How do you describe texture of perfectly cooked shrimp?

Almost every Asian language has a word for the texture and mouthfeel of perfectly cooked shrimp. But no concise English word!

I'm talking about the crunchy, firm, crisp texture when you first bite into the shrimp. It's a similar texture as biting into the perfect grapefruit or pomelo.

For pasta, we use the Italian, al dente. But we need a word for shrimp!

What would you say?

If you can't get FAGE yogurt, then substitute with....

1 quart of good quality whole milk yogurt. Strain in cheesecloth for 3 hours. It will taste just the same. Creamy, tart, rich, smooth cheese-like yogurt.

What is your fav brand of yogurt?

Giant man-eating catfish....real or fake?

This story has been circulating on the Chinese blogs and newspapers:
Giant Man Eating Catfish

How do you describe taste of mussels?

to someone who hasn't tried it before? It was a question someone asked me on my blog after I posted a recipe for Steamed Mussels in Lemongrass Coconut Curry.

Would love your opinions!

Grouper Cheeks...what shall I make?

For the Chinese, the cheeks of a fish is the best part. We used to fight over who would get the little morsels of cheek meat. Since I have fierce chopsticks kung-fu skills, I usually won.

But I've never had grouper cheeks, which are about 2 1/2 inches wide! I saw these at the market and had to buy a pound. Just think! All these grouper fish in the ocean swimming aimlessly with no cheeks now!

Would love to hear what you would make with grouper cheeks...

Anyone have a good gelato recipe?

Before I went on vacation, I pureed and froze a ripe honeydew....now I'm looking for a gelato recipe that I can adapt for the honeydew. The puree is pretty watery. Any suggestions?

Breast milk cheese?

My stomach in knots right now after reading this: (but fair warning, please don't click on it until after you've safely digested your breakfast)

Breast milk cheese

I've eaten my share of weird foods,and sometimes my kids eat their own boogers, but eating human product really freaks me out.

What is the best way to age steaks?

Why pay an extra $5 per pound for the butcher to age your steaks? Here's what I do:
1. Clear refrigerator shelf, put refrig thermometer on same shelf
2. Lovingly pat steak dry, whisper words of encouragement to steak, "you can do it! i have faith in you!"
3. Get a baking sheet, line with 3 layers of paper towels and place wire rack on top. Place steaks on rack.
4. Age 2-5 days, changing paper towels daily
5. Before cooking, cut off any of the crusty bits

Tips
1. Best to use bottom shelf (coldest)
2. Check thermometer daily - should be at least 36 degrees F
3. You could age longer, but the whole food safety thing...you know...being diligent on minimal door opening & keeping right temp is just too stressful after the fifth day. Don't age if you have a habit of standing in front of your open refrig door to cool off in the summer.
4. You should really dry age roasts, not thin steaks. If your steak is on sale, just ask your butcher to cut you a nice big thick piece - I like them 2.5" to 6" thick. If you try aging thin steaks, all you'll get is crusty crust. Age only Choice or Prime. Don't do it with the cheap stuff - there isn't enough marbling.
5. After aging, you can then cut the big slab-o-meat into smaller steaks, vacuum seal and store in freezer.

Whats your favorite method? If you only age for 2 days, do you even notice a difference?

Why does food network hide food labels?

Some shows just turn the labels (but you can still totally tell the brand by colors, shape, etc.) Other shows make their own labels to cover. What is reason?

Do you share your real identity on your blog? Why or why not?

I'm a relatively new blogger living in a city whose average age of residents is 76. The most happenin' place in town is the early bird happy hour at Bob Evans - their menu is popular because it consists of very soft, easy to gum foods like mashed potatoes and pureed Viagra. Not much happening here in this town, and I've lost some of my big city edginess and guard. I'll admit that I'm pretty naive to this whole blogging world.

I just have some questions for you veterans, because you know, I don't want to do anything stupid to jeopardize like the rest of my life or anything.

Why do most bloggers not show real identities or real photos? I've seen sites with nicknames, initials, lips, cartoon characters. It just seems silly to me to call my husband "S' or my kids, "Thing #1 and #2." I'm not a known felon, nor am I in any witness protection program. I haven't been an employee for a company in over 10 years, so I'm not afraid of pissing anyone off.

Is there some massive blogger identity theft ring that I should know about? Should I put the black bar over my eyes like in the back page of fashion magazines where they show the FASHION DON'TS??! I swear I don't wear daisy dukes with hooker heels....only with my CFM boots.

Maybe its the other way around. Maybe bloggers don't want their friends and families snoopin' around their blogs, because then you can't say stuff like, "My sister is a slut who would sleep with donkey ass for attention" (just kidding. I don't have a sister.)

Or MAYBE, just maybe having my real name and photo just makes me a prime target for sites like www.shemalesxxx.com

Have you ever noticed how many times Alton Brown says, "Uh"?

I love him and he's still my favorite FN star. But now I can't stand watching because the "uh" is so annoying and distracting. I can't help myself from counting how many times he says it.