Food Chit Chat

[Bastet]

@EtheltoTillie One of the Top Chef finalists (who is from Mexico, where they are popular) is cooking with grasshoppers tonight.  I'll let you know if I'd eat them. 🙂

[EtheltoTillie]

I stopped watching top chef years ago but I think I’m going to have to tune in for this one. 

[PRgal]

It's interesting how regional food tastes/palates can be.  I think I may have mentioned this a few months ago, but I posted something about chicken fingers/strips and kid food and how it came with plum sauce.  A mom on a Facebook group said it sounded "fancy," but I replied that it was a standard dip.  She said she had not heard that before.  She's from somewhere in the US and I'm in Canada, specifically Toronto.  My husband, who is from Ottawa, said that it was standard there too.  Well, not at places like McDonalds for their McNuggets, but at family style restaurants.  For the FB mom, it was usually ketchup (which, of course, is available.  Often, it will come with both ketchup and plum sauce, since the side is fries) or maybe BBQ sauce (yuck, for the most part).

[Bastet]

The Top Chef dish that incorporated grasshoppers was indeed something I'd have tried, and the judges all liked it.

 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/10/2023 at 1:38 AM, Bastet said:

The Top Chef dish that incorporated grasshoppers was indeed something I'd have tried, and the judges all liked it.

 

Same here, as I commented, to my surprise, on the Top Chef thread.  There a was a lively discussion on food choices, including undercooked or properly cooked liver.

On 6/9/2023 at 2:29 PM, PRgal said:

It's interesting how regional food tastes/palates can be.  I think I may have mentioned this a few months ago, but I posted something about chicken fingers/strips and kid food and how it came with plum sauce.  A mom on a Facebook group said it sounded "fancy," but I replied that it was a standard dip.  She said she had not heard that before.  She's from somewhere in the US and I'm in Canada, specifically Toronto.  My husband, who is from Ottawa, said that it was standard there too.  Well, not at places like McDonalds for their McNuggets, but at family style restaurants.  For the FB mom, it was usually ketchup (which, of course, is available.  Often, it will come with both ketchup and plum sauce, since the side is fries) or maybe BBQ sauce (yuck, for the most part).

Plum sauce!  I would love that.  Have never seen in a fast food restaurant.  Is it like Hoisin sauce? 

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

 

Plum sauce!  I would love that.  Have never seen in a fast food restaurant.  Is it like Hoisin sauce? 

Not really - has sweet and tart notes but not in a sweet and sour sauce kind of way.  It's more orangey, so no bright/fake red looks.  You don't always see it at fast food restaurants, more likely at a family-friendly service restaurants like The Pickle Barrel (here's their kids' menu).

Edited June 13, 2023 by PRgal

[annzeepark914]

11 hours ago, PRgal said:

Not really - has sweet and tart notes but not in a sweet and sour sauce kind of way.  It's more orangey, so no bright/fake red looks.  You don't always see it at fast food restaurants, more likely at a family-friendly service restaurants like The Pickle Barrel (here's their kids' menu).

Isn't plum sauce a lot like Duck Sauce? I bought the wrong brand of Duck Sauce recently (Asian name on a red label). It wasn't good. Have to search for the brand I like (in a short jar with a yellow label).

[PRgal]

16 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Isn't plum sauce a lot like Duck Sauce? I bought the wrong brand of Duck Sauce recently (Asian name on a red label). It wasn't good. Have to search for the brand I like (in a short jar with a yellow label).

It’s kind of the same thing, according to Kikkoman, but other sites say duck sauce has a mix of different stone fruits while plum sauce is plums. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by PRgal

[JustHereForFood]

On 6/2/2023 at 1:19 AM, Bastet said:

I've seen this posted in a couple of cooking show threads, so figured I'd post it here:

Food Disgust Test

My results are about what I expected: Your food disgust is very low (12.75%). 

Also unsurprisingly, my disgust at "human contaminants" (other people touching your food or drink, sharing cutlery/glasses, etc.) was a big fat zero.  Everything else I had a little bit of, from the handful of scenarios presented I had any degree of issue with.  My biggest was mold, but I didn't object to any of the "eating something that has had the mold removed" scenarios -- it comes solely from the question asking if you eat blue cheese (nope, can't stand it).

I got 85.25%. No surprise there, as  I would never have eaten stuff like raw meat, fish or eggs even before I became a vegetarian and don't like people touching my food (or anything, really 😄).

Also, as we learned back in high school, if there's mold or rot in food, it doesn't matter if you eat part of the food where it's not visible, because the whole fruit or whatever has been contaminated.

