The FOOD (& Drink) Thread

[BrawlMan]

I kind of wish I had taken pictures, on Fri I had spicy black garlic tonkotsu ramen and for the very first time ever, takoyaki. Mostly I ordered it because I was with my parents and knew they wouldn't order anything interesting. I don't get why they aren't more adventurous. They both got a pretty standard pork or chicken rice bowl. I offered them some of the takoyaki, but they wouldn't even try it until I told them exactly what was in it. And of course they noped out when I told them it was octopus.

Then, it turns out I don't like takoyaki either. Not because of the octopus, that was fine. It is the (?batter.) It is cooked and pancake like on the outside, but the inside is very uncooked. Like a pancake that still has batter on the inside. I think I would have liked it if it were a little more "well done."

Our parents always encouraged my brother and I to try new & different foods. Though my mom and my big bro can't have any raw sushi, cuz it messes with their digestive system. Plus, my brother's diabetic so he can't touch anything raw. If it's cooked sushi, he has no problem.

 

[Kyrian007]

Our parents always encouraged my brother and I to try new & different foods. Though my mom and my big bro can't have any raw sushi, cuz it messes with their digestive system. Plus, my brother's diabetic so he can't touch anything raw. If it's cooked sushi, he has no problem.

My favorite sushi is unagi. However, I prefer grilled eel just served hot with some rice. There's a local restaurant here where the owner orders some freshwater eel a couple of times a year and makes kind of an event of serving it up right off the grill.

 

[BrawlMan]

My favorite sushi is unagi. However, I prefer grilled eel just served hot with some rice. There's a local restaurant here where the owner orders some freshwater eel a couple of times a year and makes kind of an event of serving it up right off the grill.

I don't have a favorite sushi yet, as I have trouble keeping up with a good amount of the names. The ones I've had though are really good. I also forgot to post a picture of what I had Saturday, but I had nachos from a Mexican restaurant with marinated pork, refried beans and rice, and the usual vegetable fixings.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I made a pasta salad for my gf's pot luck luncheon at work, and it killed. Several coworkers asked for the recipe. I also made my grandfather's "Anything" vegetable soup to rave reviews. I called my grandfather during the process, and I told him I was stirring it frequently to which he replied "leave it be, and let it have sex." I almost fell over laughing. And apparently, I make a pretty badass Malva Pudding which several of my gf's coworkers have asked for quite frequently. I think I've made it about 4-5 times for them in the past few months. One of them even offered to pay me for it which I quickly denied. It's relatively cheap and in easy to make, so I'm not about to take money, though as someone who doesn't claim to "know how to cook," it is flattering.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Something I never knew about -

The Flavorful Spice You Should Be Adding To Tomato Sauce - Tasting Table

Experimenting with seasonings is part of creating a flavorful tomato sauce. Here's why you need to add this spice that may surprise your palate.

www.tastingtable.com

 

[EvilRoy]

So, I kind of want to try this.

Props: Fake Raw Meat that’s Sweet to Eat #shorts

youtube.com

I don't know if it would actually be good but I really want to see it close up to find out how good the texture and appearance really is.

Also, it would be super easy to make this vegan and I could add vegan red meat cakes to my list of "things I made that nobody asked for and nobody wants".

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Jimmy John’s Introduces New Caprese Salami Pesto Sandwich - Chew Boom

Jimmy John’s assembles the new Caprese Salami Pesto Sandwich as the sandwich chain’s latest limited-time offering inspired by the flavors of Italy. Advertisment Story continues below The Caprese Salami Pesto Sandwich features slow-roasted tomatoes, all-natural ..

www.chewboom.com

Tried it, and liked it.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Jimmy John’s Introduces New Caprese Salami Pesto Sandwich - Chew Boom

Jimmy John’s assembles the new Caprese Salami Pesto Sandwich as the sandwich chain’s latest limited-time offering inspired by the flavors of Italy. Advertisment Story continues below The Caprese Salami Pesto Sandwich features slow-roasted tomatoes, all-natural ..

www.chewboom.com

Tried it, and like it.

I saw the commercial, and it does look good. I think it's mostly in response to Panera which offers a similar sandwich that looks even more delicious with the requisite higher quality.

