Katie Meadow

That would be Serengeti spaghettis.

I could no more "make" breakfast than I could put together an IKEA object before eating one (breakfast, that is.). I'm with you, @Smithy. Cutting down on wheat has put a painful crimp in breakfasts for me, since I do need some grain and it has to be simple. It kills me that my husband bakes great bread and I just can't eat as much of it as I like--or as I used to eat. Toast and a few strawberries would be my every day choice for breakfast. Or a bagel with cream cheese and lox if I was lucky, feeling flush or able to think ahead. For grain I've switched to a mainly rice diet from a mainly wheat diet. I will often heat up left-over short grain rice with butter and add a little smoked salmon for breakfast. It works, but chopsticks are essential. And since this is the India cooking thread, if I have made a vegetable curry the night before I'm pretty happy with leftover rice sauced with a modest amount of curry. Before noon I'm no way ready for anything that oozes or comes from a pig. The breakfast thread never ceases to amaze me. It makes me feel like I'm from Jupiter. But not in a bad way.

If you want to up your tamale pie game, Rick Bayless has a recipe on line. He uses Masa Harina para Tamales, the nixtamalized corn flour that comes in a bag. If you make a sauce using dried red chiles, or in a pinch ground chile powder, it really takes off. Rather than ground beef I like to use shredded pork from a roasted shoulder (like Pernil, the Puerto Rican version) or shredded chicken, even from a rotisserie bird. This is more like the Tamale Pie home made in the southwest. Very satisfying and of course easier than making your own tamales.

From the scary to the hilarious. Scary: the fact that this is even a thread. Hilarious: that I own one of those letter openers. It was some promotional item I was given years ago, and I have to say that it's worth its weight in plastic for actually opening letters. But I am not going to use it to open a cucumber. I never thought of an English cucumber as a puzzle in need of a solution, so I will just struggle along with a knife and brute force for that .00001 mil shrink-wrap. Be careful getting slippery cucumber juice on that doohickey. The blade is sharp. @Darienne I will watch for you on the "I will never again...." thread.

I never heard of fried pickles until I was in Atlanta several years ago, celebrating my daughter's getting her masters degree in Public Health. The entrance to the bar was a giant skull. We were there with a bunch of her friends and a few other parents. I've never though of fried pickles as toppers, but more of a meal in themselves. I had a large basket of them along with a fantastic coffee-tasting beer. We were at a large table on an upstairs open air porch. It was lovely. Public health all the way around. My ideal would be a half sour pickle with an ethereal tempura-like batter. The fried pickles I've tried since are nothing to write home about and would sink like a stone if you tried to skip them in a pond. Good ones are scarce as hen's teeth. @weinoo let me know if the Pickle Guys come up with something enlightened and I'll note it for a destination the next time I am in NY. Every once in a while I think about making them myself, but I don't. I haven't personally deep fried anything in my life, so there's that.

There are discussions in other threads about the difference between polenta and grits. Both are cornmeal, which can be ground coarse, medium or fine for a different texture. In my experience the Italians usually prefer polenta ground more finely than Southerners like their grits, which is often toothier. The main difference though is that grits and polenta have traditionally been made from different types of corn: dent corn vs flint corn. To further complicate the issue is nixtamalization, a process used in the Americas. Grits can be made from hominy, which is nixtamalized corn, but I have no idea how common that is. There is so much conflicting information and misinformation about the various types of corn, their origins and how they are used that it makes your head spin. Anyone wishing to learn more should do the research themselves. There are six types of corn and the things that can be done with them is, to put it mildly, complicated. When it comes to color, as far as I can determine both dent and flint corn can be white or yellow. I buy my grits from Geechie Boy Mill on Edisto Island. I prefer white, and my husband prefers yellow. They do taste a little different, but they are the same type of corn, and both make me happy. They now sell specialty color grits--red and blue. I've never tried them because they cost substantially more. During the late sixties and early seventies I lived in New Mexico and blue corn was commonly used for griddle cakes, tortillas and other things. My memory is that it was typically ground finer than you might want for grits. Personally I prefer grits to polenta; most grits sold by artisanal operations in the south are on the coarser side and, to me, have a more "corny" taste. When you buy stone ground grits grown from local corn it will probably be fresher than any boxed Italian sourced polenta, but it's been so long since I actually bought polenta I could be off base here. For cornbread I like a medium grind corn, so it has a bit of a bite to it. Bob's Red Mill medium grind cornmeal is my go-to for breads and pancakes. I love cakes that have cornmeal as a percentage of the flour. If a recipe calls something Polenta Cake I just use that same Bob's medium grind cornmeal, but that toothy quality might not be to everyone's taste. However, if you like the taste of a certain coarse ground cornmeal but want it finer you can always grind it down a bit yourself. Not to disparage anyone here on eG, where help is so readily and generously given, but again, when it comes to corn be suspicious of all information. Mine included!

