I can't think of a single thing. I've read many of the responses, and I saw some of the expected answers - Brussels sprouts, liver, spinach, etc. Brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetable, and I like them prepared many ways. I enjoy liver, whether beef, chicken, pork. Plain old canned spinach is pretty boring, but edible, and I do like it better other ways. I was never forced to eat black jelly beans, which are the only "food" that I can really say that I can't stand.
When subjects such as this come up, I am always amazed at the number of people who talk of lengthy delays in eating the "forced" food, only to finally down it after it has gone cold and nasty. If there is something on my plate that I don't like as well as something else, it is always the thing I will eat first, not last. Why prolong it, and why make it the last taste your mouth will know from that meal? Often, when trying to get someone, especially a child, to try a new food - and no, not forcing them - I will say "just try it, you have an entire plate of (whatever they are eating that they DO like) to wash it down if you don't like it"!

Absolutely not.

I don't know exactly what you are experiencing, as I've never really seen this either. The only time I've ever found a "sooty" or some such surface on grilled food is when a flaming fire is suddenly put down by putting the lid on the grill. That has only ever happened through inattention, so it doesn't really apply here. It's a mistake, not a method of cooking ;-)

That said, I agree with all of the suggestions presented before this. Do try lump charcoal, to see if you prefer it. I think it burns hotter, and definitely produces less ash. I use it sometimes, but I do usually use Kingsford, as I like the control and consistency it provides. When cooking with the lid on, do keep the top vent fully open, using bottom vents to control temperature. I, like others, prefer to light my chimney outside the grill, as I have never liked having that light, papery ash flying about when I lift the lid on the grill. I have a split cement block on which I set my chimney until the charcoal is ready, then dump into the Weber. Be aware that it is not recommended to set that chimney on a porous stone surface (like my block), as any moisture in the surface can cause the stone to "explode", possibly showering the area with lit charcoal and stone bits. Perhaps a second grill, a piece of steel, etc. would be a better option. I know of people who have had a part of their concrete patio explode in such a manner. Yeah, I still use my block.

I don't really clean the inside of my Webers either. I will place the cooking grate over the hot fire for a couple minutes, and then wire-brush it well. That is all that is necessary. If you are finding soot to wipe away on the inside of the kettle, I again wonder if you are smothering a flaming fire, which will make soot. Covering a bed of coals should not make soot.

Paper bags from the grocery store are another great fuel source for lighting your charcoal in a chimney.

I have 3 Weber kettles on the patio right now, with another
3 or 4 that could be brought out if the need arises. I would not trade any of them for a gas grill. I do own two gas grills, but one is old and tired, and has almost never been used since I got my first Weber. The other mounts to a swing-away rack that fits into the 2" receiver hitch on my truck, ans is used for tailgating and cooking on the beach.

That's a nice stove. Sounds like a good find to me!

Craigslist find - Weber Ranch Kettle, only used a few times. Brand new extra cooking grate included (I don't know why he had it, the original is like brand new), as well as two Weber chimneys. $300. I've found some other deals, but this is definitely my favorite.

Yeah, his paella pan looks amazing! That alone should be worth the trip!

I'm with you too. It bothers me most in a long, older thread that I've read before. I go there and notice several new posts throughout the thread. Then I look at one photo, come back, and suddenly, I've read all of the posts! Now I don't know which ones are the new ones. I found out tonight that clicking on a poster's name to view their profile does the same thing. Look at it, come back, everything shows as already read. I'd love e fix for this.
paulj, I am sure that your suggestion will work, and it's a good idea. But that is not how I am used to browsing, so 'll likely forget to do it. Yeah, I'd still like a fix...

