Food and How You Cook/Eat It (2023–2026)

[tomterp]

Yep. Doesn’t get soggy

Makes sense.  We have a little toaster oven on the counter that gets more use than any other cooking method, including reheating.  Nearly as frequently used, we have an Amazon Basics electric water kettle, cheap and effective.  But also, I have a number of cast iron pots/pans that get used when needed.

[blue911]

Makes sense.  We have a little toaster oven on the counter that gets more use than any other cooking method, including reheating.  Nearly as frequently used, we have an Amazon Basics electric water kettle, cheap and effective.  But also, I have a number of cast iron pots/pans that get used when needed.

It’s like putting a sear on it.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Makes sense.  We have a little toaster oven on the counter that gets more use than any other cooking method, including reheating.  Nearly as frequently used, we have an Amazon Basics electric water kettle, cheap and effective.  But also, I have a number of cast iron pots/pans that get used when needed.

the one kitchen thing I splurged on (and it's not much of a splurge) is my electric kettle. Cuisinart that has 6 different temperatures for various types of tea and coffee. I use most of them. I don't drink white tea all that much, but the separate green, oolong, and black tea settings I use frequently.  The French press setting (200 F) probably would be good for Darjeelings but I just use 212 F that I use for black tea.

[1995hoo]

the one kitchen thing I splurged on (and it's not much of a splurge) is my electric kettle. Cuisinart that has 6 different temperatures for various types of tea and coffee. I use most of them. I don't drink white tea all that much, but the separate green, oolong, and black tea settings I use frequently.  The French press setting (200 F) probably would be good for Darjeelings but I just use 212 F that I use for black tea.

Some years back, I got Ms1995hoo an Instant Pot electric fast-boil teakettle. I'm not generally much of a tea drinker except when I get sick, but she uses it a lot. The thing I've found it's very useful for is to expedite the process of boiling water for pasta. It seems like boiling the water is always the slowest part of the process. The Instant Pot kettle boils 1.5 liters at a time. I'll boil that amount and dump it into the pot; it will then quickly "unboil," so to speak, but it will return to a boil while I run the Instant Pot kettle additional times. I imagine if we had people over for dinner and had to cook a larger amount of pasta (with more water) it might make more sense just to do it the old-fashioned way, but for two people it's much faster to do what I just described.

[The Chief]

I toss fries,and pizza, into a dry cast iron skillet. It’s also how I make toast.

Interesting, I'll have to try this next time.

[tomterp]

the one kitchen thing I splurged on (and it's not much of a splurge) is my electric kettle. Cuisinart that has 6 different temperatures for various types of tea and coffee. I use most of them. I don't drink white tea all that much, but the separate green, oolong, and black tea settings I use frequently.  The French press setting (200 F) probably would be good for Darjeelings but I just use 212 F that I use for black tea.

I know they recommend lower (than boiling) temps for best coffee flavor extraction, but I am skeptical they account for the rapid decline in temperature as water leaves the spout and hits the grounds.  I guess I could test this by just pouring it over a thermometer tip from different heights.  Too much trouble though, I'm retired.   

[tomterp]

Some years back, I got Ms1995hoo an Instant Pot electric fast-boil teakettle. I'm not generally much of a tea drinker except when I get sick, but she uses it a lot. The thing I've found it's very useful for is to expedite the process of boiling water for pasta. It seems like boiling the water is always the slowest part of the process. The Instant Pot kettle boils 1.5 liters at a time. I'll boil that amount and dump it into the pot; it will then quickly "unboil," so to speak, but it will return to a boil while I run the Instant Pot kettle additional times. I imagine if we had people over for dinner and had to cook a larger amount of pasta (with more water) it might make more sense just to do it the old-fashioned way, but for two people it's much faster to do what I just described.

I don't know, but I would guess that the instant pot uses less energy to get water to boiling than a regular pot on the stove.  AI could probably give me the answer.

[1995hoo]

Yeah, you know, it’s one of those things where I don’t really care why it works, I just care that it works. The reason I say it might make more sense to do it the old-fashioned way if we had people over is simply because of the Instant Pot device’s fairly small capacity as compared to the amount of water we would need. It would just be a bit of a hassle to run the thing five or six times to fill the pot of water.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.boston.com/food/food-news/2026/02/24/dunkin-iced-coffee-buckets/?p1=hp_featurestack

48 Oz. For Iced Coffee

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I'm sure they're lining up for iced coffee all over New England right now 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'm sure they're lining up for iced coffee all over New England right now 

yes, and dyeing the snow like a husky when they leave.

[blue911]

yes, and dyeing the snow like a husky when they leave.

Sounds like a setup for a Bill Burr routine.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Sounds like a setup for a Bill Burr routine.

[blue911]

More along these lines

[JCA-CrystalCity]

More along these lines

that's my Thanksgiving

[English Natsie]

Spotted an interesting piece of history - apparently, In Medieval times it was believed that women could kill fruit with 'a certain gaze...' So next time you find yourself thinking 'those peaches have gone over quickly', then... 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

like putting bricks to sleep with hypnosis

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/nation/rfk-jr-kennedy-dunkin-sugar/?p1=HP_Feed_ContentQuery

RFK wants Dunkin and Starbucks to prove drinking their sugared iced coffee drinks is safe.

