Why do precooked forms of breaded chicken that you buy from a store typically have 3-5 times the fat:protein ratio of uncooked breaded chicken from the same store? The ratio is typically 1:1 or higher for the former, but I have seen as low as 1:5 for the latter.

Whatever they're doing that quadruples the fat:protein ratio, it's doing NOTHING for the taste vs. just plain baking the uncooked stuff.

You know, fuck appletinis. It is really all about dirty martinis. It is a delightful drink. Salty, full of alcohol, and you get that little bit of food at the end.

Recently I had a blue-cheese martini which had blue-cheese stuffed olives. Absolutely wonderful.

Tonight I'm two dirty olive vodka martinis down, 4 parts vodka, 1 park olive juice (love you) and 1 part dry vermouth. Mix in the shaker with ice and throw into a martini glass with a bit of the olive juice and 3 olives.

Just felt like sharing.

I'm putting this in the cooking channel because it is all about the taste.

Has Sifty succumbed to the might of his little brother, Gratey?

Conclusive proof that Edeot is actually in the service of the siftbot.

... more inside ...

Taco Bell Launches New 'Morning After' Burrito

"Taco Bell officials are excited about the offering. 'In the past, before Roe v. Wade, young women literally had to 'make a run for the border' to terminate an unwanted pregnancy,' Taco Bell public relations director Grant Lesko said. 'But now, women can make that same run for the border at over 7,300 convenient locations right in their own hometowns.'"

"'We are in no way advocating any particular view on this most sensitive of issues,' he said. 'We simply want to offer this option. And, of course, we fully respect our customers who decide to carry their babies to term. In fact, I'd like to point out that Taco Bell offers a wide variety of non-contraceptive menu items that can provide the crucial nutrients—such as mild sauce, shredded cheddar and beef—that a growing fetus needs to develop properly.'"

No, the Cold War is NOT over, comrades. The Great People's Army of Glorious Soviet Siftalist Republics has promoted Comrade KOMMIE to Supreme Diamond Commander of Soviet Video Forces. For half of Five Year Plan Comrade Commander KOMMIE has been part of Grand Siftalists Forces, and now glorious rank of Diamond - Bronze Order of Lenin is his reward. We make celebrate of Comrade KOMMIE's promotion by make vote to People's Queue, make drink of People's Vodka, spit on capitalist pig Digg, and make congratulate his Glorious achievement.

Attendance is mandatory, under penalty of gulag, Glorious Re-education, and death.

This article about Obama's culinary tastes is hilarious.

"This month, Ben & Jerry's renamed its pints of butter pecan ice cream to the more timely "Yes Pecan," donating funds to an educational organization."
...
"Early last year, when the Obamas said pizza from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria in Chicago was their favourite, co-owner Patti Harris-Tubbs says people called her up to say, "I'll have whatever Obama likes." But Ms. Harris-Tubbs isn't sure which pie that is."


It goes on to talk about how to celebrate his inaugration with food, which sounded sort of odd.

Just wanted to set all our differences aside and wish everyone a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays. It's been snowing a lot where I'm on vacation, so it's going to be a white Christmas yayyyyy! We're going to make like a 100 Christmas cookies, over frost them and listen to happy holiday music. May your days be merry and briiiiiiiiight...

No, not that one.

I'm talking about the one that eat's REALLY SPICY food just to show how tough he is? As if not tasting your food at all is something to be aspired to?

Did you ever secretly wish it would be too much for him?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/chef-dies-after-eating-super-hot-chilli/2008/09/30/1222651028585.html

For great justice! I was kind of there, but I was also kind of cooking. As mentioned earlier, tonight was the great Vancouver Siftup. I got to show off why I am the moderator of *cooking around these parts. I'll snip the rest of the pics, but... I really want to show everybody this one:

“Scallop Wrapped Bacon”
Nova Scotia Scallops, Artisanal Oyama Dry Cured Bacon, Grilled BC Matsutake Mushroom, Oven Cured Butternut Squash Chip

Yes, it may not look like much, but it was but one of twelve courses that I created for the Vancouver sift up.


That was a lot of work, let me tell you. Definitely the most elaborate tasting menu I've ever put together. Not everything turned out exactly according to plan, but lots of things did. I feel like I need to sleep for 3 days now.

It was great to meet Lucky, Charms, Zifnab and Fissionchips. It was dissapointing that Fedquip didn't make it, but maybe next time.

I want to go on at length about what worked, what didn't work, why I made some of the choices that I did for the menu, what I was happy with, what I felt needed improvement, etc etc etc.... but I'm too tired right now.

I will have to post more later.

Thanks for coming out!

I know I know, I've been known to abuse it as well. I know it's a GREAT way to make sure your point (or lack there of) is seen. However, I've noticed a flood of misappropriated sift talk posts appearing on the main sift talk page. Can we make an effort to keep the cross posts to specific sift related issues?

