Category Archives: Amazon Reviews

King Kooker 12-Slot Leg and Wing Grill Rack – Item of the Day

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Modern Survival| 4 Comments

wingrackEvery day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the King Kooker 12-Slot Leg and Wing Grill Rack.  Oh you out door cooking types are going to love this, though it works quite well in the oven too!  Since I first reviewed this item the price has gone up to 16 bucks but the good news is it is no longer an “add on item” so you can buy one alone if you want to.

There is so much I love about these things, first they hold either 12 wings or 12 legs and they do it in about 1/4th of the space that you’d normally need.  Next is that they end up with perfectly crisped and seasoned skin.  Since they never touch the grill rack and you never have to turn them.

I generally cook my chicken on a low temperature on indirect or very low direct heat until almost done.  Then bring up the temp at the end to crisp up the skin.  It also makes sense to set these in a small pan or toss away aluminum pan to minimize flare ups when cooking over direct coals or flame.

Again they work great in the oven as well, cook until almost done at say 350 then pop up to 425 for a bit to crisp up the skin, want a recipe, tune into today’s show for one!  You cans see in the above photo how the wings are hung from the rack by the tips and in the photo below how the legs hang and are held by the knuckle.

Let me tell you try the King Kooker 12-Slot Leg and Wing Grill Rack and you will never loose that crispy skin off a drum stick ever again.

legrack

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – Here is a cook I did with these was indoors and let me give you the skinny.  I coated the wings in my famous “chili garlic pepper oil” and then dusted them with a mix of chili powder, smoked salt, garlic, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper, all about equal amounts ground in a Mr. Coffee Grinder. (FYI this is my everything seasoning mix)

I used the “convection roast” setting in my oven, ran them at 425 for 45 minutes, they were beyond fantastic.

To do this without creating a grease fire or lots of smoke take a large aluminum foil ban like for baking a turkey, put this rack inside it and put about 3 inches of water in it.  This will catch dripping fat and the water won’t let it scorch on the pan when it gets caught.  The extra humidity will be good for keeping them juicy.

On this latest run I got 15 wings on the rack with a bit of fiddling, which is 30 pieces.  The only down side is you can only fit one of these in a standard oven.

P.S.S. – We also featured this item on Episode Three of Biltong For Breakfast – Jerk Bird Salad.  I did some wings on the grill using it that were rubbed with Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning.   These are my new favorite wings though I recommend the mild version of Walkerswood for them.

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Gefen Whole Organic Chestnuts – Item of the Day

Posted on November 15, 2018 by Modern Survival| 4 Comments

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is Gefen Whole Organic Chestnuts.  The holidays are here, and soon we will be singing “chestnuts roasted on an open fire”.  And man fresh roasted chestnuts are great, I do some every year, but the truth is shelling and peeling chestnuts is a pain in the ass.

Hence for many years I picked up a few pounds for novelty at Christmas but never really cooked with them, which is a shame as they are really an amazing ingredient.

Of course they are on the moderation list for me, as I am living la vita low carb and loving it.  Still I am not a low carb Nazi and if there is a time to splurge it is Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

My favorite thing to make with Galil Organic Whole Roasted Chestnuts is my signature Jacks Special Stuffing.  It is a combination of bread, chestnut and sausage stuffing with lots of sage flavor to really make it sing next to your turkey.  Here is how you make it,

