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Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
Anything as gloriously French as mayonnaise and french fries is okay in my book - mayo has such a weird place in culture now. Beloved among chefs and broadly in Middle America, but ignored by a significant slice of food-lovers.
Cook the Book: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
I've started tempering the eggs when I make this; otherwise they tend to curdle on me and it becomes spaghetti with scrambled eggs.
How to Make a Pizookie, or a Pizza-Cookie
Get over yourself, Jim.
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Acid, the Oft-Overlooked Seasoning
Posted by Robyn Lee, February 19, 2009 at 12:45 PM
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Should We Keep Chocolate Milk in Schools?
Milk is probably on the balance pretty neutral. I don't think it's an important part of anyone's diet, and the calcium benefits are generally pretty overblown. Few children have calcium deficiencies in developed nations, and you can get plenty via vegetable sources.
On the other hand, I don't think it has many major flaws. Chocolate milk is sugary but not heinously so, and the amounts served in most cafeterias are modest. So I'm going to say this is a non-issue. Leave it there for kids who want it, but provide other options for kids that don't (water, ideally).
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
Anything as gloriously French as mayonnaise and french fries is okay in my book - mayo has such a weird place in culture now. Beloved among chefs and broadly in Middle America, but ignored by a significant slice of food-lovers.
Cook the Book: Spaghetti alla Carbonara
I've started tempering the eggs when I make this; otherwise they tend to curdle on me and it becomes spaghetti with scrambled eggs.
How to Make a Pizookie, or a Pizza-Cookie
Get over yourself, Jim.
Vendy Award Finalist: Rickshaw Dumplings
6 dollars worth of ingredients would let you make at least 50 dumplings of similar or better quality. Pass.
Cook the Book: '660 Curries' by Raghavan Iyer
My first memory of it was as just "red chicken" at a restaurant, when I must have been 4 or 5 years old - it took a few years before I had any idea I was eating Tandoori Chicken, though I remember seeing it again at 8 or 9 and having a really strong sense memory triggered despite having no idea what I was eating.
Katz's Deli: Go for the Pastrami, Not the Breakfast
Katz's is known for one thing, but since they've stuffed so much garbage onto the menu, I think they deserve to be called out for it. It's not like leaving a half-assed salad on the menu at a steakhouse for vegetarians; this is a deliberate attempt to con chumps out of more money. Why else would you serve this tripe?
Note: They should serve more tripe.
Cook the Book: 'Seven Fires'
Empanadas,empanadas, empanadas!
Sugar Rush: Soft Serve at Baoguette
Any word on when the Baogette will open on Christopher St.?
Cook the Book: 'The Asian Grill'
I once fished a fallen hotdog out of the ashes of a grill, rinsed it off, and ate it, at least 6 hours after the BBQ had ended.
Trader Joe's Practices Refreshingly Good Grammar
The worst thing for me is apostrophes that just show up in the middle of nowhere. "Ten items or less" is frustrating, "Ten item's or less" makes me murderous.
Cook the Book: ''Wichcraft'
I'd like to see him take on the Western New York favorite, the Chicken Finger Sub. Chicken fingers, hot sauce, bleu cheese. Not for the faint or unhealthy of heart.
Cook the Book: 'Urban Italian'
I really a recipe I found for tagliatelle with beef short ribs and shaved chocolate - really!
Cook the Book: 'Beyond the Great Wall'
Sometimes its the most mundane things that seem paradoxically ironic. When I was in rural Chile in the 90s, I was presented at one dinner with what was proudly claimed as the local specialty:
Hot dogs stuffed with cheese! And nothing a whit fancy or unusual about either - standard hot dogs, bright-yellow velveetaish stuff. I swear we had the same thing in the cafeteria in my high school.
How much do you tip the food delivery person?
I have a pretty solid minimum tip of around $4. Just because I only ordered $10 of food, I don't think the service charge should be shrunk down to less than $2.
Are Potato Peels Really Good for You?
Looks like it's fun with child abuse day today.
Food-Related Fake Words in 'Addictionary'
Ouch, my native tongue hurts.
Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Edible Chocolate Box from Charles Chocolates
White chocolate mousse with melted dark chocolate.
Serious Eats Gift Guide: For Bacon Lovers
I'd like that "Bacon is a vegetable" t-shirt the guy was wearing on Top Chef.
Should Picky Eaters Fake Allergies?
As far as I'm concerned, you might as well fake an injury and park in a handicapped spot. After all, you might really not like walking to the store!
Allergies are very serious, and when people ask for accomodations, everyone needs to assume they're in earnest. Liars blow that sky high.
It tastes better the next day
Let me put in a quick exception: I made a pasta e fagioli with blue potatoes a few weeks ago, which tasted fantastic (they've got a great texture for soup), but then after sitting in the fridge overnight, I had a bowl full of navy-blue soup. It was a bit off-putting, though of course the taste was fine.
