thermal cooker
Main Dishes, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes

Can You Really Make a 5-Star Beef Stew in a Thermal Cooker?

Join Us for Part 2 of Our Tayama Thermal Cooker Test! Welcome back to the second installment of our exciting two-part series, where we put the cooker to the ultimate test! In the first episode we unboxed and described the thermal cooker. In this episode, we’re diving even deeper into the amazing capabilities of this innovative kitchen gadget. Whether you’re an experienced chef or just love trying out new kitchen gadgets, you won’t want to miss this!

🌟 What’s in Store:

  • In-depth review of the Tayama Thermal Cooker’s performance
  • Hands-on cooking demonstrations with a mouth-watering recipe
  • Tips and tricks for getting the most out of your cooker
  • Real-time taste test and honest feedback

Will the Tayama Thermal Cooker live up to the hype? Watch our video and find out! Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more culinary adventures.

thermal cooker

Hello my friends. Chef Blondie here. Our video is a little bit different from what we normally do. We actually tested the present I gave my Sous Chef Fuzzy for Christmas – the Tayama Thermal cooker. So we tested the cooker by making a large pot of beef stew.

Thermal Cooker Test Criteria

Here are five important test criteria that we considered in our evaluation:

  1. Heat Retention
    • Criteria: Measure how well the thermal cooker maintains its temperature over time.
    • Evaluation Method: Take the internal temperature of the beef stew after cooking without reheating.
  2. Cooking Time Efficiency
    • Criteria: Assess the total time taken to cook the beef stew in the thermal cooker.
    • Evaluation Method: Record the start and end times of the cooking process.
  3. Energy Consumption
    • Criteria: Determine how much energy the cooker uses.
    • Evaluation Method: Note the energy consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
  4. Build Quality and Durability
    • Criteria: Evaluate the physical build and material quality of the thermal cooker.
    • Evaluation Method: Inspect and note the sturdiness of the cooker, ease of handling, quality of materials, and any signs of wear after use.
  5. Ease of Use
    • Criteria: Assess how user-friendly the cooker is.
    • Evaluation Method: Evaluate features like ease of setup, clarity of instructions, ease of cleaning, and any special features (timers, etc.).

We will release the complete test results next week. Until then, watch our video, thank you, and happy cooking.

thermal cooker
RV Living, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

Exciting Christmas Gift: Tayama Thermal Cooker Unboxed

Hi everyone, Old Fuzz Face here! This Christmas, I received the perfect gift from my beautiful Miss Blondie—a Tayama thermal cooker. As a practical man, I couldn’t wait to unbox it and share it with you.

In our video, I unboxed my new Tayama TXM-70CFZ thermal cooker. That video and this post will answer most of your questions about the thermal cooker and its uses. Later this week, Chef Blondie and I plan on preparing a test meal with it. So, make sure you come back to see how Chef Blondie and the SFH Test Kitchen staff evaluate this thermal cooker’s performance.

Remember to subscribe to the Serendipity Farmhouse blog and to our YouTube channel.

Thermal Cooker Unboxing

Let’s dive into the unboxing! I won’t describe every single detail, but I’ll give you an overview of what I found inside. Opening the box felt like Christmas morning all over again. – As usual, my cat, Mr. Monte, was there, ready to steal any stray pieces of styrofoam or plastic wrapping. Here are the main items I found inside.

The first item I found was the Insulated Carry Pot. This is the unique component of a thermal cooker. It provides the insulation needed to ensure continuous cooking over an extended period of time.

The primary component of this thermal cooker is the Large Inner Cooking pot. It is similar to the inner cooking vessel on an Instant Pot. But, unlike that pot, you can use it on a stovetop for bringing food items to a boil or to to brown meats and saute vegetables.

thermal cooker
thermal cooker

The Small Inner Cooking Pot serves two purposes. You can use it to prepare a second course to accompany the food cooked in the large inner cooking pot. It can also be filled with boiling water to increase the amount of heated mass in the insulated carry pot. This ensures that the inner temperature is maintained over an extended period.

Product Overview

Now, let’s take a closer look at the Tayama Thermal Cooker. This model has a 7-quart capacity. It’s stainless steel construction ensures it can withstand regular use. One standout feature is the energy-saving design.

