Foodie Thread

[gmbteach]

Apples are too big.

Here is Australia, the two main supermarkets have a ‘reject’ brand. Woolworths call them ‘The Odd Bunch’ and Coles, ‘I’mPerfect’. I have found that these are perfectly fine, cheaper, and usually a lot smaller than full priced ones. In particular, their apples, pears and mandarins are smaller and perfectly sized for little kids. And they are usually hard the price of the ‘kids sized’ range of the same fruit. Shows to go you that people are either gullible or can’t be bothered to shop around!

This is why I buy bagged apples. Not sure if it's the same in Oz, but here we have a choice of by weight apples, which are bigger and usually sweeter and better in other ways, but the bagged apples are a fraction of the price (a bag of 10 for $4 to $6 versus a bag of 3 to 5 for the same price) and are just as good in most ways. It's also easier to not have to calculate the price because it's the same for all bags of the same kind of apples. (Unless they're organic, which are stupid expensive bagged or by weight.)

This is a typical bag of apples in the US:

View attachment 36519

Sometimes the bagged produce is cheaper, but we look at quality too. It’s one of the reasons we prefer to go in to the supermarket to pick it rather than have someone else do it.

 

[Angry Floof]

Apples are too big.

Here is Australia, the two main supermarkets have a ‘reject’ brand. Woolworths call them ‘The Odd Bunch’ and Coles, ‘I’mPerfect’. I have found that these are perfectly fine, cheaper, and usually a lot smaller than full priced ones. In particular, their apples, pears and mandarins are smaller and perfectly sized for little kids. And they are usually hard the price of the ‘kids sized’ range of the same fruit. Shows to go you that people are either gullible or can’t be bothered to shop around!

This is why I buy bagged apples. Not sure if it's the same in Oz, but here we have a choice of by weight apples, which are bigger and usually sweeter and better in other ways, but the bagged apples are a fraction of the price (a bag of 10 for $4 to $6 versus a bag of 3 to 5 for the same price) and are just as good in most ways. It's also easier to not have to calculate the price because it's the same for all bags of the same kind of apples. (Unless they're organic, which are stupid expensive bagged or by weight.)

This is a typical bag of apples in the US:

View attachment 36519

Sometimes the bagged produce is cheaper, but we look at quality too. It’s one of the reasons we prefer to go in to the supermarket to pick it rather than have someone else do it.

I have yet to have any problem either with bagged apples or having someone else do my shopping. Just lucky I guess.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

A couple things I made. The Cinnamon swirl bread was made for the french toast cube bake. Fought the recipe which I was trying for the first time. Seemed way too wet. Got it to work.

 

[TV and credit cards]

 

[steve_bank]

Watched a show on history of coffee.

Turkish coffee. Mix water, coffee, and sugar. Boil-cool 3 times.

Anybody do that? Sounds like a super buzz. Gives me the shakes just thinking about it.

A interesting observation. Before clean water supplies in Europe alchohol was cosuned daily putting most people into a low level fog. Along came coffee and caffeine.

In Europe and Arabia/North Africa coffee led to coffee houses that led to debate and discussion.

 

[Angry Floof]

View attachment 36589

View attachment 36590

A couple things I made. The Cinnamon swirl bread was made for the french toast cube bake. Fought the recipe which I was trying for the first time. Seemed way too wet. Got it to work.

nom nom NOM. Did you make these from scratch? Also, are you making bread pudding? Or is that the same thing as French toast cube bake? Now that I've asked the question, it seems obvious that, yes, it is bread pudding with a different name. I think it's also what they call bread and butter pudding in the UK.

 

[bilby]

Before clean water supplies in Europe alchohol was cosuned daily

Before the industrial revolution in Europe, alcohol was consumed widely as the consequences of drunkenness were typically non-fatal.

Water quality had exactly nothing to do with it; The popuar myth that people drank beer because it was safer than water is abject nonsense, and a particularly good example of presentism.

