I always brine my Thanksgiving turkey in a huge brine-filled tub that sits in my refrigerator for two days, but this year it's out of the question because I don't have the space.

I was at Fresh & Easy recently and I noticed they had a dry brine, which is something I've never heard of before. I guess you cover your turkey in it and then rinse the bird off before preparing it.

Do any of you have any experience using a dry brine? Did your turkey come out well? Would you reccomend a dry brine? I'm assuming a wet brine is preferable, but as I said, that's not an option this year. I guess I'm trying to figure out if I should use a dry brine or not brine at all. To brine or not to brine ...

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I decided to subscribe to David Chang's new food magazine Lucky Peach and I was incredibly excited when I got the first issue in the mail (which is all about ramen), but after reading it I'm very ... underwhelmed. I think the magazine assumes that those of us who are interested in food hang on to every word Chang says and everything Chang thinks. Bourdain's sort of over the top in the magazine, too.

I don't want to judge too harshly, it was just the first issue after all, but is anyone else reading the magazine? If so, what are your first thoughts? I did learn a lot about ramen, but I don't know if it's worth $10 an issue.

I recently found a Korean grocery store by my house and each time I go there I lose my mind and pick out 1,000 different things and then come home and have no idea what to do with half of it.

This past weekend I picked up some fresh buckwheat noodles. I think they're called soba noodles? I'm not sure. Anyhow, I'm aware I can use Google to find recipes, but I was hoping some Serious Eaters would have suggestions as to how I should use these up. So, any suggestions?

I have tons of produce, a gazillion different herbs, several different kinds of mushrooms, miso paste, various proteins, and a well stocked pantry. I'm an adventurous eater and I love to cook, so I'm not necessarily looking for anything that's super simple to make.

Any suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

This morning I was watching Chef Paul Prudhomme's old PBS cooking show and I saw him do the craziest thing- he browned flour in a dry skillet. There was no butter, he wasn't making a roux, he just poured AP flour into a dry skillet and toasted it until it was this nutty brown color and later, he used it to thicken a stew.

Has anyone heard of this before or done this? I was really intrigued by it and now I'm thinking about new applications for browned flour. Could you bake with it? What kind of flavor does it produce?

I saw this New York Times article and thought it was really interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/nyregion/05puritans.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes

I actually applaud the chefs standing their ground. I'm a firm believer in the fact that the customer ISN'T always right. When cooking for family or friends, I'm kind of stern in how I'd like them to eat the food I'm preparing, in the way that I'm not going to omit onions because someone doesn't like them or I'm not going to cook an expensive piece of meat all the way through because someone is sqeamish about pink meat. Maybe that makes me a jerk? I don't know.

How do other Serious Eaters feel about this?

I went through a phase recently (I actually think I'm still going through it) where I was obsessed with everything New Orleans and thankfully, HBO's Treme aired around the same time.

Today I read that Anthony Bourdain is writing restaurant scenes for the second season:

http://www.nola.com/treme-hbo/index.ssf/2011/02/today_in_treme_anthony_bourdai.html

Is there anything Bourdain doesn't do these days?

Is anyone else interested in this? Will you check out his scenes? I've read a few of Bourdain's books and was pleased to find that he's an excellent writer. Hopefully his writing for television is just as good.

I live in Los Angeles and don't eat any high end burgers. I cook nearly every day and when I'm too busy to cook or don't feel like it, I usually opt for burger from one of the many non-chain fast food joints near my house. I've noticed that nearly every place slathers the burger with thousand island dressing. I'm not opossed; I really like the taste, but I'm wondering if this is common in other parts of the country.

Do fast food burgers where you live use thousand island on burgers? Do you like it?

A while back I bought a tub of manteca- or pork fat- from a local Mexican market. When I first purchased it the lard was fresh and had a butter-like consitancy and it smelled like carnitas (because it's the rendered fat from carnitas). I've used it sparingly here and there, but the problem is I can't remember how long ago I purchased it.

I've keep it refrigerated and today I went in for a spoonful for refried beans and the texture was weird- grainy and clumpy rather than smooth and buttery. There is no expiration date on the tub.

Does anyone know how long manteca lasts? Is it still safe to use given its texture or am I better off throwing it out?

Thanks in advance!

At the farmer's market I got a great deal on summer squash, but I've never cooked this type of squash before. I have yellow squash and a pretty, light green squash and both are sort of short and squat- shaped like chubby stars, if that makes any sense.

Should I just treat these the way I do zucchini? My boyfriend said his mom buys this type of squash often and she just boils them, but I was hoping for something more exciting. Does anyone have any recipes they'd care to share for this specific kind of squash? I have a well-stocked fridge and pantry. Thanks in advance!

Today I learned that former Microsoft executive and inventor Nathan Myhrvold has a cookbook coming out called "Modernist Cuisine" from this L.A. Times article:

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-modernist-cuisine-20100923,0,7059582.story

I haven't seen his yet-to-be published $625, 2,400 page book, but it seems to suck the fun out of cooking and maybe I'm old school, but I don't like this hyper modern take on food that's getting a lot of attention lately. Yes, technically, these emulsions and powders and foams and blah blah blah are food, but not the kind of food I want to be eating or cooking.