Unlike traditional cooking methods, this cooker uses heat retention to cook food without continuous energy, similar to a slow cooker but more energy efficient. This design is ideal for use in an RV and perfect for families, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Originating in medieval Europe with the concept of a “haybox,” modern thermal cookers have evolved, using advanced technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness. With rising energy costs, this thermal cooker is a fantastic way to save on your gas or electric bill.

Stay tuned for our next video, where we’ll test this cooker with a simple beef stew recipe. As always, our reviews are completely unbiased as we have no sponsors or affiliates.

mushroom soup
Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Soups & Salads, Winter

How To Make Jacques Pepin’s Mushroom Soup In 30 Minutes

Warm up with a bowl of Jacques Pepin’s Quick Mushroom Soup! As the temperature drops, join me and my trusty sous chef, Old Fuzz Face, in the kitchen as we whip up this comforting and hearty soup in just 30 minutes.

Using fresh cornmeal and a medley of mushrooms, this dish is not only quick but also incredibly satisfying. Perfect for cold, dreary days, this recipe from Jacques Pepin’s ‘Quick and Simple‘ cookbook is a must-try. Pair it with freshly baked sourdough bread for the ultimate cozy dinner. Happy cooking!

Why make this amazing mushroom soup?

Hello my friends. Chef Blondie here.

You know it was cold and snowy this morning. And right now it’s dark. It’s dreary and so cold. It’s wild outside.

My somewhat capable sous chef, Old Fuzzface and I want something warm and satisfying for dinner tonight. But we just don’t have the time to prepare a big meal. In cases like this, we turn to Jacques Pepin’s cookbook, Quick and simple.

So for tonight, we’re going to Prepare an easy dish. It’s a pot of mushroom soup. To make this soup a little more filling and comforting, Jacques adds some yellow cornmeal. I think he does this to thicken it up a little bit. And it just so happened that Fuzzy milled some corn yesterday and it’s as fresh as it can be. To go along with this soup, we’re going to have sourdough bread made with all hard white wheat that Fuzzy baked this morning.

Friends, this is the perfect comforting soup to warm you up after a day of shoveling snow. It’s quick and easy, and it’s so very satisfying. You’ve just got to try it!

For this recipe, you’re going to need unsalted butter, mushrooms, leeks or scallions, and chicken stock. We’re going to use vegetable broth, yellow cornmeal, cream, salt, ground black pepper, and chopped chives. We’re going give it a go.

Happy cooking!

frozen tomatoes
Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

How to Make Salsa with Frozen Tomatoes

What do you do when you have no homemade salsa, but you do have a freezer full of frozen tomatoes? Well of course, you do some Christmas canning and make up a batch of Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa.

Serendipity Farmhouse Salsa Emergency

Hello, my friends. Chef Blondie here. First of all, I want to wish all of you a very, very Merry Christmas. And then I want to tell you we have an emergency here at Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen. I went into the pantry to find some salsa to go with my chips. Well, guess what? There was no salsa to be had!

And if I didn’t have any homemade salsa, my grandkids would not be happy because they love their tacos my salsa on it. So, when we go over to have lunch with them it’s, “Granny, did you bring any homemade salsa?”

So, here we are today. My sous chef and I, we’re going to be making salsa. I looked in my freezer and I said, hey, we’ve got some of these frozen tomatoes from season 2023. We’re going to use those. So come along with us on this journey as we make salsa. Happy cooking!

Why we used frozen tomatoes in our salsa

frozen tomatoes

The idea of using frozen tomatoes for salsa is nothing new. I’m sure other people do it. I’m sure I can find videos on it. But we haven’t ever tried it. So, we thought the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen should give it a try.

The whole idea started back in September of 2023. The reason was, we had such an overpowering abundance of tomatoes. We had grown eight or ten varieties of tomatoes. We had so many tomatoes and we just didn’t know what to do with them.

So, we froze them. What we did was we flash froze them, then we use the Food Saver and vacuum sealed them and weighed the individual packages. We thought that someday we would figure out a way to use them.

When planning for this SFH-TK test, we determined that we needed about six pounds of tomatoes to make at least five pints of salsa. Then we selected the bags of frozen tomatoes that would give us the six pounds we needed.

