What's for Dinner?

[ceeaton]

I want to buy a Vaccuum Sealer and was looking at the Food Saver 5200. Does anyone have any knowledge or another lower cost sealer recommendation. I won't be using it as often as most of you on this thread.

I use a Food Saver Vac 370, which can only be found used on eBay anymore. I think at the time it was around $50. Works fine other than the open end of the bag has to be perfectly aligned etc to actually seal (like @ibglowin sed). I'm looking for a new one since I do use it quite a bit. I'd have to guess I've sealed 250+ bags with that thing, so can't complain.

One year I used it to seal homemade sauce I made from my garden tomatoes in 1 lb or quart or something "bricks". Once they froze I could stack them in the freezer flat and it saved a bunch of room.

 

[RadRob]

I read somewhere that those older food-savers had a commercial pump on them and were made better that what you get today. I bought one about a year ago from Wally world and returned it because it didn't work to my liking. I borrowed an old FS V825 model from my aunt to pack 25lbs of sausage and it worked like a charm. I then found one on Ebay for $30 and have been using it since. It came with the hose and a few mason jar lids. There's a few videos to repair them if you have an old one that quit, I think it's mostly the hoses and seal that go out.

 

[ceeaton]

I read somewhere that those older food-savers had a commercial pump on them and were made better that what you get today. I bought one about a year ago from Wally world and returned it because it didn't work to my liking. I borrowed an old FS V825 model from my aunt to pack 25lbs of sausage and it worked like a charm. I then found one on Ebay for $30 and have been using it since. It came with the hose and a few mason jar lids. There's a few videos to repair them if you have an old one that quit, I think it's mostly the hoses and seal that go out.

I think my seals have taken the brunt of the beating. Maybe I'll look into fixing them up. I did watch some of the videos, interesting stuff.

 

[RadRob]

If it's the seal for the bags you can remove them and run under water, it helps.

 

[Boatboy24]

Fajitas tonight.

 

[RadRob]

Nice, those crusty bits make all the difference!!

 

[ceeaton]

Decisions, decisions...

Up to about 50*F, little wind, snow melting. Need to decide on the class of meat (fowl, bovine or swine) and the method to cook it. Might spatchcock one of the chickens for tonight (nice spicy rub, ho-made mac 'n cheese), marinate the beef for tomorrow (with twice baked taters) and smoke the remaining chicken with the pork sirloin roast (they left a nice fat cap on it, probably why it's $.75/lb) to make chicken stock/eventually soup, and to crock pot the pork Monday for pulled pork/chunky pork dinner.





Edit: One of the chickens and the pork are on the Weber bullet, 255*F (wind has picked up). The apple wood smells good, been a while since I've had a nice grilling or smoking session.

 

[ceeaton]

Some images of the finished products. Happens that the smoked chicken got done about the time the spatchcocked one did. My son wanted the smoked one. When he cut into it I could smell the apple wood smokiness all over the kitchen (so of course I ate that one as well). Only downside of the whole cooking session was that it got dark way too early. You'd think it was almost winter or something.






Time to make some chicken stock.

 

[Boatboy24]

Burgers over charcoal and spent wine cubes tonight. Delicious, but no pics.

 

[geek]

Chili's

 

[RadRob]

I was lazy and used the oven, chicken, squash, zucchini, onions and potatoes.

 

[Boatboy24]

Ina Garten's sausage lasagna with goat cheese.

 

[geek]

Burgers again but on the grill, mushrooms cooked in a pan with red wine and soy sauce.
White onions, bacons.

 

[Johnd]

Rotisserie cooking some yard walkers this evening, seasoned leg/thigh quarters. Taking some baked potatoes and scooping them out, adding some milk to whip em up fluffy, then adding sour cream, extra sharp cheddar cheese, and bacon, also some steamed broccoli florets with a light cheese topping and some Tony’s for a little kick.

 

[Boatboy24]

Burgers again but on the grill, mushrooms cooked in a pan with red wine and soy sauce.
White onions, bacons.

Are those the pre-made Costco burgers? Big boy burgers - nice and thick.

 

[Boatboy24]

Just about ready to eat. Mrs Boatboy doesn't like goat cheese, so the toothpicks mark the side that has the goat cheese mixed in. On the other side, I threw some caramelized onions on top - just because they were left from last night's burgers.

 

[geek]

Are those the pre-made Costco burgers? Big boy burgers - nice and thick.

yeah, this time no frozen burgers...lol
When it comes to too many burgers on the grill I have to master this, a couple came up to medium rare, too pink for us....but they all tasted pretty good.
I tried to go indirect head on a tray but then decided to put them direct.

 

[Boatboy24]

yeah, this time no frozen burgers...lol
When it comes to too many burgers on the grill I have to master this, a couple came up to medium rare, too pink for us....but they all tasted pretty good.
I tried to go indirect head on a tray but then decided to put them direct.

Always direct with burgers. But I always keep a 'cool side' so I can move things off the flame if needed.

 

[ibglowin]

Say what! And yet you still said "I do" ? Hmmmmmm........ LOL

Mrs Boatboy doesn't like goat cheese, so the toothpicks mark the side that has the goat cheese mixed in.

 

[Boatboy24]

Say what! And yet you still said "I do" ? Hmmmmmm........ LOL

Had I known back then... LOL!