Syzygies

Here is a source for the largest carbon steel Spanish paella pan that fits inside a KK: Spanish Table Carbon Steel Paellera 50cm That is, without the handles, which were a bear to saw off, then the lid closes. This happens to also be the largest size that fits into a K7, I was lucky to be able to redeploy. One could buy stainless steel, and carbon steel can get a bit of surface rust during periods of misuse, but cleans up well and seasons more easily than stainless. And after seeing chipped enamel cookware in so many ill-equipped kitchens in my youth, I'd never go that way. For me, carbon steel is the sweet spot. I've learned not to cook pizza at temperatures that ushered in the bronze age, but I still believe in thin crusts and spare toppings, at least in warmer weather. Same with paella: I honestly believe that the pan I recommend feeds four to six, not 14 as advertised. Seriously. Glop it on three times as high, and you're making the paella equivalent of Chicago pizza: tasty Spanish rice that could have come out of a microwave. Spaniards like a bit of tooth and crust as the paella nearly burns in spots. We're still trying to get this crust right. Same "cycle of life" story throughout cooking: Beginners burn. Intermediate cooks know not to burn, and everything tastes like it came off a steam table. Great chefs burn, only when they do it you love it.

Hey, welcome to the gang. I've been meaning to place my order, based on the conclusions reached at the very end of this thread: E-Z Que Rotisserie Yes, they exist. No, order their stuff or equivalent from third parties.

Well, paella pans can get hot, and are designed to not warp. I'm pretty happy with my foil-lined terra cotta 16" plant saucer as a heat-deflector / drip pan, so when the stainless steel heat drip pan that came with my KK warped, I tossed it rather than clean it. Call me lazy.

I'm not sure, but if this were a game show I'd bet all-in this was work by Richard Johnson, Kamado Corp., from perhaps the 1990s? The design did get a bit more refined later, but not by much. Though I am confused, because the tiles appear to be adhering better than my later model. As for the tiles, slap a mixture of mortar mix and black cement die onto the bare patches, keep more handy as tiles fall. It will look quite artistic; only people with bones to pick with RJ will contest the post-apocalyptic effect, which will be worthy of a New York gallery. Then drill a hole for a BBQ Guru port (their least expensive controllers work miracles), block the main intake vent if you can't control it, and rest an upside-down terra cotta plant saucer over the dome collar. Perhaps after removing those tiles on top, that will be just enough of a leak for the Guru to do its job for low & slow cooks. You're not going to be able to fashion an adjustable top dome; settler for "saucer on" or "saucer off". They can take a lot of heat (the saucers); I use one as a heat deflector and foil-lined drip pan. This is a least-effort way to salvage this cooker. I'm not sure you really want to sign on for more; just buy a cooker from Komodo Kamado, if you want one that does everything effortlessly.

Sad day. Our dog Dolly died today, after a very good 16 years.

Today's email offers 15% off and free shipping (not 25% off, but better than nothing).

Yikes! That's a third level of degeneracy I didn't know existed. Both of my units have manual seal. That's a feature they track on their web site, and essential for me: For simmer-in-pouch or odd shapes, a single seal is far enough from 100% reliable that I want a second seal, perhaps after cleaning the bag if the first seal was through traces of liquid. So I use manual seal frequently. I also use it to convince the unit to move on, when I think the vacuum stage is done but it doesn't. My lesser unit turns off the vacuum as it starts the seal. As the foam gets older (can be replaced), if I don't wet the foam before use, air gets into the bag. This isn't a documented feature variation; one has to ask explicitly if the vacuum pump continues to operate while the unit seals. Yes, surely I'd prefer a chamber unit, except it's still 3x more expensive and 3x larger. I'm not quite at the lifetime break even point taking into account the savings for bags. What's frustrating about the channel bag units is that they're great when they work well, why isn't this all of the time!?

