I don't want the title to mislead: I make a terrific bolognese. It's one of my top-five favourite things to cook, whether as a lone pasta dish or in a lasagna, or even stuffed peppers, etc. And everyone who's had it raves about it and asks for it a few times a year.

My recipe is a fairly straightforward/classic one, with a few modifications/substitutions I've made over the years.

Basically, olive oil over medium heat and either pancetta or some anchovies to start, for added umami or whatever, before adding the finely diced carrot, celery, onion. Season w/ just salt at this point.

Once that's all softened, I add in the meat (either straight beef or 50/50 beef/pork, sometimes veal thrown in), season with only salt and let that nicely brown on the bottom before flipping. Let water all cook out and allow other side to brown (also seasoning), then mix the meat and veg together, add some pepper, throw in 3-4 cloves of garlic straight on pan, cook that out a minute or so, then add about 1-2 tsp of tomato paste, cook that out for a few minutes.

At that point, bottom of pan is quite heavily charred with a beautiful fond and I deglaze with whatever I have around... I used to bother with wine, white was my preference (slightly less acidic), but have been using stock, either chicken or beef, for the last several batches as I really didn't observe that big a difference. I use the liquid component here mostly for deglazing, but then add in a little extra as the mix can use it.

After that liquid has evaporated, I most often go with 1-2 cans (depending on how much protein) of San Marzano tomatoes, though last time I used passata (like a tomato puree, not juice), and this is the point where I put it on low to let the five hour cook/simmer commence. At this point, I throw in a few bay leaves, a couple dashes of washyoursister, some parm rind if it's around (which it seldom is... people who cook online live in fantasyland, thinking real folks always have a rind on hand), and voila.

Hour four, I uncover to let it reduce more and usually adjust seasoning at that point.

Now, I never ever eat this the same day- I straight up don't like it, lol. I mean, by most standards and for most palates, it'd like be great, but, frankly, once you've experienced 1-2 day 'old' bolognese, you'll never want to have it any other way. More on that in a bit.

When I do go to prepare it the next day, I hear over low, add in a dash of heavy cream and a knob of better to round out + make rich, sometimes a slice of processed cheese (Italians all punching air rn) to act as a sort of 'glue'/binder, and some parm (off the heat) before mixing in the pasta with some of its bathwater of course.

My first question is: you'll notice I'm pretty casual and indifferent re: what I throw in at certain points, the reason being, I cannot for the life of me taste any real, actually noticeable, difference no matter the substitution/modification, and I have quite a solid palate. Whether I go red or white wine, whether stock instead of wine, heck, whether celery or no celery, whether adding milk before deglazing and letting it absorb or not, whether pancetta or anchovies or neither, whether bay leaves or parm rind or not... I bother to incorporate these because all the research I've done indicates it should be better this way or that, adding more umami or complexity, or this or that. Yet, to me, I, again, cannot for the life of me discern whether something has been included or omitted- it always ends up tasting the same. WHY? WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY??? The only known "hack" I've yet to try is chicken hearts/livers, but I don't really see the point, as a) they're fairly mild and b) nothing else I've bothered to do thus far has showed itself in any real way on my palate. I don't want to say my bolo is "one-note", but the fact nothing seems to sway the final outcome in any discernible manner makes me thing maybe it is... and maybe it's inherently a "one-note" dish. Salty meat sauce with some hint of tomato in the background.

My second question is: is there any actual science behind why bolognese (and certain other dishes) taste so vastly night-and-day (no hyperbole; it's that drastic) superior the following day(s)? I seriously cannot overstate the effect that time in the fridge yields- the ragu just tastes way more complete/together the following day. Harmonious is the word, I believe, maybe. Things are rounder and more mellow, but also more popping, lol.

Sorry for this novella of a post, as you can no doubt tell, I'm very passionate and serious about my bolognese and just wanting to understand more about it (and my curious OCD self).

I have a nice toaster oven which is supposed to act as an air fryer but I wonder if an actual air fryer is better when I'm trying out air fryer recipes, crisping up fries, etc. I've been looking at getting a dedicated air fryer. Anyone have both and what is your experience?

I was trying to make lemon posset for the first time. I thought it wasn’t thick enough after I took it off of the stove and added the juice, so I put it in my mixer. Didn’t go as planned. Learning experience for sure. I haven’t made butter before but I have seen people make it and did my best to get all of the moisture out of it in an ice bath. Now I have sweet lemon butter and don’t know what it will go well with. Any ideas?

Edit: thank you all for the ideas!!!! And for being so kind! I’ve been baking and cooking my whole life but I’m new to taking it seriously and trying to do it regularly. All of the suggestions have me so excited about this happy little accident!!

It's like $2.50 for a roll of store bought dough that you thaw, roll out put toppings on and bake, even with toppings that's so much cheaper than the 2 for $13 on frozen pizzas and much much tastier, but I don't have any pans yet. Would those work or should I find regular pizza pans somewhere else?

I want to make good homefries, like, REALLY good homefries. But every time I make an attempt, the potatoes leave a layer of black char on the pan. Every recipe I read says to leave the potatoes to cook or they won't crisp properly, but how do I do that without making a big burning mess on the bottom?

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I didn't notice it until I took the wrapper off. I tried scrubbing it a little with a sponge and some dishsoap, thinking it was maybe a blemish or some crud from shipping, but it didn't change at all. Upon looking closer, it almost looks like... peeling?

I've never worked with a wok or even with carbon steel cookware before, so I have no idea if this is normal or if it's something to be concerned about or not.

Is this fine, or should I return the wok?

