Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I was reading a memoir of a pioneer woman settling Canada in the 1800's. She recalls hearing that fall harvested dandelion roots make a good coffee substitute, so she dug up a bunch, cut them up into bean sized pieces, roasted them, and made a fine cup of coffee. She described the flavor as better than the cheap coffee beans available to them at the time. I have yet to repeat this experience, but kind of want to.

I think to counter this experiment, Kenji should do an Atkins diet down the road. Research shows it's ever better at lowering cholesterol and improving triglycerides.

I'm picturing a barley mushroom burger and drooling... I love the column and its attendant explorations and asides. I am an omnivore, and a huge animal lover, so I choose to eat only animals raised by local farmers with their welfare in mind. I have explored veganism, and I like the philosophy, although I feel that ethically sourced meat is a better choice for me. I also have seen first hand that unless you grow all your food by hand, yes, something will die for you to eat, even if only some baby birds dislodged from their nest as you plow.

I also sprinkle it on pilafs, or plain rice. It gives a lemony hint that is addictive.

I love the loaf pan from King Arthur, it is metal, very thick and sturdy and I've never had anything but excellent results from it. Just touching it is a pleasure, and I shove everything in there - bread, meatloaf, pound cake...

Dang if I didn't just go and get a baked potato w/chili, and several hot sauce packets. Very decent lunch indeed.

Also, stuff like Tabasco on eggs provides an important sour/salty component that adds actual flavor to dishes, not just heat. So it's not all about pain, if chiles were tasteless just hot I doubt they would be half as popular.

All these comments are a huge contrast to Canada, where by and large people sadly sigh about their supermarket options. It's typically a boring choice between Safeway, Co-op, Sobeys or Loblaws, Superstore and Costco. No Wegmans, no Trader Joe's, only a couple of Whole Foods, and nothing much else.

Definitely. My favorite meals are cooked when I'm really hungry. It's like I channel that energy into food and make it taste better. I don't notice this effect when spouse cooks, so it's not just hunger making ALL food taste better. If I'm angry, I'm either not eating, or a quickie sandwich will do. And who's to say whether it's an old wives' tale that dough should not be worked in a bad mood, ever.

@sponsor - I love beef too! Especially grass-fed, free-range and without hormones.

Great recipe, I've never made a proper bowl of red, and should remedy that soonest.

I adore fish, but quite occasionally. It has never been nor will be a daily staple in our house. I'd rather eat it once a month, sourced from a fishmonger and indulge, rather than eat it all the time.

The reasons are multiple - from mercury in ocean fish, to high prices for quality fish, to ethical sourcing, to the simple fact that I get sick of it if I eat it more than once a week. But as an occasional meal it's fabulous.

I typically double or triple anything fresh, I adore fresh herbs. I've also been known to quintuple (or more) garlic. With dry spices I err on the side of less and/or common sense.

@skamama - wow that's a wealth of useful info, and I'm not even the one going up there.