Thanks, but my wife is a former vegetarian who finds beef and pork abhorrent. It took years to get her to come back to poultry and seafood, so I will be content with that success.
Sous vide question: when I did the shrimp, the Anovo app on my phone said I could put it in even before it reaches the correct temperature. Is that right? Don’t you usually wait until the temp is reached? And if not, when do you start timing?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. For short cooks like shrimp I wouldn’t put them in before reaching temp, but for something like beef or chicken it’s not going to make a material difference to the outcome. Just start the timing from when the cook temp is reached (or you expect it to be reached, if you’re not around). Remember you have to hold the temperature above 130F for a while to sterilise.
For me it depends as well. If it’s something still a little frozen, I’ll put it in early. Even if not, the Anova reaches temp quite quickly, depending on the vessel size. Besides that, the temperatures we’re talking about here are not high. Sous vide works by long and slow heat to get to the safety zone. Think of it like a slow cooker. You can put things in a completely cool slow cooker because the amount of time it is going to eventually spend at heat will ensure safety. The same for sous vide, and thus why it can cook things even below normally safe temp (150 for an hour for chicken breasts) and still be quite good.
You guys have the Anova app, right? It’s useful.
I do. I actually forget to check that and just pull up Serious Eats on tablet or PC.
It does notify me when it’s at temp though.
Helllll yes my dude!!!
At 2AM you say? Can I hire you for parties, that looks fantastic!
Dual Cajun-inspired dinners for the gf and I.
Blackened chicken tenders with some fettucini alfredo and roasted asparagus with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for her:
And some red beans and brown rice, the beans mashed and simmered till ludicrously creamy, with andouille sausage, plus a side of some sliced French bread and, of course, Zapps Cajun Crawtaters, the greatest spicy chips on Earth.
I -just- had some of these the other day and I completely agree, they are the bomb. I have had them several times in Asheville at the the Rankin Vault (or just, the Vault.) They serve a variety of food but they are WELL known as the place open until 2AM that has the best burger in town, the Vault Burger. It’s served with Zapps Cajun chips.
“Hickory Nut Gap ground beef, bacon, white cheddar, red onion, arugula, spicy mayo.”
And I have to include a picture. I’m so sorry …
I would like to go to there…
I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t like the gigantic burgers. Here is one of the best burgers in St. Louis:
It’s from O’Connel’s, an Irish pub which has been around for decades. I know it doesn’t look like much but it is perfectly executed. They use great beef and it’s cooked to perfection. They also run a daily special and are known for their rib tips on Saturdays.
Anyway, very tasty burger and it fits well with my appetite these days. They have fantastic onion rings too.
It looks big in that pic, it’s really not. You can definitely finish that in one session. It’s fantastic though, and strangely, the key is the arugula.
I also prefer the basic cheeseburger. They are often named something like Old Timer’s Burger or such. Appropriate in my case, I guess. While I like a slice of onion and tomato (thinly sliced for god’s sake) I don’t go for lettuce. It’s usually soggy romaine. Oh, and pickle on the side, of course.
And now I’m hungry.
Yeah, you get more of the actual hamburger and cheese taste if there’s not a lot of other things on it.
But I have had the newer style burgers that layer things on and enjoyed them. The one thing I don’t like is when the burger is so stacked I have trouble opening my jaws wide enough. Then I have to squish it down and stuff starts falling out the sides and it’s a mess that I eat both held in my hand and with a fork. Still good, but not the burger experience I want when I want a burger.
It does look good, though I have grown a bit tired of bacon on things. I know, I’m probably a plant for ISIS or something, but bacon tends to overwhelm things.
I am skeptical.
Better than Utz Crab Chips?
Apart from me, Zapps are the best things to ever come out of Louisiana. They’re also now owned by Utz! Quality has stayed high, but distribution got way better.
Hmm… That is interesting.
I am still skeptical though, because you were talking up Duke’s mayo.
(which is gross)
