Tacos: Crispy or Soft?

"Depends on the filling. Ground beef begs for a crispy shell (freshly fried, never store bought) whereas carnitas or fish tacos need a soft shell. And the tortilla must always be corn, never flour." —lucylew

Are Your Parents Unadventurous Eaters?

"Oh yeah, my father is a notoriously picky eater. His basic palette is unseasoned beef, and lord forbid you try to make him eat it in ground form cause that ain't gonna fly either, and unseasoned potatoes, no butter nothing. He was banned from dinner by my sister in law unbeknownst to me. Apparantly he expected her to make him a separate meal when she invited them over for a chicken dinner. She did it twice and then put her foot down. Instead of realizing he was being a complete jackass, he had his wife bring over a steak and insisted that she cook it at their house for him. I was horrified. I knew he was a picky eater but I hadn't realized he had gotten that bad over the years. He hasn't been invited to my house for dinner in some time due to his extreme pickiness and his method of handling his dislike of food not cooked bland." —MartiniMe

[Where's Salpico on this thread, huh? —AK]

Your Family's 'Fancy Pants' Dish?

"Caramelized-onion and wild mushroom stuffed beef tenderloin with an herb-dijon crust. We make side dishes too, but they're almost irrelevant!" —AnnieEats

Worst Recipe Ever?

"I can't tell you exactly where it came from. I was cleaning out my mom's recipe box yesterday when i tripped and the whole thing (probably 2000+ cards/clippings) went sailing. I was putting them away in my typical OCD fashion. I started reading the card becasue I couldn't tell by the recipe title where it should be filed. After reading it several times, I really thought it was my eyesight was going bad...." —MissBrownEyes

Food Terms That Should Be Banned from the Media

"@merstar--'taters' are fine as long as it's a hobbit saying it.

"@Cookbook_Junkie--'It's from the "freezes beautifully" section of my cookbook!'

"I too hate the term 'artisan' anything. I think the word is thrown around far too often and too lightly, and usually it just means 'costs twice as much.'" —buffy

Confused by Pans

"In the end, what types of pans you'll need will depend on what you expect to cook a lot of (e.g. @CandiRisk says s/he never uses a wok, but I use mine all the time because I mostly cook Chinese food). You should check out Kenji's "Equipment: The 7 Most Essential Pots and Pans" article for information about the basics on choosing pans. Start with a few basic all-purpose pans/pots, and add to your collection as needed. And get creative with what you have -- some shapes or styles can easily be adapted to perform multiple functions beyond what their name suggest." —somechick

Help Me Name My Food Blog

"@Raina Kudos for being such a good sport. I can see you have a fighting spirit that has served you well in your recovery. Welcome to Serious Eats!" —Teachertalk

Favorite 40s of Malt Liquor?

A spoof commercial from the spoof blaxploitation film "Black Dynamite."

"I've had King Cobra, imo it is a giant among malt liquors." —redfish

Breaking Rules

"I don't wear an apron when cooking in the nude." —ByrdBrain

Marcel's Quantum Kitchen on Syfy: Will You Watch It?

"If Syfy (ugh, I'll never get used to that) can have wrestling, I guess it can have Marcel. I'll check it out but I don't have high hopes." —RegrettableFoodie

What's Your Secret Ingredient?

If you haven't seen "Soylent Green" yet, do not watch this video. Thanks for the reference, ESNY1077.

"Cinnamon in savory meat dishes and tomato sauces. Not all of them but many. Just a pinch or so." —Melpy

Avoiding a Mess

"I try not to let BigMan cook--he uses every utensil and pan in the house!" —PoorOldMama

Kitchen Gardeners! Ordered Your Seeds Yet? What and From Where?

Lots of good suggestions for seed sources here, folks. Get on it. Planting time will be here before you know it. —AK

Start from the Top and Work Your Way Down

"Chicken satay when I'm feeling fancy and corn dogs when I am not." —ell.victor