Jack’s Special Chestnut Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

  • 3-6 cups dried stuffing cubes or your own dried bread (based on how much you want as a binder)
  • Chicken/Turkey stock sufficient for the above bread stuffing
  • Butter for the above stuffing mix plus two table spoons
  • 1 cup finely diced celery
  • 1 cup finely diced white or yellow onions
  • 2-4  5.2-oz bags of Gefen Whole Organic Chestnuts (use as much as you want but at least two bags)
  • 2 lbs of sausage, (breakfast, mild Italian, Jacks Special, it is your choice, but something with either a good sage and/or fennel flavor is best)
  • 4-6 Slices of Good Thick Sliced Bacon
  • 1 Handful Chopped Fresh Parsley
  • 4-6 Fresh Sage Leaves finely sliced
  • Salt and Pepper (to taste)
  1. Make up 2-4 cups (dry measure) of traditional bread stuffing (as per your method or instructions on the package).  When you do be sure to use broth vs. water.    Set aside.
    ~
  2. Make sausage into large thin patties, fry like ham burgers until cooked though.  Set aside on towel to drain, leave sausage grease and stuck on bits in pan.
    ~
  3. Fry your bacon until fat is well rendered out of it but the bacon itself is not fully crisp yet, reserve to side with sausage to drain.
    ~
  4. Once bacon and sausage has cooled, cut into small pieces, cut the sausage into cubes about the size of bread cubes in pre-made stuffing mix.
    ~
  5. Coarsely chop your chestnuts, put celery and onions into pan and sauté until onions begin to turn clear.
    ~
  6. Add chestnuts to pan along with the additional 2 tablespoons of butter, gently toss to coat with pan leavings, fold back in sausage and bacon.
    ~
  7. In an oven safe pan, (for this I just use the toss away aluminum ones) combine the sausage and chestnuts with the bread stuffing, mixing lightly until mixture is uniform.  Sprinkle bacon on top, if you are prone to “stealing bacon” cook a few extra pieces to account for this.
    ~
  8. At this point, everything is basically done and you could eat it.  I prefer to bake it covered with foil at 375 for about 25 minutes, then uncovered until the top is just brown.  To brown to a nice top crisp turn on the broiler for a few moments to finish it, but if you do this do not take your eyes off it.

For meals like Thanksgiving I make this up, first thing in the morning, then cover and set aside, 40 minutes before serving time (bird is out of the over by then) pop it in and finish it off.  You can even make it up the day before, if you do though leave more time to reheat it as you must refrigerate it overnight.

Note – this makes a LOT of food, if you have a smaller gathering cut all ingredients in half.   Or just use 3 cups vs. 6 cups of bread mix, you can even omit the bread all together and it will be really good but not what most people expect in a “stuffing”.

So why not shake it up for Turkey day and do up some chestnut stuffing.  If some people are not open to it make a smaller batch and it only takes a few minutes to whip up some plain old bread stuffing anyway for the non adventurous.    Frankly this stuff is so good it could be a meal in of itself.  So stock up on some  Gefen Whole Organic Chestnuts today and make the holiday meals something special this year.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – Say you just want good old “roasted chestnuts”.  Okay well a pre prepped item like this won’t ever be quite as good as a fresh roasted one, but they are a lot easier.  To make them as a roasted chestnut…

Heat oven to 425 and then shut it off.  Put chestnuts on a baking sheet and VERY lightly salt them, (you can always add more but can’t take it off), then leave in oven for 10-20 minutes.  Remember turn the oven off when you put them in, you use residual heat only.

The way they are stored they are sort of damp, so you want to roast them till they are warm though and the outside begins to dry up.  Please note that even fresh chestnuts are never crunchy like a pecan or walnut.

P.P.S. – Chestnuts do not store for long fresh.  However they freeze just fine, so be sure to freeze any you won’t use by the expiration date.

P.P.P.S. – Okay one more, any quality pre packaged chestnuts work good for this, I have never found a bad one.  I selected these today because they are in stock and you can get them in plenty of time for this years Turkey Day.

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Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder – Spice Grinder – Item of the Day

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Modern Survival| 12 Comments

coffeeSpecial Notice – I am bringing this item around because I recently posted that it was no longer available.  When I did I recommended the Epica Grinder as a replacement.  While it is a good grinder the Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder remains my go to recommendation.    This little grinder is pretty bullet proof in day to day use, unless Nicole Sauce comes to your house, over fills it and attempts to grind 5 pounds of beans in 5 minutes, directly against manufactures directions you will get a decade of service out of it for about 15 bucks.  I am so glad this item is back.

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder.  And yes it does a bang up job grinding coffee and occasionally I grind up some Mai Thai or Holler Roast Coffee and drop it in my french press, but that is not my primary use for this tool.

