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Fries, or chips as we call them here in the UK, are too important a side not to have their own special thread. Please add your favourite recipe to this post. I love chips. We are told that Wallis Simpson said, "You can never be too rich or too thin". A good friend and I were regular visitors to a French bistro in Leeds (Sous le Nez) and she always said "You can never be too rich or have too many chips". I am going with her version. I grow potatoes and, every year, I end up with more potatoes than we can eat before they all start to sprout. The easy way I have found to process them is to turn them into chips and freeze them. Rather than waste a life time triple and double frying chips every time I want a good chip I simply halt the process part way through, freeze and then pull them out of the freezer and fry when I need them. This is my method: Chip the potatoes. If the skins are not too scabby I leave them on. Briefly wash the chips in water to reduce starchiness. Deep fry the chips at 130C in small batches for five minutes. I use a half and half mix of goose fat and olive oil. This stage is to cook the chip without colouring it. If you wanted to eat them the same day then the next stages would be to cool the chips down in the fridge and then fry them at 170C until cooked and coloured to your liking. What I do instead is lay the chips out to cool on paper laid on large baking trays after the 130C cook. Then I remember to take the paper out from under the chips (essential) and put the trays into the freezer so that the chips freeze loose and flat. When the chips are frozen I shake them off the trays and into vacuum bags which I seal loosely so that that chips are separate and can be shaken out when you need them. In the old days I would have cooked the chips in the deep fat fryer after I retrieved them from the freezer. Now I use my air fryer. I hated the concept of an air fryer but now I embrace it. It cooks (pre prepared) chips really well and you are never cooking in old fat. Having said all of the above, frozen chips or sweet potato fries from the supermarket cut out all of the work and taste fabulous cooked in a deep fat fryer or an air fryer. You just need to try a few different brands until you find the one you like. For extra information see this article by Felicity Cloake. I like her and her books because she tries out a number of different recipes for a particular ingredient and guides you to her view of the "perfect" recipe. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/may/20/how-to-fry-perfect-chips. I don't parboil or triple fry my chips because I ended up with a fine matrix of potato that carried too much fat. The Husband didn't like them and wouldn't eat them. I do a big chip pre-cook and freeze twice a year to match my harvests and it saves time for the rest of the year. Here is one half of my current stash sitting in the freezer with my bottles of ketchup and BBQ sauce made from the tomato glut.

Well, after 2+ years of lurking and trying to find a used KK, I’d had enough of waiting and pulled the trigger on a 32”, deep blue pebble. I’m moving to a new home and this will hopefully arrive shortly after move in. I’m planning on getting the side tables, cover, pizza stone, rotis cradle and motor. Actually found a KK cold smoke RIG on EBay. Is there any place to buy and sell used KK accessories, online swap meet? Any advice welcomed!

When Troble asked about Tekobo’s freezer, why did I immediately picture this?

Day 4 of the butcher box challenge....A5 Waygu flat iron steak. Marinated in olive oil, salt & pepper served with roasted baby potatoes with olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, black pepper and black truffle salt. Finished with Parmesan cheese accompanied by olive oil, garlic, pepper, prosciutto wrapped asparagus Side salad of grilled romaine Caesar salad grilled over mesquite wood served with a bottle of Justin cab

I was reading through some of all your profiles this morning and I stumbled across @tony b who apparently has in interest in golf. Which is something I quite enjoy. Being in San Diego and a resident of the City of San Diego we get to play the City owned golf course and home of the 2008 & 2021 US Open Torrey Pines. ive been making a point to schedule one day a month to go to this beautiful spot, which as all of my friends know, I’d like my ashes spread around hole 3 on the South Course. It’s a very special and beautiful place. It’s been incredibly therapeutic to do that. I love about 15-20 minutes away so I’ve also done a couple of brisket smoked while golfing. Here a few photos of the scenery. cooking on my KK and golfing at Torrey Pines has been great for me, what have you been doing in 2020 to bring you enjoyment? btw @tony bin case you were wondering last week it was a bit chilly 66 degrees when we teed off at noon

Me too. I have English humor and I’m a tongue in cheek, cheeky smart ass and my co-workers tell me they aren’t sure I’m serious or joking and I like to keep it that way 😀