Preferences of Horseradish
Every winter, I see some beautiful horseradishes at the market, but other than as a topping for roast beef sandwiches and the like, I don't know what to do with them. Any ideas?
Dinner Tonight: Barack Obama's Chili
Raiders - being from the Northeast/Midwest borderlands (Western New York), I can definitely say that around there, every bowl of chili has beans in it even if I skipped it above (accidentally).
I will say I'm skeptical that the original dish didn't have any beans nearby: they're too plentiful, nutritious and easily stored to not accompany a cattle drive that loses some of its income every time they slaughter a cow.
Any thoughts on venison in chili?
Dinner Tonight: Barack Obama's Chili
Sounds tasty, but that's defintely not my New York-style chili, which relies heavily on canned San Marzano tomatoes, and a beef-pork-veal mix that's borrowed from ragu bolognese. Oh, and chipotles in adobo.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
Homemade Mayonnaise is very easy and cheap to make. You can serve it plain or liven it up with herbs, sriracha sauce, or anything else that comes to mind. See the link below for a video instruction. The most important tip is to use a healthy, neutral oil, such as canola oil. The recent mass-marketing of extra virgin olive oil mayo is more about tricking consumers (since most of us know olive oil is healthy) than for achieving optimum flavor.
Should We Keep Chocolate Milk in Schools?
the days they ran out of chocolate milk before I came through the line were the days I didn't drink any milk at school.
I did sometimes drink plain milk at home, generally with ice cubes, because really cold was the only way I could stand it. (Or, over cereal. Mom bought only unsugared things like shredded wheat & grape nuts, but we were allowed to add sugar or honey. so, yum.) the milk at school was never cold enough for me.
My weight gain didn't begin until I was nearly 20 years out of school. When I no longer habitually drink cow's milk.
Do You Put Ranch Dressing on Pizza?
How do you get a white trash girl to suck your d**k?
Dip it in ranch dressing.
Should We Keep Chocolate Milk in Schools?
I only drank chocolate milk as a child with lunch. I would have preferred water overall, but it was never an option. The chocolate also covered up that 'this will turn in a few hours if I don't drink it' taste, which was common in schools.
Should We Keep Chocolate Milk in Schools?
@therealchiffonade - I was joking about kale. But I think the fact that parents are raising kids who don't eat fruits and vegetables is a problem. It's just accepted that kids won't eat healthy food - yes they will, if their parents eat well and they can't spend their lunch money in a vending machine.
As a kid, I loved food like butternut squash puree (granted, it was my grandmother's, so who knows what badness she put in there), broccoli, spinach (usually in pasta), corn, carrots, tomatoes, and every fruit ever. I used to love giving classmates zucchini chocolate muffins, and then telling them - gasp!- they were eating vegetables. And I loved vegetables in spite of my mother's cooking, not because she was an amazing chef.
I enjoyed plenty of junk, too, of course, because kids freaking love sugar. I am just saying that kids not eating vegetables is a far bigger problem than kids not drinking milk (let me once again point out that people from non-dairy cultures rarely shatter). Milk does provide calcium - but you also get saturated fat, cholesterol, lots of calories, and proteins that prevent calcium absorption.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
Comebacks are just marketing tricks. What I'd like to see make an actual comeback is the glass jars Hellman's used to use.
Should We Keep Chocolate Milk in Schools?
@omnomnom... Woo hoo! Your mom's badass!! Falling out of a tree? Holy Hanna.
I even use milk instead of water to make my oatmeal. Why not beef up the nutritive value of oatmeal while I'm at it?? Milk is an excellent source of calcium and it enriches many foods.
Think it's tough to get kids to drink milk? Try getting them to eat kale. Barbed wire would probably be more palatable to kids.
Should We Keep Chocolate Milk in Schools?
@Robyn Lee - Maybe we should start a powerful lobbying grop on behalf of kale?
My mother was raised on a dairy farm and is fairly sure that not drinking milk is a slow form of suicide – I drank a lot of milk growing up. It wasn't until I was in college that I put greater thought into it, looked into the research and decided that it's wrong to push milk as a miracle health drink. It's not.
How to Make a Pizookie, or a Pizza-Cookie
Pizookies are the bomb! by the way, I found a place that sells the 6-inch deep dish pans... here is the link: http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/24715-Chicago-Metallic-Personal-Deep-Dish-Pizza-Pans.aspx What I'm looking for are the smaller pans that BJ's uses for the Mini Trio Pizookie platter. I'm guessing they are about 4 inches in diameter. I'd feel alot less guilty eating one that size... :)
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
A comeback? When did it go away?
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I used to mix it into Kraft Dinner. (that's Kraft Macaroni n'cheese to you Americans)
That was a pretty darn good idea when I was 17. Now the thought makes me want to go to the gym.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
As far as store-bought mayo-esque condiments go, Miracle Whip wins hands down, in my opinion!