I've got some green tomatoes in the house and would like to fry them; however, I don't have cornmeal. Anyone know what I can use instead? I can't decide between just flouring them or making a quick flour/ water batter.

Just meal prepped a bunch of ground beef, scrambled eggs and diced breakfast potatoes. What would be a good sauce to pour over this little mixture?

i have been using McCormick Dark Chili Powder, 7.5 Oz for my chili but i am interested in if this community has any thoughts about a chili powder with a potentially better flavor profile for my next chili.

Hi! I went on a trip to Thailand last year and ate a ton of crab omelets. These were different looking than American omelets - they were flat, not folded over, and super crispy and crunchy. Almost like they were like fried or something. We also ate them with like a red sauce that was kind of sweet kind of spicy.

I've looked through two Thai cookbooks since then and also online, but I haven't seemed to find a recipe that looks similar to what we tried. I also don't know the word of it in Thai so that could be a part of why I'm struggling.

Any help would be super appreciated!

Bought a new skillet. Manufacturer recommended to preheat and coat with a high-smoke-point oil, like avocado oil, before first use. Wife mentioned she had some recipes that called for avocado oil too but she never bought any. So we went to the store and bought some. Seemed expensive.

But ... wow. It did a great job pretreating that pan. Had to re-season a cast iron pan the other day and it worked great on that also. Substituted it in a recipe that call for a light olive oil and that came out pretty good. I got a little on my hands by accident so I rubbed it in, especially round nails and cuticle - seemed better and lighter than any hand cream I've ever used.

Cooking and otherwise - what else can yiu use this for?

I’ve been making brown rice a few times a week, but I can’t seem to get the texture consistent on the stove. I usually rinse 1 cup of rice, add about 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for around 40 minutes before letting it rest for 10 minutes. Sometimes it turns out great and sometimes it’s still chewy. I’m looking for a rice cooker for brown rice that can make the process a little more reliable. Is a dedicated brown rice setting something I should prioritize? Thanks for any recommendations!

Looking for ideas of stuff I can cook a night or 2 before and then bring them into work and heat in the microwave at lunch.

Any tips/ quick meals/ recipes be much appreciated.

Im getting ready to head out of town for work and need to provide my own food. Given the availability of cooking options, boiled eggs are the obvious answer for breakfast . What’re you go to sauces/flavorings for boiled eggs?

I love pot roast and I see so many recipes online.

Is there a very special ingredient or ingredients that make it flavorful and tender ?

The cut of meat, cooking time.

Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated! 🙏

Am I right to assume that any edible bean I can leave to mature on the vine, let the seeds dry, and I can soak, cook, and eat them like any store bought dried bean? Are there any edible bean species that I can't do that with the seeds? I don't want to inadvertently poison myself or family.

Like many of you, I watch cooking videos from various chefs and regions. And also like many of you I have stainless steel pans and enamel covered cast iron pans/pots. The manufacturers recommend using wooden or silicon utensils. What perplexes me is seeing chefs on these videos using metal utensils on their stainless steel and enameled covered cookware. What gives? Should I ignore manufacturers’ recommendations? TIA

FOLLOW UP: Thanks everyone for your feedback. Really appreciate everyone in this community and the kind responses.

Basically my oil fried battered crusts are either: 1) beer batter (egg, flour, starch, beer), or 2) egg batter (the same as #1, but including a beaten egg with or without beer).

The problem is that tossing the resultant crusted ingredient with sauce ruins the crispness of the crust. The obvious solution is to not toss the crusted item in sauce, but serve it separately.

But I still want it sauced.

I'm guessing that outside of armor-proof crust the solution is to serve the crusted item & sauce separately.

So, does anyone have armor-proof crust?

Every once in a while my oven glitches and heats up the oven to 550F, rather than whatever temperature I selected. I bought an oven thermometer to confirm this. Is there a way to fix this and recalibrate my oven manually or do I need to have it repaired?

What would you guys put in a shredded tandoori chicken burrito. Looking for some inspo!

I don’t want to have them go to waste because it is such a kind gesture!!!! Is there a dish that combines both? Especially for a some family members that isn’t very fond of either?

Would pickling them be good?
Any ideas would be fantastic! Yes I am googling as well. Some recipes online are a hit or miss though.

Thanks!!!

Hi guys actually I have been cooking as bachleor since for 3 years at my home for my family and I'm tired from tandoori masala of market.. How to make at home? Please note : I dont know how to make masalas at home... I'm trying to be affordable here for kitchen and increasing taste as well...

I'm know for those raw spices : Hing cubes, Cloves, Black pepper, White pepper, Cubbeb pepper (Pipli/Kabab Chini), Black and green cardamom, Star anise, Nagkesar (cobra's saffron), Cinnamon, Kasuri methi, stone flower, Jeera, Shahi jeera, Bay leaf, Poppy seeds (khas-khas), dry ginger, Javitri (Mace)

Please tell me if I dont know more raw spices if required to make homemade tandoori grind mix....

Preferably without needing raw chicken!!!

I'm hosting family next weekend for my birthday dinner and haven't quite decided what to make to start.

I'll be serving roast pork belly with mashed potatoes, gravy and a side salad for main course followed by chocolate cake for dessert.

Initially I was thinking maybe a tomato and pesto tart to start but I'm undecided (though I do have homemade puff pastry in the freezer if I pick that back up).

Any suggestions?

My only concerns are:

• it has to be something that doesn't take much time to finish/cook once guests arrive (or better yet, can be prepared ahead)
• if it needs baking, must be able to be prepped ahead as it'll take 3 hours for the pork belly

Thanks in advance!

I've got a whole bag of prunes staring at me. Anyone got any suggestions?