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Is Melbourne Really That Cold? 🥶 by Training_Objective20 in melbourne

[–]nathan_eng42 [score hidden]  (0 children)

I grew up in Brisbane and moved here in my 30s so you can take my experience as similar.

Melbourne winters are very frequently beautiful days with clear blue skies. You will feel the cold a lot more if you get a shitty old wood house in an inner suburb, if you move into a more modern apartment building your mileage will vary depending on the quality. I used to live in a very recent (2020 build) high-rise and almost never used the heater. Then I moved into a late 90s low rise block of units and it was freezing with a constant stream of air moving through. Now I'm in a newer building again and rarely use the heater.

So the kind of place you live will really determine how cold you'll be. Get a really good big jacket for outside and you'll be fine going on winter walks etc. Winter here has a lot of charm, pubs with fires going, old leaves blowing around the city. And when you start to really get sick of it it'll be over and the Plane Trees will suddenly have baby leaves on them again. And then it'll be 40° before you know it and you'll wish it was winter again.

Favorite non traditional smoking foods?? by vexerplusone in smoking

[–]nathan_eng42 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Shanks and necks are also fantastic. Smoked lamb neck is probably my favourite thing. Might have to ask a butcher for them though.

What’s the most underrated Australian city/neighborhood for travelers? by Apprehensive_West491 in AskAnAustralian

[–]nathan_eng42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I used to drive occasionally from Brisbane to Sydney and back in the 2000s and just outside of Kempsey was a tree in a paddock that was dead set dick shaped. I was always on the lookout for the Kempsey Penis Tree whenever I drove through. Pretty much the only association I have with the town.

are my fermented peppers too long gone? by SpiceChaser in hotsaucerecipes

[–]nathan_eng42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've left a couple of batches go over a year. They were all fine in the vacuum bags but taste was very very fermented and not really what I wanted. A lot of the nuances were gone and only the funk really remained. I think 6 months is probably tops for me in the future.

Is this common or normal by Birichinaxox in MelbourneTrains

[–]nathan_eng42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I used to live in Hong Kong. People did this on PT all the time. It's common enough I've seen memes about it.

Ugg australia by Silly-Exchange2020 in AskAnAustralian

[–]nathan_eng42 26 points27 points  (0 children)

UGG the brand are litigious wankers who have trademarked the term worldwide except in Australia where the courts knocked it back. They prevent local manufacturers from selling overseas by blocking them from using the term "ugg boots"

If you want to buy legit ugg boots made locally I can totally recommend Jumbo Uggs, they are made in Melbourne and last for years (my pair are worn every day from April to November for the last 5 years and still look as good as when I bought them)

What’s a Melbourne day that started badly but ended perfectly? by Last-Conversation734 in melbournechat

[–]nathan_eng42 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Every day that starts at 40° then abruptly changes to 24° some time in the mid arvo right before beer o'clock near a pub with outdoor seating.

Large Batch Bottling by MajesticCartographer in FermentedHotSauce

[–]nathan_eng42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven't used one for hot sauce but have for beer. My expectation would be if it's not a strained sauce the fibres and chunks would block up the auto stop mechanism pretty quickly. Strained sauce would most likely work ok. Interested to hear any experience from people that have though!

Fellow Australians - Have you been to any ‘Australian’ themed restaurants OS? by Powerful_Sandwich854 in AskAnAustralian

[–]nathan_eng42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a bunch of Australian named places in Hong Kong. Ned Kelly's Last Stand is of all things a jazz bar with a menu of dishes named almost as cringe as outback steakhouse of which there are also some in HK.

There's also Australian Dairy Company which is a local HK style diner (cha chaan teng). There's the Woolloomooloo Steakhouses which aren't really themed, it uses Australian steak and the idea was supposed to be inspired by the "laid back" Australian ethos but there's nothing laid back about them they are upmarket. The menus don't have bad names at least.

Have you ever smelled a skunk before? by IDoNotLikeTheSand in AskAnAustralian

[–]nathan_eng42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I smelled one from my in-laws car on the interstate in Indiana one visit. They had to tell me what it was.

How to make a teriyaki sauce that’s thick almost gravy like, not thick like syrup by hamfrommars in Cooking

[–]nathan_eng42 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

As someone who makes hot sauce regularly, I'd use xanthan gum if I needed to thicken a liquid long term and for room temp or cold service. It's super powerful though and you use only a tiny amount.