“We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it,’” Kennedy told the applauding audience. “I don’t think they’re gonna be able to do it.”
...
The administration is also weighing how to respond to a citizen petition from David Kessler, a pediatrician and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner. In the petition, Kessler argues that the FDA should revoke recognition of refined carbohydrates and sweeteners as safe and require companies to petition anew for their approval as a food additive. Kessler argued the law already would allow the FDA to find such products not proven safe and notes the burden is on companies to demonstrate the safety of their offerings.

Such a policy could have massive effects on the food industry, which produces a large amount of products that contain refined carbohydrates, many of them ultra-processed. Some studies estimate nearly 75 percent of the nation’s food supply falls in that category.
...
It’s unclear which specific Dunkin’ offerings Kennedy and Means are citing. According to the chain’s posted nutrition facts, some of its beverages do contain more than 100 grams of sugar, including some Coolattas and frozen coffees. A medium coffee with cream and sugar has 27 grams. A single glazed donut has 13 grams of sugar.

[varoadking]

“We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it...’”

It’s unclear which specific Dunkin’ offerings Kennedy and Means are citing. According to the chain’s posted nutrition facts, some of its beverages do contain more than 100 grams of sugar...

I'm guessing it's going to include those...duh...

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'm guessing it's going to include those...duh...

that makes sense.

I went through the nutrition menu. There's 3 drinks over 115, 6 total over 100. It's the large sizes of the triple mocha frozen coffee and large frozen chocolate banana drink. They do have numerous drinks in the 30-50 grams of sugar range.

[varoadking]

that makes sense.

I went through the nutrition menu. There's 3 drinks over 115, 6 total over 100. It's the large sizes of the triple mocha frozen coffee and large frozen chocolate banana drink. They do have numerous drinks in the 30-50 grams of sugar range.

I love me a frozen mocha...but I have them hold the whipped cream and drizzle, so I'm good... 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

My sugared drink is the green tea refreshers. They just brought out an berry acai flavor. Tastes closer to grape, but clearly different from their mango and their strawberry dragonfruit. I usually get a light refresher which is half the flavoring. That comes in around 90 calories, so 22 / 23 grams of sugar.

[imref]

https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/lifestyle/pizza-hut-brings-back-old-school-restaurant-features/

[1995hoo]

My wife's birthday is this weekend and I'm going to make the Connaught's lobster spaghetti for dinner. Anyone have any thoughts on what wine pairing would go best with this?

For those who may not want to click the link and scroll down, here's the full recipe. There are several other pasta recipes on that page. I discovered it in a copy of the Guardian I picked up in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow in 2007. I made the recipe once before, but I don't remember what wine we paired with it, and a couple of these ingredients are things I don't use very often (red chillies, spring onion, and fresh basil).

Lobster spaghetti

When we put this on the menu at the Connaught, it was an instant bestseller. In fact, if we take it off we always get regular customers requesting it. Except for grilling, this is undoubtedly the best way to eat lobster. Use very fresh tomatoes for the sauce, and have only a touch of it—you mustn't overwhelm the delicate lobster. Always use dried spaghetti for this dish—it has a better consistency and is less sticky than fresh pasta.

Serves 4

2 live lobsters about 600–800g each
300g dried spaghetti
50ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 spring onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp white wine
4 large plum tomatoes, quartered, seeded and cut into 1cm dice
2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (chopped at last minute)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the lobsters in the freezer for a couple of hours before you cook them. This will send them to sleep.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and then drop in your lobsters. Cook for 6–8 minutes until the lobsters have turned bright red in colour. Remove and set aside to drain and cool a little.

To remove the meat from the lobster, first twist off each claw and leg joint. Using lobster crackers or the back of a heavy knife, crack the claw and then twist out the lobster meat. Peel off the shell to access all the meat inside. Next twist the tail from the body by bending it back. Squeeze the sides of the tail together until they crack, and pull the tail meat out in one go. Remove the dark vein running down the back of the tail. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 7–8 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another large pan and add the chillies, garlic and spring onions. Season well and cook gently, stirring, for 1–2 minutes without colouring. Add the lobster meat and then the wine. Add a little more seasoning, then allow the wine to bubble and reduce right down for 2–3 minutes. Don't cook for longer than this or the lobster will go rubbery. Add the tomatoes, cook for one minute, then remove from the heat. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Toss well, then stir in the herbs, season to taste and serve drizzled with olive oil.

[blue911]

My wife's birthday is this weekend and I'm going to make the Connaught's lobster spaghetti for dinner. Anyone have any thoughts on what wine pairing would go best with this?

For those who may not want to click the link and scroll down, here's the full recipe. There are several other pasta recipes on that page. I discovered it in a copy of the Guardian I picked up in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow in 2007. I made the recipe once before, but I don't remember what wine we paired with it, and a couple of these ingredients are things I don't use very often (red chillies, spring onion, and fresh basil).

Her birthday? Montrachet.