Timpano

Timpano has been our Christmas family meal for generations. The recipe has been handed down over and over by way of conversation. Finally, the recipe has been captured in writing so that everyone can enjoy this fabulous meal.

My early Days as an entrepreneur...

I became an entrepreneur early in my life. While in college, in Pittsburgh, I was driving by a cemetery and noticed a large pond with what appeared to be hundreds of goldfish in it. I drove into the cemetery and was standing by the pond when the grounds-keeper came over to say hello. I asked him how all of the goldfish found their way into the pond. He shook his head in dismay and said the darn kids get sick of them at home and dump them here. I inquired if it would be okay if I took some. He said, "Take them all - they are a nuisance". I promptly went to the store, purchased some garbage bags, a large net and a loaf of bread and returned. The grounds-keeper was so enthralled by what I was doing that he actually helped. I ended up with well over 200 large goldfish - which I promptly sold to the local aquarium shops. 

I then noticed that the plants that were sold at the aquarium shops were the exact type that was growing in the pond. I returned a week later to the cemetery and found the grounds-keeper. I inquired about the plants. He laughed and said, "You really want to pick the weeds out of the pond?" I said "Sure!" I filled several garbage bags full of the "weeds", took them home, cleaned them and wrapped them into small bunches and tied them together with rubber bands. I sold each bunch for 49 cents - I had hundreds of sprigs and sold out quickly. There were enough plants at the cemetery for several trips over several months. The main plant life in the pond was lily pads and flowers. They were truly beautiful and were being choked out by these "weeds". 

One last find... I noticed an area on the side of the road where the hillside had been blasted to make room for the road had some interesting looking rocks. I stopped to inspect them and found that they were green shale. They would look terrific in an aquarium. I loaded up my car with as many rocks as the car would hold and went around selling them (for months) to the local aquarium shops. They would actually put in orders for the rock delivery! So, those were my first ventures into capitalism and I had a ball!

Cooking the perfect steak - Every Time!

One of our custom sink clients used to own 7 restaurants. He told me a trade secret that perhaps you already know. In case you don't, this is how he cooked perfect steaks in his restaurants and didn't even have steak knives offered! The steaks could be cut with butter knives.

Many of you know that I love to cook. My background comes from an entire Italian family of amazing cooks. I am the cook in our home and I love every part of it - including the clean-up. 

First, to always cook a steak perfectly, you need a Sous Vide. I prefer the brand Anova. Get the model that has Bluetooth and wifi. So... what is a Sous Vide?

You are looking at one to the left. This gadget hooks on to just about any tall pot or container. Make sure the pot is plenty deep. You can use ziplock bags, but I find the vacuum seal bags are best. Before you start, season the steak well. Use a generous amount of salt and pepper, or best yet seasoned salt. Place the steak in the bag, remove all air and place it in the pot. The Sous Vide will clip on to the pot. Plug in the Sous Vide and set the temperature. I have found that 134 degrees will be medium rare (shown above). Here is the best part. Leave it to cook for several hours. It will not overcook. The steak you see above cooked for 4 1/2 hours. Pick the doneness you like. 132 will be rare, 136 medium and 138 medium well. 

I have found that leaner meats work best. I believe a strip steak or a filet would be best. The steak in the photo was a ribeye. It was terrific, but the fat areas were unappealing. The ribeye is easily my favorite for grilling though. 

So, when you are ready to eat, take a cast iron skillet and put it in your oven at the highest temperature possible (around 550 degrees). Once hot, remove your steak from the bag and DRY it thoroughly! Put the steak in the skillet, shut the door for about a 45 seconds, flip the steak, shut the door for another 45 seconds. Take the steak and skillet out of the oven and place on the cooktop. Sear the sides of the steak quickly and you will have the perfect steak!

It is impossible to overcook or undercook if you leave the food in the Sous Vide for at least 2 hours. Read some online recipes, you will be amazed. 

My son actually made "Poached Eggs" in the shell in the Sous Vide and he said they came out perfectly. 

Who has two hours to cook a meal? Well, this is the best part of the Sous Vide. Let's say you would like steak for dinner tonight. Before leaving for work, set up everything and put cold water and plenty of ice in the pot. This will keep the meat from sitting at room temperature. Remotely (from a smartphone) turn on the Sous Vide at 3pm. Your steaks will be ready any time from 5:30 or so through 9pm. The longer the time, the more tender the meat. 

I hope you learned something fun today! I have had a ball cooking with my Sous Vide. 

The perfect kitchen has the perfect kitchen sink. Check out our custom sinks.

Custom Sinks by Rachiele

What is the best way to go about shopping for a new kitchen?