To me this is the greatest ever dried vegetables and spice/herb grinder you can get your hands on for under 20 bucks.  In fact for Prime members this awesome tool is just 15.69 with free shipping.

I use this grinder to make hot pepper powders.  Garlic and onion powder from a store?  Never I buy dried onions and dried minced garlic in large quantities, I then make up powders as I need them in small quantities.  Just smell fresh made garlic or onion powder and you will see why.

I whip up my own spice mixes like this one which is a great go to rub for almost any meat but especially chicken on the grill.

  • About a table spoon of each
    • Thyme
    • Dried garlic
    • Dried onion
    • Mustard Seed
    • Fennel Seed
    • Chili Powder
    • Dehydrated Celery (yea that is a secret)
    • Cumin
    • Tellicherry Black Pepper Corns (another secret)
    • Kosher or Sea Salt
  • Then about 3 table spoons of paprika
  • About 2 table spoons of parsley

This is all done by estimate by the way, not with spoons but you can do that if you want to.  This is a go to rub for poultry and fast grilled pork.  I just whipped up some for my buddy David to go on quail.  You can see that here.  The best thing with small pieces like quail, cut up chicken etc, is to put it in a large bowl and toss till well coated then grill.

Anyway it is unlimited what you can do, did you see the celery above, we always have it on hand, grinding it gives you the same type of punch as celery seed but it sure costs less and it is more versatile.  You guys that grow 15 different hot peppers can go mad scientist with pepper blends.

The Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder is also equipped with what they call a “Chamber Maid Cleaning System”.  This little device you spin with your finger and it helps get out all the stuff hiding on the edges.  For actual cleaning though, the bowl is water tight!  Fill it just below the max fill line with water (don’t get the base wet), put the lid on, pulse for a few moments, dump it out, set it upside down to dry, DONE!

Lastly I bought my first one of these before I even started TSP, it lasted until this 2016, when I stupidly tried to grind oyster shell with it!   Then Nicole Sauce managed to kill one at a workshop by totally over filling it and trying to grind a lot of coffee fast, directly against manufacture’s directions.  So I got a new one, and I have found its limits, no rocks or shells, and keep it away from a caffeine deprived Nicole.  Trust me no kitchen specifically no prepper kitchen should be without this tool.

This item has 250 plus reviews and 70% are 4 or 5 star.  If you read the negative reviews they seem to be either coffee snobs that want a 15 dollar grinder to grind with the precision of a 500 dollar tool, or people to dim to get the cord out of the storage space on the bottom.  Yes, the cord fits into a storage slot in the bottom, you have to pull it out of there to use it.  Tons of the low reviews complain about the super short cord.   Friends you can’t fix stupid but you can fix up some amazing rubs and powders with this fool proof tool

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

 

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Heads Up – Amazon Lightning Deal on All Anker Charging Products

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Modern Survival| 1 Comment

Anker is absolutely one of my favorite companies in the world of back up power and device charging.  They are a solid company and I recommend many of their products.

Today they have a lightning deal on Amazon, you can save up to 33% on all devices.  You can find everything here, https://amzn.to/2SGm0Ra

Some of the items I highly recommend include

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Streamlight Stylus Pro Flashlight – Item of the Day

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Modern Survival| 8 Comments

streamliteEvery day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Streamlight Stylus Pro LED Pen Flashlight.  This is my EDC light, sure there are better and far more expensive tac lights, but the beauty of this light is multifold.

First it uses standard AAA batteries.  Not some special form factor that is hard to find.  In our home we have good quality AA and AAA batteries on hand at all times along with enloop rechargeable batteries in both sizes.

Second it is cheap, as in under 20 bucks on Prime, I keep one in my night stand with my bigger lights, so when I misplace my EDC one or more likely give it away, I have a second one to replace it with.

Third it is rugged, if you check the Amazon reviews you will see one guy lost his for a year, found it buried in mud and leaves and after a year it still worked.

Fourth it is strong enough to use as a defensive too, basically as a small kubaton.  You have to know the techniques for that to be effect but it works quite well.