[SuprSuprElevated]

[PRgal]

5 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Depends on the filling. :D

[annzeepark914]

Is soy milk closer to milk than almond milk? I bought almond milk and used it in one of those Knorr noodle mixes. It was ok but I could detect a slight almond flavor. So, I was wondering if soy milk is more "neutral", no flavor that could be detected when mixed in with other ingredients.

[JTMacc99]

11 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Is soy milk closer to milk than almond milk? I bought almond milk and used it in one of those Knorr noodle mixes. It was ok but I could detect a slight almond flavor. So, I was wondering if soy milk is more "neutral", no flavor that could be detected when mixed in with other ingredients.

To me, oat and cashew are the most neutral. Soy definitely has the note of its origin. 

[annzeepark914]

30 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

To me, oat and cashew are the most neutral. Soy definitely has the note of its origin. 

Last week I bought a can of Whipt Cream. It said "oat" under the brand name. IMO, it was better than ReddiWhip. However, after a few squirts, it has stopped working. 

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

To me, oat and cashew are the most neutral. Soy definitely has the note of its origin. 

I agree.  And some brands have a weird aftertaste.  Hot soy milk used to dunk yow tiu (dough fritters) is a staple at some Chinese restaurants (particularly those that specialize in northern cuisine (e.g. soup dumpling restaurants...southern/Cantonese restaurants dip the same fritters in congee)) and I recall a weird taste.  Probably because my parents always ordered it sweetened, so it could be the sweetener.  I'm really picky about dairy-free milk since so many add stablizers and oils in them, usually ones that aren't that great for you.  Even Elmhurst, which prides itself in minimal ingredients add oils for their "barista blends" since it helps with the froth.

[chessiegal]

I picked up my first CSA basket today from Clagett Farm, owned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. I signed up for 13 weeks. This is week 10 out of 26, and the first week they had tomatoes. I did this last year, but the nearest pick-up was in Annapolis at the CBF's headquarters. It's not far but picking up at 4 pm (earliest) put me in what passes for rush hour traffic in these parts. I wasn't going to sign up this year, but they added another pick-up location at Dodon Winery in Davidsonville, closer and no traffic issues. I had no idea there was a winery 9 miles from my house.

I picked up red potatoes, a yellow onion, 2 cucumbers, green bell pepper, 2 eggplants, zucchini, yellow squash, and 3 large heirloom tomatoes, and a melon that looks like a cantaloupe.  I hope the tomatoes are as good as they were last year. They were better than any tomato I have ever tasted.

BLTs for dinner tonight!

Edited July 21, 2023 by chessiegal

[oliviabenson]

Baked lemon ricotta cheese is divine! Mmm. Too bad it’s seasonal!

Edited July 23, 2023 by oliviabenson

[annzeepark914]

On 6/25/2023 at 10:55 AM, JTMacc99 said:

To me, oat and cashew are the most neutral. Soy definitely has the note of its origin. 

Oat, IMO so far, is the most neutral. I tried "cream cheese" made from cashews & could taste the nuts. Tossed it out. Bought some oat milk and have used it successfully for cooking. I can't detect any "oat-ness" 😊. 

[oliviabenson]

I keep buying spices and cookware. Help. I have to many kitchen items!

[Gramto6]

14 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

I keep buying spices and cookware. Help. I have to many kitchen items!

My problem is the spices. Something looks interesting, or I see something on a cooking show...and next thing I know, I have it on my spice shelves! I could almost open a shop!  :(

[Mondrianyone]

We would be dangerous in the same house, @Gramto6. I do exactly what you do. And then I forget what dish I was buying the spice for, so when it gets here, I don't know what to do with it. We had to have a special cabinet built for all the spices. I'd post a photo of it if I weren't too embarrassed.

[annzeepark914]

I've sort of narrowed it down to a few Penzeys spices: Mural of Flavor, Turkish Seasoning, and Italian Herb Mix. These 3 cover a wide range of foods. Of course, I also have a small bag of bay leaves, plus a bag of Sweet Hungarian Paprika (for Chicken Paprikash ☺️). Anything else I'll get at the local supermarkets. But I used to go wild with the Penzeys products. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

Guilty 😆

[annzeepark914]

Wow!! 😄 ^^^^ But then, who knows what could've been lurking in my fridge if we hadn't purchased a new one in April 2022 😁 

[Gramto6]

14 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Wow!! 😄 ^^^^ But then, who knows what could've been lurking in my fridge if we hadn't purchased a new one in April 2022 😁 

Yeah, kind of scary! I just did a clean out and did find a couple of jars that got pushed way to the back...yup, 3rd birthday for them!! Hello trash can!

Edited July 27, 2023 by Gramto6

[SuprSuprElevated]

[Browncoat]

8 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Of course not.  It's made with actual shepherds peppered on top.

