tekobo

Our food discovery of 2020 was just how much we like duck breast. While I was KK-less over the summer I found that cooking duck breast over my Solo Bonfire stove worked very well. There was limited smoke and what smoke there was stayed outdoors. The fat collecting channel also felt like a great innovation. It was so good that I thought this would be my go to method for all time. Then my 16" KK arrived and I tried the duck breast out in there with good results. This week I thought I would look up alternative recipes for duck breasts and, alongside a great recipe for blueberry mostarda, I found a great method for cooking duck breasts. It was in the book "Root to Leaf" https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0062283693/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_bi-cGbYZTK42X. Super simple. Put your duck breast skin side down in a cold pan. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 12-14 minutes, I did 15. Then turn over and cook flesh side down in the rendered fat for 2 minutes, I did 3. Rest for 5 minutes. So simple. No smoke. Indoors and warm. Done. My new go to method.

I am very pleased to have benefitted from your collective experience on this thread. After a couple of days of research and debate here we dived in and bought the TSPROF K03 sharpening system. The constraints on length of blade with the cheaper options and the fact that this system can also be used to sharpen our secateurs, chisels and my sewing scissors clinched it for us. The kit arrived in a neat box yesterday and The Husband got it out to use immediately. My crude assessment is that "all" that this does is a) helps you to choose the angle at which you will sharpen your knife and b) locks your knife into position so that you are able to apply the whetsone across your blade at that consistent angle. I think this means that you don't develop the skill and feel required to sharpen a knife by hand on a whetstone without any assistance but it does free you up to focus on your knife, the specific results you want and how to achieve them with the various stones and angles available to you. The Husband practised on an old Kasumi knife that we had consigned to our knife drawer in the basement. It came out beautifully. I used it to cut up a pile of post juicing orange shells for the compost heap. The ease with which the blade glided through the rubbery skin and thick shells was just amazing. Very little pressure. It made me realise how much effort I had previously been using to cut things up in the kitchen, even with my regular use of the steel. Do we really need this piece of kit? Probably not. We could have achieved something that was close enough if we had only used the whetstones that we already had more often. Am I pleased that we bought this piece of kit? Absolutely. The absence of effort when it came to cutting stuff up felt life changing. Not planning to buy any new knives here. Will be looking to get to know the ones that we have better. And yes, I am scared of my now very sharp knife. I need to relearn how to handle it in use and when washing. Super happy.

Yes! The information that is available is just amazing isn't it? Good to manage your expectations with four weeks of contingency but I know that in your heart of hearts you are hoping your KK will make it to you in less time. Me too! Looking forward to seeing that gorgeous vibrant blue KK in situ.

Yay! Thanks @Jon B.!

Tee hee. I feel like an interloper in this knife conversation but I have returned for a few reasons: 1. To thank @troble for starting this thread 2. To say that I woke up especially happy this morning. For a few years I have been dogmatic about using my two go-to knives and nothing else. It was great to be free of clutter but now I have decided that I will go into our knife store and pick out one to be a guest knife each month. We have some we bought in Japan and some that we bought direct from a knife maker in India. It will be fun to discover their various characteristics. 3. To say that we will get a knife sharpener but I don't yet know which. White smoke pending. The Husband seems to trust the You Tube guy that he found. Apparently he is a Green Bay fan like my husband. It takes all sorts.

Awesome. When you send your son over the seas to the UK when all of this COVID stuff is over, we would be very happy to have him stay and practice his skills on us!

Please give Tony a hug from me!

The Husband did say that the guy was going on to talk about blade length. I can hear the background noise from the video in the next room. Seems like he is getting drawn in. Knowing him, there will be a few days of circling round alternatives but I think we will be getting a decent knife sharpening system. Thanks for the tip.

I don't think I would have been able to let those ribs go @Tyrus. You are a better man than me. Just as well, me not being a man n'all.

I missed lots of yummy cooks over the last few days. And some that I can't pronounce or spell - okonomayi? Hungry now. Been down my hiding-from-all-potential-sources-of-news-on-American-sport hole while I got through the late night play off games from the weekend. The wings were magnificent on Saturday night as was that smoked shoulder of mutton that I made for tacos on Sunday night. No pics. All in tummy. Who won? Tiles. Of course.

Thank you all. The Husband is now getting himself a coffee to get him through the You Tube video of the guy comparing the TSPROF 03 with the TSPROF Blitz. So far, he has watched 7 minutes and tells me that the potted summary is that if you have more money than God and don't want to move it you get the TSPROF 03. I somehow suspect we won't be getting that folding bed for the spare room that we told his mother we needed for our Christmas present. To contribute to the knife debate. I am very happy with having just two go-to knives - a cook's knife and a vegetable cleaver. We have four specialist knives to share - a bread knife, a jamon knife, a boning knife and a filleting knife. I sharpen them on a steel and rely on The Husband to get out the whetstone periodically. I like the idea of learning to sharpen the knives well myself and look forward to the outcome of his journey down the TSPROF rabbit hole. Our go-to knives were made for us by a nice man about four years ago. His prices have gone up by more than 50% since then but I am still very happy with mine. https://blok-knives.co.uk

Hi BOC, the UK site says shipping Oct 12th! In any case, I don't really want something with a permanent spike in it hanging around my kitchen. I like the DIY version. I have all the components bar the pineapple. Can get one of those next time I venture out into COVID Central i.e. outside my front door. In the meantime, KK23 is lit. Wingfest for tonight's football. It is that bittersweet point in the season. Lots of great football but the knowledge that it will soon be all over and your team won't have won. Yay all the same.

