blue_dolphin

@Smithy, I’ve been thinking about your question for a while. I think it’s complex and I have no easy answers but am sharing this stream of consciousness anyway 🙃 @liuzhou wrote that there are two types of culinary ennui: cooking ennui and eating ennui. I suspect there are even more subtypes. For example, eating ennui can be appetite ennui (nothing appeals, no appetite) or dining/social ennui (something might appeal but it’s not worth making just for myself, I'd like a dish from a particular restaurant but I don’t want to go there alone, or I'd like something that I’ve always shared with a person or group who aren’t around) @liuzhou also said eating ennui was the most concerning and I agree, especially appetite ennui. A number of years ago, I lost my sense of smell. I could still taste (sweet, sour, salt, bitter, umami) but had zero appetite, absolutely nothing appealed to me. I was sick, had other symptoms and many tests but no diagnosis. After a while I realized that I needed better nutrition or I was never going to get better. I found a smoothie recipe that included 2-3 servings of both fruit, veg and protein, plus fiber, etc. I made one every day, drank half in the AM and half for lunch. Not culinarily interesting but it did the job. I doubt you’re in that situation but looking out for nutrition in some way is important. Even when I started feeling better, and wanted to get back to cooking, I’d lost interest in trying new recipes because so much of their flavor was lost to me. I learned to focus on old favorites and rely on flavor memory to fill in the blanks. Luckily, texture has always been key for me so I focused on that. Again, I don’t think you’re in that situation but focusing on old favorites isn’t a bad idea from a comfort POV. You mentioned both planning ahead and cooking earlier in the day and I think both are good strategies for dealing with cooking ennui. Sometimes the restrictions of a job, caretaking for kids, spouse, parents or the need to conform to the preferences of those folks restrict the time available or the recipe options but they can also provide a helpful structure. When I was working a demanding job, I could only devote time to cooking on the weekends. If I didn’t get my act together, I’d be stuck with restaurant or cafeteria food that was expensive and not particularly healthy so I shopped, prepped and cooked. When my mom lived with me, I planned meals to accommodate her preferences. I no longer have any of those restrictions but if I don’t do a little planning, I’ll just wait until I’m hangry, which is no time to do any enjoyable cooking. I’m a morning person. That doesn’t mean I need to eat right away so I’ve got plenty of time but if I don’t have at least a bit of a plan, I’ll waste the part of the day that I could be most productive. That pertains to cooking and anything else I want to accomplish. I suspect the same is true for anyone with the flexibility to schedule our own time whether they’re early birds or night owls so I think you’re on to something with those thoughts. From what I’m reading in your posts, you’re doing fine!

This is true. I previously thought the development of Charleston Gold was driven by productivity, which was surely a factor, but it seems that an aromatic variant was indeed one of the initial project goals. Charleston Gold: A Direct Descendant of Carolina Gold I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison myself. I have both the regular Carolina Gold and the Charleston Gold brown rice from Marsh Hen but they’re not really a direct comparison since one is a brown rice. The Charleston Gold brown rice is indeed an aromatic long grain brown rice, though if I’m after a brown rice, i usually go for the chew of a medium grain rice like Massa Organics.

I’ll admit that my most active bar going days were when I was in college. We'd meet up with a group, grab a table and hang out until everyone had bought a pitcher. We all paid cash and tipped well. No tabs.

As the article notes, the ease of cashless transactions hides the cost to the establishment. I’d have no objection to a per-payment surcharge to cover that as long as it was clearly spelled out and not a gotcha surprise. These days, I have a strict one drink limit if I’m driving and I think a lot of people do something similar and don’t want to run a tab due to the temptation of overindulging. It’s also often the case that the bar isn’t too busy early in the evening and can more easily handle payments but it’s annoying for both staff and patrons when you have to settle up and leave mid-rush so people prefer to settle up front.