I was half joking. I bought a 'gadget' not that long ago. It was a Thyme stripper. Basically, it looks like a ladle with a number of holes of varying size in the handle and you pull the thyme through, it strips all the leaves so you're not fishing woody stalks out of your food. It's 85% effective but so much better than picking the leaves off with your fingers. Mrs BQ made derisive comments about it when she discovered it. I played the 'oh, that, been in the drawer for ages' strategy. Anyway, about a week ago, she comes asking for it and where did I put it. It was in the dishwasher which was running but I said I'd thrown it out at her request. WHY? It's really good at getting the leaves off woody he....then she realised that she had just opened the door. Apparently I had a smug look on my face for the rest of the day. I didn't help matters by singing a rendition of MC Hammer's 'Hammertime' although my version was 'Hammer thyme'... I did stop when she tested the heft of a meat mallet in her throwing hand. I find the deep fryer is easier to clean and if you're doing anything in any quantity, having the basket to drain makes it pretty effective for draining off excess oil otherwise there is a lot of kitchen towel involved. I see that you have a recessive self preservation gene. To help you with that problem, the outcome is likely to go something like this:

I was just about to respond to Troble's question when I realised that I have no idea what type of freezer we have. The Husband is in charge of procuring equipment. I just ran back up the stairs, feeling a little ashamed about quite how large my freezer is, when I saw bgrant's message. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound... The freezer is commercial, that much I know. No branding on the outside but a label on the inside says it is a Gemfrost. It looks like this. Those trays are two deep. And full.

What has not been mentioned is the 8 mates on the balcony drinking Guiness and standing around the BB admiring it's good looks. Now we have doubled the weight. Reminds me of years ago and a friend's back porch that collapsed when his parents were out of town. Yea bad idea putting the keg out there and everyone trying to get a refill.

You're braver than I.

@Troble That looks absolutely delicious, the grilled asparagus and bacon looks a great combination. The fryer thread was very interesting. Ours was consigned to the kitchen loft 15 years or so ago, sacrificed on the altar of Mrs RD's "healthy eating" mission, and maybe a slightly lingering cooking smell. This Spring I think it needs to come down. The one thing that I remember it for it not so much fries but that it enabled you to cook using Tempura batter. Courgette, Onion "bhajee" , squid, prawn and lumps of fish cooked with a light crispy coating of Tempura were wonderful. @Braai-Q, thanks for tool vs gadget tip. I'm not sure it will help me - I asked Mrs RD what things we cooked in Tempura in the deep fat fryer, and was promptly informed that I didn't need a deep fat fryer for that as they can be shallow fried in a pan. I might suggest that she put her hair straighteners in the loft as it is perfectly possible to use the iron and ironing board instead. RD

So thank you, "5698K", that was a good tip. Today I did two things that I think fixed the leakage problem. One, I took a large flathead screwdriver and went all the way around the gasket, in the parted section in the middle, and dug out a TON of charcoal-y particulate, and then swept it out with a stiff brush. This greatly improved the pliability of the gasket, and I would recommend we all do this annually. I have had my 32"KK for maybe two years, and the accumulation of particulate, which impedes the gasket from performing, was considerable. This will be at least an annual exercise for me from now on. Second, yes, the lower part of the latch does have some small (1/8th"? 1/16"?) room for adjustment, and so does the upper latch. I adjusted both of them, and came up with tight seal. I need to lean a bit on the top hatch handle to get the latch in place to lock in, which is great. I am pretty/very sure this is airtight, now. And thanks, Tony B, for the tip about the outlet fan damper- I had totally forgotten that it was there, and rediscovered it- very good tip to reduce chance of spurious air leakage into the firebox area. Great point and an easy one to overlook. I may try another brisket next weekend....

Tekobo my wife has Scanpan knives- I’d call them mid range. However, her favoured 3 knives are $3 knives made in Taiwan with plastic handles. I’d call them junk, she won’t let me toss them. I once gifted her a beautiful high carbon Japanese knife. It ended up in the dishwasher multiple times. Then didn’t want to cut food with a rusty knife. Every knife she has is now stainless. Some people don’t care much for knives and that’s ok. I just want to maintain the edge so she remains practiced at cutting with sharp knives. We have lots of friends who have a block full of $100+ knives and have never thought about sharpening them. They don’t realise how much they have dulled over the years and think all tomato’s need to be sliced with the knife tip first!!!!! I gather them up occasionally, sharpen them on a whetstone and return them- this can be dangerous. They think it’s a miracle...... Then the cycle starts again. I hate dull knives, many people don’t care. [emoji2369] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@RokDok - let us know how that conversation goes. Or maybe more accurately when you’re going to have that conversation so that if we don’t we don’t see you for awhile we’ll know why 😀 also - the asparagus was wrapped in prosciutto, bacon could be too much but thinly sliced prosciutto was perfect especially when it crisps up. Super easy, looks fancy, it’s a keeper

