Leaderboard

Baked a give away loaf of sourdough bread today. Started it yesterday and did an overnight ferment. It does smell sour.

Curious. My instinct would be to try the soapstone out as a heat resistant work surface. Another potential way to use it would be to have a piece that you heat up and then bring to the table to cook on. Its heat retention would be a real advantage there. I am not so sure about cooking on soapstone in the KK. The time taken to heat up would see me choosing my cast iron griddle over soapstone. Having said that, a semi-circular piece could be fun. If possible it would be good to get a lip around the edge so you can cook without having stuff drip down onto the fire. If nothing else, it should be really beautiful! P.S. You asked whether it should go over the grill on your half grate or next to it. I would say next to it. Moving between the soapstone and the half grate bars would give you options.

We recently upgraded our Instant Pot to one of the newer, fancier models with a sous vide function. Decided to run a little test to see if this thing could potentially replace my Anova circulator. I set the temp to 130F and let it preheat. At the end of the preheat cycle I took the water temp and it read only 122. Decided to let it run for another 30 minutes and take the temp again. It’s a bit better, but not sufficient. Time and temp have a big impact on sous vide cooking, and undershooting can be downright dangerous due to bacteria. I rate this a fail. Will stick with my Anova stick.

The last thing you want for sous vide is temperature swings like those you experienced. That is terrible. Fail is right!

Has anyone ever asked @DennisLinkletterabout this? In the process of designing my outdoor kitchen. A KK Pizza oven would look pretty awesome.

True, but probably not as critical for the other functions, just like a +/- 25 degree swing for BBQ doesn't usually matter. BUT, for sous vide, there's a huge difference between dialing in a 131F medium rare steak and getting a +/- 8 degree swing. Difference between rare and medium.

Balsamic Vinegar from The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey in Colorado. We have been using this vinegar for years, it is better than anything we been able to source from grocery stores or the oil and vinegar shops. I use it for salads, dressings, brushing on veggies prior to grilling, the sweetness is great for a tomato salad with a mild cheese. Put it on your ice cream. If you like a nice balsamic you might want to give this a try. https://abbeywinery.com I

Coming along. The boys will be positioned just outside that open door to the right. Trading the forest view in my current house for the mountains.