The SFH TK Quest for Better Salsa

Another crucial factor in this test was to continue our efforts to improve our own salsa mix. Our current version of SFH Salsa Mix, was derived from a copycat recipe, but we’ve adapted it to make it uniquely our own. For various reasons we decided not to use dried garlic. Instead we use either our own fresh or fermented garlic.

To the extent possible, we use our own homegrown hot peppers and herbs. This year, we dehydrated our own bell peppers and our next batch of salsa mix will include them.

Now that you know the backstory on why we used frozen tomatoes in our SFH-TK Salsa, watch the video and learn how we overcame challenges with preparing the key ingredient, and how we managed to come up with the best winter salsa ever.

christmas cookies
Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Sweets

The Great Christmas Cookies Extravaganza

What happens when two friends of 40 years make their favorite Christmas Cookies together? It may be a whole lot more than you would imagine. – Watch as Chef Blondie and Miss Nancy spend a day together baking cookies and so much more.

christmas cookies

Hello, my friends! Chef Blondie here. Today, I have a special treat for you. My friend, Nancy. We’re going to be making our famous Christmas cookies. She’s going to make gingerbread cookies and I’m going to be doing my famous sugar cookies.

Why We Decided to Make Christmas Cookies Together

Nancy and I have been best friends for almost 40 years. Nancy will tell you that it started out Rocky – a little rocky. But it all worked out, and after all these years, we’re closer than ever.

If you’ve followed this blog since 2018, you well know we used to do what we call “Yard Trash Day.” (See here and here.) We would make beautiful floral arrangements out of just stuff from our yards.

But this year we said you know what, let’s do something different. So, we decided to try Christmas cookies and see how that works out. I will do rolled sugar cookies, adapted from a recipe in an old Better Homes & Garden cookbook. I’ve used this recipe for over 40 years. Because I made them with my daughter many times, and she likes them so much, I call them Kathy’s Christmas Cookies.

Nancy decided go back even further and make gingerbread men from a recipe from a very old edition of the Joy of Cooking. The recipe poses many challenges, but the end product is tasty. The old recipe includes instructions on how to make templates for the gingerbread men, and it would be great fun when done with a child or grandchild.

So, watch our video and see how much fun two old friends can have when they make Christmas cookies together.

ignorance is bliss
Farmhouse Living, Mr. Monte, Ol' Fuzz Face

Ignorance is bliss & Old Fuzz Face is the most blissful human I know!

In this post and video, Mr. Monte reflects upon the concept of ‘ignorance is bliss’ through the lens of his experiences with Old Fuzz Face. Monte believes Fuzzy embodies true ignorance induced bliss.

“Ignorance is bliss” – Is it true?

Hi. Mister Monte here. Here’s a question for my 23,417 faithful, feline followers:

Is the adage “Ignorance is bliss” true?

After watching Old Fuzz Face move firewood today, I’m convinced that it is. – In fact, I’m convinced that Fuzzy is the most blissful human I know.

As this post and the linked video show, Fuzzy knows that there’s a problem with his method of moving wood to the shed, but because Fuzzy is Fuzzy, he just doesn’t understand how he can solve his problem.

Wood Trek – Capt. Fuzzy & the Wood Ship Cub Cadet

Captain Fuzzy starts off by discussing the effort involved in transporting wood to the woodshed. He emphasizes the distance and difficulty of the task. Despite the cold weather, he prepares for the long trip, showing his determination to complete the mission.

ignorance is bliss

Old Fuzz Face expresses frustration about the long journey through rugged terrain, wishing for a quicker route while navigating through challenging landscapes. He describes the journey as lengthy and arduous. He’s concerned about the wild and rugged nature of the surroundings. Fuzzy is especially worried about having to navigate through a treacherous gully, and he knows there are even greater challenges ahead. – If only there were a a shorter and more efficient path.

Wood Fleet Command Critiques Captain Fuzzy’s Mission

Well, once again Old Fuzz Face has proven that he’s not the sharpest claw on the paw.
When you watch the video you will see Fuzzy’s path from the wood pile to the woodshed.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or even an amazingly brilliant Maine Coon cat like me, to see the way he should have solved the problem.

ignorance is bless

Here’s the wood pile and here’s the woodshed.
In Euclidean geometry, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This is known as the line segment connecting the two points.