Interesting. I knew this was a one-day sale, but not that it was to appease the faithful before a price rise. We rip through the pint bags; our chest freezer is dominated by partially dehydrated garden tomatoes, and tasty salty pig parts (pancetta, guanciale, prosciutto, double-smoked bacon, many kinds of chorizo) all in pint bags as an ingredient. For stock, we don't bother vacuum packing; we just use zip-locks. Oh yeah, and when our 16 year old dog is a fussy eater, she'll still eat KK pork shoulder, which we hoard in pint bags. Nice also for a quick pork sandwich. Nevertheless, we do use quart bags, but they were marked "out of stock" during the sale. Hmm. We ordered 20 boxes of 28 pint bags each for $126.07 delivered: 22.5 cents/bag. I'd like to audition cheaper bags but we're concerned that "softer when boiled" means more plasticizers on the loose. On the machine front, Calebas wrote me back: For a unit that can handle moisture, I was impressed by the VacMaster 130, e.g. at Kodiak Health. Alas, digging around the web for reviews, it would appear that quality control is spotty and customer service is downright hostile. I've had spectacular luck with FoodSaver customer service. After discussing the pros and cons of their past and current offerings over the phone, I ordered the Foodsaver Gamesaver Turbo Plus, their current top offering for our usage pattern. I got in on the 25% sale, thus beating third party pricing, and from Tilia I get a 30 day trial, they pay return shipping if I bail. Apparently some people get bum units here also, but at least I trust their customer service. While my 2006 FoodSaver V2440 in NY would appear to be designed by someone dumb as a stump (I knew there would be a pause between seals, but not that the vacuum would cut out before sealing), our 2004 FoodSaver Professional III gave us good use for the money. The new unit is apparently an upgraded Pro III, two pumps, wider sealing strip, finer controls.

I'm back So we didn't buy anything then. Our two FoodSaver machines are in increasing need of service, and we're out of channel pint bags. Hard as it is to believe, the best price on OEM bags is from Foodsaver today (and other days when they have a promotion): 30% off 5 or more boxes, and 25% off / free shipping for entire order today with promo code 99FECCC. This gets the price close to bulk alternatives. I'm concerned about bulk third-party bags that go softer when boiled than an OEM bag, as this makes me worry about plasticizers getting into my food. So I'm reviewing the question before stocking up. The advice here is great for varied parties. We rely on a large chest freezer, we can afford the money and space to do better than the straw and ziplock method. (A girlfriend once tried to convince me I didn't need to buy coffee filters, as paper towels worked just fine. At the time I looked at her like she was from Mars; I'm easier to get along with now. I still have friends that swear by Webers. Go figure.) However, we cannot afford the money or space for a chamber vacuum machine. In the tabletop "channel bag" vacuum sealer category, one can clearly do much better than FoodSaver for under $500 ** except ** for the moisture issue. Let's stipulate that moisture is bad. For varied use of a vacuum sealer, moisture is also inevitable, and one can learn to cope: Stop in time. Clean the bag past the first seal with a paper towel and seal again. Yada yada. FoodSaver realizes that their units will be used for moist applications, and design a drip tray to catch a modest amount of liquid before it fouls the vacuum pump. Many $500 units are designed for hunters, and will never be used with anything moister than meat, and despite their evident superiority with the basic vacuum and seal, do not have any provision to trap modest amounts of liquid. I try to avoid liquid getting into the machine, but it happens. I'd be an idiot to buy a car without an airbag, even though I try to avoid accidents. Please, no "Heloise tips" for working around a dumb design; for example, I know about freezing first, but I simply don't have the time. My question is this: Does anyone know of a better-than-Foodsaver tabletop "channel bag" vacuum sealer, with a provision for trapping liquid at least as well-designed as FoodSaver's solution? If so, please describe the solution.

My neighbor has my "made by a competitor" K7; my beautiful wife bought us a "made by Dennis" KK. World of difference. However, in my experience a lowly Weber charcoal grate (not the cooking grate) was superior in a K7 to any alternative, including the "OEM" (calm down in the peanut gallery ) fire basket. Measure the hole. The smaller grate sits lower, for a full load of charcoal for two days of cooking the neighbors' freezer contents after a Florida hurricane kills everyone's power. (Not me, but this did happen...) The larger grate sits higher, to get the fire closer to steaks and such. Go with the smaller if you're only getting one.

I recently attached a Mac mini to the monitor in "TV" position in my New York apartment. The cost was less than double that of a Zone setup. They're both interesting alternatives. When I play music now, the LCD monitor shows track information and album art full screen. No dedicated music player offers such a stunning display. Between the processor speed (twice e.g. an Apple TV, and -vs- a $40 DVD player? Don't ask) and the separate graphics circuitry (6x the integrated graphics on my MacBook), the Mac mini does a phenomenal job of putting 1080p video on the same LCD monitor. Even a Netflix streamed video looks as smooth as HD; only the lack of detail gives it away, and only then if one has ever seen a true HD picture.

frost frame for tying up tangerines frost frame for tying up tangerines, recovered from KK crate:

Handbrake There's also Handbrake, cross-platform but very popular on the Mac. Requires a helper program to do the wet work, but they give good instructions on this.

