What are you eating?

[rockmanj]

You like your sausages thick, rock hard, and manly, do you?

I get my fiber from other sources (hopefully). This meal was all about flavor.

Well played, sir. Well played...

[Ryllharu]

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/1006/deepfriedturkey.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/1006/deepfriedturkey.jpg)

^ This.

Quite easily the best tasting skin of all time. Combine the skin with the white meat in a single bite, and it is the food of gods.

This turkey was deep fried after being brined for 24+ hours in the following concoction (US units of course):



14 cups water
3 1/2 cups apple juice, preferably unsweetened and unfiltered
1 1/2 cups bourbon whiskey (I used Buffalo Trace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Trace_Distillery) because it has a really good flavor)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups salt
4 bay leaves
12-14 whole black peppercorns
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 lemon zest

(Recipe modified from a Washington Post brine for a smoked turkey recipe)


It ended up a little overdone, but because it was brined and deep fried, you'd never even notice. That's part of the benefit of deep frying, the water stays inside the turkey meat after vaporizing in 350°F oil. The caramelization on the skin is fantastic. It looks burnt, but it isn't at all.

[David75]

Easy dinner pictures
Just before serving:
Two sea bream filets, zucchini cut in stripes
1133

Sticky rice
1134

Pascaline's bowl:
1135

Mine, with coarsely ground salt, black pepper and damn hot cayenne pepper.
1136

Quick, easy, good taste, healthy.
I change Fish and vegetables every-night.

[Buffalobiian]

When I was eating normally, I would had to to fill that bowl to the rum with rice (though maybe not heaped).

Then again, that's with long-grain white rice. Sticky rice tends to be more filling, so perhaps my portions would be more similar to yours.

[David75]

Well, I try to keep it light. I will probably decrease rice quantity come spring.

[Animeniax]

I'm still searching for a steamer pan that will fit inside my rice cooker. After spending a lot of money for the holidays, I can't bring myself to buy a new rice cooker with steamer pan.

Instead of cooking turkey dinner or getting it from Boston Market like we've done before, we bought turkey and fixings from the deli at a Whole Foods Market. Some of the best tasting turkey, gravy, mashed sweet potato, and green bean casserole (this one item was homemade) I've ever had.

[Animeniax]

So I tried the steamed fish diet and it was good for a couple weeks, but fizzled out. I think the steamed veggies were lacking in flavor to effort ratio so I started only cooking the fish, then stopped altogether. Still have some frozen tilapia to finish though.

I made this for dinner today:

1229

Here's the recipe: http://www.nutmegnanny.com/2011/07/27/honey-spiced-glazed-chicken/ It didn't come out exactly right but was still awesome. Next time I'll add less vinegar so the honey stays thicker.

[Buffalobiian]

My diet's back to the normal random stuff now since I can't buy my veges regularly, and I don't know where to put a chest freezer if I went out and bought one.

I wouldn't have any trouble leaving it in my room if it wasn't so damn noisy.

@David: I thought the whole French Paradox thing meant you guys had some pretty optimal eating habits. Not the case?

[Animeniax]

I made this for dinner today:

1245

It was a bit of work with all the steps, but worth it!

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-recipe.html

[fahoumh]

That looks really tasty. Did yours look the same as the picture?

[Animeniax]

That looks really tasty. Did yours look the same as the picture?

Surprisingly yes... usually I end up with something that doesn't quite resemble the pictures and I spend a lot of time trying to achieve that look and end up overcooking it. I'll say any recipe that calls for chicken breast should be altered to use chicken thighs instead. They have more flavor and are more forgiving to overcooking.

I made this in the slow cooker today:

1250

from here: http://www.mmmisformommy.com/2011/09/easy-barbecued-ribs.html

[Buffalobiian]

I went out to make some cold soba for a get-together picnic I had with some friends a few days ago.

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/7936/soba1teaser.jpg

I hadn't made the sauce for two years, so I played around with different ratios and altering the ingredients a little. Didn't end up going as far as I intended to at first since I got lazy.

After getting the kaeshi done up, the most variable step for me is actually the dashi stock mix. I buy the granules instead of making my own, but there's different concentrations for usages like soup, noodle-soup to hotpots. I have no idea how much water to actually add per cup of granules for mixing up the dipping sauce. It turned out alright at the end. Garnishing the noodles with roasted seaweed makes it heaps better IMO.

Then for dinner I made some curry from a boxed pack. It was the first time I bothered to buy one of those, and the results were rather tasty. It's cheap too. A $5 box makes curry for plenty of rice. The only complaint I had was that it wasn't hot enough, but a few dashes of cayenne pepper per plate fixes that.

[Buffalobiian]

Easy dinner pictures
Just before serving:
Two sea bream filets, zucchini cut in stripes
1133

Sticky rice
1134

Pascaline's bowl:
1135

Mine, with coarsely ground salt, black pepper and damn hot cayenne pepper.
1136

Quick, easy, good taste, healthy.
I change Fish and vegetables every-night.

Hey David, how's this working out for you? Still keeping up with it?

