So what is baked back there?

Biscuits! They serve Kumbucha from the taps.

That's hysterical. Guess they haven't taken it off the shelves ;) cf Whole Foods Parking Lot.

Well, duh. I just had trouble reconciling the oven with the taps. I thought scones or strawberry shortcake but neither of these made sense with taps. Only in California could you get Kombucha from a tap driven around on a bike. ((shakes head)). ;)

LOL!! It's Portland, Oregon

LOL! I could see it that far north too, but not all the way up to my neck of the woods.

I can't actually see it down here in CA, not the CA I know. Well, I guess the CA I know is just 0.00000001% of CA at most. So maybe ...

BTW - I absolutely love Kambucha. However it's spelled. I haven't been able to afford it in years though. Kinda liquid gold these days.

On tap. So funny! There's someone here whose dh was madly wild about sticking a keg in the basement and building taps into the kitchen above - probably many people do this. Can you imagine doing it for Kambucha?

Hmmm, like inside counterparts, maybe it does double-duty as storage for...tire pump, rain poncho, sweat band, etc.?

Quite a number of people have taps in the kitchen to the basement brewery for ale or beer. Kombucha is easy enough to make in less than ideal conditions, though, like a lot of folk remedies, it has some negative health associations that are worth checking out before making it one's daily quaff.

I still think the oven on the bicycle is pretty amazing. :)

I wonder who makes that oven. It's pretty sharp looking, especially in red! We're planning sort of a small kitchen for a bonus space and that looks like it could fit in nicely.

Love Kombucha, it's sortof a luxury item, but I do love to throw it into the shopping cart every now and again. I'm too chicken to try and make my own. Love that little red oven! rhome410, I didn't know you were working on another kitchen space! You'll have to share the details on your blog.

I broached the subject on the blog today, Laxsupermom. More to come as things develop. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: June 28 blog post introduces the project

Rhome, I think it's the Camp Chef. I suppose it could be adapted for indoor use, but I'd think something like the Breville countertop oven (best reviews) would be better, and easier than running propane.

Yep, that doesn't look right for our purposes, but a cool looking unit anyway! And what a price for any oven.

Well, yeah, but it probably doesn't have much insulation. I'd think that escaping heat would usually be welcome around camp. :)

And rhome, you could have your exercise bicycle too this way!

Good point, Aliris. Could make friends with the neighbors, maybe, too!

Kombucha and biscuits. Now that's a combo.
I tripped over Kombucha while we were moving. Not sure what to think.

Speaking of ovens, plllog "she who has everything" do you have a Cuisinart multicooker by any chance?

ROTFL!!

Roicocogurl, I'm she "who has everything she wanted". Big difference from having everything!

Had to look at the Cnet review to see what it was. :) Sounds good for someone who doesn't have gifts (as in shower/wedding/housewarming/mom's clearance). I do have a slow cooker, which can brown on the stove, and I don't like it--and I can do the same thing with a cast iron cocotte and a slow oven being that I don't trust my slow cooker enough to leave the house with it on. I have an electric skillet which I've never used and which I'm thinking of donating to my studio for glue. I have a steam oven. I have countdown timers on induction which is functionally a rice cooker, plus the steam oven is too in a different modality.

The small appliances with cooking function (i.e., not including mixer, Cuisinart or immersion blender) I've used most in the new kitchen are in order of frequency: waffle maker, egg cooker, toaster. I could boil eggs on the stove or do them in the steam oven, but I grew up with an egg cooker, and have had mine for a long time, and really like it. I'm thinking of deacquisitioning the slow cooker and electric kettle, besides demoting the skillet. Don't need 'em anymore.

This is all the upside of having many ovens and induction. :) Sorry I can't help with the multicooker. I'd want to hear from someone who'd actually browned onions in it before trusting that function. From my experience with my slow cooker, it might be easier to do the browning on the stove as usual. It takes a lot longer in stoneware.

It would have to be Portland. Note the bike.

I get mesmerized by WS emails -- the Cuisinart multicooker appears to go to 500 degrees and they say it goes on the stove too, cleans easily and does windows. Browns and does stuff crock pots do not -- never had a crockpot.

