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@Seasport my mother in law bought two of those for Christmas last year. She said she got them from Costco but that she’s also seen them at Cost Plus World Market made pizza again tonight. My gurus are now officially off cheese pizza and on to pepperoni which is good. So I made two pepperoni for us and one pepperoni & black olive for my wife and mother in law.

This happened just after my Saturday Rotisserie chicken, Alabama white sauce and risotto cook. Love summers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I waited until fresh peas were in season and then...cooked them. They were nothing like frozen peas. More like a robust bean. Ironic because the notes in the recipe for Braised lamb, peas, creme fraîche and mint in The Book of St John refer to Fergus Henderson being told, by a wise old chef, to wait until fresh peas are in season and then use frozen. That dish and many others from all of Fergus' books are well worth making. I love the freedom he gives you by being imprecise by referring to glugs of oil, enough stock, medium oven and, best and most mysterious of all, disciplining your mint. This is a photo of that dish on the KK when I made it in March this year. It was delicious. We made the pilgrimage to St Johns Bar and Restaurant last month and I decided to tag this on to @Syzygies' post here because I know how much he loves that place. We got there early, before anyone else, and left after most. The sign of a good lunch. Don't be put off by Fergus' nose to tail reputation. This is a place to take a chance, it all tastes great. Faced with the menu below, I imagine some of you would find it challenging. St.JOHN Smithfield LUNCH 10.07.21.pdf I was not so sure about the more out there stuff and so my choice was the first of each list below. Everyone enjoyed what they had chosen and I might even be tempted to try to make tandoori cubed ox heart one day soon, the papaya marinade would tenderise it nicely. There is something to be said for using, and enjoying, every part of the animal that died to give us that premium steak. Starters that we chose Deep fried lemon sole and tartare sauce Rabbit offal and radishes Rolled mutton and celeriac Smoked eel, potato and dill Main courses to follow Roast veal rump, carrots and trotter Grilled ox heart, jerusalem artichoke and aioli Grilled mackerel, peas and horseradish Pigs tongues, butter beans and green sauce I am not a dessert person but we thoroughly enjoyed sharing a plate of 12 warm madeleines, dipping them into the lovely sweet wine that our waiter recommended. Heaven. Ly.

Great looking pizza !!!!!!

Great work on the pizzas troble, they look amazing! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hello all. This is Mark (aka “The husband”). I am in charge of vacuum sealer capital equipment and consumable procurement as well as stock making. I realize having read @Syzygies posts, of course is absolutely correct about the thermodynamics, that when sealing my stand-up bags of stock (about 700ml each), I am using the chamber machine in “impulse sealer” mode - I eliminate as much air as I can manually then let it pull just enough vacuum (about 0.8 bar) to squeeze the lid down and create a good double seal. I do this after letting the stock cool to outdoor temp in the winter or room temp if that’s cooler in the summer - I have never had a batch spoil. The full vacuum treatment is only really necessary for freezing solids to prevent freezer burn or for sous vide cooking to prevent explosions. The 420mm oil pump machine we have (bought used on e-Bay) is a multi tool for vac packing, I have even used it for crushing down wool sweaters to freeze and kill clothes moths.

This is somewhat a commodity market, with no brands you'll recognize. There are however differences in the quality and width of the seal. My first two (one on each coast) were $30 units that eventually broke. I splurged and spent $100 last year on this 12" model: LinsnField Sealer Pro, Patented 12inch Impulse Heat Bag Sealer, 5mm Sealing Width I do think 12" is worth it (the space as much as the cost) even if one's primary application will be 8" stock bags. They all come with spare parts. Decide a permanent place to store these, and write that location on tape on the underside of the sealer. (I didn't, and I have no idea where these parts are.) They all benefit from a warmup: press once without a bag. There's a dial to adjust the heat. One might remember a setting for standard applications such as chamber vacuum sealer bags. They're great for sealing anything, such as half a bag of dried chiles from a Mexican grocer. The low settings do go low enough for truly sketchy bags, but one should test on parts of the bag you intend to later cut away. For sealing bags of stock, practice with water. First goal is to not drop the bag under any circumstances. Then learn to slide the bag up and down against a counter edge. Get all the air out from below the contact point, and let the liquid above the contact point slowly drain to below the contact point. Slide down to glom the entire bag together, then move over to the impulse sealer and seal. One would think one could do this on the sealer itself (I actually built a stand once to try to get the angle right) but the "glom" is not fragile, and it really is easiest against a counter edge. Moving the bag and positioning the bag on the sealer is another chance to spill the bag onto the floor. Be generous with bag sizing (one can cut the excess later) and this is less of a risk.