Long time listeners will tell you that I have been recommending this little light for over 5 years now, and until I find a better value, I will continue to do so.  I believe in having what you need in the best quality possible with the highest value to that quality.

The other thing I believe is EDC means EVERY DAY CARRY, it isn’t MDC, or SDC, most or some day carry.  This little light is so thin and just slides in a pocket to the rear and sits there, you forget you have it on you at times.  That means you will carry it and that means you will have it when you need it.

In short the Streamlight Stylus Pro LED Pen Flashlight is a winner and it makes a great gift.  I have bought at least a dozen over the years, carried them all and eventually given them to listeners and I am sure all of those are still in service.

The only down sides are first the finish will wear off in time especially if you carry it with keys, a knife, etc.  But for the price to you really care?  The other is the little canvas holster.  While well built I find it useless!

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

 

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Felco F-2 Hand Pruner – Item of the Day

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Modern Survival| 11 Comments

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Item of the day is the Felco F-2 Hand Pruners.  To me pruners are a tool that you absolutely go with the “buy once cry once”, model.  I have owned many different ones over the years, from cheap ass stuff, to mid priced stuff like Fiskars and say Corona.

Some were complete crap, some like Fiskars and Corona are damn decent but nothing compares to Felco.  I found Felco by asking a few different nurserymen what they used, including Bob Wells and most said Felco.  So I bit the bullet and ponied up 48 bucks for a pair.  This was hard to do as you can get a decent pruner for 20-30 bucks.  In the end though, there is the best and there is the rest.

My mantra is buy the best you can afford.  So when we are talking cars, I fall back to 2nd fiddle but when you are talking 50 bucks for an item you will use often and use for years I say step up to the best.

These cut like a razor and are easy to sharpen, see video below on sharpening options.  Personally I use a simple carbide sharpener like this.  Note that I linked to the two pack of sharpeners, because it is a dollar more than buying one, and well I can’t understand it but I sure as hell take advantage of it.

And after many seasons if you really wear out that blade, what then?  You just pick up a replacement blade and install it and rock on.  Winter is here and the next few months are ideal for pruning.  And many of us are doing back yard orchard culture and prune several times a season.  So if you want the best hand pruners you can get check out the Felco F-2 Hand Pruners today.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – Some folks with smaller hands find the F-2 to be a bit large, another option is the F-6 which is the scaled down version, it also has the ability to have the blade replaced and women and smaller handed people may find it more comfortable.  You do give up some leverage though, so it won’t cut larger limbs quite as well.

Also if you just can’t bring yourself to spend 50 bucks on this tool, my number two pick would be the Corona 6250 at 28 bucks and my number 3 pick would be the Corona 7100D at about 20.  If you want to go under that, just by generics from a box store, expect to be unhappy and expect replace them in one season or less.

P.S.S. –  This video shows how to sharpen and clean pruners.  I jumped ahead to 1 minute and 9 seconds in because I figure you can work out how to clean dirt off yourself.  What I like about this video is he shows how to use several different tools so you can find the one you think works best for you.

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Oster 22-Quart Roaster Oven – Item of the Day

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Modern Survival| Leave a comment

roaster

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Oster 22-Quart Roaster Oven.  I own three of these, you likely only need one but these get a major work out for our workshops.  Here are a few ways I use these things.

So this time around I smoked 6 yes 6 boneless pork shoulders.  My Bradley Smoker did a great job on the smoking but then I had 6 shoulders needing the “Texas Cheat”.  That is where you wrap meat in foil and finish it in the oven.  Problem?  My oven will not hold 6 fricken pork shoulders will yours?

So these Roasters are HUGE, so all I did was wrap the shoulders in foil and stack them vertically in the roasters, two roasters, six shoulders.  Set temp to 225, go to bed and wake up to super tender roasts.

Thing is these things will cook at much higher temps, like up to 450 degrees and unlike a crock pot they heat up quickly.  So another thing we like to serve at workshops is roasted carrots and potatoes with parsley.   Do you know how many carrots and potatoes you need for 60+ people?  The answer is a lot!

