I really only sell them locally because shipping them is a huge, expensive pain. I’d be literally flinging rocks through the post.
This is them.
Also, this.
I really only sell them locally because shipping them is a huge, expensive pain. I’d be literally flinging rocks through the post.
This is them.
Also, this.
Mmmm! Nice. I’m guessing the plates help to reduce or eliminate hotspots so you get more even cooking.
Exactly. Here is the pitch.
They eliminate hotspots entirely. All the best pizza ovens have a soapstone floor.
It is a dense stone that is impermeable, so nothing soaks into it. Some stone will soak up tiny amounts on the surface when cooking or cleaning and the next time you heat it up, that moisture expands and the stone cracks. Not so with these.
It doesn’t expand or contract, which is why laboratory tables are often made of it. You can put a hot beaker on it right off the fire and the table doesn’t GAF. To test this, a couple of years ago I waited until it was -40C (-40F) outside and heated the bbq up to a ripping 380C (700F). I couldn’t get it any hotter on that day. I got my welding gloves on, picked one of the stones up and threw it into a snowbank. After an incredible amount of steam was created, I dug around in the snow and found it in one piece. No damage.
Cleaning is really easy. Looking at that steak video, you can see that mine are almost completely black. That’s just oxidation and a bit of staining. It is pretty even, so it doesn’t even look unsightly. Just wipe it off with a damp paper towel while it is still hot and you’re done. Throw the paper towel away.
No seasoning is necessary, but you might think about using something to make delicate foods release easier.
Looking through the album of pictures, you can see that I’ve made pizza, omelettes, brochettes, shrimps, etc. It handles delicate foods really well and burgers and steaks too.
That said, there are a few issues to be aware of:
Any fat will not drip onto the coals or burner cover. Instead, it will pool on the plate surface and possibly all drip off one side if your cooker isn’t that level. I just keep some extra paper towel and tongs handy for this.
You won’t get a ton of smoky flavour added. Some, but less.
These things are heavy and hold onto the heat for a long time. If you plan to store them somewhere other than on the grill, you will have to wait for a while for them to cool down.
They take a little while longer to heat up than just turning on your grill.
No grill marks.
It’s stone, but still a relatively soft stone. It will scratch. Don’t use a scraper on it.
You can probably find some at a bbq store local to you.
Thanks, I’ll keep an eye out
Tonight I made Garlicky Greek Spaghetti Toss. It’s basically spaghetti, tomato, olives, feta, and some garlic sautéed in olive oil. Plus a few spices and such.
Worked out good: $Wife worked late, so it was my night to cook and we will get at least two lunch servings out of the leftovers.
I don’t really like olives and we cut them back a bit. Official recipe calls for capers, but we skipped those too.
Baked chicken chimichangas tonight!
Not the best batch: I got quesadilla cheese to be different instead of the usual Mexican blend. Melts well, but not as much flavor,
Planning on bbq some lamb sausages. With a nice potato salad, veggies and garlic bread.
Bbq went well, we added a bbq chicken flattie as well. There’s some meat left over, $wife says she’ll make something with it for lunch tomorrow
Tonight i am going to start a marinade for my chicken, im thinking ill do honey, orange and lemon juice. Ill let the marinate for 24 or so hours then bake it with some veggies.
The local grocery store has packages of BBQ, Orange and General Tso’s chicken under their store brand and is the only place I can find tortilla bowls. They’re the basis for a combination I like.
When it gets to zero for everything, put vegetables in the tortilla bowl, add chicken and some shredded cheese. Two or three dollops each of sour cream and guacamole. For a little extra flavor, add something like Pineapple Peach Salsa (Target’s Archer Farms store brand). I prefer mild salsas and this kind mellows it nicely.
Working on some bread I started yesterday, it’s a recipe we’ve done a couple times where it’s baked in a Dutch oven. I want to try the fancier recipes from the same book, but we’ve had no luck finding the flour beyond basic white flour.
I also have to start dinner later, which is a creamy tomato soup with tortellini in the slow cooker.
Batch cooked a few things to put up in the freezer for grab and go meals. Only took a few hours… Should last a couple of weeks. There’s a crockpot full of casserole too.
Nothing today, but yesterday my day went:
Everything was just about done when my wife got home!
So, uh, turns out bread Starters kind of smell like parmesan cheese and/or feet.
Tried making shepherds pie for the first time.
500g mixed veggies (cut and diced)
250g mince
2 medium tomatoes (adjust to taste)
3 medium Onions (adjust to taste)
8 medium potatoes
Italian herbs/chutney/spice
Beef stock
Put potatoes on boil.
Fry onions till brown, set aside. (Use what you like, butter, olive oil etc)
Fry mince in onion pan till well done. Add beef stock. Add chutney and spice/herbs (if you want)
Add onions to mince, let simmer.
Dice tomatoes fine, add to mince and onion, let simmer until tomatoes is soft.
Add veggies.
Let simmer until veggies are done.
When potatoes are done, mash 'em.
Get a dishpan large enough, put the mince and veggie mix in, then put the mash onnatop and serve neither shaken nor stirred.
This is what I’ve cooked up to last for two/three days for myself. I can add more mince if I want, but decide to go easy on the mince and have a bit more veggies rather.
This will be enough for 3-4 persons.
Mix 'n match - you can add a bit more mince and veggies if you want, and there’s more persons eating with as well.
Edit : never followed a recipe, decided to make this on a whim.
I do hope that was an accidental typo. Otherwise, I will gracefully decline any invitations to dine at Chateau-Ook.
Accidental typo it is!!!
I had some of my shepherds pie, it was nomlicious.
A tip to help with cleanup after cooking. If you’ve got food that’s really stuck on or burnt onto a surface like a griddle that just won’t come off and you don’t want damage it by using something abrasive like a steel wool pad, use a door shim. These are usually made out of a harder wood and helps them stand up to the pressure of scraping or chipping off the gunk, but it’s still soft enough to avoid damaging the cooking surface (or reduces it).