Hey (Da do Ron Ron)Ron, I would recommend a (good) chiropractor for your Christmas present. I have had a persistent problem with my left shoulder rotator cuff for years and a local chiropractor has hit it hard with percussion massage gun, dry needling and ice and I am at last finding relief. Ridiculous to be making recommendations when I have no idea what is wrong with your shoulder but, after years of trying out different solutions, a series of short three then two then one weekly sessions over less than two months has made a huge difference to my life.

Folks, I was noticing that I had a possibility of air leakage around the seal between the lid and lower portion of my 32" KK when I tried to damp down the temp in my KK and saw a good deal of smoke leaking out between the lid and the lower portion of the KK. When I inspected gasket, I expected to see that it would be compressed and I would need to replace it- that was not the case. However,there was a good deal of accumulated grit from the last two year's worth of use, a lot of it building up in the center crease of the gasket. So here is what I did, and what I recommend you take a look at: take a large flat-head screw driver and run it around the crease in the center of the gasket and dislodge anything that might have built up there (you could use a knife, too, but not a sharp one- you wouldn't want to take a chance of cutting he gasket). I did this and then took a stiff bristle brush and swept the remaining grit out. The flexibility of the gasket was much improved and I achieved a much better seal. Speaking of seal, it is worth knowing that you have some small adjustment ability in the upper lower latches, about 1/8th or so of an inch on both. You can loosen the bolts holding them down, readjust, and tighten. It helped me a lot as I had a small gap between the upper and lower halves leaking air.

Now that colder weather is here (high on Christmas Eve is forecast to be 12F), I haven't hit a golf ball since late September. I am so envious of your weather in SD - just about perfect year round. All the beer festivals were cancelled this year, so it's been pretty boring year mostly, except for the derecho in August; but, I could have done without that excitement!!! And, my planned trip to Northern Italy was obviously nixed. With all the beer events being cancelled, including face meetings with my homebrew club, I greatly throttled back on my brewing. So, a lot of my diversion has been mostly cooking. Fortunately, I have a well stocked wine cellar and bar to keep me amused - ha, ha! Most of the cellar is older (10 - 30 year old) reds (Bordeaux, CA Cabs & Zins) and I still have a couple of cases of '90 vintage ports left (Grahams, Dows). But I mostly drink out of my "everyday rack" of younger reds (Pinot Noir, Cab, Syrah and Zin), rosés, and whites (Chardonnay, Viognier, Vinho Verde, and White Bordeaux). I am going to be sooo glad when 2020 is over!

OMG! And I thought I had a problem! The kitchen fridge has the pullout drawer freezer on the bottom, with a big sliding tray in the top. There's a medium sized chest freezer in the basement for the bulkier things (racks of ribs, pork butts, briskets, whole chickens, etc.) And, if needed, I can always use the top freezer section on my beer fridge for the overflow (typically after a CostCo and Trade Joes run!)

Congrats! The 32 is a great choice. Used accessories are hard to come by, but post what you're looking for here. You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you just might find...

@USUAggie - next time you come to SD we'll have to get out and play? @jonjthose sound like solid options. What kind of music does your band play and what instrument? I have destroyed my wine fridge during COVID and we've been playing with pretty much the same foursome this entire time, although we all walk and there is really never much time when we're closer than 6 feet to each other. My family and I have been very careful as well and really limited all of our social activities outside of seeing my wifes parents and seeing my parents, usually outside by the KK eating a meal Golfing at Torrey was the only real thing I've gotten to do and I disintitly remember the first round when it opened up right around Cinco de Mayo and the joy i felt getting to play and getting in nature like that. As a City resident I get to play there for $60 so it's kind of like why would you not play there if you can? Just gotta know how to book the times! @Jon B. that is relaxing in style my friend!

Congratulations! Don't forget to order coco and / coffee charcoal. Hard to get right now if not with a KK order.

My humour can be quote obtuse and in person, I do a lot of deadpan. It doesn't always translate. And, 'go go gadget legs'..... 😀

If you need him, he'll be in the attic

Great write up. To be honest we have been making actual homemade chips lately. (American potato chips not French fries). Maybe we'll have to try this out to make French fries.

Surly you're suggesting they consume lite beer?!

