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MarcelNL said:
it just shows you, there are many ways to skin a cat ;-)

Lately, let's say in the past 20 years the espresso industry went through a landslide change called third wave coffee...you'd be amazed how many gadgets there are, some add something some just add fuzz....

Single dosing bean cellars, filter paper under the puck, or over, or both, scales and shot timers, tea like brew ratio's, the list is long...
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I wonder where the saying skin a cat came from anyway. I’ve been saying it for years and recently I started thinking about how bad it is literally. I love cats🤣.

My brother in-laws son worked for his Dad for several years. Then he found a guy in the industry who was willing to invest in a new machine that he had designed. He basically builds an espresso machine without a housing that mounts in the cabinet below the countertop. Your group and steamer are all that you see and of course the grate for drainage. He also made the machine modular so that if any part fails that particular module can be popped out by the customer and a replacement popped in. Then send module back for repair. He also made all of the gaskets out of materials that don’t have issues with temperature fluctuation, silicone I think. Anyway, the machines were designed and built from a service standpoint since that’s what he did for several years and espresso machines fail a lot in a commercial setting.
 
I consider myself lucky with a vintage lever that has been going strong for over 60 years with one major overhaul....a gasket here and there every three years is about it.
 
MarcelNL said:
it just shows you, there are many ways to skin a cat ;-)

Lately, let's say in the past 20 years the espresso industry went through a landslide change called third wave coffee...you'd be amazed how many gadgets there are, some add something some just add fuzz....

Single dosing bean cellars, filter paper under the puck, or over, or both, scales and shot timers, tea like brew ratio's, the list is long...
Click to expand...


The amount of paraphernalia the espresso industry has convinced consumers it needs to make the best cup of espresso is... staggering... and genius... and I'm here for it. My morning ritual is becoming more and more involved.

PXL_20230207_201920247.jpg
 
ZeeVee said:
The amount of paraphernalia the espresso industry has convinced consumers it needs to make the best cup of espresso is... staggering... and genius... and I'm here for it. My morning ritual is becoming more and more involved.

View attachment 224309
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I started roasting my own, IME the biggest impact is beanst then roast, followed by the grinder..the gadgets are having a marginal impact IMO. It's fun to tinker though, boys do not grow up, their toys just get more expensive...
 
MarcelNL said:
I started roasting my own, IME the biggest impact is beanst then roast, followed by the grinder..the gadgets are having a marginal impact IMO. It's fun to tinker though, boys do not grow up, their toys just get more expensive...
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What's your roasting setup like? That feels like the next logical step, but I haven't ventured down that particular rabbit hole yet.
 
ZeeVee said:
What's your roasting setup like? That feels like the next logical step, but I haven't ventured down that particular rabbit hole yet.
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A Huky 500 with perforated drum, made by an engineer in Taiwan, brilliant piece of kit. Modified now using two RTDs rather than TC's and using Artisan roast logging software

shown here;
https://showroomcoffee.com/product/huky-500t/
now roasting IS a rabbit hole, but lots of fun and quite rapidly very rewarding at the same time!
 
Corradobrit1 said:
My minimalist Campervan espresso setup. So good I'm using it in the apartment. View attachment 224595
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I bought a robot while my rocket was in for service, and it was a fun little thing! Not seeing much use these days now that the machine is back, but dont regret buying it. Took some time to get used to but once you do, results are impressive.
 
DrD23 said:
I bought a robot while my rocket was in for service, and it was a fun little thing! Not seeing much use these days now that the machine is back, but dont regret buying it. Took some time to get used to but once you do, results are impressive.
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Its all about temp control. Once that is mastered this is what you can expect. I use a mini French Press to get the perfect microfoam.

cap.jpg
 
The Robot is a fantastic piece of kit, its results can compete with the best! It got us through the weeks working in the new house. It's my travel kit, for backup I have a Faemina first series.
 
I received the new ChudsBBQ ChudPress the other day. I haven't seasoned it yet or started using it, but will do shortly. It's an overbuilt press that does panini, bacon, tortillas, steaks, smash burgers etc.

Bradley Robinson, owner/founder of Chud's BBQ is a great YouTuber in the BBQ world. Here's a video that goes over the features and design of the ChudPress



Screenshot 2023-02-14 at 8.58.10 PM.jpeg
 
"A solid foundation must be laid, for every thing meant to last...".

Got some kit yesterday but the "pièce de résistance" is that freaking sharpening mat. It is *awesome*!

I started to go down the rabbit hole with that Y.T. nakiri, first I thought I would just touch up the sides and edge but am currently grinding away the low spots with a Suehiro LD-21... anyway, previously that would have created an ungodly mess which would have meant me scrubbing my countertop clean for ages and then some (it stains easily). With that mat (which is 60x40 cm, sticky/tacky as heck, etc.) every splash, spill, and spray is contained on it, and everything placed on it stays on put like glued. Oh, yes, so does the mat itself. :D

It makes both sharpening and cleanup so much easier, so, highly recommended and it was like... 18€? Like a freaking no-brainer and I will most definitely order a couple more (spares and to give away) the next time I order something from Cleancut.


