Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with food

What's good at the Asian grocery?

Admiral Haddock — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:43:26 -0800

There's a giant Korean supermarket not terribly far from where I live (the mega Hmart in Burlington). It's enormous--big enough to have small aisles dedicated to different Asian groceries--a Thai aisle, an Indian aisle, a Japanese aisle, etc. It's far more than I'd ever be able to explore on my own. What items available in a truly excellent Asian supermarket should I seek out? This is pretty much a pan-Asian free-for-all, so if you have a favorite Indonesian mustard, or an unforgettable Cambodian pickle, please share here. Bonus points for sous-vide-able items! I've always loved supermarkets, and I've been buying stuff from Asian markets since I was a kid, so I'm hoping for recommendations that are more off the beaten path than sriracha or Pocky sticks.

So, for instance, in the Japanese soy sauce aisle--saishikomi-shoyu, dashi-shoyu, etc. Which of the different types should I seek out? What of the many different fermented bean pastes should I try? Unusual spices?

If you can share a link to a picture, or the name in the original language, or include a phoenetic spelling, that would be great. Generally, most products have only the import label in English, and everything else is in the relevant foreign language.

Does this even do anything at all other than turn the water brown?

SMPA — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:22:16 -0800

Why do I put Worcestershire sauce in the water when boiling pasta? That is, when the water comes to a boil, just before I put the pasta in? OK, I know why I do it - it's because my mother does it, and she taught me how to cook.

But I don't know why she taught me to do it, or why the first person in our family to do it, started doing it. It makes no sense to me, and Google is not being an informative friend in this matter, thanks to the millions of results for pasta dishes that include the ingredient AFTER the boiling is done.

I have a very limited understanding of the mechanics behind boiling pasta in general, actually - I'm guessing we boil the water so the pasta will get thoroughly wet before it gets mushy. I think some people put salt in the water; for what it's worth, Worcestershire sauce is salty and it turns out the recipe includes actual salt.

So, MeFites, in your tremendous collective wisdom: why do I add $.10 of this product to the pot every time I boil pasta, other than habit?

If any of you do it, too, I sure would feel better about my family's tradition, BTW.

My mother also taught me to put olive oil in the water. When omitting it I find the pasta is way too sticky, so I don't really need an explanation for that.

Bringing ginseng and beef/pork jerky to Europe

andrewesque — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:54:16 -0800

My parents are leaving from the US on a trip to Europe, entirely within EU Schengen Area countries. They've been requested to bring ginseng and beef/pork jerky by family. I don't think the jerky is admissible, but what about the ginseng? Port of entry will be Amsterdam Schiphol. This and this seem to indicate that the jerky is inadmissible -- am I correct there?

As for the ginseng, my Googling is failing me. It's worth quite a bit so my parents would rather not just "bring it and see," as they'd prefer to keep it at home if there's a risk they'll have to throw it out.

The trip will include the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and France. Thanks!

Where to eat with the in-laws, in Annapolis, MD?

jon1270 — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:20:07 -0800

Me and the missus are meeting her parents in Annapolis this weekend. Of the four of us, two are enthusiastic omnivores, one loosely follows Atkins' diet (low carb) and one is intolerant of dairy and even small amounts of capsaicin. None of us are at all familiar with Annapolis. We'll be there for about 2 days, and have one car. Where should we eat? Also feel free to recommend a lunch spot in Baltimore, where my wife and I (the omnivores) might stop on our way home.

What can I make with these limited ingredients?

JPigford — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:04:06 -0800

My wife is temporarily on a very specific diet with extremely limited food options. So, we need to figure out a way to get creative here. Here are ALL of the things she can have.

* Apples
* Pears
* Steamed white fish
* Steamed vegetables
* Sea Salt
* Red Pepper
* Garlic

That's it. No butter. No oils. No other spices.

So...any ideas? :)

Good dishes for a potluck (difficulty level: bicycle)

Bahro — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:08:11 -0800

Does anyone have recommendations for good potluck dishes that can be transported by bicycle, in a backpack? A lot of things that I usually enjoy making & bringing (i.e., quiche) are out because they'd get hopelessly mangled in transit. A little bit of on-site preparation is possible, but there won't be any actual kitchen facilities at the destination.