Since going back to uni now, I've kind of regressed back to my older, "normal" diet. Lack of freezer space for frozen vegetables and regular eating times makes the previous "controlled" diet hard. I'm used to eating less (and always have been, to an extent), but I'm not sure that's helping. Exercise is almost non-existent.

As a side note though, interestingly my peak-flow rating is a fair bit higher than my predicted value, especially compared to my peers who seem to exercise a lot more than I do.

[Kraco]

I'm used to eating less (and always have been, to an extent), but I'm not sure that's helping.

Weren't you talking about eating a whole chicken at some point (minus the innards, I hope)?

[Buffalobiian]

Weren't you talking about eating a whole chicken at some point (minus the innards, I hope)?

That was around a year ago, but yes I did talk about that.

I can still do that, in fact. I'm used to eating less but I'm definitely still capable of eating more than I need.

[Buffalobiian]

Holidays have started so I went back to exercise and a veggie+fish diet.

Difference from last time is that I'm trying to eat above my base metabolic rate this time, so the target is around 8000KJs.

It only lasted for one day, because eating that much (instead of the previous 4000KJs) involved 1KG of vegetables and 9 tins of sardines. Quite frankly, I got tired (physically) from eating the sheer volume. Since the point of the diet is to make my body go into ketosis, I just went for a high-fat diet instead.

That is, replace the 9 tins of sardines with 250g of peanut butter (pretty much the only high mono/poly-saturated fat food I could find that was cheap and came in a jar). That solved a fair few of my sustainability problems before with trying to find the time and effort to prepare everything (especially when I'm not at home).

I should probably keep an eye on my sodium level since I've been making soup out of powdered vegetable stock (166L for $8!), and the nutrient indicates that is contains pretty much just sodium and not much else.

I can't do as much exercise at the moment, so we'll see how far this can take me.

[animus]

When I dieted a couple months back with no exercise I lost close to 40 pounds just eating a light breakfast and just a heavier lunch, and no dinner. Worked for me because instead of eating 6 smaller meals of stuff that are light and not liking what I was eating, I just had a really enjoyable lunch where I just ate what I usually wanted.

Starting out was hard, but I'm so used to it already and don't feel hungry with just one real meal.

[Animeniax]

Found my new favorite recipe for white fish fillets like tilapia or sole: http://www.self.com/fooddiet/recipes/2012/06/sole-en-papillote

Has all kinds of awesome flavors from the white wine, tomatoes, olives, and capers. I don't even like olives but they work with the fish and other flavors. I left out the bread and ate it with rice.

1298

[Buffalobiian]

Pan-fried some prawns in chopped garlic and olive oil, then combined it with eggs and vegetables into an omlette served with 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce and a dash of fish sauce.

It was a nice break from peanut butter..


When I dieted a couple months back with no exercise I lost close to 40 pounds just eating a light breakfast and just a heavier lunch, and no dinner. Worked for me because instead of eating 6 smaller meals of stuff that are light and not liking what I was eating, I just had a really enjoyable lunch where I just ate what I usually wanted.

Starting out was hard, but I'm so used to it already and don't feel hungry with just one real meal.

When you finished, were you ripped/fit-slim, or average slim?

I don't have 40 pounds to lose.. probably 4-10 max, and just aren't sure whether I can take it there with diet alone (almost).

[Animeniax]

As with anything Buff, pics or gtfo. Really it's kind of pointless just describing what you're eating unless it's part of a nutrition/health plan.

I'll be making this for lunch/dinner: 1313

From http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/chicken-marsala/

[Buffalobiian]

You wouldn't believe me if I said I forgot to attach it, would you?

Stock image from google that looks pretty close.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7151/prawnomelettel.jpg

[shinta|hikari]

Take pictures of the actual food.

[Animeniax]

Take pictures of the actual food.

That's what I keep meaning to do, but for some reason I don't. I guess with all the cooking, eating, and cleaning up, I don't want to bother with taking pictures and uploading them. Most all the pics I post are from the recipes.

[animus]

Pan-fried some prawns in chopped garlic and olive oil, then combined it with eggs and vegetables into an omlette served with 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce and a dash of fish sauce.

It was a nice break from peanut butter..



When you finished, were you ripped/fit-slim, or average slim?

I don't have 40 pounds to lose.. probably 4-10 max, and just aren't sure whether I can take it there with diet alone (almost).

Average slim because it was just weight loss with no exercise. I'm currently going back to the gym now, and lifting. Dropped almost another 10 pounds already.

[Animeniax]

Average slim because it was just weight loss with no exercise. I'm currently going back to the gym now, and lifting. Dropped almost another 10 pounds already.

Shouldn't you be gaining/maintaining weight with lifting? As in, lose fat but gain muscle which weighs more than fat. When I got fit, I lost 10 lbs of fat and gained 15 lbs of muscle.

Kind of stuck since then but making gains now that I'm going to the gym more regularly.

[animus]

Yeah, but I still have a lot more fat to lose. And I've only been going to the gym again for a little under a month or so. You don't really gain that much muscle that quickly. And my gym sessions aren't that long either. Like 30 minutes of cardio and an hour of lifting.