As I'm risk averse to switching out radiant cooktop to induction I keep thinking, well if I get x, y or z...

I use my electric kettle daily, the Oster steamer has been great, I bought a big electric griddle for pancakes and I've had the KAid & Cuisinarts since Roman times. But nothing else whizzier.

I'm in delete mood, not add unless there's a real reason. However, I have a carousel of continual temptation: Nespresso espresso maker, panini press, Breville toaster oven, and now the multicooker (on sale for $150 less than a price I'd never pay). Now that no one has chimed in saying it's indispensable I shall move on and wait for the impulse to pass.

I'm feeling, once again, that I've lived my life in some sort of bag...First of all, I have NO idea what Kombucha is... Never seen an egg cooker or heard of a multi-cooker, although that sounds new. I could never get used to using my crock pot, because of not liking anything that comes out of it, except shrimp and cream cheese dip, for which it only acts as a warmer. Have never used a steamer or electric kettle, and haven't had an electric skillet for 20 years. Now waffle irons... ;-D ... How about this ridiculous stockpile?

My brides won't need to list any on their registries. -Unless they want the flipping kind, because DH isn't letting go of that one.

ROTFL!!! Rhome, the drawer of waffle irons is a total hoot!!! I just have the one flip style, but I can see that having a number of them would make it much easier for your family. :)

Kombucha

Rococogurl, get the induction. It's not a big risk unless you're worried about losing favorite old copper pots.

Y'know, I always thought the crock pot problem was me! I love to cook low and slow, but the only things that have been good out of my slow cooker have been soups, and without the open flame under window problem of my old kitchen, I don't need it for that. Hearing that Rhome doesn't like stuff cooked in it either makes me feel SO much better.

Rococogurl, you know how to cook. Having seen special appliances for making cupcakes (!!!!!!!), I'm now of the opinion that an awful lot of Americans are totally clueless and eating prepackaged sludge not out of laziness but because they don't know the difference. They buy the fancy appliances because they think the appliance knows stuff that they don't. (BTW, I think I saw this multicooker in the grocery store yesterday!) You certainly do not need a whizbang appliance unless you have a specific use for it.

W-S must have some great promo materials to tempt you.

My thought was that if WS can tempt Jane, they can tempt anyone! ;-)

I also meant to add that we appreciate having is our Panini grill, although it's not as popular as the first year we had it. It's another thing we could use in multiples, since it's a one or two serving at a time thing. We'd probably use it more if it weren't for that. Another electric gadget that gets used a lot around here is a Krumkake baker. It kind of looks like a waffle maker, so feels right at home.

You have made me feel better, too, Plllog, about the crock pot.

The Kombucha sounds, all at the same time, possibly amazing, scary, and somewhat gross...

rhome ROTFL!! OMG a whole drawer of those? Who even has enough outlets!! Besides, you need that drawer for other things and brides need waffle irons. I would keep the flipper.

We've all lived our lives in a bag. Mine has shoes and copper pots. I sold half of them at the last house sale and still have more than I can use. Very hard to give up for induction I must say though the roasters, braisers and Anna mold can be used in the oven -- I'd need to lose the couscousiere (yes, guilty).

What hooked me on the multi-cooker is the cassoulet-looking stew in there. We have local ducks.

I never liked crock pots. Just me.

"They buy the fancy appliances because they think the appliance knows stuff that they don't." Plllog this is so true and it came up on that thread in Appliances. The marketing has convinced people expensive appliances make you cook better. Or more powerful burners make you cook better. I am too busy to even think about discussing that one. Let them believe if it makes them happy. Cooking is another whole story.

I really hate the radiant which turns on and off to regulate. With induction, my worry is having a power outage blowing the board. I haven't had time to call Wolf to inquire. I know the Miele is shockproof but won't fit.

Also need to decide whether I'm adding that cabinet I posted about. If so, easier to do it all at once.

Here is a link that might be useful: multi cooker

Have to say I'm on the side of good performing tools help you achieve better results...which can translate to 'help you cook better.' Ebony and Ivory pizzas are not great cooking. Neither is soggy stir fry. Blech.