With these roasters you can do it no problem.  We used them last year and just added some chicken stock to the mix and added parsley both in the beginning and at the end and people just killed them!

The big thing though is it will GIVE YOU BACK your oven when cooking big meals.  I mean we all know what comes next month right?  Turkey day, Thanks Giving, the turkey super bowl.  Now you want to cook rolls, casseroles, etc but that giant honking turkey has dibs on the oven for 3-5 hours.   Well nope, you can put a whole turkey in one of these and reclaim your oven.

A big ham for Christmas, same thing, any time you have a large oven hogging item these can save the day and make life easier.  We recently did 25 pounds of shredded chicken for chicken tacos in these, again they came though like a champ.

And while we don’t use it for such things it does anything an oven does, rolls, bread, muffins, you name it.  One caution this is not a crock pot, it isn’t low draw like a crock pot, it is an oven and high power draw like an oven.  So if you want to run two at a time you need to run them on separate circuits.    You won’t be running this on a Steven Harris batter bank, not even one in a truck box with the truck on idle.

This is a grid powered device for use on grid, but in that aspect it is a wonderful tool.  If I only used these for holiday meals at Christmas and Thanksgiving and such I would still own one.  Every time you look at your oven and wish you could fit more in it at one time, this is the solution.  And a bigger oven would not be enough anyway, because your bread may supposed to be at say 400 and your turkey at say 325, again this is a simple, effective low cost solution.

Basically the Oster 22-Quart Roaster Oven is a hell of a deal, 60 bucks, free shipping and 4.5 stars total with well over 600 reviews.  As always here at TSP with TSPAZ we bring you simply the best value to price ratio we can find, with items that simply work and always work.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. –  You may want to consider roaster liners for use with your roaster.  These are high temp plastic liners that make clean up a snap!  Pull, toss, cleaning is done.  That said I am only linking to them on Amazon so you can see what they look like, they seem very expensive on Amazon to me in small quantities.  You an likely find them from another source and many times you can get them cheaper at grocery stores and the like.

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Etekcity 4 Pack of LED Lanterns – Item of the Day

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Modern Survival| 14 Comments

eteklanternsEvery day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is Etekcity’s 4 Pack of LED Lanterns.  These things are an incredible value and are the result of a lot of research.   And now Etekcity has made this product even better, you can still get the original ones in a four pack for 25.99 which is 6.50 a piece.

The new upgraded option is 4 units for 31.99 or 8 bucks a piece.  So what does the higher price get you?  Two big things, first they now have a dimmer switch, with four different light levels, that can extend the insane battery life even more, or it is just nice when you want less light.  Also the bases on the new models now have magnets so they will stick to any metal surface.

On top of this the tops now have a storage space.  It isn’t a ton of space but plenty for a small bit of cordage, some tinder, extra keys, etc.  Heck drop a cheap ferro rod in each of them and you have fire and light where ever you go.  All in all as I order more of these, and I will, I will happily spend the extra dollar fifty a piece for these upgrades.

I have previously reviewed The Streamlight Siege Lantern.  And I still think it is the highest quality LED lantern on the market.

It is also 26-114 dollars based on the options you pick.  Even at the lowest priced option if you wanted one for every room of a 8 room house, you are looking at 200 bucks.  Frankly for this type of thing, it is over kill.  I wanted an affordable solution for every room lighting during an extended blackout.

I started looking around and dozens of companies are marketing these little pop up lanterns with minor differences.  The housings are almost identical.  Some are very inexpensive and some cost almost as much as The Siege, none are as good though.

Well I love Etekcity which has a lot of really cool stuff much of which I have reviewed in the past like their Thermal Gun, Power Failure Lights and Remote Control Electrical Outlets.  So I checked and they have this four pack for only $25.99 with free shipping.  This pack is an Amazon best seller with over a 4000 reviews and an average of 5 stars.

But I always check the one star reviews before picking an item.  Many times you can tell said reviews are written by idiots.  In this case, however; they bothered me.  Almost all of them say they got one that didn’t work out of the box and then never worked again.  So I began checking other options, heck it is almost like ever single brand of these things are clones.   They all have great reviews, a few bad reviews and all the different ones have almost the exact same complaint, dead on arrival or after one use.

