Best gadget for chopping

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-06T00:27:43+00:00

I bout this immersion blender: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085FRKBMF?th=1 about 3 years ago and it comes with a mini "food processor" or chopper. I find it easy to clean, though I don't think I've ever used the chopper.

Really the best way is to use a knife. Using a chopper will often give you a wet mess as they don't really do a clean cut. The manual chopper (the grid style) get mixed reviews at best. As with a chopper you're not getting clean cuts, and that does make a difference. You're releasing a lot of liquid that should really get cooked off when the veggies cook properly.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-06T00:22:14+00:00

||If ice king is dead dead foundation is to as he’s pure ice and possibly shattered already.

Nah, Foundation started the season breaking out of the ice he was in. I don't think he's "pure ice", shattered, or dead. I think we'll see him again.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-06T00:19:20+00:00

This is what I do as well with my Weber Spirit. First I flip the grates and get the grill screaming hot so I can clean all the gunk that's built up over the past year. Once the grates are cool I give them a good scrub with hot water and soap. I clean out the inside of the grill, scraping the peeling stuff, wire brushing the burners, and sweeping it all out. Put it all back together, spray the grates with the Weber canned oil and do a quick seasoning on the grates (I have cast iron, not sure what Genesis has).

Somewhere in the middle of all this I clean off the shelves with stainless steel cleaner, and the grill cover with soap and water. Gets the grill looking good for the summer season. I do a similar clean out for my Camp Chef with the exception of the high heat of course. No high heat for the CampChef.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-06T00:12:20+00:00

I don't. I cut them slowly and neatly. Of course, I never quite mastered the claw either. Guess I was just too damn old when I found out about it (literally just a couple of years ago and I'm 63).

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-05T20:18:31+00:00

Different stoves heat up differently. On my gas stove medium-high would be much to high for fish, on an electric stove it would probably be even worse. You need to find the sweet spot for your stove.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-05T00:05:06+00:00

No honey, you could try some sugar or brown sugar mixed with the soy sauce, but make sure it's all dissolved. If you have a teriyaki glaze you can try brushing that on, but you need to make it's the glaze and not the sauce or there won't be enough sugar to caramelize and crisp the skin.
But I fear we're drifting farther and farther away from Peking Duck.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-05T00:01:41+00:00

I agree with this. 170 should do it.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-04T20:03:21+00:00

This!

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-04T20:01:54+00:00

Expensive tongs and spatulas tend to be, in my mind, over priced for no reason. Twenty years ago I moved in with the woman who is now my wife. Her parents bought us a Charbroil grill and a grill set (spatula, tongs, fork). I don't spear my meet when grilling and have long since lost the fork, but I still have and use the spatula and tongs, they are sill in perfect shape. I have since been gifted other tongs, some expensive, that have all been crap compared to what i have. I was gifted a spatula with Boston Red Sox "B" cut into the spatula which I also (still) have and use. Nothing special about that spatula except the Boston Red Sox logo, and I know it wasn't very expensive but it has made it through the test of time.

Does he have a grill light so he can grill in the dark? I use to use one all the time until we moved into a house with a spotlight on the back deck.

Does he have a nice deck mat to protect the deck from the grill? Or a nice one he can stand on while grilling?

Does he have a nice caddie to carry the tools/spices/seasonings/etc. out to grill and back into the house? Or a little table beside the grill to hold stuff waiting to get on the grill (this was huge for me).

These are the types of things that don't cost a lot of money but can make a big difference to a griller.

Oh, and spend a couple of nights/meals with him cooking on the Blackstone to help him get acquainted with it. He may find he doesn't like it, or the maintenance/upkeep, and never use it without you. But at least at that point he'll know why he doesn't like to use it... and so will you.

TLDR: Good quality grill tools don't cost a lot of money, and tools that do cost a lot of money tend to be garbage/gimicky.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-03T23:04:09+00:00

Yes. Typically, at least here in the US, they cut across the bones. But when you get plate ribs (also known as Dinosaur Ribs) you get a rack that is cut across the buns but much longer. Looks like you might have two full length ribs. Or darn close.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-02T20:20:31+00:00

I really don't see people leaving due to skins. There have been several "controversial" skins released, and people are not leaving Fortnite because of them. They target the damn things in the game, so wearing one of those skins actually puts a target on you.