[chessiegal]

I was watching A Chef's Life today. The theme was peanuts. Vivian remarked and demonstrated that in NC they add peanuts to a bottle of Pepsi. I asked my native Alabama husband if they did that in Alabama. He answered - no, then followed it with - we added peanuts to bottles of Coke. 😁

[Leeds]

On 7/22/2023 at 7:20 PM, oliviabenson said:

I keep buying spices and cookware. Help. I have too many kitchen items!

I'm proud of myself because yesterday I returned a pan I had impulse bought and couldn't find an excuse for.  (I also don't have any room for it, but that doesn't necessarily stop me.)

2 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I was watching A Chef's Life today. The theme was peanuts. Vivian remarked and demonstrated that in NC they add peanuts to a bottle of Pepsi. I asked my native Alabama husband if they did that in Alabama. He answered - no, then followed it with - we added peanuts to bottles of Coke. 😁

Okay, so I looked this up in case I was being wound up (punked).  Having found out that it's a real thing, my immediate question is "Don't people choke to death?"  Is it something that was conjured up by someone who wanted to test the Darwin Award theory?

• "The Darwin Awards honor those who tip chlorine into our gene pool by accidentally removing their own DNA from it during the spectacular climax of a 'great idea' gone veddy, veddy wrong."  https://darwinawards.com/

[Bastet]

26 minutes ago, Leeds said:

Having found out that it's a real thing,

Yep, it's even in a song.  Barbara Mandrell's "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" includes the line "I remember when no one was lookin', I was puttin' peanuts in my Coke".  It's a southern thing, mostly a rural southern thing.

My dad is from Oklahoma, and told me about it when I was a kid (maybe in the context of explaining what Mandrell was talking about, I don't remember).  I tried it (but with Pepsi) and it was good -- it's just another twist on the standard salty and sweet combination.  No choking involved.

[Browncoat]

Definitely a real thing.  My father used to put peanuts in Coke -- those single serve packs of peanuts you'd get from a vending machine, and the little glass bottles of Coke.  In terms of choking, it's not really any different than having crushed ice in your Coke and chewing on that.

[EtheltoTillie]

11 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Definitely a real thing.  My father used to put peanuts in Coke -- those single serve packs of peanuts you'd get from a vending machine, and the little glass bottles of Coke.  In terms of choking, it's not really any different than having crushed ice in your Coke and chewing on that.

So you put the peanuts in, drink the soda, then pour out the Coke-soaked peanuts and eat them?  Do the nuts have enough time to change the flavor of the soda while you're drinking it?  Or is the point to get some flavored peanuts?

Edited August 3, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[SoMuchTV]

On 8/1/2023 at 6:08 PM, chessiegal said:

I was watching A Chef's Life today. The theme was peanuts. Vivian remarked and demonstrated that in NC they add peanuts to a bottle of Pepsi. I asked my native Alabama husband if they did that in Alabama. He answered - no, then followed it with - we added peanuts to bottles of Coke. 😁

Haha, I've never been tempted to try it myself, but I'm sure it gives away something about my background that my first thought was not "you put peanuts in your soda????" but "oh, right, NC is Pepsi territory - don't offend them by having Coke!"

[SuprSuprElevated]

Cheese gets me.

[Browncoat]

5 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

So you put the peanuts in, drink the soda, then pour out the Coke-soaked peanuts and eat them?  Do the nuts have enough time to change the flavor of the soda while you're drinking it?  Or is the point to get some flavored peanuts?

The peanuts will come out of the bottle while you drink the soda -- you get a mouthful of soda with some peanuts in it.  I think the point is the salty/sweet combination. 

Incidentally, I have never seen anyone do this with a glass or cup of soda, only a bottle.

[chessiegal]

We are suffering from an abundance of riches. We picked up our third CSA offering today. I didn't take about half the offerings. We could take 8 tomatoes, but we took 6. I still have 1 tomato left from last week. Any food left over gets donated, so I don't feel bad about not taking some things. We've been eating so many BLTs and hamburgers with tomato that I'm backed up with Blue Apron meals. I cancelled next week's box so I can catch up.

[annzeepark914]

On 8/3/2023 at 11:53 AM, Browncoat said:

The peanuts will come out of the bottle while you drink the soda -- you get a mouthful of soda with some peanuts in it.  I think the point is the salty/sweet combination. 

Incidentally, I have never seen anyone do this with a glass or cup of soda, only a bottle.

I'm from NYS and as a teen, I put peanuts in a bottle of Coke. It tasted great. Then I lived in NC for a while & learned this was considered a southern thing. So I tried it again but added the peanuts to a glass of Coke. Still great!

[oliviabenson]

I tried it last night aka ate the whole thing with fig/olive crackers. It’s basically goat Brie!