[shinta|hikari]

Just got back from the Atlanta Street Food Festival. I ate a crap ton of food. Most of it was awesome. I was only able to take pictures of about a third of what I actually ate.

They aren't the best taken pictures, but that's because we were moving or on the grass when eating.

Here they are:

Yumbi Asian Rib Eye Taco -This was great. The serving was small, but the meat was good, and the greens were refreshing. Sprinkling it with a bit of lime made it awesome.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1537.jpg

Alcapurrias - Mashed roots veggies and green banana stuffed with meat. This was great with hot sauce, but pretty bland by itself.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1538.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1540.jpg

Lamb Burger with Rosemary and Mint, Feta Cheese dressing, and Tomatoes on Ciabatta Bread - This was a winner. The rosemary and mint is always great with lamb, and that synergy was very pronounced in this burger. The ciabatta was a nice touch because it made it easier to eat due to the hardness of the bread.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1542.jpg

Belgian Street Fries with Garlic Aioli - This was one of the best fries I have ever had. Crispy, nicely seasoned but not salty, and the mildly seasoned garlic aioli complements it perfectly.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1543.jpg

Peach Bourbon Cake Shot - Interesting. Very strong alcoholic taste, but the peach flavor was missing.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1544.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1545.jpg

Fried Plantains - Really bland. Even ketchup was not enough to save this.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1546.jpg

Jalapeno Margarita Ice Pop - This was awesome. It was fairly spicy, which made you want to bite into the ice pop more, but that in turn causes you to taste more of the heat. It was a devicious cycle.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1547.jpg

---------------------

The following are not related to the ASFF.

Grilled Peaches Topped with Sour Cream - I cooked this. It was just okay because the peach was not completely ripe.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1525.jpg

Rotisserie Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce, Sweet Potato Fries, and Mac and Cheese. - I had this at Georgia Peach in Underground Atlanta. The chicken was pretty good, but the peach bbq sauce was absolutely awesome. The sweet potato fries were well cooked, but the mac and cheese was absolutely horrible. It was dry, mushed up, and barely tasted of cheese. I did not finish it, which is rare for me.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/IMG_1531.jpg

[Buffalobiian]

How fat are you at the moment Shinta? >_>

Lucky bastard. That's awesome.

[darkshadow]

"Belgian street fries"?....please enlighten me..

[Animeniax]

How fat are you at the moment Shinta? >_>

Lucky bastard. That's awesome.

If his hands are any indication, he's slim despite eating all that food. Lucky slim folks... but to a point it sucks because you have to eat a lot to get full which gets expensive.

[Buffalobiian]

If his hands are any indication, he's slim despite eating all that food. Lucky slim folks... but to a point it sucks because you have to eat a lot to get full which gets expensive.

haha, but that's all before he ate whatever he's eating!

[darkshadow]

If his hands are any indication, he's slim despite eating all that food. Lucky slim folks... but to a point it sucks because you have to eat a lot to get full which gets expensive.

Are you an idiot? The human stomach holds around ~3 liters of food max.
It doesn't matter if you weigh 60kg's or 150kg's, the average size is always the same with an empty volume of only 45ml.

[Animeniax]

Yo momma is an idiot for not beating your ass some more when you were little. Regardless how much you can intake at any one point in time, skinny folks eat more throughout a day because they burn energy and shit out excess calories faster than fatties. And to assert that the human stomach is the same size in all humans is redonculous.

[darkshadow]

I was never debating burning more energy, I was debating the fact of getting "full"; no human being on this planet needs to eat throughout the day in order to get full.
And yes the stomach is the same size in all humans you dumb racist piece of shit, it has an empty size of 45ml and expands to a max size of ~3 liters; educate your bitch ass instead of making shitposts and racist "jokes".

[Kraco]

Now, now, behave yourself, folks. Dining table is no place for a loud quarrel. It ruins everybody's appetite.

[enkoujin]

I ordered some Subway today:


footlong 9-grain wheat (toasted)
meatball marinara
white cheddar cheese
all vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green peppers, pickles, olives, banana peppers, jalapenos)
chipotle and house (zesty italian) sauce


1460 calories, 85 g of fat, 49 g protein, 3280 mg of sodium.

Yeah, don't judge me - I'm only getting the most out of my ~$7.50. :(

[fahoumh]

And yes the stomach is the same size in all humans you dumb racist piece of shit, it has an empty size of 45ml and expands to a max size of ~3 liters; educate your bitch ass instead of making shitposts and racist "jokes".

So you're saying my 3-year-old nephew's stomach is the same size as mine?

[Xelbair]

why there aren't any festivals like this over here? :(

[Animeniax]

why there aren't any festivals like this over here? :(

I think it's a uniquely American ritual, particularly with our multicultural history and need to celebrate all cultures and their foods. Only way to do that efficiently is to gorge at a festival.

