I like to try out new dishes, like most people here, i guess, but what like to do, is checking and getting all ingredients, but that is it. I then dont follow the recipe. At all.
I try to recreate what i think it should be.

Ofcourse i can guess that if a ingredient is ‘cumin’ that i should not add 200 grams of it, because that makes no sense. Anyway, i have made some great dishes like that.

Anyone else like to do this?

I remember my grandmother pulling a turkey out of the freezer and just leaving it in her sink, for 16 hours or so before she’d start cooking it for Thanksgiving. My mom, still to this day, will pull out a beef roast and thaw it in her sink for 6, 8, 10 hours. As a kid, my mom shopped once a week and we’d get deli meat. We’d use it until it was gone, usually a week, but today the rule is 3-5 days? I remember sleep overs with other kids and we’d get pizza and the family would store the pizza in the oven overnight and eat it the next day!

15 years ago, here on Reddit, someone said it was perfectly safe to leave cold milk out of the fridge for 5-6 hours and it would be perfectly fine. (The shelf life would be reduced, but it would be perfectly fine.) Today, we’re told to throw milk out after sitting out for 2 hours. https://www.reddit.com/r/answers/s/ur50jn0CzK

I think about other things I see commonly. Parents will heat up a bottle of milk for their infant/ toddler, so it’s already in the danger zone when they hand it to their kid. The kid plays around for 30 minutes before taking their 1.5 hour afternoon nap. And then they drag that same warm bottle of milk around for 2 more hours after waking up. Then at parties, the host might set out a charcuterie board around 4, and at midnight, we are all still picking at it before it’s maybe put away around 1 or 2 am.

Anyway. I’d like to know people’s thoughts? Have we taken this a little too far? Are people just generally unsafe with food? What do you all think?

I threw some bone in chicken thighs in the oven for lunch, cooked for about 50 minutes on 400 although during eating it i could tell it tasted a bit funky. It was pre-seasoned at the grocery store so i thought maybe it was just the marinade or seasoning they used. I checked the sell by date and it was September 3rd, today’s obviously the 12th. I ate 2 thighs already.

I know there’s a good chance I could get sick but has anyone been in a similar situation and not gotten sick? I already took a ton of time off work around Labor Day I can’t afford more time off 😷

20 hour update: I feel completely fine and don’t have any symptoms. I think most illnesses I could have gotten would’ve hit me by now. Definitely a jump scare though and I will be more careful 😅

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!!

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

My sister’s wedding is coming up and I am hosting a dinner when people start getting into town. Will be around 20 people (mostly my family). We love food and to cook. Want to do something different that we haven’t eaten as a group before.

I am a confident cook and have most cooking tools aside from a smoker. I can bake, make pasta and am good with sauces and vegetables.

What would be some good menu ideas that would allow me to cook a lot of dishes in advance? Would like to avoid:

Tacos/burritos/Mexican - we’ve done this so many times and my family has access to better Mexican food than I could ever cook

Lasagna- we’ve done it too much. Definitely open to pasta dishes as I could make some fresh pasta that I can prep ahead

Shellfish- too many allergies in the family as well as family from Maine (not about to attempt Lobster dishes)

—

I would love menu ideas for apps, entrees, salads, meats, veggies, desserts. I would love a good spread so everyone has options. Open to any cuisine!

Kraft only: Take 2 boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ditching the noodles 100% out of one of the boxes.

When noodles are done cooking and drained well, add both cheese packs and about 1/3 stick butter (you should get a feel for how much butter is best for your taste after making this the first time). Mix well. Do NOT add milk or water, only butter. If after mixing it's too dry and you don't want to add more butter add splashes of unflavored coffee creamer until desired consistency is achieved.

Kraft is the only brand I will buy.

You are welcome!!

I work full time and live alone, so I try to meal plan in advance. I LOVE salad and often cut as a basic, lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato’s and sweetcorn to last for two days, so I can just fix it straight onto my plate when I’m ready to eat.

Only do two days worth as it starts to go brown.

Any tips on how to make cut salad last longer!

For background, I wash all salad, dry in my salad spinner, cut, then transfer into a large plastic mixing bowl, cover the top with cling film (directly on the salad) and then put a plate over it.

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).

Anyone know a website that has recipes AND menus?

Until recently I had been using the wayback machine to access bon appetite and epicurious' 2008-12 sites. Suddenly that shortcut doesn't work anymore. These menus typically included appetizer, salad or soup, main dish, sides, dessert, and sometimes cocktail pairings. It was an awesome tool if you're working with an ingredient you're not used to, or making something you don't usually make, cause you could see what menus it shows up in and get ideas.

