What did you buy recently that does the job !

[dawei]

Ok, so this is as general as possible to let stories be shared, but I'll start:

 

We bought a meat grinder but chose the hand crank kind cuz they are cheap and we're not incapable of turning a circle... I will say now, I do wish we had bought an electric one !   LOL

 

But we have used it several times for ground pork so my wife can make dumplings.

 

Today, I ground up a T-bone steak, plus 5 % pork shoulder meat... to make a hamburger.   

 

I recall reading an autobiography, I think Lee Iacocca, where top steak meat was ground to make a hamburger.

 

Do I need to tell you how good my version was ? 

 

[Lost in Translation]

I bought a new French press. Simple, elegant, efficient.

[dawei]

9 minutes ago, Lost in Translation said:

I bought a new French press. Simple, elegant, efficient.

 

Very cool !!!   I just bought a new one...  but after buying a first one that didn't work !

 

The first one, when you poured out the coffee, the glass would slide out !     RETURN

 

The current one works well.  Has a kind of lock twist I have not seen on my past press.

 

Why a french press ?  Simple...

 

Coffee machines pour the water through grinds and creates coffee....which is SO F'ing Weak !!!

 

A french press allows you to let the coffee grounds seep in water so that you will stay awake for 3 days straight 

 

I am mostly Italian and French Roast 

[Lost in Translation]

17 minutes ago, dawei said:

A french press allows you to let the coffee grounds seep in water so that you will stay awake for 3 days straight 

 

Here's how I do it.

 

1) Buy whole beans and grind them yourself. I have a small Cuisinart grinder that does the trick.

2) Add 1 heaping teaspoon of coffee for every 4 ounces.

3) Pour boiling water into the press. Don't wait too long after you hear the kettle whistle.

4) Gently stir the coffee and water.

5) Wait 4 minutes. This is important. Four minutes - no more, no less.

6) Apply the plunger and pour.

 

You can then add milk or sugar or whatever to taste. I'm partial to half and half.

[dawei]

1 hour ago, Lost in Translation said:

5) Wait 4 minutes. This is important. Four minutes - no more, no less.

 

Never timed it... but 4 minutes on a dark roast seems rather strong.   I might go about 2-3 minutes.

 

You never said what you prefer for beans ?

 

As an aside story... I may likely drink coffee because as a kid I still remember my mom drinking black coffee... we'd dunk our toast with butter into it.  It was a wonderful treat.

 

So a few weeks ago, my mom visited... and I told her how I make my coffee from dark roast and she was like, .... ok.  

 

I told her I'd pour out some early so it was not so strong.... remember, that generation thought Maxwell House was the bomb !  LOL

 

As still her wont, black.   She took a taste and almost yelled like she had drunk poison !!!   She yelled a few curse words and said, "add some F&*!@ water !!!   

 

I tried for several days to tame down the coffee strength to her liking but I just can't match Maxwell House !   

[Nungali]

A lawn Ferrari 

 

 -

 

 

 

 

No more ;  mix measure mix, set choke and throttle ... Pull   -   brrrmmmm   pull -   bbblt  ..... pull -  bltttttt ... PULL !   -  bbblllttttt  .... 

 

     BASTARD !

 

 

 

... now;    hold switch on with thumb ,   pull trigger ....  VrrrrOOOOOM !  ... love it !

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2018 by Nungali

[Lost in Translation]

1 hour ago, dawei said:

You never said what you prefer for beans ?

 

I prefer a medium/medium-dark roast. 

 

Pete's has a good dark roast.

 

https://www.peets.com/major-dickason-s-blend

 

I like my coffee with a slightly acidic taste, not quite as strong as Starbucks. That said, the best coffee so ever had was from Split Pea Andersen's in Buellton, California. It's mild, smooth and very tasty.

[Pavel Karavaev]

Sometimes a very simple thing changes all the work. For me, this is a Chinese chef's knife. As soon as it appeared, Chinese cuisine became simpler and happier. With other knives, many processes take up a lot more time and effort.