My human, Old Fuzz Face, is not a problem solver. He’s a problem maker. But one must admit he’s a master of Fuzzy Math when it comes to moving firewood.


As I said before, ignorance is bliss, and Fuzzy is the most blissful human I know.

Note: Not all firewood moving events are as distressing as the one described above. See our post How to Have a Firewood Party.

Azorean bean soup
Main Dishes, Recipe, SFH Food Talk & Recipes, Test Kitchen

How to Make Azorean Bean Soup: A Comfort Food Recipe

Today, we’ll be exploring the rich culinary history of the Azores, focusing on a traditional and frugal dish—Azorean Bean Soup with Linguiça.

Azorean bean soup

Hi! Old Fuzz Face here. Welcome to the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen!

In the late-1800s and early 1900s, life on São Miguel was simple and community-oriented. Meals were often prepared with whatever was locally available, making use of seasonal ingredients and foods like linguiça sausage.

Our video will show you how to use linguiça in a traditional bean soup that tastes great and is warm and satisfying. – A perfect meal for this time of year.

By the way, don’t be worried if you don’t have any linguiça. A number of grocery chains such as Harris Teeter sell various brands of authentic linguiça sausage. And if you are really daring, try making your own linguiça using my recipe here.

Sous Chef Lessons Learned

Mr. Monte claims that I’m not the sharpest claw on the paw. I’m not saying our video proves him right. I will say that I learned three important lessons while making this about how to make Azorean Bean Soup. Watch the video to see what those three lessons were.

A Recipe on a Journey from the Azores

In 1903, my dad’s parents emigrated from São Miguel to Massachusetts. They didn’t bring much with them, and they had to start here from scratch. But my grandmother did bring one very important thing with her, that was her skill at cooking traditional Azorean dishes.

My grandfather died young, and I never got to meet my grandmother. My dad became the head of the household in the late 1920’s. I learned through my cousin Emma what types of meals my grandmother made for my dad and the family. This bean soup we’re preparing today is an example of what my grandmother would make back in those days. We think you’ll enjoy this bean soup because of its great flavor and ease of preparation.

French onion soup
Jacques Pepin, Recipe, Soups & Salads, Test Kitchen

Unlock the Secrets of Jacques’s Onion Soup Mystery Recipe

On YouTube you can find an enormous number of videos showing how to make French onion soup gratinee. For example, Jacques Pépin has at least three different videos. But have you ever seen one video on French onion soup Lyonnaise-style?

French onion soup

Hello my friends, Chef Blondie here. – French Onion Soup Lyonnaise-style is a Jacques Pépin mystery recipe that makes a great French onion soup even better.

How did Jacques do it? What were his mystery ingredients?

Well, if you want to learn the answer, watch as my trusty sous chef and I show you what Jacques did.

Happy cooking!

What makes this onion soup recipe better than the rest?

Of course, Jacques has many variations of the typical French onion soup gratinee. But in this recipe, which comes from the Lyon region of France, the soup is much thicker than the usual kind.

In his cookbook Essential Pepin, Jacques recounts his personal recollection.

It’s often served as a late-night dish. When I was a young man, I often made it with my friends at 2 or 3 A.M. after returning home from a night of dancing. … It looks thick and messy, but it is delicious.

The Two Mystery Ingredients

What sets this recipe apart from all the others is what comes at the very end. It is an added touch that you can perform in the presence of your dinner guests. This simple addition adds warmth to a cold evening and brings people together.

When you take the basic onion soup out of the oven, it will still be bubbling. That is when you add two egg yolks to 1/2 cup of sweet Port wine and mix well. Then you make a hole in the crusty top of the hot onion soup and pour the egg and wine mixture into the opening. As you fold the mixture in, the soup becomes rich and creamy and develops a wonderful aroma.

While your friends huddle around watching, you instantly transform your once typical onion soup into a warm and romantic dish to be shared and savoured.

Key Differences in Jacques’s Onion Soup Lyonnaise-Style

Texture: The Gratinee has a thinner, more broth-like consistency. The Lyonnaise-Style is thicker and creamier due to the addition of egg yolks.

Preparation: The Gratinee is typically served in individual bowls with a crusty cheese topping. The Lyonnaise-Style is baked in a large tureen and served from the center.

Flavor Enhancements: The Lyonnaise-Style includes port wine. This adds a sweet, fruity depth to the soup, and egg yolks, which give it a richer, creamier texture.