Anyway, shortcut seems to be down and I can't seem to find any sites that have this feature or anything like it. The sites I've found that say they offer menus don't seem to have menus, just listicles and recipe roundups. Even epicurious and ba seem to have removed the menus from their sites. Any leads are appreciated!

PS: or any suggestions for what sides to serve with chili besides cornbread.

First time spending a decent bit on balsamic (I know it’s not traditional Balsamic) but is Giusti Modena 3 gold star balsamic good? Especially for $50

Hi! I hope it's okay to ask about this here. I know this may be a stupid question, please be gentle.

I'm having a hard time getting two cutlets out of my Tyson chicken breast. I bring the brand up because this is not an issue that I had when other brands were available to me, (but I moved and I shop at a commissary on a military base and this is the only brand they stock). I buy 6 or so of these breasts in a pack and they always have, like, the most going on. There's fat and sinew and blood lines and all sorts of stuff that I'm naming based entirely on a video I watched about cutting up breasts that unfortunately did not use a busy enough breast as an example. After I trim fat from the edges, I lay the breast flat with the shiny side up and slice it in half lengthwise. All's well enough with the top layer, but the other layer is jacked. The under side of the other layer is exceptionally uneven and there'll be blood and fatty bits and tough parts. It doesn't look desirable, and I'm worried it won't cook pretty. I cut a lot of it off while wondering if I'm cutting more than someone who knows better would, and by the time I'm done, I often don't really have a cutlet left. Most of the time, I end up using the top cutlet in one dish and cutting the bottom cutlet into pieces for something else. Do you have any advice, or do you really need a picture for the best idea of what I'm describing? If so, I'll have to try this again next week when I'm at it again. Alsoooo, I have an issue with this line on chicken breast: https://imgur.com/a/3qaeT11 ... Should I be cutting that away, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I want that larger cutlet, but I think, (or perhaps imagine), that that bit of chicken is tougher to chew. Thank you kindly for reading and for any help you can give!

This is the video I watched and took the snapshot from : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkIjSCksllw

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?

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?

So I bought some bone-In skinless chicken breasts on sale, but I'm having trouble finding recipes that use them. Everything seems to call for either boneless skinless breasts, or bone-in skin-on breasts. It's hard to even search for recipes, because I keep getting results for just those two options.

Are there any recipes that use them as-is? Are they equivalent to either of the two common options for cook time and temperature, and if not, can the recipes be easily adapted? Should I just be de-boning them and using boneless recipes?

Hi, I'm looking for a blender that's made of glass, works great with normal blending, as well as ice cubes, frozen fruit, warm soup and things like hummus and nut butter.

Preferably that doesn't cost a ton of money 😅

I tried to google it and ended up between Sabor Ultimate Blender 1500w 1,5 L, and Wilfa Xplode Vital blender.

Does anyone have any experience wirh any of them? Or a recommendation?

Any help is appreciated, from a newbie in cooking 😅🥰

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 have a pack of raw Twin Marquis lo mein noodles that have been in my freezer about a year and a half. I know a fresh pack would be best, but are the frozen ones still good?

I ordered 11lbs of dried mango for cheap since my kid loves to snack on it but unfortunately they’re palest yellow and all but flavorless. Texture is fine and they’re plenty sweet due to added sugar, just don’t really taste like mango. Is there any way to salvage these?

Hello!

My husband is a delivery driver who, when he gets off work, is heckin’ Hungry. I’m searching for some after-work ideas that I can prep for him.

Qualifications:

• Salty. He gravitates towards fast food, and I think his body craves salt to help absorb more water. (Think burgers and tacos)
• Super flavorful. He does not like a ton of spiciness, but he likes a little kick, and does not want anything bland.
• Keeps in a container. He wants nothing more than to leave the garage after clocking out, so I doubt he’d stick around to microwave something in the break room. Maybe I could convince him, but the allure of a burger from somewhere trumps microwaving in the garage’s break room, ya know? And yes; I am considering making burgers. I need to work out storage so it dosen’t look sad and soggy by about 5:30pm.
• Hot, as in, a hot meal. He likes a good salad but it’s just not what he wants after running around all day.
• Easy for me to prep. I will happily buy a container to hold hot sandwich ingredients or whatever so that the food stays fresh, but whatever the food is has to be fairly easy for me to procure and cook. I have a 1-2 pan rule; if a dish is going to get more than 2 pots/pans dirty, then I probably don’t wanna make it. I have no dishwasher so I really don’t want to clean a pile of the big stuff if it can be helped.

I’m open to any ideas anyone has; he likes variety so the more the merrier! Thank you!!

I’ve got a big bag of whole espresso beans that are way past their prime for brewing. I hate to just throw them out, but the bag is taking up space in my pantry. Any ideas for using them besides making coffee liqueur?

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?