I'm going to a holiday party this week at the house of a professional acquaintance, and I would like to bring these three jars along with a nice spoon/scoop as a host gift:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/glass-canister-wood-lid-set/?pkey=e%7Cjar%7C75%7Cbest%7C0%7Cviewall%7C24%7C%7C47&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-

I'm going to fill the large one with homemade granola, one of them with a local roaster's ground coffee, and I need an idea to fill the third one. I am going with a breakfast theme but it doesn't necessarily have to fit. I thought of putting Greek yogurt that I flavor myself with maple syrup/vanilla in the third jar for the recipient to enjoy granola parfaits, but my SO says he doesn't think we should gift anything that requires refrigeration. What do you think? Help appreciated!

I'm visiting NY next week to celebrate my fiance's birthday, and I thought it might be nice to have a small cake or other treat delivered to our hotel so that it is there when we arrive, as a small surprise. Can anyone recommend a good treat from someone in NY who will also deliver? We're staying at the Eventi, roughly at 6th Ave and W 30th.

I am in love with cheese dips when I eat at your basic Mexican restaurants, especially the kind that have refried beans on the bottom. It's a serious guilty pleasure of mine. When I lived near a Harris Teeter they sold some cheese that said on its label that it was for melting and making hot queso dip, and I shamelessly bought it and it produced perfect results (it was a white cheese and otherwise had Spanish on the label, so I'm not talking about anything even close to Velveeta here). I now no longer live near HT but I am sandwiched between a Whole Foods and a great local grocer who sells a fair amount of Mexican cheeses.

Can someone please recommend what type of cheese I should be buying, and exactly how I should be melting it? My latest attempt was buying Oaxaca cheese and trying to melt it covered and with a splash of milk in the microwave, which is how I used to melt the HT kind. As you can probably predict, this resulted in a stringy, not really melted, separated mess that hardened into cheese brick. Oaxaca in the oven produced the same result. I don't know why I'm being such an idiot about this but please SE'ers, show me the queso light here.

Hello Serious Cooks! I am traveling with my fiance to St. Croix next week to vacation with my future in-laws and they have asked us to prepare a meal while we are there using veal as the main dish. We are skilled in the kitchen but I don't have a go-to veal recipe since we don't eat it that much. If someone could please recommend a great recipe I would really appreciate it! I am told there is a decent grocery store there so I guess don't worry too much about my ability to find ingredients.

Greetings Serious Eaters! Next week I will be in St. Croix with my future in laws (yikes) and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for eating out. Additionally, as my future in-laws know that my fiance and I like to cook, they have asked us to prepare a dinner while we are there that has veal as the main course. Super random, right? Although we're serious cooks it is very rarely veal. So any recipe recommendations would be helpful. Also, can I travel with a chef's knife? Thanks! (I might cross-post this in cooking, btw, sorry in advance).

Greetings serious eaters! After many years of wanting to fry foods at home but never trying for one reason or another, Superbowl Sunday will be my first time. I want to make fried wings and beer battered onion rings. My question: can I use one pot of peanut oil for both of these foods, or do I need to change it in between? It's SO EXPENSIVE so I'm trying to use as little as possible. Also, should I do the onion rings first? Seems smarter for sanitation, no? I have no idea about any of this and I'm just going to use a deep pot and oil, any tips appreciated!

Hello! I am very fortunate to have two bosses who are pretty great to work for, and this year I'd like to give them a small token of appreciation by baking them a small batch of delicious cookies. The trouble is, I am not sure how to package them so they look elegant/pretty/classy and not overly cheesy, cheap, or carelessly thrown together. A nice small tin would probably be okay, but I'd almost prefer something else. Does anyone have any good online sources for something like this? I live in DC but don't have a car so if someone local has local suggestions, I would also be glad to hear of those. Disposable or reusable, either is fine. Thanks in advance!

Dear SE NYC Food Experts,

I'm planning a surprise trip to NY at the end of July for my boyfriend. We'll be traveling from DC and arriving very late Friday night, so we'll have all day Saturday and then Sunday morning before going back to DC. I'm hoping to take him to Le Bernardin for dinner on Saturday night because he loves Eric Ripert, or Per Se as an alternate. Other than that, I don't know what we should do. Neither of us have been to NY for at least 5 or 6 years and we've never gone together, so where else should we go? We are not picky eaters at all and love everything from greasy spoons to fancy high-end meals. No dietary restrictions. Would prefer to have at least one affordable breakfast/brunch idea. Boyfriend is also really into bourbon so any ideas related to that would be good. I haven't made our hotel reservations yet but I'm thinking I'll want to stay near wherever we have dinner on Saturday night, so close to Le Bernardin hopefully. I was also thinking about going to Eataly b/c we love to shop for food and go to interesting food stores but maybe it's just a tourist trap?