The Role of Egg Yolks and Port Wine

Egg Yolks: They thicken the soup and add a velvety, luxurious texture. When mixed with the hot soup, they create a creamy consistency that elevates the overall mouthfeel.

Port Wine: This adds a sweet, complex flavor that adds wonderful undertones to the savory onions and cheese. It also gives the soup a unique depth and richness that is not present in the Gratinee.

What are the two mystery ingredients in Jacques Pépin's recipe for French Onion Soup Lyonnaise style? Chef Blondie will show you what they are and why they make a difference. Adapted from the cookbook Essential Pépin
RV Trip
Autumn, RV Living, Uncategorized

The Best RV Trip We Never Had – Monte’s Revenge

Our 25-pound Maine Coon cat gave us the best RV trip we never had. He did it through a premeditated act of sabotage.

Every year in October, Miss Blondie and I take our Class C RV to Shenandoah River State Park to bask in the colors of Autumn. First we pick up our reservation pass at the Contact Station. With our pass in hand, we head directly to our RV site, hook up our utilities, and set up camp. Then we just sit back and take in all the wonders of the park in this most beautiful time of year. – And that, dear friends, was the plan for this last October 24th.

Malicious Maine Coon Sabotage

If you follow our YouTube channel, and we hope that you do, you know that Mr. Monte sabotaged our hot water system and we had to cancel our reservation. – Little did he know, that in performing his evil prank, our cat gave us … the best RV trip we never had. (To see how he performed his malicious act of sabotage, click here.)

Our Backup Plan – Let’s Have a Day Trip

Yes, Mr. Monte forced us to cancel our trip scheduled for the peak Autumn foliage. Yes, that dang cat thought he had won this round. But Miss Blondie and I resolved that we would not miss the splendors of Autumn. We would see the Shenandoah Valley at its best. – We had devised a backup plan.

A quick telephone call is all it took. Our cancelled RV trip morphed into a magnificent day of exploring and picnicking in the park. It was an unbelievably pleasant day with three of the most charming ladies I know – Miss Blondie, Daughter #1, and Granddaughter #1.

I won’t burden you with a lengthy description of all we did on our day trip. Words would only get in the way. Instead, let’s just look at some of what we saw. Perhaps someday you will be able to visit Shenandoah River State Park in October and see it all for yourself.

rye bread
Breads, Recipe, Test Kitchen

How to make Good Rye Bread even Better

We did two things to make a good rye bread even better. First, we enhanced the flavor by using our own home-milled rye berries. Then, we found a way to add the wonderful character and aroma of caraway seeds without suffering the problems often associated with seeded breads.

Hello, my friends.

My hubby and I have been working in the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen. Our most recent project has been to perfect a bread machine recipe using home-milled rye.

In our YouTube video, we show you how we’ve adapted a recipe for Scandinavian Light Rye Bread from The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. We’re sure you’re going to love it.

A Few Wry Comments on Rye and Rye Bread

Rye is classified as an ancient grain, belonging to the wheat family, and it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Compared to wheat, rye contains fewer carbohydrates and is richer in vitamins and minerals, making it a nutritious choice. This is a time-proven grain that remains ever so versatile in modern baking.

Perhaps those comments weren’t so wry, but they did let you know that rye, especially when freshly milled, will help you to make a good rye bread even better. So, watch our YouTube video to see how we did it. Also, if you like the looks of that pimento cheese, check our post Pimento Cheese IHO Mom and try out our recipe.

Resources

It’s been nearly 25 years since Beth Hensperger authored The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook. The updated edition comes out this month. Check out the following link for details on The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook, Newly Updated and Expanded: A Master Baker’s 300-Plus Favorite Recipes for Perfect-Every-Time Bread–From Every Kind of Machine Paperback – October 22, 2024 by Beth Hensperger (Author)

In case you were wondering about what bread machine we used to make our rye bread, check out the following link. Cuisinart Bread Maker Machine, Compact and Automatic, Customizable Settings, Up to 2 lb Loaves, CBK-110P1, Silver,Black

See some of our other posts about bread making: Sourdough Bread for a Practical Man, Sourdough Starter for a Practical Man, and Sourdough Troubleshooting for a Practical Man.