Misc.

It turns out my Hamilton Beach slow cooker will maintain a  temperature of 160F exactly with the ld on and the house temp at 60F.  I used this fact to fake sous-vide a brisket in a ziploc of BBQ sauce and it was surprisingly good.

Also, two nights ago I made potatoes lyonnaise / home fries/ potatoes fried in a skillet, and for the first time ever they did not break apart while frying.  I credit On Food and Cooking, which suggested that placing vegetables in 130F-150F water for 20-30min will cause their cells walls to harden due to the activation of an enzyme which is denatured at 160F.  I brought the slow cooker to 150F, and then turned it off with the potato slices floating in a bag, and it fell to 135F after 30min.  They were noticeably firmer and fried up beautifully.