tony b

I don't do hot dogs very much, but occasionally like a good chili dog. Learned this trick some time back, works very well. Take the hot dog and run a wooden skewer through it lengthwise down the center. Now put your knife at one end on a slight angle to the centerline of the dog and slice down to the skewer. Roll the hot dog while holding the knife in place against the skewer until you reach the other end. Viola, you now have a "slinky dog." The purpose is to open up the interior to make more surface area for grilling. It makes for a really tasty dog (and they don't burst open on the grill). And, if you're putting chili on it, more nooks and crannies for the chili to get into (or any other condiment).

Cooked or uncooked sauce?? I like both. Will be doing more uncooked now that better tomatoes are available (especially when mine get ripe!) Just tripped up on this technique, which I will most definitely try.

I'd done cornstarch before, like you especially on Asian foods in the wok. Will experiment with both on chicken and see which one I like better. Supposed to storm all day tomorrow, so it might be fried chicken for dinner and not grilled!

Thanks. Didn't know about the Wilbur method at the time, but do now (tried it on chicken and it works great!) Will file this one aways, as it will be a while before I try porchetta again, as it is an insane amount of food.

+1

Porchetta is like the ultimate in porky goodness. Awesome looking piggy! I've tried making it twice, with mixed success. First one was a pre-made version from Trader Joes, which came out pretty good. Then I tackled one from scratch with skin-on pork belly. While the roast came out super yummy, the skin didn't get crunchy/crispy like it was supposed to. More like pork taffy, ha, ha! Did something fundamentally wrong. May try again one day.

My fingers are crossed that this story has a happy ending!

Only way you catch me drinking a "smoothie" is if there's booze in it!!

Yeah, Doc (mguerra) pops in now and again. Hell, even Porkchop showed up after a long hiatus, but has since gone back into hiding.

No, but love to do oysters in the half shell, Drago style. Doesn't get any better. My challenge is getting oysters in the shells here. I've cheated and used shucked ones in muffin tins, but it just doesn't come out the same - still good, but not AWESOME, like at their restaurant in Metarie!

I know that it's gonna be off the chain!!

Beautiful butterfly picture. Save it for posterity, as we're losing them very fast. I've attempted to put in a monarch butterfly garden in my backyard this spring. So, we'll see if it takes hold and attracts some pretty butterflies. Oh, and the quiche looks damned yummy, too! Toss in a nice glass of Chenin Blanc and call it a very good day!

Thanks, I have about 3 or 4 "go to" sites for shipping seafood. But, I rarely do it because of the expense. It usually costs way more to ship it than it does to buy it. So, it's reserved for only truly special occasions.

Yeah, some of the "old timers" (I'm getting to be one, Yikes!) pop in and out. Life gets in the way sometimes, or so some folks say. There's always "new blood" that keeps things going along.

I'm seriously jealous! We get the Fabian Seafood truck up here once a month from TX, with fresh seafood, except during the winter. Great shrimp in various sizes, picked crab meat, and beautiful red snapper (when they have it). Can't get oysters in the shell though, only shucked. Same with crawfish, only tail meat, no live ones. Not ideal, but at least is good quality and fresh (never frozen).

I hear ya'll about being financially frugal. Being retired, I have to be. It's a challenge sometimes, but worth it in the long run. My house is paid for and I have a very low interest (0.9%) car loan - practically free money! Try and pay off my credit cards each month. But, at the same time, life is too short to not enjoy yourself, so spend your money wisely on things that bring you pleasure, as long as you stash away for that rainy day and retirement first.

I own a fish basket too, but never use it. Even when I oil it up good, the fish still seems to stick to it - and you have the add-on of it sticking to both sides of the basket, so I ended up tearing up the fish trying to get it out of the silly basket. I'd rather just deal with one grate at a time. If you're patient, the fish will release from the grate (or pan) when the crust forms. YMMV. After this cook, I'll be eating a lot more fish!

Even though you're Canadian, here's hoping that you're cooking on your KK by the 4th of July along with the rest of us Yanks!

As a matter of fact, I just did a SV cook of Chilean Sea Bass for dinner tonight. AWESOME! Sorry, no pics, it wouldn't have done this cook justice, as it was all about the texture. Perfectly flaky and moist. Details - nice sea bass steak, about 2 1/2" thick. Brushed lightly with oil to hold the seasoning on, Plowboys - Fin & Feather, lightly dusted. Into the vacuum bag. A small pat of butter (~1/4" thick) on each side of the fish (think butter poached!) Into a 129F bath for 20 minutes. Stashed the bag juice for dipping tableside. The fish went onto the KK, lower grate, 350F dome (I was doing squash and asparagus on the main grate first), about a couple of minutes on each side, just until it released from the grate without sticking. Wasn't looking to sear, per se, just to impart a bit of color and smoky flavor. All I can say is - WOW. One of the best pieces of fish that I've ever eaten! ckreef, I know that we've been pushing you pretty hard to get an Anova, but you have no idea what you're missing out on. Buckle down and just buy it!! It's like buying your first KK - no buyer's remorse, and kicking yourself for not doing it sooner!! Just saying!

Great follow-up, Wilbur. As much as we like to experiment, sometimes the author of the recipe has worked through all the options and presents us with their best result. But, it's still fun to f**k with the recipes sometimes!!

2nd the "no pics" comment. Sounds yummy, even without the pics.

Interesting concept and I do like the simplicity of searing on the same device as the SV cook. I might be more interested if the price tag were a bit lower; $500 is a bit pricey, seeing as I already own an Anova.

I live in town, but my neighborhood has a lot of wooded ravines where the deer can hang out. We call them "urban deer." We actually have a special permit bow hunting season, in town, every year, to try and keep the population down. It's helped. But, they still come around and eat a lot of plants in your yard. I gave up on roses many years ago and they think my neighbors' hosta is the local "salad bar." I've actually sat on my deck having dinner while the deer eat the apples on the ground from my next door neighbors' tree, literally 20 feet away, with the dogs barking at them through the deck rails. They just ignore us!

It's not so much the damage that they can do (replaced several feeders over the years that the raccoon have destroyed), it's more a worry about my dogs. There's a dog door that leads out onto the deck so they can let themselves out. They have cornered both raccoon and possums on the deck (usually in the middle of the night!). So, I really don't want a middle of the night visit to the vet emergency room to get one of my dogs patched up from tangling with a critter!

I hear that. This past winter, had both possums and raccoon on my deck trying to get into the bird feeders. Seriously reconsidering putting out the feeders next winter.