And Arby's has been releasing some ridiculously good-looking sandwiches that make me thankful the nearest Arby's is just far enough away that I'm not there every day trying them all.

 

[Kyrian007]

I saw the commercial, and it does look good. I think it's mostly in response to Panera which offers a similar sandwich that looks even more delicious with the requisite higher quality.

And Arby's has been releasing some ridiculously good-looking sandwiches that make me thankful the nearest Arby's is just far enough away that I'm not there every day trying them all.

Yesterday I went to a local fast casual taqueria for my favorite fusion burrito. It is a pesto chicken burrito. I've made their pesto sauce and it is lovely if you like jalapenos. It is basically a pretty standard basil pesto, but shredded jalapeno and serrano peppers as well as basil.

 

[SilentPony]

Guess who got a smoker for his birthday, and guess who just slow smoked a pork butt for 8 hours?

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

How to season a cast iron skillet and how often you should do it

Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to season a cast iron skillet

www.tomsguide.com

Never knew a cast iron skillet was so involving.

 

[Xprimentyl]

How to season a cast iron skillet and how often you should do it

Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to season a cast iron skillet

www.tomsguide.com

Never knew a cast iron skillet was so involving.

When I was younger, I thought I was being helpful when I washed my mom's cast iron skillet. You'd have thought she caught me eating a bowl of unborn fetuses for how she reacted.

 

[BrawlMan]

I went to Nikola's last night and got a pulled pork barbecue sandwich with broasted potatoes.

​

 

[Kyrian007]

Just had a 30 minute off and on conversation at work about a mystery surrounding... grilled cheese sandwiches. Apparently it is National Grilled Cheese Day. We came to a really strange conclusion. You can go to a restaurant and order the fanciest "adult grilled cheese sandwiches" with freshly baked sourdough bread, garlic compound butter, and a blend of melty smoked real cheeses... and be just as satisfied with store brand butter, wonder bread, and processed american cheese. There's a place down the street from my apartment that has the best, richest, creamiest tomato bisque I've ever had and they pair it with a garlic focaccia grilled cheese with a mozzarella/romano blend. And I've ordered just the soup, so I can go home and enjoy it with a basic 3 minute wonder bread and kraft grilled cheese.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Just had a 30 minute off and on conversation at work about a mystery surrounding... grilled cheese sandwiches. Apparently it is National Grilled Cheese Day. We came to a really strange conclusion. You can go to a restaurant and order the fanciest "adult grilled cheese sandwiches" with freshly baked sourdough bread, garlic compound butter, and a blend of melty smoked real cheeses... and be just as satisfied with store brand butter, wonder bread, and processed american cheese. There's a place down the street from my apartment that has the best, richest, creamiest tomato bisque I've ever had and they pair it with a garlic focaccia grilled cheese with a mozzarella/romano blend. And I've ordered just the soup, so I can go home and enjoy it with a basic 3 minute wonder bread and kraft grilled cheese.

While a $0.50 grilled cheese made with white bread, butter, and processed American cheese is perfectly serviceable, in my opinion, it's never on par with a grilled cheese made with more effort and flavor put into it. I'd put my own grilled cheese made with buttered bread, garlic and onion powders, ground black pepper, and a couple slices of sharp cheddar or muenster against any plain white bread, butter, and American cheese grilled cheese any day. I mean both are going straight to your arteries anyway; might as well take the flavorful route, right?

 

[EvilRoy]

Bought and gutted one of these things today. My partner sent me into the store to get her a bottle of water and I walked out with a bottle of water and a 10 kg jackfruit. It was on sale and I picked the smallest one though so no worries.

I think mine was a little under-ripe but according to the internet you can eat them as a "vegetable" when they aren't ripe and as a "fruit" when they are ripe, so I've tried it and I'm gonna split out some to see if it gets more yellow custardy. People apparently say the flavor is like a mango-banana-apple mashup which I get a little of, but mostly to me it just tastes mildly sweet with a pleasant but faint flavour of bananas. Partner says it reminds her of something like a watered down banana-mango smoothie. That might be related to the ripeness thing though, so maybe as time goes on I'll get more of the other flavours.

I gotta say though, I think I burned more calories taking this thing apart than I'm gonna get from eating it. No wonder they can make fake meat fibre out of it, the damn thing was built like a tank.