So I contacted Etekcity who has great service and said basically that it is understandable at this price point and selling so many a few will have problems, but what is your return/replacement policy and this is what I got back in return, within an hour by the way!

Hello Jack,

Thank you for reaching out to us and thank you for all the feedback we appreciate it. Honestly we sell hundreds if not a thousand of these lanterns a day and we do have problems with them, they are not perfect.

Typically the main issue is a little toggle switch in the base that likely during shipping breaks unfortunately and once in awhile the top of the lantern is cracked or loose again probably due to shipping.

Once the lantern makes it to the customer and they arrive in good order we never hear from the customer because they seem to not fail with normal use.

We usually only hear from the customers the moment they open the package and find the damage and then we immediately send out a replacement and then all lanterns come with a 1 year warranty.

These are not the worlds greatest lantern but for around $6 each, they are one of amazons best sellers and we think for the price they are the best around.

thank you

Okay so every single one of those one star reviews are people that simply could  have gotten a free replacement, on a $6.50 product?  Honestly this is why I have recommended so many things from Etekcity.

Talk about honesty in a nut shell they said, “hey look when you sell this many products of this type some will have problems, but we stand by and replace them”, what more could you ask for for about 6 bucks?

With that I was sold, I got two sets, we have them in our black out kits and if one fails, I don’t care I have 16!  That said all of mine have worked just fine and were in perfect shape when they got here.  But this was important to me, I wanted to be sure that if you did have a problem, Etekcity would fix it and I wanted to give you a lot cost option for back up lighting.  And hey even at this stupid cheap price, batteries are included!  Please consider that even cheap ass Rayovac Batteries are about 8 bucks for a 12-Pack.

And these do that, they will give you 12 full hours of light off three measly AA batteries.  So to me at the cost and for what they do this is the best deal in back up LED lighting for your house and your BOK (Black Out Kit).    So I really recommend you pick up at least one of the orginal Etekcity’s 4 Pack of LED Lanterns  and I really think the Upgraded Version is worth the exta few bucks.  I really have to say though, I like that Etekcity didn’t discontinue the old lanterns and left the choice to consumer.  There are some other manufacturers out there that could learn a thing or two from them.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – I have noticed a few negative reviews complaining of leaking batteries ruining these lanterns.  Here is my rule for batteries, never store them in your devices for long periods of time.  I don’t care if the device is expensive or cheap, I don’t care of the batteries are generic or top brand, just don’t do it.

We keep flashlights (mostly D-Cell Maglites) around the house, we use them all the time.  Used devices never seem to have this problem.  When they start to weaken we replace them.

In our BOK we keep our devices and with them a ziplock bag with 4 sets of batteries per device in the bag.  We use our power failure lights and flashlights to retrieve our BOK and simply put the batteries in at that point and time.

Note that it is true that battery manufacturers are required by law to replace any device that leaking batteries destroy.  That doesn’t help in the middle of a black out though does it?  Simply put any device that is not used often, take the batteries out of it, store them with it and save yourself the headache.

 

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German Style Fermentation Crock – Item of the Day

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Modern Survival| 9 Comments

crock

Special Notice – I am bringing this around today because the 5L croc is on sale for only $54.oo which is 32% off the regular price.  And the 10L is knocked down 27% to only $73.00.  Great time to pick one up.

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is my favorite German Style Fermentation Crock made by TSM Products.  I first found this item about 5 years ago and have used it many times since buying it.  It comes in four sizes, 5L (1.3 Gallons), 10L (2.6 Gallons), 15L (3.9 Gallons) and 20L (5.2 Gallons).

I personally have the 10 liter model and to me it is plenty large enough.  Frankly the 5L model will make quite a bit per batch.  And while fermented foods keep quite well in the cellar or fridge but I prefer them quite fresh while they are still nice and crisp.  Additionally making them is so simple it is no big deal to just keep running batches of what ever you want as needed.