Brainstorming book-themed cupcakes

BibiRose — Sat, 11 May 2013 05:31:11 -0800

A group I belong to plans to have a book-themed Cupcake Wars party. Everyone's supposed to make a batch of cupcakes with a name based on a book title. Example: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cupcakes. I'd like to do it on a more interesting level than that, though. Help me brainstorm? There's also an ingredient aspect to the challenge, in the form of a list of ingredients you have to pick from, but it's a long list and includes sweet, savory, everyday and weird. So pretty much any title can be made to work. Of course, I'd love suggestions for interesting taste combinations too. But the main thing I want is a killer literary cupcake name.

Help me feed my friends.

functionequalsform — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:39:48 -0800

Summer recipes for a hungry crew and a cook who kind of sucks at following recipes? Although I don’t cook for myself basically ever, I do like to make lots of food for lots of friends. I normally have “Family Dinners” about once a month for about 8 to 10 people.

However, I normally hold these dinners during the winter when there’s not much else to do. That means all of the dishes I can make for a ton of people are very… wintery. Beef bourguignon, bacon-wrapped chicken, sautéed pierogies and apples with pork, and the like.

This year, I have a huge patio that gets great sun. I’d like to have “Outdoor Family Dinners.”

Ain’t nobody wanna eat beef bourguignon in the summer.

The rub: I’m really bad at following directions to a T, but am pretty much a FREAKIN' GENIUS at making stuff up as I go along—using a recipe as a guideline to check in on. Typical ADD, I guess.

So. I need really easy, uncomplicated summer recipes that a.) I can screw around with 'til it tastes good, and b.) will feed about 10 people.

First on the agenda will be something like:

Appetizer: haloumi cheese salad with honeydew melon and mint.
Main: herbed roast chicken with a drop or two of truffle oil.
Sides: roasted broccoli with a squeeze of lemon.
Dessert: strawberry shortcake from the bakery across the street.

(Yes, I do the normal BBQs and potlucks. Family Dinners are something a tiiiiiny bit more formal.)

Thanks!

Home remedies for kidney stones

CrazyLemonade — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:27:26 -0800

In addition to medical treatment, what else can be done to help kidney stones go away? My maid/nanny just got diagnosed with kidney stones. She was given medication to try to break them down and an appointment to go back to the doctor in a week. I'm doing a little research on kidney stones, in case there's something that can be done additionally to the medication, specially in terms of foods or drinks to take and which ones to avoid, to help her body break them down and throw them out.

What to bring home if not the bacon?

Anonymous — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:58:56 -0800

Help me cope with my live-in girlfriend's increasingly arbitrary diet I've been living with my girlfriend for a couple of years now. She has been a "pescatarian" for as long as I've known her, which is fine by me - I love a lot of veggie dishes, and fish too. She's also never asked me to alter my diet to match. However lately she's gotten stricter with herself - fish is nearly out, so are most dairy products and anything with a hint of fat or starch (potatoes, rice, noodles). Basically she's down to only veggies, mostly zucchini, in fresh, steamed or soup form.

We used to go out a lot more, but it's getting more difficult to find a restaurant that will serve something she'll like. I've tried to cook a few times, but even the veggie recipes I find usually have too much *whatever* for her tastes, and she usually offers to cook for herself.

From my side, I love eating a variety of foods. Something new everyday if I could. Eating out is one area I'm happy to spend gobs of money. She'd rather have the same thing every day. I'm finding myself getting frustrated more than I should, and psychoanalyzing her choices

(I could go into depth about that - one driver is that she's focussed on her athletic performance, but she isn't following any guru's system. I occasionally worry about her getting enough vitamins and such, but she isn't suffering. Besides, I don't know any better to claim the dietary high ground. I'm more interested in coexistence than conversion).

So what strategies can I use to navigate our wildly different tastes? I'm really concerned that little things like this don't build bitterness as we get older together. Eating together is such a social thing and all. Tips?