But I whole heartedly agree that you don't always need special tools to do every little task. Such things rarely work for a family the size of ours, as they make a certain amount, which is never enough for us.

I actually don't need that drawer for anything more important, as waffles are essential around here, and one baker isn't enough unless we want breakfast to last all day... with people getting VERY cranky as they wait. I, however, do not need that many (some came out of the in-laws' house), but 2 will take the same drawer space as the 4 or 5. I have people gradually leaking out of my house who can take one with them. They are tried and true, so better than an unknown new one. :-D

Oh! I didn't realize you were still on the power thing, Rococogurl. Don't they have power regulators that you can put on the breaker box that work like a UPS? Or even an actual high voltage UPS that will give you shut down time?

I'm not sure which thread you're speaking of, unless it was quite awhile ago. I'm with Rhome on the better tools making it easier to cook better--so long as you know how to cook! Other than for replicating a high heat charcoal fire for a wok, the burner race gets ridiculous. I notice the power difference between the elements on my induction, but that's speed, not cooking, and you don't need gonzo power output to get a good sear if you have the patience to let the pan heat up properly. :) 'Course, it helps if you know to dry the meat so it can caramelize. Does more power get the steaming over faster if the meat is wet?

I'd say, rather, that good equipment can make for a happier cook, and a happier cook is more willing to cook nice and interesting things. At least I am. :)

I'd say, rather, that good equipment can make for a happier cook, and a happier cook is more willing to cook nice and interesting things. At least I am. :)

There ya' go. I feel the same.

Does more power get the steaming over faster if the meat is wet?

I think (emphasis on 'think') the way an electric burner works affects how hot the pan gets and stays, or at the very least, recovers. Plus, now I have to throw in pan quality to the mix. All I know is that it's much easier to get a good sear and good stir fry now with the gas stove. I use the same type of wok, but now use cast iron for meat, which I didn't before.

I also admit that patience, or lack thereof, plays a role... but eating in shifts, or trying to keep things warm over a long period while waiting for heat up time and another batch, got old.

Kombucha - my kids call it compost. I like it, but they run off saying "how can you drink the compost?!"

And on fancy appliances/pans - my 12 y.o DS saw the Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Pan in the WS catalog and asked if we could get one because he loves fruit with this pancakes. I told him I didn't want to buy a pan that just had one purpose. So he said "I know. We can use the muffin pan.". And he did. He baked us fruit filled pancakes and they were yummy!

Not even a 12 year old boy needs these fancy gadgets to cook with! I just need him to explain that to his father :)

Marcy,
A big YAY that your ds is discovering ways to adapt things and make fun food for himself! Reminds me of when my dd made her own Pop Tarts, because her older brother got some for his birthday and wasn't sharing. They were better than any PopTarts I've ever had. It was his loss. lol

That's why those of us who live in Portland, love Portland!
As for Kombucha, I drink it daily and make my own at home. I too, was scared to make it at first, but took a class to learn to do it right. Now I experiment with different types of tea, and have found my perfect flavor. It is super easy to make and believed to cure what ever ails you. I drink more of it when I feel a cold coming on, and it nips it quick!

Marcy, love the inventiveness!

Oldhousegal, you're right about Portland. :) It's unique.

I'm a WS ho. Love the store and the catalog. I bought my first knife via Chuck Williams when he had his "hardware store" in Sonoma. So I'm very suspectible. Sigh.

For me, good equipment is like an instrument you must know how to play. But yes, of course, it's nicer to have it. The irony is that the best cooks I've ever known didn't have anything fancy in the kitchen. And while folks go on about Julia Child's kitchen, it was large but not fancy at all -- Paul just organized it in a unique way for its time.

rhome -- I've had both gas an electric. My thought is that the cookware makes more of a difference than the fuel. There is the issue of control with electric -- f.ex. my radiant turns on and off to regulate the heat. Having experienced that same phenomenon with an oven you can imagine how that works for a range. One reason why I'm considering a switch to induction. OTOH, it's a brand new radiant (3rd replacement) and having just moved I've got enough going on to not disrupt something that isn't necessary right now. If I swap, I want to do it together with a new cabinet and have them retrofit some pullouts. But a lot depends on Wolf since that's the only unit that fits in the cutout. Tin-lined copper isn't an easy proposition on the radiant. But it's non-functional on induction so my copper becomes display -- which means it should go. I started cooking on copper, which was affordable then, and it's hard for me to part with a saute pan that I know will improve the performance of even a bad cooktop because the heat conductivity is optimal.

