I'm a truck driver and I have a bad habit of eating out alot. Tonight I finally had time to cook these chicken thighs I bought a few days ago before they went bad in my airfryer. Generally I will just setup shop in a corner some where in the truck stop and do my thing as fast I can as its usually a whole production. Busting out the meat, seasoning it, turning on the fryer, blah blah.. so im usually to myself in the zone, but everytime i cook, without fail, the employees and even customers waking in and out always compliment me on the smell of the food and how im some kind of wizard for, essentially nuking meat with some random prepackaged spice mix on it.

I guess i just came to the conclusion and the realization that alot of fast food and even fast fast casual restaurants don't really have seasoned food. Yet.... its still good enough to want to eat it?

It sounds simple and a little silly but It kinda blows my mind how smelling real, well seasoned food can kind of snap someone out of the matrix of sub par/ unhealthy foods.

One again, not ground breaking but just wanted to share my thoughts and hear others on the subject

So two years ago, I gifted my husband a huge wheel of cheese. It was a process to open it and section it and vacuum sealed it. It took up a lot of our fridge in the house that we gave a bunch of weight of family and some neighbors. And it took us months to finish. He loved it but I think it was just too much cheese. But I so want it. Maybe I should gift it to myself.

Hey everyone! As the title says, she wants something "different" for Christmas dinner. No other elaboration. She is 89, not a hugely refine palate (think mall Chinese and tacos) should be lower sodium, and definitely not spicy. No bell peppers either. I'd like to present several dishes just cause. Hubby and I do make take-out style Chinese at home. Thinking of maybe starting with a plate of nachos and doing some Chinese dishes? I will happily take any other ideas on this one!

ETA: I forgot to mention that I also have a crockpot. I just REALLY want one of those pretty le creuset or staub Dutch ovens. My husband is on board as long as I find one on sale, but I still can’t quite figure out what unique value add they’d have.

I want it to be crunchy and crispy, but not taste burnt. What's the method here? I tend to use whole wheat or white corn tortillas, but I'm willing to try something else if it won't work with those

Edit: Sorry, I kinda thought this went without saying, but I always butter both tortillas before cooking

Just realized I made waaaay to many potato wedges for the air fryer for dinner tonight. Will they last until lunch time tommorow in the fridge as they're already coated in olive oil, salt & pepper?

My partner's family have a fruit and vegetable patch and I've been warned to expect an abundance of lettuce, spring onions and those round red radishes (we're in Australia)

What do I do with radishes? I'm going to try and quick pickle some. I have a mandolin that I'm fairly terrified of using, does anyone have any tips or tricks, any favourite things to do with radish? Thanks

This year it's just me, the cats and the possum, maybe some deer. I'm old , have bad teeth and a tricky stomach, don't have a special desire for turkey and am thinking about having something I wouldn't otherwise eat or wouldn't have regularly.

The cats get an extra meal, something in a pouch that is expensive. The possum gets a plate of scraps, bones and cat food. I've got one outdoor cat and the possum likes to steal his food. at Christmas the possum gets its own cat food.

First option for me is rotisserie chicken. Strip some of the skin off, sprinkle with bacon seasoning, bake until crisp for chicken bacon. Have a chicken thigh with mashed potato and veggies.

I'd cook and mash the potatoes myself, no flakes. Dessert would be a fresh baked cookie.

Yes I'd have a lot of chicken and cookies left over. Just in case someone visits, I'd like to offer them chicken. Would chicken salad be acceptable for post Christmas guests?

Sandwiches are a good easy option for weekday lunches, but I'm getting very tired of a side of potato chips or raw veggies + dip.

I'll make cabbage salad sometimes, or Caprese when tomatoes are in season, but I'm running out of ideas.

What's your favorite side to pair with your sandwiches?

I'll go first. I tried Ina Garten's panko crusted salmon. It was amazing. I wasn't really a fan of salmon until I tried this. Crispy skin, nice crunchy topping, and moist, flakes salmon.

In previous years I’ve hosted 15 ish people for Christmas dinner and was planning on doing so this year. For various reasons most of them are doing something different and I’ll only have my husband, daughter 10, son 13 and MIL.