Thank you

*cue peanut gallery*

Until I was about 23 I ate meat. I had a normal British diet of meat, vegetables, instant noodles and 80% confectionery.

Then I ate a bad prawn curry and spent the following week shitting blood and snot, as my entire stomach lining exited my arsehole in tiny spurts, every 10 minutes.

Fearing death, I just instinctively lost all desire to eat meat after that. It started as pure instinct.

Then... ... more inside ...

So, what is the logic behind that not being possible? I read Brightcove was added nearly a year ago, but for diamonds only. Is there a workaround, something to change in the embed code so non-diamonds can also make it work?

i really wanted to post this recipe , and couldn´t find it anywhere else...

So I'm starting to feel in a rut with my current Kosher dill pickle Sifting snack. And I'm looking for new ideas. What works for you?
Bonus points if it balances nicely with beer and keyboard cleanliness.

Cheap uncoated aluminum baking pans have good thermal properties, but there are two problems I have with them:

1. They're abysmally hard to clean. It takes a scotch-brite pad or the like, and when you scour off the stains with that you're scouring off the whole top layer, aluminum, stains, and all. You might as well use a power-sander.
2. Aluminum is harmful if ingested, and ingestion is likely if you're producing lots of aluminum dust by cleaning it with a very abrasive pad. Getting it clean with anything less is impossible.

So.... I'm looking for a copper baking pan that's coated with teflon. It's obvously the best design, therefore it probably doesn't exist. Maybe I'll settle for a glass baking pan, because that's also extremely easy to clean although it has terrible thermal conductivity.

I found this interesting article on Hervé This, a French chemist, working on the science of cooking

Well, it's been two months since I promised a "how-to" cooking blog. I kind of lost track back then. I think the best way is to private message me with requests, and then sporadically, when the mood strikes, I'll try to answer them in cooking talk.

Two months ago, deputydog asked:
is there somewhere i can go for my mature cheddar cheese addiction?

This is a serious problem which affects us all. Cheese addiction affects over 50 percent of the population, ruining families, and destroying lives.

What are the symptoms of cheese addiction? There are many, but the foremost is a marked desire to consume large amounts of delicious, delicious cheese at every given opportunity. For deputydog it may just be mature cheddar, for countless others it may be Mozzarella Di Buffala, Limberger, Manchego, Castello di Roma, Parmigiano, Piave, Chevre, or Brie.

Other symptoms include

Uncontrollable salivation at the mere mention of gooey, luxurious melted raclette,

Urges to find and eat crispy toasted provolone

Lust for even just a picture of some aged emmental cheese with its wonderful holes.

Knowledge of all local Greek restaurants and which serve the best flamed Kefalograviera cheese (Street name: Saganaki)

While the problem is multifaceted, people should be aware of some of the so-called "gateway cheeses" like creme fraiche, cottage cheese (sometimes known by its street name 'curds'), or ricotta. "I'll just have a little, it goes well with some fresh apple slices" a young person might think. Before long, it's cream cheese and mascarpone, then exotics like cambozola or tallegio, and soon after they are spending their entire pay cheque on hard cheeses like Peccorino Romano or Grana Padano. It's a sad story that professionals such as myself see day after day.

Other dangers include cheese burgers. These, seemingly innocent food items, can send a chronic cheese addict over the edge, into binge consumption. Especially dangerous are so called 'blue cheese' burgers, with their insidious use of seriously habit forming cheeses like stilton, roquefort or gorgonzola.

Lasagna; Omlettes; Pizza; Salads; Sandwiches; Soups; Chicken; Pork; Vegetables like Rapini, Broccoli, Asparagus, Cauliflower; Mushrooms, the list of foods that a serious addict may consume with his habit is almost endless.

For example, a sautee of fresh nova scotia fiddleheads in some olive oil chilies and garlic, then deglazed with a dry white wine and served with melted danish blue is pure ecstasy to the afflicted.

Or a deep rich french onion soup with a garlic rubbed crostini of baguette with some grated gruyere toasted on the top can warm the soul of a poor cheese addict like almost nothing else.

Or even the simple grilled cheese sandwich! With the addition of a few filets of anchovy, and use of a suitable cheese like Mozzarella di Bufala, this traditional 'gateway dish' becomes something more- a habit forming problem of its own.

So in conclusion, there is no easy answer for a serious cheese addiction. While many programs exist, the mere sight of a tray of fresh fruit, sage darby, asiago, manchego and boschetto al tartufo will send even the hardest rehab graduate spiralling back into their love of all things cheesy.

My recommendation is to embrace your addiction. Find people who enable you, and then find yourself the nearest cheese shop- and indulge!

I think I'll have some smoked gouda myself! mmmmm!

I've decided to host a cooking Q+A here on the good eats channel. I've been a chef for almost ten years now, and am ready to field your cooking questions.

I'm thinking of possible starting a video how-to blog as well, but I will start with some question and answers.

So have at it- do you have any cooking questions?