Sharon, Just when I thought I'd have time to be a regular at CF again...my time gets zapped up so quickly. I wanted you to know I am thoroughly enjoying these posts! I am having a great time figuring out what you're saying with my own camera. My pictures have already improved remarkably. I've been begging (okay, whining) to take some classes and they just aren't to be found around here. Your tutorials are just what I need! Thank you for all your time! Deb

You can also get an egg chart (see link) to have eggs cooked exactly the same way every time to specification, it does not matter how cold/hot/big/small the eggs are. The sous vide system can be set up to do anything which will require exact temperature control, such as making yogart, hatching eggs, pasteurize eggs (for ice cream raw eggs), pasteurize milk, proofing bread, starting seeds, ---------. The steak took me about 8 hours. I like to serve steaks as hot as possible without overcooking. The sous vide method does not require resting. This is how it works: Since you cannot overcook the meat, you can take the time to prepare every other sides, then when it's time to eat, you tell everyone to sit down and fire up the cast iron skillet. I normally get the skillet to about 520F with an IR thermometer. Sear the steak about one or two minutes each side, get the house to smell real good. Perfect timing. Served hot !!! dcarch Here is a link that might be useful:

Linda, while polymerization of unsaturates is the PRIMARY way seasoning is formed....there is another lesser known (on the Internet) mechanism. When SATURATED fats are heated to the smoking point they will undergo THERMAL cracking chemical reactions. These cracking reactions will then form or create unsaturated molecules that will in turn undergo those same polymerization reactions. These reactions, however, will tie up nearly pure carbon into the polymer matrix that is formed. The polymers thus formed are not the same as what is formed when using Grapeseed oil. Grapeseed oil has a VERY LOW carbon residue content. Because of the added "carbon" into the polymer matrix those polymers formed when using lard will not be PLANER in their orientation. "Planer" polymers (Grapeseed oil) are much stronger and slicker. You want polymers to be planer in their orientation.....and that is why I REALLY STRESS the point to ALWAYS use "LIGHT" layers of oil when you are seasoning your pan. You WILL NOT speed up the seasoning process by applying more oil in each seasoning cycle. FYI.....there is also a benefit to seasoning cast iron with low smoke point "saturated" fats like lard (purchased lard is better) or Crisco. When the thermal cracking occurs this chemical reaction leaves behind what is known in organic chemistry as "carbon residue". The carbon residue content of petroleum oil and animal fats & oils is a CHEMICAL property of the oil and it varies with the chemical composition of the oil or fat. It is a very important chemical property and it is measured by a specific analytical test procedure. It is important in the overall classification of oils and gives certain information about the higher molecular weight molecules contained in the oil. Adding carbon residue (i.e using lard or Crisco) is sometimes useful when seasoning a pan which was formed using modern day coarse sand molds......like the one's made by Lodge. Cast iron produced by Lodge is very "rough" because it was cast in a sand (not clay) mold and because it was not machined polished as the cast iron pans of old. Sooo.....you sure can season a pan with both lard and/or Crisco.....or perhaps just wait for it to develop over time thru usage like your grandma did. But why wait???? Use grapeseed oil and you can get to initial non-stick a whole lot faster. Then you get to build upon that solid non stick base through continued use of the pan......that is if you maintain it properly. There is a lot more detail that I can get into on this particular subject. I could write a chapter in a book on this topic. However, I'm afraid it would be too confusing for some. I've touched on carbon residue in the link I posted above and it was confusing to some people based on the emails that I received. The procedure that I will eventually write will work just fine 90% of the time for most people.....that is, if people follow the procedure EXACTLY how I will write it. For instance... when I say clean your pan with Bar Keepers Friend....I mean it. When I say to use "purchased" lard...I mean to use the stuff you buy in a super market and not rendered bacon fat. When I say dry your pan on a burner before storage......I mean exactly what I've written......because there are very specific and sometimes technical reasons why I will put that particular step in the procedure. I've written many hundreds of very complex and technical procedures in my former career and I do not put extra steps in just for the fun of it. I'll post when I am satisfied with what I consider to be the best (simple) procedure for most cases. Dan Semper Fi-cus

"---A cubical mold?" That's the concept. This is the "engineering": The mold has to be made so that you can disassemble it, otherwise the tomato can grow so tight and you may not be able to pull it out. To simplify construction, I use packing tape to tape the parts together. Good for one season. You need to drill a few holes so that water will not collect in the mold causing the fruit to rot. You can imagine the fun to serve your friends square tomatoes in a party. dcarch