What do you guys think, are you interested in the science of modern cuisine and do you find this kind of food appealing?

Today I went to the Mexican market near my house and couldn't resist a big, beautiful bouquet of zuchinni blossoms.

I know you can stuff them and fry them and I know you can put them in empanadas- I'm basically familiar with many of the Mexican food-like preparations, but I was wondering: Are there any pasta dishes that call for zucchini blossoms?

I've got a well-stocked pantry, bacon, fresh herbs, tomatoes, and all kinds of other good stuff, so if you have a pasta & zucchini blossom recipe, please send them my way!

My great uncle is 80-years-old and he has a huge sweet tooth. Every week I bake him something decadent and sweet that usually involves chocolate or peanut butter- his two favorite things in the world.

Recently he was telling me a story about how he grew up very, very poor and the biggest treat he'd ever get was his mom's homemade applesauce cake that she'd make once every other month when she could get a hold of some fresh apples and could find the time to make the sauce and the cake (she had six children).

This week it's my goal to recreate his mom's cake, but the only thing he remembers is that it had applesauce in it and that it was brown and sweet. I've found a few recipes online, but I thought I'd turn to Serious Eaters. Do any of you have an old time-y tried and true applesauce cake recipe? Something moist and sweet and delicious?

Thanks in advance!

This summer I've had some time to watch T.V. between deadlines and I'd grown so tired of the Food Network, that I finally broke down and decided to order the new Cooking Channel. For the most part I love it and have actually learned a few things and picked up some great recipes to try along the way, but I'm a little confused about their weekend programming. One show in particular kind of blew my head off.

Has anyone seen Two Fat Ladies? It is the oddest, craziest, most bizarre cooking show I've ever encountered. I don't even know if I like it, I just can't seem to look away. I made my boyfriend watch it with me and he was so confused and is now convinced that anyone- including our cat- can have their own cooking show.

Have you guys seen it? What do you think? How the hell did this show come to exist?

A family friend keeps giving me tomatoes. They're big and beautiful, but I can't eat another fresh tomato to save my life so I'd like to make some pasta sauce. I have a way of making sauce with fresh tomatoes, but I remembered a recipe I saw on Bravo's Chef Academy with Jean-Christophe Novelli. He taught the students how to make his grandmother's tomato sauce, but along with star anise (which I think is weird), he also added a vanilla bean.

Vanilla beans are expensive and I don't want to waste one on tomato sauce if it's going to taste unusual, so has anyone ever heard of that? What does it add to the sauce? Do you reccomend it? It seems completely bizarre to me. I've heard of adding sugar to tomato sauce, but other than this Novelli recipe, I've never heard of adding a vanilla bean.

My nieces and I bond over food and one of our favorite things to do is to walk to the corner Japanese restaurant and have a big bowl of miso soup. The other day I was thinking about how fun it would be to try making the soup with them instead of buying it. So, I went online and went Google crazy and got really confused.

So, can someone please tell me how to make dashi? What type and brand of bonito flakes should I purchase? (I can order stuff online or go to a local Asian market.)

Also: Please teach me about miso paste. What are the differences between the colors? How do I store it? Other than miso soup, what can I use it for? What are some easy-to-find brand names that taste good?

And then if someone could throw in their recipe for miso soup, that would be especially awesome. If not, I can try one of the 8,000 I found online.

Thanks in advance!

Last year before I'd ever tried a moon cake, I asked other Serious Eaters about their experiences with them. I can't find the link, but they're incredibly dense, rich little cakes (often including a salted duck egg) and they're eaten during the Chinese Harvest Moon Festival in September.

Last year I ordered a lotus seed paste one from Asian Food Grocer, but this year I'm going to seek out the real thing in Chinatown.

Are any other Serious Eaters going to partake in a moon cake this fall? What flavors do you reccomend? Also: Why are they so goddamn expensive?

I remember being interested in cooking as a kid, but my passion for food didn't really develop until I moved away from home- and out of state- for the first time and was forced to fend for myself. Rather than go the frozen dinner and junk food route, I opted to learn how to cook and take advantage of the awesome markets near my house.

Today, while eating a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, I was thinking about all of the stupid shit I used to do back when I was stupid about food, wasteful with my money, and too lazy to cook. Some of the things included:

- Paying around eight bucks for a bad grilled cheese sandwich and fries at a diner ... when I wasn't drunk
- Buying soup out of a can
- Buying things like pasta sauce and cheese sauce
- Eating vegetables that came from a can
- Using margarine

Those are just a few of mine. I'm sure some of you grew up in houses that treated food with respect, but I didn't. So for those of you like myself, who weren't born to food-loving serious cooks, what are some of the stupid things you used to do before getting serious and learning to cook and eat right?

Los Angeles was having such a weird summer up until three days ago. It was overcast and sunny, but not hot. The evenings would cool down dramatically and get so windy you'd need a sweater. Then BAM! A major heat wave moved in and I can't seem to stomach heavy, hot food.

