Whatever happened to this company?

Home made is best, natch. Now, having said that there are some jarred sauces I enjoy.

Victoria Marinara - It has that classic Italian-American flavor down pretty well.
Citarella Lobster Fra Diavolo
Pomi Marinara - Much fresher, more Italian, less Italian-American when you want that sort of thing...the aseptic carton keeps it fresher than a jar.
Coppola Amatriciana
Mid's Meat Sauce - I use to make a fast lasagna al forno.

Not crazy about Sockarooni. Alessi is nice, too.

Setting aside all the controversy over HFCS, Coca-Cola sweetened with sugar tastes, to me, 10000000000% better. Mexican Coke is not all that available here in Miami, but Kosher For Passover is plentiful "in season" and, well, we're all about having things in season.

Thanks. I'll futz around with different pots and see what I get with what.

If memory serves, Ziplock-brand bags are OK up to 170F.

Let me be more specific.

On Monday, having nothing better to do, I put my Dutch oven (enameled cast iron, 8qt) on the stove, filled with room temp. (75F) tap water set on low. About 45 minutes later, the water temperature had reached 145F. 4 hours later, the water was still 145F. I would have kept it up longer but I got bored and lost interest in checking every 20 min.

My thinking was to insulate the water vessel, that some of the heat coming from the burner is insulated, but you may be right that this would be a benefit-free complication.

My problem (thus far) w. my stovetop is that at its lowest setting, which is"1", goes to (and stays locked in at) 145F. Spectacular for anything I want to cook at 145F. But I want to cook some things lower than that. (I'm thinking down to 125F)

I MIGHT set a smaller pot inside a larger one also filled with water to see how that, er, pans out. Also curious as to what temperature my slow cooker registers on "warm."

Thanks for setting me straight on the matter of volume...will try with my stock pot, too.

I might try the oven method. On my stovetop, my enameled cast iron Dutch oven wouldn't go any lower than 145F. Meanwhile, my oven can go as low as 150F, and that can be lowered by leaving the door ajar. Thanks!

I'm trying to gather infor to build my own slow-cooker sous vide rig, but I am running into a wall when I seek HOW to put together the controller. Keep in mind, I am woefully out of my league in terms of electronics. So the questions really are:

1- Have any of you done this?
2- What specific items do I need to purchase?
3- How do I assemble/connect them?

Some of what I have seen online -- again with only the most cursory of explanations -- looks like a next of wires. So that my wife doesn't freak out, I'd like to have a neat installation.

TIA!

Les Halles' owner is apparently "reorganizing" and the Les Halles site lists the FL location as "temporarily closed."

We'll see.

-----
Les Halles
2415 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134

I have always enjoyed myself there. While I hope this is just a temporary situation, the fact they are closed on Bastille Day, which has been traditionally a Very Big Deal for them gives me pause.

I just want to chime in to underscore my support for Patrón Citronge. Really excellent stuff, half the price of Cointreau. It is my go-to choice in anything calling for Curacao, Triple-sec, etc. Also, the main difference between "my" Mai-Tai and others is putting the spent lime shell in the shaker...I like the extra little something the essential oils in the peel give the drink.

My thinking was to use the smoker to add a smoky taste, not to smoke it as you would a brisket. That is, I'd use it to "smoke roast" it at 225F until medium-rare.

For some reason the link was mangled. It's http://www.virtualweberbullet.com and it has more details on smoking a brisket than you'd think possible.

Also, it helps if the stock is at room temperature instead of boiling hot. I strongly advocate the "oven roux" method, too. I take Poppy Tooker's advice and never let the roux go past milk chocolate color, as it continues to brown when you add the onions, peppers and celery.

If your definition of a "steakhouse" goes beyond the American variant, then I'd second the suggestion for Graziano's. Keep in mind some of those cuts of beef have no similarity to what we have here. (For a future Argentine cheap date with your Hubby, consider La Porteña off Galloway and 8th...really, really delicious and because of the strip-mall location, a reverse sticker shock.)

If you're feeling a bit Francophilic, there's always Les Halles.

I'm not so crazy, myself, about the chain steakhouses. As a rule the only thing which distinguishes them, to my mind, are the outrageous portions and prices. If you want an old-school American steakhouse, my fave is Christy's in the Gables.

I'm kind of surprised nobody has mentioned Shula's.

Kind of.

You can also try LeBon (721 Lincoln Rd) for awesome Belgian (!) food...excellent moules, frites, carbonnade and the longest Belgian beer list I have ever seen. The fries are worth the trip alone.

Right next door is a great little Italian place called TiramesU (no, that's not a typo) that serves really good casual Italian food filling the gap between a neighborhood joint and serious white-linen Italianness. You will likely be in the minority of non-Italians eating there.

If you feel flush and tired, stay in and dine at Gotham Steak. If you feel flush, I concur with Talula.

If you're feeling carnivorous and not that flush, try Liberty Parrillada (aka "Parrilla Liberty") at 609 Washington. Keep in mind the portions are VERY generous. (You could easily share almost every main course and not quite finish it all.)

Hope that helps!

An excellent resource is http://www.virtualweberbullet.com...t... folks are WILDLY knowledgeable and exceedingly helpful. Try it!

I want to second this. The only changes I made were:

1- After salting the required hours, I rubbed it with a salt-free version of Adam's Steak Rub (a little hack on my part with which I am particularly pleased) and let it come up to room temperature.
2- Than, after the sear, I let it rest a little bit to let the temperatures come down a bit.

I might try to roast it next time at 200F, to see if that makes any difference. It may be worth trying in a smoker, also.

Todao,

That sounds really good...but it's not the W-S rub I need "hacked."

(My dad's blood pressure means he can't have salt at all.) But thanks!

All I really know about the Williams Sonoma rub is that it has " New Mexican chilies, California cilantro, Turkish cumin, paprika and more – plus sea salt and tart lime."

Thanks again,

I'm trying to replicate -- minus the salt -- Williams-Sonoma's Chili[sic] Lime Rub and Spicy Chipotle Rub...has anyone any ideas?

Thanks!

Cucina d'Angelo. It's in a shopping complex just off The Boca Town Center. The address is 5050 Town Center Circle # 247 and the # is 561-750-2344. For lunch, walking-in is OK, but at night you may need to make a reservation, especially on weekends.

-J.