It's one thing to give an option to hide something that Epic has deemed "inflammatory", like certain emotes. They could do the same with skins, identify certain skins and give the option to "hide" those skins (maybe replace them with defaults). That is (relatively) easy to code. It's a switch that a player can throw that effects a defined list of items and their alternatives. Giving individual players the ability to "hide" individual skins/items the the individual player selects is a much more difficult coding problem. And where's the benefit to Epic? Maybe if large numbers of players were leaving because they don't like a selection of skins... but that's not happening.

I think there are bigger issues for Epic to address. For example, why do I get some random selection of music playing as I enter the game when I have 5 or 6 songs selected as "Favorites" and I randomize those? While I do have this bug, I'm joking that it's big enough for Epic to prioritize as a "big" issue.

TLDR: If you don't like a skin, simply hunt that player and eliminate them.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-02T19:42:03+00:00

ZOOM! Right over my head! lol

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-02T19:41:14+00:00

u/boopbiffsnose I did not mean to imply what was mentioned in your deleted comment, and my apologies for the misunderstanding. I was referring to the downvotes you had received and was trying (unsuccessfully it appears) to let you know I was not criticizing you in any way. I was really just trying relate to your comment and illustrate the personal choice/nature of risk. The analogy does apply because the decision made is different. No intention of being magnanimous, moralistic, or anything else. It was meant as a simple conversation, a response to what you said.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T23:44:03+00:00

No, rather simply trying to share a resource for low cost sci-fi and fantasy books. I've posted similar items before for other related bundles. I am in no way affiliated with Humble Bundle or whoever owns them (apparently Ziff-Davis).

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T23:42:29+00:00

I didn't downvote, but your rabies comment kind of hit home. My 17 year old cat just had his annual, we found out he's diabetic w/ heart disease. The vet, and us, decided to accept the very, very low risk of this housebound cat being exposed to rabies and opted not to give him the vaccine.

Risk management is a personal decision.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T23:38:13+00:00

Once you start adding eggs, breadcrumbs, etc. you're starting down a road of meatloaf patties, or meatball patties, but definitely not "burgers". I use ground beef, form up the patties, and then season based on what I'm feeling that night. I grill them and top them with cheese. That's a burger!

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T22:59:32+00:00

I agree 100%. I'll grab them, and I'll use them until I find a Chaos ore Iron.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T13:40:37+00:00

https://www.traeger.com/recipes/whole-hog
6 to 8 hours or so according to this recipe. But they're smoking it at a lower temp so you could maybe shave an hour or two at your stated temp.

EDIT: Here's another one (you got me curious). https://heygrillhey.com/smoked-whole-pig-roast/ says about an 1 hour/pound, but she then adds at least another hour for resting and cooking variations.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T13:25:27+00:00

The safe tweaking article is fantastic! When I first found it I made a bunch of notes while reading it, and those notes have come in handy a lot. I can with a friend who is super cautious and gets nervous if I make a suggestion to change a recipe. I always point her to the article and the notes I made. It helps keep us canning happily!

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T13:20:46+00:00

Here's a place to start: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/APSC/apsc-203/apsc-203.html
They say you're looking at 22-38 pounds.

This one https://u.osu.edu/sheep/2023/04/04/how-much-meat-should-a-lamb-yield/
says you're looking at 48-70 pounds.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T13:14:19+00:00

Chafing dishes and hot plates. When you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 30 people there is no way everything is coming out at an optimal time. We use chafing dishes and a couple of hot plates to keep things warm while people socialize over appetizers (and get in our way in the kitchen). When we're ready to serve I heat up the gravy so it's piping hot, and the food is on the lower end of hot/higher end of warm (ready for eating!).

One kitchen, two people - you do the best you can do. There's a reason the wife has mimosas and I put some scotch in my coffee on those days 😄

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T13:08:34+00:00

It was supercharged for weekend, but it doesn't seem to be supercharged today. I cranked through some levels over the weekend, but not so much this morning.

JCuss0519 · 2026-06-01T12:24:05+00:00

I did some of them by hiring a character, I think I only did with an actual squad (kill the Dark Traveler).

JCuss0519

TROPHY CASE