I have the Microplane professional series kitchen graters and have been very pleased with them. I purchased them in 2011 to replace a less expensive Microplane set that had plastic parts that could crack and break off but the professional series is all metal. I have the fine, coarse, extra course and the shaver but the coarse and extra course would handle most needs. I can hold it in my hand, lean it on the cutting board or set it over a bowl. Here’s the coarse one (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), which is actually pretty fine.

I agree with @gfweb that combi steam oven take some getting used to and who knows where those reviewers are on the learning curve. Even the nomenclature can be confusing (full steam, steam assist, etc) If you’re on Facebook, there are a couple of combi steam oven groups where you might want to ask your questions. The Combi Steam Cooking with Steam & Bake Facebook group would be a good place to ask. I’ve seen positive mentions of the Siemens iQ700 there.

My post includes the names of the recipes as they appear in the book, its title and authors. Since I own the book, I haven’t searched for the recipes online but you might try via Google Books or just a basic search. If that comes up empty, post back and I can try to paraphrase them for you.

I believe this is the first tuna melt I’ve made. Zero expectations as I only had one before and it wasn’t good but this one was excellent. I was also hungry 😋 This is the Tuna Melt with Charred Jalapeño Pickles, Chives, and Provolone from Sunlight and Breadcrumbs by Renee Erickson and Sara Dickerman. It starts with making a batch of the Charred Then Pickled Jalapeno Peppers with Onion which are easy and good. In addition to the pickled jalapeños, the tuna mix includes fresh serrano chilies, capers, onion, chives and just enough mayo to stick it together. I used a mix of mozzarella and English coastal cheddar instead of Provolone. No complaints. .

Late to the party here but this post from @Shelby has nice photos of a pork tenderloin she cooked at 135°F for 2.5 hrs. That’s the timing I use, followed by a quick sear.

I quite like Doritos and many crispy salty good-for-nobody snacks so I looked it up at my Total Wine - it’s $61.99 for a 750 ml bottle! Now, I’d spring for a little airline bottle but no way am I paying that much! Also, the reviews were mostly bad. The one positive review recommended adding a splash to a dirty martini or a Bloody Mary. I can imagine that working but I’m not a fan of either cocktail and a soggy Dorito has zero appeal, even for me.

I agree they are probably overly sweet. When I had a day job, I’d buy a package of these flavors, taste one and leave the rest in the break room. Easy peasy. I could probably use a few in a cookies & cream ice cream but would have no use for the rest.

Selena Gomez Oreos are reportedly available for a limited time starting today, June 9. I rolled my eyes but, honestly, I’d try one!

That sounds amazing!

No, not cheap. I live in southern California. There is no commercial fishery for scallops here though some are collected by divers or collectors at low tides. Good scallops from the east coast are available but expensive here. Halibut is caught locally and I get it regularly from a weekly community supported fishery membership. That isn’t cheap either but I like supporting the local fishers who work in our-well regulated fisheries. Some weeks, I might get “cheaper” fish like rockfish, squid or the grenadier that are an often discarded by-catch from the black cod/sablefish fishery. Some weeks, it’s ahi/big eye tuna, rock crab, locally farmed oysters or mussels or the previously mentioned sablefish. I pay the same every week.

Good point. I’m not a panini press hater but it’s not the right tool for every sandwich. Today, I made Ottolenghi's Fried scallops with saffron potatoes, asparagus and samphire and did a miserable job of plating and didn’t have the pan hot enough for an attractive sear on the halibut cheeks that I substituted for the scallops. No matter, it was very delicious. The cheeks were perfectly, if not stunningly cooked. The spuds, asparagus and samphire are a great combo. Per the recipe, each serving is to be topped with 1 tsp of the aioli you make with gently roasted garlic. A rather stingy amount in my book as it goes with everything on the plate. The garnish was supposed to be 5 mm cubes of fresh tomato but I threw in a handful of tiny orange tomatoes instead.