With 40 years experience as a professional kitchen designer, Dino Rachiele explains the best way to go about shopping for a new kitchen in this, the first of 5 in a series of "How to" videos.

The many faces of copper farmhouse sinks by Rachiele Custom Sinks in Apopka, Florida. 

How did all of these amazing patinas evolve and reside only on Rachiele sinks? Evolution is the keyword. I, Dino Rachiele, am an avid experimenter and inventor. I love to think outside the box. Back in the late 1900's, I began working with copper patinas on the first sinks I designed and sold. For years, I was the only one doing the patina work. I then hired an artist who took the patina process to a new level. He and I experimented with new ways to patina copper. Over the years I have worked with our patina artists coming up with new ways to achieve wonderful colorful works of art. The experimenting never stops. I am always looking for new ways to work with copper patina and for new ways to topcoat those beautiful finishes. Recently, I came up with a new topcoat process that is as smooth as glass and gives the patina a 3D effect that cannot be shown by photography. You must take my word for it. The glassy topcoat brings out details and depth that I have never been able to achieve in the past.

Visit us at https://www.rachiele.com

or call us at 407-880-6903

The Copper Sink industry lies to consumers!

This import damaged by hot pans

I receive phone calls all the time from two different types of homeowners. The first type calls indicating they have a nickel plated apron front farmhouse sink and the finish has worn off - generally after just a few months. They want to know what can be done. The answer is NOTHING short of replacing the sink. The "greedy" purveyors of these sinks should, at the very least, be honest with their potential customers and tell them the nickel plating WILL fail. 

The second type of call I regularly receive generally gives me a bit of a scare for a minute or two. These callers do not initially indicate that they DID NOT purchase one of my sinks when they call in tears telling me their sink does not drain properly. In one early instance, I had the caller get a level and check to see if the counter was level. I had them put the level in the sink too! They said their counter was level and so was the bottom of the sink. I started to wonder... could I have possibly sent out a sink that did not drain properly? I know we test drainage over and over. I finally asked, "Did you purchase your sink from us?" The answer was "No... I did a great deal of research and you seem to be the experts on copper sinks and I thought you could help me". Sadly, this research should have been done BEFORE they installed a sink in their kitchen. When I told this caller there was nothing that could be done about the pooling water, she literally started to cry and told me she spent over $65K remodeling her kitchen and now she hates her sink. I have been able to replace many of these horrible sinks, but at a cost that the owner should never have had to pay if proper research had been conducted prior to purchasing the sink.

I am going to make some folks in my industry angry, but I have to sadly say that my industry reminds me of the car business back in the 60's and 70's. I can say that because I had a one year stint in the car sales business back in 1976. I felt like I had to disinfect myself when I got out. The copper sink business is just as bad now as the car business was back then! Many copper sink companies hide, lie about or omit information that an educated buyer should know about before making an investment. Below find some of the hidden, omitted or misrepresented bits of information I have seen online.

1. Use and care - This should be easy to find on a web site and should be explained in detail by the sales person. Use and care is generally well hidden, for good reason! Many indicate you must dry the sink after EVERY use! What intelligent person would invest in a sink like that if they knew that in advance?

2. Country of origin - This information is usually hidden, or even lied about! You should know if your sink is made of scrap that is unlikely purified to U.S. standards.

3. Purity of the copper - Often misrepresented or intentionally lied about. If the company does not have third party independent testing and written proof of purity, assume the worst!

4. Antimicrobial properties - Only companies with E.P.A certification can legally make that claim according to the Federal Government and the E.P.A. They are breaking Federal Law by making those claims. You should demand to see that certification!

5. The differences between annealed (soft) copper and cold rolled (hard copper) have been intentionally misrepresented online to suit the importer.

6. The big lie - If you see something like this: "When you disrupt the finish in the bottom of the sink, the finish will come back like the original." If you hear that and the original finish is NOT the color of an old penny, you are hearing a LIE!

7. Size Matters - Copper sink companies should clearly indicate their tolerances with regard to dimensional specifications in an easy to find location. Some sinks vary as much as 1/2" in all dimensions!

8. Are their sinks true and square? Many won't tell you their sinks might be out of square. If they do, they always say it is because the sinks are hand made. Think about that statement. The pyramids were hand made the the precision was far better than the sink on the right! The sink on the right fits tightly at the top and has a huge gap at the bottom. 

9. Is the inside of the sink lacquered? I have found that this information is rarely offered. A lacquered interior is a disaster waiting to happen! Hot water or a hot pan can ruin the sink!

Lastly, would you really want to do business with a company that intentionally misrepresents their products before the sale? Imagine what the customer service will be AFTER the sale! Invest in the best.

#coppersinks

#coppersinklies

#fakenews