I would think that the internal thermometer that regulates your oven temperature would still be working to keep your oven at or near the target cooking temperature. You will just be using more energy (gas or electric) to achieve that temp, as more of the heat will be escaping. Sort of like running the furnace with the front door open ;-)
If you are still concerned about the oven maintaining the proper temp, use your aforementioned probe thermometer to monitor the temp in the oven at the beginning of the cook. You know that the roast is not nearing it's "done" temp for the first little while, so you don't need the probe in the meat. Instead, push it through a small potato, letting the probe stick well out of the other side of the potato. Then set the potato on the rack of the oven. The potato will keep the probe from contacting the metal rack, so you are not monitoring the temp of the rack, but rather the temp of the air on the oven. Once you are satisfied that you know the temp the oven is maintaining, put the probe back in the meat, and cook until done! Good luck, and let us know how it works out.

I recall, from my scouting days, boiling water in a paper cup set in the fire (the cup would not burn below the level of the water), and also halving an orange, removing the fruit from the rind, then cracking an egg into the empty rind and cooking it in the fire. Not particularly "off the wall", but you reminded me of it with your scouting comment.

I like the search engine to which ferret linked, but it is not perfect. After choosing french door "yes", ice maker "no" and color "white", I was left with three choices. Two of those still listed an ice maker as one of the features.
My question is, why the great importance on no ice maker? Assuming when you say "external" you mean no "through the door" ice dispenser, I can understand, as that does rob a good amount of useful space from a freezer. But a simple ice maker in the freezer is not such a space hog. Even so, if that is still your primary objection, an ice maker is very easily removed from a freezer. In the two refrigerators and the freezer that I own, it is as simple as three screws and a modular plug - no more ice maker. Consider that, and look for other, more important features, whatever those may mean to you.

If you like mint, they are probably good. I know lots of people love them, and look forward to them every year. Not being a big mint fan, it's not something I look for. I do think that it seems to be the most popular "special" shake that they have. For me, I'll take an Arctic Orange in the summer, or an Eggnog around the holidays.

Haha, now you see my lot in life. If it weren't for the fact that I spend 100+ days per year on the road for work, I would lead a very sheltered existence. That is why I asked about Starbucks - not because it is good (or not good), but because such things are all that we have. But it turns out that I will be staying in Brooklyn next week for a few nights, so I may find the opportunity to look up Blue Bottle. I'll let you know my thoughts if I get there. Thanks for the "help"!

Hahaha, yeah, I'm in Canton, Ohio. Any other ideas?

But where do we draw the "bizarre" line? I have not tried the Chicken and Waffle or Cheeseburger stuff, but I love the Utz Crab Chips, and the Zapp's Cajun Crawtators. Is that too bizarre?

... I was at home more often. 150+ nights annually in a hotel room makes it hard to be a cook. Oh, I would also cook more if I lived where it was always warm. I am a outdoor, "cooks with fire" kid of guy, though that does not keep me away from the stove and oven. Now you have me wanting to get out of this hotel in snow-covered central Indiana and get home and cook something. Alas, not for at least another 5 days...

Hmm... you've got me thinking, Ipse. I really like dark roast coffee. But it occurs to me that I have never given strong-brewed light roast coffee a chance. I know that I don't like weak coffee, which is why I always show up at the mother-in-law's with a full travel mug ;-) But I'd like to try what you are selling. So tell me, is Starbucks Blonde, or another chain that might be near me, a good example? What should I try, short of buying a bag of beans that I am not sure I will like? I am certainly open to suggestions!

#3

I was going to suggest the cooler method as well. I and many others do it often with barbecue, and it works great. The above recommendation is right on.

Exactly. Thanks for the reminder, I totally forgot about the Domino's I had last week :-)
... And he is in Reston! Try finding something at that hour in some small town in Mississippi.