A colored roux is a Cajun and Creole staple in Louisiana cooking. The French believe in cooking roux just long enough for the flour to lose its raw taste (my British "The Whole Beast" cookbook says to wait for that biscuit aroma), and know that as one cooks longer the flour loses thickening ability. I'd have guessed a medium (or "peanut colored" as described in the above link) roux for Turkey. Fat makes the dish; I'd use butter or some combination of rendered bacon or lard. Unspecified "oil" scares me, and a roux isn't so hard that one needs to swap in oil for technical reasons. For the roux stage, use a nonstick pan and a silicon spatula, and start the roux as the first thing you do. Until the very end you can leave the roux for stretches as a time, determined experimentally by the difference in color that the spatula reveals on each stir. Meanwhile be chopping veggies like crazy, as that's what arrests cooking when the roux reachs color. Some people cook a roux very slowly (an hour is not unheard-of) and I've done a five minute roux (like described in the link). That seems all wrong to me; there's plenty to do in the kitchen, and I don't want us ripping through the first bottle of wine in five minutes.

Everclear 151 or 190? I blinked at your quantities, but that nice stiff drink is the same as half a bottle of 12% or 15% wine, standard fare for anyone in training. I've taken to measuring hard liquor with a tablespoon. I've always got plenty around in easy reach, and easier to dial in cruising altitude.

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.

Great NYTimes article: After Microsoft, Bringing a High-Tech Eye to Professional Kitchen Interesting read. Some highlights: For crispy skins, e.g. duck or suckling pig. I'd add that drying the skin with a hairdryer helps. Oh boy does this remind me of a slew of bbq debates. The key observation this reminds me of is that a full cooker is a happy cooker. Because the KK is tighter than other ceramic cookers, it will create a more humid environment, so advice on temperatures won't translate literally. Hmm, anyone thinking of the distinct shape Dennis gave the KK, with sides rising straight up from the main grill?

Re: Cuban Sandwich So we're struggling for a snappy comeback, and the only names we can come up with are Castro and Ricky Ricardo. (We've used house-cured ham before, making the actual sandwich in a "Cuisinart GR-1 Griddler Panini and Sandwich Press", cheapest and best of breed. The sandwich recipe is straightforward, everyone agrees. I wouldn't use butt, one wants ham.)

Uh, heres' a dumb question. The state of my garage managed to mask the fact that I have both a KK pizza stone and a KK heat deflector, both in steel liners. I used the first one I could grab (not knowing I had two) for our pizza. Is there a difference? How do I tell which is which?

Here are some links from another thread: BQRB306T (6") Rotisserie Basket for 30 All Grill & 41 Grill with Side Burners - 6 inch BQRB308T (8") Rotisserie Basket for 30 All Grill & 41 Grill with Side Burners - 8 inch motor links: E-Z Que Rotisserie Motors Any other rotisserie motors other than EZ Que?

Scary? You want to see scary? (not a Komodo Kamado)

Ha! You made Laurie laugh.

BQRB306T (6") Rotisserie Basket for 30 All Grill & 41 Grill with Side Burners - 6 inch BQRB308T (8") Rotisserie Basket for 30 All Grill & 41 Grill with Side Burners - 8 inch motor links: E-Z Que Rotisserie Motors Any other rotisserie motors other than EZ Que? We haven't jumped yet. Does one clearly want both baskets? Our primary use will be chickens. While the full "two 14 lb turkey" package would include the 8" basket and the 50# motor, we could get by with just the 6" basket and the 30# motor, for half the price.

I aim for around 550 F. True pizza ovens on Sicilian islands cook at higher temps, but we're using a different technology. With my old Kamado, if I put the pizza in near 600 F with a fire that was beginning to die down, I'd see the dome temp drop nearly to 500 F while I cooked. The KK is tighter and better insulated, so I see less of this effect. We were thrilled, nevertheless, with our first KK pizza, cooked as I describe. Seasonally, we prefer thinnest crusts in hot weather, going thicker when we start to grow our winter coats.