 

[davidmc1158]

Recently made a batch of Barley and Mushroom Casserole. I make it generally about once a year and use it as a side dish. Each batch makes about 4-6 servings depending on how generous you're ladle is at the time.

6 tablespoons butter 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 3 cups chicken stock
2 yellow onions, peeled and minced 1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 cup pearl barley

Preheat the oven to 375 F. While that heats, melt the butter in a 2-quart stove-top covered casserole. Add the garlic and onion and sauté over moderately low heat until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and sauté over moderate heat until the mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the barley and basil to the mushroom mixture, and toss lightly, the pour in the chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Slowly bring the casserole to a boil, them remove it from the heat. Cover and bake in the oven until the barley is tender, about 45 to 50 minutes. I recommend putting a pan on the lower rack beneath it just in case it boils up.

Before serving, add the chopped parsley and toss gently. Serve piping hot. Also quite tasty when reheated.

For myself, and my garlic addiction, I use more like 6-8 cloves. Because of what's available around here, I use white button mushrooms (they're grown relatively locally and so are fairly inexpensive for me to use).

Goes great with pork chops or chicken. Definitely a dish that "sticks to the ribs" as they say.

 

[Kyrian007]

While a $0.50 grilled cheese made with white bread, butter, and processed American cheese is perfectly serviceable, in my opinion, it's never on par with a grilled cheese made with more effort and flavor put into it. I'd put my own grilled cheese made with buttered bread, garlic and onion powders, ground black pepper, and a couple slices of sharp cheddar or muenster against any plain white bread, butter, and American cheese grilled cheese any day. I mean both are going straight to your arteries anyway; might as well take the flavorful route, right?

I think for me, it is the simplicity that defines it as a grilled cheese. If I'm going to put in the effort to make a "gourmet" sandwich, it is going to be more than a grilled cheese. It is going to get braised pork, capicola, stone ground mustard, and become a cuban. Or turkey, bacon, grilled then topped with bechamel and torched into a Kentucky Brown. There's a lot of sandwiches out there that at their most basic level are bread, cheese, and cooked somehow... with something else that makes them more than simple grilled cheeses. But when I want a grilled cheese, probably going for the $0.50 version.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I think for me, it is the simplicity that defines it as a grilled cheese. If I'm going to put in the effort to make a "gourmet" sandwich, it is going to be more than a grilled cheese. It is going to get braised pork, capicola, stone ground mustard, and become a cuban. Or turkey, bacon, grilled then topped with bechamel and torched into a Kentucky Brown. There's a lot of sandwiches out there that at their most basic level are bread, cheese, and cooked somehow... with something else that makes them more than simple grilled cheeses. But when I want a grilled cheese, probably going for the $0.50 version.

I whole-heartedly agree, but I'd offer that even simplicity can be achieved at varying levels of quality. Like I said, your $0.50 grilled cheese is completely serviceable; one could even argue it's hard to mess up, but it can be elevated with simple seasonings and choice of cheese and still be a "simple grilled cheese." That said, I've never in my life gone to a restaurant and ordered a grilled cheese; for the mark up and dining experience, I won't order something I could whip together at home in a fraction of the time it'd take me to even get to the restaurant and at a fraction of cost.

So yeah, you'd have to work to mess up a grilled cheese, and if you're gonna work, might as well use the effort to make it even better.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

While a $0.50 grilled cheese made with white bread, butter, and processed American cheese is perfectly serviceable, in my opinion, it's never on par with a grilled cheese made with more effort and flavor put into it. I'd put my own grilled cheese made with buttered bread, garlic and onion powders, ground black pepper, and a couple slices of sharp cheddar or muenster against any plain white bread, butter, and American cheese grilled cheese any day. I mean both are going straight to your arteries anyway; might as well take the flavorful route, right?

Yup buttering is key (I’ve been using more plant based stuff like Earth Balance lately to help ward off cholesterol, at least somewhat lol), and good deal on the seasonings. I get sliced Havarti from a local meat market and add some of their ham as the centerpiece. But I’ll also shave some Monterey Jack or Provolone onto either side of the ham first and put the Havarti slices on the outside, next to the bread. It gives it a nice texture and even without ham there’s a good balance of gooey and stringy.