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From Recipes

Garlic, Cheddar, and Stone Ruination IPA Soup

Ooh, I've had this before at Stone Brewery, and I've made it before. The unidentified fried object in the middle of the dish is tempura broccoli. The broccoli is parcooked before frying so it's creamy underneath the tempura shell. And when you make the soup, make sure to use a *young* white cheddar, not *aged* white cheddar. Otherwise, it'll never come together right! (Don't tell Stone, but I sometimes cheat and use colby or even white American cheese, which are both easier to find than young white cheddar.)

From A Hamburger Today

San Diego: Custom-build Your Burger on an iPad at Stacked

@sdfishtaco: No, I think one iPad is plenty. If your table has more than four people though, it may be best to just order with your waitress, which *is* an option here. Right now, it looks like they have just as much staff as a non-iPad, normal restaurant, but the waitstaff seemed awfully bored when I was there, as if there wasn't enough for them to do. I wouldn't be surprised if the iPad results in a few people getting let go down the line

From A Hamburger Today

San Diego: Custom-build Your Burger on an iPad at Stacked

I visited this place two days ago, and my burger patty looked much better than the one in the picture above. Very well seared, to the point where you could pick bits off the edges and nibble on them like burger candy. Since they're new, there's probably going to be a bit of variance in the quality.

@Burger365: It's more like a sit-down restaurant, not an order-at-the-counter restaurant. You're seated by a hostess who explains the iPad ordering process in excruciating detail. You place orders on the pad and can send it to the kitchen at any time, so you can send a drinks order to the kitchen as soon as you're seated, then send a burger-and-fries order once you've perused the menu.

There's only one iPad per table though, so one slowpoke in the group could hog it for a while!

From Serious Eats

Thanksgiving Recipe Inspiration: Hors d'oeuvres

Definitely appetizer people here! As a baker, I have to work on Thanksgiving, then cook the turkey for friends and family when I get home, so dinner often isn't until six or seven. Pies and strong coffee for breakfast and a good variety of appetizers keep everyone happy until the turkey hits the table. I usually keep things on the kitschy-comfy side: cheese balls, deviled eggs, and shrimp cocktail, but those prosciutto rolls are looking awfully tempting.

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Tally answered "Way" to Grocery store self-checkout lanes: way or no way?

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Tally answered "Quiche" to What's Your Favorite Kind of Savory Pie?

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Tally got 50% correct on What's Your Ice Cream IQ?

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Tally got 85% correct on How Much Do You Know About Chocolate Chip Cookies?

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Tally got 85% correct on How Much Do You Know About Indianapolis Food Culture?

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Recent Comments

From Recipes

Garlic, Cheddar, and Stone Ruination IPA Soup

Ooh, I've had this before at Stone Brewery, and I've made it before. The unidentified fried object in the middle of the dish is tempura broccoli. The broccoli is parcooked before frying so it's creamy underneath the tempura shell. And when you make the soup, make sure to use a *young* white cheddar, not *aged* white cheddar. Otherwise, it'll never come together right! (Don't tell Stone, but I sometimes cheat and use colby or even white American cheese, which are both easier to find than young white cheddar.)

From A Hamburger Today

San Diego: Custom-build Your Burger on an iPad at Stacked

@sdfishtaco: No, I think one iPad is plenty. If your table has more than four people though, it may be best to just order with your waitress, which *is* an option here. Right now, it looks like they have just as much staff as a non-iPad, normal restaurant, but the waitstaff seemed awfully bored when I was there, as if there wasn't enough for them to do. I wouldn't be surprised if the iPad results in a few people getting let go down the line

From A Hamburger Today

San Diego: Custom-build Your Burger on an iPad at Stacked

I visited this place two days ago, and my burger patty looked much better than the one in the picture above. Very well seared, to the point where you could pick bits off the edges and nibble on them like burger candy. Since they're new, there's probably going to be a bit of variance in the quality.

@Burger365: It's more like a sit-down restaurant, not an order-at-the-counter restaurant. You're seated by a hostess who explains the iPad ordering process in excruciating detail. You place orders on the pad and can send it to the kitchen at any time, so you can send a drinks order to the kitchen as soon as you're seated, then send a burger-and-fries order once you've perused the menu.

There's only one iPad per table though, so one slowpoke in the group could hog it for a while!