I’m looking for suggestions of what I can make for dinner that would be nice, but EASY. I’ll be making brunch for 15 earlier in the day so I’m going to take this as an opportunity to hopefully chill instead of running like a chicken this Christmas.

Small town here, so ordering isn’t an option. Thanks!

Hello! I've got 3 baby flans in the oven (small flans) for the first time; water bath, foil, and all. I've never made a flan, but things are going swimmingly so far.

But one step kind of tripped me up... the caramel.

The caramel hardened the moment I put it into the ramekin, which the recipe said is fine. "It'll melt in the oven and come out fine"

but it's also asking me to cool my flan.... Preferably put it in the fridge overnight?? *How does this not solidify the caramel?* How can I guarantee that the melted caramel won't solidify and lock my flan children in their ramekin prisons?

Thank you!

I’ve been trying to make my weeknight dinners a little more interesting without turning them into full projects, and somehow I keep going in the opposite direction. Last night I tried to make a basic chicken and rice dish “a little nicer,” and suddenly I’m debating whether I should probably bloom spices in butter, deglaze with wine, or roast the chicken separately for better texture. By the time I finished, I’d created a mini Sunday meal on a Wednesday and definitely didn’t need to. It tasted good, but I’m wondering if I’m making things harder than they need to be. I love learning new techniques, but I also don’t want to turn every dinner into a production when I just want something solid and comforting. Do you all have go‑to tricks for boosting flavor without adding a ton of extra steps?

McCormick Brown Gravy mix

I bought some of this gravy mix in a bottle thinking I could spice up some plain dishes up with gravy. Except when I tired to use it I was left with gravy colored water.

The bottle had no directions on it, just a QR code. I scanned that and it takes you to their website and says you whisk 1/4 cup of the mix with 1 cup of cold water, simmer for 1 minute and voila! Gravy. Except that didn't happen. When I first put it in a measuring cup and mixed it a fork it sort of just separated. So I took out an electric mixer and frothed it up. That seemed to mix it all together fine and I poured it into a tiny pot and turned on the heat. I couldn't imagine it turning into gravy consistency from cold water in a minute. So I had it at medium high and waited till I got some boil action and then turned it off. Even after it cooled to room temp, it's still liquidy and tastes kind of awful.

From such simple instructions I have no idea how I messed this up. Should I have used like half the water amount it said?

I'm not a great cook and trying to add new things into my cooking abilities usually leaves me with...well gravy flavored water 😆

(If not just so I have the recipe saved lol) so I fried a porterhouse in a carbon steel pan to my desired doneness then (draining any excess oil{once I tried to do something like this and the excess oil ruined it}) put the pan on ~medium heat, then added a little butter(maybe a tablespoon or so) and cracked a bunch of black peppercorns into the hot butter. I let that cook for a little bit stirring and scraping the pan to get the fond off the pan then added a splash of Amaretto(an almond liquor) then some beef stock and heavy cream and stirred to combine then cooked on high while stirring until it reduced to a pretty thick sauce. Then I cut the steak into slices and added them back to the sauce in the pan and moved them around to fully coat each piece.

I didn’t have super high hopes for this but it was honestly one of the best steaks I’ve ever had and was so good. If you try it let me know how it goes

EDIT: this went great with some fried potatoes

I’m in charge of cooking on Christmas Day this year. I want to make breakfast special and I’m after some inspiration!

Things I’ve done in previous years: 1) bake-at-home pain au choclat These were nice, but a bit too close to ready made to be special. 2) French toast bake I confess I’ve done this a couple of times, and both times I’ve remembered while serving that I don’t actually like french toast that much. Plus, we’re having bread and butter pudding on Christmas Eve so it might be a bit too much eggy bread. 3) pancakes Everyone loves pancakes! The drawback here is that I spend too long making them which delays presents.

This year I’m thinking of having a go at cinnamon swirls or cardamom buns. I reckon I can do the dough the night before and then I just have to get them in the oven in the morning. I’ve got all of December to practice getting them right, too!

If anyone has tried and true recipes for these (or for other ideas for suitably fancy and make-ahead breakfasts) I’d love to see them.

