$15-20/week, which includes toiletries, paper products, and cleaning supplies. In 2010 I spent $923.17 all year at grocery and drug stores. I'm a vegetarian who uses coupons and grows her own stuff in the summers. Perhaps obviously, I live alone.

I've been noshing on green pea hummus all day. Shockingly good!

I teach in the humanities at the largest university in my state. This sometimes means huge classes, with the students in the nosebleed seats watching me via video. If I were not to get tenure and this professoring thing didn't work out, I've fantasized about a baking career, but that's just a fantasy: I love it too much to have to depend on it for a living.

I don't eat meat and, in the past two years, have been growing my own tomatoes, lettuces, and hot hot hot peppers. For much longer I have grown my own herbs.

That said, I still go to grocery stores. There, bulk bins and coupons have been key. If you wait, you can combine coupons with sales to get free or close-to-free canned tomatoes, pasta, cereal, granola, etc., not to mention things like toothpaste, shampoo, soap—items I haven't actually paid money for in years. And don't forget to bring your own bags and make sure you get your bag credit. Sure, it's only 5-10¢, but all that spare change adds up.

To date, I've spent $536.27 to date on groceries and stuff for the household and hygiene. Yet I'm a complete failure compared to this guy, who recently completed a challenge to spend

It's important to bear in mind, however, that how much one spends on food will vary dramatically according to what kind of market you're in. Supermarkets in my city offer double coupon discounts, for instance, whereas markets with less competition will be more tight fisted with the deals. I've found Bundle to be a fascinating resource in determining what my environs look like as an economic demographic.

A sandwich made from mass-produced white bread, the best industrial mayonnaise, and salted-and-peppered slices from a tomato still warm from the sun.

I've never met a rice I didn't like. Jasmine, Basmati, pilaf, sushi, risotto, mochi, spring roll wrappers, noodles: bring 'em on!

Actually, the mention of the word "Basmati" made me salivate. For what it's worth, I buy Tilda or Royal (love the burlap bags), and cook the rice in the rice cooker with a bit of salt, a couple of cardamom pods, a bay leaf, and one or two cloves. The smell is divine. With some clarified butter, so is the flavor.

rosemary-and-olive-oil Triscuits
airy, sugary cereals, such as Honey Bunches of Oats (for this reason only the more satiating types like raisin bran are allowed in the house)

I've never finished a box of mac and cheese, but only because I always add stuff to it (canned fire-roasted tomatoes; frozen peas, spinach, or edamame). I've come close, though.

@LetthemEatQueso: Yeah, my mind was boggled by that as well. Even the guy at Restaurant Depot looked a little bewildered when she asked him, "Where's the alcohol?"—presumably because he was aware of the challenge.

But Amanda took charge, as chefs are presumably supposed to do (notice how rudely she was cutting off Tamesha, whose gnocchi would have just as bad a choice as bad-boozy chicken) while Jack-Clean knuckled under and compromised her dish. I wonder how her catering business is going to fare, now that she's gone out in a mini-streak of "grainy" glop. At least she was consistent.

I'd forgotten that Kenji Lopez-Alt's burger lab column devoted a piece last week to "Perfect Thin and Crisp Fries." One of the secrets achieving to this perfection is freezing the parboiled fries. Unfortunately the Montgomery Advertiser's (or any small paper's) average reader is unlikely to be hanging out on Serious Eats.

The review is uninsightful and quite poorly written (from the context, that "step above" boxed mac and cheese remark was supposed to be complimentary), but it's a positive one: the reviewer considers your food "quite good" and "yummy." For a professional committed to her or his work, it is natural to focus on the criticisms buried in the praise, but try not to let the seemingly negative bits get to you.

As for your question, I totally agree with thepirateking. Your "hot and fresh and lightly sprinkled with seasoning salt" fries are probably a lot tastier than the review's description lets on.

It depends on the season. In the spring, I've been scrambling them, making omelets out of them, frying them (breaking the yolk) and putting them into sandwiches, and incorporating them into egg salads.

In winter, though, nothing beats a jiggly chawanmushi, except perhaps quiches, frittatas, and tortillas españolas.

I can't think of a bean I don't like, but I always have to have dry black beans, blackeyed peas, chickpeas, and lentils on hand. Cans of these, as well as gunga peas, are permanent residents in my pantry. Likewise, there must be ten bags of shelled organic edamame in my freezer.