Gotten any fun stuff lately?

[Katie Meadow]

 

On 7/19/2024 at 1:59 PM, blue_dolphin said:

They sound excellent.  I hope you’ll share how you use them.  I'm really bad at using spice blends, whether they’re gifts or stuff I purchased myself. 

Years ago, shortly after La Boîte opened and I was visiting NY I stopped by. I imagine it's grown since then.  . I bought a little tin of Smoked Cinnamon. Just smelling it was transporting. The only thing I figured out to do with it was use it in a steak rub.

[Shel_B]

Expected to arrive in a few days:

 

 

I've been thinking about getting a Bialetti moka pot for quite some time, and have been reluctant to click the "buy" button because it's not something I really need.  But when I saw this one, the colors just grabbed me and I popped for it unhesitatingly ... my kitchen needs more color - I need more color in my life - and this will sit quite visibly next to the coffee grinder and small tea containers.  I'm also pleased to have finally made the decision.

Edited August 4 by Shel_B
Additional information (log)

[Shel_B]

Vitamix tall 64-oz container:  When I purchased my Vitamix 5300 it came with the short 64-oz container.  After a while, I learned that a narrower container might best suit my needs, and I found a great deal on a 32-oz container.  It showed me that the narrower container would, indeed, be a better choice.  For a while, I looked on eBay and Amazon for deals on the tall 64-oz container, but could not find what I wanted.  Most offered were second-party or unknown brand containers, which I didn't want.  The few used Vitamix containers that I found were more beat up than was acceptable.  And I didn't want to pay full retail for a container that I didn't actually need ...

 

Last week I received an email from Vitamix saying that the tall 64-oz container was on sale for Labor Day, and the price was such that I could get a new one and end up saving about $80.00.  CLICK!

and today the new container arrived ... just in time for the start of soup season.

 

 

Edited September 6 by Shel_B (log)

[Laurentius]

13 hours ago, Shel_B said:

today the new container arrived ... just in time for the start of soup season.

 

Congrats.

 

Do you only use your BM to puree your soups, or do you also "cook" them by running it for extended periods?

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, Laurentius said:

 

Congrats.

 

Do you only use your BM to puree your soups, or do you also "cook" them by running it for extended periods?

I've tried cooking soup and heating water in the machine, more just to see if it could be done (it can), but it's very inefficient and somewhat time consuming.  Every now and then I'll add a cold/cool ingredient that needs to be warmed, and the Vitamix does a very nice job with that.

 

I love the machine.  It does what the makers claim it does, and it does so without fuss or complaint. I bought it in mid-November 2018, and for years I used it at least once a day, often more, and thus far it's never missed a beat. 😍😍😍

[Laurentius]

2 hours ago, Shel_B said:

 

I love the machine. 

 

Yes.  I have a much older VM (looks like a chrome toaster).  It's got a SS beaker and has been absolutely bulletproof.

 

Like you, I tried "cooking" soup in it just to test the maker's claim.  I agree it does work, but takes a long time.  Plus, I've never thought the soup improved--I think it reaches a degree of smoothness that no additional time will improve.

[Laurentius]

On 8/3/2024 at 2:40 PM, Shel_B said:

Expected to arrive in a few days:

 

 

Well?  Was the special edition Bialetti a hit?

[Shel_B]

7 hours ago, Laurentius said:

Well?  Was the special edition Bialetti a hit?

Mixed review. I really like the results I get from the Bialetti.  The coffee is easy enough to prepare and I purchased a couple of pre-ground Lavazza blends. Actually, I bought one package

and the company sent me another at no cost. Maybe it was a special introductory offer <shrug> I essentially bought the machine for a quick hit in the afternoon, and the pre-ground is perfect for that. It also adds to the Italian espresso feeling which rounds out the experience.

 

However, I'd be more satisfied had I purchased the next larger size.  This one's a skosh small for my big hands, just a bit too dainty.

 

 

Edited September 8 by Shel_B (log)

[DesertTinker]

A 9 tray Excalibur Dehydrator. Purchased on eBay to replace the Harvest Maid FD-5000, Solid State w/dryness sensor probe, circa 1985, that I inherited from my mom. At just shy of 40 years of relatively steady use, the Harvest Maid finally pooped out.

 

The Excalibur is not quite as quiet as the HM, but it does dry faster and has a bit more drying space than it’s predecessor.

[Shel_B]

15 hours ago, DesertTinker said:

A 9 tray Excalibur Dehydrator. 

[...]

The Excalibur is not quite as quiet as the HM, but it does dry faster and has a bit more drying space than it’s predecessor.

 

That's neat.  How much space does it take up, what's it's footprint?

 

How does it work? Where's the heat and how is it circulated?

 

 

[DesertTinker]

32 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

That's neat.  How much space does it take up, what's it's footprint?

 

How does it work? Where's the heat and how is it circulated?

 

 

It’s 16.5” wide by 19.5” deep by 12.5” tall. Here’s a view of the inside (found online). 
 

The 7” fan pulls air from the back (via holes that aren’t very visible in this pic) over the heating element that sits just behind it, blows it through the trays, warm moist air is exhausted through gaps around the door on the front. Super simple construction, remove 8 screws and the back panel which holds all the “works” comes off. The best part is, replacement parts are readily available and easy to remove/reinstall.

 

Edited September 8 by DesertTinker
Punctuation (log)

[haresfur]

I have wanted some 2 liter mason jars for fermentation for a while but getting them has been problematic due to shipping costs. So I tagged along on a trip down to Melbourne on Sunday and made it to Kitchen Warehouse, which actually has a fancy storefront for the foodies, but apparently is well set up to get things to restaurants quickly.