I know Talk is full of NY recommendations and so is SE NY but I'm hoping you NY experts will take some pity and help me make plans for this specific trip. I want to have a memorable trip and I know that requires the knowledge that only locals can provide. I will answer any questions you have if more info would help make recommendations. We're adept at public transit but won't have a car, so that's something to keep in mind as well. Thank you in advance! I just want to give him a really special birthday.

I'll be staying in Baltimore this week at the Kimpton Monaco, a short walk up the street from the Balitmore Convention Center. I need quick lunch recommendations within walking distance of the convention center, and dinner recommendations that are walking distance from the Kimpton or offer tasty delivery food to that area. Anyone have any recommendations? I read about Two Boots, any thoughts on that? I'd prefer to keep both meals affordable, especially lunch. Thanks!

I would like to buy a coffee grinder as a gift, and I am hoping the SE community can recommend their favorite models to me. The little research I have done so far suggests a conical burr grinder would be best, but is that true, and if so, what brand/model? This is for a coffee fanatic so I'm really looking for the best. Thank you in advance!

Hello! I have a recipe that I really like for cutout cookies, with one minor issue: although they work really well for cutting out shapes and they do taste yummy, I find them to be a little too cakey for my preferences. I prefer chewy cookies in general, or cutout cookies that are more dense and crumbly. Can someone help me adjust this recipe to achieve the right result? I was thinking maybe reduce the eggs, or melting some of the butter first. Here's the original recipe:

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
3 eggs
3 tsp. baking powder
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Cream the above ingredients until fluffy. Stir in:

1 cup milk
1 Tbls. vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda

Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Roll it out, cut out shapes and bake at 400 degrees F.

I would really appreciate any suggestions! Also, does anyone have a good basic frosting recipe for cutout cookies? Thanks in advance.

One of my very good friends is going to Vegas for a conference next week, and he is a total foodie like all of us. He asked me if I had any recommendations for Las Vegas restaurants, and since I haven't ever been, I thought I would turn to you guys. So, if anyone has any Vegas restaurant recs, I would really appreciate it! Money isn't really a concern, though a mix of high and low recs would be great. Also, if anyone can comment specifically on Restaurant Guy Savoy, that would be really helpful.

Hello! I know it's wonderful summertime outside, but I just moved into an apartment complex where I don't have any personal outdoor space for grilling, and the communal rooftop grills won't be installed for over a month or so from now. I enjoy the occasional steak at home though, and I haven't been having great success preparing them under my broiler in the oven. Although they come out rare to medium rare like I want, they are often tough and dry. I do let the steak rest after taking it out, so I feel like salt is probably one large culprit here.

That being said, can someone suggest the right methods and techniques for ensuring a nicely prepared steak from the oven? Do I salt the meat well in advance, right before, or not at all before cooking? Do I rub with olive oil? Pepper? Seasoning? Use the high or low broil? Flip during cooking, or no flip? I do use a thermometer, so I'm not worried about cooking to accurate doneness. But should I preheat the pan I'm using? I would like to not have to use very expensive cuts--if a good result can be achieved with sirloin, that would be ideal, but I'm open to suggestions there too. My cholesterol thanks you in advance for your tips :-)

I just read the CNN article that I think was linked to in a recent SE post, here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/04/05/airplane.food.etiquette/?hpt=Mid

The article begins with a story about a woman who was irritated and disgusted by some fellow plane-mates. During her flight, a couple seated next to her ate some food that they had brought onto the flight in Tupperware containers, "full of some kind of food that had a lot of curry and garlic and onions and all those yummy scents" recalls the irritated woman. She continues by saying, "They proceeded to have a feast, and they were pretty happy about it," but that the homemade food made her gag. She calls the experience "terrible." Note that this was on a four-hour flight from NY to Denver.

As an infrequent flier but someone who is about to take a flight myself this Friday, I find myself wondering, really? I mean, I understand how it can be annoying to be seated in a confined space with others who are consuming something fragrant, good or bad. But with airlines no longer feeding you for free, and with for-purchase options at crazy prices for miserable food, what is a hungry traveler to do these days? Tips in the article suggest, among other things: (1) Pre-packaged snacks and cold foods--no hot foods at all; and (2) No foods with fish, hard-boiled eggs and any foods containing garlic, onions, parmesan cheese or vinegar, as well as freshly fried foods.

Is this article right? I want to pack something tasty and satisfying for my upcoming flight, so some thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated!