[Animeniax]

I was never debating burning more energy, I was debating the fact of getting "full"; no human being on this planet needs to eat throughout the day in order to get full.
And yes the stomach is the same size in all humans you dumb racist piece of shit, it has an empty size of 45ml and expands to a max size of ~3 liters; educate your bitch ass instead of making shitposts and racist "jokes".As usual you pick up on one slip and run with it and make an ass of yourself. Yes, I meant it takes more eating for a slim person to satisfy their energy needs, not to get full at one sitting. Though that's debatable since I've known slim folks to eat a lot more at one sitting than larger folks, stomach size not withstanding.

[animus]

Shit when I was heavier, my 110 pound asian girl cousin could eat more than me. And this is to the brim of being exhaustingly, need to vomit full. Some things you just can't explain.

[darkshadow]

As usual you pick up on one slip and run with it and make an ass of yourself. Yes, I meant it takes more eating for a slim person to satisfy their energy needs, not to get full at one sitting. Though that's debatable since I've known slim folks to eat a lot more at one sitting than larger folks, stomach size not withstanding.

Don't flatter yourself, there is no "as usual", you just shitpost all over the forum so much it has become hard to ignore your crap.
And no it's not debatable; weight has no correlation to stomach volume, I thought I asked you to educate yourself?


So you're saying my 3-year-old nephew's stomach is the same size as mine?

Most probably not, but unlike your body sizes, the difference in size between your stomachs won't be so drastic. A 10 day old child already has a max volume of 70ml, so you'd prolly have ~2x the volume of your nephew at best.

[Kraco]

Alright, that's enough about that in this thread, especially since Ani and DS seem incapable of doing it without exchanging derogatory remarks. This is a food thread anyway, not a human physiology thread.

I will overlook ignoring my previous warning since it wasn't apparently written in plain enough language, but rest assured I won't repeat the leniency.

[fahoumh]

Most probably not, but unlike your body sizes, the difference in size between your stomachs won't be so drastic. A 10 day old child already has a max volume of 70ml, so you'd prolly have ~2x the volume of your nephew at best.

Really? Fascinating...

EDIT: In keeping with the thread's topic, I ate Bulgogi beef with white rice yesterday. It's pretty tasty and easy to make. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures.

[Animeniax]

Really? Fascinating...

EDIT: In keeping with the thread's topic, I ate Bulgogi beef with white rice yesterday. It's pretty tasty and easy to make. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures.
Bulgogi is delicious but the name is somehow unappetizing. Korean food also tends to have a really strong smell.

I made sweet and sour chicken today:

1314

Using this recipe: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/07/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated.html

[fahoumh]

Bulgogi is delicious but the name is somehow unappetizing. Korean food also tends to have a really strong smell.

I made sweet and sour chicken today:

1314

Using this recipe: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2008/07/sweet-and-sour-chicken-updated.html

The name is a little off-putting but not enough to try it. That chicken looks delicious.

[Animeniax]

It is delicious, thank you. It'll be lunch and dinner tomorrow, and maybe lunch the day after. So I don't get tired (which I wouldn't anyway, it is that delicious), I made this couscous salad on the side:

1315

I use it as a dip with tortilla chips.

[fahoumh]

I was never a really big fan of couscous for some reason...which is strange because I like quinoa.

[shinta|hikari]

I absolutely love couscous. It is perfect with my recipe of Lamb Tagine.

[Animeniax]

I tried couscous for the first time a couple of weeks ago and wasn't expecting to like it so much that I'd make it myself. I had it as a dip with tortilla chips and it was the best food I had that night. Alone as a salad, I'm not sure I'd like it that much after a while. Add salty tortilla chips and it becomes an awesome dish. Right now I'm eating the couscous with bottom-of-the-bag chip fragments... pretty awesome breakfast.

@shinta: can you post the recipe for the lamb tagine? I haven't cooked lamb before.

[shinta|hikari]

I don't really use exact recipes. I tend to cook by feel, but if I had to write it down, it would be something like this:

1 pound lamb shoulder
1 can crushed tomatoes
1.5 tsp cumin (or more, if you like it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp minced ginger
Chicken or lamb stock
1/2 cup dried fruits (I use apricots, but raisins and the like work well)
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste
Honey. optional (usually not necessary because the fruits are sweet)

Saute the onion in olive oil until light brown, then add and saute ginger until fragrant. Drop everything else except seasonings in the pot, adding enough stock to just cover the meat. Don't brown the meat. Don't bring it to boil yet. Let the meat simmer for 2 hours or so, until it is extremely tender and almost disintegrating. Then bring it to boil just to sterilize it. Let the sauce reduce until it becomes very thick. Season it with salt, pepper, and honey to taste.

You can skim off the fat on top. It does not add any flavor because the thick sauce should have more than enough lamb fat in there.

Top your couscous with this.

[Animeniax]

I'll have to give this recipe a try, if I can find lamb shoulder at the grocers. You didn't mention when to add the spices of cumin and cinnamon? Is that at the end?

