A Love Story
I haven't baked bread in awhile. When I do, we eat way too much and I have a beach wedding coming up that I need to prepare for. So, why am I posting here? Because I have interior musings that nobody on any other site would be interested to hear. I'm here to gather with other bread nerds about something that has been occupying my mind for the past several weeks.
Here it is...I love my Brod & Taylor proofer. No, this is not a commercial. Yes, I paid full price for it. No, nobody at that company has ever heard of me and I have no social clout such that they would even care what I have to say about this.
Why bother mentioning this here? (Other than my personal need to belt a power ballad of love from the rooftops) I frequently see people discussing the engineering considerations of making a homemade proofer. Yes, you could do that. For some people -- the tinkering kind -- the joy is in the process itself. I congratulate you, you are a dying breed. But if you're considering that just to save a few bucks, let me tell you, the B&T is the most useful appliance I've bought in...maybe ever. Its elegant simplicity is poetic. It takes up no space and its uses are many. Here's a short list of the things I have done with it, which barely scratch the surface of possibilities.
1. Making black garlic.
2. Pasturizing eggs in the shell at home
3. Keeping things warm for a party (a 200 degree oven is way too hot and dries out food)
4. Sous vide cooking
5. Defrosting (though this probably isn't safe with meat, but I recently did this with a frozen dough ball and it worked like a charm)
A few things I haven't yet done simply because I already have other dedicated appliances for this include making yogurt and using it as a slow cooker.
What have I not mentioned? Actual proofing or giving your sourdough culture a boost. Of course, it works beautifully for that, too. But the whole point here is that even though I haven't baked bread in ages, I regularly use this proofer. When I first bought it, I really hesitated. It seemed too pricey for what it was -- a very simple machine. I still kinda feel that way. But it has been so useful that I'm really glad I did it. I've wasted a lot more money on much less useful kitchen junk.
Okay...it feels good to share my obsession with someone. Thanks for listening.