Does anyone else feel like in the last few weeks or so, you have been reading comments from members you are unfamiliar with, who are posting really negative, nasty comments? I feel like I have seen it very often recently in Talk threads as well as comments to normal posts. Is SE advertising its site more broadly or in new places now, attracting these newer members? I love new members, but I don't understand why some of these people would come to SE, take the time to join and comment only to be so downright nasty, adding nothing constructive to the site except to bash its contributors. Are these rogues from a competing site trying to squash our good vibes? Seriously though, in the SE "About" section it states, "Serious Eats is a website focused on celebrating and sharing food enthusiasm through blogs and online community." So let's see--celebrating, shared food enthusiasm, and later, they also mention "inclusive conversation." I'm all for healthy debate and different points of view, but let's be civil. I felt compelled to post this because it is making SE less enjoyable for me, and it feels less like a community. Does anyone else notice any of these changes, or am I totally off base here?

Hi SEers,

I made no-knead bread for the first time a few weeks ago, and I used a cast-aluminum dutch-oven. It came out pretty tasty, but I would like it to be a little bit taller, which would require a smaller pan than my large dutch oven. I'm afraid to put some of my smaller baking dishes in the oven at the 500 degree temperature. In particular, I would like to use either of these vessels, as they both have similar diameters that I think would produce the result I am seeking: (1) a 1.3 Qt. souffle dish by Anchor Ovenware--it appears to be clay-based, with a clear glaze on it; (2) A stainless steel 3 Qt. pot with lid. I don't see any non-steel parts on the entire thing, and it doesn't have any non-stick finish on it or anything. I would prefer to use this the most, since it comes with a lid.

I know this is probably an elementary question, but can either of these withstand the 500 degree oven without damaging themselves or the bread? Thanks in advance, I am planning on baking tomorrow!

I'm new to pizza making at home, but last weekend I gave it a try. I made a crust from scratch using a recipe I read about on SmittenKitchen's website: 6 Tbl. warm water, 2 Tbl. white wine, 3/4 tsp. active dry yeast, 1/2 tsp. honey,1 tsp. salt,1 Tbl. olive oil, and 1.5 cups flour. I whisked the wine, water and yeast in a medium bowl until the yeast dissolved, added the honey, salt and olive oil and stirred, added the flour, and worked it with a spoon and my fingers until it came together as a dough. I kneaded it for 2 mins., and I let it rise for about an hour to an hour and a half. I had preheated the oven to 500 with my pizza stone in it. After letting the dough rise, I formed it into a ball and let it rest for 15 mins. I then rolled it out, topped it with sauce, cheese and pepperoni, and put it in the oven. I was hopeful...

The pizza appeared to bake up nicely, with good brown spots on the crust, and good melty cheese action--when I took it out, the edges were crispy, and it looked like a "professional" pizza. But when we dug into eat, the middle of the pizza was soggy and seemingly undercooked, while the rest of the dough was pretty crispy. I was careful not to overtop it with too much sauce or other toppings, and I'm fairly certain I rolled it out pretty evenly, and leaving it in the oven longer would have only burnt the pizza.

What went wrong? The house in which I was making the pizza (not my own) was a bit drafty, and the dough, even after 1.5 hours, didn't appear to have risen as much as I was expecting it to. Could an inadequate rise have been the problem? Bad yeast? I'm confused. I know some SE and Slice readers are pizza gurus so I come asking for your wisdom. What's up with the soggy center?

Dear all-knowing SE'ers: I will be spending 48 + hours in Chicago in about 10 days, and I would like some recommendations for eating out! I know that's a tall order, which could result in hundreds of delicious recommendations. But I can't really narrow it down too much because I don't even know yet where I will be staying.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night eats, ethnic, bakeries, pizza, hole in the walls, cool bars, just about anything would work. There isn't really any type of food me or the bf won't try, so bring it on. I guess the only parameter is budget--I could afford one dinner somewhere where the entrees float around $20 or $30 maybe, but one night only, so try to keep the other recs affordable please. Dim sum might be nice, as well as some good Mexican or other ethnic eats--good sandwiches too. Bring it on please :)

Hi Serious Eaters :-) This Friday, my aunt is hosting twenty of our relatives for an early Christmas celebration. She is making the dinner and I am pretty sure that a ham is her main course. She has asked me to bring a side dish. I know for sure she is also making pierogi and a broccoli side dish, so I should probably avoid anything that would have potatoes or broccoli as the star. I need some recommendations for your favorite sides! Something that will really wow everyone. Don't worry about calories, this is Christmas dinner so I'm not thinking about that, I just need your best ideas.

Please help! Ideas are very much appreciated, especially accompanied with links or copies of recipes.

I'm in D.C. for the summer with my boyfriend, and we're both really into great food. I want to take him somewhere spectacular for his birthday in July; any suggestions? We're not picky at all (also we do eat meat), and I'm willing to pay . Somewhere with outdoor seating or beautiful decor would be a plus, but the food and service are most important. We are living in NOVA but I'm happy to take him anywhere in the DC area, and I do have access to a car. Please help! He likes French food but appreciates almost every cuisine. I want to plan now to make a reservation, so suggestions would be much appreciated.