[shinta|hikari]

Saute the onion in olive oil until light brown, then add and saute ginger until fragrant. Drop everything else except seasonings in the pot, adding enough stock to just cover the meat. Don't brown the meat. Don't bring it to boil yet. Let the meat simmer for 2 hours or so, until it is extremely tender and almost disintegrating. Then bring it to boil just to sterilize it. Let the sauce reduce until it becomes very thick. Season it with salt, pepper, and honey to taste.


In bold above.

You can also use chicken thighs if you don't have lamb.

[Animeniax]

In bold above.

You can also use chicken thighs if you don't have lamb.

Don't cinnamon and cumin count as seasonings? I guess you count salt and pepper as seasonings and others as spices.

Oh, good idea, I'll try this with chicken. I love cooking with chicken thighs, so much flavor and very forgiving to overcooking.

[shinta|hikari]

1 pound lamb shoulder
1 can crushed tomatoes
1.5 tsp cumin (or more, if you like it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp minced ginger
Chicken or lamb stock
1/2 cup dried fruits (I use apricots, but raisins and the like work well)
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste
Honey. optional (usually not necessary because the fruits are sweet)



They were in a separate section in my first post for clarity.

[Animeniax]

Cumin and cinnamon definitely count as seasonings though.

[shinta|hikari]

Yes, of course.

[Buffalobiian]

Take pictures of the actual food.

If you insist.

Peanut butter + frozen veges microwaved.

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/4416/29072012090.jpg


First few bites were nice.

Then a weird sweetness settles in.

Then....







... yeah, not recommended. >_>

[shinta|hikari]

What possessed you to try something like this..?

[Buffalobiian]

What possessed you to try something like this..?

I usually eat the peanut butter from the jar while the veges cook in the microwave, but I then wondered what it'd be like to have the veges coated instead. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say.

I made up for it in the evening by frying the remaining vegies in garlic and olive oil and serving them with some shredded chicken on top that was marinated with soy sauce and pan-fried with butter.

I ate that real quick so I forgot the photos to make up with your trauma above. Suffice to say, it was pretty decent. I cooked the chicken long enough to slightly caramelise little bits and pieces on the outside without being too dry overall. Only so much you could do about something with as much surface area as shredded chicken though. Juicy cores would have been accomplished with actual solid bits of chicken more easily.

[shinta|hikari]

I like deep frying finely shredded chicken then dipping them in a garlic, soy sauce and vinegar dip. It is usually made with shredded Filipino chicken adobo meat, but I find that using ordinary roasted chicken is sufficient.

Picture taken from the internet.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/5638304696_8847a04cf9.jpg

Crispy and delicious.

And filled with fat.

[Animeniax]

Wow that looks gross, Buff.

I ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant in California today where the food actually tastes authentic and delicious and not the typical Chinese fusion fast food MSG flavored crap served at most Chinese restaurants. The cooks were actually Chinese people.

I long for authenticity and an end to "close enough" globalization of culture and cuisine.


I like deep frying finely shredded chicken then dipping them in a garlic, soy sauce and vinegar dip. It is usually made with shredded Filipino chicken adobo meat, but I find that using ordinary roasted chicken is sufficient.

Crispy and delicious.

And filled with fat.

Am I mistaken or is most Flip food greasy and fattening? Especially their breakfast foods. Delicious, but really bad for you.

[shinta|hikari]

You are perfectly correct.

Even the everyday meals for less privileged classes usually consists of fried fish and fried garlic rice.

When we make sunny side up eggs, they are fried in about an inch of oil.

[erika08]

I ate black pepper crab from one of the best Seafood Restaurants in Singapore.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm quite alright with yoghurt (the fruit flavoured ones), but it's never been something that I'd crave or die for.

But vanilla yoghurt is awesome.

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/6595/900frenchvanilla.jpg

[Kraco]

French yoghurt in Australia? I bet that was expensive...

I eat yoghurt very regularly but for the past year or so I've only been buying basic, unflavored yoghurt. I add plenty of berries or fruit to it and possibly some milk. I dropped the pre-flavoured yoghurts because so much sugar is added to them (and so little fruits/berries), at least in Finland.

[Buffalobiian]

I thought the "French" was referring to the variety of vanilla (as opposed to... Australian vanilla?), but you could be right.

From memory, a 900g tub costed... $4? I can't be sure, but if I do revisit I'll check the price out properly. Dunno if that's expensive since I don't usually shop for yoghurt.

On the other hand, a pack of 10 Yakults bottles costed something like $7-8. That was too costly to afford to drink daily.

[fahoumh]

I thought the "French" was referring to the variety of vanilla
This is correct.


The term French vanilla is often used to designate preparations that have a strong vanilla aroma, contain vanilla grains and may also contain eggs (especially egg yolks). The appellation originates from the French style of making vanilla ice cream with a custard base, using vanilla pods, cream, and egg yolks. Inclusion of vanilla varietals from any of the former French dependencies or overseas France noted for their exports may in fact be a part of the flavoring, though it may often be coincidental. Alternatively, French vanilla is taken to refer to a vanilla-custard flavor.[20] Syrup labeled as French vanilla may include custard, caramel or butterscotch flavors in addition to vanilla.

Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla)

[Kraco]

Hohoo... That's some misleading marketing, with the French flag to boot.