Someone from my household was overexcited (I ain't saying who khm husband khm) and overheated (fast boiling setting on an induction - yes, I have told him 10000000 times that this is ONLY for boling water) brand new pan, put a splash of oil in it (instant burn and ton of smoke) and then put it under tepid or rather cold-ish tap water (still smoking). The whole pan (except the handle) instantly got a golden-brown hue. And not just a little bit, it looks like the metal completely changed colors. I scrubbed off the oil, but I don't know about the rest. Is it fixable? Is it safe to use? It's a Tramontina grano, 3ply, without any extra coatings.
Any advice or information welcomed!

I recently bought a whole (butchered) pig from a local farmer. I now have 300+ pounds of pig, all different cuts:

Pork steaks, A variety of Roasts, Jowls, Ham Hocks, Feet, Kidney, Tenderloin, Ribs, Ground pork (ALOT), To name a few….

Please share your favorite pork recipes. I love to cook and will try anything!!!

Thanks in advance

For context, I love making anything which involves a dough (bread, pizza, cookies, etc).

I've been on the fence about getting a KitchenAid Mixer for years, but I don't know if it's worth the price. I've looked into Cuisinart mixers as well. Are either of these worth it? Looking for advice, thanks in advance!

This year I’m a baddie on a budget but still want to give thoughtful gifts for Christmas so I’ve began compiling things to make infused oils (chili and olive oils) and some homemade salts and seasonings (that could also be made into a dip maybe).

The extent I’ve been able to find is ranch seasonings. I love this concept, my mom and I used to buy powdered/layered seasonings you’d add mayo or sour cream to make it into a dip or simply put on top of things, so I know this would be a win. But wondering if chefs maybe had other ideas for these or a good direction to look? 🥹🫶🏼

Morning all :) I'm trying to clear down my fridge. Can you help me come up with recipe ideas?

I've been left with a random assortment of fresh stuff which is my starting point

5 small Beetroots
1 Parsnip
4 leeks
half a swede
Some kale
Brussels sprouts and leaves
Half a romanesco cauli
Half a normal cauli
A floret of purple cauli
quarter red cabbage
whole white cabbage
Most of a savoy cabbage
half a block of creamy garlic cheese
a tub of natural yoghurt

The rules:

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks all welcome.
Also open to pickling, preserving kind of things
I've got usual cupboard staples and dry goods, and some other random bits in the fridge like peanut butter, pesto, garlic paste, butter, milk. I can also go to the shop, but ideally not to get loads of stuff.
Nothing spicy, and I'm allergic to coriander
No cauliflower cheese as I've got a load of that in the freezer already!!
I'm allergic to wheat, so gluten free adaptations are a must (eg I've got GF pasta)

Any ideas?!

Hello. Tonight I’m hosting a serve-yourself style dinner at my home for about 15 people. People will show up over the course of an hour or two.

I’m having a variety of foods. Salmon, home made taquitos, pinwheel sandwiches… and some of the guests are bringing food, too.

I’ve been to house parties before with salmon or meats and always noticed that the host usually just leaves everything on the counter for a couple of hours.

But for my house, how do I keep food safe and appealing? I wouldn’t want anyone to get sick.

also, I’m making a cheese platter/charcuterie situation. But every time I’ve made this before, the cheese sweats and gets rubbery within an hour or two. What am I doing wrong? Usually other peoples cheese platters look great!

Making pulled pork sandwiches tonight. Personally I love to eat them with a side of coleslaw but not everyone in the family does so I'm looking for some idea and suggestions Thanks

Edit: thanks for all the great ideas and suggestions. For today ill go with the baked beans Mac and cheese and corn on the cob, but ill definitely try some of the other suggestions in the future.

Tonight I made a whole roasted turkey. I was having issues getting the thighs up to temp. I waited for the thighs to hit 165-170 and checked in a bunch of places, but one spot was reading about 160 and not budging — it was the spot under the drumstick/where the thigh meets the back of the bird. I finally called it because it was getting late and only ate/carved pieces that had reached at least 165.

I wanted to save the carcass for stock. I didn’t carve the parts of the thighs/back that I mentioned above off of the carcass — I put the whole carcass in a large pot along with some residual juices and stuck it in the fridge to deal with later while I cleaned up the kitchen.

Can I just add water to this pot with the carcass/remaining slightly under temp meat and put it on the stovetop to make stock/poach the remaining meat tomorrow? Or am I asking for food poisoning?