Sanny

Rather have an Irish Setter, than a plate setter. But they're awfully ditzy.

:::hand raised:::: What's a plate setter? And why use one? Or not use one? Or want to use one instead of deflector?

GG - the process to which Deej refers, I think, is the whole sous vide process. How long to "cook" your meat? And if that's not Deej's question, it is mine!

I think I'd miss the outer char on a piece of meat. Even from a broiler or frypan or something. Although, a corned beef done in the oven (braised) doesn't always have a char, and I don't miss it....

Speaking of lamb and Costco, my local Costco had really pretty lamb chops today. Little T-bones. I bought two veal chops, instead.

Hunny, depending on how inspired them two men are, I'd just leave the KK where it is, and get to it later, you know?

Re: Yup, still comes with a harness. Does each KK come with four inspired men? That would be nice. I'd settle for just two, you know?

Yes, the low temp start for steaks has been written about lately. Low to get the middle near where you want, and then HOT really fast at the end for the crust. That eliminates the grey meat problem. But I think the sous-vide thing is intended to preserve fresh flavors. Obviously, it's not going to sear or brown, or create a crust on anything. Perhaps liken it to poaching, but without contact with a liquid? Ok, and lower temp too. But slow cooking in a seasoning, at low temp, might act as a marinade and cook at once? Dunno. Where's Julia Child when you need her?

Yah, watermelon. Sure it is. Texture's all wrong - could be BUGS in it! Eeek!! lol Actually, I just finished "The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things and How to Do Them," by Peter Segal (national public radio person here in the US). He had a whole chapter on some sort of elegant meal of 25 or so courses. It cost $375 a person! But each 'course' was a tiny amount of this or that. Aerosol fish, or mango in a texture like a dollop of shaving cream, or something almost no resemblance to food. I think the "cooking" method included changing the texture of familiar things. He and his wife stopped for pizza when they left the restaurant, as I recall.

Re: I think we should try one.. This, from a guy who lets his kids eat water bugs and maggots. Not to mention, eats them himself! Thanks, Dennis. Really. Thanks. But, uh... no thanks.

It's an interesting way of preparing meals (sous-vide), but it does have detractors. I think the main perceived difficulty is that it can take an extended period of time for the food to reach the bath temp. During that period, there's the possibility of spoilage. For example, safe handling practices say don't leave something out of the frigerator, unless you're going to cook it. And "cooking" means "hot," to kill bacteria. On the forum, we've seen folks express concern about leaving meat for several hours at a low temp on a cooker. Same thing with the sous-vide, I think. Cryovac to change the texture, though. Now that's something. But do I want a watermelon to be as dense as an apple?

interesting... Someone would rather purchase a damaged KK than another cooker. And his account no longer works at another forum. Go figger.

Anyone else feel compelled to say, "Igor! It's ALIVE! Mwahahahahahaaa!"

Not to worry - my lack of preference with lamb is not anything to do with PC. It's all Sunday dinner related. Alas.

Hmm, Stewsan... They got stuff they call "oysters" in parts of the U.S., too... My advice for oysters, make sure they're served with a shell. Probably you should want some proof with your "chicken," too. Of course, when I was in China, it was easy to know if something was chicken. Feet and head were nearby on the plate!

Wow, Dennis... I could almost be convinced to like lamb, the way you prepare it! I just never liked the flavor. Perhaps I was poisoned by mint jelly at gramma's Sunday dinner table, and blamed it on the leg of lamb. lol Looks beautiful!

ooh, Syzy! Who knew cookware could be so sexy! Good old Bed Bath and Cash Register. Their trick is to get you in there and force you to buy everything in sight! I have to stay out of there, for that reason. Oh well.

Ah! We have clues! You had stable temp. Then you opened the lid, added cold lump, and added a hunk of cold (relatively) meat. Temp dropped. Yup. It'll do that. Experience (you know - what OTHER people have determined) says that one should leave the settings alone and let it re-stabilize. You had the dampers all set for the right temp, just you changed the dynamic when you added cold. Had you left it alone, it would work itself back up to the right temp in a little while. Over the several hours of cooking time that a butt takes, the little while at a bit lower temp isn't really a problem. Consider, when you open your oven door to put something in, the temp drops. You don't kick it up to 500 for a couple minutes to let the temp catch up. The oven will get back to temp on its own if you leave it be. You trust that the setting you have will allow it to get up to and maintain the temp again. That said, it's tempting to chase the cooker's temp all over the dial, isn't it? Not that I know this from experience, of course...

Re: Mud volcanos and landslides Oh my! His family is ok, and not under all the water? Guess the pearls didn't work, huh.

Re: Mud volcanos and landslides

Wow, Cozy! When did you cook that beauty? Is that for your New Year's feast? Looks WONDERFUL! Did you rub, brine, or otherwise season?

Re: fried egg luge Beware the East German women's team... They'll fry your egg AND brown your potatoes. From across the ROOM!

Actually, the knives really do have good warranty. I don't like the "new" Cutco handles. The old ones were hand shaped. New ones have geometric pieces on them. Maybe those are modern and all, but I like the old ones with smooth hand places. My mother has a set, and she broke the blade of the paring knife. Gotta new one. None of Gramma's set is broken, but the "serrated" utility knife is really narrow now, from being sharpened so many times. I say "serrated" because there's no hint of serration anymore.

So, yer sayin the 1950s Cutco knife set (including steak knives) that my Gramma bequeathed to me is just not gonna cut it in the polite bbq circles in which you move, huh? Bummer... It has Gramma love in it, and no knives, Shun or not, can match that.