@Margaret Pilgrim Thanks, I'm looking forward to the info, whenever you get around to it. I don't think I have ever had a Salvadoran Tamale. I used to be wild for loroco pupusas. In case that is unknown to anyone reading this, loroco is a vine. It is a little bitter, the way artichoke is, but impossible to describe the taste. I used to be able to buy it fresh at Mi Pueblo, that large Latinx chain which went under a year or two ago. I haven't found any substitute as good as Mi Pueblo in the East Bay.

Thanks for posting these. The Seafood Watch is a great resource. I think you can bet on the fact that the place you buy tilapia from will not know where it was farmed or what type it is. I don't eat tilapia, partly because of these recommendations but also because it is about the most tasteless fish ever. I rarely eat fish tacos out because when not specified it is most likely tilapia. Several years ago when all the data was released about the mis-labeling of fish and seafood, whether retail or restaurant, I just about gave up on variety and stuck to the same identifiable few critters that are sustainably fished or farmed in the US and Canada. I almost never eat red meat any more, so my sources of protein keep shrinking. And getting pricey. I can't remember if it was here or in the NYT that someone noted the price of this year's haul of Copper River Salmon was selling for around $47 dollars per lb. Not that I'm buying that. Poor planet, you will be better off when we are gone.

Margaret, who is the vendor for the Salvadoran tamales?

A good recipe is one that doesn't assume the reader is stupid, but also one that can head off ambiguities at the pass. Those directions should have been a red flag to the editor, if one existed. If not specifying the weight, then at least the volume measurement should be according to sliced strawberries, which would likely be accurate enough for the dessert in question. @pastrygirl your first job must have been writing SAT math questions. If a strawberry leaves the station at......

I've never added mustard seeds to cole slaw but it sounds brilliant. Okay, a question, peripheral to cole slaw. My mother's favorite sandwich was this: rye bread, very thin sliced ham and turkey and a generous layer of cole slaw with Russian dressing. What is the origin of that sandwich? If it helps, she grew up in Cincinnati in a household that, if not strictly kosher, didn't eat pork or shellfish. Then she moved to New York and became a devotee of that sandwich. (Not to mention Italian sausages and raw clams.)

When I first learned of Kewpie mayonnaise I got so excited I went and bought a big squeeze bottle. I was into making okonomiyaki at the time. I tasted it and threw it out. Possibly I should have given it more of a chance, but I'm sticking with Duke's, which is not what I grew up on but I find far better than Hellman's or Best Foods.

I don't think salting makes the cabbage less crisp, exactly--it still retains a pleasing bite --but it makes it less raw and absorbs some flavor as well. And with respect to onion, I totally agree: none is just right. When other people tell me I'm too opinionated I don't really agree, but in fact I am.

What I love about cole slaw is that if you have a good variety of condiments on hand all you really need is cabbage. I don't have a favorite cole slaw; Asian style, simple vinaigrette, slaws with mayo, all good and all useful. Two things I find wrong with many recipes for creamy slaws is the heavy handed use of mayo. Not only is the ratio of mayo to the rest of the ingredients often way too high, but most recipes make a quantity of dressing that would overwhelm one head of cabbage. And the instructions would make you believe you are supposed to use it all. Well, maybe we Americans just can't get enough mayo. The fact is that once you dress shredded cabbage the quantity tends to shrink, especially if you let it sit for any length of time before eating.The second thing that is so wrong is the addition of raisins. I am confident I don't need to elaborate on that. Salting the shredded cabbage at least an hour or two ahead really improves the final result. I layer cabbage and liberal shakes of salt in a colander, then put a bowl of water on top to weight it down a bit. Before assembly I press out excess moisture in a towel. Enough of the salt dilutes or drains out but usually enough remains so I don't need to add more salt. Remember that 70's recipe (at least I remember it that way) for Asian style slaw with broken ramen noodles? Still sort of fun, but only if you don't add the noodles more than ten minutes ahead of time, unless of course you prefer them soggy. Oh yeah, slivered almonds, etc. Potluck staple. I meant to say something about cowboy candy. I often make either candied jalapeños or just regular pickled ones. I like either of them in some slaws and also in potato salad. Cowboy candy is especially fun in a mustardy slaw along with a spicy sausage or hot dog.

Two years ago in the North Carolina Smokies we stopped for lunch at a busy place that had tables outside on a bridge that spanned a babbling brook. It was lovely. I had pan fried catfish for the first and only time and it seemed super fresh and delicious. I pretended it came out the creek, and didn't ask any questions. I see farmed catfish for sale, but never buy it. One thing I would do is ask for the source. My understanding is that catfish farmed in the US are a small percentage of the catfish sold here, and that most of it comes from Asia, which usually means China.

And we haven't even mentioned gin and tonics. Maybe necessary if watching the Warriors.

@Margaret Pilgrim Cucumber water is the drink of choice at spas. Always welcome. Kabuki Hot Springs in Japantown in SF is pretty nice, but def not today. Yes, here in the Bay Area we are all in on the whine festival about the heat. It is supposed to go into the high 90's in Oakland today and into the 100's just ten minutes inland. As those of you who are familiar with our climate are aware, no one here has air conditioning. My solution last night was a root beer float. That's on top of gallons of iced tea consumed all day. But I do have a cucumber hanging around, so maybe a pitcher of that will go into the fridge this morning. Good idea!