What's so bad about french toast & mimosas?

librarianamy — Wed, 08 May 2013 05:33:00 -0800

Are you someone who has worked in a restaurant? Can you tell me why Sunday brunch is apparently the meal people hate to make and/or serve? I have no experience in the food service industry, but as a big fan of brunch, I'm curious for first hand opinions. (Or feel free to tell me that the two examples inside are totally bunk.) Earlier this week we saw Anthony Bourdain speak, and he riffed quite a bit about how at his lowest, no matter the open wounds and meth-head eyes, he knew he'd be able to pick up a brunch shift. "Every day I made brunch I betrayed myself deeply and fundamentally" is a quote being attributed to him from that evening. A recent article in our local paper also mentions that "Brunch is like that bad relationship where the sex is great but you really don't like the person anymore." That article mentions in passing that it's a longer shift, and an early morning, but offers no real details otherwise as to why people hate to serve brunch. Can you offer me your professional opinion?

What are the best restaurants in Berlin?

wooh — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:13:17 -0800

I'll be in Berlin for 4 days in June and the people I'm with (3-4 of us total, 1 is unsure) want to eat in some great places in Berlin. Ideally, they want places with delicious food, but also possible also places with memorable or remarkable interiors or clientele. Assume money is no object.

Potluck emergency!

E3 — Sun, 05 May 2013 13:12:41 -0800

I have a Cinco de Mayo potluck to go to in 3 hours. What festive dish can I make to bring with the following ingredients I already have on hand? Mayonnaise
3 avocados
3 cans of tuna
Pasta (tri-colored rotini and lasagna noodles)
Broccoli
Rice checks cereal
Honey
Cheese (cheddar+jack and parmesan)
2 bananas
5 lbs of mandarins
Loaf of bread
Coconut oil
Rum
Milk
Ranch dressing
21 Eggs
Butter

I've just described to you the contents of my pantry and fridge. Can you tell I don't cook much? I'm going to my friend's Cinco de Mayo party this afternoon and told her I'd contribute something. She will already have chips and salsa and a bean dip, as well as dessert.

I'm thinking I could whip up a cold pasta salad? I'm definitely bringing the 5 lbs of mandarins. Also the rum.

Suggestions?

Budgeting for Berlin trip - how much for food?

GenericUser — Sun, 05 May 2013 06:10:19 -0800

I'm planning on taking a solo trip to Berlin for a week. As a general guideline, if I stick to cafes (and the occasional doner kebab) how much should I expect to spend on food?

What to do with these mothers?

aniola — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:12:20 -0800

Our kombucha keeps growing! What do we do with the SCOBY? I hear it tastes like squid. There are already plenty of people giving mothers away on Craigslist in my area. I imagine many pets would like to eat it, but I don't have any pets. I'm sure it would be great for the compost, but isn't it perfectly good food?

What can I do with it? Do you have any SCOBY recipes or ideas for using it as food? Other suggestions?

Fresh catch vs sushi

FireStyle — Fri, 03 May 2013 07:58:41 -0800

simple question: what is the difference between catching a fish directly out of the water and eating it verses eating sushi grade fish.I would think because they are both fresh it should be perfectly safe to eat. Thoughts?

a life of bread and water? Surely there have to be options

TravellingCari — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:06:40 -0800

Is there any legitimacy behind testing for food allergies and sensitivity or is it best to do an elimination diet? This was me. From the directions you pointed me in I realized how much of an issue food sensitivities are and I realized I didn't need to continue being anon. I did some reading following that question and am still trying to wrap my head around food allergies and intolerances. For purposes of simplicity here, I'm using the more general "sensitivity".

In addition to the salad issues above, I've been having some other plumbing issues dating back to the end of last year. For days I'll eat and then almost instantly need the toilet. And then, I wont' go for a matter of days until it becomes painful, and then it repeats again. I've also had some severe issues with bloating to an extent that I've never had before. It's a very different feeling to the bloat that accompanies my period.