From Serious Eats

Thanksgiving Recipe Inspiration: Hors d'oeuvres

Definitely appetizer people here! As a baker, I have to work on Thanksgiving, then cook the turkey for friends and family when I get home, so dinner often isn't until six or seven. Pies and strong coffee for breakfast and a good variety of appetizers keep everyone happy until the turkey hits the table. I usually keep things on the kitschy-comfy side: cheese balls, deviled eggs, and shrimp cocktail, but those prosciutto rolls are looking awfully tempting.

From Serious Eats

Taste Test: Store-Bought Turkey Gravy

@cellophane: I agree with you! While knowing the winner of the taste test is the most important part, some little part of my reptile brain likes the schadenfreude of reading about the loser. Come on Serious Eats, channel your inner snark, the big turkey gravy corporations can handle it!

From Sweets

World Famous Date Shakes in Dateland, Arizona

I've been here! Almost a supermarket like ambiance in the place, which was odd in the middle of nowhere, but I couldn't fault the shake: it was pretty darn nice after a long, boring drive, and not too sweet either. Their cactus fruit shake was good too, almost like strawberries and cucumber.

From Serious Eats

Serious Heat: 25 Things To Do with Hot Sauce

Hot sauce, plus chocolate ice cream. ...please don't judge me!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Last year, I was traveling on Thanksgiving morning, so I wasn't going to be home to cook the turkey that morning. Instead, I asked my boyfriend to cook it: he helped me cook a turkey the Sunday before, so I figured he would have the gist of it. He must not have been paying much attention though...

So, I arrive home, after a long day on an airplane, and the first thing I notice: the kitchen is very warm. The oven should have been turned down hours ago. I look at the dial: three hundred and fifty degrees. I look in the oven. There's a beautiful, golden brown turkey in there, which deflates when I poke it. There was nothing left of the poor bird but a crispy skin, dessicated meat, and some hot air in the cavity holding it all together.

He'd put it in at five AM that morning, so the turkey had cooked for nearly eleven hours! And I had company arriving in just one hour! Fortunately, I still had leftovers from my practice bird the Monday before... Carved it up, sauteed in a little butter, and everything was good: no one was the wiser. Still... The poor Sahara turkey.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

Chocolate peanut butter mousse pie. I would *so* make that if I could skip the pumpkin and apple pies (which I can't.) Le sigh.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey

I already have plans to use Mark Bittman's braised and glazed brussels sprouts. Sounds perfect! Though I might have to add some bacon too. Just because, y'know, bacon.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'

Favorite blogs? Definitely Serious Eats. Followed closely by Pioneer Woman Cooks.

If we're not counting those two, then David Lebovitz's blog is a great read!

From Talk

Omitting Soda Pop

To be honest, I don't see the problem with sodas. If you're healthy, soda is fine. I'm trying to lose pounds, so I indulge in diet soda once a day instead. I like the taste, the carbonation, and the way it quenches. I find the acid argument to be a bit bunk, since I brush my teeth often. As long as you're not downing a a twelve pack of Mountain Dew a day, or subsisting off of nothing but Diet Coke, there's nothing wrong with enjoying soda.

From Talk

Learning to Make Good Coffee, Suggestions?

One thing to keep in mind, if you're using flavored syrups for your coffee, make sure to get a good brand, and make sure that you throw them away after they've been opened for more than a month! I've had some awesome lattes and mochas that have been ruined by rancid syrup: tasted like spray paint. This has always been at smaller coffee shops, who try to stretch their syrups too far.

From Talk

Let's talk knives

Definitely make sure you can return the knives if you try them and don't like them, or see if they'll let you cut some veggies in the store (smaller stores will!) I got stuck with a $120 Henckel's knife that is just too heavy for me. I mean, I'm a twenty-three year old guy that hits the gym, and it's just far too heavy for any fine control on the cutting board! The store I bought it from refused to take it back after it had been used.

A year later, I bought a different, lighter Henckel knife that I enjoy much better.

From Talk

Anyone know how much a "speck" is?

A speck, I'd imagine, would be less than a dash or a pinch, making it about equal to a smidgen. http://www.organize.com/smmesp.html

Man, I'm glad recipes have modernized a bit. I had an old recipe from grandmother that actually asked me to count out FIVE red pepper flakes. "Spicy Macaroni Casserole." Insane.

