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Post by nana on Feb 23, 2016 17:02:41 GMT -5
Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who ever suggested to look on craigslist for camping pots! For $6 I got these three, a 1 1/2 qt, and two 3 qt pots that all fit in the well, and give me options beyond my giant single Chambers kettle, and using my other pots with the thermobaker, (which while it did work, I always felt like it took things longer to boil as they were held up off the grate a little). I really didn't need the middle one, since it's the same size as the other and has no lid, but it seemed stingy to not take it for $2. And I have a lid that fits it, so it can always be used on top of the stove, or just for the heck of it, I can use it camping!
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Post by kellyjo40 on Feb 23, 2016 17:16:50 GMT -5
Nice find! I saw a thermo well pot listed for $10, buy it now. It is the kind that rests on the edge of the thermowell, perfect for sauces. Wish I had seen something like that when I was buying pots. I have all the Pots I could use, but still scope them out. I am a sad case.
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Post by vaporvac on Feb 23, 2016 17:19:06 GMT -5
Wow! Those are really nice and what a price! I've never seen any quite like them.I think smaller ones are more useful if only because I have a tendency to cook to fill the pot. The 7qt twell holds a LOT of food. You can also use them in lieu of a glass casserole in the Tbaker without worrying about breakage.
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Post by nana on Feb 23, 2016 19:50:31 GMT -5
I have that same tendency. Some things I only know how to cook a lot of, or else it's too much effort to go through for anything less than a big panful. Like lasagna. I'm slowly learning, but old habits die hard.
Between my daughter and her boyfriend ( husband, now), and my son and all his buddies, for years I bought a gallon of milk pretty much every time I passed the store, because I knew even if I'd just bought one the day before, by the next day we'd be out. The day after my son left for college, I bought a gallon and brought it home and realized I already had a whole gallon still sitting there. We barely drank it all before it spoiled.
I'm most excited about the small one for rice, oatmeal, grits, etc. The thermowell really excels at those, so long as I remember to do them in advance, instead of thinking as I'm frying the eggs, boy I shoulda put some grits in there last night! I'd feel like a chump now if I cooked oatmeal on the stovetop anymore!
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Post by vaporvac on Feb 24, 2016 13:11:00 GMT -5
The Chambers has change how I cook things, too. I used to only do the entire two pounds of dried beans (or whatever) as it took too much tending and energy to do less. Now I just do half that in the Twell.... So much less to deal with. I still make soup for an army, yet since I like to make different ones all the time, I end up giving a lot a way. Oh well. It seems to please the recipients, so it's all good.
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Post by nana on Feb 24, 2016 17:50:42 GMT -5
I'm learning to make use of my freezer for more than just summer produce and stock up sales. Deli containers are good to freeze single or double portions of soup in, and I now have my 95 year old dad to bring meals to as well, so it all works out. But gee, I love this stove like crazy. I feel like there is always going to be more to learn and part of the reason I love these forums too is to see what other people are doing with their stoves. In this case, too many cooks do NOT spoil the broth!
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Post by vaporvac on Feb 24, 2016 18:07:45 GMT -5
It's true. That's why I always encourage people not to abandon us after they have their stoves up and running! I still have so many ideas and experiments yet to try.
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Post by mach12 on Feb 24, 2016 23:39:56 GMT -5
I'm learning to make use of my freezer for more than just summer produce and stock up sales. Deli containers are good to freeze single or double portions of soup in, and I now have my 95 year old dad to bring meals to as well, so it all works out. But gee, I love this stove like crazy. I feel like there is always going to be more to learn and part of the reason I love these forums too is to see what other people are doing with their stoves. In this case, too many cooks do NOT spoil the broth! I got real good at using the freezer doing unaccompanied tours overseas. I'd cook up batches of chili, soups and so on and then freeze it in 1 or 2 meal sized containers. One of the things I learned in a hurry was to write the contents and date on the container but since I tend to reuse even old sour cream containers I keep a tape dispenser in the kitchen and pull off a piece, turn back a bit of one end to make a tab, then put the tape on the container and use a Sharpie to write the info on the tape. When I use it I just pull the tab and peel the tape off. Not that mystery meals weren't kind of fun...
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Post by nana on Feb 25, 2016 8:10:20 GMT -5
I'm learning to make use of my freezer for more than just summer produce and stock up sales. Deli containers are good to freeze single or double portions of soup in, and I now have my 95 year old dad to bring meals to as well, so it all works out. But gee, I love this stove like crazy. I feel like there is always going to be more to learn and part of the reason I love these forums too is to see what other people are doing with their stoves. In this case, too many cooks do NOT spoil the broth! I got real good at using the freezer doing unaccompanied tours overseas. I'd cook up batches of chili, soups and so on and then freeze it in 1 or 2 meal sized containers. One of the things I learned in a hurry was to write the contents and date on the container but since I tend to reuse even old sour cream containers I keep a tape dispenser in the kitchen and pull off a piece, turn back a bit of one end to make a tab, then put the tape on the container and use a Sharpie to write the info on the tape. When I use it I just pull the tab and peel the tape off. Not that mystery meals weren't kind of fun... That moment where you thought you were going to have chili and it turns out you will be having spaghetti sauce instead.....been there!