I need some ideas for cold dishes that will be filling and tasty. I'm going grocery shopping in a bit and so far I only have the following cold food ideas:

Fruit
Green salads
Greek pasta salad
Potato salad
Various sandwiches
Cottage cheese topped with tomatoes and pepper

And that's it. Kind of sad looking, I know. Does anyone have any ideas for summertime food? Cooking a bit with family and friends on the weekend isn't out of the question. We usually grill chicken and carne asada and made various salsas, so I'm willing to budge on the cold food thing a bit.

Also: What are you guys eating now that it's unbearably hot? New Yorkers, I know you've had one hell of a summer. What are you eating?

Thanks in advance!

My nieces are in California and they're alternating between my house and their grandma's house. Today, after a sleepover at their grandma's, they came back with a ziplock bag of what appeared to be brightly colored candy. They looked good enough and the girls said they were delicious, so I ate a couple and thought they were disgusting .... but familiar.

After a couple more tastes I realized they were fennel seeds coated in candy. I immedietly became intrigued and asked them a thousand questions they didn't know the answers to.

So, Serious Eaters, have you heard of sugar coated fennel seeds? How on earth did these things come to be? Are there any fans out there? Are there other similar candies? Where did these things come from, what is their origin?

I've made BBQ sauce before from recipes I found on random food websites, but they never taste quite right. Tomorrow I'm making ribs and I thought I'd ask the ever reliable Serious Eaters if you guys have a simple BBQ sauce I can throw together for dinner.

I don't care if it's vinegar-based or tomato-based. I have a well-stocked pantry, so access to different ingredients shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks in advance!

I'm reviewing this beautiful new baking cookbook called The United Cakes of America for a website and it features two or three cakes for each state.

I've found all of the regional cakes very interesting and I was especially interested to test recipes for my own state (California Avocado Cupcakes).

Some of the cakes were pretty obvious, like New York's cheesecake and Boston's cream pie, but it was cool to read about North Carolina's Hummingbird cake and other sweet treats I didn't know about.

It got me wondering: Are regional cakes really that well known? For example, do you know the sweets that originated in your area? Are they really cooked often for parties or family get-togethers?

I know we've discussed the new Cooking Channel on the site before, but I'm wondering if anyone's tried any of the recipes featured on the shows.

I used to love Food Network. I think the network was largely responsible for teaching me how to cook, but I haven't been excited about any of the shows for a while. Every now and again I'll catch Anne Burrell, Ina Garten, or Alton Brown, but other than that I think it's a waste of time.

I don't have the cooking channel, but last week I noticed I had a few of the shows On Demand under the Food Network channel. It's ridiculous how into these shows I quickly became. Every single show has featured one or two recipes that I've since made. I can't recall the last time that happened with the Food Network.

I've made Chuck Hughe' beautiful potato risotto with sausages, I've made Chin He-Huang's Egg Fu Young with roasted red pepper and sweet chile sauce, and Laura Calder's apple tart, among many other things. All of the food is solid, easy, and delicious. Why can't the Food Network be like this?

Have any other Serious Eaters tried making Cooking Channel recipes? What do you think of the food?

I'm reviewing a copy of Tom Fitzmorris's Food Town, about the New Orleans food scene pre and post Katrina. I've been obsessed with New Orleans for a long time and it's only gotten worse while reading this book and watching that new series Treme on HBO.

Anyhow, I want to start making some authentic New Orleans food and drinks at home, starting with cafe au lait. Food Town provides a recipe, which seems simple enough, but does anyone know an online source where I can buy chicory?

Secondly, does anyone have an authentic red beans and rice recipe they'd care to share? I'm dying to try a couple versions, including the one in the book.

Thanks in advance!

I do a majority of my work at night and because I only eat one major meal a day, I tend to get hungry when working.

Lately I've noticed that the snacks I choose to eat are totally different than anything I'd eat for a "real" meal. They're either really odd, or made up on the spot, or more adventurous than the food I choose to eat at more conventional times.

Lately, one of my favorites is a black forrest ham, pepper jack, and jalapeno quesadilla that I eat with Mae Ploy-brand sweet chili sauce. This is the kind of thing I would NEVER eat for say, lunch, but for a snack in the middle of the night it's more than acceptable.

Do you find your late night snacking habits to veer off into weird food or junk food, too? I'm wondering why these foods really hit the spot late at night or why they become acceptable, even though they're not the kind of thing I would consider eating for lunch or dinner.

The local Mexican market had pork belly on sale, 2 lbs. for around $3. I've never made pork belly in my life, but couldn't pass at the opportunity.

I'm sure I can find all kinds of fabulous pork belly recipes using Google, but I was hoping some Serious Eaters could provide me with an easy, tasty, beginner's pork belly recipe. I watch tons of cooking shows and it seems as if this is a favorite ingredient among chefs, but I don't even know where to start with this crazy fatty looking thing.

Any recipes/advice/help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!