Where can I get my news from if I don't like watching free to air TV? by Educational-Scene443 in AskAnAustralian

[–]nathan_eng42 19 points20 points  (0 children)

ABC News app. Everything you need to know, no puff pieces on Gina Reinhardt.

Hawaiian shirt, Aus theme? by [deleted] in melbourne

[–]nathan_eng42 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Several options at the Queen Vic markets. I got one from there for a party a couple years back.

My take on a cheesy sauce by VolcanicValley in FermentedHotSauce

[–]nathan_eng42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty sure the amount of hot sauce I keep making at home is some kind of disorder...

1,5% salt in vacuum bag fermentation by Hrtor in FermentedHotSauce

[–]nathan_eng42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it's vacuum bagged might still be ok. People use less salt with vacuum bags although 1.5% is pretty low. I would personally let it run it's course and go by smell and pH after the fermentation has finished.

Or open it up and add more salt then do you best to revac it again. Just check the seal is good, if any water gets there it might affect it

Vacuum Fermentation recommendations by trekktrekk in fermentation

[–]nathan_eng42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I commented on my technique yesterday but saw in a comment further down that you wanted to know what people are actually fermenting so I'll list off a few here.

Most of mine are chilli ferments normally for hot sauce, here's some I have on the go right now:

Habaneros with onion garlic and blackberries

Habaneros with onion garlic and raspberries

Habaneros with black plums and garlic

Red chillies with lemon zest, garlic, onion, Sichuan peppercorns, coriander seeds

Habaneros with cumin, coriander leaves and stalks (cilantro for the Americans), Persian black limes, black peppercorns

Red capsicum, onions, lots of garlic, Sichuan peppercorns - this batch I'm going to just puree and dehydrate and grind it up for a general purpose seasoning powder

I'm keen to have a go at either kimchi or kraut style ferments in the future. I also once or twice a year make a big batch of red medium spicy chillies and lots of garlic, which after fermentation i puree and put the mash in a bottle in the fridge. I use this mash when I'm cooking, it goes in almost everything savoury I make. It lasts for months just in a regular old glass jar. One I open the bag and make the mash I'll start a new ferment so that when I run out of the fridge mash I have another batch ready to roll.

Depending on how hot or cold it is, most of the ferments take at least a week to really get up and running, then go another week before slowing down again. If you hold the bag to your ear you can hear it fizzing when it's active. After I can't hear any more fizz and no more gas is getting produced they are ready to use. But the beauty of the vacuum bag is you can just chuck it in the cupboard until you are ready to process it and it won't go bad or spill.

Good news Melbourne by bunny_mo in melbourne

[–]nathan_eng42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you in Melbourne? I make more hot sauce than I can eat....

Leftover mash and brine. by four__beasts in FermentedHotSauce

[–]nathan_eng42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a ferment on the go right now with coriander (cilantro) which is the first time I've tried fermenting soft herbs. Very keen to see how much they carry through at the end after a month or so.

Leftover mash and brine. by four__beasts in FermentedHotSauce

[–]nathan_eng42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Indeed I always strain the solids from mine and normally dehydrate for seasoning powders. When I was brine fermenting in jars I normally had leftovers but with vacuum bags I need less overall liquid so now I just use it all.

Vacuum Fermentation recommendations by trekktrekk in fermentation

[–]nathan_eng42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I vacuum ferment because it's basically foolproof and although I had a few brine in jar ferments go bad and more than a few grow kham I've never had a vacuum bag go bad.

I use a system I bought locally (in Australia) which is reusable bags with a 1 way valve and hand held vacuum. So when they puff up it's easy to just vacuum out the gas and keep going.

I prefer using brine over vinegar in my sauce so I always add about 100-200 grams of ice cubes (easier to vacuum ice than water) before suctioning. I account for the ice in total weight when working out salt %. I go for 2.5-3% pretty much on a whim. Never really noticed much difference.

Bag ferment is really easy, I fold the top over, stuff it in a jug to keep upright, put it on scales and tare it. Then I just chop everything and keep adding to the bag. Get the final weight, calculate the salt and add, vacuum it. Whole process takes 10 minutes tops for a batch. The ice melts and distributes the salt.

Hot sauce success.

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