@Basher, I was going to protest at your wife getting/having the "junk" knives but I now see a potential solution to your problem and my angst. We had a drawer full of knives until a couple of years ago when we decided to pick out our favourites and store or give away the rest. The Husband and I each have our favourite knives that are now the tools of our kitchen trade. Cutting down the number that you have in general use could a) mean that your wife gets some good stuff to use on a regular basis and b) cut down your sharpening task.

I read your post out to The Husband. He asked what weight of beer they would consume before carrying out said test. An important consideration methinks.

Congratulations @BOC - bet you can't wait. Which tables did you go for - stainless tops or teak? Come on @MacKenzie and @tekobo, it's your chance to upsell him on at least two more KKs! 😆

This was yesterday. Dolphins off Peel Island. This is mates boat so I don’t do this often. I’m a member at royal Queensland Golf Course, however, haven’t played much over the last few years as I’d rather attend my kids sporting event at the moment. Jonj what’s the best book you have read recently? I discovered audiobooks a few years ago and became obsessed. Now I listen to 30- 50 books a year. Mindf##ked was interesting- it’s the Cambridge Analytica story written by their head tech guy. That’s a pretty course Troble. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to the Obsession. You're in for a nice housewarming present in the new home! Send us pictures! Definitely 2nd the idea to load up the shipping pallet with cocochar and coffee wood. Cheapest you'll ever pay for it and, as noted by @jonj, the ONLY way to get it in the US currently. There isn't a big secondary market for KKs or accessories, but occasionally someone will part with one. Just keep your eyes open on this Forum.

I’m a Russian river Pinot guy

OK, back on topic. Last night I did some chicken thighs, rubbed with Yardbird (fav for chicken). Direct, 325F, cherry wood chunks, main grate. Kept it simple. Risotto in mushroom stock, finished with Parm and truffle salt. Side salad.

The wine cellar art was done by one of our friends from college who is an artist. She and her husband are among our closest friends but we haven't seen them in person since last Christmas, due to Covid. Most of our cellar is California based, primarily cabernet sauvignon and Russian River pinot noir, with a smaller amount of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, syrah, and a lot of sparkling wine and Champagne. Sparkling wine makes every day better! We have just a few remaining Bordeaux from the 1990s, but really stopped buying when the first growths moved to four figures per bottle. "A magnum of Champagne is the perfect accompaniment for two gentlemen at lunch, if one of them isn't drinking much," ascribed to Sir Winston Churchill. If he really didn't say it, he should have.

Congrats, 32 is the way to go Enjoy, Merry Christmas

@Troble we play classic and garage rock, Americana, and oddball music which makes us smile. My main instrument is electric bass guitar, mostly Alembics although I do use Hofners when we do a Beatles set. I also play electric 6-string guitar, mostly G&Ls or Fender. I occasionally use a Theremin but am not at all proficient at it. Mostly just strange noises. TMI. In a kind of weird moment of insight, I realized I bought one of my Alembics about a decade ago from Kevin Robell, who lived on Coronado Island at the time. Our wine cellar has a L-O-N-G way to go before we run into any difficulty, so we have that going for us...

I've been playing golf once a week with a bubble buddy, although not on as nice a course as you have available. We try for tee times when we can play as a deuce, as there are a lot of mask/Covid conspiracy folks in this part of the country. And, oddly enough, high infection rates in the community (/s). We used to (now retired) work at the same hospital, which is now full of Covid patients, so we and our families are very careful in our behavior. I would consider it poor form to be admitted to my former hospital right now. We play unless the temperature gets below 40°F (we would probably be in shorts and polos if it reached 66°). We play music together once a week as well (we are in the same band when not grounded by Covid) to keep our skills up. Finally, I do a lot of reading. I'm in a long standing (although now Zoom-based) book club but also go through several other books in addition to the selected book of the month. I typically do a fair bit of woodworking, but am finding it is really on the back burner since the pandemic. Not sure why. And oh yes, cooking and working down the wine cellar. The latter will take some diligence.

@tekobo- that is definitely commercial and is amazing. We have a relatively small kitchen/fridge combo that is recessed into our cabinets. We got a second fridge/freezer in October in the garage and I thought it upgraded our life significantly.