I guess you are saying there is not enough room? Too dark and cold here for me to go out to experiment in the 32 here. I did look up the Trompo King. Why don't I have one yet? 1. The UK site doesn't have any supply 2. The US site won't ship to the UK even though their help folk said they would 3. I wonder if I really need one and whether the "self basting" in the horizontal rotisserie format is a better solution. Rest assured, reasons 1 and 2 are the prime reasons. I am wondering if I can adapt make something similar here. We do have a local blacksmith who made our staircase and gates. I wonder what he (a vegetarian) will think of a commission to make a shawarma spike.

Hey @Basher. I have a copy cat donabe shelf ala @Syzygies I use black rice cooker the most, every other week. The white steamer whenever I want to steam something and want to be reminded how beautiful donabes are. The big donabe on the far left gets used for nice stock based winter meals and the soup and stew donabe on the far right hardly ever gets used which is a shame. Note to self - reach for this when next making a stew. Our favourite recipe so far is this duck and tofu hot pot from the Donabe book I recommended earlier in this thread.

Same here. You mean some people go on holiday without taking their own gear with them? Weird...

Welcome @Wilsonj. Don't panic. It is a bit like getting to know your long term partner. This one doesn't need a pre-nup and will forgive you for pretty much every mistake you can/will make along the way. Assume it will take a while to get into your stride. Make sure you enjoy the journey.

This feels like an important part of the story to me. I pretty much always start with a full basket of charcoal. Don't be afraid that you will waste it. You preserve most of the charcoal when you choke off the fire by turning off your top vent and bottom vent at the end of your cook. Having a full basket means you have more of a chance of getting to a good temperature during your cook. When things have cooled down the next day I re-set by dragging any partly used coals to the centre of the fire basket and arranging new coals around the outside. Helps you contain the heart of the fire and means you don't have a raging fire across the whole basket next time you light it. I hope that all makes sense!

Surprised by that. I have not tried this in my 32 but here are clearer pictures of the setup I used in the 23 in the summer. In the summer I used the upper/pizza grate turned upside down in the 23. In the shot above I just used the lower grate throughout.

Here been busy but continue to be inspired by y'all. Chicken shawarma inspired by @Troble. Just four thighs made a good meal for two. I used a shop bought ready mix of shawarma spices. Delicious. The chicken went into tortillas made to @PVPAUL's family recipe and method. I cooked them first in a cast iron pan and then passed them directly over the flames. All topped off with a hot pepper mash sauce inspired by @tony b. See? I've been thinking of you.

I do have PBW but this works better for me for regular cleaning. I clean my grates after every cook, usually the day after, when they are cool. A quick soak gets most stuff loose and the grates are out of the kitchen within half an hour. Soaking in PBW takes longer and I'll probably do that in the summer when I can leave the tray (or a paddling pool) out in the garden. One thing I have never done is to clean the grates down with a wire brush or spanner while hot. Given the sheer scale of the grates in the 32 it would make the indoor job easier if I had already got rid of some of the debris before I brought them in. One to do while the meat is resting methinks. My mileage varies. Often. 🤪 I could have looked up how to rig up a siphon but the benefit of having a husband who used to work in a ship's engine room is that I just have to ask and, mostly, a solution is found. It was worth marrying a Clankie just for that!

This finally arrived today: Srendi® BLACK Large Plastic Builder Children Kids Play Mixing Tray Spot for Cement Mortar Sand Plastering Toy Fun Game School Play Time Colour MIXING TRAY by EASY SHOPPING 4 HOME LTD Learn more: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077SJ3216/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GFE6Fb2968KK3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 It works for me in that I can soak a 32 BB main grate in it indoors and in the warm. I can reach it from either side of the island to scrub. I was worried about emptying it but The Husband came to the rescue with a siphon. It took a while and then, when the water got too shallow for the siphon to work, I gently tipped what was left over into the sink. Happy with this solution.

Good luck, I hope you sell soon. What size are you going for in blue?

Wow. That looks great @Troble. We are currently mining the "Taco Chronicles" on Netflix and The Husband and I have made a pact to have tacos every other week (alternating with pizza), what's not to like? Going to have to adapt some of the ingredients but I am very much looking forward to trying this out. You say adobado, they say al pastor, I say yummilicious!

Happy New Year! 2020 taught us how much we can change when we have to. I look forward to seeing what the coming years will bring.

Happy New Year all. Good looking NY cooks too. Pleased to hear your folks are on the mend @Troble. It is uplifting to hear of treatments working and vaccines being rolled out but there is a long way to go before things are on more of an even keel. Here is to finding ways to prevent these types of crises in the future.