[The Heretic Azazel]

13571358

Spaghetti with spaghetti squash noodles, peppers, beef and mushrooms, served in the hollowed squash.

Shitty camera. Nice dish.

[Buffalobiian]

Is that shell edible? I can't tell.

Bought a French press and a manual grinder today. The brew wasn't as strong as I'd like, and wasn't as nice as what I thought it would be, but my grind was a bit too coarse anyway.

Guess I'll go on a coffee quest now since red wine us more expensive and is also more fattening.

[Animeniax]

A glass of red wine is supposed to be good for your heart. Then again, caffeine is found to have positive long term effects on the human body as well. I'm sure they'll reveal sooner or later that they both cause cancer.

[Buffalobiian]

See, I don't see how I'm supposed to have 1 glass of red a day when a full bottle contains 7-8 drinks. Even leaving the bottle in the fridge ruins its flavour overnight.

[shinta|hikari]

Get a 750ml glass.

[Ryllharu]

See, I don't see how I'm supposed to have 1 glass of red a day when a full bottle contains 7-8 drinks. Even leaving the bottle in the fridge ruins its flavour overnight.
Put the cork back in it or use a stopper? Alternatively, start buying boxed wine (plastic bag in cardboard box). Australia has several wineries producing boxed wine that sell in the US. Boxed wine used to only be low-quality cheap stuff, but that has changed substantially over the last few years.
edit: Mostly because cork got damn expensive, and shipping glass worldwide isn't exactly cheap either.


Bought a French press and a manual grinder today. The brew wasn't as strong as I'd like, and wasn't as nice as what I thought it would be, but my grind was a bit too coarse anyway. Should have bought an Aeropress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeropress). It produces a near-espresso liquor, but is easily diluted into an Americano. I don't drink coffee, primarily looseleaf tea (occasionally bagged tea when I'm lazy), but I use an Aeropress for my guests who drink coffee. They tell me it is some of the best coffee they've ever had.

You could also try a stronger brand, like Gevalia or something similarly available down there.

[Buffalobiian]

Put the cork back in it or use a stopper? Alternatively, start buying boxed wine (plastic bag in cardboard box). Australia has several wineries producing boxed wine that sell in the US. Boxed wine used to only be low-quality cheap stuff, but that has changed substantially over the last few years.
edit: Mostly because cork got damn expensive, and shipping glass worldwide isn't exactly cheap either.

I haven't tried boxed wine.. perhaps I should. And I was talking about the wine quality with the stopper.


Should have bought an Aeropress (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeropress). It produces a near-espresso liquor, but is easily diluted into an Americano. I don't drink coffee, primarily looseleaf tea (occasionally bagged tea when I'm lazy), but I use an Aeropress for my guests who drink coffee. They tell me it is some of the best coffee they've ever had.

You could also try a stronger brand, like Gevalia or something similarly available down there.

I think I'll get my use out of the plunger first before investing into anything else, but I'll keep that in mind. I noticed that the bag was probably leaking by the time I got home, so I have no idea if the beans were exposed to air only in the car, or in the shops as well.

[Ryllharu]

Then either your fridge is too cold...actually, why are you refrigerating red wine at all? Red wine should be just below [winter] room temperature and whites ~15°F below that. Or you're completely disillusional. Even below-average red wine lasts a few days sitting on a countertop with the stopper in.

Or you're drinking champagne.

[Buffalobiian]

Then either your fridge is too cold...actually, why are you refrigerating red wine at all? Red wine should be just below [winter] room temperature and whites ~15°F below that. Or you're completely disillusional. Even below-average red wine lasts a few days sitting on a countertop with the stopper in.

Or you're drinking champagne.

I refrigerate red wine after I've opened the bottle so that it'll keep longer with as little degradation as possible overnight/days. Are you saying the cold actually ruins it faster?

[shinta|hikari]

If it is too cold, yes.

[Buffalobiian]

I'd say my fridge is in the 3-6C range? You know... normal fridge temp without freezing anything. Depends on how often I open the door during the day I guess.

I'll give room-temp-keeping a go next time to see if I notice better "performance".

[Kraco]

I'm no fan of red wine, but getting spoiled already by the next day sounds very strange. However, like Bill, I have always kept opened bottles in the fridge. Theoretically the lower temperature should slow down the degradation since it's a chemical process.

In fact I have kept in the fridge all alcoholic drinks once opened. It should also slow down evaporation of ethanol, after all. I don't drink nearly enough to buy those cardboard boxes, which would remove all the problems.

[oyhhonbo79]

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[Buffalobiian]

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/3867/b9c6.jpg

These have become part of my diet since around 2 years ago. At first it was to build head muscles to look better. Then I used them as a food substitute to reduce hunger/energy. Nowadays it's all of the above plus just simply being something to do to take my mind off things. Word of warning: It gives me TMJ pains after a while (5+hrs of chewing?), and also have a laxative effect when you have lots of them. I tend to get both effects hitting right around exam times since it involves many hours of study beforehand.