 

Not without some issues because they don't know that their jars take wide mouth Ball lids (why would you make anything different?). Pretty ridiculous because the replacement lids they sell are only in a set of a band and a lid for about $7.00. Anyway I took a lid down with me, found a single jar on a clearance shelf where I could test it and decide it should work. Had to send someone into the back for Barkeepers Friend and picked up off-brand microplanes and kitchen shears. So a bit of a weird operation but a successful trip. 

 

[chromedome]

On 9/7/2024 at 11:47 AM, Laurentius said:

 

Yes.  I have a much older VM (looks like a chrome toaster).  It's got a SS beaker and has been absolutely bulletproof.

 

Like you, I tried "cooking" soup in it just to test the maker's claim.  I agree it does work, but takes a long time.  Plus, I've never thought the soup improved--I think it reaches a degree of smoothness that no additional time will improve.

I have two of those in my barn, which randomly stopped working for no readily apparent reason. One of them has subsequently had stuff spilled on it and may no longer be viable, but I hope to carve out time to dismantle and troubleshoot the other.

Truthfully I seldom used it for anything except crushing ice (my GF's meds often give her dry mouth, and she really likes a cup of ice powder; basically a snow cone without the artificial flavors and colors), but it excelled at that and presumably at some point I'd have found other uses for it. That whole "make hot soup through friction" thing never appealed to me, I must say. It's bloody loud, so leaving it on for an extended period is a non-starter for me. I'd rather make my soup conventionally, and enjoy the peace and quiet as it simmers.

[Laurentius]

4 hours ago, chromedome said:

I hope to carve out time to dismantle and troubleshoot the other.

 

If you're interested, there's a guy I found on eBay who parts out and resells parts for older VM stuff.  Last I checked, he also still had a run of spline adapters to make older VMs work with newer bins.

 

I'll look for his direct contact info if you want.  Just PM me.

[chromedome]

18 minutes ago, Laurentius said:

 

If you're interested, there's a guy I found on eBay who parts out and resells parts for older VM stuff.  Last I checked, he also still had a run of spline adapters to make older VMs work with newer bins.

 

I'll look for his direct contact info if you want.  Just PM me.

I expect it's an electric or mechanical issue; a failed switch or a bad solder joint or a failed capacitor or something like that. I wouldn't be buying a new Vitamix to use with the old SS jars unless I found one at the same kind of price point (ie, $25 CAD at Value Village) and that's pretty unlikely.

[jedovaty]

I got a new fridge and replaced the OTR microwave with an exhaust hood (I went to great lengths to do this.. did a roof replacement and added the ducting for the exhaust, very expensive toy!).  Happy with the exhaust hood, it is louder than I expected based on the decibels (extreme air) but it works and now finally I can burn sh.. ...tuff without smelling up the house!

[btbyrd]

My in-laws killed it for my birthday with a Darto No 27 paella and a Masienda molcajete. I am unspeakably lucky.

 

 

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, btbyrd said:

My in-laws killed it for my birthday with a Darto No 27 paella and a Masienda molcajete. I am unspeakably lucky.

 

 

 

They know you well. Lucky you, indeed!

[lindag]

The 'fun stuff' came along with some bad stuff.

My garage 20 cu. upright freezer bit the dust last week.  Of course it was chock full and wasn't discovered until everything was ruined.

The 'fun stuff' is the new frost-free freezer arriving today.

The 'I will never again' is to not fill to the point of having so much extra food that I could fee an army.

[TdeV]

3 hours ago, lindag said:

The 'I will never again' is to not fill to the point of having so much extra food that I could fee an army.

 

Good luck sticking to that idea . . . 😆

[Smithy]

Thanks to the Enablers on the Imported Italian spice blend topic, I now have an interesting set of spice blends that I have to find room for. My spice cabinets are as packed as @lindag's freezer apparently was. (We won't talk about *my* freezers.) 

 

 

The little Cajun Spices sampler at the right was thrown in for free.

[Shel_B]

Recent Hot Sauce Order: Most are new to me although I've been using Marie's sauces since the very early 1990s. The Mango Habanero sauce is excellent ... I'm getting a bigger bottle on my next order.

 

[chromedome]

On 9/24/2024 at 2:16 PM, lindag said:

The 'fun stuff' came along with some bad stuff.

My garage 20 cu. upright freezer bit the dust last week.  Of course it was chock full and wasn't discovered until everything was ruined.

The 'fun stuff' is the new frost-free freezer arriving today.

The 'I will never again' is to not fill to the point of having so much extra food that I could fee an army.

I have a full-sized chest freezer, two apartment sized chest freezers, an smaller upright (14 cu IIRC) and the pull-out freezer drawer of our 36" French-door refrigerator, *all* of which are packed. We've been through the fridge freezer, the upright and one of the smaller chest freezers so far, still have the other small chest freezer and the big one to organize and purge. I barely fit my last batch of rabbits into the available space a couple of weeks ago, and I have a large quantity of bush beans and greens still to go into the freezer, so it's definitely time to streamline.

Much of the process consists of eating up "made-ahead" meals and using containers of broth, though the big chest freezer is also where my stepdaughter keeps her kid-friendly convenience foods (the packaging takes up a lot of space).

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@chromedome I hope you have a backup generator 😇.

 

[chromedome]

1 hour ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

@chromedome I hope you have a backup generator 😇.

 

You betcha.

I have a pressure canner that I intend to make more use of, but that in turn requires finally getting our cupboards organized so we have space for the Mason jars (I also had to replace the seal around the pressure valve, but I have that now).