joepyeweed - Actually, that was me. I was NOT PROMOTING the item, I was simply asking if anyone had one and how they liked it before I bought one. And, everyone complained and attacked me. Since I actually DO have one of these - not the pro model - I thought I should comment on the nasty thread you have going here bashing the people who buy them. First of all, the only way it smells is if you fill it with wet stuff and then don't add any browns to it (I use sawdust pellets from Agway for my browns), as with a normal compost pile. Also, I have never once had the unit leak, but I did have it get stuck once in a while when I piled in too many coffee filters or pea pods at the beginning. Granted, there are some things that you can't put in it (such as corn cobs) but it works well for me. Since I have raccoons that love to rip apart my compost pile if I have foodstuffs in it outside I decided to either get a NatureMill composter or stop composting completely. I figured indoor composting was better than no composting. And, before you say it, I looked into worms and they were so not for me. So, before you judge and make nasty comments, you may want to think about how everyone is different and that there is not just one way to make compost. Not everyone can or should be the same in the way they garden, and if this is right for some people so be it. And before someone makes another rude comment about me "promoting" the product, let me repeat that I don't work for the manufacturer, I don't know anyone who does, I don't get a commission from them, I am completely uninvolved with them. I just found out about the product and really liked it and it works for me. Silly me for asking people about it and telling them my experiences with it. I thought this was a forum to exchange ideas, but I guess only if they're the "right" ideas.

Don't throw it away! If you don't want it box it up and send it to Cathy. She collects funny kitchen gadgets. My father taught me to make huge spaetzle noodles. Dumpling he called them. A dozen eggs cracked into a bowl, flour until it is fairly stiff dough, and a half a handful of parsley. Dropped from a spoon into a pot of boiling water. Tip.. wet the spoon in a cup of water bewteen each spoonful of dough so it won't stick... push off into the water with your finger. I've also seen my father roll this dough out on a floured cutting board and cut it into strips for stroganoff noodles. One of my variations that is very delicious is to substitute spinach flour. They take to most any gravy and can be added to soups (don't cook them in the soup). My youngest sister likes them buttered with parmeasan cheese. My father often cooked a chicken, made gravy, and these spaetzle noodles to go with the gravy. After awhile he started leaving the chicken on the stove because everyone ate spaetzle and gravy until they were full. Give them a try Bobby. They are easy to make and difficult to get wrong. They float when cooked and you can even overcook them some without making them bad. They keep in the fridge and reheat perfectly in a microwave. : ) lyra

A couple of comments are in order here: First, I think my concept of a "pressure cooker" needs to be updated. I guess I was recalling the "pressure CANNER" that was my total experience with pressure pans of any sort, until I got a long handled pressure pan as a wedding present way back in 1958. And the TIMELY MANOR....what a great name for a house! You caught it yourself, MamaGoose, and then you tracked it down in that other naming thread. It is a truly inspired name. With hints of British humor, much like Fawlty Arms. It could be a TV series. Also, because of THIS THREAD, I cruised by the small appliances in my trip to the WalMart pharmacy yesterday. I saw the KitchenAid mixer, sitting there in all its glory. Everything else cost under a hundred bucks, but the KA cost $199.99 so they are still proud of it. Any thoughts I had of buying it must wait until I get the kitchen done. I sure did like the looks of the stainless bowl and the heavy duty blades. It is a design which has endured. I also looked at other small appliances. You know, they make so many different shapes in SLOW COOKERS....what I used to call the CROCK POT is actually a BRAND NAME, like saying I want a COKE when I want a SODA POP. I have a "slow cooker" now which can bake cornbread or otherwise act as a tiny lidded oven. It really can get confusing if what you want to do is take all day to cook something and avoid burning it. Some things should not multitask, they should stay the same!

Re: sous vide. I love sous vide. I rigged up my own sous vide contraption using a temperature controller and a crock pot. Marcolo, the point isn't so much that the dishes will be more tender than conventional. Instead, sous vide has two and a half strong points. The first is cooking things like lamb shanks or short ribs, as you point out, but keeping them from getting overcooked while at the same time getting them tender. (You can have a tender short rib done medium rare, still showing pink. Yum.) The second strong point is cooking, say, a rare steak. You can cook it entirely rare, with no chance of overcooking it, and no worries about timing. Then just brown the outside, and you have a delicious steak that is 90% rare, and still has the wonderful browned outside part. A rack of lamb cooked for 8-10 hours at a medium-rare temperature is divine. The "half" part is just the ease of not having to worry about timing. You can start cooking your scallops anywhere from 3 pm to 6 pm, and the timing matters essentially zero. Cook the rest of your dinner, then pull out the scallops when everything else is finished. I made the recipe below last New Year's, and it was pretty manageable due to the insensitivity to timing. My guests thought is was the best meal they ever had, and still say so 7 mos. later. Here is a link that might be useful: sous vide lobster