1676712357119.png
 
This looks like an ordinary silicone baking mat. When you are not sharpening your knives, you can use it to bake all sorts of things :)

Another option are pet feeding mats. They have a 4-5 mm lip, which helps to contain any spills.
51uhpeMfkfL._AC_SL1000_.jpg
 
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Michi said:
This looks like an ordinary silicone baking mat. When you are not sharpening your knives, you can use it to bake all sorts of things :)

Another option are pet feeding mats. They have a 4-5 mm lip, which helps to contain any spills.
View attachment 226362
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Hmmm, the silicone matts (baking, etc.) that I’ve seen* haven’t been sticky like that one. I mean, when you place something on it (like a mug or a cup) you need to push it quite forcefully to make it move sideways, even if you are not pushing downwards on it. It is also like glued to my countertop. :)

* There might be baking mats with similar properties, who knows? Also, I wouldn’t put this one into a hot oven, the silicone doesn’t feel like the stuff rated for baking.
 
dhruan said:
Hmmm, the silicone matts (baking, etc.) that I’ve seen* haven’t been sticky like that one. I mean, when you place something on it (like a mug or a cup) you need to push it quite forcefully to make it move sideways, even if you are not pushing downwards on it. It is also like glued to my countertop. :)

* There might be baking mats with similar properties, who knows? Also, I wouldn’t put this one into a hot oven, the silicone doesn’t feel like the stuff rated for baking.
Click to expand...
https://fr.silpat.com/
 
dhruan said:
Hmmm, the silicone matts (baking, etc.) that I’ve seen* haven’t been sticky like that one. I mean, when you place something on it (like a mug or a cup) you need to push it quite forcefully to make it move sideways, even if you are not pushing downwards on it. It is also like glued to my countertop. :)

* There might be baking mats with similar properties, who knows? Also, I wouldn’t put this one into a hot oven, the silicone doesn’t feel like the stuff rated for baking.
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What I see in your picture is most definitely a normal silicone baking mat. I have some here, and they are sticky. They stick themselves to the baking sheet or the counter top. Pushing something across them takes effort. (They really would make for a good non-slip surface for shelving in a mobile home, for example.) And they are most definitely heat-proof, up to around 480 ºF (250 ºC).

Use them for baking. Seriously. Those mats have revolutionised baking because almost nothing will stick to them. Far better than baking paper, very easy to clean, and reusable many times. That they work to hold your stones in place is just an added bonus :)
 
Michi said:
What I see in your picture is most definitely a normal silicone baking mat. I have some here, and they are sticky. They stick themselves to the baking sheet or the counter top. Pushing something across them takes effort. (They really would make for a good non-slip surface for shelving in a mobile home, for example.) And they are most definitely heat-proof, up to around 480 ºF (250 ºC).

Use them for baking. Seriously. Those mats have revolutionised baking because almost nothing will stick to them. Far better than baking paper, very easy to clean, and reusable many times. That they work to hold your stones in place is just an added bonus :)
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Though I understand they LOOK very similar (yes, they are exactly like the Silpats and other silicone mats I've used, and you are right those are pretty sticky), that doesn't mean they are. I would at least ask the vendor before using it as a baking mat. I have some nonslip mats that look just like baking mats but they are made of a different material altogether.
Personally though I wouldn't want my slurry in my baked goods in the first place. ;)

On the topic of silicone mats for baking... personally I always found them somewhat annoying to clean unless you have a professional dishwasher where you can just throw them flat in the baskets and not care that you waste an entire cycle on 1 thing because cycles only take 90 seconds. Actually prefer the convenience of disposable paper...but to each their own.
 
Jovidah said:
Though I understand they LOOK very similar (yes, they are exactly like the Silpats and other silicone mats I've used, and you are right those are pretty sticky), that doesn't mean they are.
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Hmmm… Not impossible, but unlikely. That's woven fibreglass encased in silicone. Which is exactly what a baking mat is.

What is more likely? That someone figured out that baking mats work well to hold stones in place, or that someone embarked on a research project to create a mat that holds stones in place and happened to come up with a mat that is indistinguishable from a baking mat, but not actually a baking mat?
 
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Most likely they just ordered something cheap off Aliexpress. ;)
Again, I don't rule out that you're correct, but I'd at least check with the vendor before throwing it in the oven based on a hunch.
 
Jovidah said:
On the topic of silicone mats for baking... personally I always found them somewhat annoying to clean unless you have a professional dishwasher where you can just throw them flat in the baskets and not care that you waste an entire cycle on 1 thing because cycles only take 90 seconds. Actually prefer the convenience of disposable paper...but to each their own.
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That's interesting. I don't have a problem cleaning them. Most of the time, I just toss them into the sink and run hot water over them. More often than not, they come up perfectly clean within a few seconds. I use dishwashing liquid only when I've had something fatty on the mats.
 
Jovidah said:
Most likely they just ordered something cheap off Aliexpress. ;)
Again, I don't rule out that you're correct, but I'd at least check with the vendor before throwing it in the oven based on a hunch.
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Easy. Throw one in the oven at 200 ºC, leave it there for 20 minutes, and then pull it out and see whether anything has melted or smells plasticky. Experiment complete.
 
Michi said:
That's interesting. I don't have a problem cleaning them. Most of the time, I just toss them into the sink and run hot water over them. More often than not, they come up perfectly clean within a few seconds. I use dishwashing liquid only when I've had something fatty on the mats.
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My guess is your sink is a lot larger than mine. :D For me it was just... not as ideal as I hoped. Actually reverted back to paper just out of convenience.
Then again there are toy kitchen with bigger sinks than my rental kitchen. :(
 
On that subject... I think one of the best investments you can do in your kitchen is to fit a PROPER big sink. Where you can actually put GN sized cuttingboards, baking trays, and other oversized stuff etc IN the damn sink, instead of having to angle them in or just wash them above your sink. Bonus is you can have a pan or bowl with soaking crap in it and still do your dishes in the other half. Screw all the double sinks, or big & small sink combos. You can always make that in a big sink by just putting a container or bucket in your big sink.
 
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