When we started looking at the KK back in March, I was thinking a 23” but my wife convinced me to go up to the 32”. By chance, while texting Dennis with some questions he let me know that he had a 32 available (a cancelled order) on the ship so I pulled the trigger. The alternative would have meant waiting until the fall. Others have commented about this - IT IS HUGE (and ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS). I cannot imagine needing more cooking space; even the 32 is overwhelming, but we do not do much large-scale entertaining. Good luck with this decision!

Well - We had some delays with the new hardscape work wrapping up, but finally finished and got the BB down the incline! Ended up having four guys from the landscape crew pitch in and we (mostly they) eased it down with four sheets of plywood that we leapfrogged as needed. Going to finish the assembly and do the burn-in this evening. Maybe shop for some more patio furniture lol. I liked those teak tables Dennis offers, but the wife thought it was overkill.

I was in London last week (picking up an award for my father who is unable to travel), and the food highlights of the trip revolved around Fergus Henderson's St John Restaurant and a pub staffed by alumni of that kitchen, The Anchor & Hope. Well-deserved slurs aside, I've been trying to believe that British food can be truly spectacular; the signature chicken pot pie from Tamasin Day-Lewis's Tarts with Tops on was one of the best things we ate last winter. The two restaurants above are game-changers for one's perspective on British cooking, and by far the best food I've ever eaten in the UK. There's a generational difference between the two places, in every sense: The first has white tablecloths, a Michelin star, takes reservations, and I'm not the oldest person in the room. The second has sanded wood tables, no reservations, I could be the oldest person in the room, and is a true madhouse in the evening as the 6 pm kitchen opening approaches. I was only able to get a table because a bartender spotted me through the crowd and introduced me to the list keeper as one who had kind words for their cooking at lunch time. They're alumni gunning for St John's crown, and the no reservations policy is a brilliant way to assure energy in the room. I'm still torn which place is better; if the descriptions don't bias you, why choose? Fergus Henderson has a pair of books available in the UK, the first of which is now a paperback in the US: The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. At the song for which it sells, I'd call this an essential cookbook. Only partly a carnivore's circus, but very on-topic for the KK crowd, with many dishes that would benefit from a bit of smoke, and lots of advice and recipes involving brines or cures. The sides also would go great with any KK fare; a bit of anchovy, caper, parsley dressing on broccoli transforms it into a dish that can hold its own at a barbecue table. More generally, I want to think of my KK as my go-to oven for that extra edge, for any dish that pops into a 375 F oven. The flavors here are certainly lusty enough to stand up to an outdoor fire.

23” colbalt blue. (Bliss)

Oh no lol I haven't attached the top vent yet. Wanted to get it moved first before attaching the top vent and thermometer.

I live in Iowa and we have some pretty harsh winters. I have had a cover for my KK since almost the beginning. No worries about the weather.

I haven't done any big low and slow yet on the 42 just because of how crazy life is around here these days, but I can say with certainty I will never come close to running out of room on my 42"

I'm very excited about receiving my KK later this year. It took me an extra 2 years to pull the trigger - but - it's pulled now. 32" BB in matte black pebble coming my way. Hopefully in late October / early November.

I've always been surprised by how much moisture the skin carries and the difference that letting it sit out uncovered for 10-12 hours or so makes to the crispiness of the skin. I then pat dry with paper towel to ensure it is as dry as possible before it goes on the rotisserie. Then cook it at about 150°C. I find you get it much crispier if you have it directly over coal but you have to watch for flare ups and it makes a bit of a mess unless you put a container under the coals. I have been known to put foil at the bottom of the KK to make clean up less awful. It's a fabulous dish on the KK, particularly when you can impart some smoke from flavoured wood. This is what it should look like:

Sounds like you're on the right path, especially talking to Dennis as you get closer to the "pull the trigger" date.