I've found that the older recipes on Serious Eats are missing steps (others may have noted this as well). I just tried to check out Ed Levine's potato salad recipe (from Jasper White's Summer Shack) and the recipe basically ended with the potatoes cooling - nothing about assembling the rest of the dish. In fact, step 3 was a link to some Flickr photos of a turkey?! Is there any way to fix this?

I understand that sponsors are necessary, but I find myself doubting that Joe Bastianich really thinks WalMart steaks are so amazing (Master Chef this week). When he or Elliott or Ramsey make these obviously scripted comments about products being used on the show, how sincere are they? If they were extolling Boos cutting boards, I'd get it, but often the compliments are directed to much more dubious products. Top Chef isn't a lot better, so I guess this is the way to advertise without risking that people will fast forward through actual commercials.

Unless Kenji is now into selling acai berry weight loss supplements, his Twitter account has been hacked. I had this same experience with a local cooking school. Someone must be looking for Tweeters who have a food connection.

The recipe for my son's favorite baby back ribs is in a binder which is in one of dozens of unpacked boxes in my new home. I cannot remember the source, just bits and pieces of the recipe - brined first, mustard and spice rub which sits for a while, bbq sauce made from a variety of hard-to-find and expensive fruit juices. I've checked Epicurious, Fine Cooking, Sunset, Saveur - nada. Any ideas?

We try to eat whole wheat pasta but I am struggling to find a brand that I like. I bought some at Costco - can't even remember who made it - but it is just not very good. I think Barilla makes a whole wheat or multi-grain that was OK, but frankly, I can't remember what I've tried anymore! Do you have a favorite?

I saw a tweet about this site copying other sites' content and posting on their site. When I checked, I saw several Serious Eats posts - photos and everything. While they did say the content was from Serious Eats and gave names of writers and photographers, it seems odd to me that their site is apparently completely non-original content. Do they ask if they can do this? It's not a link - it is the entire content.

Any update on the shopping bag front?

I know I'm probably in a minority, but I have to have closed captions on when I watch TV. Tonight on The Next Food Network Star, there was a major blooper. One of the guys tried to make pommes frites. The caption was pomfrets - more than once. Does anyone do any quality control on these captions? I bet they have weeks to edit! I've seen other problems on other cooking channels and it amazes me how little they care.

Is the Serious Eats shopping bag available for purchase yet? Or will there be a big announcement at some point?

I just watched Michael Symon and Food Feud. How is this different from Food Wars on the Travel Channel? Same vendors - Al's Beef and Mr. Beef; essentially the same info and format; slightly different judging process - one judge and different criteria rather than three judges; and Michael Symon instead of perky Camille. Is this the total rip-off I think it is?

My son just told me that he and his roommates have decided to be virtual vegans, largely because they feel they cannot ignore the way meat and dairy products are produced. If they could find humane producers who didn't harm the animals or create unnatural living conditions (annual calves for cows, for example), they would be willing to eat dairy and/or meat, but they have no idea how to find what would probably be products from small farms. I have no idea either. He lives in Boston and I'm sure there are New England products which would meet his criteria, but how does one locate them? Any thoughts?

I made a reservation for dinner and was "reminded" by the restaurant that we were to stick to the 90 minute timeframe for the reservation. Mind you, this is a pleasant seafood restaurant in a suburban location and the reservation is for 6 PM on a Sunday - not what I would think would be a really high traffic timeslot. While 90 minutes may be enough time for us to eat, assuming they serve efficiently and we don't linger over pre-dinner drinks or post-dinner brandies, I was a little taken aback. Is this now the standard?

I just watched another episode of Ruth Reichl's Gourmet Adventures. While I enjoy the scenery and the food in these shows, I find Reichl's presence unnecessary and virtually useless. On the show about China, she wisely alleged that Chinese food was wonderful because it was "ingredient-based." Hmm. I'm not sure how that makes it different from Italian food or Brazilian food or other cuisines. Usually she ends the program by saying the techniques or ingredients she used she will now be using every day in her cooking. Should make for some interesting meals. I've never been a big fan of Reichl's but these shows really reinforced my dislike. Any other viewpoints?

Isn't there a term for the tidy little citrus sections you get when you cut in between the membrane and just have pure fruit - no peel, no pith, no membrane? Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I'm sure they are called something other than "cute!"

I spent 5 hours caramelizing onions in an effort to produce a perfect French onion soup. I've eaten lots of onion soup in a variety of locations, including Paris, and I know what is good and what is not and I've had both. But what about those dishes that sound good but I've never eaten? Paella, pho, laksa, Cajun prawns, jerk chicken and a variety of other foods are things I've made and enjoyed but I've never eaten an "authentic" version so I don't know how close I've come. Is it possible to make a good version of a food when you have no basis for comparison?

I drove 50+ miles to have lunch with friends. As I was waiting for them to arrive, I saw a mouse skitter across the waiting area and disappear into a fountain/plant display. What to do? Tell the friends when they got there and go somewhere else? I've eaten in this restaurant several times, never had a problem. There were lots of people already eating. No management people in sight. The restaurant does have extensive gardens around the outside, so it could have been an little mousey who got lost.... What would you do?

Is it my friends or does no one actually totally host parties any more? I've been asked to graduation parties, bon voyage parties, retirement parties, Herbert's 95th birthday parties, whatever, and always the guests are expected to bring the food. As in - "we'll provide the entree - please bring a side dish or dessert or appetizer." I understand the "let's have a get-together - I'll bring the potato salad" concept of potluck gatherings, but when I'm hosting a party for a particular reason, I don't expect anyone to bring anything -- and that includes Thanksgiving. Is there anyone else who feels the new definition of host is the person who opens the front door and that's all?

Okay, it happened again. The recipe said turn the heat to medium high and watch your veggies brown - takes 15-20 min. I did everything exactly the way the recipe said: heavy (cast iron) dutch oven, olive oil, medium high heat, frequent stirring - and what do I get? Beginnings of a burn, not a brown, in about 5 minutes. I turn the gas way down, take it much more slowly and manage to salvage the dish. This happens to me all the time. The temp suggestions and the predicted time to accomplish whatever - browning, softening, caramelizing - are so far from my reality! What am I doing wrong?

I have two pounds of cooked crayfish (in the shells) and have not a clue what to do with them. Any ideas?

Has anyone noticed the really large knife Michael Symon used on Sunday's Iron Chef? I've also seen Mario Batali use it. It has an orange and green handle and is massive. I've googled everything I can think of and haven't been able to figure out what kind of knife it is.

My son had mixed success spit-roasting a whole pig. It cooked unevenly, didn't seem all that flavorful (despite brining), and generally wasn't as wonderful as he was hoping it would be. He says he tried to find info about how to approach the pig, but didn't fare too well with that either. I'm not much help - I've never cooked anything larger than a turkey. Any recommendations?

And here's the first of the week's recipes from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics. It's one of my all-time favorites and, in fact, has taken up residence among a coterie of of recipes taped to the back... More

CJ McD asked where my recipe for boiled water went. LOL. That was from the test phase of the new SE Recipes functionality. Anyway, here it is ... Boiling water is essential to many recipes. If you have never cooked... More