Never has celery looked so glamorous. Walk the red carpet @Margaret Pilgrim.

Maybe it is worth noting that stock from raw parts will taste pretty different than stock from roasted carcasses. To get raw parts I would think that the bigger the meat department the better. When a store has butchers and a big clientele they are more likely to have various parts for sale. I agree that wings are expensive, but they do have good flavor. When I make stock from raw chicken I typically use 2-3 lbs of backs to 1 lb of wings to 1 lb of feet. If I want some chicken meat to eat in the soup I will get either a breast or leg-thigh piece, with skin and bones of course. I take them out of the pot when the meat is tender (like about 45 min), cool it a bit, and cut off and reserve the meat, then dump the bony parts back into the pot to continue to cook. I agree that if you don't have a relatively cheap source for parts buying whole birds and cutting them up before simmering is a good idea. And that way you can still retrieve the meatier chunks before they get cooked to death.

@JoNorvelleWalker Since you are in NJ and seem to walk just about everywhere for your shopping, going into NYC to Kalustyans or La Boîte seems unlikely. I assume Kalustyans has a mail order component. For most purposes I find that Indian Tellicherry pepper is the tastiest black pepper. It is supposed to be the same species as Malabar pepper, which is also grown in India, only allowed to grow bigger thus giving it a more complex flavor. I can usually tell the difference between high quality Tellicherry and decent Malabar. Most reputable spice merchants with lots of online business such as Penzey's probably have good quality pepper and high turnover, so it is probably fresh as well. I really don't fine the need or use for specialty black peppers, unless you count Sechuan peppercorns as black pepper. But that's a whole different thing. I went to La Boîte a few years ago and it was a kick. I came away with smoked cinnamon, which was really exotic. I could enjoy it by merely opening the jar and breathing. Turned out be great in a rub for bbq meats, but I don't eat a lot of meat, so it lasted quite a while. A pinch in curry was fun too. Here's something I never thought to do: make campfire cinnamon toast with it. Mainly it was an expensive novelty.

I'm quoting myself because I must untangle my mistake. "Not in an unbad way" is NOT what I meant. I meant, simply, "in an unbad way." As for celery, I'm always surprised how divisive it is. There are plenty of people who just hate it, including my next-door neighbor. I know because she wouldn't eat the potato salad I brought to her pot luck. How can you make potato salad or tuna salad or egg salad without it? Hard to call that a salad. Okay, so you hate it. Celery is extremely useful, especially when it comes to a blue cheese dip, which is otherwise pretty weird. Also good in certain stir fry dishes. And good in the company of apples and walnuts. The only way it is truly NOT unbad is when it is slathered with peanut butter. My mother is turning over in her grave (figure of speech only, as she was cremated) at the very idea. But then I don't think she ever even bought a jar of peanut butter in her life. You would need a lot of celery to make a salad of hearts, no? Sounds yummy, though.

My understanding has been that rice noodles, at least the dried kind, are gluten free. However, I assume that it is possible that some manufacturers of rice noodles also produce wheat noodles in the same facility, so for those who are celiac or very sensitive that could be important. I do best on a limited wheat diet, but I am not allergic to wheat or gluten, so I am not so strict. As @liuzhou points out, it isn't always easy to find soba noodles that are 100 percent buckwheat. Most of them do have some wheat in them, but the Japanese brands all seem to be pretty careful in specifying ingredients if you read the fine print. The do indeed have a different texture than the ones with wheat in them.

I detest raw broccoli, but I also hate it cooked. I like roasted or sautéed cauliflower in various dishes such as curries or with a lot of garlic and tomato sauce, but I don't like it raw. I I don't touch either of them on a crudite platter, or raw peppers, either. I don't eat raw stringbeans but I would eat them with aioli or other dip if they were blanched or steamed first. I don't peel cucumbers but I do wash them. I string celery in a casual manner, except for the very inner ribs which don't seem to need it. It has negative calories only if you don't string it. @JoNorvelleWalker please don't hexapartition any of your body parts. Just in case, I will look out for you on the "I will never again...." thread. Maybe you should do your cucumber prep before you have that Mai Tai. And I believe you are the first person I have ever encountered who used the word "unakin." I like it, but it's a stretch. But not in an unbad way.

I think paper filters (bleached or not) render the coffee less acidic, so it does change the taste. I too prefer the French Press. If you don't have anything but a drip method you could try a gold filter, which lets more flavor/acid to get through. However, my first gold filter was very fine and the coffee dripped through slowly enough. Most of the ones for sale now are coarser and the coffee just flows through too fast. That's useless.

Re the Squirrel Sex Manhattan. Squirrels can't remember where they bury one ingredient, let alone 20, so this drink is wildly improbable. In fact the drink sounds as disgusting as having sex with a squirrel. When I came to the last ingredient and realized that in addition to a squirrel the sex was really a threesome, including a ferret I really felt ill. Oh wait, my mistake.