They're probably not the best tasting gum (especially when you consider sugary options), but they've got the best chew endurance I've yet to encounter. That's the most important thing. Oh, and they also have good shelf-life. I've had some gum go really soggy on me before. That's never nice.

[Kraco]

You shouldn't eat too much chewing gums, Bill. You'll get a bezoar.

[shinta|hikari]

I am having "Sinigang na Lechon Liempo sa Sampaloc" for lunch. I don't have pictures (it does not look appetizing anyway since it is home cooking and a soup at that) but I can describe what it is.

It is basically roasted pork belly and vegetables in a tamarind soup.

The soup base is similar to the more popular Tom Yum due to the acidity and thin/watery consistency, but lacks the spice. It has garlic, red onion, tamarind, lemongrass, ginger, a few chilis, and fish sauce.

The roasted pork belly adds a smokey and earthy dimension to the soup, as opposed to using plain pork belly. There is a ton of vegetables/fruit in it, like okra, eggplant, winged beans, radish, and tomatoes, which all go well with the very acidic flavor of the soup.

Have any of you tried a sour soup? What was it and did you enjoy it?

[Buffalobiian]

The most common one I have (which isn't all that common.. maybe a couple of times a year) is Hot and Sour soup (either Hong Kong or Sichuan styles). It's quite nice. I've had Tom Yum a few times in the past as well.

With both cases, it really depended upon the recipe.. sometimes it tastes pretty good.. but I've also had some pretty horrible ones. I don't have anything against them in principle though.

[shinta|hikari]

I like Hot and Sour soup, but the recent ones I have had suck. It lacks spice. Everything gets toned down in my country. People love sweet things too much. When you say spaghetti here, it usually means spaghetti in a very sweet meat and tomato sauce, which I find appalling. It even uses banana ketchup for the sauce...

[Buffalobiian]

I've had the same experience with the hot&sour soup. But then there was one place a went to where my group thought it was waaay too hot and didn't touch it. I had it all to myself. :D

I didn't really appreciate sweets until I hit 20yo. Now I like it, but only when it's appropriate. I want to try your sweet meat spaghetti now just to see how bad it is. Would I get something similar if I just threw a ton of sugar in my pasta?

[animus]

Hong Kong style cooking tends to sweeten up spaghetti too, which I don't particularly mind, but don't prefer either. I'm okay with it, but I do enjoy regular ole' Spaghetti a lot more.

[shinta|hikari]

Sweet pasta is a pet peeve of mine. So is crabsticks, that don't have any crab in them at all. I hate it when people call a dish crab-something when they use this freaking imitation.

Here is a recipe (http://panlasangpinoy.com/2013/09/12/jollibee-style-spaghetti-recipe/) for the sweet spaghetti thing.

Jollibee is a local fast food chain by the way. I think they have branches in other countries now though.

[Buffalobiian]

The flavour of crab sticks triggers a throw-up response from me. It sucks sometimes since I would have liked some dishes perfectly had they not thrown in the sticks.

[shinta|hikari]

I tend to judge food not based on my personal preference but on established cooking norms and flavor combinations/balance. Even a simple dish prepared properly earns high praise from me compared to a dish that uses shortcuts or improper techniques, even if it has better ingredients or more complex flavors.

That said, I also like fusion dishes, but only when it still follows cooking logic, instead of just being "new" and gimmicky. For example, using a different kind of vinegar in a sweet and sour dish, or adding fruits from a different area to balance the richness of meat stews, make sense. Using tofu for dishes that are fundamentally meat centric (not for health reasons) or frying the meat in a traditional stew to make it crispy is just absurd. Simply adding a random ingredient from a different cuisine also irks me if it serves no real purpose outside of making the dish "fusion."

[Animeniax]

The flavour of crab sticks triggers a throw-up response from me. It sucks sometimes since I would have liked some dishes perfectly had they not thrown in the sticks.

I developed that same aversion to imitation crab, which is weird since it's just white fish.

[shinta|hikari]

Is it about the flavor or texture? Or is it because you know you are eating crab sticks? I can eat crab sticks just fine.

[Animeniax]

Not sure, because I love blue crab and I used to like imitation crab (the seafood sandwich was my favorite at Subway), then one time eating imitation crab chunks I felt queasy and wanted to yak. Since then eating imitation crab meat reminds me of that and I gag.

[shinta|hikari]

Wow. That might actually be something specific to crab sticks, like a weird chemical or something. It would be one thing if only you had it, but Buff does as well.

Liking crab and liking crab sticks have nothing to do with each other.

I hate California Maki because it has crab sticks. Why can't they use actual crab meat? It would be more expensive, but much more delicious. You don't need that much crab in a maki anyway.

Speaking of crabs, do you guys eat crab fat? I think that is the best part of the crab.

[Buffalobiian]

Not sure, because I love blue crab and I used to like imitation crab (the seafood sandwich was my favorite at Subway), then one time eating imitation crab chunks I felt queasy and wanted to yak. Since then eating imitation crab meat reminds me of that and I gag.