 

 

[thelerner]

I like medium dark to dark roast (ie the Starbucks curse).  For a couple weeks I'd go to a Whole Foods that roasted beans every couple days.  The idea was to buy just 4 oz of freshly roasted beans.  I'd seen a Ted talk that said after a week the beans lost there oils and freshness.  So I'd only buy a little bit of the freshest and grind'em up as needed. 

 

Use a french press and wait 4 minutes.  Wait til the pour was thick and dark.  Good stuff, full bodied, nutty.   Leaving the empty cup with dark circle of coffee muck on the bottom.

 

Always on the look out for new, I saw an article in Thrillist ranking all 30 brands of Trader Joe's coffee https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/best-trader-joes-coffee.  So this week I got there organic Ethiopian blend (couldn't find Honduran), medium dark.  My wife uses it for her drip, I ground it in the store.  It's been pretty good.  Its probably relatively fresh, but as one cup a day user it'll out last the freshness.  I'll probably get back to buying a $3 of beans and using'em for a week.

 

My recent 'best buy' was an over night stay at Lake Geneva in a beautiful B&B, the Baker house.  A month earlier we did a single night in Geneva at the Harrington hotel right on the river.   Both places are under an hour and a half from Chicago.   They're a  short but sweet, break from the monotony of life. 

 

Living high for a day.   In a new place you're a little new yourself.  I'd like to find special but close places at least every other month.  ie buying an experience.  Cause stuff is just stuff. 

[Nungali]

a wrecking bar   -  did the job !  On my rotting front decking

 

 

( Current jobs done and being done around here ;

 

Re gravelled the driveway   ( bobcat 'did the job' )  , excavated a shed site,  cut back bamboo from driveway,  cut down and chopped up 5 massive trees, cleared and levelled the ground for mower,  destroyed old back decking, pulled out posts and getting ready to fill holes with concrete for footings for a bathroom (no more cold showers under the hose  in the wind ! ) , building the bathroom, building the shed, laying the new front decking  ( this morning )   , reconditioned old solid  silky oak wardrobe - with cedar stain on outer, refitted antique bed ( cedar with wood and pearl shell inlay forest  nymph playing flute) , made Bengal red velvet bedspread,  installed art deco light fittings,  cedar chest of draws, strip back and re do table.  strip kitchen floor (decayed cork tile) and lay slate tiles.

 

Oh, here is another thing that 'does the job'   ... my broke neighbour  who is desperate for work   

 

..... and on that note .... goodbye !    ( up and at em .... gotta lay the front deck , before I step through the door to go outside and forget nothing underfoot !  nearly did that last night  . )

 

Y'all have a nice day now   

 

 

 

 Aussie red cedar  and silky oak timber ;

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Nungali

[dawei]

I mentioned this in another thread but worth repeating... the smallest things can sometimes be the greatest help... Super Glue

 

I have fixed 3 computers which it which otherwise one needs to replace the casing.  Also my microwave handle.

 

They now make it in a gel so you don't have to mess with the watery very.   My recommendation is, buy more than one as you'll find more and more uses for it

 

[doc benway]

I was visiting my brother in Florida last week and went with him to take his son to a piano lesson.

The teacher knows I'm a guitarist and asked if I'd look at some old guitars she had laying around that belong to her son-in-law.  They were looking to get rid of them. One was an old Martin guitar... small body, decent shape, sounds amazing. 
 

I did a little research and learned that it was made in 1920!

Excellent condition considering it will soon be 100.

I made an offer and brought a 1920 Martin 0-18 home with me...

By far it has the best tone of any guitar I've played or owned.

It needs a little work (maybe more than a little) but considering what I paid it will be a bargain either way.

Very excited to see where it takes my playing.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by steve

[Nungali]

 

New  wood heater 

 

 

 

 

Cast iron - very heavy. Had to dismantle it to get it in the back of car.  Now I gotta rip out the old one and install this  (and figure out how tor reassemble it ).