Everyone knows that water is a potential risk for a range of diseases, including cholera and dysentery. And the universality of that knowledge leads us to the error of imagining that everyone always knew of that connection. But they didn't.

Literally nobody before the mid-C19th made a link between water that didn't stink or contain visible dirt, and diseases of any kind.

People drank alcohol because it was available, enjoyable, and affordable. Nobody before 1850 drank alcoholic drinks to avoid the health risk from drinking water.

Water was widely consumed throughout Europe for all of history, and not one person ever made the connection between water consumption and disease - because despite its being common knowledge today, it is neither obvious nor easy to make that link.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

People drank alcohol because it was available, enjoyable, and affordable. Nobody before 1850 drank alcoholic drinks to avoid the health risk from drinking water.

Water was widely consumed throughout Europe for all of history, and not one person ever made the connection between water consumption and disease - because despite its being common knowledge today, it is neither obvious nor easy to make that link.

I disagree. A simple web search pops up that link quite quickly.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

View attachment 36589

View attachment 36590

A couple things I made. The Cinnamon swirl bread was made for the french toast cube bake. Fought the recipe which I was trying for the first time. Seemed way too wet. Got it to work.

nom nom NOM. Did you make these from scratch?

Yup... scratch... well flour, sugar, water, butter, etc...

Also, are you making bread pudding? Or is that the same thing as French toast cube bake? Now that I've asked the question, it seems obvious that, yes, it is bread pudding with a different name. I think it's also what they call bread and butter pudding in the UK.

Really hadn't thought of it, but yes, that is "Bread Pudding". I'm not big on soggy, so I use a larger glass dish which spreads out the eggs mixture more. Provides a perfect blend of soft (but not soggy) on the bottom and crunchy on the top. I originally made this with white bread that I baked, but then saw this and figured it was perfect for a French toast cube bake. It was.

 

[bilby]

nom nom NOM. Did you make these from scratch?

Yup... scratch... well flour, sugar, water, butter, etc...

So you admit that you didn't grow and process your own wheat and sugar cane, and didn't raise and milk your own herd of cows?

Did you at least carry the water from a nearby spring, or are you one of those pseudo-"bakers" who takes the lazy way out and uses water from taps and pipes you didn't even install yourself?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

nom nom NOM. Did you make these from scratch?

Yup... scratch... well flour, sugar, water, butter, etc...

So you admit that you didn't grow and process your own wheat and sugar cane, and didn't raise and milk your own herd of cows?

Did you at least carry the water from a nearby spring, or are you one of those pseudo-"bakers" who takes the lazy way out and uses water from taps and pipes you didn't even install yourself?

You didn't bake that.

 

[steve_bank]

Squeeze tubes or jars.

An important kitchen issue is whether or not to get mayonnaise in a squeeze tube or a jar. After extensive experiment I prefer the jar. When the mayo is cold in the fridge it is hard to squeeze it out and you never get it all out. When you squeeze you either get too much or too little, never the right amount.

A jar of mayo can be almost entireyly empied with a knife or spoon.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Squeeze tubes or jars.

An important kitchen issue is whether or not to get mayonnaise in a squeeze tube or a jar. After extensive experiment I prefer the jar. When the mayo is cold in the fridge it is hard to squeeze it out and you never get it all out. When you squeeze you either get too much or too little, never the right amount.

A jar of mayo can be almost entireyly empied with a knife or spoon.

I have similar issues with my organic peanut butter in that I am torn as whether I should keep it in the frig or the cupboard. It’s fine in the frig when the jar is fuller but as there becomes less and less, it becomes too hard. And if all you have to work with is soft bread… well, I don’t have to tell you what a mess this can become. So then I’m microwaving for a few seconds.
The cupboard on the other hand is a little too soft and in the summer I risk the oil starting to rise to the top. But then as you come closer to the bottom of the jar, it’s just right.
So it’s a constant game of store the peanut butter.
But like mayo, at least I can get all of what I paid for out of the jar. I mean, don’t even get me started on those short, squat bottles of mustard. They’re infuriating.