I have never been able to isolate the food trigger(s)-- and the latest culprit is pasta ** I had it a few weeks back and bloated severely. Tune of a 12lb "gain" from that morning. That passed, and then I had pasta Tuesday and felt the severe bloat and indigestion, a symptom I never had before. While trying to relieve the indigestion, I vomited, mostly solving the issue. I've never had that -- but at least it was in the privacy of my own home. Minor indigestion lasted about 24 hours.

** please let's stay away from the carbs are evil, don't eat them, ever, weight loss argument. Assume for purposes of this discussion that I eat a healthy, balanced diet and have no issues with carbs aside from pasta.

I did raise this with my semi-primary doc and he wasn't concerned -- said everyone thinks they have food sensitivity with it being in the news. I can understand that, in part, as there are always fad diagnoses, but there's something causing my issues. I just don't know whether it's worth testing for given the poor understanding of the legit science (or lack thereof) behind the tests. I'm aware of some of the questions, endorsements and general questions testing for food sensitivities, but I'd love some guidance on what I can do to improve the current situation. Namely, I fear being caught out when symptoms start and the bloating can be very uncomfortable.

I read this, which was a good overview of how sensitivities change. But it's odd for me in that it's not a regular issue with an identifiable trigger. I do keep a food log as part of my weight loss efforts so that step is done. If I wanted to see a medical professional about this, would it be a gastroenterologist, allergist or some other specialty? I do watch a lot of the Food Hospital and am curious about treatments that might improve it.

Other health issues: PCOS managed by Glumetza (ER Metformin) and Spironolactone. Dosage on those two consistent for 4+ years so not likely the typical Metformin related issues. Lactose intolerant for about 20 years, diagnosed by a peds. Managed with lactaid when I "need" dairy but generally prefer soy.

Thanks, in advance, for any ideas, tips, anecdotes or answers.

SushiFilter: What IS this stuff & how can I be sure to not get it again?

Serene Empress Dork — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:24:12 -0800

We eat a lot of sushi, but I am no expert. We just order whatever sounds good from the description on the menu. Usually I like what I get, occasionally I get something that's just meh, but every once in a while I wind up with a roll that has this big blob of ground fish on top of it. Fish hamburger, if you will. Nowhere in the description does it ever say "ground fish." Is there any way to know what rolls are going to have this stuff on it? I find it rather revolting and can never manage to choke down more than a piece or two.

Mission: Dinner

exceptinsects — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:15:22 -0800

Where should I eat dinner tonight in the San Francisco Mission district? It will probably be just me. I like pretty much anything, but prefer the interesting hole-in-the wall to fine dining.

Worm in pasta - What should I do?

parakeetdog — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:24:07 -0800

Last night, when I was eating my spaghetti, I found a worm! It was light green in color and about the size/shape of a meal worm, but with little claw type things towards the head. I'm not sure if the worm was in the sauce or noodles. The sauce is from small company that specializes in organic pasta sauces.

The pasta brand is De Cecco, which I've used for many years without a problem.

I cooked the noodles in the microwave and also heated up the sauce in the microwave. I had a pretty good view of the noodles and didn't see a worm mixed in with them. Could the worm have been tiny and expanded as the noodles cooked?

At this point, I am terrified of the sauce and the noodles. I ordered both the sauce and noodles in bulk from Amazon. I have a bunch of sauce jars and spaghetti boxes remaining.

What should I do? Should I throw everything away? Is my house going to be infested with worms? Should I call Orkin? Could a bunch of worms have hatched during the day and am I in store for more worms when I come home from work? I was researching worms in food on Google and am now freaked out and feel like I should throw away all the food in my house.

I store the noodles in one kitchen cabinet. Should I throw away all the food in just that cabinet or could the worms have migrated to other cabinets? Also, the box from Amazon containing the pasta was in my house for about a day before I took the pasta out and put it in the cabinet. Should I worry about worms invading my entire house?

How would you handle finding a worm in your pasta, especially given that I can't be sure if it came from the sauce or noodles? Also, any idea on what type of worm this might be so I can research it more and figure out if it's invasive or not? I threw the worm, the jar of sauce, and box of noodles away so far.