On the other hand, few things are better than fresh, homemade mayo.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
Poor Beth. I almost gagged with you at the thought of washing the mayo jar as a child. I will use a limited amount of Hellman's in recipes, but I have to hold my breath, avert my gaze as I glop it from the jar, and stir it in very quickly. There is also a waiting period before I can eat the food.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I love mayo! On the left coast it was Best Foods, where I am now it is Duke's. I am the chick who, as a child, ate mayo and sugar on white bread. I have used it in my mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, the chocolate mayo cake, as the fat for a grilled cheese sandwich. I like the tangy taste. I have tried changing over to mustard, but I just have to have mayo with my tuna salad.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I do love mayo. I grew up in a brown rice and broccoli kind of family, and when I was going through adolescent growth spurts I'd eat mayo straight out of the jar (for some reason we always had mayo in the fridge), which I suspect was a response to the lack of necessary fat in my diet.
I still love mayo. I often doctor up Hellman's if I'm too lazy to make my own- whisk in some olive oil, or even better, olive oil in which I've roasted garlic, or bacon fat, as well as herbs and spices and such. And when I make grilled cheese sandwiches, I smear mayo on the outside of the bread instead of melting butter- works incredibly well.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I love mayo - Best Foods while growing up and Hellmann's the past 15 years of my life...and Kewpie throughout my entire life.
When I am served fries, I make it a point to ask for mayonnaise, ketchup, and yellow mustard. I love fries in my concoction of mayo > ketchup >>> mustard.
Right now, I am eating lunch I brought from home -- yakisoba with fried Spam; cauliflower, broccoli, chicken, and edamame simmered in rayu, shoyu broth, ginger, and garlic; Kewpie mayonnaise; and seaweed.
Last night, I saw a clip of a popular type of ramen served with mayonnaise in Gunma prefecture, IIRC. It looks like shoyu broth mixed with Kewpie mayonnaise. The final *appearance* was similar to tonkotsu ramen. I'm definitely going to try it soon! :)
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
mayo is a perfect condiment. and to those who say it's gross "by itself"... what condiments do you eat "by themselves"?
I must say though i'm surprised to hear about mayo in mashed potatoes. I love the stuff as much as anybody but i've never heard of that.
with french fries, i love to double-dip once in mayo, and once in ketchup. Mayo is a must on almost any cold-cut sandwich, and an absolutely essential supporting player in potato salad.
also, i've made my own mayonnaise, but i'm not totally convinced that it's better than hellman's. some things are best left to the experts...
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
Hellman's has nothing on Duke's. Thats the way to go.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I used to use mayo on a lot of things, but as I taught myself to be a better cook, I generally discovered that there are far superior sauces out there. I'll use it in a potato or chicken salad, though. And I'll still dip fries in it, if I happen to be in a situation where fries and mayo are in alignment in front of me, but I don't seek it out.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
ditto on the "who knew mayo needed to make a comeback" comments.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
Gross. Mayo freaks me out.
Homemade, flavored mayos as a component to a dish are the only versions excluded.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I can't get why some people have a huge repulsion to mayo. I worked with a girl once whose parent's owned a bakery, and she actually had a mayo phobia! It totally freaked her out, made her gag, and otherwise made her crazy just having someone say the word. I don't get that. What's wrong with mayo? It's just oil and water, right?
I can understand where you would gag if you saw someone eating mayo plain. That's pretty gross sounding, but to each his own. I know people who eat ketchup straight out of the bottle.
As for putting mayo straight into dishes, what's wrong with that? I mean, I wouldn't put it in every dish, but for certain things, it brings a rich, lovely flavor to the dish. And is it really much different than putting water, oil and eggs into the dish? I would think it would be a great substitute for those things.
Anyway, I think some people are really over reacting to mayo. It's a condiment just like any other, and if you don't like you, that's ok. But there's no need to bash those who do like it.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I am a huge fan of Duke's Mayonnaise. It has tons of flavor and it might just be a southern thing, but it is delicious.
Is Mayo Making a Comeback?
I love mayo, or at least I did until I fell in love with Hellman's light mayo. This summer I decided I was going back to real mayo, and it just didn't cut if for me. So Hellman's light continues to be the longest ingredient list I eat.
Recent Posts
Recent Favorites
Acid, the Oft-Overlooked Seasoning
Posted by Robyn Lee, February 19, 2009 at 12:45 PM
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Milk is probably on the balance pretty neutral. I don't think it's an important part of anyone's diet, and the calcium benefits are generally pretty overblown. Few children have calcium deficiencies in developed nations, and you can get plenty via vegetable sources.
On the other hand, I don't think it has many major flaws. Chocolate milk is sugary but not heinously so, and the amounts served in most cafeterias are modest. So I'm going to say this is a non-issue. Leave it there for kids who want it, but provide other options for kids that don't (water, ideally).