[silent thunder]

Some years ago I bought a water distiller.  It's pure awesome!  I figured why try and filter water any longer.  Hassle, and don't quite trust the filters, so why not go the other way and instead of trying to filter the junk from the water, distill the water from the junk.  Simple.

 

Absolutely pure water.  It's delightful.  Tea leaves veritably sing in the stuff.  Coffee is amazing.  But mostly, I know we are drinking and cooking with pure water.

 

I'd previously tested our tap water for ph and it outperformed five bottled waters (not saying much) and tied one... [Incidentally Evian is Naive spelled backwards... ]  Our local city touts its reverse osmosis plant that processes and cleanses about 30% of our drinking water, which comes from what remains of the South Bay Marsh area, (now mostly filled in and developed with housing)... [why is it when we break the things of man it's considered vandalism and when we destroy nature, it's concidered  progress?].  But what about the other 70%? 

 

Just can't trust it, I can't test for heavy metals and as we have, about a mile away from our balcony, the border of a truly ginormous Exxon refining and oil processing complex.  Complete with dozens of their leaky storage tanks, larger than most commercial buildings and all the associated sure to be leaking somewhat piping... 

 

This distiller is a real powerhouse and I'm quite impressed.  It will distill a gallon of water in about 3-5 hours.  Made by H2O Labs.  I highly recommend it.

 

Next up is a negative ionizer.  Have done a bit of research but no decision yet.  If anyone has any recommendations, I'd be grateful.

 

 

[liminal_luke]

I haven´t used any yet but have high hopes for my latest Amazon purchase -- fermented shrimp paste. Even with the lid still on the stuff smells rotten, just as it´s supposed to.  Any shrimp paste tips from the knowledgable cooks out there?

Edited June 4, 2019 by liminal_luke

[Kar3n]

3 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

Any shrimp paste tips from the knowledgable cooks out there?

From the smell your description it seems that a little bit will go a long way.

 

Might be good in soups. I'd add some to fried rice, noodle dishes or stir fry. I once had a Thai eggplant dish that had shrimp paste in it.

 

Happy experimenting!

 

[Starjumper]

In-the-car air pump, for those who live far from the nearest gas station.

 

[Wu Ming Jen]

I recently bought my first "new" sword. This dao is perfectly balanced with a short blade so easy to wield. The problem is that my wife loves this sword so I guess it is shared. She has her own straight sword from ching era with seven stars on the blade but loves "our" new sword. My straight sword is older then the united states and my primary weapon. The short dao has advantages in small areas and we can work out in the house with it.

[silent thunder]

33 minutes ago, Wu Ming Jen said:

I recently bought my first "new" sword. This dao is perfectly balanced with a short blade so easy to wield. The problem is that my wife loves this sword so I guess it is shared. She has her own straight sword from ching era with seven stars on the blade but loves "our" new sword. My straight sword is older then the united states and my primary weapon. The short dao has advantages in small areas and we can work out in the house with it.

I'm in love.

That. Is. Stunning.

[Starjumper]

3 hours ago, Wu Ming Jen said:

 

 

Yummy!  I want one.

[Starjumper]

On 12/19/2018 at 3:22 PM, Nungali said:

 

New  wood heater 

 

 

 

 

Cast iron - very heavy. Had to dismantle it to get it in the back of car.  Now I gotta rip out the old one and install this  (and figure out how tor reassemble it ).

 

It will be more airtight and work better if you put gook in all the edges and seams before you put it back together.  Gook isn't the correct term BTW.  It's called something like Cast Iron Wood Stove Cement.  Paste form, and you can sometimes get it in cartridges.

 

 ... or maybe Gook is for later, after the cast iron warps and the screws get loose, so you can fill the gaps, I ain't sayin'.  I always made wood stoves out of 1/4" plate steel and that stuff didn't warp, plus it's welded 100% airtight, but the tops had to be thicker in order to not bulge upwards or sink down = ).