My main focus with fermented foods is taste and health not storage, so I personally think I would have been just fine with the 5L model.  The main use I would see for something like the 20 liter model would be for someone who is making product for a group or large family.  Please consider all this before deciding you need a huge crock.  Two whole cabbages fit in my 10L model with room to spare, that is a LOT of kraut.

Many people ferment in jars, this works, but it never comes out as consistently good for me as when I use my crock.  There are a few reasons for this in my view.  First and foremost is uniform temps, the thick ceramic construction holds a steady temp with minimal fluctuation.  Next is the total darkness of the environment.  Then you get a dead simple airlock with the water holding rim at the top.  Finally the stone weights hold everything nicely under the brine so you don’t get any funny stuff going on with exposed veggies.

I do make my share of sauerkraut with this thing.  My favorite variation is adding about 1/3rd by volume of cabbage shredded carrots and and equal amount of shredded apple, and a good helping of caraway seeds.  Man is that stuff fantastic on brats!  The key is never cook it, just gently warm it when serving it with things like your meats.  This way all the beneficial bacteria stays alive.

What about slow cooking pork in kraut you say?  Okay well then just do it, and at the end add a few tbs of fresh uncooked kraut to each plate.

My absolute favorite thing to make is my own signature brand escabache  though.  There are many varieties of escabache, some fermented and some done with vinegar.  The one that inspired mine is generally in a small bowl on every table in any good “hole in the wall” Mexican restaurant in Texas.  You know the kind of place where a margarita contains only tequila, lime juice and orange liquor, vs koolaid mixer and comes in a high ball glass vs. a fish bowl?

This brand of escabache consists of simply carrots, onions, jalapenos in a pickle brine.  Though every place will tell you theirs is “special”.  The best versions are always fermented and seen as a digestion aid.  To make mine I broke with the standard to make it bit milder and get by product of amazing pickled garlic.    Here is my recipe.

Equal amounts of the following vegetables cut to the shape of your liking, I like thin long strips….

  • Sweet Peppers (several colors make for a great eye appeal, use red, orange, yellow to contrast with the green jalapenos)
  • Carrots (again I cut them into thin sticks)
  • Jalapenos (seed half to go a bit more mild, seed all and you get almost no heat.  Tune in to today’s show for a major short cut on this)
  • White Onions (cut again in long strips)
  • Garlic (go to Albertsons Grocery, they sell whole pealed cloves in clam shells in the produce area for about 3 bucks, this is a great deal and saves a lot of time.  Don’t slice the garlic leave the cloves whole.)
  • Salt water (enough to cover, I use 2 TBS per quart, the standard is 1-3 per quart.  Use sea or kosher or pickling salt)
  • One hand full of black peppercorns

It could not be more easy, just stick everything in the crock, cover with salt water, put your stones on and wait about 7-10 days.  I usually cover the top of my veggies with grape leaves (muscadine or wild fox grape leaves are fine for this).  It keeps the little pieces from escaping and the tanning keeps things crisp.  Some use oak leaves but I have never tried this.

If you want to kick start fermentation, put about one tablespoon of whey from some yogurt into the brine.  While not necessary it is very helpful.

When done to your taste, put in ball jars and store in the fridge, it will be very good for 30 days and quite good for about 60.  After that to me anyway it gets too fermented even in the fridge which is why I make about 2-3 quarts per run.

Well, then there is the garlic, that stuff keeps for months.  So when I make a batch I usually buy 2-3 of the clam shells of garlic.  I jar up about half with the escabache and half by itself for cooking or snacking, man is spicy garlic great stuff.

Another plan this year is to make up some fermented Jerusalem artichokes.  Haven’t tried those yet but heard they are very good and it avoids the um, well side effects that make some call them fartachokes!