Plllog-- we moved to our house. We have a whole-house surge surpressor in the box but when the power goes out there's 3 second delay until the backup generator comes on. We also have a history of electrical "incidents" here -- a tree on the property was hit by lightning a few years back and it traveled across (making a 5-inch deep trench) and hit the back of the house. The main power line broke underground two years later. First time fried TVs and phone. Second time fried boards in all the non-Miele appliances, phones, tvs.

I am naturally cautious, as I should be. Miele is built to withstand power outages. If it happens again (please Lord no) and the radiant gets fried it's different than switching it out to induction and frying a Wolf.

YIKES!! We hardly ever have lightning strikes, and when we do it'll be on a tall palm tree or the transformer on a power pole. Is it worth getting supplemental insurance? Or does that cost as much as replacing what gets fried?

I was thinking of a battery backup which would provide shut down time as well as surge suppression. A friend uses those for his electronics, also because of power outages, but he has an '80's kitchen with no computer boards in it.

I've seen what I'm referring to overseas where the electricity is less reliable than most places in the U.S. They're similar to the kinds of UPS you can buy for a computer, but run on 240 and will take the pull of a big circuit. This isn't for running the stove on, because of the quantity of power required, but it should give you enough time to power down or for the generator to come on.

We've got it covered all around. The issue is whether the appliances are designed to withstand an outage. Both our DW and oven came through both unscathed whereas the fridge & microwave fried.

The oven clock came right back on because that appliance is designed to update itself if there is power loss for less than 4 hours. But don't mean to stray too far off topic.

As for Kombucha -- it's great for anyone taking antibiotics since it has tons of acidophilus. And what a funny idea that it's compost. It comes from Beverly Hills btw -- I can only imagine the hilariousness of that backstory.

Ah, yes. Certainly a top-notch tool (range, oven, etc.) does not do a person much good if they don't know the first thing about the process, and expect the tool to do everything for them. I guess that's who some of these things (specialty, one-task gadgets) are made for.

I do know, too, though, that for beginners, if they're not fighting the inconsistencies of a 'cheap' tool, they are more likely to do well, and hang in there to do more. I saw that with teaching my dds to sew. Putting a kid on a cheapo machine is the fast-track to getting them to hate sewing, and I'm betting it's been the same for some with cooking/baking.

A WS addiction could be expensive...But then I'm addicted to large appliance stores, which definitely makes my previous shoe and fabric lusts look pretty affordable...

Those are quite the experiences, electrically! Compelling point in considering Miele. Do they have the same good protection for their induction? No way to make theirs fit?

Hi, plllog,

Biscuits and Kombucha? I use to culture Kombucha--IMO it's a great science experiment, but *YUCK*--I could never learn to like it.

rhome - Nope. Stainless counter. Only Wolf fits.(talk about expensive appliance addictions)

Rhome, I so agree with what you've said about good tools. I always used to say that it was the apprentice who needed the good instrument--the master can play anything. Then I heard this song many years ago, and now I always think of it. :)

Mama_Goose, the conversation has gone all over, but my point was mainly the delightful ridiculousness of an oven on a bicycle. A range really. :) Too wonderful, no matter what's on tap!!

Nice to hear from Mama Goose that even after all the work to make Kombucha, it may not be worth it. I was getting tempted to look into it further.

That song does say it. I couldn't really hear over the din here, so had to look up the lyrics!

I agree--the bike/oven is very innovative, as well as color coordinated. :)

rhome410, my first 'mushroom' came from my aunt, who swore by its health benefits. I enjoyed the process, just not the product. Your kids would probably enjoy watching it grow.