Being a "road warrior", chains can easily become a way of life for me. If you combine convenience with familiarity, it is all too easy to fall into the chain rut. For example, I just spent two weeks traveling all over Mississippi and Louisiana. Sounds great, until you factor in that I worked 150 hours in those two weeks, being in an average of about four different towns per day. Fast food for lunch is all too easy, and finding the local spots takes time and mileage out of the work day. Fortunately I often choose to work through lunch, or just rely on snacks I can carry with me. But still, by the time my day ends at 9 - 10 PM, most of the local joints, except the bar & grill type, are closed. Trust me, I know - I missed out on cajun, catfish, and the like too many times. That brings that convenience and familiarity factor back into the mix. So I'm afraid that I succumbed to chains of some sort an easy 10 times just in those two weeks. I did manage to get some delicious Cajun seafood, a mufaletta, a nice mixed grill at a beach reastaurant, some great boudin and meat pies on the run (I LOVE buodin!), Some Gus's fried chicken in Memphis (but they have three locations, so that is a chain, I guess) so it was not all bad. Of course, if you want to factor in breakfast in a chain hotel, you can add one for every day, and an easy 150 for the past year.
Oh, and I'm wide open to different cuisines and new experiences, so it's not that. I do often travel alone though, and sometimes it's just not as fun to try something new and different when you can't share the experience.

So did you make the bratwurst, and was it to your liking?

Common here as well (Ohio), though we don't have one. We do have a septic system, and that would be why. There are lots of opinions on both sides of whether it is harmful to your septic system, but I figure why take the chance?

I don't know if you went out and bought a bottle of the "old" stuff, but of course it will now not be a novelty. However there is a novelty out there to be had. I was in a store in Louisville, KY on Thursday, and an employee there showed me 1.75L bottles on the shelf that were 84 proof. Well actually, on the side of the label, where it has always said

Fully Matured
alcohol 45% by volume
(Ninety Proof)

the label only had the first two lines (reading 42%, of course), and no third line, so it actually did not say the "proof".
The gentleman said that they had also received small bottles of the same, lower-proof stuff. Maybe pints and half-pints or something? I don't recall, but I know that it wasn't in the regular 750ml size.

Do you have another probe-type thermometer against which you could make a comparison? If you find a discrepancy, you could then contact ThermoWorks and consult with them on the issue, armed with some evidence. I understand that their customer service is pretty good. Even if you can't make a comparison, you should still call them and ask them for ideas or suggestions. They may be able to tell you if it is something you are doing, or if indeed it seems that the Thermapen is wrong.

Well, I found a recipe that included some chiles, which sounded good. Turns out I didn't have the chiles I thought I had in the pantry, so that was out. That recipe didn't include potatoes, I did. No big changes. The best thing I did? I thought that grilled corn would be great in it, but this is winter in Ohio... so I took frozen corn (thawed) and tossed it in a nearly dry wok over high heat, with just a slight film of bacon grease. That gave me some carmelization on some random kernels, as if they had been cut from a nicely grilled ear. I'll definitely do it again.

Corn chowder. It seemed like a soup kind of day here. I've made many different soups, but never corn chowder. I "followed" a recipe found online, but made small changes. It was good.

I have to say, the thought of an Emu (or two) on a rotisserie is just great! I wanna see that...

I'd like to weigh in with a "B". I eat out a lot when traveling, but don't get chances to be all that adventuresome. Probably because I usually am in some small town or suburb, not some big city with lots of exotic choices. I will often try to eat local, and if that means I can try a local dish, great. Many times, that "local" item is just the local IPA or Porter ;-)
It is at home that I will try to make new things, experience foods in a different way, try a new preparation, etc. Oh, that too is tempered by my surroundings, usually in the form of others saying "I won't like that" (Just try it! It's food, and it's not something I just invented. People eat it. Just eat it. Why NOT?! Oops, sorry... this is a different rant), but I try to forge ahead anyway. I'd like to learn to cook even half of the things I read about just here on Chow. Yup, make mine B.

C for sure, quite possibly D. I love to cook, and to have home-cooked meals, but I travel a lot. I logged over 100 nights last year just with one hotel chain, and there are certainly other hotels in the mix. I say C because I almost always skip lunch, which takes 7 meals away from the possible total. Obviously there are many weeks where I easily exceed 11, but I was trying to find some sort of average. On the rare complete week that I am at home? Then it's an A.

Indoors, in the oven, it's in a loaf pan.
Outdoors, on the grill, it's free-form on, well, the grill.
Now why haven't I tried it on a rack when it's in the oven? No idea... I think I should.