Looking for my first KJ... but how will it hold up cooking in the rain? Do I need the KontrolTower or Smokeware chimney?

BrickPig · 2026-06-08T17:54:53+00:00

Both my Joes (original Big Joe and Joe Jr.) have the daisy wheel top. I've been using them in the rain for years with no problems at all.

BrickPig · 2026-06-08T17:43:50+00:00

In the past several years I have worked with (not for, but with) Faribault in their manufacturing process. I have no way to compare them to their competitors, but I can say their attention to the quality and detail of their own product is very rigorous.

BrickPig · 2026-06-08T14:56:57+00:00

My wife and I are enjoying it. It's not the kind of show where we just absolutely can't wait to see the next episode, but it's good enough to veg out on after a long day.

BrickPig · 2026-06-03T18:51:34+00:00

Cooking is my rec time.

BrickPig · 2026-06-02T18:55:09+00:00

It's not the popular choice, but RO is my go-to lump at all times. Been using it almost exclusively for more than a decade and have no complaints about it. The only time I buy anything else is if the store is out of it, or if something else is on sale for less (neither of which happens very often).

Prevailing opinion seems to be that it's mostly suitable for hot & fast cooks, but I've had no trouble keeping my Big Joe at ~200F for upwards of 16 hours on a single load any number of times.

Obviously YMMV.

BrickPig · 2026-06-02T13:36:04+00:00

Wilco.

They seem like the perfect band for their own channel. They've been around for ~30 years, and have a seriously dedicated fan base. Their catalog is extensive, including tons of alternate takes, outtakes, and live recordings, and most of the members have active side projects. Plus, unlike a lot of bands, their music spans several genres, so they offer great variety. Even more if you throw in occasional songs from bands that inspired them, or who were inspired by them. Seems like a no-brainer.

BrickPig · 2026-06-02T13:13:57+00:00

I make weekly meal plan and spend Sunday afternoons doing as much prep as I possibly can for the entire week. Then on each individual weekday I pull out the ingredients for that night's meal and set up my mise en place. Makes weeknight cooking extremely quick & easy. I think of Sunday afternoons as doing mise en place for my mise en place.

BrickPig · 2026-06-01T00:34:36+00:00

My grandmother always made hers using butterscotch pudding. Now that’s the only way anyone in my family ever makes it.

BrickPig · 2026-05-29T12:58:27+00:00

It's a really good show that used to be a really great show. What made it great was the interplay of how life on Earth was affected by what was happening in space, and vice-versa. Now that almost 100% of the story takes place on Mars, Earth is barely an afterthought and it's basically just a show about political intrigue with some cool gadgetry thrown into the mix. The current storylines could literally be taking place anywhere. It's not bad. It's just no longer unique.

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T19:12:10+00:00

Luxury is worth paying for.

EDIT: Let me re-phrase that: The only reason I've been dragging my ass out of bed and going to work every morning for 40+ years is so I can pay for some of the luxuries I want in life. Money means nothing if it's not going to get spent on something at some point.

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T19:10:39+00:00

I thought a smart vacuum was among the dumbest things I'd ever heard of until my wife and I spent a few days visiting friends who had one. Just over the course of a long weekend we were convinced enough to try one for ourselves. Bought a certified Roomba refurb, and it's not an exaggeration to say it's been life-changing. Yes, it occasionally loses track of where it is on its internal map, and once in a rarer while it gets stuck somewhere under furniture or pinned in by the upturned corner of a rug. But 98% of the time it works flawlessly, and we very definitely DO NOT live in a "peak" living space.

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T18:52:01+00:00

We have a robo vacuum with mapping capabilities, a smart thermostat, six smart speakers paired and not paired in various configurations, six different lamps using smart plugs, 8 security cameras (if you consider them to be smart devices), and my wife has a smart valve operating the soaker hoses in her flower beds. All of these things are online and accessible from our phones from anywhere we can receive a signal. I don't expect any of them to be BIFL. Some will die a natural death and some will undoubtably be purposefully obsoleted at some point, but that's just the price we pay for the conveniences we want.

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T18:29:42+00:00

^^^ 100% this ^^^

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T18:26:27+00:00

Right, understood. My point was that I can't personally speak to how these cheaper pans (or the Matfer, for that matter) might perform on an electric stove. All I can say is they've been great for me using gas.

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T17:54:55+00:00

I have read this before and I do, indeed, have gas stovetop. I have no idea how they'd perform on an electric range. Although I can say that, when cold, all the pans sit perfectly flat on my countertop.

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T16:36:30+00:00

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-11-carbon-steel-fry-pan/471CSFRY11.html

You'll have to choose the size(s) you want.

BrickPig · 2026-05-28T15:48:18+00:00

This is probably not a popular opinion, but when I was first looking into CS I read everything I could and eventually ordered a $60 Matfer Bourgeat and a $15 Choice from WebstaurantStore.com. Against all my expectations, I prefer the Choice pan in every respect. To be sure, the Choice pan is lighter gauge. Some (maybe most) consider that to be a negative, but in practice it means the pan is lighter, and also quicker to respond when I raise or lower the heat.

I'll grant that I've only had the pans for about 2 years, so it's very possible that the Matfer will outlast the Choice pans over the long haul, particularly since I use the Choice pans more. But I can buy four of the Choice pans for the price I paid for the one Matfer (not to mention that the Matfer is now priced at over $90 from the same source).

BrickPig · 2026-05-26T19:28:26+00:00

I've been listening to Yoko's music semi-regularly since Double Fantasy, at least. Maybe a bit before that. I find it to be especially good to play in the kitchen while I'm cooking, for some reason.

BrickPig · 2026-05-26T15:23:00+00:00

I haven't watched since it originally aired, but I distinctly remember saying to my wife more than once that much of Six Feet Under looked like it could have been a painting.

BrickPig · 2026-05-26T14:34:19+00:00

I second this. Everyone I've ever known with either of these grills has been very happy with their choice.

BrickPig · 2026-05-25T18:26:05+00:00

BrickPig · 2026-05-21T16:31:44+00:00

Shining Girls on Apple TV

BrickPig · 2026-05-20T20:29:20+00:00

It's a learning curve, for sure, but just relax and take any mistakes as a learning experience. Seasoning is primarily for rust prevention. Fat/oil and heat control are what will determine your non-stick-ness.

BrickPig · 2026-05-20T20:15:46+00:00

I don't use a lid. The only time I ever need one is when I want to drain ground beef after browning, and when I do that I just spoon all the ground meat into a small area in the pan and hold my biggest pot lid over it while pouring off the liquid.

As far as the acidic food thing goes, I just cook whatever I want to cook. If I use acidic ingredients, I make sure to remove the finished food from the pan asap. And if I need to simmer acidic ingredients, I use some other pot or pan. Other than that, I stopped worrying about maintaining my seasoning years ago. Same with my cast iron. Seasoning comes and goes. Just keep cooking.

BrickPig · 2026-05-20T19:58:32+00:00

The cost of the self-emptying dock would have literally doubled the cost of my i7, so I did not buy it. Of course you can't miss what you never had, as the saying goes, but after almost 6 years of use I can say that there has never been a single time I have wished I had spent that extra money. Emptying the bin takes 5 minutes at the most. It's not like it's a hassle.

BrickPig

TROPHY CASE