So if you have been thinking of adding fermented vegetables to your diet (and you really should) check out the German Style Fermentation Crock today.  At only 59 dollars for the 5 liter model it will pay for itself in a batch or two and give you better quality pickled veggies then you could ever buy in a store.  And unlike a ball jar, it will look awesome on your counter whether you have a batch running or not.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

 

 

 

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Epica Electric Coffee & Spice Grinder – Item of the Day

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Modern Survival| 3 Comments

Special Notice – This item is a good Grinder but I only reviewed it because Amazon stopped carrying the Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder which has been my go to coffee/spice grinder for over a decade.  That item is now back in stock and I recommend it above this one, because, well, after using it for so long I just have tremendous confidence in it.

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Epica Electric Coffee & Spice Grinder  I am recommending this today because Amazon has done something I hate.  They have stopped carrying a product I love, recommend often and am very satisfied with.  Of course that is the Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder.

As much as I love the old Mr. Coffee Grinder, the Epica is a hell of a solid little machine.  The grinding cup itself is all stainless steel and it is easily removed for pouring and cleaning.  When it comes to power the Epica definitely has more power and can grind more material per run.

And yes it does a bang up job grinding coffee and you bet I grind up some Holler Roast Coffee and drop it in my french press, but that is not my primary use for this tool.

To me this type of grinder is the greatest ever dried vegetables and spice/herb grinder you can get your hands on for under 20 bucks. In fact for Prime members this awesome tool is just 19.95 with free shipping.

I use this type of grinder to make hot pepper powders. Garlic and onion powder from a store? Never I buy dried onions and dried minced garlic in large quantities, I then make up powders as I need them in small quantities. Just smell fresh made garlic or onion powder and you will see why.

I whip up my own spice mixes like this one which is a great go to rub for almost any meat but especially chicken on the grill.

  • About a table spoon of each
    • Thyme
    • Dried garlic
    • Dried onion
    • Mustard Seed
    • Fennel Seed
    • Chili Powder
    • Dehydrated Celery (yea that is a secret)
    • Cumin
    • Tellicherry Black Pepper Corns (another secret)
    • Kosher or Sea Salt
  • Then about 3 table spoons of paprika
  • About 2 table spoons of parsley

This is all done by estimate by the way, not with spoons but you can do that if you want to. This is a go to rub for poultry and fast grilled pork.  Here is some whipped up some for my buddy David to go on quail. You can see that here. The best thing with small pieces like quail, cut up chicken etc, is to put it in a large bowl and toss till well coated then grill.

Anyway it is unlimited what you can do, did you see the celery above, we always have it on hand, grinding it gives you the same type of punch as celery seed but it sure costs less and it is more versatile. You guys that grow 15 different hot peppers can go mad scientist with pepper blends.

This item has 1900 plus reviews and 85% are 4 or 5 star. If you read the negative reviews they seem to be either coffee snobs that want a 18 dollar grinder to grind with the precision of a 500 dollar tool.  The one complaint that is sort of valid is you can burn up this type of grinder if you don’t follow the instructions.

Consider what you have in a grinder like this, you have a very high speed motor, cased in a small tool body, doing a huge amount of work.  What does that give you?  In a single word, heat.  This grinder comes with clear instructions, do not over fill it.  Run it continuously for no more than 20 seconds a pulse and after 60 seconds let the motor cool.

So if you want to grind pounds of coffee at a time this tool is not for you.  Actually a Nutri Ninja works great for that.  But if you follow the instructions you will love this grinder.   And a minute of grinding is plenty to whip up a batch of coffee or a jar of spice rub.  So if you don’t have a coffee/spice grinder check out the Epica Electric Coffee & Spice Grinder.  As long as you use it as directed you will not be disappointed.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – I really think if you get this item you will be happy but if I had my way I would still be leading with the Mr. Coffee Grinder.  While part of me feels like the Epica might be better I have used the Mr. Coffee one for years, like over a decade.  I have sold thousands of them on this website and not yet gotten one complaint. It is very hard to replace that kind of confidence.

Mr. Coffee seems to have moved to a new model, you can find it here.  I have not yet used that version and since I do have hands on experience with the Epica for now that is my lead recommendation.

Still at only 13 bucks if you want to save a bit of money and bet on gold old Mr. Coffee it may be worth checking out.  Frankly I may buy one just to put it though its paces.  Remember with Amazon you can always return any items you are not happy with.

 

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