dcarch, that's fantastic...but i'm such a 'permy' i suppose that i like being out in the weather... using wood for fuel. Smoking mozzarella on the 4th will be a challenge at 80 temp, but the ice block worked last summer. mustangs, got ya beat on the temp collection...just mowed on over, then another i stuck in the smoker with the plastic sleeve still on, lol. (i should just buy the whole display rack of the cheap ones) I probably could win the 'useless-junk-kitchen-crap' contest...i just spring cleaned out the kitchen drawers and filled a box to go downstairs with all the previous years boxes... I did toy and play with the rubber lid things recently in a cooks supply...the texture is a bit creepy like my silpats and don't care for the microfiber cloths...DH wore one to work stuck on the inside back of his shirt...wiggled down to the, fortunately tucked-in, waistband like a muffin top. Find them inside folded sheets... Not many new purchases recently. Like that thermopop but i treated us to a thermopen for valentines day during their sale and bought red. It has a special spot and is not allowed outside for the grill unless with special care... So i would have to say my maple tree that nature took down over the winter... Many future cooking tools and fuel coming soon. This is just the top 1/3rd and is now safely on the ground-ish. The base 20 ft is still standing. Not at all sad as we have a large herd of them...would have cost a small fortune to have it pro cut so nature did the hard costly work. Designed a dining table a few years ago and now see it may be built finally.

teresa_nc7, I posted this recipe in New Recipes - August 2012 thread. If you want to read the original recipes, the links are on that thread. Yes, it is a bit tedious to toast and grind rice, but it can be done way in advance, as can juicing the limes. After reading about fish sauce on the Cook's Thesaurus, I substituted low sodium soy sauce with a squirt of anchovy paste in it. It was not difficult to make. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to grind pork in my food processor. Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps from Cooks Illustrated. Yield: 6 appetizers or 4 main courses INGREDIENTS 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), trimmed of silver skin and fat, cut into 1-inch chunks 2 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 Tbsp. white rice 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 medium shallots , peeled and sliced into thin rings (about 1/2 cup) 3 Tbsp. juice from 2 limes 2 tsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves 3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves 1 head Bibb lettuce , washed and dried, leaves separated and left whole DIRECTIONS 1. Place pork chunks on large plate in single layer. Freeze meat until firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, 15 to 20 minutes. 2. Place half of meat in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, 5 to six 1-second pulses. Transfer ground meat to medium bowl and repeat with remaining chunks. Stir 1 tablespoon fish sauce into ground meat and marinate, refrigerated, 15 minutes. 3. Heat rice in small skillet over medium-high heat; cook, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool 5 minutes. Grind rice with spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar and pestle until it resembles fine meal, 10 to 30 seconds (you should have about 1 tablespoon rice powder). 4. Bring broth to simmer in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, stirring frequently, until about half of pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon rice powder over pork; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until remaining pork is no longer pink, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer pork to large bowl; let cool 10 minutes. 5. Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, remaining 2 teaspoons rice powder, shallots, lime juice, sugar, red pepper flakes, mint, and cilantro to pork; toss to combine. Serve with lettuce leaves. I added a a peanut sauce from Chow Mix together (I used my immersion blender): 3/4 cup natural-style creamy peanut butter (used crunchy as directed by my Vietnamese friend) 1/3 cup water 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 1 1/2 medium limes) 4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (omitted) 2 1/4 teaspoons chile-garlic paste 1 medium garlic clove, mashed to a paste 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil Here is a link that might be useful: New Recipes Review - August 2012

Ok - I have to weigh in on the wonders of a turkey roasted in an old fashioned roaster. The separate 'appliance' that sits on your counter and roasts only the turkey. My mom and my aunt both had one and we had GREAT turkey every time. I never gave it much thought until I had to become the Hostess of Thanksgiving. I struggled for several years with that giant turkey in a too small oven for everything else and the timing and juggling for oven space... About ten years ago I spied one at Home Depot for 29$ it came with an electric carving knife. Done. Best thing I've ever bought. I don't even have a thermometer. Moist, flavorful, with crispy skin. I do not stuff but do a similar prep as the Martha one. Everyone raves. Of course they are probably just being nice but when they ask for turkey leftovers I kinda believe them. And everybody keeps coming to our house... Best part is I have plenty of room in the oven for everything else.

Having surfed the Thermoworks site for a while, I’m now changing my plans. We had to take out the roast so many times. Plus, with the new oven it is not as high top to bottom or as deep front to back. We had to put the roasting pan in the oven in a direction that meant we could not read the leave-in meat thermometer without pulling the roasting pan out. Considering our $ 40 roast did not turn out, even though I don’t roast meats often, maybe looking for a cheap instant read is not where I should be going. Now I’m leaning toward a thermometer with a probe. (lascatx, I had typed this reply before seeing yours above! Computer froze and I had to come back to it. ESP) Plus, a few days before Christmas when making cheese, a probe model could have spared me the lengthy wait for a couple of quarts of cream to come to 190F on the stove, standing over it, without constantly having to dip my candy thermometer in. Plus when I make yogurt. Between the Thermoworks “DOT” and the Chef Alarm, which would you recommend? Thanks again.