I found this thread as I was looking for info regarding the tamarisk because I'm reading a book called "The Silver Chalice" and they were mentioned there. I have a tendency towards "fictitious gardening" (my name for it); plants discussed/mentioned in novels I love are the ones I enjoy finding to plant when we move to the country. (I'm in south eastern Pennsylvania, USA.) After reading the comments by info_npss_sk_CA and aipc_programdirector_gmail_com, I'm rather confused. Both claim that this is an invasive species, which, from what I understand doesn't necessarily mean that one would witness that plant taking over and driving others out over the course of one or two growing seasons because the tamarix (scientific name for the tamarisk /saltcedar) doesn't just have the ability to replace your other plants or take over your yard; it also monopolizes available water in the soil while salinizing that same soil. These effects aren't necessarily something you are going to see from your house or while standing next to it. Nor does the fact that you have seen it locally or purchased it locally negate that. As the information regarding these plants is easily accessible to everyone here in this thread, (even a brief search online using any of the three most common names for these plants yielded quite a few sites outlining why this species is on the invasive lists of Canada and the United States of America) I am confused as to why everyone besides the two folks I mentioned appear to have ignored this information. I understand enjoying the challenge of cultivation (especially with a "new-to-you" plant) as well as the enjoyment one can derive from the fruits of one's labor, but this plant comes with long-term effects that may not only replace native species (it appears to have been introduced as an ornamental plant around the 1880's) but can also increase the frequency and intensity of fires and floods. I understand that someone may think that planting only one will not have much effect on the ecosystem, but it does because you can bet that you are not the only one who has purchased and planted one, and every plant purchased increases the demand for another to be ordered and local garden stores (as opposed to big-box centers) grow locally. I'm simply confused as to how this doesn't seem to be taken seriously despite being explicitly explained, in addition to a link being provided so that nobody even has to bother taking the initiative and searching themselves. I've bookmarked this page so that later today I can return and add links. I'm on my phone and am not sure how to copy and paste them. (We've had the phones a couple of months but generally don't use the Internet beyond emails or occasionally limited and very basic social media, so I'm not sure how to do certain things.) Thank you for reading. I would appreciate it if anyone can help me understand.

>>"Their YouTube videos are great" You're kidding, right? They struck me as rather stilted and amateurish infomercial fare. I think they could use Vince the Sham-Wow guy to spice them up. Billy Mays is rolling over ... Do you want to replace your home grill with one of these things? One would probably be pretty cool so long as you have electrical power available outside where you grill. Being able to set the thermostat and walk away for 5 hours while your ribs cook at 190º is pretty awesome, but having to keep bags of wood pellets around is not. I am not sure that there is enough advantage to that to induce me to give up on my gas grill. Plus, I am not a fan of overly smoked meats; there is enough flavor in the smoking a haunch gets over the course of a few hours in the grill to suit me. What I wonder is what is the quality control of wood pellet ingredients? Aren't they designed for use as heating fuel? Do they use bizarre chemicals in the manufacturing process that could get into the food? Selenium Burgers!

I just happened to find this sink on the Blanco site, then discovered this thread. Looks like a great sink and I like the smaller raised area. I've always had a regular double sink and hadn't even thought about a single sink. But I read the other thread about single sinks and it suddenly dawned on me how great it would be to be able to soak my big pans inside the sink instead of filling them with hot soapy water and setting them on the counter (duh! "slapping head"). can_not_decide- Would the basket work for draining a big pot of pasta? Also, I'm a little concerned about the depth of the sink (front to back). It looks like you have a little extra space behind the sink. We'll have an opening above the sink with a granite ledge on it. Would there be a problem fitting the faucet between the back of the sink and the wall in a standard 24" deep cabinet. Also, can you share the name of your granite?

" I dunno if the gains are minimized due to the different architecture..." It depends on the ability of your pan to capture the heat. A capped burner has more flare when you turn the burner up to high. If you are using a 14" pan it is a good thing. If you have a smaller pan you may not be able to turn the heat up all the way. For some it balances out because they use the highest heat on the biggest pans. Other cooks want to keep the high heat in a smaller area for something like wok cooking or if they have smaller pans. If the heat goes around the pan, your BTUs are being lost. " Early on in my experience with my new BS range I realized that I wanted (needed) more BTU's for my style of cooking. " It is key to have an understanding of your own needs in the kitchen. "Anyone who is saying the 22k isn't worth the $$$ for the upgrade hasn't used both burners side by side. " While I would agree that there is a big difference in output between the two BS uncapped burners, I would disagree with this. I know many passionate cooks, that are perfectly happy with 15K or much less. I personally cook currently on commercial burners and in that setting, the beasts are useful but at home I just don't even turn my 15K burners up all the way all that often. I also know two chefs. One just has a regular all gas low BTU range at home and the other has a commercial range in his kitchen. We don't all think the same.