 

[bilby]

Squeeze tubes or jars.

An important kitchen issue is whether or not to get mayonnaise in a squeeze tube or a jar. After extensive experiment I prefer the jar. When the mayo is cold in the fridge it is hard to squeeze it out and you never get it all out. When you squeeze you either get too much or too little, never the right amount.

A jar of mayo can be almost entireyly empied with a knife or spoon.

I have similar issues with my organic peanut butter in that I am torn as whether I should keep it in the frig or the cupboard. It’s fine in the frig when the jar is fuller but as there becomes less and less, it becomes too hard. And if all you have to work with is soft bread… well, I don’t have to tell you what a mess this can become. So then I’m microwaving for a few seconds.
The cupboard on the other hand is a little too soft and in the summer I risk the oil starting to rise to the top. But then as you come closer to the bottom of the jar, it’s just right.
So it’s a constant game of store the peanut butter.
But like mayo, at least I can get all of what I paid for out of the jar. I mean, don’t even get me started on those short, squat bottles of mustard. They’re infuriating.

"Frig" is a verb; "Fridge" is a noun (an abbreviation of "Refrigerator").

I strongly advise against Googling "Frig" while at work to find out why your post has me ROFLing. I agree that it's important that your peanut butter not be too hard, and that a frig is not a good option with a nearly empty jar...

 

[steve_bank]

Squeeze tubes or jars.

An important kitchen issue is whether or not to get mayonnaise in a squeeze tube or a jar. After extensive experiment I prefer the jar. When the mayo is cold in the fridge it is hard to squeeze it out and you never get it all out. When you squeeze you either get too much or too little, never the right amount.

A jar of mayo can be almost entireyly empied with a knife or spoon.

I have similar issues with my organic peanut butter in that I am torn as whether I should keep it in the frig or the cupboard. It’s fine in the frig when the jar is fuller but as there becomes less and less, it becomes too hard. And if all you have to work with is soft bread… well, I don’t have to tell you what a mess this can become. So then I’m microwaving for a few seconds.
The cupboard on the other hand is a little too soft and in the summer I risk the oil starting to rise to the top. But then as you come closer to the bottom of the jar, it’s just right.
So it’s a constant game of store the peanut butter.
But like mayo, at least I can get all of what I paid for out of the jar. I mean, don’t even get me started on those short, squat bottles of mustard. They’re infuriating.

Wow! I thought I was the only one with a peanut butter problem. I go with the refrigerator. Otherwise its a goopy drippy mess when I spread it on bread.

Life can be challenging at times.

 

[Angry Floof]

Cooking with a clothes iron, continued. Pasta!

Foil bowl, water, iron, pasta. This one is kind of scary so I'm being super careful to avoid spilling boiling water on myself. But... pasta! I'm making pasta! Next grocery order includes the small cans of tomato sauce. A little basil, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder. Parmesan on top. I am so stoked right now.

 

[steve_bank]

I see a book there.

The Male Bachelor's Guide To Cooking.

 

[gmbteach]

I see a book there.

The Male Bachelor's Guide To Cooking.

Nah, College Dorm Cookery 101.

 

[Wiploc]

I see a book there.

The Male Bachelor's Guide To Cooking.

Nah, College Dorm Cookery 101.

Friends of mine were staff at Yellowstone National Park, long ago. They were forbidden to cook in their room, so they couldn't fry steaks. The smell would give that away. So they had to boil their steaks.

 

[steve_bank]

I see a book there.

The Male Bachelor's Guide To Cooking.

Nah, College Dorm Cookery 101.

Friends of mine were staff at Yellowstone National Park, long ago. They were forbidden to cook in their room, so they couldn't fry steaks. The smell would give that away. So they had to boil their steaks.

Don't the Brits boil meat?