Search results

In my area, restaurants really seem to struggle, unless they're some crappy chain like Applebee's. Higher-quality establishments in particular. I think sometimes you get places that start out really strong and make a great first impression, but the business doesn't take off like they hope...

Why not just stay put on the site and have some fondue? :rofl:

^^ that chicken looks wonderful Had chicken shawarma with a side of pressure cooker sweet potatoes. Stunk up the office with the leftovers today.

Yeah, olives are great to add for a "flavor burst" to dishes, but IMO are too salty to be the focus. A buddy of mine made this dish on New Year's Eve where he took pitted olives, and "wrapped" a layer of spicy Italian sausage around them to make meat balls, and then cooked them. Not normally...

Not sure if it's the same everywhere, but where I live, a package of fresh basil or a bunch of fresh cilantro (as 2 examples that I use often) will cost you $2-$3. Then, you bring it home and use 10%-20% of it for dinner that night. Fresh herbs are great to work with, but they do have a...

I was 31 years old when I found myself alone after my wife left me. I knew nothing about cooking, and nearly made myself sick just eating the bare minimum to get by. I lost weight (I didn’t have much to spare to begin with), and friends started commenting about how skinny I looked. It was...

Not sure what the instructions for your device will tell you, and I don't think I've ever tried browning after slow cooking, but what I'm picturing in my head is a tender piece of slow-cooked meat sizzling away on a hot surface, drying out, while its wet surface prevents it from browning...

Make some killer mayo by stirring in some minced garlic and a squirt or two of lime juice. Amounts depend on your garlic tolerance, and you don't want the juice to make the mayo too sour or milky. I like intense garlic, so I target 1-2 cloves per sandwich, and just a touch of lime juice...

I realize I’m probably beating a dead horse at this point, but I don’t understand the frustration over wiggle room being left in written directions. When preparing a dish, is the goal to ensure that the result matches some precise standard devised according to the tastes of others, or is the...

Nobody said that following exact measurements is illegitimate; I'm simply saying that it's not how I like to work, and I'm convinced it's overrated in lots of situations. I figure, if I use a GPS every time I drive, I never learn how to get anywhere myself. It's definitely not every time I...

I do if my notes (or memory) tell me that following the recipe yielded tasty results. If I took liberties with the recipe, I read my notes to see what they were, and that's my new reference point. I choose to either do it the same again, or try other tweaks, and write down my thoughts on the...

I’m not so much concerned about legal matters because I’m not in the business of selling anything related to food, but I have struggled with this question in the past, as it relates to whether or not I’m justified in telling my friends/family that the recipe is “mine” vs. something I found on a...

pizza crust broth/stock pasta tofu curry paste salsa I really try to make as much as I can, but eventually it comes down to choosing your battles. Alas, free time is in short supply.

Put the slow-cooker lid on only partially, to allow some of the moisture to escape. Recently, I made a sauce and only put the lid on roughly half way. It thickened up nicely compared to the last time I made it.

Thanks. This is why I asked; I'd probably pass on this the moment I saw trans fats listed. Not because I'm afraid I'd drop dead tomorrow, but because it's just a decision I made years ago and have stuck to it since. As for the mutant panko I spoke of earlier, it had more ingredients than I...

Obviously I can pronounce the ingredients, I figured the cheekiness of the comment would be obvious; guess not. The point is, most "convenience foods" have a bunch of junk in them, and I was wondering if anybody knew offhand if Shake & Bake did or not.

Sounds like a good idea in general, but I guess if I were going to go through the trouble of pulling out the tools to chop up fresh ingredients in the prep stage, I'd just go that little bit further and make my own coating as well. Or, am I incorrect in assuming that Shake & Bake is loaded to...

Haha, yeah, be careful with this. I tried it once for a girl I was dating and I ended up smoking out the entire upper floor of my house. Tasted good, though. :P

Thanks for the responses, everybody. I think I'm just going to have to try making beans from dry for once. The idea of making lots and freezing them makes the idea more attractive, for sure. Great pro tip! When using frozen beans, is it recommended to let them thaw first, or can I just toss...

Interesting. How about the salt that (usually) gets added to canned goods? When I eat canned beans, I don't think they taste "salty", but then again, I never thought canned peas tasted salty either until I tried "low sodium" canned peas and they were the most bland, flavorless mush I've ever...

Oops, wrong sub-forum...

Hi: I use beans fairly regularly in cooking (usually black and garbanzo), but I always use canned. I'd say that about 95% of the time when I cook, it's for 2 or 1, so I tend to "fly by the seat of my pants" when figuring out what to make. This makes dry beans tough for me, because they take...

Sorry for bumping a dormant thread, but earlier it was mentioned that cast iron is not good for tomatoes. Can somebody explain? I do 95% of my cooking in a cast iron skillet, which sometimes includes tomatoes. I've never noticed any "problems" but I guess I don't have the benefit of...

If the dinner was great, then it's "well done, menumaker!" :smartass:

Here is what I'd do. I'm kind of making this up, but I've done similar things that turned out great. - chop up some onions and chiles (and garlic, if you have it), fry over med/high for a few minutes - sprinkle in a bit of cumin and cayenne, fry for a minute until it smells awesome - pour in...