Freezer envy...it’s a real thing. Half of my team is in Manchester and just a couple weeks back gave us American’s some grief about the size of our refrigerators and that we tend to keep a second in the garage. And here is an example on the other side of the pond that puts most of us to shame. Suppose I should have seen it coming. How else would you keep 3 KKs busy? Or better yet, keep what has kept the KKs busy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The French Fry is so popular I think a war would break out if one country were to claim them as it's own. We taste fries in many places with the expectation of something wonderful is about to happen, and if they fall a bit short, our experience at that restaurant is slightly diminished. You know this post took me back, back when as a kid my best friend and I would often visit McDonalds. We'd arrive every weekend and place our orders for 6 Big Mac's and a large fry and shake, and then sit down to enjoy. When that was done, we'd return to the counter for 6 more, and another large fry, but for some reason we'd skip the shake. I know what your thinking about now,...what does this have to do with FF's. Well, let me explain, sitting their as all content could be, amongst all the debris, we'd always grab our bags to see if any fries were left hiding at the bottom. "Happiness" is finding a FF at the bottom of your bag, still today. So for this McDonald loyalist, I'd have to say the best fries I've had are right down the street. I'd sure love to give yours a go Tekebo! An amazing prep with an equally amazing set up. If your wondering how could anyone put so much food down, well,.... it's something called the munchies, if you know how that works. Yes, as stated the venerable fry often a second thought and so taken for granted still holds us all powerfully in it's grasp. You know, I'm leaning a bit towards in how you shake the salt too,..seasoning is a part of the equation also. Gootta go Tekebo, all this 😜FF talk is making me hungry. All from an American point of view.

That’s good to hear! Dennis must have changed the latch a bit because my upper latch is welded in place. Regardless, I definitely think you fixed your problem, particularly when you mentioned that you could stop the leak by pressing down on the lid. Happy cooking! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That chicken looks lovely.

I had one of these for years. https://www.kingkooker.com/Outdoor-Chef-s-Hot-Tub-Multipurpose-Cooker-p/pack_2862.htm Not as glamorous as an indoor deep fryer but, can do much more and it can be stored in a shed/garage/carport...

Consider it "wagged!" 🤣 There's a lot to be considered here - how was the concrete balcony re-enforced and integrated into the building structure (i.e., was it built to be heavy load bearing or just moderately so - basic patio furniture/a few people), are you planning on the KK being close to the building structure or out near the edge for ventilation (thinking cantilevered load)? The good news here is that it's a static load (not moving) and somewhat distributed by the 4 wheels (but a fairly concentrated footprint - 25% of the weight is borne by each wheel, which has a very small contact point - very high lbf/sq in), but it's concrete, which takes compressive loads well. Good to hear that you've reached out to the original designers for some answers. Good Luck!

Peruvian pollo a la brasa roasted on the spit at 350 degrees. marinated in garlic, cumin, aji amarillo paste, aji amarilo chunks & aji panca powder with Peruvian salt, and a dash of soy and pisco roasted purple Peruvian potatoes with cilantro, garlic, Peruvian salt, black pepper, thyme and a dash of aji pamca. Finished with a bit of pane Sean cheese once pulled and rested served with spicy Peruvian green sauce over chicken & potatoes servrd with crispy kale chips tossed with olive oil & sea salt

No, abbiamo mangiato brisketta (I don't know what brisket is in Italian so just add an a and blag it with a strong Italian accent) sta sera. Anatra con patate mi sembrano molto bene. No google translate was harmed in the production of the above text and all errors are mine and mine alone.

Don't they all?? LOL!

Twins separated at birth @tekobo ? - you'll be telling me next that you're learning Italian too ! My eldest and I have just spent an hour digging up two (rather obscene looking- but quite artistic - they could win the turnip prize) parsnips from the allotment - more like an archaeological dig - they're two feet long - you have to use your fingers to dig them out. We are firing up the Weber and having crispy duck thighs with potatoes cooked in the fat that drips off them. Now , if you're having that tonight I am going to buy a lottery ticket. The big bad 10.2 % matt black stout is the best beer I've ever made. Here's what it looks like :

I'm not sure about the 3-2-1 bit but here is my margarita recipe. 2 oz Tres Generacións Anejo 1 oz Cointreau 1 oz Grand Marnier juice of 1 Persian lime (if traditional size - if one of those large, mutant limes, 1/2). Generally, about 1 - 1 1/2 oz. All into a cocktail shaker with 8-10 oz cracked ice. Shake for a minimum of 30 seconds to blunt the alcohol. Pour into a salt-rimmed glass. Drink. Smile. Repeat.

Chicken and hawian Outback kamado Bar and Grill