Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I use applesauce occasionally, but only when it goes with the rest of the flavours in the recipe. More often I use plain yogurt (or flavoured if I'm making something with fruit).

I don't like most veg. oils in baking, I find they make for really greasy food. I do, however, replace half the butter in my choc. chip cookies with unrefined coconut oil... and then add coconut flakes to the recipe...yum!

I replace most eggs with a combo of flour, butter, baking powder and water. And I despise fake sugars - no splenda for me - but I have been known to use banana as a sweetener.

For the ultimate in replacements check these out: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html
...even better than they look!

I do not tip at drive thrus; i would tip at a takeout-only place if the order were complicated, I was a regular, or they routinely threw in an extra, or remembered my order when I walked in.
I always tip for takeout (around 10-15%) at restuarants whose primary business is dine-in eating. (I usually ask for whomever packed my order, rather than just handing over to the cashier if there is one) As many have mentioned, it usually falls to a server who must take time from tables to take the order, pack it, and check it, and they will be taxed as if they had recieved a tip. In these restaurants, I kind of consider it a favor that they even do takeout, and treat it as such.

Thanks everbody for the quick response.

Looks like a taste test between Polaner's and Smuckers Sugar-Free will be on the agenda.

I might try a small batch of homemade using some fruit juice and pectin, although for all the work and clean up, I'm thinking that just buy the All-Fruit flavor of choice.

I agree with dragonflyknits, I've tried several and the only thing I really like is Polaner seedless blackberry preserves, which contains Splenda. A couple years ago I went on a serious diet, and I made PB&J's on whole wheat with this stuff and they were delicious.

Self-checkout here, but if there isn't an option for it, I usually go for the shortest line and look to see how the checkers are doing with their patrons. I also try to shop when most people don't, but there are unavoidable times when I run out of something, have forgotten something, or my regular store doesn't have what I need and I have to run all over to find it.

All you Ramsay fans are crazy in the UK or the US he is a total wanker ...yes the man can cook ........because Marco taught him .......jeffrey is a good crittic honest and harsh when need be but his own show ...I just dont know. To me Ramsay has just become a media whore. And yes I must agree on one point its the producers that are unleashing the Ramsay we see on the US versions of his shows.

I know all the produce and meat people at my neighborhood Kroger's...as well as when to (and not to!) shop. I find that early in the morning when the school zones are packed I get the best service. I have also learned that Thursday is produce shipment day, and $4 salad from 12 hours before gets marked down to 75 cents. For a rabbit like me it makes a difference! And, I use the self-checkout whenever possible - some of the people at my store can be slow, and when I see them, I divert...

@ Cass: The items you listed are all refrigerated. Some people appreciate having them all together - and I know this first-hand from working at a Trader Joe's. The meat should be bagged in plastic before going in to prevent leaks, but I can't stand it when I have to dig through every bag to find what goes into my fridge when I get home. When I shop, I prefer self-checkout or lines w/out baggers as I can pack food more quickly, efficiently (space-wise) and correctly than the people working there.

I go for the shortest line myself. I used to be a cashier, people told me they come and look for me because of my bagging skills and speed.

Steingarten was on White's show? Eff. So, original programming isn't such a big deal to Steingarten. Still think he'd balk at hosting a show that has a tired, cooking competition format.

I don't understand why self-check aisles are built large enough to accommodate a shopping cart. I'll never understand the people who attempt to self-check a fully-loaded cart. If I can't carry everything I want to buy in a single basket, I won't use the self-check. And if you can't, get the hell out of my way.

Love him or hate him, Steingarten is the only one of the three who could move the ball forward in the world of food shows. Can you imagine him putting on a fake persona or doing something unoriginal? Not me. He's believably and genuinely crabby -- unlike Ramsay -- but he's also humorous and an astute professional eater from whom we could learn valuable lessons. His books certainly suggest this. And you know he'd rather eat a preservative-laden salad before appearing on a reality show with a unoriginal format. White did just that by appearing on another show with the GD kitchen competitions. If the viewing public is feeling anything like me, they're tired of celebrity chefs involved in competitive cooking events. Something new would be nice!

Steingarten would be the ultimate surly moderator for a weekly roundtable series, a la The McLaughlin Group, where guests with different culinary viewpoints hash out food issues in an intelligent yet often comical manner. Could also see him hosting a culinary Jeopardy-type show, where he'd get to make hilariously bitchy quips in response to people's answers.

So, I'm all in for Steingarten. He's one-of-a-kind and real. Real smart, real funny and could be truly great on his own show . . . maybe a reality show. Or not.