Considering moving from the NE and wonder about Durham NC

privatechef — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:48:16 -0800

We are a couple in our mid-50's and are looking for some specific things in our next move; more temperate weather than the North East where we are now; progressive thinking people, good food and a thriving food scene, ability to buy a house for less than $350K, low property taxes ( less than $5K) within driving distance (45 minutes is the max) to a major airport and open-minded people. We are both entrepreneurial and active, love the outdoors and nature and want a small yard for a garden and to be near some kind of water be it a large lake, river or coast. We are considering Portland Ore. or Durham NC. We are still working and work for ourselves. Anyone have an opinion on either or both?

Where can we take a food-and-booze–centric retreat outside of NYC?

Charity Garfein — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:01:40 -0800

Two of my friends and I want to get out of Brooklyn for a night or two this spring for a vacation/artistic retreat/fun time. We would like to go someplace with the following amenities: ++ Good food. We are all big fans of going out to eat, and while none of us are rolling in cash, we don't mind spending money on a good restaurant. Ideally this city/town would have enough places that we could go to a different restaurant for every meal. Treat yo self, etc.

++ Good bars. I'm making us sound like hedonists, and maybe we are, but: We also like to tie one on. Craft beer and fancy-schmancy cocktails are great; cheap beer and $2 whiskey specials are great too. We're not big sports bar people, though. (We're not big sports-anything people, really).

++ No need for a car. None of us has a car, and while theoretically we'd consider getting a Zip Car if something was *that* special, we'd really really rather go somewhere we can get to on public transportation, and, once we get there, won't need a car to get around.

++ Artistically or emotionally inspiring. We're going on this trip as a retreat of sorts to help us brainstorm for a collaborative project we work on together (and have been working on for the last two years).

++ Availability of AirBnB or cheap hotels. We're happy to stay in a no-frills hotel — we care way more about there being fun things to do.

We've all recently been to Boston and DC, so we'd rather not go back to those cities right now. We've been thinking about going to Providence, but only because that was the first place that sprung to mind. We're all 30, if that matters; I am a woman, my two pals are men. Where should we go? And once we get there, what should we do?

What's missing on our trip to San Francisco?

abbagoochie — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:44:13 -0800

I'm going to SF with my partner for our first wedding anniversary - yay! We've been before and have seen some of the sights (list after the break), but are looking for things we might have missed, awesome places we haven't eaten at, great things we haven't seen, etc, so we can make the most of it. Only limiting factor: neither of us drive. So, stuff we have both seen/done etc:

-Pier 39
-Coit Tower
-Musee Mechanique and Fisherman's Wharf
-Oakland Museum of California
-Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company
-The Clarion Alley Mural Project
-Dolores Park/Bi-Rite Creamery/Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream
-Walked around the Mission, ate burritos at Taquiera Cancun/Walked down the Valencia corridor
-The Exploratorium
-City Lights Bookstore
-Walked around the Castro
-Walked around the Haight
-Seen the Defenestration building
-Been in the SFMoMa
-Walked around Golden Gate Park

Stuff I'm thinking of for us:

-Visiting the Computer History Museum
-Going on an Alcatraz tour
-Maybe going in the Kabuki Hot Springs (will we be allowed in with tattoos?)
-Maybe taking a day trip out to Yosemite (is it worth it for three hours?)

Anything else I'm missing? I feel like there's more but I just don't know about it.

Extra info: We are both early thirties, able bodied and relatively fit, no kids. We have four days.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

What are the best descriptions of food you know of?

StephenF — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:22:22 -0800

In a training I am running I want to include a description of food that is so good it would make your mouth water. Ideally, I would read it out, but I could also play a video. I'm drawing a blank though on actually finding such a description. Anything spring to mind for you guys? Ideally it would be more literary than straight-up food writing, but I am open to anything.

Food contest for professional cooks

Bunny Ultramod — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:33:09 -0800

Help me organize a food contest for professional cooks! The goal is to gather a number of regional cooking professionals and have them cook their version of a regional favorite food (already predetermined.) There would be a few celebrity judges and a few people who are pretty knowledgeable about food. The contest would be public and there would be a few recipes. How would you suggest this be done? What should be included? What should be avoided?