Edited June 4, 2019 by Starjumper

[joeblast]

On 12/7/2018 at 7:11 PM, dawei said:

 

Very cool !!!   I just bought a new one...  but after buying a first one that didn't work !

 

The first one, when you poured out the coffee, the glass would slide out !     RETURN

 

The current one works well.  Has a kind of lock twist I have not seen on my past press.

 

Why a french press ?  Simple...

 

Coffee machines pour the water through grinds and creates coffee....which is SO F'ing Weak !!!

 

A french press allows you to let the coffee grounds seep in water so that you will stay awake for 3 days straight 

 

I am mostly Italian and French Roast 

hehe...I joked with my coworkers that the caffeine got in the way of my coffee habit, my current favorite is

but back when I'd do the caffeine,

I stopped adding sugar in 2006, but always kept the creamer until I first went decaf, then I was drinking some burnt Peet's dark decaf that tastes like licking the bottom of the burnt carafe in comparison...then I got more raven's brew, and it was so good that creamer just didnt taste right in it.  now its all black

 

I remember giving this stuff to some old bandmates when they were over a while ago and one of them was remarking how it was as smooth as a chocolate bar and he didnt even put anything in it.

 

 

On 12/18/2018 at 7:22 PM, steve said:

I was visiting my brother in Florida last week and went with him to take his son to a piano lesson.

The teacher knows I'm a guitarist and asked if I'd look at some old guitars she had laying around that belong to her son-in-law.  They were looking to get rid of them. One was an old Martin guitar... small body, decent shape, sounds amazing. 
 

I did a little research and learned that it was made in 1920!

Excellent condition considering it will soon be 100.

I made an offer and brought a 1920 Martin 0-18 home with me...

By far it has the best tone of any guitar I've played or owned.

It needs a little work (maybe more than a little) but considering what I paid it will be a bargain either way.

Very excited to see where it takes my playing.

 

 

BEAUT!!!! Great, awesome, super SUPER rare find!!!!  you'd have gotten a deal even if you paid a thousand bucks for it.  my buddy has an ol '54 guild and that sumbich is worth 4, 5 g's

Edited June 4, 2019 by joeblast

[Nungali]

 

It can drop slide angle cut and has a depth setting .. It folds up on a stand with the two wheels and you just wheel it back in the shed - love it.

 

I have been  using it for the boards  for skinning my shed  - cyprus pine  , termite resistant.   The sealer oil was $100 a tin so I started using my old thrown out cooking oil collection I have been saving for 30 years     A lot of curry spices in it, it has a tan / turmeric colour that has highlighted its natural grain and  2 - tone look .   Looks great !  and smells of  ( after I painted the wall then smelled it )   -  cyprus pine .

 

 

[Pavel Karavaev]

On 05.06.2019 at 10:37 AM, Nungali said:

 

It can drop slide angle cut and has a depth setting .. It folds up on a stand with the two wheels and you just wheel it back in the shed - love it.

 

I have been  using it for the boards  for skinning my shed  - cyprus pine  , termite resistant.   The sealer oil was $100 a tin so I started using my old thrown out cooking oil collection I have been saving for 30 years     A lot of curry spices in it, it has a tan / turmeric colour that has highlighted its natural grain and  2 - tone look .   Looks great !  and smells of  ( after I painted the wall then smelled it )   -  cyprus pine .

 

 

Perfect solution!
I dreamed of such a portable device when I was working far outside the workshop.
Cypress pine boards also look perfect. Good deal!

[Nungali]

It does have a fault ;   the centre of the saw ( the nut on the saw)  does not slide past the guard . which means if you are doing a  shallow cut into wood (not all the way through )  the cut curves up at the back of the wood - the same curve as the blade, as it cant be pushed all the way through.

 

The only solution I can find to this is to place a piece of waste wood behind the job and against the guide to move the job forward so the saw goes all the way across it .

 

Apparently its a design fault in many  brands of these saws  .

 

No BIG prob  ... it is a dream to pack up and put away though  

 

.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Nungali