From Serious Eats

Tips for Choosing Supermarket Coffee

I get mine from a local roaster down the street here in San Diego, La Calabria coffee. Awesome stuff. When I'm visiting with my parents though, it's always Eight O'clock coffee, and I'm grateful, 'cause it's a pretty good brew. Always reminds me of home.

From Talk

Regional Fast Food Chains

I'm from Pensacola, Florida, but right now, I live in Southern California. I miss Whataburger so badly! They usually have pretty nice lobbies, are open twenty-four hours, have a special, secret recipe ketchup, and their jalapeño cheddar Whataburger is awesome. Especially if you ask them to grill the jalapeños first. Their french fries are also a dead ringer for McDonalds' fries.

From Serious Eats

The Term 'Housemade' Is the New 'Homemade'

Yep, I'll agree with ag3208 and Chanterelle, to me, it says, "made in-house." Although "housemade" seems awkward to me, and I'd prefer "house-made."

From Talk

Sprinkles, Shots or Jimmies?

I never really liked the cylindrical sprinkles; they were always too waxy for my taste, even as a kid. I love the tiny round dot sprinkles, though I don't see 'em much anymore. And growing up in the South, in Florida, I always called them sprinkles.

From Talk

In theory [blank] sounded like a good idea...reality, however...

If you don't have enough roast drippings to make a pan gravy, don't make a pan gravy out of it. If your gravy is really thin because you didn't have enough drippings, do not add sharp cheddar cheese to thicken it and add flavor. And for love of all that's holy, if your cheddar-gravy monstrosity tastes like vomit, don't pour it all into your pot pie! Worst pie ever.

@cycorider: I was at a friend's house last weekend, and he did the *exact* same thing! Some prebought pancake batter, and added Nesquik to give it some flare. Bleeeah.

From Talk

Most eagerly awaited spring vegetable

Rhubarb. Mmmm. I just dip the cut end in a little cinnamon and sugar and chomp on it raw, but it's also great in a sauce with pork chops, or in strawberry-rhubarb pie.

From Talk

Worst cooking experience ever?

Edit: Actually, forget that fiery cheesecake I mentioned before, worst cooking experience ever was thirty minutes ago. Made a spinach salad, with eggs and walnuts and bacon. Overcooked the spinach, and didn't realize the bacon was bad: I ate the first bite, couldn't believe how bad it was. Ventured a second bite, just to make sure, and promptly ejected the previously-eaten first bite. Overcooked spinach is *bad.*

From Talk

Worst cooking experience ever?

Cheesecake caught fire. I didn't even know a cheesecake COULD catch fire, especially when I had set the oven to just two hundred degrees. I was in a bottom-of-the-barrel apartment complex at the time, and the management kept refusing to replace the faulty oven. After I offered them a slice of my flambéed cheesecake, they finally decided to replace it. Turned out the broken oven was cooking at nine-hundred degrees, no matter what the thermostat was set to. Scary!

@Smokey07: I think every male cook learns that lesson the hard way.

From Serious Eats

Sugar on Snow: Maple Syrup on Snow Snack in Vermont

@Hillary: Not quite. The snow is there to quickly cool the maple syrup, usually, you don't eat it. It comes out kinda like a caramel hard candy.

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Recent Posts

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Salted Water for Boiling Is Most Commented-on Recipe on Epicurious

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Polls

From Serious Eats

Tally answered "Way" to Grocery store self-checkout lanes: way or no way?

From Serious Eats

Tally answered "Safeway" to What's Your Favorite Grocery Chain?

From Serious Eats

Tally answered "Quiche" to What's Your Favorite Kind of Savory Pie?

See more polls by Tally »

Quizzes

From Sweets

Tally got 50% correct on What's Your Ice Cream IQ?

From Serious Eats

Tally got 85% correct on How Much Do You Know About Chocolate Chip Cookies?

From Serious Eats

Tally got 85% correct on How Much Do You Know About Indianapolis Food Culture?

From Serious Eats

Tally got 100% correct on How Much Do You Know About New Orleans Food Culture?

See more quizzes by Tally »

About Tally

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Location: San Diego, CA

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Favorite foods: pears, peaches, olives, pizza, sushi, coffee, crawfish, pumpernickel

Last bite on earth: Shrimp and grits, with bacon. Mm.