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Post by Chuckie on Feb 25, 2016 19:37:45 GMT -5
I'm learning to make use of my freezer for more than just summer produce and stock up sales. Deli containers are good to freeze single or double portions of soup in, and I now have my 95 year old dad to bring meals to as well, so it all works out. But gee, I love this stove like crazy. I feel like there is always going to be more to learn and part of the reason I love these forums too is to see what other people are doing with their stoves. In this case, too many cooks do NOT spoil the broth!
The BIG Chambers Pot is 1 quart shy of TWO gallons!!! I used to make chicken soup in there--me Mam's favorite. Monkey would make noodles after it was done, then I'd haul the pot to the stove top to boil the noodles. Mom & I had the same sized soup 'mug', and I'd use MY mug to measure the soup into a ziplock bag. Then I'd let ALL the air outta the bag, freeze them on a cookie sheet, and when they're froze/flat, you can store them in the DOOR of your freezer, they're that compact!! Most times you have to CUT the bag away (IF you're opening it FROZEN). Five minutes in the well in the morning, then CWTGTO until noon, STILL hot enough you have to BLOW on it to eat!!
Another thing I do is make chili in the SUMMERTIME--when else can you grow/get ALL the "fresh ingredients' that you need for chili?!! (i.e. peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh basil/oregano, etc, et al) Then just freeze as stated above, and you STILL get the taste of your summer garden in the winter months!!
CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by nana on Feb 25, 2016 19:53:06 GMT -5
My thoughts are turning towards gardening! Our weather is so springlike, and my seeds are coming in sometime next week! Even though I know we could still get a foot of snow or more at any minute in the next couple months still, I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that will happen. After last winter we deserve a break. I still won't set out peppers or tomatoes til Memorial Day, but there are a lot of things that say direct seed as soon as the ground can be worked, which will be a lot sooner this year, I hope.
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Post by mach12 on Feb 25, 2016 20:12:13 GMT -5
LOL - You haven't seen anything Nana!! I just came in from setting up the seed starting shelves out on the deck (those cheapo 4 shelf frames that have the clear covers and zipper fronts). We've had several days of beautiful sunny weather with highs in the 60's, back door open so the pups can run in and out as they please and so on. I couldn't stand it any longer!
We have 2 quart jars of sauerkraut left so a bunch of cabbage is going in. Already have several hundred pea and bean plants coming up (I put in all my old ones along the fences for the deer and that number includes those). We have a small greenhouse but it's full of the potted roses and other stuff that we winter over in there so that all comes out tomorrow morning.
Now that my wife is retired too we're really going to ramp up with the canning. Time to get the extra Chambers hooked back up in the garage!!
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Post by chipperhiker on Feb 25, 2016 22:16:29 GMT -5
Awesome! We're still got a few weeks to wait until it's seed-starting time, but it's sounding so nice.
It's been the nastiest winter here. Not nasty because of snow (her's been precious little of that beautiful stuff) but it's been so gray with much RAIN and therefore MUD!!! Instead of a few weeks of mud in the spring, it's been muddy all winter long and I am so ready for it to finally dry out. I actually get happy when it's cold enough for the mess to just freeze.
Thinking about seeds is a very welcome diversion. I need to order some fruit trees, too, now that I'm thinking about spring. Better get on it!
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Post by kellyjo40 on Feb 25, 2016 22:19:55 GMT -5
Ha! Even here it is 40 degrees during the day, but we won'the be ready to plant until at least May. Still, I hit the garden store so that I can smell the fresh dirt.
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Post by nana on Feb 26, 2016 7:59:19 GMT -5
Kellyjo40, what can you grow in what must be your 15 minute growing season?!?! Although I suppose the plants develop faster in the long hours of sunlight. Still, how do you do it?
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Post by kellyjo40 on Feb 27, 2016 0:16:24 GMT -5
The entire cabbage family LOVES Alaska sunshine. We also don't get extreme heat, so no wilting. Herbs, berries, and crab apples love Alaska weather too. Flowers go absolutely wild. You would be amazed.
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Post by nana on Feb 27, 2016 7:18:12 GMT -5
I guess I never thought of it that way before! All those crops we consider spring or fall ones down here must do great, then? Lettuce, peas, radishes...probably beets and carrots too....I'm always so sad when the summer heat gets to the lettuce and it bolts, although the chickies like it.
Speaking of flowers, (a little off topic here, but then again, we left twell pots behind a long time ago), my son lives in Las Vegas, and he and his girlfriend went camping in Death Valley recently to see the desert blooming. Apparently with all the rain they've been having it's a banner year. Anyway, he was rhapsodizing to me about how incredibly lush it was, so I told him to send pictures, and while it was certainly beautiful, to me it still looked like the surface of the moon, only with flowers. When you've lived in the desert long enough lush becomes a relative term, I suppose. Alaskan flowers would probably make his head explode!
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