My experiences are pretty much the same. It probably happened when I was six years old that I rather suddenly developed an aversion to crab sticks. I was fine prior to that. Like you, I liked them too, but only for a short while. It's definitely the taste, I tried this seafood curry one time that had rice, curry sauce, vegetables, prawns and some crab stick shreds. The curry had slight hints of flavour "contamination" that I could deal with, but as soon as any solid bits were tasted I felt bad.

Crab fat is the yellow/green stuff that's mostly under the shell? That stuff's awesome. I've never eaten crab often enough (or been analytical enough when I did) to properly appreciate the memory of it though.

[shinta|hikari]

Yes, it is that disgusting looking but delectable goo. It is great with plain white rice.

[Animeniax]

Yeah pretty much everything in the crab is delicious, if not visually appealing. I guess the lungs and cartilage (and the shell of course) are the only things we didn't eat out of a crab.

Did you guys look for and prize the crab roe (eggs)? It was always prized in our family.

[Buffalobiian]

I've never seen crab roe in the mud crabs I've had (and I've only ever had aussie mud crabs, from memory). I'd love to go try other ones, particularly some soft-shelled species.

I've seen crab roe on other dishes, but it was probably fake anyway. I encounter fish roe and caviar more frequently, but I don't think much of them. The unsalted ones aren't all that special, while the salted ones taste, well, salty. Salmon roe is lower tier though, so maybe some better stuff lurks around the corner.

I don't expect expensive roe to be found on common sushi. I've had crab on there before and that was nice (much nicer than any seafood stick ;) ), but I don't think it's worth the premium. Favourite topping would be grilled eel. That's the bomb.

[Animeniax]

I bought fresh white fish (tilapia) to make dinner with and surprisingly the meal didn't taste as good as the fish I usually buy in the frozen multi-pack. The fresh fish cost about 3 times as much as the frozen ones, and the main reason I bought fresh was because they are sourced from somewhere other than China, which supplies the frozen fish.

It's weird but the problem was that the meal tasted too fishy with the fresh fish, which over-powered the flavors of the tomatoes, olives, capers, white wine, and butter sauce. I'll probably go back to the frozen fish sourced from China. If I'm going to die, might as well enjoy it before I go.

[shinta|hikari]

It's probably because the fresh fish you bought was not really fresh. The fishy smell and taste gets stronger the longer the fish is dead before cooking.

Try using a recipe with ginger. It should remove that fishy aspect. I just had a baked whole tilapia (in aluminum foil) stuffed with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and lots of ginger, it was awesome.

[Animeniax]

Ahh that makes sense. It was probably frozen and thawed before it was put on display at the fish counter. It sucks being in a central land-locked location where everything has to be frozen. I miss living near a coast.

I made this dish specifically to use up some olives and capers I bought for another dish. I'll find one that uses ginger, thanks for the suggestion.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to use the term "fresh" to describe any food that's been frozen.

[Animeniax]

I think I've seen food advertised as "fresh, previously frozen" but yeah it sounds like a contradiction. Maybe I'm mistaken and it's not labeled as fresh at the counter, it's just thawed and not packaged, so I assumed it was sold "fresh".

About the frozen tilapia, I thought maybe it tasted better because the fish has so little fish flavor so the taste of the sauce and veggies stands out more. With the fish I used, the fish flavor dominated for the worse.

[shinta|hikari]

Tilapia does not have a strong flavor. If it managed to overpower your seasonings, there is something strange going on there. It might have been spoiled, or almost there.

[Animeniax]

Damn, that sucks. It's the first time I've bought "fresh" tilapia filets instead of frozen. I got it from an HEB (superstore grocer only in Texas) in a small town because it's near where I work. I'll stick to buying fish from the larger stores in the city.

[Buffalobiian]

If you're landlocked, you might simply have better luck with frozen foods since they're frozen while they're fresh. Frozen veges are pretty good as long as you microwave them (without adding water) instead of boiling them. Even then they're not bad.

If it's the place of origin you're worried about though, then that's a different matter then. There was a segment on TV the other week about how imported vegetables don't have the same stringent chemical-banning standards as Australian grown vegetables, thus making Aussie produce cost more and reducing our competitiveness. It's pretty BS to have such double standards.

[Animeniax]

I don't mind frozen seafood but all the frozen tilapia I've checked originated in China, versus the "fresh" fish which supposedly came from Mexico.

I've never cared that much about where my food comes from, but I'm trying to be more aware. I'm not a big anti-Chinese products person, but I draw the line at food and prefer to buy food sourced from other countries. Of course, you can't trust food from a lot of places (like Vietnam) and it's hard to tell what countries have stringent standards and how strictly they are followed. Even in the US, only a small fraction of food products are checked by the FDA, and large scale checks are performed only after a lot of people get sick.

[Animeniax]

Update on the fish... I reheated leftovers in the microwave and the dish is amazing again. I wonder that maybe I didn't cook it long enough, as the recipe says to bake it in the oven for 8 minutes, but this gas oven I use is notoriously bad at maintaining temperature. So buying "fresh" was worth it after all, as it does taste better (flakier, better texture) than frozen.