe on youtube.
Ideally, this means more food nerds are exposed to the wonders of a home combi-oven. Which means new people getting into it, doing experiments and therefore hopefully publishing new recipes! I would love the combi-oven recipe list to grow!
I just received my APO last week and have been slowly reshuffling my kitchen to make space for its debut to precious counter space.Looks like the colab was true
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Just got an email from AnovaCulinary.com
Looks like Andrew Rea from "Binging with Babbish"/"Babish Culinary University" is collaborating with Anova to show off their Precision Oven.
I wonder what will come of it...
Hopefully new a fun, creative, and simple recipe on youtube.
Ideally, this means more food nerds are exposed to the wonders of a home combi-oven. Which means new people getting into it, doing experiments and therefore hopefully publishing new recipes! I would love the combi-oven recipe list to grow!
I just received my APO last week and have been slowly reshuffling my kitchen to make space for its debut to precious counter space.-
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Glad to have you be a part of the forum! There's plenty of folks who will appreciate your opinion and enjoy your presence. Be well!
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On 8/26/2020 at 1:45 PM, PositiveMD said:
@CanadianHomeChef For what it's worth, in modernist cuisine, they stated that the temperatures inside the rational combi ovens weren't very accurate below ~140 F. So I'm not sure how accurate this oven would be compared to the rational ones.
Okay. So, I just want to confirm whether or not this applies to the APO:
"This is why we hesitate to recommend combi ovens for cooking fish, rare meat, or other foods where you might need temperature accuracy"
[Modernist Cuisine (Vol. 2, Pg 156)]
@PositiveMD's quote is the only thing I've found on eGullet for using the APO at temperatures 140 F / 60 C or below.
I'm curious, what is the accuracy of this statement for APO veterans?
P.S.
I am considering returning my unused Anova Precision Cooker Pro (immersion circulator) to subsidize the cost of the APO. This was just purchased because of a sale but if the Sous Vide mode of the APO is not a concern at low temperatures, then I can't see why I'd have both. Can you?
P.P.S. I have been ignored the three times I've reached out to Anova for response to this main question. The first time (2 months ago), they said I'd be contacted by a technician. And ghosted me even after 4hrs of leaving a chat window open. They have been horrible with Customer Service so far, hopefully that's just been my luck though and isn't the norm.
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Hi @DaveCee! Welcome to egullet :)
What ingredients or techniques have you excited and/or curious at the moment?
Do You Save Your Nitrogen for Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) at Home?
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
Let's say I affixed a normal balloon to the vent of a dewar and once "full" nitrogen gas I then poured that gas into an airtight-sealable container with leftovers in it. The hypothesis is: displacing the oxygen before sealing extends the food's life. Is that something someone here has tried?
The question is, if it does work, by how much is the improvement? Would it be a dramatic increase? Days vs weeks? Is botulism really going to occur in that time frame?