[JTMacc99]

On 8/4/2023 at 6:33 PM, chessiegal said:

We are suffering from an abundance of riches. We picked up our third CSA offering today. I didn't take about half the offerings. We could take 8 tomatoes, but we took 6. I still have 1 tomato left from last week. Any food left over gets donated, so I don't feel bad about not taking some things. We've been eating so many BLTs and hamburgers with tomato that I'm backed up with Blue Apron meals. I cancelled next week's box so I can catch up.

Heh. This is why I dialed back my own home gardening to be only like three things I actually have to eat in a timely manner. I stopped growing summer squash entirely. I'm 100% sure somebody else will be trying to pawn off some of them on me during the summer. 

Having said that, I planted Japanese cucumbers about a month ago from a plant that looked pretty healthy over at Tractor Supply. There were four seedlings in the single pot. Looks like I'm going to have a refrigerator drawer full of cucumbers any day now.  Oops. Time to break out some pickle recipes.  

[SuprSuprElevated]

While you all are growing your own ...

[annzeepark914]

I showed another shopper my trick a few weeks ago. There's always water around the produce displays after occasional sprays so I dip into that outer area (*not* touching any produce!!). Makes it easy to pry open the bags. If the produce I want is wet, that always helps.

[annzeepark914]

I bought the Egg steamer and it did a great job. Easy to peel. But how do you get all the water out of it? Just when I think it's all drained/shaken out, I hear more sloshing around under the place where the eggs are placed. 

[SoMuchTV]

36 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I bought the Egg steamer and it did a great job. Easy to peel. But how do you get all the water out of it? Just when I think it's all drained/shaken out, I hear more sloshing around under the place where the eggs are placed. 

Was there a description or link here for the egg steamer?  I probably didn't scroll back far enough.

I've had various things to make it easier to boil eggs but I always end up going back to the old fashioned boil'em in a pan of water method.  I did have a thing you could use in the microwave that was shaped like a big egg, but all the pieces came apart so there was no place for water to get trapped.

[Mondrianyone]

43 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

But how do you get all the water out of it?

Wish I could help. When I steam eggs, I just use a steamer insert that nests in a saucepan, like a double boiler but with holes in the bottom.

Did your gadget come with a user manual? If not, you can often find one by Googling or going back to the place where you bought it. Or ask the community on Amazon, if that's where you got it.

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I bought the Egg steamer and it did a great job. Easy to peel. But how do you get all the water out of it? Just when I think it's all drained/shaken out, I hear more sloshing around under the place where the eggs are placed. 

You should not have much water left over. Did you use the included measuring cup? You can take all of it apart to clean if you want to. The instructions on taking it apart and cleaning are on the same pamphlet that explains how to use it.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Did your gadget come with a user manual? If not, you can often find one by Googling or going back to the place where you bought it. Or ask the community on Amazon, if that's where you got it.

Forgive me for laughing but I'm one of "those" people who just dive in w/o fully reading the directions. But thanks for nudging me back to the directions and turning to the last section (no idea that section existed 😁). And I had one helluva time deciding which way to replace the yellow rim. Just as I was thinking of ordering a second gizmo (& *never* removing the yellow rim!!)...I got it back on. 🎉

[wilsie]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I showed another shopper my trick a few weeks ago. There's always water around the produce displays after occasional sprays so I dip into that outer area (*not* touching any produce!!). Makes it easy to pry open the bags. If the produce I want is wet, that always helps.

I do that, too!

[annzeepark914]

22 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

You should not have much water left over. Did you use the included measuring cup? You can take all of it apart to clean if you want to. The instructions on taking it apart and cleaning are on the same pamphlet that explains how to use it.

I used the little measuring cup. But I kept hearing water sloshing around. I never want to remove the yellow rim, ever again! Thanks for mentioning this wonderful egg steamer. I just used it again to make egg salad.Sooooo much easier than the old way & the shells come off cleanly. My new toy 😊

[SuprSuprElevated]

I am so down for trying this. I don't have a smoker, but don't know why you couldn't use the idea for however you cook ribs. I bake mine, and they are also wrapped in foil, so it just might work.

Appl Pie Baby Back Ribs

facebook.com/reel

 

 

[Bastet]

She says they're "a little sweet" but I get the distinct impression they'd be too sweet for my taste.  I also dislike cooked apples (I dislike most cooked fruit).

I don't make ribs because it's just me, but I'll go over to my parents' house when my mom does them on an open rotisserie after marinating them for a couple of days in a vinegar mixture I'm not sure of, other than it has lots of garlic.  And now I'm craving them, but the rotisserie motor needs a part replaced and my dad is having a hard time finding it (the machine is ancient).

Edited August 12, 2023 by Bastet