tekobo

Congratulations. I am putting money on the fact that you will be up really early this morning, just to check if it's still there and looking as beautiful as ever. Wow, it does look good and fits well with your garden (and dog!).

ROFL doesn't come close! We have an expression "ka itan soke" which very eloquently describes the act of lying on your back and laughing with your thighs in the air. I couldn't find an emoticon to represent that but that is how much I laughed when I read your post.

Loving that stat! I am still very happy with my choice but one day, when I win the lottery, I will buy a 42" and will hopefully have enough money left over to buy a house with garden big enough to house it.

can't wait!

I have had this cast iron griddle for years. Bought it in a hardware store in France and so cannot offer a handy Amazon link but I thought the features might help with your choice @sfdrew28. It is 16" square and is reversible e.g. for eggs on the smooth side and steak and the ribbed side. The best thing of all is the lip all around the outside. It means you don't get excess oil or liquid slopping over the edge when you are cooking. It sits on a centre burner in the IDK and fits snuggly but well in the 23" KK.

I dare not show these pictures to The Husband. He has got used to pizzas that are not round and are nowhere near as good as yours Mac. Will make him wait a few years before letting on that membership of the forum is not exclusive to the one owner in the family....

Two beauties @Kevin H - your KK looks great, as does the food.

Good looking pizzas @ckreef and @Tangles, those salamis are the stuff of dreams!

Lovely looking cook Aussie.

That looks good @Pequod. It also illustrates beautifully the extra space and versatility you get with a 32". Although I will be really happy if you tell me that this was actually done in your 23" and I shouldn't regret not opting for the Big Bad

You and me both! The link you sent looks fabulous but, like you, I like the idea of trying to make something to meet one's own specification. I was introduced to donabes by a local potter friend who once made one for her son. When I asked her to make me a tasting spoon like @MacKenzie's she made me come round and spend an afternoon in her studio trying to make one myself. It was fun but my creations were rather crude. I think I need to remind her that she is the professional and that I respect her for that and then maybe, just maybe, she will make me a good spoon and one day a home grown donabe. I think it will be fun trying even if we don't have the history and knowledge to replicate the Japanese standard.

I am looking forward to seeing the results of your efforts @Syzygies. Do you know anything about the donabe style of pots? There are different styles for different types of cooking and the Japanese appear to have a long tradition of pottery making. Interested to know how this might differ from the Moroccan tradition.

Ah, but I think the same about beer. Different strokes for different folks. Photo below to calm your nerves @tony b. Am I correct in guessing that this stuff is for beer making?

I promised to do a comparison of my KKs loaded up with chickens. Here it is, using relatively small 1.5kg chickens. There is no way I am ever going to cook this many chickens in one go but I hope it is a helpful illustration. 21" Main grate only four chickens. 23" main grate only 5 chickens 21" main and top grates with one fewer chickens on the lower grate to fit them all in brings the total to 6 chickens. I am not sure this would work because there is practically no clearance between the top of the chickens on the main grate and the bottom of the top grate. And finally, the 23" main and top grates with one fewer chickens on the lower grate to fit them all in brings the total to 7 chickens. Might be able to squeeze in an 8th on the main grate. Enough clearance over the top of the chickens to make this feasible.

Ha ha ha ha. No @Paul, I haven't lost a bet. However, I got home last night and realised that my plan to buy chicken wings for Marmite and thighs for jerk chicken has to be put on hold. The freezer is rammed with my new Italian purchases and I am due a whole mutton sheep and two beef rumps in the next month. Help!! So the plan now is to make a Marmite rub for ribs and jerk pork sometime in the next week or so. I will report back honestly on the former. Having remembered how much I loved the Marmite butter I am hopeful that this will be a good experiment. Another thing to try is yeast ice-cream. No, the Italians haven't gone and broken with tradition. We crossed the border into Slovenia and had the yeast ice cream at a nice restaurant. I think it will be cool (excuse the pun) with something sour like gooseberries or rhubarb. I do draw the line at Marmite pizza though. One for @Pequod to pioneer methinks.

That looks great @Hephaestus. Did you do anything special to stop the skin sticking to the bars?

The ribs and your KKs look beautiful @Tucker. Is there a reason you used two different KKs for this cook?

Hey @MacKenzie, you are beating me in the shopping stakes. Sounds like you got your bacon (and heart attack ) for free! Shame about the egg.

That looked finger licking good! Planning to cook brisket for a party in August but will enjoy practising with this and other methods before then. Thanks.

Hey, you seem to be influencing my food choices from afar so you might as well turn up and do it in person! You might have saved me from myself when it came to ordering those horrible wings and ribs last night. So, the deal is that sometime in the next five years I will make it to Perth or you and Dee have to make it to the UK or somewhere in Europe where we can eat and drink to our heart's content.

I didn't hang around the Vegemite long enough to find out whether anyone bought it or where they might be from. Padova is a tourist town but we didn't encounter many non-Italians on our bar crawl last night. Other than the people, it was a pretty international night. My first cocktail was a Mex Mule - tequila based with the ginger taste amped to the max by the addition of some chilli. My last cocktail of the night was made by an Italian bartender called Michael. Once we had exhausted my limited Italian we moved on to German and he made me an even mehr lecker Amaretto Sour. Throughout the evening our drinks were accompanied by delicious Italian treats on bread. And then I made the mistake of ordering wings and ribs at an American bar to end the night. Wings covered in orange plastic cheese in Italy just doesn't work! I will be happy to get back to my KKs tomorrow. On the list to try is the BBQ marmite chicken wings recipe that I found this morning.

I took your advice @Paul. Right now I feel like this . I suspect that, tomorrow I will feel like this . I will enjoy the moment.

@Aussie Ora, subliminal pusher?? I was stood in a shop in Padova kicking my heels while The Husband looked at grog and pasta, waiting to get to the next bar with yummy snacks when I saw this: Really? Vegemite AND Marmite in the heart of Italy? I think I need a drink...

Happy to. You just need to join the EU before we exit so I can send you the good stuff.

I know it is heresy to say this but I still haven't got into Purple Crack. That is my cowardly way of saying I don't like it. Don't drum me out of the club and don't think me weird for promoting marmite butter. Am even thinking that marmite just might bring some umami flavour to a meat rub. Here's your challenge @Chanly1983, if you wish to accept it: make up something that makes us all love Purple Crack AND marmite.